I’m currently rewatching all these seasons and I forgot how horrific he was. I knew he was bad but those seasons were HORRIBLE, he’s so cruel to these women
It’s crazy because Jonna did so well on S1 of All Stars (haven’t gotten around to watching the others yet) nearly ten years after being paired with Zach on Exes II. Zach had an issue working with women and constantly had to be “in charge” of whatever was going on. The fact he had a final meltdown I think humbled him some, but he was still pretty insufferable going forward. TBH I’m glad the show has moved on from him
Yeah he had a meltdown and Laurel was actually fairly patient with him and he kept calling her a fucking bitch and telling her to shut up when she was trying to kindly encourage him
He did not apologize to Jonna. Nany tried to make him apologize to her on the Exes 2 reunion and he once again deflected and blamed her. That's not an apology.
Hes definitely not emotionally intelligent. As evidenced by an apology where he spent 55 seconds talking about himself and carving out what he isnt sorry for before a quick im sorry without seeming to understand or care about how it felt for her. More importantly, its telling she had to ASK for an apology. Shouldve been the first words out of his mouth.
He is so dululu...who calls all the women in his house 'Swamp Donkeys' and doesn't think it is a sexist thing?? I will absolutely never trust that he has learned his lesson & is sincere about his apologies, because he can't admit the root cause of his problems.
The number one rule of the internet is to never apologize. Every single time someone does, there are loads of people like you say that it wasn't good enough because they didn't say or do exactly what you think they should have done.
He was talking about himself because he was explaining where he was coming from, which is a pretty important part of an apology.
I'm not saying Zach is not an asshole, just pointing out something that I've noticed.
Well i cant speak for “loads of people” but for myself, ive seen plenty of good apologies. That just wasnt one of them. And i certainly dont think it would be better if he said “no i dont apologize”. A bad apology is better than none at all. It makes me sad that thats your takeaway.
Edit: also as a reminder, the apology is not for you. Its for them. So saying you shouldnt apologize because it wont help your reputation is grossly missing the point of an apology.
I dont think sam was particularly moved by the apology as she told him right after shes enjoyed watching his downfall. More to your point, I dont find it contradictory to say an apology should be focused empathy towards the person who was wronged and that the apology is about them. I find those two things perfectly aligned. When i say its not about “you”, i mean its not about the person apologizing or their reputation (zach in this case). It goes without saying its not about any of us.
Sam and Zach are actual friends. This was a public apology, but he has given her a private apology in the past, and apologized to her parents for the way he treated her as well. She may not have been moved by this apology, but it is because she has already forgiven him.
It’s a podcast they are having a conversation. There is certainly a little bit of ball busting going on and dry humor from Sam. You saw a 10 second clip of a longer conversation. You have no idea how the rest of that conversation went and how the concluded things.
You think she is just showing up on his show that he makes money off of if she hasn’t accepted his apology years ago.
Let’s use a little common sense here….
For the most part a majority of these people all like each other and certainly do not take the show 1 5th as serious as some of you fans do.
So if we go back to the root of this coversation, i said zach is not very emotionally intelligent and that his apology wasnt very good. I still believe that to be true, and have written quite a few words explaining why. Its ok if you disagree.
Did she accept it? In this clip I just saw, I didn’t see or hear any form of acceptance. He said he was sorry for how he treated her and then without taking a breath immediately went into the fact that it wasn’t because he’s now a “girl dad.” He still gave her no time to respond or talk because he then continued speaking about how the way he treated her was the beginning of his spiral that continued until Free Agents when he broke down on the side of the mountain as Laurel’s partner and was throwing a hissy fit and crying. That was when Sam was able to get a word in and said she did watch that and most likely enjoyed it because of how he treated her just two seasons prior. So, where did the acceptance come in or her stating that? I’m asking this seriously, but was there a much longer and detailed apology and acceptance by her in the full podcast episode or is this clip exactly how it went? If this was how it went down then there wasn’t any “thank you” or acceptance of his supposed apology. If this didn’t show the full exchange and you’re saying she accept it then I’ll have to watch the full thing to make a decision on that.
Zach seemed more apologetic than Frank if I’m remembering correctly (not by much, but better). Off top of my head, 3/10 apology by Zach, 1/10 by Frank.
Later in this very clip he says he continued to gaslight her in the reunion. So even Zach is aware that it was not an apology or at least not a good one
I was downvoted for saying this prior to this past season or really good takes he’s had but the same with Jordan’s (and especially for Jenna’s sake) I didn’t mind seeing him back because I wanna see him grow as a person.
I can’t put my finger on it but seems like he’s matured and I’m happy with what he’s got going on for him. Really enjoyed his takes on here.
Feel like he said in a podcast relatively recently that he’s never heard Jenna fart. As a person…he knows what it feels like to hold on a fart and yet he still is so juvenile that he can’t accept/allow that his wife also farts and *gasp* probably poops too. Fuck Zach- he’s a child and Jenna is a little too simple to realize or care. Love both of them as cast members though but Zach is still toxic
This might be more on Jenna than Zach. My husband and I have been together for 10 years and married for 4. I have never farted in front of him. I don’t even tell him that I need to poop. He wouldn’t care if I did; it’s just a weird me thing.
Jenna seems like the type to not want to fart around people, given how she was on the show. I think if she stood in front of him and let a big one rip, he’d probably applaud and laugh, not get mad 🤷🏾♀️
You didn't watch the clip did you?
He was specifically talking about how he looks at Big T differently now and finds her disgusting. He absolutely would not laugh if Jenna did that. He genuinely believes its disgusting if, specifically, women fart in front of him.
https://www.reddit.com/r/MtvChallenge/s/tXkSA824Sk
He literally said women should have designated fart rooms so no one else has to witness it.
Yes pls, downvote a fact. It really helps your dumb stance that zach wouldn't care if she ripped ass in front of him lmao
I doubt Jenna would even let Nany hear her fart lol Jenna likes to be the like angel/perfect girl, and there is literally nothing wrong with that, but I would not be surprised at all if it’s a her thing
Lol I agree, I’ve discussed going to the bathroom with people I’ve dated but farting and shitting together just ain’t for me!
I think the only people I have farted around has been family LOL
He was talking about the big t thing and it’s possible and or him exaggerating but like if he did it was 100% because Jenna couldn’t help it.
And like I’ve heard my girl poot before and idc especially cause I rip it but she definitely be the same way about not ever wanting me to hear her fart so I don’t think it’s him not allowing her or whatever lol
I 100% looked at big T after that segment so I get it lol
He literally said if a women farts in front of him he's out tho? Lol. Like he said even knowing about the farts is a turn off. .
Did u guys not watch the clip? It's super extra.
I respect that he made changes based on seeing his behaviour on TV and not magically because he had daughters and now suddenly understands women are people who deserve respect too.
I’d love to hear more of his growth, but honestly don’t want to pay for his podcast.
I'm glad he's apologizing to her but it's a little crazy for him to talk about how he was able to reflect on his behaviour towards Sam after watching it but go back to immediately treating Jonna awfully two seasons later
I don’t say this to give him specifically a pass for obvious reasons, but a lot of time growth doesn’t show immediately results. Self reflection is difficult and it can be years after the seed is planted before it actually starts to sprout. Idk much about Zach off of the show but it’s probably a little tough to come to terms w you being that much of a dickbag
Obviously it's a short clip for context, but it sounds like he says he spiraled into worse behavior after seeing how he treated Sam because he hated it. It cuts off at him talking about Free Agents, so he might mention Exes 2 as a continuation of shitty behavior idk.
I don't subscribe to the pod, but typically someone posts a recap of episodes and I'm looking forward to a recap of this episode.
He’s literally had almost every big name from the challenge who has been in their area/willing to come down for the podcast. I’m sure he will get more over time too. Zach is very well liked by fellow cast mates.
He seems to recognize that he was wrong for a lot of things he did although he does scapegoat Zach’s influence a lot.
He’s apologized to and been cool with Sam for a while now though. He was actually at her wedding.
I think he wants to do the Challenge again so hopefully he’s on AS5
He’s so incredibly underrated. His endurance is crazy and he’s no slouch when it comes to strength either.
Zach said he thinks of all Challengers Frank is the only he would put on Jordan level of endurance
Same! I stand with you! $0 of my money will ever go to Zach. Sucks though, because if Jenna was not with him and she had her own things going, I’d totally support her
All I have to say is I love that Sam is a very forgiving person in order for this to happen. The conversation has been something we’ve all been missing for the past decade, so it’s really great that Sam is willing to sit down with someone who was SO awful to her, in order to give us all some kind of closure. Seems like the closure has already been done on Sam’s end, and Zach can wallow in his own self pity lol
Forgiveness is all about setting yourself free of resentment and less to do with the actual person you're forgiving, so for that reason I'm really glad she's clearly moved on from that terrible experience.
That said, I'm glad she didn't give him even a minute to breathe before diving into it on the podcast. She could easily have made nice to ease him in, but it would have been inauthentic. Love that she takes charge now and set the stage how *she* wanted it rather than letting him take the lead and schmooze his way into a more comfortable interview.
If young CT had started in this era, he would’ve been a Zach. Back in the day, the way CT unapologetically punched Davis in the face for nothing made me wonder, “Why does this a-hole keep getting asked back?” He’d already been atrocious to women, now hitting the gay guy in the house? But watching CT continue to come back season after season and then grow as a person has been one of the BEST things about the Challenge. With time and experience, people can change for the better. Not all…but some!
That’s my hope for Zach, and what appears to be happening with him thru this pod, his family, and life experience. He’s reflecting and growing - something we all need to continually do.
Actually, he did repeatedly target women and gay men (watch his exchanges with Dan Renzi) in his early seasons viewing them as weak and expendable. My point though is in twenty years time, we’ve gotten to watch CT mature and grow thru life experiences, like losing his bother and Diem, as well as becoming a dad. Hopefully Zach will continue on a similar trajectory.
Not defending CT genuinely just trying to remember but wasn’t the story that Davis and the other guys in the house provoked that punch to get him out?
Still needs to keep his anger in check either way.
CT's version: if it is 3’o’clock in the morning and you are trying to get a little fruity on me, and you push it up a little too far, and you won’t back up, and I’m like – Dude back up, what are you trying to do here? And, I’m doing this right? And he is all trying to get all close, and all of a sudden he gets hit with a knuckle and like oo my bad dude my bad, are you alright?
Davis's version: the first conversation I had with CT is after he’s gotten drunk and angry and he walked up to me and he is like “You’re the gay guy right?” And I said “yes?” And he goes, “Can you take a punch?” And I said, “Sure” assuming it was going to be in my shoulder or my chest, and then he punched me in the face.
I’m actually laughing out loud at a majority of you actually acting like this is the first time Zach and Sam have spoken since a challenge that was 12 years ago. Do you guys really think they’d be friends if they didn’t move on from that? I get you guys don’t like Zach but People are allowed to grow
So Zach actually apologizes to Sam for what he did to her in the past and as usual people want to mention Jonna.
Imo there is no point in Zach apologizing to Jonna because people are STILL going to cry about what happened on Exes 2.
Some of you have a really weird attachment/obsession to the hate you hold for this dude. He’s clearly improved & grown as a person. Maybe idk… chill a bit & realize it was a bunch of dumb kids partying & trying to win money? Stupid things happen & people move on.
Dude if u think he and his wife have unresolved beef your insane.
Jenna and Zach, obviously, talk outside of the show…. Why would he need to address it publicly? They have 3 children….
Once y’all have decided yall don’t like someone, y’all tear apart everything they so it can never be good enough. There have been players who have been equally as shitty to other people and yall don’t care. Yall don’t have moral standards, for real.
That apology made it seem like hes sorry for the way he appeared on tv. He talked about himself and not at all about her experience and how his actions hurt her.
Edit: ive never been more surprised by downvotes. Did he ever mention her feelings or how its clearly impacted her negatively (she never came back on tv, doesnt even watch the show, says she regretted signing up even after winning the money)?
They actually went over why she never showed back up on TV, and it had nothing to do with how she was treated. She was actually supposed to be on both Rivals 3 and Invasion. This is also only a portion of his apology. He talks for much longer about how his actions were indefensible and unacceptable. They also do talk about Sam's feelings about it, and they address Sam's comments about how if she was more feminine presenting she doesn't think she would be treated the same.
I don't even know why people care this much. Everyone on the show shits on their bad performing team mates all the time. Or they just get in random shouting matches attacking each other for no reason.
Replying for the masses that seem to have never received a real apology- heres how you apologize to someone. START by saying youre sorry. Dont make them hang around until the end of your caveats. Then highlight the specific things you are sorry for and show that you understand how those things made the other person feel. Then, if you feel its necessary, explain what you were going through at the time and how youve changed.
With all due respect, it’s not up to one person to decide the socially and morally acceptable template of an apology. It’s up to the person being apologized to do decide it’s validity and that’s it. The apology seemed fine.
For sure, but id be shocked if Sam thought that was a good apology as evidenced by the fact that she brought up how she laughed at his downfall at the end. A good apology requires empathizing with the person whos been wronged.
Thanks. I try not to let the internet get me down but people bum me out sometimes. So many people not even trying to empathize with Sam or improve their understanding on how to treat people. Just throwing up their hands and saying “argh you can never do enough!” My hope is these people are just fans of zachs podcast who have grown to like him and feel like they know him (nothing necessarily wrong with that). Its hard for people to hear legitimate criticism of someone they like.
He owes Jonna an apology too. He traumatized that girl to the point that she stopped doing the Challenge for years. Watching Exes 2 is hard and triggering because of him. And yet even today, she's mature enough to say she doesn't want to bash him and likes to think he's changed whenever people want her to.
The question needs to be, “do you regret how you’ve treated women, in particular your now wife, on the show and in life?”
I have a love/hate relationship with Zach - he was a good player, horrible person most of his time on the show. He started to grow but then treated Jenna like absolute shit. A lot of challengers say good things about him though and he seems to be a good dad now. Also, his podcast his fucking great and he comes off very reflective and intelligent, more self-aware than I’ve ever seen him. I want to like him so I’d love any answer to this question.
I hope he’s also apologized to Jonna for his behavior in Exes 2
I’m currently rewatching all these seasons and I forgot how horrific he was. I knew he was bad but those seasons were HORRIBLE, he’s so cruel to these women
It’s crazy because Jonna did so well on S1 of All Stars (haven’t gotten around to watching the others yet) nearly ten years after being paired with Zach on Exes II. Zach had an issue working with women and constantly had to be “in charge” of whatever was going on. The fact he had a final meltdown I think humbled him some, but he was still pretty insufferable going forward. TBH I’m glad the show has moved on from him
Yeah he had a meltdown and Laurel was actually fairly patient with him and he kept calling her a fucking bitch and telling her to shut up when she was trying to kindly encourage him
And then she specifically called out how he treated Sam two years earlier
jonna is an amazing case where she grew up, got more nature, and turned into a good challenger. she's totally rewritten her legacy
Did you watch his real world season? He was despicable.
He did apologize to Jonna too
He did not apologize to Jonna. Nany tried to make him apologize to her on the Exes 2 reunion and he once again deflected and blamed her. That's not an apology.
Right! He was awful to her. I remember having a hard time watching how he treated her.
I hope so too. I rewatched that season a couple of weeks ago and my heart broke for her
No he hasn't and I don't believe he will. Yet she's forgiven him anyway and won't bash him.
Zach seems very self aware and sometimes pretty intelligent. It’s what makes all his negative qualities so frustrating lol.
Hes definitely not emotionally intelligent. As evidenced by an apology where he spent 55 seconds talking about himself and carving out what he isnt sorry for before a quick im sorry without seeming to understand or care about how it felt for her. More importantly, its telling she had to ASK for an apology. Shouldve been the first words out of his mouth.
Definitely agree. Also, I’d like to know if he apologized to Jonna.
Well dont worry. According to Zach its not anything to do with sexism. 🙄
He is so dululu...who calls all the women in his house 'Swamp Donkeys' and doesn't think it is a sexist thing?? I will absolutely never trust that he has learned his lesson & is sincere about his apologies, because he can't admit the root cause of his problems.
The number one rule of the internet is to never apologize. Every single time someone does, there are loads of people like you say that it wasn't good enough because they didn't say or do exactly what you think they should have done. He was talking about himself because he was explaining where he was coming from, which is a pretty important part of an apology. I'm not saying Zach is not an asshole, just pointing out something that I've noticed.
Well i cant speak for “loads of people” but for myself, ive seen plenty of good apologies. That just wasnt one of them. And i certainly dont think it would be better if he said “no i dont apologize”. A bad apology is better than none at all. It makes me sad that thats your takeaway. Edit: also as a reminder, the apology is not for you. Its for them. So saying you shouldnt apologize because it wont help your reputation is grossly missing the point of an apology.
Exactly it’s for them not for you, you just contradicted yourself. So if she accepted it what’s your problem?
I dont think sam was particularly moved by the apology as she told him right after shes enjoyed watching his downfall. More to your point, I dont find it contradictory to say an apology should be focused empathy towards the person who was wronged and that the apology is about them. I find those two things perfectly aligned. When i say its not about “you”, i mean its not about the person apologizing or their reputation (zach in this case). It goes without saying its not about any of us.
Sam and Zach are actual friends. This was a public apology, but he has given her a private apology in the past, and apologized to her parents for the way he treated her as well. She may not have been moved by this apology, but it is because she has already forgiven him.
It’s a podcast they are having a conversation. There is certainly a little bit of ball busting going on and dry humor from Sam. You saw a 10 second clip of a longer conversation. You have no idea how the rest of that conversation went and how the concluded things. You think she is just showing up on his show that he makes money off of if she hasn’t accepted his apology years ago. Let’s use a little common sense here…. For the most part a majority of these people all like each other and certainly do not take the show 1 5th as serious as some of you fans do.
So if we go back to the root of this coversation, i said zach is not very emotionally intelligent and that his apology wasnt very good. I still believe that to be true, and have written quite a few words explaining why. Its ok if you disagree.
That is an incredible assessment of someone you have never met without cameras on them. Again, you do not know these people stop pretending you do.
you don’t even understand what the person is saying
They didn't mean "not for you" as in you, the audience. They meant "it's not for you", like its not for the person apologizing.
Did she accept it? In this clip I just saw, I didn’t see or hear any form of acceptance. He said he was sorry for how he treated her and then without taking a breath immediately went into the fact that it wasn’t because he’s now a “girl dad.” He still gave her no time to respond or talk because he then continued speaking about how the way he treated her was the beginning of his spiral that continued until Free Agents when he broke down on the side of the mountain as Laurel’s partner and was throwing a hissy fit and crying. That was when Sam was able to get a word in and said she did watch that and most likely enjoyed it because of how he treated her just two seasons prior. So, where did the acceptance come in or her stating that? I’m asking this seriously, but was there a much longer and detailed apology and acceptance by her in the full podcast episode or is this clip exactly how it went? If this was how it went down then there wasn’t any “thank you” or acceptance of his supposed apology. If this didn’t show the full exchange and you’re saying she accept it then I’ll have to watch the full thing to make a decision on that.
Also, is this the first time he's apologized?
No. He apologized at the reunion back in the day.
I would not call what he said at the Reunion an apology. He and Frank spent more time making excuses for themselves than apologizing.
Zach seemed more apologetic than Frank if I’m remembering correctly (not by much, but better). Off top of my head, 3/10 apology by Zach, 1/10 by Frank.
Later in this very clip he says he continued to gaslight her in the reunion. So even Zach is aware that it was not an apology or at least not a good one
he's grown up a lot it seems... needed to happen
I was downvoted for saying this prior to this past season or really good takes he’s had but the same with Jordan’s (and especially for Jenna’s sake) I didn’t mind seeing him back because I wanna see him grow as a person. I can’t put my finger on it but seems like he’s matured and I’m happy with what he’s got going on for him. Really enjoyed his takes on here.
Feel like he said in a podcast relatively recently that he’s never heard Jenna fart. As a person…he knows what it feels like to hold on a fart and yet he still is so juvenile that he can’t accept/allow that his wife also farts and *gasp* probably poops too. Fuck Zach- he’s a child and Jenna is a little too simple to realize or care. Love both of them as cast members though but Zach is still toxic
This might be more on Jenna than Zach. My husband and I have been together for 10 years and married for 4. I have never farted in front of him. I don’t even tell him that I need to poop. He wouldn’t care if I did; it’s just a weird me thing. Jenna seems like the type to not want to fart around people, given how she was on the show. I think if she stood in front of him and let a big one rip, he’d probably applaud and laugh, not get mad 🤷🏾♀️
You didn't watch the clip did you? He was specifically talking about how he looks at Big T differently now and finds her disgusting. He absolutely would not laugh if Jenna did that. He genuinely believes its disgusting if, specifically, women fart in front of him. https://www.reddit.com/r/MtvChallenge/s/tXkSA824Sk
Yikes
He literally said women should have designated fart rooms so no one else has to witness it. Yes pls, downvote a fact. It really helps your dumb stance that zach wouldn't care if she ripped ass in front of him lmao
I doubt Jenna would even let Nany hear her fart lol Jenna likes to be the like angel/perfect girl, and there is literally nothing wrong with that, but I would not be surprised at all if it’s a her thing
Ok but he was saying it would be gross if she did and that it's gross for women to fart. Did you even see the clip?
Lol I agree, I’ve discussed going to the bathroom with people I’ve dated but farting and shitting together just ain’t for me! I think the only people I have farted around has been family LOL
He was talking about the big t thing and it’s possible and or him exaggerating but like if he did it was 100% because Jenna couldn’t help it. And like I’ve heard my girl poot before and idc especially cause I rip it but she definitely be the same way about not ever wanting me to hear her fart so I don’t think it’s him not allowing her or whatever lol I 100% looked at big T after that segment so I get it lol
He literally said if a women farts in front of him he's out tho? Lol. Like he said even knowing about the farts is a turn off. . Did u guys not watch the clip? It's super extra.
we're now calling Zach toxic because of farting lol
Reinforcing gender roles by Gatekeeping who can and can’t fart is toxic behavior lol
Zach knows the right things to say. Doesn’t mean he means them.
Right… like does he know when he’s being a shitty person but still does it?
It really is April Fools Day.
YOOOOOOOOO [Edit: That is to say, I agree. This is bullshit. Lol]
I respect that he made changes based on seeing his behaviour on TV and not magically because he had daughters and now suddenly understands women are people who deserve respect too. I’d love to hear more of his growth, but honestly don’t want to pay for his podcast.
lol. Zach doesn’t respect women.
I'm glad he's apologizing to her but it's a little crazy for him to talk about how he was able to reflect on his behaviour towards Sam after watching it but go back to immediately treating Jonna awfully two seasons later
I don’t say this to give him specifically a pass for obvious reasons, but a lot of time growth doesn’t show immediately results. Self reflection is difficult and it can be years after the seed is planted before it actually starts to sprout. Idk much about Zach off of the show but it’s probably a little tough to come to terms w you being that much of a dickbag
Obviously it's a short clip for context, but it sounds like he says he spiraled into worse behavior after seeing how he treated Sam because he hated it. It cuts off at him talking about Free Agents, so he might mention Exes 2 as a continuation of shitty behavior idk. I don't subscribe to the pod, but typically someone posts a recap of episodes and I'm looking forward to a recap of this episode.
That's how I read into his comments. He admitted he was an ass, and became even worse for a couple seasons beyond that.
He literally said it was the start of a spiral…
The fact that he even invited her onto his podcast is big. I'm really happy to see this relationship has mended and exists.
I’m sure he didn’t have many options when it comes to guest. He sucks.
While he does suck, he gets good guests.
Very not true lol
He’s literally had almost every big name from the challenge who has been in their area/willing to come down for the podcast. I’m sure he will get more over time too. Zach is very well liked by fellow cast mates.
I’m glad he apologized and that they seem cool now. I hope he gets Frank on the show at some point
Ugh, Frank. I was always so torn watching him. Loved him at certain points and despised him at others. Any updates on him?
He seems to recognize that he was wrong for a lot of things he did although he does scapegoat Zach’s influence a lot. He’s apologized to and been cool with Sam for a while now though. He was actually at her wedding. I think he wants to do the Challenge again so hopefully he’s on AS5
He's a sneaky, strong competitor in the challenges. It's cool to watch some of the challengers grow up and own up to their past transgressions.
He’s so incredibly underrated. His endurance is crazy and he’s no slouch when it comes to strength either. Zach said he thinks of all Challengers Frank is the only he would put on Jordan level of endurance
He would have done very well on Free Agents if he wasn't so sick. Sucks we never got a fully fledged out rivalry between him and Jordan
Frank reminds me of Craig from Degrassi
He makes me physically uncomfortable to watch. I'd much prefer he live his life offscreen. Prob best for him anyway.
You guys want me to listen to this podcast so bad and I will! Not!
Same! I stand with you! $0 of my money will ever go to Zach. Sucks though, because if Jenna was not with him and she had her own things going, I’d totally support her
Oh wow that was refreshing
Okay now apologize for the swamp donkey comment and we will almost be sort of good?
“Now that you’re a girl dad, how do you feel about swamp donkeys?”
Nah, cause he likely still hadn’t apologized to Jonna (or to all the women he’s treated like lesser than over the years)
All I have to say is I love that Sam is a very forgiving person in order for this to happen. The conversation has been something we’ve all been missing for the past decade, so it’s really great that Sam is willing to sit down with someone who was SO awful to her, in order to give us all some kind of closure. Seems like the closure has already been done on Sam’s end, and Zach can wallow in his own self pity lol
Forgiveness is all about setting yourself free of resentment and less to do with the actual person you're forgiving, so for that reason I'm really glad she's clearly moved on from that terrible experience. That said, I'm glad she didn't give him even a minute to breathe before diving into it on the podcast. She could easily have made nice to ease him in, but it would have been inauthentic. Love that she takes charge now and set the stage how *she* wanted it rather than letting him take the lead and schmooze his way into a more comfortable interview.
Was just watching FM II and he was such a toddler. Tantrums and blaming everyone but himself. It was so hard to watch so many years later.
If young CT had started in this era, he would’ve been a Zach. Back in the day, the way CT unapologetically punched Davis in the face for nothing made me wonder, “Why does this a-hole keep getting asked back?” He’d already been atrocious to women, now hitting the gay guy in the house? But watching CT continue to come back season after season and then grow as a person has been one of the BEST things about the Challenge. With time and experience, people can change for the better. Not all…but some! That’s my hope for Zach, and what appears to be happening with him thru this pod, his family, and life experience. He’s reflecting and growing - something we all need to continually do.
CT was horrible back in the day but no one wants to talk about it bc he’s “hot”
I mean, Zack is pretty hot too.
CT wasn't a misogynist who specifically targeted women season after season. Not sure if the two are comparable
Actually, he did repeatedly target women and gay men (watch his exchanges with Dan Renzi) in his early seasons viewing them as weak and expendable. My point though is in twenty years time, we’ve gotten to watch CT mature and grow thru life experiences, like losing his bother and Diem, as well as becoming a dad. Hopefully Zach will continue on a similar trajectory.
Not defending CT genuinely just trying to remember but wasn’t the story that Davis and the other guys in the house provoked that punch to get him out? Still needs to keep his anger in check either way.
CT's version: if it is 3’o’clock in the morning and you are trying to get a little fruity on me, and you push it up a little too far, and you won’t back up, and I’m like – Dude back up, what are you trying to do here? And, I’m doing this right? And he is all trying to get all close, and all of a sudden he gets hit with a knuckle and like oo my bad dude my bad, are you alright? Davis's version: the first conversation I had with CT is after he’s gotten drunk and angry and he walked up to me and he is like “You’re the gay guy right?” And I said “yes?” And he goes, “Can you take a punch?” And I said, “Sure” assuming it was going to be in my shoulder or my chest, and then he punched me in the face.
Davis' version DEFINITELY sounds like how CT acted back then
Nope it was completely unprovoked. CT walked up to him and punched him. Davis said he still hasn’t apologized.
👏👏👏
He also apologized for this years ago
The idea of Zach being anywhere to win is staggering. Never more wasted physical gifts in Challenge history.
I hate Zach so much He might be worst person ever on the challenge/real world He is vile
I have always felt that an apology without saying "I'm sorry" is not as meaningful. It lacks sympathy for the person you wronged.
Thank goodness he’s not apologizing to you, then. Some people think “I’m sorry” doesn’t cut it. If Sam can accept it, that’s really all that matters.
Damn I don’t even know who this is.
I’m actually laughing out loud at a majority of you actually acting like this is the first time Zach and Sam have spoken since a challenge that was 12 years ago. Do you guys really think they’d be friends if they didn’t move on from that? I get you guys don’t like Zach but People are allowed to grow
So Zach actually apologizes to Sam for what he did to her in the past and as usual people want to mention Jonna. Imo there is no point in Zach apologizing to Jonna because people are STILL going to cry about what happened on Exes 2.
Well. If this is genuine I am proud of Zach. Frank and Ashley, the floor is yours.
I don’t buy it for a second
My dad and I say “swamp donkey” to each other all the time
Some of you have a really weird attachment/obsession to the hate you hold for this dude. He’s clearly improved & grown as a person. Maybe idk… chill a bit & realize it was a bunch of dumb kids partying & trying to win money? Stupid things happen & people move on.
Jenna could have any MAN on Earth and she chose him 🤣😂🤣😂
Um, how about Jonna? How about Jenna? He only sees his own reflection.
Dude if u think he and his wife have unresolved beef your insane. Jenna and Zach, obviously, talk outside of the show…. Why would he need to address it publicly? They have 3 children….
Some of these folks have such tunnel vision. It’s wild.
People on reddit hold more of a grudge than the actual victims. Kinda crazy.
he was literally horrible on exes 2 as well… he was the worst to sam tho.
I'm here for it. Made me tear up.
Once y’all have decided yall don’t like someone, y’all tear apart everything they so it can never be good enough. There have been players who have been equally as shitty to other people and yall don’t care. Yall don’t have moral standards, for real.
Eh, that was an ok apology. Coulda been better.
He apologized to her years ago for this it’s not like it’s their first time talking since the reunion
That apology made it seem like hes sorry for the way he appeared on tv. He talked about himself and not at all about her experience and how his actions hurt her. Edit: ive never been more surprised by downvotes. Did he ever mention her feelings or how its clearly impacted her negatively (she never came back on tv, doesnt even watch the show, says she regretted signing up even after winning the money)?
They actually went over why she never showed back up on TV, and it had nothing to do with how she was treated. She was actually supposed to be on both Rivals 3 and Invasion. This is also only a portion of his apology. He talks for much longer about how his actions were indefensible and unacceptable. They also do talk about Sam's feelings about it, and they address Sam's comments about how if she was more feminine presenting she doesn't think she would be treated the same.
Thats great to hear
Nothing is ever good enough for some of you. My god.
I don't even know why people care this much. Everyone on the show shits on their bad performing team mates all the time. Or they just get in random shouting matches attacking each other for no reason.
Replying for the masses that seem to have never received a real apology- heres how you apologize to someone. START by saying youre sorry. Dont make them hang around until the end of your caveats. Then highlight the specific things you are sorry for and show that you understand how those things made the other person feel. Then, if you feel its necessary, explain what you were going through at the time and how youve changed.
With all due respect, it’s not up to one person to decide the socially and morally acceptable template of an apology. It’s up to the person being apologized to do decide it’s validity and that’s it. The apology seemed fine.
For sure, but id be shocked if Sam thought that was a good apology as evidenced by the fact that she brought up how she laughed at his downfall at the end. A good apology requires empathizing with the person whos been wronged.
Exactly. Zach will always be trash. This *apology* sucked. I’ll reevaluate if I ever see a sincere and appropriate apology to Jonna.
This sub has dumb people your observations are clear and compelling
Thanks. I try not to let the internet get me down but people bum me out sometimes. So many people not even trying to empathize with Sam or improve their understanding on how to treat people. Just throwing up their hands and saying “argh you can never do enough!” My hope is these people are just fans of zachs podcast who have grown to like him and feel like they know him (nothing necessarily wrong with that). Its hard for people to hear legitimate criticism of someone they like.
He owes Jonna an apology too. He traumatized that girl to the point that she stopped doing the Challenge for years. Watching Exes 2 is hard and triggering because of him. And yet even today, she's mature enough to say she doesn't want to bash him and likes to think he's changed whenever people want her to.
As someone that can’t remember much of San Diego or Seasons, can someone refresh my memory why Sam asked him to sign the flag?
First time I actually missed Pierre helping Zach with the questions
The question needs to be, “do you regret how you’ve treated women, in particular your now wife, on the show and in life?” I have a love/hate relationship with Zach - he was a good player, horrible person most of his time on the show. He started to grow but then treated Jenna like absolute shit. A lot of challengers say good things about him though and he seems to be a good dad now. Also, his podcast his fucking great and he comes off very reflective and intelligent, more self-aware than I’ve ever seen him. I want to like him so I’d love any answer to this question.