‘The Challenge: All Stars Rivals’: Corey Lay on Making Up With Big T & Playing With OGs

Amanda Bell March 5, 2025, 9:00 pm

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For the first time in a long time, The Challenge : All Stars Rivals did not see Adam Larson and Steve Meinke get thrown into the elimination. On Wednesday’s (March 5) new episode, “A Star-Holder Is Born,” the four-time elimination champ team not only saved themselves from having to go back into the arena, but they also wielded the power to send a rival pair into elimination against whoever the house voted in. Once Dario Medrano and Ashley Kelsey were chosen, Adam and Steve decided to send in Corey and Tula “Big T” Fazakerley, the one pair that didn’t offer them a new deal.

Corey and Big T came into the season as rivals, thanks to their major falling out in Season 39, but they quickly patched up their relationship and became strong partners right away. Still, their happy reunion wasn’t enough to get them through to the finish line. So where did it go wrong for the pair? And what was it like for them to compete with some all-stars? TV Insider caught up with Corey Lay to find out.

What was your reaction to finding out you were going to be paired with Tula, and how did you guys kind of get past what you were going through?

Corey Lay: Honestly, once I learned [the theme] was Rivals and TJ said it, I look around me and I’m like, “Okay, maybe it’s Melissa, maybe it’s Big T.” And I was actually kind of thankful that it was Big T. I think one of my biggest regrets in The Challenge was ever backstabbing her after she was so vulnerable and so friendly with me. And I saw it as a chance of, I can hopefully redeem myself, get her trust again, build our friendship, and ultimately, I was happy with it.

And the first night when we moved into the house, we did have a conversation. I sat down, and I apologized. I told her that, despite me being extremely defensive initially, I knew what I did was wrong. I knew that I hurt her in a very deep way, and I just wanted to build that trust back, and I was like, “No more excuses. I’m not gonna act like what I did was okay.” Thankfully, she had so much grace and allowed me the opportunity to get to know her again, or her get to know me. And going into the very first daily challenge we did, I think it showed because we almost got a star. And I was like, “F**k it, we’re here. Let’s do this.” And over the course of the season, I think we got a lot closer, and I can ultimately say she’s a friend now, again, so it’s nice.

And is that true for Melissa as well? I mean, they are kind of a package deal, right?

Yeah, I definitely feel like I am on great terms with Melissa as well. We had a lot of good conversations as you see in this episode — me, her, and Big T — [and] were kind of trying to turn the house in our favor, which we ultimately did. And so I think Big T and I got closer because we were partners, but I’m also considering myself and Melissa friends again, and I hope she considers us friends again, too. I should probably ask her.

You just said you turned the house, and you guys did manage to get the house to vote the way you wanted with Dario and Ashley. When you were doing that, who were you thinking was gonna get sent in by the winners?

So I had a little bit of hope that Adam and Steve would maybe throw in Nany and Turbo or Fessy and Amber, but at the end of the day, me and Big T had a really strong inclination they were going to be voting for us because Adam and I had just had an argument at the last house vote, and we made the decision that we weren’t going to try to cut a deal. We weren’t gonna try to kind of go across the line. I feel like, at this point in the game, we’re halfway through. We know where alliances are, and unfortunately, they weren’t in our alliance, and it would have been beneath us to try to cut a deal that we were ultimately not going to be able to hold ourselves accountable to.

One of my goals this season was to play a lot cleaner and a lot straighter. And I think I did that this time around. I don’t think I betrayed anybody. Obviously, I spilled the beans on Dario, but I don’t think I’ve broken anyone’s trust this time around, and that was really important for me coming into this season.

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Dario and Ashley said they had no idea it was coming. Did you tip them off at all?

So I did not give them any inclination because I knew if we did, it could change. Because they’re very close to Frank and Sam, who is very close to Veronica and Katie, and if that group had found out that it was going to be Ashley and Dario, then they could have flipped it. And I also had a secondary motive, which was Ashley and Dario are Frank’s number ones in the house. If we get rid of them, that means me and Big T can slide into that spot as Frank’s number one. So it was a little bit of a selfish move, and I wasn’t that closely aligned to Dario and Ashley anyway, so it just kind of seemed like the right move to make.

You said you didn’t want to have a conversation with Adam and Steve, but Amber did, and it seems like you guys were close. How do you feel about that?

I think Amber and Fessyy are one of the stronger on-paper teams. They felt like they wanted to be in control of when they go into elimination. So I think Amber was playing her game. I don’t think she expected with her making that deal that it would end up with me going home because Amber and I are close. And I just think she, unfortunately, maybe was trusting the wrong people, with Veronica and Katie kind of mixing things up. But I mean, Amber did just do what’s best for her. And I don’t think that was at my expense or anything like that.

So you got it right when you talked to Amber about the fact that Veronica and Katie were the ones masterminding behind the scenes. How did you figure that out?

So, Katie and Veronica were trying to flip the house away from Adam and Steve from day one. So I knew that they were playing a quiet political game in general, and then the day of this house vote, Veronica’s normally sleeping in, relaxing, lounging by the pool, but no, today she was going from room to room, having conversations every 30 minutes. I talked to somebody and there was a new name that the house was voting for, and being observant, I’m like, “Well, who is doing this? There’s only one person that I can see going from room to room, having conversations.” It was very easy for me to spot, and I wish that I would have just said that during the house vote. But I felt like if I threw that out there, it might end up landing back on me, and I just didn’t want to be the house vote. I wanted to be able to have somewhat of a chance that I was like gonna go in, even if it was a slim chance.

Speaking of Veronica and Katie, obviously, they’ve been around for a long time. In some of the previous seasons, you were with a lot of the new kids, but now with All Stars, you got to work with some of the real veterans of the show. What was it like to navigate that?

It’s so wild because I grew up watching The Challenge, and so I saw Katie and Veronica back when I was in high school, they were kicking ass doing amazing things, and I just — for one, I’m starstruck because I never thought I’d have a chance to be playing alongside some of these legends who built what The Challenge is. So first and foremost, I just feel kind of honored to be there. And then there’s a part of me that’s like, “Well, sh*t, I’m here. Now I have to play against them.” It’s like I admire them as viewers, but now that I’m in the game, I can’t let that give them power over me in my mind. And I feel like in the past, on Season 37, I allowed some of the OG people to kind of have the power and to do whatever they wanted, and I was just kind of there. And this time around, I was like, “Okay, they’re gonna play their game. I’m gonna play mine. I’m not against them, but I’m not with them either.”

And I knew at some point there was going to be like a clashing of the two sides and, like I said, I just feel honored to be playing with them, and Katie and Veronica played a stellar f**king game. They are social queens, and despite them not being on my side, it is what it is. That’s how the game goes. You’re trying to win, and that’s the way that they play, and it’s inspiring to see because I don’t have as much social prowess as they do. I think I fumble on my words. I’m a little bit too emotional. I’m a little too erratic, and to see them just be calm, cool, and to know exactly how to move people, like it’s awe-inspiring to watch.

Big T and Corey Lay on The Challenge All Stars Rivals

MTV

Going on to this daily, you pointed out that Big T struggled a little bit with the Scrabble portion, if you can call it that. Do you think if she hadn’t had you to swim up that you might have been ahead of the others?

So Big T only slid down the slide once because we wanted to preserve her energy, let her get to the platform, and start trying to solve the puzzle. I think in hindsight, she probably should have slid down a couple more times just to help get that paint off of there. And I also think that we were a little bit too overzealous. We were focused on speed and doing it fast, that as soon as we had, I think, four, five, or six symbols shown, I just swam over there ’cause she thought she had it. I think we should have slowed down and revealed more of the symbols because that could change the word completely. And so I just think the lesson here is just go a little bit slower, trust yourself that you can do it, and you don’t have to rush. Usually, when you rush these things at a challenge, you’re not gonna get it right the first time. But kudos to Sam and Frank. I’m so glad if I couldn’t win they won. I really enjoy them in this game, and I’m happy to see them back.

Coming to the elimination, do you feel like you had a little bit of a size advantage since you’re so tall with that balance?

The height maybe was an advantage, but then our weight disparity was a disadvantage because we had to balance this thing. I would say, on a good day, I weigh maybe 120 pounds more than Big T. And so every little step I took or every little thing I did, this thing was tilting so dramatically that I think it cost us towards the end because when we had all of the stars, our little platform wasn’t flat. It was kind of tilting to the side. And so when Big T or I think myself goes to try to put it on top, the whole thing just fumbles over, which is why we lose. Eliminations are kind of a crapshoot. Sometimes, they’re in your favor. Sometimes, being tall is helpful; sometimes, being heavy is helpful. And you never know what you’re gonna get. We tried our best, but unfortunately, this time, it wasn’t good enough.

When you left, who were you rooting for to win?

I think I was rooting for Amber and Fessy. I went to Amber’s baby shower. I’m pretty close to her, and Chauncey, and Sunny, and we just have a relationship that transcends the game. And I really want to see her win. I feel like it was great seeing her blossom this season to have other women friends. Her and Ashley Kelsey grew very close. And on previous seasons, I’m not sure the women around her supported her in this way. … That’s why I told her at the end, “Hey, I think they’re coming for you. If the last thing I can do here is give you an advantage, that’s what I’m gonna do.” So hoping that they can take that with them, get some of their enemies out, make it to the end, make it to the final, and win.

The Challenge: All Stars Rivals, Wednesdays, 8/7c, MTV