Kiki Morris and Troy Cullen have won the inaugural season of The Challenge Australia, nabbing a cool $100,000 in prize money each, and the chance to compete in the world series of The Challenge: Global Championship in 2023.
Taking home the win on Tuesday night, Kiki described the win as “probably the most important, exciting thing I’ve ever done.”
Battling a back injury, extreme nausea and even a rogue g-string, The Bachelor and Bachelor in Paradise star explained the importance of the win, saying: “This wasn’t just a modelling competition or a beauty pageant, it was the most gruelling mental and physical thing I’ve ever done… I’ve proven myself and I’ve succeeded and I’ve won.”
The six finalists also included Brooke Jowett, Brittany Hockley, Conor Curran and Ciarran Stott, who took part in a mammoth series of challenges that spanned almost 24 hours.
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The finalists competed in challenges in pairs of two, with the pairings changing three times throughout the gruelling episode, which included completing a 100km cycle, swimming through sludgy green water, a 3D memory puzzle, a barrel race, and even pushing a car.
While Kiki pipped Brooke at the post by nine minutes, Troy charged ahead with an impressive 20-minute lead over Ciarran, who took out second place.
“Being a fan of The Challenge, this season has meant a lot to me. I’ve had it all – eliminations, finals, dailies, and that’s what I wanted from all of this; I wanted the full Challenge experience,” Troy said.
Having previously competed in three seasons of Ninja Warrior, Troy added, “My friends and family are going to be so proud of me, this has been an absolutely awesome experience.”
While the two crowned competitors are currently enjoying a seriously well-earned break, Kiki and Troy will reunite in 2023 for The Challenge’s world series and go head-to-head with winners from other countries.
“I think that both Troy and myself are such great testaments of the Australian spirit and we are going to give it our all at worlds. I cannot wait to be beside him when we do it, he is one of the best guys I have ever met and I am so proud of us,” Kiki said.
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