“It’s not always rainbows and butterflies,” the Michigan native, 30, said on the Thursday, July 23, episode of Us Weekly‘s “Watch With Us” podcast, noting that he and his fellow MTV personality, 28, butted heads over his decision to return to The Challenge for season 37, especially since Floyd was pregnant with baby No. 2 when he left. “We do have our fights and we do get into it.”

Wharton went on to say that they “always make sure that [their] focus is back on Ryder” when they get into disagreements.

“I think this upcoming season [of Teen Mom OG], we start to see that it’s starting to affect Ryder a little bit, [the time of] me being away,” the Real World alum told Us. “That’s what I have to kind of take a step back and realize, ‘OK, I’m not going to be able to get this time back in my child’s life.’ It’s a hard decision. It’s like, do you take this work opportunity and this great chance that you have or do you be there for your family? It’s a tough decision for sure.”

Since the personal trainer did choose to compete on The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies, he had a far different experience than his costars Nelson [Thomas] and Fessy [Shafaat], “who get to just check in with themselves and then get to go and … enjoy themselves.”

Wharton explained, “I have a lot of people at home that depend on me. So when I go to The Challenge, I’m clocking into work. I’m away from my family. … It’s hard on a lot of people.”

The Ex on the Beach alum is also the father of daughter Mila, 15 months, with Taylor Selfridge. As for Floyd, she is engaged to Zach Davis, and the pair share son Ace, 1 month.

Wharton and Davis, 30, both “understand their place in that situation,” Floyd exclusively told Us in January of coparenting.

“Zach acknowledges that we choose to do things as a family for Ryder,” the Are You the One? alum told Us at the time. “Cory and Zach have their own relationship and have had their chats and everyone’s still alive. So I guess it’s good. … If there’s an issue, we talk about it and move on. So things from the past? Really not a problem.”

While raising Ryder together seemed “overwhelming” at first, Floyd noted that she and Wharton have “mastered” their dynamic and don’t “hold grudges.”

The Challenge 37 premieres on MTV Wednesday, August 11, at 8 p.m. ET.

With reporting by Emily Longeretta

This story originally appeared on: US Magazine - Author:Riley Cardoza