Cara Maria Sorbello Had a Tragic Reason for Leaving ‘The Challenge’ Season 41

As a two-time champion of The Challenge, there isn't much that can keep Cara Maria Sorbello away from MTV's long-running game. However, when her personal life underwent drastic changes, she had to set aside her love for the competition.

During Season 41 of The Challenge, The Challenge: Vets & New Threats, fans watched as Cara Maria made an abrupt exit for the first time since her appearance on the show. So, what caused her to bow out suddenly? Here's everything to know.

Cara Maria's departure from The Challenge occurred during the episode that aired on Wednesday, August 27, 2025. The episode showed her confiding in fellow veteran contestant Chris “C.T.” Tamburello by telling him she needed to leave the challenge. C.T. didn't seem as stunned about the admission as the audience was and told Cara Maria, "Of course you do.” She later revealed to the audience why she needed to leave the show so soon.

"I have things with my family back home that are weighing heavily on me," Cara Maria shared. "This is harder than The Challenge itself. This is my escape. This is where I can just go on autopilot and just focus on one thing and escape my home reality."

Viewers also saw her replying to a phone call from a family member in another scene as she told them, "I just talked to my Auntie Cheryl. Things are really, really not good.”

Later on The Challenge, several of Cara Maria's competitors provided more details regarding why she left. Both her partner, Leo Dionicio, and Nany González, who lost her mother in 2021, suggested there was something wrong with her mother.

"I didn’t know originally why she had to go," Leo said in a confessional. "I’m assuming something important because I know she’s a big competitor. Once I found out it was about her mom, I just wanted to reassure her that, look, I’m not mad at you. I just want her to be loved and make sure she knew that her family had her here and her family at home has her there.”

Nany directly supported Cara Maria and told her friend that she was "praying for you and your mom" and urged her to take care of herself.

Cara Maria didn't delve further into her mom's condition on The Challenge, she revealed in a May 2025 Instagram video that her mother died on April 1, 2025. She shared that her mother, whose name was Rhonda, died of stage 4 cancer, and she had spent her mom's final days by her side.

"I have been MIA on here for the last few months because I was in Massachusetts taking care of her and then dealing with the aftermath," Cara Maria explained in the post.

Since announcing her heartbreaking news, The Challenge GOAT has opened up about her grief on social media. Cara Maria used her platform to share memories with her mom, as well as signs that her mother is still with her.

Catch new episodes of The Challenge on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST on MTV.