The Zach Nichols Podcast - Cutthroat Episode 8 Review with Leonardo Dionicio! | ZNP EP. 186

Episode Date: September 18, 2026

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What's up, guys. It's Leonardo. I'm back on the Zach Nichols podcast here in Detroit. We're back with Season 42 of the Challenge. All right, everybody, check out. You got to go get tickets to our live show, October 3rd in San Diego. We already had Leroy and Johnny, but we just added Deb, Will, and Keanu. So you're not going to want to miss that one. Get your tickets now. All right. We are back. Zach Nichols podcast. We're here for the first time ever with probably the first cast member, black cast member to ever get kicked out of the house for being racist towards black people. So welcome Leo to your house.

Bro. First of all, De Anas, De Anisio in the buildings. I didn't want to put your last name. And I, we didn't mind. But you were wrong with what you just said. This is the Thirsty Nichols podcast, brother. It's not the Zach Nichols podcast. This is the Thirsty Nichols.

You hear about this? No. Nelson got mad about something that Annalie said. And when he addressed it, he said, yeah, when Annalie was on the Thirsty Nichols podcast. Oh, my God. So, what makes you thirsty? I'm confused. I would love to know.

can someone tell me why I'm thirsty? Tell us in the comments. Wrong answers only why, Zach is. Why am I thirsty? As he locks eyes with the camera. Why am I thirsty? Yeah, that's crazy. Yeah.

First of all, and just so you guys know, like, we have made attempts to have Nelson on the podcast. Afterward, we put us in a group chat. I was like, yo, when are you going to come on the thirsty Nichols podcast? He didn't answer. I mean, that is the way to break the eyes. I would break the ice like that. To me, it's crazy. I'm going to use your pun.

Yeah. I mean, it's crazy. How about that? Would you fly to wherever he is? to do a podcast with him. I wouldn't do that for anyone, but for Nelson, I'll do it.

Where's he in Dallas? I have no idea. I mean, if schedule ahead and timing permits. Put him on the spot. So Nelson, that's not a question for me.

You're asking me if I need another reason to be away from my responsibilities. That answer is, hell yeah. But the answer, whether I can go or not is not my,

I can't answer that. You got to ask, you know, I heard there's good, you guys, you got to ask the warden. I heard there's good, I heard there's good golf in Houston.

Would you, would you come play golf in Houston? Dude, be so down. Okay. How many holes? You know, we're going to go to thirsty acres.

18 for us. And then the way that I see you move, you know, you might have a couple more in the city. God forbid. God forbid. Thursday. We got 18.

I might add a couple two extra throughout the week. You know what I'm saying? Yo, real quick, man, can we get another round of applause for De Anesio in the building? Hey, what's up, chat?

By the way, since we've spoken last, I've watched your Love Island season. Oh, God. No, you didn't. I did. Hand on heart right now. And it's entirety.

And in its entirety. Start to finish. Yeah, because you know why? Because now that they're asking more and more Love Island people, like, when I started doing this, I was like, okay, now I got to watch Big Brothers so I know what I'm talking about. So I'm like, let me start. Never watched Love Island before besides like clips I'd seen him. This is your first time watching you all the way through and it was my season.

It was yours where I started. Well, you're wilding. You know, you're wilding. That's actually crazy. Bro. You popped his Love Island cherry. Yeah. I was like, I'm going to start with Leo season.

Like I know them. I like them. I like, I was like two episodes in. I'm like, this is a, this is an atrocity. This is insane. Which I couldn't stop watching. But see, it's like good brain rot, though. Like, I think, I think watching it is. No, at the end of some of the episodes, like I was like, I need to go for a walk outside.

Like, I feel disgusting. Bro, it is pure comedy. It is. Bro, it's insane. Wait, so what did you think? I loved it. Did you? That you were.

You loved everything I was doing? Oh, of course. Dude, I actually didn't give a fuck. No. It's like my mom, so this is how I prepared. My mom goes, look, we're going to watch season two together because at the time I'm like a junior in college and I'm about to like I think I'm going that summer. She's like we're going to prepare watching season two.

So we watch it and it's like in the entirety. She goes, okay, one rule I'm going to give you. You're not having sex with anybody. I'm like, I would never do something. Boom, two bodies on national television. I'm like, oh my God. Bro, I still, we talked about it last time you're here, but I just cannot get.

over the fact that you you went back to Dayton to Dayton after this show and you guys and you guys know ball with Dayton I've done straight straight party school at Tim's yeah bro yeah yeah low and actually now that I'm getting to know you lost a lot of good men out there no now that I'm getting to know you better like you one thing that I really like about you you appreciate the small town vibes oh of course and so like for somebody you big personality like you can be fine in New York, L.A., but you go to places like Dayton, you love coming to Detroit. Like, you, you understand the beauty of the, of the life, the American life in these little town. So, like, I just know you were a rock star there, but we have a lot to talk about,

second season. Can get a round of applause for the callback. Hey, I told you, I'd be back. I told you. I don't think anyone doubted that, especially on this couch. I think I even said that. Yeah. What do you think? I'm like, oh, yeah.

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. You know, we have people who won that show who didn't come back. So, yeah, man. we're going to talk about the whole thing in its entirety, but we do have to start with the way that this most recent episode, uh, bro, what a, what a crazy turn of events. Like, and it's funny because I'm also watching this show like a fan right now because I don't do the editing.

I don't control that aspect, right? So I'm sitting down with my mom, my dad. I'm like, damn, I wonder how they're going to break the news of the people. TJ walks in, bro, that shit could have been in an email. Like, he's talking about some, Leo Nelson. and Josh have broken the good of conduct, boom, they're out of here. I'm like, no, I wasn't because I'm like, oh shit, like that's the most bland way they could have done it. Right. And the only issue I have, mind you, I can't say like what fucking happened.

Okay, so you can't. We're not talking about what happened today. No, no, no, no. But I'm saying, though, it still is a poor reflection on me because it looks like I did something crazy. Right. And I'm here to say I didn't do anything crazy. That's why I started with that joke. Yeah.

Because I think anyone who can even look from the outside in and go on to. accent and see what people are saying, knows that, like, you were kind of, like, dude, I got the shittiest end of this. Like, it was almost like, you know, when, like, someone dies, but like, it's like by a stray bullet. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

I was in the wrong place, wrong time. Yeah. Essentially. G baby, bro. Like, like, straight G. Baby, like, and I'm like, tell me he died in friendly fire. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. But it was. Friendly fire is nuts. It was fuck because I was like, friendly. Friendly. It really, it really felt crazy to me. I'm like, like, like, like, when it. told me the news that I was done.

Dude, I haven't cried in years, bro. Like, I'm not an emotional person. Just wait until you go to preschool drop. Yeah. Oh, my God. My little C, like, it's her first day. But, you know, hopefully that day doesn't come for a long time. You got kids in preschool.

You just didn't know. I probably have no idea right now. You know, what's funny is because you had your first kid at what age? 34. So his pull-out game was equally as good as his leaving. All right. So learn from him. Get the 34 and then let it fly, right?

Your first kid was at 34? Yeah. Really? I thought you were like 28 in my head. Don't do that. Don't do it. I may be. You see the MRI just got on my knees.

So you're basically 12. If you saw the MRI just got on my knees and shoulders, you'd be like, what are you 60? No way. It's cooked? Oh, no, no. There's just some arthritis. Oh, he'll be just fine.

It's like a Mac truck. It just takes a little longer to fire that bitch up. Yeah, just don't go on. Gotta get on the peps, bro. Don't go. challenging people to haul brawls, you know, you hurt yourself. It's the best I felt in years.

So obviously, you know, what they showed is what they showed a 30 second clip of TJ kind of telling you guys what's going on. So obviously there's some stuff that they didn't want to air or chose not to air. The only thing we have are some tweets. We have some tweets from Nelson.

He posted this. Why is he in the background? I don't want to misquote it. No, this is taken from a challenge shade room. They posted some of his tweets. I thought you posted him shirtless flipped up. I was like, Pierre, bro. You got to tell us on that.

Brother. What's going on here? Listen. All right. I'm not even going to touch that. Listen. Pause. I'm like,

that's in the back, like he's on the casting. I was like, it's our scene. Those are from Nelson's only fans. I didn't even know he had one before. That was like news to me. I want to make sure that I read these in order.

If I read these in order, Mike, do I go down to bottom to top? Like, does it how you're supposed to read it? No, top to bottom. Top to bottom. Okay, okay, cool. So these are straight from Nelson's mouth.

We're not talking about anything that wasn't on the show, but this is news. So I just want to make sure he says that. So he says, I let my emotions take over. Broke dishes, destroyed kitchen, and violated the code of conduct. That's on me. I'm learning and growing and I'm grateful for my challenge family sees the good and bad. And then this is, you know, we're going to keep this going. I received his DM apology.

I'm giving him space to take ownership publicly. The fans and the challenge family deserve that too. saying you have black friends doesn't give you a pass to use the n-word this goes beyond tv we need accountability understanding and growth i appreciate y'all support support me without tearing others down so here's my question um in your opinion do you feel like there was any racist behavior in the house on a broad spectrum i don't think there's i ever felt at one moment in that house that anybody was being racist ignorant 1,000 percent was the exact That was my exact thought.

You see what I've seen like I've seen not this situation happen, but I've seen like people say things that are legit racist. Like they're like, oh, I hate you because you're black and all this and say all this. I'm like, well, damn, like, why you got all this hate in your heart? But like I said, I'm not confirming or denying anything going on in the show, but there was a lot of it. That concludes the free preview of the Zach Nichols podcast. So go to Patreon and subscribe to see the rest of the shit that we talk. Go do it.

Now.