Derrick Kosinski Reveals 1 Thing He Would’ve Done Differently on “The Challenge 40”: ‘Really Unnecessary’ (Exclusive)

The three-time Problem champ tells PEOPLE he’s by no means “skilled something fairly like” his elimination within the Oct. 9 episode in his 20 years on the present

• Derrick Kosinski and Cory Wharton confronted off within the male elimination on the Oct. 9 episode of The Problem 40: Battle of the Eras

• Kosinski competed on an injured leg and tells PEOPLE, “Win or lose, I used to be going to should go get an MRI”

• “I felt like I nearly did the unimaginable, and I didn’t. It was emotional,” Kosinski says

When the elimination between and ended on the Oct. 9 episode of , no person knew who received.

“After I regarded him within the eyes and we had that emotional second, which introduced tears to my eyes after I rewatched it, as a result of I actually appreciated that. He stated, ‘I solely want to carry the guts you carry to The Problem sometime.’ I additionally felt like in that second, perhaps he thought that he had misplaced,” Kosinski, 41, tells PEOPLE. “It was a type of moments the place the boxers each raised their palms up after the battle’s over, and as a viewer you’re like, ‘Oh man, that individual received. That individual received.’”

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Kosinski and Wharton, 33, each nailed all of one another’s targets, so it got here right down to who did it within the shortest time.

“After I put my fist to my eyes, I used to be on the brink of put my palms up,” Kosinski says. “It was like TJ had taken that remaining sword from and simply shoved it proper by way of my physique. I felt like I nearly did the unimaginable, and I didn’t. It was emotional.”

Kosinski went into the elimination with a torn ACL and meniscus and a slight tear in his LCL after leaping right into a shallow mud pit throughout the Cloud Catcher every day problem within the Sept. 25 episode.

“After I jumped within the mud pit and I damage my leg, I hit all-time low. I didn’t understand how lengthy I might final,” Kosinski says. “I’ve been an athlete my whole life. I used to be as curious to see how far you possibly can push the physique and what the physique will reply to one thing like that. I simply wish to thank the Problem gods for not letting me die alone sword.”

The three-time Problem champ felt like he had to enter elimination after sparring with Wharton throughout the Gladiator II-inspired every day problem within the Oct. 9 episode. “You will have Cory saying, ‘You needed this,’ and also you’re rattling proper I did. I needed all of the smoke, and I obtained it,” Kosinski admits. “And I got here rattling near profitable this factor hopping round on one leg. I nearly f—ng had it.”

From Kosinski’s perspective, the difficulty with Wharton “began after I determined to vocally endorse and the pink staff whereas they have been up there battling one another.”

“I feel that is the place Cory realizes that Derek is now rooting towards him, which in my e book is okay as a result of I lower a take care of the pink staff that nobody actually must find out about,” Kosinski explains. “Nevertheless it’s now being identified, he’s chirping at me whereas he’s enjoying the sport and I’m simply taking it. As soon as the sport is completed, he’s getting in my face a number of instances after which the ultimate time I’m like, ‘Dude, in case you actually wish to do that, then let’s f—ing do it.’ I take my life jacket off — not deliberate — toss it in his route, by accident hits him within the neck. If it was a joke, it will be humorous, however clearly it’s not a joke. He doesn’t suppose it’s humorous.”

From there, Kosinski admits he would’ve fought Wharton.

“I’m a Chicago child, I’ve gotten into fistfights for a lot much less rising up, and now I’m 40, apparently it nonetheless lives in me,” Kosinski says. “I used to be like, ‘Have a look at huge dangerous Cory up there placing his Gladiator protect down, pounding on his chest,’ after which he’s over right here whining a couple of life jacket tapping him within the again. For all of the tremendous powerful guys on the market to me, I used to be a bit of taken again. However fortunately, we’ve two large safety guards that have been already there.”

Kosinski thought that Wharton and his Period 3 teammates and had a “crybaby mentality” about him reducing a take care of Campbell.

“They knew I used to be the wounded animal,” says Kosinski, who picked up his twelfth and thirteenth elimination wins on season 40. “They have been just like the sharks that smelled blood or the hyenas from . Was I mad that they got here after me and took me out? No, as a result of that’s the sport. For them to be like, ‘You have been voting towards me or not teaming up with me,’ I believed that that was a bit of bit extra of the crybaby mentality throughout a Gladiator II promo episode.”

Kosinski additionally believed he had restricted time left within the sport attributable to his damage. “I knew that I used to be actually on my final leg,” he says. “I didn’t understand how a lot time I had left. Win or lose this elimination, I used to be going to go house the following day.”

Kosinski doesn’t remorse forming an alliance with Campbell, 33, in Period 4 or coming after Wharton. However “I simply wouldn’t have jumped in that mud pit,” Kosinski says. “I’d’ve simply walked by way of as a result of it was actually pointless to leap by way of.”

The daddy of two in the end noticed his elimination as “God’s means of claiming, ‘Dude, you bought to go handle your loved ones,’” as a result of his spouse was 9 months pregnant when he returned house.

Kosinski waited till six weeks after his spouse Nicole in Could earlier than having surgical procedure on his leg.

“I needed to wait six weeks till she was medically cleared after which I had my surgical procedure,” he says. “Then it’s the entire wrestle of standing up and sitting down on one leg when you’re going by way of the primary few weeks of getting a new child youngster. I’m now three months post-op. It’s going to take one other at the very least 9 months to get again into probably fascinated with doing one other Problem.”

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The Street Guidelines alum says he hasn’t spoken to Wharton since filming Battle of the Eras and expects he received’t till the season 40 reunion.

“However that entire episode, from the way it began to the way it ended, I don’t really feel like I’ve ever skilled something fairly like that earlier than on The Problem,” Kosinski says. “Like I stated, win or lose, I used to be going to should go get an MRI. It’s been 20 years since I did Street Guidelines and the truth that I’m nonetheless in a position to compete in a sport like this, it’s only a blessing. Hopefully, the Problem Gods need me again.”

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The Problem 40: Battle of the Eras airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on MTV.

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