The Challenge 40: Battle of the Eras Interview with Aneesa Ferreira
Folks, MTV gave me the opportunity to talk to Aneesa after her elimination on Battle of the Eras Episode 4.
I AM GOING TO ADD AN EXTREME DISCLAIMER:
If you’ve read my blog, you know I am not a fan of Aneesa. When MTV gave me this opportunity, I very heavily considered saying no, because I thought it would be disingenuous to kiss ass when I’ve spent so much time complaining and talking shit about her. So I did it, but I wanted to be upfront and tell Aneesa that I have been a critic/hater for her. This led to the interview being very awkward and a little standoff-ish at times. I was stammering quite a bit because I got thrown off, as it was not the best interview experience ever for me personally. There are questions I should have asked but didn’t after seeing how she responded to certain things I said. At the same, THIS INTERVIEW WAS AUTHENTIC. So, if you want the real Aneesa, read this interview.
I will note that I only had 15–20 minutes to work with, so a lot of questions that I wasn’t able to get to. There were so many follow-up questions that I had prepared that I had to abandon as we were limited on time.
In my opinion, this interview is best consumed via the YouTube video above, where you can see and hear all four of our faces and voices. Whatever you read below is an automated audio transcription, so it might be clunkier. However, I kept it available if you can’t listen to/watch a video or prefer to read. I’ll also have it available in podcast form on Spotify/Apple here:
Allan: Everyone watching at home, we’re joined by one of the most OG, not just Challengers ever, but Reality TV personalities ever, Ms. Aneesa Ferreira. Who’s been on Reality TV now for, I believe, more than half your life?
Aneesa: Definitely. 23 years. About.
Allan: That’s crazy. There’s certain NBA players where that stat comes out of that they’ve been in the league more than, like, they’ve actually been alive. And it’s always crazy.
Aneesa: Yeah, my body feels like it too, sometimes.
Allan: So to start this interview, I gotta kind of start it on, like, a negative-ish note and say openly, because anyone who sees this interview is going to be very shocked because I’ve probably been one of your loudest critics and haters over the years. I wanted to do this interview because I think you’re very interesting. I wanted to do this interview because I think we see the game from different angles. And overall, even though I’ve been a critic of you, I still think this is going to be a good interview because you’re a great personality. But what are some words you have for the haters? Because I’m didn’t want to just immediately be like “you know, hey, how are you doing” and kiss your ass and pretend like I’ve never said anything mean. I’m going to be upfront about it. But here’s your chance to get a lick back and to throw some/any words you have to the haters.
Aneesa: I mean, none of them are in our position. Like, you guys didn’t get cast for the show, you guys aren’t on the show. It’s so much easier to say, “oh, I could do that, or I could be better at that.” Or, you know, not take into account life factors and, like, all these things that happen with us that, like, you know, you guys just aren’t a part of. Like, you watch it.
I’m grateful for people that watch it, whether they want to be negative or positive. I’ll tell you that there’s probably one out of a million comments that’s probably negative towards me, and that’s fine. People are definitely allowed to have their opinions. I think being mean to be mean and be a hater is a waste of time and energy.
It sounds boring. Like, I clearly am on the show for a reason. I think that I am representative of a lot of things, and I don’t see a lot of women that are 42 that are doing the same things I’m doing and give me some fucking credit.
Allan: Yeah. And that scene where you’re talking about coming back from Ride or Dies. Was it a ruptured Achilles and the MCL injury?
Aneesa: I tore my ACL.
Allan: Yeah. To do that in your forties and still rehab and want to compete on this show, I have the utmost respect for that. Like, talk about the rehab process, because, I mean, to do that at any point in your life, but especially, you know, being a few years older, it’s tough.
Aneesa: My doctor said that I couldn’t have hurt my knee at a better time. When you’re young, you can re-injure it and re-injure it and re-injure it. At 70, you probably just need a full knee replacement. So the minute I got home from Ride or Dies, I was in the gym and in rehab four to five days a week.
I walked out of the hospital after my surgery. I was in PT ten days post op, and then I did PT five days a week until I was good. I was in crossfit two months post op. My surgery was amazing. I had a great surgeon. I have a great PT place that I’ve been going to, and I worked really hard to get back even probably stronger than I was before I got injured.
Allan: I got to give you credit again because we watched that elimination. I know you lost, but in my opinion, even though you’ve won a handful of eliminations within the last five years alone, I thought this was your best elimination performance in a long time because it was a heavy cardio based elimination.
And you’re going against Jenny, who is literally outran men in Finals. Like, Jenny can run marathons on marathons. And you guys were neck and neck.
Aneesa: Jenny’s not really a marathon runner. Just to let you know. I mean, she’s a friend of mine. I just talked to her, actually. I just. Yeah, she’s just incredibly strong, and she’s just good at shit, you know, she’s. She’s super strong. She’s super fit.
I think that this was one of those things that really showcased athleticism, and that’s no shade to her. But, you know, athletes, come in all shapes and sizes, and, I mean, I think it’ll quiet a few people, maybe yourself included.
Allan: Hey, I fully agree because that scene where Jenny’s talking to you and, like, she’s being very body positive. I loved that because I’m a person who was talking shit from the couch, and in the last few years, I’ve lost 100+ pounds. I run a few miles every day, but even then, I don’t have, like, the most normal body type.
It’s like, you know…You compare yourself to other people and it becomes a lot.
Aneesa: I don’t compare. I know that I’m strong. I mean, my body. Jenny and I have very different genetics. I will never be built like Jenny West, you know. But Jenny West is the same person that celebrates my body and lets me know that I’m strong. So while people do sit on their couch and hate and whatever I have, who, you know, might look like the most fittest woman telling me that I’m strong and she was coaching me, you know, before that.
I mean, listen, I killed that elimination, in my opinion. I don’t think a lot of people could have done it. So, you know, it wasn’t easy. And, I mean, we put on a show.
Allan: Hell, yeah. Let’s talk about the dynamic on this season, because, obviously, that first vote, where it essentially becomes between you and Jodi. And Rachel, let’s CT pick. What’s your relationship status right now with Rachel? Are you guys good, have you guys made up? You talked about that situation where your mom not even be a fan of Rachel anymore after watching this.
Aneesa: My mom’s pissed. I mean, my mom’s known Rachel since she was 20. My mom’s always been a fan of Rachel’s, but I just feel like there could have been a…. I mean, I’m not her, and we made up on the show, but I also didn’t want to lend too much energy to being angry at her.
I don’t know what kind of purpose that would have served, but, rewatching it, I got pissed off again because I feel like… Just like you’re watching with Averey and Averry showing her loyalty to Derek to, you know, like, watching these different friendships, how these people have their back, you know, I think she should have had mine, and, I think if it were the other way around, it would have.
She would have been really, really mad at me. And leaving it up to CT just felt like a cop out. I think that, you know, if she wanted to save me, she would have. She would have put up a fight. I don’t think CT would have argued it, and she didn’t.
Allan: That actually kind of leans into my next question, because I’ve been curious about it for basically years. I want to know about you and CT’ relationship because I would say that it’s actually closer to a rivalry. Well maybe not a not rivalry, but, like, CT does throw you in a lot. I feel like the relationship between you two has just never been great. Whereas I think. I think a lot of people, the default is they’re going to champion and say nice things about CT because he is a beast. But you two have. I think a more complicated relationship.
Aneesa: I just. I just know CT, and I know that if I would have asked him, you know, why did you put me in? Like, we’ve been in this position before, and there usually aren’t discussions about why he does it. And I don’t ask because I just know him outside of it, you know?
Even in the game, like, we still joke around, we still talk our shit. Like, it’s still friendly. I just don’t see a point in asking him, oh, well, why did you do this? You know.
I just. You know how some people are. We don’t have like a rivalry. I just kind of know where I stand in his eyes as a competitor. And that’s fine. Everybody’s entitled to their opinion. It’s not like fight worthy. I’m not going to text him or call and be like, well, why did you do that?
Like, I just don’t care enough.
Allan: That does remind me of when Wes sent you that gigantic text that he posted online.
Aneesa: Yeah, we talked, though, but that was corny. But I told him that, I mean, you know, there are different ways to handle it, and I. I like to be mature about things. I think if we’re really friends, we don’t need to take to Twitter. I don’t even have Twitter anymore, so I don’t really care.
Allan: Is it true that…Well I heard it, I don’t know if it was true, but there was a rumor that originally when they were starting up the official Challenge podcast, it was going to be you and Wes. Is that true?
Aneesa: There were a few people in mind. I know that Wes and I tried it out. I think they tried a few other different pairs, and it ended up being Tori and I and now Davonne and Devyn.
Allan: Which kind of, like, leans into my m. How different is it doing Challenges now? I mean, how different is just your life? Because back in the day, when you do challenges, you would kind of do them more spread out. Like, you Battle of the Sexes, then like, a couple years you did Battle of the Sexes 2. You did the Duel, then you wouldn’t be back for a couple years again. Whereas these days, like, you’ve been on a bunch of seasons in a row, you do the official challenge podcast, and it went from, like, a thing you went on versus, it’s become just such a big part of your life.
Aneesa: Yeah, I just think there was a bigger pool to pull from when we were younger. There were more people that could do it. They wanted to spice it up, and it really let rivalries be rivalries. Because you weren’t seeing these people twice, three times a year and making up, you were literally hating these people.
I think it made for interesting tv, and you had to be like… it was an honor. I mean, it still is. Excuse me, to be picked, but you really, like, they sat a lot of people out sometimes. You weren’t seeing people come back over and over. There were a few, but not as many as there are now.
Allan: What are the aspects of the old days that you missed the most on these new seasons?
Aneesa: I mean, I just feel like we had more fun. I think that a lot of people now don’t know how to turn the game off. I think that you need the balance in order to keep your sanity a little bit. I think it works better for your social game if you’re not always, like, gaming. I think that that was the difference. Like, we could play the game, but we could also, like, have a really good time.
Allan: Do they even let you guys go to bars where there are other people anymore still?
Aneesa: If they do, they set it up to keep us separate. But that’s like safety reasons and I understand because we were nuts back in the day. So, you know, they need to make sure nobody to get kidnapped or hurt or whatever. It’s. Some places are…you know, I mean, we’re in foreign countries.
We don’t know the way of the people all of the time. And I think it’s just safer that way. Plus, they want to be able to have people talk about stuff. And that’s why we go out after challenges.
Alla: For this season, 40. Who are the challengers, that you think, that are missing the most from the season?
Aneesa: I definitely think Wes should have been in there.
Who else wasn’t there? I mean, it’s so hard, like, Coral, Landon and, like, all of these people that I that I wish were back, how they can come and be integrated back into it because it’s changed so much. You know, but I I would love to see some of those people that had made such a big name for themselves and were such good competitors to come back, but we don’t get them all.
Allan: So how many…Actually I’m not going to say how many seasons you have left in the tank because I think you have a lot left in the tank based on this elimination.
Aneesa: Thank you.
Allan: But what do you see as the future of the Challenge yourself? Because, I mean, we’ve seen internationals come in. We’ve seen the OGs come in. Like, do you think we’re going to see more of the OGs staying on these flagship seasons or is it going to, like, change up a bit back to the Fresh Meaty type seasons?
Aneesa: It might go back to newer people. I don’t see a lot of people returning. I think because it’s 40, it’s such a big season and we all wanted to kind of be there. I don’t know if a lot will be back. Eleven weeks is a long time for a lot of people. It’s a long time to be away from your jobs, long time to be away from your family.
So I don’t know if I could see that for Era 1 type folks, but, I do see it kind of going back to how 37, 38, 39 were. As for me, yeah, I’ll do a few more, but I also would like to get on with my career, and if it.
I mean, I have to, you know, go to grad school and that’s, like, gonna take up some time.
Allan: The idea of doing homework again literally terrifies me every day so much.
Aneesa: I love school. I’m a big nerd. I mean, I really enjoy learning.
Allan: I used to work in the education field, but I’ve always hated just being a student myself because I’ve always been a self-learner type person. So just being at desk has always been my nightmare.
Aneesa: Yeah. I mean, I have to. It’s the only way to get the credentials that I would need to do what I want. So you take the good with the bad.
Allan: We’re being told to wrap, so I’m going to give you one last chance to say what is one thing you think all challenge fans should know about Aneesa?
Aneesa: I don’t know. I mean, I work really fucking hard, and I think that before the keyboard warriors get on and want to talk their shit, maybe they should do a little introspection first,that’s all.
Allan: Hey, it’s been a good interview. It’s been good talking to you, I hope you have a great day.
Aneesa: Thank you.
