Chris “CT” Tamburello has survived nearly two decades of MTV’s The Challenge, a rivalry that turned into one of the franchise’s most storied partnerships, and, on Season 2 of The Traitors, a deadlocked final vote that decided whether he’d win the whole game. He and castmate Trishelle Cannatella became the first Faithfuls to sweep every Traitor out of a US season and split the win between them.
Tamburello’s Challenge career began the way so many others do, on a Real World season that had no idea it was launching one of the franchise’s biggest stars.
From Real World: Paris to Two Decades on The Challenge
Christopher Michael “CT” Tamburello was born July 16, 1980, in Boston, Massachusetts. He debuted on The Real World: Paris in 2003, choosing it over Road Rules, and made his Challenge debut the following year on The Inferno. Across roughly two decades since, he’s won five main Challenge seasons plus two spin-off competitions: Rivals II in 2013, his first main-season win, partnered with longtime rival Wes Bergmann; Invasion of the Champions in 2017; both Champs vs. Stars spin-offs in 2017 and 2018; War of the Worlds 2 in 2019; Double Agents in 2021; and Spies, Lies & Allies in 2021.
His rivalry with Wes Bergmann is one of the most written-about in Challenge history, stretching back to The Duel and flaring again on Rivals when Bergmann tried to eliminate him, before the two unexpectedly partnered to win Rivals II together. Tamburello continued competing into 2025 and 2026, including a run on Vets & New Threats where he faced criticism from newer, younger cast members over his physical conditioning, a moment he pushed back on publicly, insisting he remains one of the greatest competitors the show has produced.
| Season | Year | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Rivals II | 2013 | Winner, partnered with Wes Bergmann |
| Invasion of the Champions | 2017 | Winner |
| Champs vs. Stars / Champs vs. Stars 2 | 2017-2018 | Winner (both) |
| War of the Worlds 2 | 2019 | Winner |
| Double Agents / Spies, Lies & Allies | 2021 | Winner (both) |
| The Traitors Season 2 | 2024 | Co-winner, with Trishelle Cannatella |
Winning The Traitors as a Faithful
Tamburello played Season 2 of The Traitors as a Faithful, leaning on a real friendship and season-long alliance with fellow Challenge veteran Trishelle Cannatella. That partnership helped drive the banishment of all four Traitors across the season, ending with the last remaining Traitor, Kate Chastain, banished by the final three Faithfuls: Tamburello, Cannatella, and MJ Javid. With the game supposedly over and the prize ready to split three ways, the trio instead faced one more vote. It ended in a three-way deadlock: MJ voted for Trishelle, Trishelle voted for CT, and CT voted for MJ. In the tiebreaker that followed, Cannatella switched her vote to banish Javid instead, sending herself and Tamburello home with the win and splitting a prize reported at $208,100. Tamburello has since addressed public claims that he “stole” Javid’s share of the winnings, and has also pushed back on showmance rumors linking him to castmate Phaedra Parks after the season aired.
Marriages and a Health Scare
Tamburello has been married twice. He and Lilianet Solares, together since around 2016 and parents to a son born that year, married on May 31, 2018, in Coral Gables, Florida, a wedding documented in the MTV special The Challenge: CT’s Getting Married. He filed for divorce in November 2022 after more than four years of marriage, calling the relationship “irretrievably broken,” and the divorce was finalized in late 2023 with shared custody of their son. In October 2024, Tamburello privately married OnlyFans personality Catalina White; the couple separated briefly in January 2026 before reconciling, according to an April 2026 report.
Tamburello has also spoken publicly about a serious health scare in recent years. In December 2024, he posted an alarming, bloodied video to Instagram saying he’d been in an accident and would be unable to complete fan requests that day, worrying castmates who saw it; the exact nature of that incident was never fully detailed publicly, though it followed years of Tamburello openly discussing the physical toll of two decades of competing.
Life After the Win
Tamburello and Cannatella have both publicly and repeatedly denied persistent rumors of a romantic relationship beyond their long friendship, addressing the speculation directly in interviews rather than letting it linger. Between his ongoing Challenge career and a historic Traitors win, Tamburello’s last several years have added real stakes to a career that started as just another Real World cast member two decades ago.
Life Now
Tamburello is set to compete in The Challenge Season 42, “Cutthroat,” alongside fellow veterans Johnny Bananas, Cara Maria Sorbello, and Keanu Soto, and also appeared on Worst Cooks in America: Reality Check in 2026. His Traitors Season 2 win remains one of the more unlikely outcomes in the show’s history, covered alongside the rest of that cast in OpenThreadNews’ Traitors Season 2 cast guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did CT Tamburello win The Traitors Season 2?
After his alliance with Trishelle Cannatella helped banish all four Traitors, a three-way deadlocked vote in the finale led Cannatella to switch her vote and banish MJ Javid instead, leaving her and Tamburello to split the prize as co-winners.
Is CT Tamburello married?
Yes. He privately married OnlyFans personality Catalina White in October 2024. The couple briefly separated in early 2026 before reconciling, according to reporting that April.
What health scare has CT Tamburello faced?
In December 2024, Tamburello posted a bloodied, alarming video on Instagram describing an accident, though the exact nature of the incident was never fully detailed publicly.
How many Challenge seasons has CT Tamburello won?
Five main seasons and two spin-off competitions, spanning from Rivals II in 2013 through Spies, Lies & Allies in 2021.
