The Challenge: Double Agents Winners on Finishing That Grueling Final Together: 'Nobody Wanted Us'

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This post contains spoilers from Wednesday night's finale of MTV's The Challenge: Double Agents.

Never underestimate the Dad Bod.

On Wednesday night's season finale of The Challenge: Double Agents, series vet CT Tamburello and rookie Amber Borzotra from Big Brother took home the win — and the $900,000 first-place prize.

The teams of Kam Williams and Cory Wharton and Nany Gonzalez and Leroy Garrett were neck-and-neck all the way to the last moment of the final footrace, with Kam and Cory securing the second-place spot and splitting $100,000.

In fourth place were Kaycee Clark and Fessy Shafaat, who initially seemed like the team to beat in the last days of the season. After Kaycee fell and hurt her knee, Fessy was ready to claim defeat. Despite Kaycee's determination to keep going, Fessy refused to participate during the ever-disgusting eating checkpoint and the Big Brother duo timed out.

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For CT, 40, the season marked his fourth win in 18 seasons: he's now tied with Darrell Taylor for having the second-most wins (Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio has seven). He also slides into third place for most prize money won across the show's 36 seasons (Bananas leads that list, followed by Ashley Mitchell).

"I have higher win percentage with the Dad Bod," CT, who is father to 5-year-old Christopher Jr. with his wife, Lilianet Solares, tells PEOPLE. "I told CJ I got that ice cream money. He thinks I fight bad guys, that I'm a superhero."

Meanwhile, after such a grueling season, Amber, 33, proved she is a force to be reckoned with in future seasons.

"For my rookie season, it to be so cutthroat wasn't easy," she says. "Everything always changing was the hardest thing for me mentally. But I did have some great times and I now have some lifelong friends. That's the best thing I can take from this. Because after the money's gone, I still have those relationships and this now new family and this game that I love."

"It was the most intense challenge I've ever been on," CT adds.

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Below, the newly crowned winners take PEOPLE through some of their journey — and what comes next. (Season 37, anyone???)

PEOPLE: That cave in the overnight part of the final seemed wet and awful. How much were you wearing?

AMBER: Just our uniforms, our jackets — and I had throw-up all over me.

CT: I want to say not enough, but honestly, it was so wet and everything was so heavy, I was taking layers off.

You each had moments during the final where you could have changed partners but didn't. How much did you actually consider switching?

AMBER: At my first checkpoint when I looked at CT and I was like, "Do you want to run this with me?" and he didn't even hesitate when he said, "Let's go." I didn't hesitate. I was ready, and I was so okay having him the entire time by my side.

CT: I hope I didn't slow her down too much. We both knew where we stood. I knew I was going to have to keep up with her in the run, but don't worry about the checkpoint. And I remember when I got the math problem and we weren't allowed to talk to each other and help each other. All I wanted was to just be like, "Don't worry about it. You're fine." We both knew what we had and what we offered. There was times where I felt like she was pretending to look around for which way to go, but she was just letting the old man catch up to her.

RELATED: The Challenge's Ashley Mitchell Wishes 'Good Luck' to Rookies That End Up in the Finals

Was there a point along the way where you realized the win was yours?

CT: Oh no, we were focused. We got to that last [puzzle] checkpoint and I was thinking, "Just stay consistent. Don't think about anything else, just do." Sometimes it's better to not think at all. But it made me feel better knowing that it was on me. We really were thrown together for the final and I couldn't have been happier. That was what I needed.

AMBER: It was crazy how we didn't even choose each other. Nobody wanted us [as partners]. And so we ended up getting paired together.

CT: But in a weird way, we helped each other indirectly the whole time.

What were your thoughts when you saw Kaycee get hurt?

CT: It sucks. As competitive as we are — and we all hate each other at one point or another — when something like that happens, you can't help but feel bad.

AMBER: It was hard watching that, especially to a friend of mine. I wanted to stop and be like, "Are you okay?" But I'm like, "I can't. I have to keep going."

Amber, how did you feel about the eating checkpoint?

AMBER: I was shocked with myself. But I wasn't going to let my partner down, and CT encouraged me so much. He was like, "Amber we're just at a pub, two friends eating and having drinks." At one point, I turned because I didn't want to throw up on him. And then the wind blew and the throw-up went up my face.

CT: On the way to the next thing, she was like, "I've got to get this off my face." I was like, "No, you look dangerous. Keep it."

As you get older and continue to compete, do any fears set in?

CT: I'm not afraid. I'm afraid of getting hurt. These young kids they don't care if they got zero regard for their own safety. Run into the wall, head down, face first, as fast as you can. Sure, you got it. Me? I have a panic attack every time I see a trivia challenge coming up.

Speaking of the "young kids," what are your thoughts, in hindsight, about your argument with Fessy?

CT: He had some good points. He had some truthful points about how I was hiding behind the shadow of the man I used to be. When it came to playing the game, those days of sitting back and riding on your reputation are over. I respect that. I think he was misunderstood. He's got a chip on his shoulder and something to prove. I get that. But don't do with the 40-year-old guy with the bad back. Do it with the kids in their 20s.

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Were you surprised by Leroy's announcement that this was his last season?

CT: I remember being in an interview and saying, "I don't understand, this doesn't make sense the way he's playing the game, he knows better than this. How is he going to come back from this?" And that's when I had that, "Oh." But I was wrong about the way he was playing the game because the way the game is played now, it's so aggressive in your face. Down and dirty right from the start. I don't think he should retire. He's done a lot in a row. I know from personal experience. You come back and it's good for you. It's good for your mental health. It really is. I wouldn't be surprised if a couple of years from now … It's such a part of our lives — and you miss it. We've built this whole family and we love to torture ourselves.

CT, where does your relationship with Big T stand at the moment?

CT: I love Big T. Being on the team with Big T was a blessing in disguise. She forced me to get back out there again, so to speak, and to make relationships and play the new game. I didn't handle the situation with her the best. And I could, if I could take that back, I would, and I've apologized to her over and over again. And I'm sure she's not going to let me forget it when we do another challenge together, and that's fine. We've learned a lot from each other. Then going from that to Amber, I feel it's the first time ever a pair of rookies took home the dub.

AMBER: You're a born-again rookie.