An injury might have been the turning point in someone’s life. Derek Xiao Shannon St. Clair’s games on The Challenge: USAThey were eliminated by Enzo Palumbo Justine NdibaWednesday, August 10, 2010
The Big Brother Love IslandAlums were randomly paired by the algorithm this week and were then thrown into the arena. Daily challenge winners were also present David Alexander Desi Williams. Shannon says the elimination was “so frustrating” after having suffered a hamstring injury earlier in the day.
“I couldn’t reach not one tire coming off,” Shannon exclusively tells Us WeeklyHer short height was also a disadvantage. “We tried to tell T.J. [Lavin]How, how, how does this work? I can’t even jump up and get them off ‘cause you have to pull them off, and Derek couldn’t help me. There were so many rules. I was running when he took them off and gave them to me. They wouldn’t even allow that. So we had no choice but to find a way. Derek made a step stool, and put two tires underneath. So I was able to climb up and take them off. Plus, that was unsturdy so I was, like, wobbling, falling off, rolling my ankle every time I hit them.”
Shannon St. Clair, Derek Xiao Laura Barisonzi, courtesy Paramount(2)
“It ended up being an incredibly horrible strategy because the base just wasn’t sturdy enough,” Derek agrees. “I didn’t realize these tires were deflated to, like, 10 psi. They were just brittle. Shannon could even stand on one of them straight.”
While the duo tried to downplay Shannon’s injury throughout deliberation to avoid being called into the arena (as the guys were nervous they could later be paired with her), Derek was busy “spitting game” and “doing damage control,” she says.
“I knew me and Shannon were on the chopping block,” Derek tells Use, before adding, “It’s actually funny. We had been out to the bar the previous night after the challenge. I didn’t know that we were even being considered. So I was like, ‘Shots!’”
Derek also addresses the backlash he and a close ally have experienced. Alyssa LopezBelow are the comments that they made about The Cookout alliance during their season of Big Brother last summer.
“I do have conflict with the phrasing of the word revenge,” he says. “And even on the show, I was very careful not to use that word in my interviews because it was never about that. It was a lack trust. And going into this game, I was very, very, very careful about who I wanted to work with, and I felt comfortable working with Alyssa ‘cause I felt like we were working from a mutual background. We both were like, ‘OK, we’re both very aware of who we can trust.’”
Derek Xiao. Paramount, Jonne Roriz
Derek continues, “We started building up our circle slowly from there. We pulled in Angela [Rummans] ‘cause I was like, ‘OK, yeah, this is also like a neutral third party.’ And then we started working with the Love IslandGirls who were also neutral third-party. I wanted to kind of stay away from anything that was like ‘this person’s burned me in the past’ and ‘this could happen again.’”
Derek reveals his current position with his season 23 castmates Use, “I will say I am probably one of the most naive people on this planet. You might need to ask them for their perspective. But, I think we’re good. Honestly, I came off of the Challenge and I was like, ‘I’m best friends with everyone.’ I didn’t know there was actual beef like that. So I’m pretty naive when it comes to these things. It was enjoyable. I had a great time, but you know, I don’t know. Maybe if you asked someone else, they would say something different.”
The Challenge: USAAirs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on CBS ET.
