The Challenge's Nany González is ready to take the money and run, T.J.
After fighting her way into host T.J. Lavin's notoriously arduous finale four times in 14 seasons on the long-running MTV series without nabbing a championship, she viewed her time filming The Challenge All Stars: Rivals as "a business trip," the 36-year-old revealed in an exclusive interview with E! News. "I came in there probably the most focused I have ever been on a season. I was ready to get to that final."
She credits her intensity to spending a few seasons on the sidelines.
"I had taken three years off," Nany explained of enjoying a hiatus after 2022's Ride or Dies. "I had three years to myself. It was a nice little refresher."
And she arrived in Vietnam eyeing some big dreams.
"I would love to have the title," she detailed during the show's Jan. 29 premiere. "But, also, I could always use some money." She and then-fiancée Kaycee Clark were "in the process of planning our wedding," she shared. "I want to have a baby. I want my own home, like, there's so much that I would do with the money."
And though she and Kaycee announced their split Jan. 25, Nany's very practical plans remain.
"If I get this money, I am going to buy my first home," she shared of the $300,000 prize. "I have yet to purchase a house, and I really, really want something of my own. I want to start to establish some roots somewhere. I've done a lot of traveling in the last decade, so I really am just looking to settle down in my life, and buying a home is definitely next on the list of things to do."
As soon as she takes care of one little piece of business.
After making her reality TV debut at 21 on The Real World: Las Vegas, "I never expected to still be doing Challenges at 36 years old, but I'm grateful that I still have the opportunity and that I'm still given the chance to go and compete and try to win money," Nany explained. "There are so many people out there who would kill for this opportunity. I'm just really grateful that I'm still able to do this."
And she's so close she can practically taste the water rat.
"I've gotten second place how many times?" Nany reasoned. "I’m hugely into manifesting. I’m huge about what you just put out into the universe will come back to you. I just try to stay focused and stay positive. The longer I stay in, the closer I get to the end, the greater chance I have of winning. That’s what just keeps me fighting."
Of course, first, she'll have to do battle with her partner.
When the rivals theme was announced, "I kind of put it all together in my head," she said of knowing she'd once again be teamed up with Turabi "Turbo" Çamkiran. "We've been partners in the past, and I know we work well together. That's not the issue. The issue is Turbo’s ability to remain calm in the house and in the game."
And the New York native knew she'd be responsible for handling more than just their social game in the house.
"I just had to put my pride to the side," Nany explained. "I showed up to play a game and to win. And so when I realized he was my partner, I was like, 'Okay, I know that we work well together when it comes down to competition.' Really the only thing that I was concerned about was the two of us just getting along and being able to stay together as a team the entire season."
She was also well aware she was walking into the season with an ally or two.
"I obviously know that I have good relationships with people," she said of pals like Aneesa Ferreira, "but I am also very conscious of the fact that there's so much money on the line and that at any given second, anybody can change up if it's going to benefit them. So, I always have that in the back of my mind. However, you know, I do try to create relationships with people."
And that's what led to what she calls a "beautiful" moment during one of their first few days in the house when they realized "casting had done such a great job and there were so many of us to represent the LGBTQ community," Nany recounted. "We were just super, super excited to be a part of it because I think that this is the first show where they've had such a big group from the LGBTQ community. So, it's super exciting."