Why did Kaycee leave The Challenge: Ride or Dies early?

We knew ahead of time to expect plenty of twists and turns with The Challenge season 38, well the MTV competition series surely didn't disappoint in its shocking premiere episode on Wednesday, October 12.

Dubbed The Challenge: Ride or Dies, the new season pairs competitors with one of their loved ones, from siblings to spouses. Teams include returning vets like newlyweds Kailah and Sam and frenemies-turned-BFFs Devin and Tory, as well as "rookie" duos including Kim and Colleen and Ravyn and Johnny. "Personal seasons are the messiest," said Michelle, who is paired with Jay. "This is when you get into the most trouble."

One highly anticipated pairing from The Challenge season 38 cast was that of Kaycee Clark and her younger brother Kenny. The Challenge fans no doubt remember Kaycee as the victor of last season's Spies, Lies and Allies, while Big Brother buffs will know the reality star as the winner of season 20. But, seemingly as quickly as the Clark siblings were introduced, host T.J. Lavin notified the competitors before their first challenge that Kaycee and Kelly had to depart the competition, with no explanation as to why. In their absence, T.J. brought in two new Ride or Die teams: Olivia and Horacio, and Nam and Emmy. 

So why did Kaycee and Kenny leave The Challenge? You guessed it: COVID. 

According to an interview with Entertainment Weekly, "We ended up getting COVID and getting sick. The crazy thing is I didn't feel any of the symptoms. I mean, I had a light cold, but everyone had a light cold. But my brother and I had COVID, so we had to exit the game," Kaycee revealed. 

The loss of a veteran team led to a majority of rookies in the game, so when newbies Ravyn and Johnny won the season's first competition — "Bolas for Blood," in which pairs had to dive into a mud pit to find answers to trivia questions about their partners — they were aiming to make a power move against returning competitors. "I'm pretty shook. They're definitely going to be playing with their power however they want and that's scary," Tory said. 

T.J. tasked the winning team to choose four pairs to bring into the interrogation room to plead their cases. They chose mostly vet teams — Tory and Devin, Kailah and Sam, Laurel and Jakk — and one rookie duo, Kim and Colleen. "Bold f**king move from the rookies, not the smartest," said Kailah.

In the end, Ravyn and Johnny chose the newlyweds Kailah and Sam to compete. "This might stir some sh*t up... we're not here to play some wimpy-ass game," Johnny told the cast. The three remaining teams then had to draw daggers from a stone to see who would be going up against them. Kim and Colleen drew the "safe" dagger, meaning they had the choice of which pair would be thrown into The Zone. They chose Tory and Devin, who went head-to-head with Kailah and Sam in "You Move, I Move," a maze-meets-balance game in which Tory and Devin handily won. 

"Been a good honeymoon, short and sweet!" Sam joked after being eliminated. 

But the show wasn't over just yet: right at the episode's end, T.J. announced two more competitors: game veterans Johnny Bananas and Kaycee's girlfriend Nany Gonzalez. "Are you kidding me right now? I cannot believe that this just happened," Laurel said. "This completely changes the game."

Why did Kaycee leave The Challenge? Fans react

Fans, left wondering about why Kaycee and Kenny left The Challenge so soon, vented their frustration on social media:

The Challenge: Ride or Dies airs on Wednesdays on MTV.