Why Did The Challenge’s Laurel Stucky and Nicole Zanatta Split? Inside the Breakup and Cheating Rumors

Laurel Stucky and Nicole Zanatta appear to be softening up to one another on season 4 of The Challenge: All Stars following their 2017 breakup. The show’s April 17, 2024, episode featured Laurel comforting her ex after Tony Raines’ exit. As they’re seemingly rekindling the relationship, fans are wondering what happened between them and why they split.

How Did The Challenge’s Laurel Stucky and Nicole Zanatta Meet?

Nicole and Laurel met on The Challenge: Invasion of the Champions, which filmed in the fall of 2016. It was Nicole’s first season of the show.

The New York native initially took an interest in Cara Maria Sorbello. However, when she wasn’t interested, Nicole started pursuing Laurel and their relationship began. It was Laurel’s first relationship with a woman. 

When Did The Challenge’s Laurel Stucky and Nicole Zanatta Split?

Unfortunately, the relationship only lasted less than one year. By August 2017, Nicole hinted on social media that the women had broken up. 

“Some things aren’t meant to last forever, they’re just there for that time,” she shared, along with a photo of herself and Laurel. “So let it be and move on, learn and grow from it. Every new relationship teaches you something take the positives with the negatives and use it as you please.”

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When Nicole began filming The Challenge: Vendettas in September 2017, she and Laurel had split.

Why Did The Challenge’s Laurel Stucky and Nicole Zanatta Split? 

Nicole and Laurel discussed their split on Ex on the Peak, which premiered in December 2019. Upon arriving on the show, Laurel admitted that she suspected that Nicole cheated on her during their relationship. She wanted answers once and for all. In 2018, Nicole also said that the split happened after she was “caught” chatting with other people on the phone.

Distance also appeared to play a factor in the breakup, as Laurel was living in Montana and Nicole was in New York. Laurel said that the two were fighting all the time by the end of their relationship.

The women got to an OK place with each other by the end of filming but decided not to get back together. 

Did The Challenge’s Laurel Stucky and Nicole Zanatta Get Back Together?

When they filmed season 4 of The Challenge: All Stars in May 2023, Laurel and Nicole were not on speaking terms. However, they began rekindling their relationship while filming the show. 

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After filming ended, eagle-eyed fans noticed social media activity that seemed to point to the women being back together. Nicole posted an Instagram Story photo and fans noticed Laurel in the background. However, the MTV stars were not able to confirm their relationship status before the season aired. In a preview interview ahead of the premiere, Laurel assured fans that they would see how things played out on the show.

Unfortunately, their apparent reunion was short-lived. By the beginning of 2024, a social media war erupted between Nicole and Laurel online and it was clear that they were no longer an item. It began that January when Nicole posted a photo with her new girlfriend and captioned it, “This is what a healthy relationship looks like.”

Did The Challenge’s Nicole Zanatta Cheat on Laurel Stucky?

Amid the social media war, Laurel accused Nicole of being unfaithful to her. “Hope you’re not secretly cheating on her too,” she wrote in a now-deleted comment on Nicole’s post, according to The Ashley.

Nicole clapped back, writing, “Thank you, she doesn’t have a tendency to get UNHINGED, or a THIEF (a person who steals another person’s property, especially by stealth and without using force or violence) than [sic] proceeds to play phone tag and I was never the type to kiss and tell but you like comparing notes with an ex fiancé and how old are you.”

In a lengthy response, Laurel referenced Nicole’s allegation that she was a “thief” and accused her ex of cheating on her with her friend Jakk Maddox’s sister.

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“I’m sorry I walked away with your cellphone in my pocket after I found out you were hooking up with Jakk’s sister at Jakk’s wedding trip in Italy that I brought you to after you had sat me down and asked me to be exclusive,” Laurel said. “You haven’t changed, you never will and you deserve everything that comes your way as a result.” 

The Challenge winner called Nicole a “homewrecker” and said that she has “no morals” in her message. In a scathing response, Nicole replied, “You are a pathetic liar, not only in the case of my phone but in the case of my relationships & my career & the way that you speak about me. You need to get a life, grow up, and live the rest of your days without trying to ruin mine. Now please, leave me be, and move on & stop harassing me & stop trying to call me this is the reason I have you blocked.” 

Jakk backed up Laurel’s allegations on his Instagram Story and told fans, “It’s actually worse than it seems.” He called Nicole a “rat” and added, “She will always be an empty hole, lathing on to bright lights until they are dimmed.” He insisted that the “truth always prevails” and accused Nicole of being “a gaslighter.”