‘The Challenge’s Paulie Calafiore & Cara Maria Sorbello Split: ‘It’s Been A Long Time Coming’

It’s over for Cara Maria Sorbello and Paulie Calafiore. Just one day after she defended him against cheating allegations, he took to Instagram Live to reveal that they’ve ended their relationship.

UPDATE 7:40 P.M.: Cara and Paulie filmed a new Instagram live on Oct. 9, in which they admitted that the “breakup” announcement was something that they had planned out as part of a social experiment. The pair explained that they wanted to bring light to all the negativity on the Internet that stems from people jumping to conclusions without knowing all of the facts. Simply put, it was their way of “trolling the trolls.” However, they also did not clarify the status of their relationship and explained that, from now on, that information will be just for them to know.

After more than a year of ups and downs, Paulie Calafiore and Cara Maria Sorbello have split. He confirmed the news in an Instagram Live video on the evening of Oct. 8. “It’s been a long time coming, but Cara and I have decided that it’s probably best that we go our separate ways and that we are friends,” Paulie said.”We have the utmost respect for one another. I wish her all the best. I hope that you guys can be mindful that these are two people going through some real emotions right now, and you could give us our peace of mind. It’s not easy, but sometimes people are better off as friends, and that’s just how it is. We will be okay, and we still have each other’s back.”

This announcement came after fans began speculating on social media that something was going on between the couple. There were even rumors that Paulie had cheated on Cara. However, she hosted her own Instagram Live on Oct. 7 and shut down all of the buzz. She clarified that she and Paulie were — and always have been — in an “open relationship,” which gave both of them the right to do whatever they wanted. Of course, it didn’t take long for fans to pull up an interview that Paulie gave in May, in which he revealed that he and Cara were an ‘exclusive’ couple. Still, Cara seemed to be adamant about standing by the relationship. It’s unclear who decided to officially pull the plug and end things for good.

Paulie and Cara’s relationship made headlines from the moment they got together on The Challenge: Final Reckoning in 2018. They admitted to hooking up on the show while Paulie was still in a relationship with Danielle Maltby. He publicly insisted that he ended things with Danielle as soon as filming ended. However, at the end of 2018 — right after Cara and Paulie returned from filming The Challenge: War of the Worlds together — Danielle came forward with receipts that proved Paulie had still been messaging her and seeing her without Cara knowing.

Paulie used the ‘open relationship’ excuse in this case, too, but his romance with Cara still, understandably, went through a rough patch. He was able to win back her trust, though, and by the spring, they were back together. They filmed The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2 as a couple, and the show is currently airing on MTV on Wednesdays at 9:00 p.m.