Nelson Thomas is hoping that his return to ‘The Challenge’ will inspire others to fight through hard times— and poor choices— to get their lives back.
In a new interview with BLKCinema, Nelson spoke about returning to the MTV reality show for the first time since he suffered severe injuries (including an eventual below-the-knee amputation of his right leg) as the result of a near-fatal car accident in March 2023. Nelson was later arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated.
“One of the biggest things I hope is to show people resilience, perseverance, and faith and taking accountability and showing that you don’t let your choices define who you are,” he told the site.
“…Coming back this season meant the world to me, but it was never just about me. This was about everyone out there looking for hope, looking for that second chance and showing people that there is light at the end of the tunnel.”
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Nelson admitted that there were points after his accident and amputation that he doubted he’d ever return to ‘The Challenge.’ (Back in 2024, he made it known that he was open to returning to the very physical show but didn’t know if it would be possible.)
“I think a lot of people thought that me losing my leg, that it was going to end life for me. And it did at one point,” he said. “I was lost that one minute and I didn’t know to go left or go right, but I didn’t give up and I kept going. And that’s why I want to show people out there, as long as you keep striving for what you want in life, you know, you can have your dreams.”
“..If you don’t give up and you keep the faith, you can achieve anything regardless if you’re having a limb loss or [if you’re] an amputee,” he said.
(In 2024, Nelson named his ‘Challenge’ co-star Jordan Wiseley as being a big inspiration to him. As fans know, Jordan has taken home multiple ‘Challenge’ wins, despite being born without four fingers on his left hand. (Jordan was born with a rare congenital hand condition called symbrachydactyly.)
Earlier this month, Nelson revealed to People that his goal was “to run, to be self-sufficient — to find who I was, because I had lost who I was after the surgery.”
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He also discussed his taking accountability for the car accident that ultimately cost him his leg.
“This is bigger than me. I tell everyone I made the biggest mistake in my life,” Nelson told the magazine. “I’m not here to hide it. I’m not here to sweep it under the rug. I drank and drove and I made a bad choice that night, and I took accountability for that. I owned it.”
As fans may remember, The Ashley broke the news in October 2023 that Nelson had been arrested for Driving While Intoxicated, a charge that stemmed from the night of the car accident on March 6. According to documents obtained by The Ashley, Nelson’s Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) was so much higher than the legal limit that he received an enhancement on his DWI charge. Nelson was officially charged with a Class A misdemeanor, due to his BAC being over 0.15.
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While Nelson publicly revealed many details about the accident, he initially remained quiet about the fact that the accident was caused because he drove drunk. He did not inform his fans that he had been arrested for it, either. In addition, a GoFundMe started for him raised over $58,000.
After fans found out that Nelson had failed to inform them that his accident was caused by his own drinking and driving, many expressed anger and demanded their money back, which they received. Not long after, Nelson apologized for withholding the information.
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Since then, he has documented his health struggles (including his decision to have his leg amputated in March 2024) and become an advocate for amputees. He told People that, coming into ‘Cutthroat,’ a lot of players underestimated him because of his amputation.
“I used that to my advantage,” he said, adding that he brought a different prosthetic to use for each type of challenge, including one for swimming and one for running.
“So coming back to this season is bigger than me,” Nelson told BLKCinema. “It’s for everyone out there.”
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(Photos: Instagram; MTV)
