A month after his last episode of The Challenge: Double Agents, rookie contestant Lio Rush updated fans with some much happier news on Tuesday - he's a father again! Lio, whose full name is Lionel Green, welcomed a son with wife Sarah Lai Green. The husband and father cited providing for his family as the inspiration to win the one million dollar cash prize. However, when the competition proved hazardous for his health, he left the Iceland-set series sooner than anticipated.
The 36th season of the popular The Challenge franchise, which was inspired by spy thrillers, saw a number of rookies from other reality series joining the competition. Prior to appearing on the MTV series, Lio was best known for his WWE career. The 26-year-old was paired with UK rookie Gabby Allen, who he stayed with until his exit. Ultimately, he left before the Smuggle Run challenge in episode 6, and Gabby was paired up with Devin Walker-Molaghan in his absence. Longtime Challenge viewers have seen the harsh conditions take their toll mentally and physically on contestants time and time again. Lio was not the only contestant from the Double Agents season to leave early for personal reasons. While it couldn't have been easy, he made the decision for the benefit of himself, his wife, and his family, including their future son.
Lio announced the news on his Twitter on February 21, the date of his son's birth. Named Milo Che Lok Green, the beautiful baby boy weighed 6.8 pounds at birth. After a 12-hour labor, Milo was delivered at 1:20 p.m. The tweet also included three black and white photos of the happy family. Lio and his wife Sarah, who have been married since 2018, have two older sons as well.
Fans were shocked when the contestant self-eliminated from the MTV series. But ultimately, the former wrestler made the best call for his mental health. As he later explained, it wasn't just the stress of the competition. Living with strangers in the house caused him to have flashbacks to his own difficult experiences in a group home. Being in an environment that brought back traumatic memories was never going to help him win the competition anyway. And it would certainly make things worse to push ahead, continuing to suffer, as if nothing was wrong. By putting his mental health first before becoming a parent again, he made the responsible and mature choice. Host TJ Lavin made sure to applaud him for the decision. As sad as the reasons for his departure were, fans will surely be happy that things are looking up for him and his family with this adorable new arrival.
The early exit clearly worked out for the best for Lio and his family. He's also hinted at wanting another shot when he's less vulnerable, so perhaps he'll be back for a future season. In the meantime, fans will still have to wait and see who claims this year's prize. The Challenge: Double Agents airs Wednesdays on MTV, with the finale set for March 3.
Source: Lio Rush