The Challenge: USA’s Tyler Crispen is shedding light on why he and costar Alyssa Snider didn’t pursue their showmance outside of the game.
“I feel like I’ll always hold Alyssa and our relationship close, but I myself got out of a long-term relationship recently, so I feel like I kind of need some time to be just Tyler,” the reality star, 28, exclusively told Us Weekly on Friday, September 29, one day after his elimination from season 2 of the reality series.
He continued: “As much as Alyssa is incredible, and I’m sure that we’ll be close for a long time, I felt like it’s just not the right time. But she’s awesome and I will never have a bad word to say about her. I don’t think there’s a bad bone in her body. She’s a gem of a human being.”
Tyler and Alyssa, 25, didn’t hide their romantic connection from their fellow competitors on the CBS reality series. During an August episode, they made out in a bar at the urging of Challenge veterans Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio and Wes Bergmann. Despite the PDA, Tyler told Us that he did question whether having a showmance was smart for his game.
“My entire 24 hours of my day were having reservations [about it] and I was still drawn to her anyway,” he said. “Sometimes you just can’t fight it and you just gotta go with the flow.”
Alyssa, for her part, told Us after her elimination earlier this month that she “definitely wanted to pursue” a relationship with Tyler after the season ended.
“I think I’m just a hopeless romantic though, so, I was like, ‘Alright, let’s get married, let’s have kids, let’s go into it.’ And [Tyler was] like, ‘No, we have to think this through,’” she explained, adding that they were both “still healing” from past relationships.
Alyssa and Tyler are no strangers to showances. Tyler and Angela Rummans, who started dating after they met on Big Brother 20 in 2018, called off their engagement in 2022, while Alyssa and Kyle Capener, who continued dating after meeting on Big Brother 24 in 2022, split in January.
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Tyler Crispen, Alyssa Snider, Angela Rummans. Jonne Roriz, courtesy of Paramount (3)
While Alyssa told Us earlier this month that she and Kyle, 30, are not currently in touch, Tyler noted that he and Angela, 31, are on good terms.
“We’re still friends. I am not a big believer in burning bridges because she was such a big part of my life and I don’t want to have to look back on those memories and have a sour taste in my mouth,” he shared. “She’ll always have a special place with me, and I think she knows that. I think maintaining a friendship with exes is OK, everybody. It can work out.”
Tyler and Angela placed 2nd and 4th on Big Brother 20, respectively. Many Big Brother fans consider Tyler the victim of a bitter jury and felt he would’ve won over Kaycee Clark had he not betrayed so many of his allies. Tyler told Us that after his experience on Big Brother, he wanted to play a more honest game on The Challenge: USA.
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Tyler Crispen and Angela Rummans. Courtesy of Tyler Crispen/Instagram
“Coming off of Big Brother, even though I did super well, at the end of the day, it doesn’t feel good to make really good friendships with people and then have to go behind their back to advance yourself,” he explained. “After the show, it took me a while to take a hard look at myself and be like, ‘I don’t really like how this feels, even though it made me successful in the game.’”
Tyler added that he “wanted to play a straightforward, honest game and maintain my integrity” this time around, which he feels like he accomplished. “That was a good feeling knowing that I can make it this deep in a game without having to play that backstabbing manipulative game,” he said.
The Challenge: USA airs on CBS Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET.
