Production has a really odd habit. They stack most of the finals with a lot of competitions, but you expect that. What you don’t see? They often leave some pieces out. Sometimes viewers see evidence of these stages, but there are a lot of seasons that have footage of the final left on the cutting room floor.
Today, we’re going to look at some of the seasons that had rumored segments in the final that didn’t make the air. Sometimes cast members have talked about these bits, or we’ve heard about them from spoiler accounts. Yet this seems to be a recurring theme on The Challenge, and it’s frustrating as a viewer.
The Challenge: USA 2
Before competitors could sleep during the overnight portion, they had to stand on pedestals and count to an hour. If they were under, they had to restart. If they were over by more than five minutes, they had to restart. They managed to get it correct on the third attempt, but they did it as a group, so it didn’t really benefit one person more than their opponents.
World Championship
There was a stage in the final were teams had to canoe and collect puzzle pieces containing answers to questions. Jordan said that he did well with Kaz and made up time here.
Ride or Dies
Bananas revealed there were two stations that didn’t make the final edit. Both took place on day three, between the car push and the noodle eating contest. One stage required the teams to accumulate an hour squatting in a small box, and the other stage required teams to accumulate an hour holding a pin on a ramp, akin to the competition Faysal and Moriah won to reenter the game.
All Stars 2
You may have heard of the whole lock fiasco from the All Stars 2 final, but earlier into the race, it seems quite odd to see Teck & Ayanna reach the nucleus first. After all, Ayanna tapped out of the final because she was exhausted, but she is pretty smart (as is Teck). According to Janelle, there was a puzzle before the four teams ran to the nucleus. Teck & Ayanna did well here, giving them the ability to get a headstart. Perhaps this got left out because it didn’t make a big difference to the outcome with Ayanna quitting.
Spies Lies and Allies
To sleep in the overnight portion of the final, competitors needed to grab a key in a pit of snakes. Everyone slept, so everyone must have done it (so it seems), maybe that’s why the footage only had a place in the midseason trailer.
Double Agents
Apparently, the rules were very unclear at the math portion of the final. The decision to let CT & Amber win was a surprise to everyone because Amber took so long to finish. Kam & Cory were actually the first team to have both members complete the puzzle, so they thought they won. This is part of the reason people feel Double Agents may have been skewed in CT’s favor.
Total Madness
On the second day of the final, there was a stage with daggers. Jenny West revealed this in an interview, stating that she had to throw heavy daggers in the snow and hit a skull. She completed the stage before Bananas did, so she advanced first. Perhaps this unaired challenge contributes to the fact that some people think production rigged the final to make Bananas the male winner. There’s also a rumor that the cameraman just slipped and ruined the footage.
War of the Worlds 2
Dee revealed on a podcast with Johnny Bananas that Team UK was very far ahead of Team US on the second day. So, production made them wait at the puzzle to make the race appear closer, even though UK had it in the bag.
Final Reckoning
There was a puzzle included in the final, which Marie discussed. Apparently, Natalie & Paulie did well (hence why they scored so competitively in the end), and of course, Ashley beat Hunter here, giving her another point toward her overall score.
Vendettas
In the final, there were “burdens” requiring competitors to wear shackles, dress in armor, and something with wooden crates. We never really see anything with these crates, but we see them in the background.
Dirty Thirty
There was a leg of the final involving biking uphill. Jordan and Camila did well, likely making their win much more obvious.
Battle of the Exes 2
It seems like editing this final was an afterthought once Jay & Jenna quit. Apparently, the overnight portion had some type of coin flip determining who would sleep and who’d be standing by the fire.
Rivals 2
During the final, some of the rules were pretty unfair. Wes revealed that first-place teams had more tasks (like they were the ones who needed to cut open gates). Production also threw boobie traps on them to slow them down. We see this for a split second in a clip during the mid-season trailer, but it never made the final product.
Stop Being Polite 