Cory Wharton is one of the more athletic competitors in The Challenge, currently appearing as part of a talented Era 3 team for MTV’s Battle of the Eras.
His teammates include show winners Tori Deal, Jordan Wiseley, Jonna Mannion, Devin Walker, former finalist Nia Moore, and Averey Tressler.
Battle of the Eras is Cory’s tenth MTV season and follows his appearance on CBS’ spin-off, The Challenge: USA 2.
He reached the finals on the spin-off, finishing as runner-up behind men’s winner Chris Underwood from Survivor.
Constant training and competition for The Challenge can take a toll, as Cory revealed the procedure he is getting done on his knee.
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In a recent online update, he shared with fans that he was a bit nervous ahead of the first one of two surgeries he’ll need.
Cory reveals he’s ‘nervous’ in knee surgery update video
On his Instagram Story, Cory uploaded a video of himself lying in a hospital bed wearing a gown and cap before getting surgery.
“Alright you guys, in here about to go back get this first surgery out of two out of the way,” he said, adding, “A little nervous. It’s been about 10 years since I had surgery or been under anesthesia. Definitely nervous.”
Cory said he thought about his and his girlfriend Taylor Selfridge’s youngest daughter, Maya, who bravely underwent surgery.
“If my little girl can go through open heart, I can go through a knee procedure,” he said.
“We’re gonna take the metal of this guy, fix up the meniscus, and three months later go back in and give me a new ACL,” he said as he showed his right knee.
“Rider, Mila, Maya, I love you guys. Taylor, love you too, babe,” he said before ending that video update.
On X, Cory shared a “quick update,” including several photos, and indicated that he had the first surgery to fix his ACL.
Photos include several lab images revealing the metal that was in Cory’s knee and the actual bloody metal that they removed during the surgery. In his X post, he shared that doctors “had to shave some of the meniscus and take the metal out.”
“I’m not even gonna lie to you guys. I’m a little scared. It’s been a long time since I’ve had surgery, but I’m gonna continue to pray,” he wrote in his message.
Fans showed support for The Challenge star as he recovers
In the comment section for his X post, fans expressed love and support as Cory began his recovery from his recent surgical procedure.
“Healing vibes coming your way,” one fan wrote, while another told Cory, “Good luck on your journey to healing, Cory. May you come back better than ever, bro.”
“Recovery should be smooth. Good luck homing going through this rn,” another fan wrote.
A fan told Cory to “Stay strong, you need it all for quicker recovery. Praying for a speedy one.”
Cory questioned his Battle of the Eras teammate’s loyalty
Cory has appeared on the first four episodes of MTV’s The Challenge: Battle of the Eras and avoided going into elimination.
During Episode 4, Cory and Devin questioned if their teammate Jordan potentially made a deal with another team and threw the daily challenge. It came down to a tiebreaker trivia question about who Devin partnered with on Rivals III: Cory’s ex-girlfriend, Cheyenne Floyd.
However, Jordan said “Sylvia [Elsrode]” as his answer, losing the tiebreaker to Laurel Stucky and Era 2. Cory and Devin felt Jordan knew the correct answer and chose not to give it.
It’s unknown if Jordan threw it, as castmates and fans continue to debate whether he was trying to prevent himself from having to choose one of his allies to put into elimination or something else.
Later in the episode, Era 3’s Jordan and Nia faced potentially going into the elimination event. However, daily challenge winners Johnny Bananas and Laurel put Era 1’s Derrick Kosinski and Aneesa Ferreira into the matchup at The Arena.
Era 4’s Jenny West then ousted Aneesa from the game before Derrick defeated Jenny’s teammate Horacio Gutierrez in a down-to-the-wire finish.
The show took a brief hiatus on Wednesday ahead of what appears to be an explosive episode with drama involving Era 2 teammates Cara Maria Sorbello and Laurel.
The Challenge: Battle of the Eras airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on MTV.