The Challenge (Seasons 21-30)
The Challenge Years
(Season 21) The Challenge : Rivals
This season of The Challenge featured a brand new format, consisting of 14 same-gender teams — seven male and seven female. Each team will consist of players who will be paired with their "worst enemies," whom they have engaged in bitter feuds, fights and rivalries with in previous Real World and/or Challenge seasons. Each team participates in numerous challenges or missions, which are followed by an elimination round called "The Jungle." Each challenge is alternatively designated as either a male or a female challenge day. The winning team of the gender not designated for the Jungle is awarded $2,000. The winning team whose gender is designated for elimination wins immunity from the Jungle, while the team that finishes last is automatically sent to the Jungle. An open deliberation and vote then held among the players to determine which team of the same gender will face the last-place finisher in the Jungle. The team who wins the elimination round returns to the game and has a shot at a $300,000 prize, while the losing team is eliminated from the game. At the end of the season, six teams will compete in the final challenge — three of each gender. The first-place male and female teams win $100,000 apiece, second-place wins $50,000 and the third-place finishers go home empty-handed.
Host - T.J. Lavin
MALE CHAMPS - Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio and Tyler Duckworth
FEMALE CHAMPS - Evelyn Smith and Paula Meronek
MALE RUNNER-UP - Wes Bergmann and Kenny Santucci
FEMALE RUNNER-UP - Cara Maria Sorbello and Laurel Stucky
MALE THIRD PLACE - Leroy Garrett and Michael Ross
FEMALE THIRD PLACE - Jenn Grijalva and Mandi Moyer
Other Cast - (Male) Chris "CT" Tamburello & Adam King, Evan Starkman & Nehemiah Clark, Brandon Nelson & Ty Ruff, Davis Mallory & Tyrie Ballard, Adam Royer (Female) Jasmine Reynaud & Jonna Mannion, Sarah Rice & Katelynn Cusanelli, Camila Nakagawa & Theresa Gonzalez, Aneesa Ferreira & Robin Hibbard
Memorable Moments
- Leroy's original partner, Adam R., was sent home prior to the first Jungle for punching Ty. His Real World: Las Vegas (2011) roommate, Michael Ross, was brought in as Leroy's replacement partner. Ironically, due to the theme of Rivals, Leroy & Michael were very good friends on their original season. The "High Dive" challenge was won by the team of Adam R. & Leroy, prior to Adam's disqualification
- Cara Maria & Laurel were the only two women to complete the "Hammock Crawl" challenge, but were disqualified for going over the 15-minute time limit. Therefore, no female team won any money
- Jungle Eliminations -Evelyn/Paula beat Aneesa/Robin; Kenny/Wes beat Davis/Tyrie; Cara Maria/Laurel beat Camila/Theresa; Kenny/Wes beat Brandon/Ty; Jasmine/Jonna beat Sarah/Katelynn; CT/Adam K beat Evan/Nehemiah; Cara Maria/Laurel beat Jasmine/Jonna; Bananas/Tyler beat CT/Adam K
Final Challenge - This is a two day race through a series of checkpoints that starts out as each team is dragged by a boat with rope underwater for 200 yards and then the players swim to their designated kayacs and paddle three miles to the end of the river. They change into their uniforms and began the running portion to get to each checkpoint which are -
Pet Rock - Each team have to carry a heavy rock and chain
Memories - The teams arrive at a campsite and have to meorize the details and placement of each iten present at the example campsite for a later checkpoint
Pile Up - This involves shoveling mounds of dirt into a wheelbarrow and transferring the dirt into their designated dumpzone and shall not advance until their zone is completely filled with dirt
Recreation Campsite - The teams must copy the previous campsite correctly to advance or go back and look at the previous one again
Final Feast - Each team has to eat every item on their plate
Sleep or Stand - One player can sleep while their partner balances on a rock and if any player falls off the rock, they have to wake their partner up and switch places
Search and Rescue - Day two is a race up the mountain with the first place team from day one getting a two minute head start while the second place team gets a one minute head start. Each team hikes to the top of the mountain and uses avalanche beacons which are programmed to locate the keys needed to unlock the trophies at the finish line
(Season 22) The Challenge : Battle of the Exes
Each team participates in numerous challenges or missions, which are followed by an elimination round — "The Dome." The winning team of each challenge earns the title of "Power Couple," as well as immunity from entering The Dome, while the last-place finisher is automatically sent to The Dome. The "Power Couple" also earns the right of choosing the team that will face the last-place finisher in The Dome (from Episode 6, the “Power Couple” was also awarded a $2,500 prize, in addition to their immunity and nomination power). The team who wins the elimination round returns to the game and has a shot at a $300,000 prize, while the losing team is eliminated from the game. At the end of the season, three teams will compete in the final challenge. The first-place finisher wins $150,000, second-place wins $100,000 and third-place wins $40,000.
Host - T.J. Lavin
CHAMPS - Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio and Camila Nakagawa
RUNNER-UP - Chris "CT" Tamburello and Diem Brown
THIRD PLACE - Ty Ruff and Emily Schromm
Other Cast - Mark Long & Robin Hibbard, Dunbar Merrill & Paula Meronek, Aneesa Ferreira & Rachel Robinson, Abram Boise & Cara Maria Sorbello, Tyrie Ballard & Jasmine Reynaud, Leroy Garrett & Naomi Defensor, Dustin Zito & Heather Marter, Wes Bergmann & Mandi Moyer, Vinny Foti & Sarah Rice, Nate Stodghill & Priscilla Mendez
Memorable Moments
- During the 7th episode, which aired on March 7, 2012, Schromm appeared in blackface before the entire house of cast mates by smearing her face in Nutella, mocking Ruff, who was her partner and is African American, directly in front of him. Camila Nakagawa, was involved in the incident as well mocking Paula Meronek, Ruff's flirtatious partner on the show. After the show's cast mates were all seen disturbed by Schromm's actions. At the Reunion special, Schromm made a tearful apology. She also expressed regret for taking advice from Nakagawa, making the point that Nakagawa isn't even from America but Brazilan and thought it was not racist
- Vinny & Sarah won the "Hook Up" challenge in Episode 2. However, they were later disqualified from the competition, following an incident at a nightclub in which Vinny ripped off Mandi's dress in public, exposing her breasts. Sarah was sent home as well since she was Vinny's partner. Because they were the Power Couple at the time of their disqualification, the winning couple of the Dome elimination round became the new Power Couple
- Dustin suffered a knee injury at the house that required stitches and he was medically prohibited from competing. Heather was sent home as well since she was Dustin's partner.
- The Camilanator comes out as Camila gets drunk and is mad that Bananas does not want her in the bed so she goes on a drunken tirade by throwing chairs and calling him a liar and a cheater
- Dome Eliminations -Wes/Mandi beat Nate/Priscilla; Leroy/Naomi beat Wes/Mandi; Ty/Emily beat Leroy/Naomi; Aneesa/Rachel beat Tyrie/Jasmine; Ty/Emily beat Abram/Cara Maria; Dunbar/Paula beat Aneesa/Rachel; Ty/Emily beat Dunbar/Paula; Bananas/Camila beat Mark/Robin
Final Challenge - The Viking Quest final challenge consists of the following checkpoints -
Dog Sledding - Teams start out by racing on dogsleds on an Icelandic glacier for one mile and will collect the first of seven Viking artifacts that will be needed to unlock a giant key to the final prize
River Plunge - Each team has to remove layers of warm clothing, jump into an icy river, tag a buoy in the middle of the river, and run back as fast as possible to a warm van. This is timed and will be added to the dogsledding time and the fastest overall times will win the best sleeping arrangements on the glacier
Feast For a Viking - Each team has to devour an animal's head and drink sheep's blood out of a Viking horn to get their third artifact
Ice Key - Each team has to break a lock box in order to retrieve a key needed to unchain snow shoes and trekking poles that each team will need for the next checkpoint
Poled Out - Teams must complete a puzzle using 12 out of 13 oversized logs and boulders to create six boundaries of equal size in the shape of a hexagon and once completed, each team must carry one oversized log to the next checkpoint
What An Ice Hole - Teams must tunnel their way through and under a snow drift using ice axes
Sliced Up - Teams have to spin a giant wooden totem pole containing Viking symbols to where each side matches the symbols on all four sides
Finish It - Each team has to correctly place each Viking artifact on a Viking sundial in order to open up the sundial containing a Viking horn. From there, the final race is a climb up the mountain where the flag at the finish line is located
(Season 23) The Challenge : Battle of the Seasons
During each Challenge, teams will compete in order to become the Power Team, who will have the ability to place one team of their decision into the Arena. The other couple going into the Arena will be that day's Challenge losers. Once in the Arena, a team must decide one male-female pair to compete, and have the potential to go home with no money. The losing pair in the Arena will go home, and leave their team short two players. Teams can compete with only two players, and have potential to make a greater share of the final's $250,000.[1][2] Three seasons will be represented in the final challenge. First place wins $250,000, second-place wins $50,000 and third-place wins $40,000
Host - T.J. Lavin
CHAMPS - (RW San Diego) Frank Sweeney, Zach Nichols, Ashley Kelsey, and Sam McGinn
RUNNER-UP - (RW Las Vegas) Dustin Zito and Trishelle Cannatella
THIRD PLACE - (RW Brooklyn) Chet Cannon, JD Ordonez, Sarah Rice, Devyn Simone
Other Cast - Derek Chavez, Jonna Mannion, Robb Schreiber, Maria Roda, Alton Williams, Nany Gonzalez, CJ Koegel, Jasmine Reynaud, Ryan Knight, Jemmye Carroll, Trey Weatherholtz, Laura Waller, Preston Charles, McKenzie Coburn, Eric Banks, Camila Nakagawa, Brandon Nelson, Cara Maria Sorbello, Danny Jamieson, Melinda Stolp, Wes Bergmann, Lacey Buehler
Memorable Moments
- KellyAnne Judd, Dunbar Merrill, Ashli Robson, and Isaac Stout from The Real World: Sydney were originally cast, and flew out to Turkey to participate. However, they were removed prior to the start of the first challenge. The producers claimed that Stout did not pass his medical test, and they were replaced by the Fresh Meat team. Stout claims his doctor has told him that they have no idea how the producer claimed that and that Stout was in good health. There was also a possible The Real World : Key West team that consisted of Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio, Tyler Duckworth, Janelle Casanave, and Paula Meronek but producers might have felt this team to be too strong
- During the "Water Torture" Arena at the beginning of Episode 5, Eric grew frustrated and quit when he determined that his weight prevented him from competing in the Arena, despite being in the lead. As a result, Team Fresh Meat was disqualified, and Team Brooklyn was declared the winner by default. Camila went on a tirade berating Eric for quitting
- Jemmye, Maria, and Knight find a love letter that CJ wrote to Ashley so they decide to prank him by writing a return letter from Ashley back to him appreciating his love letter
- Arena Eliminations - Cara Maria/Eric beat Wes/Lacey; Camila/Eric beat Danny/Melinda; Sarah/Chet beat Cara Maria/Brandon; Devyn/JD beat Camila/Eric; Sarah/Chet beat Preston/McKenzie; Dustin/Nany beat Trey/Laura; Zach/Sam beat Knight/Jemmye; Zach/Sam beat CJ/Jasmine; Maria/Robb beat Alton/Nany; Dustin/Trishelle beat Maria/Robb; Frank/Ashley beat Derek/Jonna
Final Challenge - The final race is a series of checkpoints separated into two phases -
Phase One - Parachute from a plane to the ground level on the Namibian desert and then sprint through the desert to the first checkpoint
Mind Field - Each team has a 20-minute time limit to align nune numbers on a 3x3 grid to where each number equals 15 in each direction. After a team has correctly aligned the numbers, they can push a red button to detonate the designated mine field and enable the team to hop aboard a helicopter which takes them to the next checkpoint
Rung Out - Players from each team must swing a ring roped to a hook toward a pole until one player successfully hooks the ring to the pole. If the player misses, they must take a drink of warm camel milk
Get Tired - Each team must use multiple poles and ropes in order to carry a series of tired through the desert (2 tires per person on team). Once completed, a helicopter takes each team to the final checkpoint of phase one
Camel Nap - (First team arriving at this checkpoint first gets a 10-minute headstart to start phase two while the second team gets a five-minute headstart) All but one player must stand within a small designated rectangle in the sand and supervise a camel overnight in a tent, while one team members gets to sleep by a nearby campfire. A team is assessed a one-minute penalty to begin the second phase of the final challenge if one team members steps out of the rectangle for any reason while supervising the camel
Phase Two - Begin racing through numerous sand dunes to the checkpoint
Hallucination Station - Each team must locate words from a large chart from a distance of 15 feet in order to match an answer key needed to unlock wooden crates that each team will use at the next checkpoint
Sand Shift - Each team will use their crates to transfer sand into their designated containers several feet away. Once the containers have been filled, the final section is a race to the top of the sand dune with a flag at the end for the winner
(Season 24) The Challenge : Rivals II
This season of The Challenge, follows the same format as the original Rivals challenge consisting of 14 same-gender teams — seven male and seven female. Each team will consist of players who will be paired with their "worst enemies," whom they have engaged in bitter feuds, fights and rivalries with in previous Real World and/or Challenge seasons. Each team participates in numerous challenges or missions, which are followed by an elimination round called "The Jungle." Each challenge is alternatively designated as either a male or a female challenge day. The winning team of the gender not designated for the Jungle is awarded $1,000. The winning team whose gender is designated for elimination wins immunity from the Jungle, while the team that finishes last is automatically sent to the Jungle. The nominations process is only determined by the teams of the other gender - so only the male teams vote in for female nominations, and vice versa to determine which team of the same gender will face the last-place finisher in the Jungle. The team who wins the elimination round returns to the game and has a shot at a $350,000 prize, while the losing team is eliminated from the game. At the end of the season, six teams will compete in the final challenge — three of each gender — for a share of a $350,000 prize. The first-place male and female teams win $125,000, second-place wins $35,000 and third-place wins $15,000.
Host - T.J. Lavin
MALE CHAMPS - Chris "CT" Tamburello and Wes Bergmann
FEMALE CHAMPS - Emily Schromm and Paula Meronek
MALE RUNNER-UP - Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio and Frank Sweeney
FEMALE RUNNER-UP - Cara Maria Sorbello and Heather Cooke
MALE THIRD PLACE - Jordan Wiseley and Marlon Williams
FEMALE THIRD PLACE - Camila Nakagawa and Jemmye Carroll
Other Cast - (Male) Preston Charles & Ryan Knight, Leroy Garrett & Ty Ruff, Zach Nichols & Trey Weatherholtz, Robb Schreiber & Derek Chavez, Dunbar Merrill & Tyrie Ballard (Female) Aneesa Ferreira & Diem Brown, Nany Gonzalez & Jonna Mannion, Jasmine Reynaud & Theresa Gonzalez, Sarah Rice & Trishelle Cannatella, Jessica McCain & Anastasia Miller, Naomi Defensor
Memorable Moments
- Cooke's original partner, Naomi, withdrew from the game prior to the first Jungle due to a family emergency back home. Cara Maria was brought in as Cooke's replacement partner prior to the "XXX Games" challenge in Episode 2
- Prior to the "Mind Over Splatter" challenge in Episode 3, Trishelle quit the game. Sarah was sent home because she was left without a partner
- To get a rise out of Jemmye because she was flirting with Leroy, Her ex-Knight squirted ketchup on her as she proclaimed she had a fear of it
- Trey & Zach finished the "Breaking on Through" Jungle before Leroy & Ty, but were disqualified for failing to alternate breaking through each floor.
- Jungle Eliminations - Derek/Robb beat Dunbar/Tyrie; Cara Maria/Cooke beat Jessica/Anastasia; Knight/Preston beat Derek/Robb; Leroy/Ty beat Trey/Zach; Camila/Jemmye beat Jasmine/Theresa; Jordan/Marlon beat Leroy/Ty; Cara Maria/Cooke beat Jonna/Nany; Jordan/Marlon beat Knight/Preston; Camila/Jemmye beat Aneesa/Diem
Final Challenge - The final challenge consists of the two islands known as "Dream Island" and "Nightmare Island" -
Dream Island - The pairs must swim one mile in the middle of the ocean to the island where each team has to solve three geometric puzzles - A square, a cube and a cross. There is a 60-minute time limit to build replicas of the three shapes. Once completed, they retrieve a key to a kayak, and paddle their way to a super yacht which only have room for two pairs of each gender as the third place teams are eliminated but win third place money
Nightmare Island - From the Yacht, each team will swim to the other island for a series of five checkpoints to retrieve a golden elephant with five idols -
First Checkpoint - Each team must remove 14 out of 15 spikes on a large triangular peg board, by jumping over each spike only once. Once completed that team must signal the completion of their checkpoint by pulling a pin on a smoke grenade and dropping it in a bucket
What's Mine Is Yours - Each team must cut through a chain-link fence with a pair of dykes, then solve a mathematical puzzle involving Pythagoreantheorem in order to determine the hypotenuse of a traingle. Each team then has to cut one of the five colored ropes that corresponds to a correct answer. If a team makes an incorrect answer, all five ropes have to be cut before they are allowed to continue
Food Test - Each team must eat and drink a variety of disgusting foods and liquids from numbered receptacles and in numerical order. A key is located at the bottom of the final jar, which will unlock a cabinet containing an idol
Body Issues - Each team must move 20 body bags from one side of a course to another, a sign at the bottom of the pule instructs each team to dig into the ground and retrieve a treasure chest that contains the fourth idol
Tunnel Vision - Each team must dig a tunnel that leads underneath a cage consisting of bamboo poles, with the final idol located inside the cage. The first team of each gender to retrieve all five idols and the golden elephant, make their way towards the beach, where they use a canoe to reach the yacht and win
(Season 25) The Challenge : Free Agents
Prior to each challenge, host T. J. Lavin will announce to each contestant as to whether a challenge will be declared as either an individual, pair, or team challenge. For pair and team challenges, T. J. draws names out of a bag — one of each gender, or more for multi-team or pair challenges — that will be designated as captains. For team challenges, the captains will select players that will be split evenly amongst gender. For pair challenges, the captains will either select players of the opposite gender for challenges that are designated as male/female pairs, or the same gender for challenges that are designated as same-gender pairs. After each challenge, the winning teams/pairs/players are not only safe from elimination, but will also choose one player of each gender to compete in the elimination round. If a challenge is played in a team or pair format, each member of the winning pair/team is safe from elimination. The losing players will participate in an elimination vote called "The Draw," in which each player will either flip over a "kill card," which has a skeleton symbol, or a blank card. If a player flips over a blank card, that player saves himself/herself from participating in the elimination, however, if a player flips over the "kill card," that player will face the player of the respective gender that was previously voted by the winning team/pair/individual in the elimination. The winning players of each gender return to the game and have a shot at competing for a $350,000 prize, while the losing male and female players are eliminated from the game. At the end of the season, six players will compete in the final challenge — three of each gender. The first-place finishers each win $125,000, second-place contestants each win $35,000 and third-place contestants each win $15,000
Host - T.J. Lavin
CHAMPS - Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio (Male) & Laurel Stucky (Female)
RUNNER-UP - Johnny Reilly (Male) & Nany Gonzalez (Female)
THIRD PLACE - Zach Nichols (Male) & Devyn Simone (Female)
Other Males Cast - Chris "CT" Tamburello, Leroy Garrett, Cohutta Grindstaff, Preston Charles, Jordan Wiseley, Brandon Swift, Isaac Stout, Brandon Nelson, Frank Sweeney, Dustin Zito, Chet Cannon
Other Females Cast - Theresa Gonzalez, Cara Maria Sorbello, Jessica McCain, Aneesa Ferreira, Jonna Mannion, Camila Nakagawa, Jasmine Reynaud, La Toya Jackson, Nia Moore, Emilee Fitzpatrick, Jemmye Carroll
Memorable Moments
- Frank was removed from the game in Episode 3 due to a viral infection but Frank has since diputed those claims. There were four cards in "The Draw", but only three male players with Frank out so because none of them drew the kill card, there was no male elimination
- For the "Balls In" elimination, Chet suffered a wound on his chin and he chose to get stitches instead of going on so he withdrew
- Jordan wanted to face Bananas so he flipped over every card in the draw. Bananas would beat Jordan and called him a "pompous little arrogant b*tch"
- Other Moments - The funeral to bury Devyn's wig, Tamara
- Kill Card Eliminations - Frank beat Chet; La Toya beat Jemmye; Jonna beat Emilee, Frank beat Dustin; Cara Maria beat Nia; Cara Maria beat La Toya; Zach Beat Brandon; Laurel beat Jasmine; Bananas beat Isaac; Jordan beat Swift; Theresa beat Camila; Aneesa beat Jonna; Bananas beat Jordan; Cohutta beat Preston, Laurel beat Aneesa; Cara Maria beat Jessica; Leroy beat Cohutta; CT beat Leroy; Laurel beat Cara Maria; Laurel beat Theresa; Bananas beat CT
Final Challenge - A five-stage competition in a race to the top of Villarica. The first three stages are male/female pairs, while the last two stages are individual. At the top of the volcano, all five stage times are added up to determine the winners.
STAGE 1 (Kayac race) - Bananas/Laurel (40 min), Nany/Johnny (44 min 53 sec), Zach/Devyn (58 min 21 sec)
STAGE 2 (10K run on mountain trail) - Johnny/Laurel (1 hour 23 min 54 sec), Zach/Nany (1 hour 30 min), Bananas/Devyn (1 hour 34 min 47 sec)
STAGE 3 (Climb Rocky Mountainside) - Bananas/Nany (2 hours 19 min 14 sec), Zach/Laurel (2 hours 39 min 36 sec), Johnny/Devyn (2 hours 52 min 45 sec)
STAGE 4 (25 miles on Stationary Bike) - Bananas (1 hour 1 min), Johnny (1 hour 23 min), Zach (1 hour, 31 min), Laurel (1 hour 32 min), Nany (1 hour 50 min), Devyn (2 hour 43 min)
STAGE 5 (Climb up the snow-covered slopes of Villarica) - Johnny (2 hour 4 min), Bananas (2 hours 36 min), Laurel (3 hours 10 min 38 sec), Nany (3 hours 10 min, 42 sec), Zach (3 hours 37 min), Devyn (4 hours 30 min)
FINAL TIMES - Bananas (8 hours 11 min), Johnny (8 hours 29 min), Zach (10 hours, 16 min), Laurel (9 hours 26 min), Nany (9 hours, 34 min), Devyn (12 hours, 39 min)
(Season 26) The Challenge : Battle of the Exes II
Each team participates in numerous challenges or missions, which are followed by an elimination round — "The Dome." The winning team of each challenge earns the title of "Power Couple," as well as immunity from entering The Dome, while the last-place finisher is automatically sent to The Dome. The "Power Couple" also earns the right of choosing the team that will face the last-place finisher in The Dome. The team who wins the elimination round returns to the game and has a shot at a $350,000 prize, After the first eight "Dome" games, a losing team will have a chance to re-join the competition in "Battle of the EX-iled," which will pit a newly eliminated couple against the winner of the previous week's "Ex-iled" winner. Ex-ile matches and mini episodes were shown on MTV.com and MTV aired a Battle of the EX-iled Recap special after episode 6 showing progress in ex-iles up to that point. At the end of the season, three teams will compete in the final challenge. The first-place finisher wins $250,000, second-place wins $70,000 and third-place wins $30,000.
Host - T.J. Lavin
CHAMPS - Jordan Wiseley and Sarah Rice
RUNNER-UP - Leroy Garrett and Theresa Gonzalez
THIRD PLACE - Jay Garrett and Jenna Compono
Other Cast - Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio & Nany Gonzalez, Nia Moore, Wes Bergmann, Zach Nichols & Jonna Mannion, Johnny Reilly & Averey Tressler, Adam Kuhn & Brittany Baldassari, Ryan Knight & Jemmye Carroll, John Jacobs & Simone Kelly, Chris "CT" Tamburello & Diem Brown, Thomas Buell & Hailey Chivers, Dustin Zito & Jessica McCain
Memorable Moments
- Diem fell severely ill following the "Rounding the Bases" challenge in Episode 2. At the beginning of Episode 3, it was announced that Diem was medically unable to continue competing. CT was sent home as a result of being partnered with Diem. After the show was done, on November 14, 2014, Diem Brown died at the age of 34, following a decade-long battle with cancer. Brown was diagnosed with cancer for a third time in June 2014, though she had kept this information private. Two months later, media reports indicated that she collapsed during filming of Battle of the Exes II, and was subsequently airlifted to a New York-area hospital, where she was diagnosed with colorectal cancer — her third cancer diagnosis since she made her Challenge debut on Fresh Meat in 2006
- Also after the show was done, on November 27, 2014, Ryan Knight was found dead at the age of 28, following a house party in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Four months later (March 2015), autopsy results determined that Knight died of acute mixed drug and alcohol intoxication
- Jay & Jenna quit the competition after failing to complete the third checkpoint. Since it was required to complete the final challenge in order to earn any money, they were not awarded the third place monetary prize
- Zach was caught in secret on camera when talking about Sarah that women are "Swamp Donkeys" and he thinks that all men are superior
- Prior to the final Dome elimination in Episode 11, Nia was sent home following an incident in which she verbally and physically assaulted Jordan, temporarily leaving Leroy without a female partner. Theresa was subsequently brought back to the competition as Leroy's replacement partner for the "X-Battle" Dome
- Dome Eliminations -Adam/Brittany beat Dustin/Jessica; Johnny/Averey beat Thomas/Hailey; Adam/Brittany beat John/Simone; Adam/Brittany beat Knight/Jemmye; Leroy/Nia beat Bananas/Nany; Johnny/Averey beat Adam/Brittany; Leroy/Nia beat Johnny/Averey; Jordan/Sarah beat Zach/Jonna; Leroy/Nia beat Wes/Theresa; Leroy/Theresa beat Bananas/Nany
- EX-iled Eliminations - Dustin/Jessica beat Thomas/Hailey; John/Simone beat Dustin/Jessica; Bananas/Nany beat John/Simone; Bananas/Nany beat Adam/Brittany; Bananas/Nany beat Johnny/Averey; Bananas/Nany beat Zach/Jonna
Final Challenge - This final is a two-day race from a Norwegian Fjord to the top of Mount Slogen and each pair must finish the race in order to get paid. Each pair takes a helicoper ride and then are dropping in the water, where they will swim to the shore to get to their first checkpoint -
Kayak The Fjord - Each team must kayak their way through the fjord, where they will change into their team uniforms, then sprint to the next checkpoint
Mind Games - Each team has 30 minutes to unscramble a five-word sentence with a pile of rocks marked with letters (The sentence is "You will respect the trolls")
Don't Flip Your Lid - Each team has to flip a series of six cards with the Glag of Norway from the edge of the table into a series of six glasses filled with liquid fish eggs. Each team must consume one glass prior to flipping the cards and a team is required to consume a full glass for each time that they fail to flip a card into the glass after three attemmpts (Jay and Jenna were disqualified at this checkpoint)
Get Your Rocks Off - Each team must consume a tube of liquid caviar and then have 30 minutes to grab five rocks from a rockpile and then toss the rocks from a distance into a bucket
Bicycle Ride - Each pair will bicycle to the Slogen trailhead
Day Two Race - The final race is a grueling climb to the top of the Slogen with the first team to reach the rest stop getting a five minute head start
(Season 27) The Challenge : Battle of the Bloodlines
Each team participates in numerous challenges or missions, which are followed by an elimination round — "The Pit", which is alternated between male and female eliminations. The winning team of each challenge earns immunity from entering The Pit, while the last-place finisher is automatically sent to The Pit based on the designated gender. The winning team also earns the right of choosing the team has at least one player of the matching gender to compete in The Pit against the challenge losers. One player of the designated gender will represent their team in the Pit. The player who wins the elimination round returns, along with their partner to the game and has the opportunity to compete for a share of a $350,000 prize, while the losing player is eliminated from the game, along with their Bloodline. Host T. J. Lavin initially did not reveal any twists to the gameplay, however, beginning in Episode 3, a twist to the game occurred when players were forced to compete against their bloodlines. The winning team would be safe from going into the Pit. The losing team has to send one player from the losing team into The Pit, while the winning team sends another player from the losing team into The Pit. If a player loses in The Pit, that player is not only eliminated, but so is their bloodline. Teams reverted to pairs in episode 10, and followed the original format. In the final challenge, the final three teams will compete for their share of $350,000. The winning team earns $125,000, second place will earn $75,000, and third place will earn $25,000
Host - T.J. Lavin
CHAMPS - Cara Maria Sorbello and Jamie Banks
RUNNER-UP - Cory Wharton and Mitch Reid
THIRD PLACE - Jenna Compono and Brianna Julig
Other Cast - Aneesa Ferreira & Rianna Polin; Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio & Vince Gliatta; Abram Boise & Mike Boise; KellyAnne Judd & Anthony Cuomo; Thomas Buell & Stephen Buell; Nany Gonzalez & Nicole Ramos; Dario Madrano & Raphy Madrano; Tony Raines & Shane Raines; Camila Nakagawa & Larissa Nakagawa; Leroy Garrett & Candice Fowler; Cohutta Grindstaff & Jill Tuttle; Christina LeBlanc & Emily Reese
Memorable Moments
- Tony was sent to the hospital after he initially thought he suffered a back injury during the "Meet Me Halfway" challenge. As the cast and crew were headed to the third Pit elimination at the end of episode 3, Tony fainted, and was rushed back to the hospital, where his bloodline Shane was summoned to be by Tony's side. Prior to the "Air To The Throne" challenge in episode 4, it was announced that Tony & Shane were removed from the competition. Abram & Mike were brought into the game as replacements for Tony & Shane. It was later revealed during the aftershow that Tony suffered a ruptured spleen as well as internal bleeding, and underwent emergency surgery
- To honor the passing of Diem Brown, CT was brought in along with her sister, Faith to demonstrate to the cast how to do the daily challenge "Too Clingly"
- Candice suffered a busted lip and a fractured toe at the "Meet Me Halfway" challenge in episode 3. Prior to the third Pit elimination at the beginning of episode 4, Candice was removed from the game for being medically unable to continue competing. Leroy was sent home as the result of being Candice's bloodline
- Jamie and Mike were selected for The Pit in episode 9. However, instead of facing each other, each player was set up to face mercenaries who were either CT or Zach in the "Hand it Over" pit elimination
- Pit Eliminations -Jenna beat Christina (Emily also eliminated); Thomas beat Cohutta (Jill also eliminated); Jenna beat Larissa (Camila also eliminated); Mitch beat Raphy (Dario also eliminated); KellyAnne beat Nany (Nicole also eliminated); Mike beat Stephen (Thomas also eliminated); Jenna beat KellyAnne (Anthony also eliminated); Jamie beat Mike (Abram also eliminated); Cara Maria/Jamie beat Bananas/Vince; Cara Maria beat Aneesa (Rianna also eliminated)
Final Challenge - The final is separates into two different stages
Stage One - The first stage has four checkpoints which take place on four stories of an old CIA faciity in Berlin, Germany. Prior to each checkpoint. each competitor has to run one lap around the facility, with a heavy bag strapped to their backs (120 lbs for the guys and 60 lbs for the girls)
Barrell Roll - Each player must roll six barrels up a hill, prior to collecting their team tokens
Flip Flop - Each player must catapult beer steins into a barrell, from a distance, If a player misses the barrell with their steins, they must drink a glass of non-alcoholic beer
Block Head - Players must complete a puzzle using ovrsize 3D blocks, with each blocked placed flush against the puzzle board
Dont' Get Tired - Players must use two tires to form a bridge from one end of a course to another and if one player makes contact with the ground, both teammates must restart the checkpoint
Stage Two - Each team is required to wear business suits and carry a briefcase required to complete the final challenge
Job Detail - Each team is required to eat a variety of bizarre German foods, and will be assessed a five-minute penalty for each plate that they do not finish within a one-hour time limit
Train Delay - Each player must hold a briefcase and stay in a designatd circle within Berlin Innsbrucker Platz Station. A time penalty is assessed if the briefcase touches the ground and if the player holding the briefcase needs sleep on a bench, they must trade places with their teammate
Row Hard - Each player has to paddle 10 miles down the Spree River, until they reach the OlympiaStadion
Coded Entrance - Each player must use puzzle pieces from their briefcasses to solve their puzzles prior to entering the Olypiastadion, then run eight laps inside for the win
(Season 28) The Challenge : Rivals III
Each team participates in numerous challenges or missions, which are followed by an elimination round — "The Jungle." The winning team of each challenge is safe from elimination, while the last-place finisher is automatically sent to The Jungle. The winning team also earns the right of choosing two teams that will face the last-place finisher in The Jungle. Prior to The Jungle, the two teams nominated by the winning team participate in an elimination draw in which all four participants either draw one of three white skulls or one black skull out of a bag (similar to the Free Agents season). If a participant draws a black skull, his/her team will face the last-place finisher in The Jungle. Unlike the original Rivals and Rivals II seasons, both of which featured same-gender pairs, no money is awarded to a gender-specific first-place finisher after each mission, as this season features male/female pairs. At the end of the season, three teams will compete in the final challenge for a share of a $350,000 prize — the first-place team wins $275,000, second-place wins $50,000 and third-place wins $25,000. However, in episode 13, a twist revealed that one partner has a choice between keeping all the money to themselves, or sharing it with their partner
Host - T.J. Lavin
CHAMPS - Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio and Sarah Rice
RUNNER-UP - Vince Gliatta and Jenna Compono
THIRD PLACE - Devin Walker-Molaghan and Cheyenne Floyd
Other Cast - Dario Medrano & Nicole Ramos, Wes Bergmann & Nany Gonzalez, Nate Siebenmark & Christina LeBlanc, Cory Wharton & Ashley Mitchell, Jamie Banks & KellyAnne Judd, Tony Raines & Camila Nakagawa, Nelson Thomas & Amanda Garcia, Thomas Buell & Simone Kelly, Johnny Reilly & Jessica McCain, Brandon Tindel & Briana LaCuesta, Leroy Garrett & Averey Tressler
Memorable Moments
- Bananas decided to "take the money and run" at the end of his season. It instantly became an iconic line on the show and made Johnny Bananas the first person to steal that much money from a partner. The move solidified him as a "bad boy" of the show and also made him the biggest winner with $682,793 in his pocket
- Prior to the "Out On A Limb" challenge in episode 4, Brandon quit the game due to homesickness. Briana was sent home as the result of being Brandon's partner. After losing in the first Jungle, Devin & Cheyenne were brought back to the competition prior to the second Jungle as a replacement team for Brandon & Briana
- Leroy & Averey were removed from the competition in episode 2 due to injury. Leroy initially revealed in episode 1 that he was suffering from a pinched nerve in his back, though he and Averey participated in the "Give Me Some Slack" challenge. Prior to the first Jungle nomination in episode 2, Leroy was deemed medically unable to continue competing, and Averey was sent home as the result of being Leroy's partner. Nelson & Amanda were brought into the competition prior to the "Dirty Laundry" challenge in episode 3, as a replacement team for Leroy and Averey
- Prior to the "Up All Night" challenge in episode 8, Tony & Camila were disqualified from the competition after they engaged in a drunken, disorderly and near-violent altercation with each other
- Nate & Christina finished last in the "Laps of Judgment" challenge in episode 6 after losing one of their tokens. At the end of the challenge, Nate & Christina asked if any one of the teams had taken their token by accident, but no one said they had it. However, at the nomination ceremony, it was revealed that Tony & Camila sabotaged Nate & Christina's missing token. As a result, Tony & Camila were disqualified and automatically sent into the Jungle instead of Nate & Christina
- Thomas & Simone were nominated for the Jungle in episode 6. However, due to a personal emergency back home, Thomas quit the game, and Simone was sent home as a result of being his partner. The Skull draw was still held, but both Wes & Nany drew a white skull and were safe from elimination
- Jungle Eliminations - Johnny/Jessica beat Devin/Cheyenne; Nelson/Amanda beat Johnny/Jessica; Jamie/KellyAnne beat Nelson/Amanda; Wes/Nany beat Jamie/KellyAnne; Nate/Christina beat Cory/Ashley; Wes/Nany beat Nate/Christina; Dario/Nicole beat Wes/Nany; Bananas/Sarah beat Dario/Nicole
Final Challenge - In this final, pairs will not only going to be competing against each other but they would also be competing against their fellow partner through a series of checkpoints. Each in-team victor would eventually be presented with an ultimate choice at the game's end to split the money with their partner or take it all for themself
First Checkpoint - Ths involved untangling coiled wires which Sarah finished first and then she went back and helped Bananas so they could finish this checkpoint first. Vince and Jenna were second but they arrived at the 2nd checkpoint in the lead
Second Checkpoint - This was a giant memory game which Bananas finished first and Bananas/Sarah took first overall at this checkpoint while Jenna/Vince were second
Third Checkpoint - This was a two-dimensional, life-sized puzzle that Vince finished first but he had to help Jenna while Sarah finished next and helped Bananas so they could finish first overall at this checkpoint. Vince and Jenna won the subsequent run to finish out the first day
Fourth Checkpoint - At end of the day, each team member took turns staying up at night (Whichever team member stayed up the longest earned 2 points)
Fifth Checkpoint - The pairs had to eat gross foods to earn points
Final Race - The pairs raced up a mountain to the finish line. Bananas/Sarah took first with Bananas having more points, Vince/Jenna took second with Vince having more points, and Devin/Cheyenne got third with Devin getting more points
(Season 29) The Challenge : Invasion of the Champions
18 Underdogs (players who have yet to win a challenge) get dropped off a boat and onto a beach, where they were living in "The Shelter." They compete individually in challenges, followed by an elimination round. The male and female winners of the challenge would be safe from elimination, and earn their ticket to "The Oasis" — the season house. The last-place finishers of each gender automatically went straight into elimination for the first challenge. In the second challenge, the challenge winners will choose a player of the opposite gender to go into the elimination. The remainder of the cast then voted in who goes against them for the first and second challenge. The males voted for the females, and vice versa. In the third challenge, and the last chance to earn a ticket to the Oasis, the winners will be safe from elimination, and the two remaining players of each gender will automatically compete against each other. In the elimination, each gender will compete. The winners of the elimination round would return to the game, and earn a ticket to The Oasis. The losers of the elimination round go home. Players could not go into The Oasis until every ticket had been earned. Players who earned their ticket to the Oasis will be exempt from elimination and will not compete in challenges until the Champions enter the gnome. In Episode 5, eight of the toughest champions (four male, four female) will enter the game, which will become a team competition - Underdogs vs. Champions. Each challenge will be designated as either an Underdog or a Champion elimination known as "The Fortress". The winning team will earn money in their team bank account depending on the challenge. The best performing male and female of the team designated for the challenge will then choose one player of each gender to go into the elimination. The remainder of the cast will then vote in the players who will go against the nominated players in The Fortress. The winners return to the game, and the losers are eliminated.
Host - T.J. Lavin
CHAMPS - Chris "CT" Tamburello (Male) & Ashley Mitchell (Female)
RUNNER-UP - Nelson Thomas (Male) & Camila Nakagawa (Female)
THIRD PLACE - Cory Wharton (Male) & Nicole Zanatta (Female)
Other Male Cast - Darrell Taylor, Shane Landrum, Hunter Barfield, Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio, Dario Medrano, Zach Nichols, Tony Raines, Anthony Bartolotte, Theo King-Bradley, Bruno Bettencourt
Other Female Cast - Laurel Stucky, Amanda Garcia, Jenna Compono, Cara Maria Sorbello, Sylvia Elsrode, Ashley Kelsey, Kailah Casillas, LaToya Jackson, Anika Rashaun, Marie Roda
Memorable Moments
- In the "Who's Got Balls?" Emilimation, Theo was disqualified from elimination for refusing to jump off the cliff. As a result, Cory was declared the winner by default
- The Champions (Ashley K., Bananas, Camila, Cara Maria, CT, Darrell, Laurel, and Zach) entered the competition at the fourth challenge as a season twist because prior to that, all the players had believed that there was no champions on this season
- Shelter Eliminations - Kailah beat Marie; Tony beat Bruno; Cory beat Theo; Jenna beat Anika; Sylvia beat LaToya; Nelson beat Anthony
- Fortress Eliminations - Sylvia beat Kailah; Shane beat Tony; Cara Maria beat Ashley K; Darrell beat Zach; Nelson beat Dario; Jenna beat Sylvia; Darrell beat Bananas; Laurel beat Cara Maria; Ashley M beat Nicole beat Amanda; Nicole beat Amanda; Nelson beat Cory beat Shane; Cory beat Shane; Camila beat Laurel; CT beat Darrell
Final Challenge - Both teams are dismantled and players compete as individuals. Players pair up with each of the opposite gender competitors during the different stages of the final and their final placement is determined by their total final time. Players stay at the shelter for the duration of the final challenge
Stage One - Pairs must swim from a sand barge to an island and solve a triangle puzzle in order to retrieve a key. They must then use a paddleboard to swim back to the barge to unlock another puzzle. Once the puzzle on the barge has been solved, the pair's times will be stopped
Time Buster #1 - Pairs will try to extract as much water as they can out of a pile of coconuts and deposit it into their team container. The pair with the most water extracted from their coconuts after an hour has the power to assign a five-minute time penalty to two other players
Stage Two - Players are divided into new pairs and race over a mile into the jungle to complete a series of checkpoints. Once they are done, players race back in order to stop their times. Tasks include solving a puzzle, eating disgusting dishes, and walking along a rope
Time Buster #2 - Pairs must lace Thai prayer beads onto a wire spool for an unrevealed amount of time. Whicever pair has the longest strand laced by the time T.J. Lavin returns is able to add a five-minute penalty to two other players
Stage Three - Players are divided into new pairs and follow a series of checkpoints leading to a 10-mile kayak ride. Once a pair has rowed their kayak to the barge, their time is stopped
Stage Four - Players compete individually and hang onto a bar suspended from a speedboat until they reach a buoy. Upon reaching the buoy players must swim as fast as they can to the finish line where their individual times are stopped. Players that fall off the bar before reaching the buoy must swim the distance. Once on shore, T.J. announces the final results
(Season 30) The Challenge XXX : Dirty 30
The cast is composed of contestants who have acted dirty on a past season or show. The main elements of the game are as follows -
Daily Missions: Each round, the players compete in a challenge. The challenges will vary between individual and team challenges. The winners are immune from elimination and nominate one player of each gender for the Elimination Round. The losers players are eligible for the Double Cross. In some challenges, not everyone is eligible for the Double Cross but is still vulnerable to be nominated by the winning team
Nominations: The winners from the Main Match openly vote to nominate one other player of each gender for the Elimination Round
Elimination Rounds (Presidio): At the "Presidio", the "Double Cross" Draw is held. All losing players from the Daily Mission participate in a Random-Draw. The player who draws the Double Cross is safe from elimination and must nominate a fellow losing player of their Gender into the Presidio.The winners remain in the game, while the losers are eliminated.
In the end, only six players - 3 male and 3 female - compete in the final challenge. Unbeknownst to each contestant, they will compete for a share of $1,000,000 — the largest monetary prize in Challenge history. The winner of each gender winning $450,000, the runners-up winning $35,000 and third place taking home $15,000.
Twists
Purge Challenges: Some challenges are designated as Purges - sudden death challenges where the losers are immediately eliminated. In the opening challenge "The Purge", the players competed in several rounds to guarantee their safety, with 3 players of each gender being eliminated. The "X Marks the Spot" and "Snaking Your Way Back In" challenges composed the second purge of the game. This purge would narrow down the 10 players, to the final 6 that would face the Final Challenge
Vote-Offs: At some points in the game, the winners of the Daily Mission also win the power to vote-off one of the losers. In "The Purge", the winners of the final part of the challenge has to vote-off 3 out of the 4 remaining losing players of their gender. In "Blackout", the winning team has to vote one male and one female out of the game. In "Backstabber", the individual winners vote one male and one female out of the game
Redemption House: Similar to Ex-ile from Battle of the Exes II, the "Redemption House" gives eliminated players a chance to re-enter the game. Periodically, the players in Redemption House participate in a Redemption Game, with the winners returning to the game, while the losers are officially eliminated.
Host - T.J. Lavin
CHAMPS - Jordan Wiseley (Male) & Camila Nakagawa (Female)
RUNNER-UP - Derrick Kosinski (Male) & Cara Maria Sorbello (Female)
THIRD PLACE - Chris "CT" Tamburello (Male) & Tori Deal (Female)
Other Male Cast - Hunter Barfield, Tony Raines, Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio, Leroy Garrett, Dario Medrano, Nelson Thomas, Cory Wharton, Chris "Ammo" Ammon Hall, Derrick Henry, Darrell Taylor, Shane Raines, Devin Walker-Molaghan
Other Female Cast - Jenna Compono, Kailah Casillas, Britni Thornton, Veronica Portillo, Jemmye Carroll, Aneesa Ferreira, Nicole Ramos, Marie Roda, Briana LaCuesta, LaToya Jackson, Amanda Garcia, Simone Kelly, Ashley Mitchell
Memorable Moments
- After winning the daily challenge on episode 8, cast member Camila Nakagawa overheard Leroy Garrett mentioning a woman to other contestants. An intoxicated Nakagawa angrily assumed he was referring to her; she confronted Garrett and started verbally attacking him, using racial slurs. After the episode aired, Nakagawa posted an apology on her social media
- Briana and CT entered the competition in Episode 2. Briana arrived as a replacement for Ashley, who quit the game over frustration with her luggage being late, while CT's late arrival was the result of passport issues
- Shane and Simone were disqualified from the competition in episode 2, following an incident in the Redemption house in which they got into a physical altercation with each other. Though this incident was not recorded, there was video evidence of the fight that permanently sent both contestants home
- Nelson was disqualified from the competition at the end of Episode 11, after he provoked Derrick K. into a verbal and physical altercation and hitting him in the face
- Ammo required medical attention after he lost to Jordan in the Presidio at the end of Episode 6. Instead of going to the Redemption house, Ammo returned home, where he announced on camera that he suffered an undisclosed injury. It was later revealed that Ammo suffered from an episode of PTSD
- To kick off the final challenge, the finalists had to jump from a plane at 20,000 feet. Jordan came in a litte hard to the ground and suffered a leg injury but continued anyways because he is a beast
- The Purge - Darrell, Shane, Devin, LaToya, Amanda, Simone Later Purges - CT, Cara Maria, Jordan, Veronica, Tony, Hunter, Kailah, Jenna
- Presidio Eliminations - Cory beat Derrick H; Britni beat Briana; Kailah beat Jenna; Ammo beat Tony; Jordan beat Ammo; Tori beat Marie; Kailah beat Aneesa; Hunter beat Cory; Britni beat Nicole; Nelson beat Hunter; Tony beat Dario; Veronica beat Aneesa; Hunter beat Leroy; Camila beat Jemmye; Camila beat Britni; Derrick K beat Bananas
- Redemption Eliminations - Darrell beat Devin; Amanda beat LaToya; Tony beat Derrick H; Jenna beat Briana; Tony beat Darrell; Jenna beat Amanda; Hunter beat Cory; Aneesa beat Nicole & Marie; Cara Maria beat Britni, Veronica, Jemmye, and Aneesa; CT beat Bananas & Leroy; Jordan beat Dario
Final Challenge - The finals moves to Argentina where players will compete in a series of timed checkpoints full of unpredictable twists and turns. The start of the final has the players jumping 20,000 feet out of an airplane. Players would then continue on through the course with the help of video clues from T.J.
Stage One - Players must run to the top of the ruins and donate a salt gem. At the top players must wait for the next member of the opposite gender available in order to continue. They must then run back down and donate 30 stones to the apacheta pile in order to stop their time
Stage Two - From behind the designated line, pairs must toss their bola onto a pole. After each failed attemp the players must take a shot of fermented llama's milk. Once a pair has hooked their bola their time will be stopped
Dirty Deed #1 - The winners from stage 1 must assign one of the other pairs an extra bola to toss onto their pole
Stage Three - The winning pair from th last stage will separate and choose two new partners. The pairs will race to collect puzzle pieces to complete their board. Once the puzzle is completed their time will be stopped
The Double Cross - Players will once again compete as individuals and draw from The Double Cross. The player who pulls the double cross may assign a five minute time penalty to the player of their choosing from the same gender
Stage Four - Players must each race to find an emblem somewhere in the canyon that will allow them to complete the design of a totem pole. In order to retrieve their emblem they must climb to the top of the canyon using climbing gear. They must also memorize the pattern on a totem pole within the course in order to complete their puzzle. If a player's puzzle is incorrct they must run back to the totem pole before attempting again
Stage Five - The winner from the last stage will now separate and choose two new partners. Each pair must run into a smokey structure and feel around until they can discover the word on the wall. Once they believe they know the word they must run outside and write the word on a board. If the pair guesses correctly, their time is stopped. If they are incorrect they must run back inside before trying again
Dirty Deed #2 - The winners from Stage 5 will assign one player of the same gender to sleep on the ground all night while the other finalists will enjoy a comfortable bed
Stage 6 - Players must each put on safety gear and hold onto a sled that is being pulled by a truck for as long as they can and then run to the finish line. If they drop prematurely, they must run the remaining distance. T.J. would later reveal that he would not be announcing the winners until the reunion
Rivals II