by Gina Scarpa

 

For Mandi, being paired with Wes for The Challenge: Battle of the Exes had its good and bad points. The friends, who formerly hooked up on Rivals, have a solid working relationship but Wes's mouth often gets him into trouble and this Challenge was no excpetion. From the beginning, they were targeted for elimination and this week, Leroy and Naomi successfully sent them home. We talked to Mandi today in an exclusive interview to find out her thoughts on Wes, the aftermath of the incident with Vinny at the club, and whether or not we'll see her again.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Given that you and Wes were paired together before on Fresh Meat, were you excited to team up again for Battle of the Exes?
A. Mandi: Um, it was kind of like a bittersweet situation. I've been with him before so I know the trials and tribulations that come with being paired with him. It was nice that I know him and know how he works. I know what to expect. So I mean, you know, it was eh....

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Going in to this challenge, did you know that Johnny and Camila were going to target you first and did it bother you that they weren't going after rookies?
A. Mandi: The moment I figured out that me and Wes were going to be paired together, I knew it wasn't going to be an easy, smooth sailing challenge like it was with Jenn on Rivals. I knew it was going to be dramatic. I knew we would see elimination rounds.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Can you control Wes or is he going to do and say what he wants?
A. Mandi: Wes is going to do and say what he wants to do, especially when it comes to The Challenge. I might be a "veteran" but, to him, I'm still the baby. He was going to say and do whatever he wanted.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You and Jenn did so well on Rivals. Did you feel confident coming into this Challenge?
A. Mandi: Yeah, I did! People dog on Wes a lot but he's done a lot of challenges and with him, I felt like we were a good team.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Can you talk a little bit about how you felt about what Vinny did to you at the club?
A. Mandi: You know what? I was wearing a provocative shirt to begin with, okay? My boobs were out. It wasn't that big of a deal. I was upset for maybe ten minutes. I was like, "What the heck?!" I screamed at him for a minute and then he apologized over and over. I forgave him within ten minutes. The producers, people in the house... it was made into a big deal. I appreciate that they don't tolerate that stuff but I felt so horrible and they didn't show that either. I had really put it past me the night before. It was just bad situation.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You kicked Naomi's butt in The Dome! Was it tough that Wes lost it for you guys?
A. Mandi: Well, I mean, he lost it for us in Fresh Meat, too! He did it again! No, it was all good. I know he tried his hardest and so did I in both elimination rounds. I think we both came off looking good and we both tried our best. That sounds cliché but that's really all that matters.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Let's say you had stayed this week. Do you think there would be any point in the season that you could've deflected attention off of you two and flown under the radar for a bit?
A. Mandi: Flown under the radar? Absolutely not! We would've been thrown in every single time unless we won. We were going to be put in every time and put first in every challenge. To win a challenge going first is really, really hard to do.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Do you have another Challenge in you?
A. Mandi: I think I have a few more Challenges in me but not right now. The last one... ugh, I'm just exhausted. I think I might take a few off! But you never know when you get that phone call - it's so addicting!

 

The Challenge: Battle of the Exes airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on MTV.

 

(Image courtesy of MTV)

 

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