Every year, we see new changes to The Challenge and MTV. While my 2020 predictions held a good amount of accuracy, MTV was pretty stagnant this year. You can’t blame them, as COVID halted production in some cases and modified the filming of shows that survived.
As we enter a new year, we know The Challenge will return. It’s just a matter of determining what the show will look like, and what MTV will look like as its home. Some thing are going to change, some things will stay the same. All of the things I am about to mention are just guess, and I have no inside information to guarantee I’m accurate.
The Challenge Continues to Have Loose Formats
In the current climate, it’s really hard to have a structured format like we saw from 2011-2016. Seasons like Rivals, Exes, and Battle of the Seasons are too difficult to film while keeping the cast safe from COVID. Production will either have individual seasons or pairs/teams that are not determined by a pre-existing status. Double Agents is a good example, as any male can be paired with any female. At the very most, we could see teams like US vs. UK where the absence of one person can easily be replaced.
Rookies Will Continue to Be Replaceable
We have 10 new rookies on Double Agents. Let’s say we have 2 proper Challenges filmed in 2021. I would be surprised if we see four of these people return. Production is now testing the waters with rookies, and if they don’t perform well, they’ll be a background edit and never see another season.
The OG Challenge Will Start an Old School Wave
It seems like The OG Challenge has the green light, and a lot of Old Schoolers are still interested in the show. This will prove that there are still fans out there, and MTV will take notice. Ratings will be decently strong, but the biggest surprise will be the number of people revisiting old seasons on CBS All Access or Netflix.
The Real World Will Stay a Zombie
The Real World is done. It will stay done, but there will be a couple of signs of life emerge from the series. We’ll see Pluto and CBS All Access rerunning the show, perhaps even with more seasons. Hell, we could even see a season or two on Netflix.
Ridiculousness Will Rule MTV
Challenge reruns? No. Jersey Shore reruns? Seldom. Ridiculousness? Always. Believe it or not, MTV still gets a decent amount of viewers to watch Ridiculousness reruns. Enough that it’s more profitable to replay these episodes than to play music or reality TV.
Someone Random Will Come Back
Remember how Theresa came back out of nowhere? Someone like that will reemerge, someone who will have casual fans scratching their heads. I would guess someone like CJ, Fresh Meat 2’s Pete, or Heather Cooke. The type of return that only hardcore fans care about, but something that shows a shred of connection between the Challenge community and production.
The Soft-Banned People Will Return
MTV gave Camila and Dee the ax, and we’ll never see them again. Then there are other people who are kinda in hot water, but not really. Jordan, Rogan, Georgia, or Paulie might get a call again.
MTV Will Continue to Live in 2010
Have you ever noticed MTV is still pushing Teen Mom, Jersey Shore, Rob Dyrdek, and Catfish? All shows that were around in the early 2010’s? Yea, that will still be their audience.
The “Fifth Sport” Will Be Pushed
The game is going to get more competitive, and this is something we’re already seeing. The show will focus less on drama and more on gameplay. We might see a focus on the social and strategic game, but drama will be less important. This also means rookies are going to be stronger, more athletic, and less reality tv.
More Challenge Will Stream
The Challenge will primarily stay on MTV, CBS All Access, and Netflix. However, I think MTV knows people will pay to stream the show, and it will be available for fans who want to pay. I think we’ll see a couple “new” seasons on streaming. War of the Worlds 2 will probably make its way onto CBS, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we got another Netflix treat. Fingers crossed for The Gauntlet.
Stop Being Polite 
This show died with Diem and Knight aka Battle of the Exes. Bloodlines was the downfall of the series (Invasion casting was a step to the right direction but the UK CBS people ruined). The fifth sport thing is so boring and cringy. I want to see more party fun people and less boring people like Kaycee or people who calculate their drama in advance like Josh. Theresa is right when she said that the cast of Double Agents was so boring.