Why Isn't CT On 'The Challenge: Vendettas'? MTV Vet Explains His Absence

When “The Challenge: Vendettas” premiered a couple of weeks ago, one notable name was nowhere to be found. Chris “CT” Tamburello, a staple of the MTV reality-TV series, was not among the original 28 cast members.

CT appeared on all four editions of “The Challenge” in 2017, most recently winning the finals of “Champs vs. Stars,” which concluded with the final episode on Jan. 9.

“I’ve done four in a row. It’s been about two years straight of being on TV,” CT told International Business Times. “That’s a lot for someone like me when you’re a family man, you’re a dad. It was more important for me to spend some time at home.”

Not only did CT appear in every season last year, but he nearly competed for the duration of the show each time. He finished in first place on “Invasion of the Champions,” winning his first championship in nearly four years. CT was the last “Challenge” veteran eliminated before the finals on “Champs vs. Pros.” “The Challenge XXX: Dirty 30” saw CT come up short in the finals with a third-place finish, though he raised a total of $55,000 for the charity of his choice by winning the finals with teammates Johnny Bananas and Emily Schromm on “Champs vs. Stars.”

CT has been competing on “The Challenge” on and off for 14 years, first appearing on “The Inferno” in 2004. It took him nearly a decade to win his first “Challenge,” doing so on “Rivals II” in 2013 when he teamed up with Wes Bergmann.

After “Battles of the Exes II” in 2015, CT took a short break from the show, failing to participate as a cast member on “Battle of the Bloodlines” or “Rivals III” in 2016. He did make a brief appearance on “Battle of the Bloodlines” as a guest competitor in one of the challenges.

Just because CT isn’t on “Vendettas,” his “Challenge” career seems to be far from over.

“The show’s not going away anytime soon,” CT told IBT. “I just needed to take a timeout.”

CT is one of the most successful competitors in “Challenge” history. Through 13 seasons, he’s won two championships and more than $250,000 in total prize money—not counting the money he won for charity—putting him fourth all time.

Only Bananas has competed on more seasons of “The Challenge” than CT. CT made his MTV debut in 2003 on “The Real World: Paris.”

While veterans like Bananas, Cara Maria Sorbello and Veronica Portillo are on “The Challenge: Vendettas,” the show is highlighted by new faces. More than a third of the cast is made up of “Challenge” rookies.

MTV's “The Challenge: Vendettas” airs on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. EST.