It’s not uncommon for stars to quickly fall head over heels in love while filming a reality TV show — and The Challenge competitors are no exception.
While many fans didn’t think Paulie Calafiore and Cara Maria Sorbello would create a real bond after meeting on Final Reckoning in 2018, but they proved the haters wrong. The duo went on to compete alongside each other on War of the Worlds later that year and War of the Worlds 2 in 2019.
Then they hit pause on filming reality TV to focus on themselves both individually and as a couple and later decided to move in together in Montana.
“We definitely want kids and we want marriage,” Calafiore exclusively told Us Weekly in June 2023, addressing Sorbello’s initial hesitation to get married. “[During] meet and greets she’d be like, ‘No, I’m happy being the mistress.’ And I’m like, ‘We’re dating!’”
She added at the time: “I absolutely would love to marry [Paulie]. I’ve never said that before, but [Paulie is] the person that I see for the rest of my life. … Like, this is my best friend.”
Although Sorbello and Calafiore are a more recent Challenge couple, some have lasted the test of time. Sean Duffy and Rachel Campos met while filming the first-ever season of The Challenge in 1998, then titled Road Rules: All Stars. The pair got married one year later before welcoming nine children.
Scroll through the gallery below to see more Challenge couples whose romance lasted outside the house:
