ExclusiveThe Challenge’s Tony Slams Averey’s Claim He ‘Didn’t Want’ to Be on Show: ‘That Hurt My Feelings’

Tony Raines denies Averey Tressler and other The Challenge cast members’ claims that he was looking for an easy out on season 40. Following his elimination during the show’s Wednesday, August 28, episode, Tony exclusively tells In Touch that he was not “checked out” on the show.

“Did I confide in Averey and tell her things like, ‘Hey, you know, I do miss my family back home and I’m tearing up on FaceTime calls. Like, God, man, it just kills me’? Yeah. But I also told [her] that I’m out here for my family and I’m out here to collect this check,” Tony, 36, says. “Like, you know my reasoning behind it. … I remember her saying [that I didn’t want to be there] and it hurt my feelings, to be honest with you.”

Tony and Averey, 33, were team captains for era 3 during the daily challenge and were put in a position of power after their team won. They had to decide whether to throw the team captains from era 2 or era 4 into elimination against the losers from era 1. However, they could not come to an agreement, as Averey wanted to protect Derek Chavez – the male captain from era 2 who is also her close friend – while Tony wanted to strike a deal with era 4 to benefit his game in the future. Due to the stalemate, Tony and Averey had to go into the elimination themselves, and he lost to Darrell Taylor, while she beat Jodi Weatherton.

“Avery and I had a lot of great conversations together,” he admits. “It’s somebody I really got along with out there. I spoke with her more than any other [female] cast member. And she knows that. So for her to make that dig it’s like … what are you talking about? It just wasn’t true.”

Tony also points out that he came in second place for his team during the first challenge of the season and then beat Leroy Garrett in an elimination when he was voted in by his team. “If I wanted to go home, I would’ve gone home right there,” he insists.

While Tony admits that “in hindsight” he may not have made the right decision by going against his team’s wishes and trying to team up with era 4, he also says it was the move that was “best for [his] game” at the time. “I gotta think about my family and myself here,” the Real World alum says. “So I’m sticking to my guns. In the back of my head I’m thinking, ‘Alright, there’s no way Derek’s going to let Averey actually do this, so we’re gonna be all good. We’re gonna get down to elimination and T.J. [Lavin]’s gonna say, ‘Y’all can’t come to a decision, then y’all are going into elimination,’ and Derek’s going to go, ‘Whatever, I’ll go down there.’’ And he could have gotten Averey off the hook. … But no, he just stood by and let Averey nominate herself.”

Since their feud on the show, Tony and Averey have not spoken “a word” to each other, he reveals.

Meanwhile, Tony says that his decision to vote for era 2 to go into the elimination actually stemmed from wanting to make an alliance with Darrell, 44, more than wanting to work with era 4. Darrell admittedly wanted to go against Derek in the elimination, which he told Tony and Averey at deliberations.

“Down the road … Darrell’s a strong competitor. Darrell’s gonna look out for me,” Tony explains. “[Then] I got ties to era 1 and I’m making deals with era 4 as well. I’m looking out for myself in the game moving forward. … My biggest deciding factor of what I did was my deal with Darrell. I knew Darrell would help me out more [in the long run] and he also has a lot of influence with era 1.”

Despite the disappointing way he went out this season, Tony says he’s always game for a future appearance on the reality show. “If I’m lucky enough and fortunate enough to get that call from the Challenge Gods, I will accept. And Tony time will continue,” he confirms.