With Danny and Evan TV exclusive ‘The Challenge’ star Cedric Hodges calls out ‘petty’ co-star who betrayed him: ‘We were supposed to be friends’ By Eric Todisco Published Aug. 11, 2026, 3:25 p.m. ET “The Challenge: Cutthroat” star Cedric Hodges feels betrayed by Justin Hinsley after his elimination.
“With Justin, my whole disconnect was that we were supposed to be friends,” Hodges, 23, exclusively told Page Six, noting that the pair had a close relationship from both competing on the previous season of the reality show.
“Two weeks before the season, he was like, ‘Let’s run a HYROX together,’ blah, blah, blah. And for me, I want to see all my friends do well and all my friend succeed, whether I’m there or not.”
But according to Hodges, the “Cheer” star came into the season with a “petty” attitude because Hodges went further on “Vets and New Threats” last year.
“I do respect that at least he was honest,” Hodges said. “We had a conversation, too. He was honest with me. He’s like, ‘Yeah, I wanna see you go home because you embarrassed me in the last elimination before the finals.'”
“So I respect that part,” the “Big Brother 26” alum added. “I don’t respect the actual decision.”
Hodges admitted he “absolutely did not” expect Hinsley, 26, to come into Season 42 with a grudge against him.
“Before this, we had a group chat we were talking in, because our alliance at the end of Season 41 was Justin, Will and I,” Hodges shared. “So we were all like locked in.”
On the flip side, Hodges isn’t upset with Sydney Segal, who went back on her word and threw him into the first elimination.
“I respect Sydney. At least it was a game move,” he said about the “Survivor” star. “There’s no hard feelings or ill will. I respect Sydney more than I respect Justin, if that says anything.”
Hodges also revealed a major unseen moment that partly led to his elimination in the premiere.
“I threw the top eight challenge,” he said. “I had that puzzle in the airport. I literally was doing that puzzle. So I could have been a captain, which I don’t know would’ve changed the season, but that was kind of very unfortunate. I took a lesson that I’m not throwing challenges anymore.”
As for the elimination challenge itself, Hodges is proud he got to square off against “The Challenge” legend Johnny Bananas, despite the disappointing outcome.
“Johnny’s the GOAT. So at least if I’m going to lose an elimination, I’m gonna lose against a GOAT and someone that is going to hopefully do well in the season,” he said.
“The Challenge: Cutthroat” drops new episodes Wednesdays on Paramount+.
Your voice matters. Discussions are moderated for civility. Read our guidelines here
Community Guidelines Welcome to the Page Six Community! Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas in a safe space.
In order to do so, we've created a simple set of rules that will improve your experience.
Your post will/might be rejected if it contains:
User accounts will/might be blocked if we notice:
Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Don't forget, freedom of speech is not the freedom of reach!
