Season 39 is in the middle of filming, but this could be one of the last seasons we see on MTV. According to reliable spoiler account Gamer, he’s heard rumors that season 40 will be the final season on MTV and production is advertising this to cast members.
Keep in mind, this is a rumor, and Gamer has never advertised it as fact. But, Gamer has a history of being accurate, so it’s worth entertaining this rumor.
Firstly, we could be gearing up for an all-winners season on season 40. Do I think this is likely? Yes — I at least think production wants to make it happen. Survivor season 40 was all winners, the Challenge season 39 doesn’t have rookies, and season 39 will definitely give us a new winner (unless the format changes). But, there’s still a chance that production won’t be able to rally up enough Challenge winners for an all-winner season, so who knows if it will actually happen.
Gamer later said that he can’t see MTV abandoning the show after season 40, implying this rumor could just be a ploy to garner interest from prior winners. I suppose this could be true, but I’m more inclined to disagree with Gamer here.
Keep in mind, this would not mean The Challenge would get canceled, it likely means it would have a new home on CBS or Paramount+. As part of the ViacomCBS merger, we’ve seen shows transfer networks, and recently, successful VH1 shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race and Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta migrate to MTV. This is an indication of movement, or even consolidation, of channels. This could also mean that network execs have a different idea for the future of MTV.
Given the fact that The Challenge: USA 2 has welcomed MTV mainstays, and very few new Challengers originated on MTV US, there’s no reason to keep the show on MTV if it can benefit another network more.
And given the writers and actors’ strikes going on, network TV stations is likely to find value in dependable reality television.
Again, this is all rumors and speculation. The good news: I think The Challenge is safe for the forseeable future in some iteration, even if it’s not on MTV. And, season 40 could be an monumental season. If that performs super well, that could heavily impact ViacomCBS’ decisions moving forward.
Stop Being Polite 
Can MTV survive without The Challenge is my question. It was the only show to look forward to since majority of its time slots is taken up by Ridiculousness and random Catfish episodes.