Five Reasons People Aren’t Watching Battle for a New Champions

The start of season 39 has felt quite slow. Episodes are getting fewer views than ever before, and many fans are still having a hard time adjusting to the cast. The season feels odd, but we’ve been here before.

Battle for a New Champion seems to be a spiritual successor to Invasion of the Champions. They both have unnecessary long titles, an orange color scheme, and of course, they started without any champions. So, much like the start of the Invasion, Battle for a new Champion feels very different from prior seasons.

Soon, the Champions will start popping up. But unlike Invasions, it’s doubtful that Battle for a New Champion will outgrow its awkward phase, and there are various reasons why.

The Cast is Too Weird

We keep hearing the Battle for a New Champion cast is full of people who aren’t rookies and aren’t champions. This should mean that we know about the people playing the game, but the bulk of them feel unfamiliar. Some people were obvious choices for this cast, like Jay, Big T, Michele, Horacio, and Olivia. At some point in their Challenge careers, they were key players in a season. However, the majority of the cast is comprised of background characters who let the veterans have main roles in prior seasons.

To understand these people, you need to dive deep into the Challenge vault. Many of their stories were revealed on spinoffs and online content (like their intro videos). It’s not like we’re being introduced to them on The Real World or Road Rules, so the unfamiliarity can feel quite jarring.

On Invasion, the casting felt much more intentional. Most of the “veteran” Underdogs were big personalities, and the rookies were connected to other players in some way. Plus, there was the blindside addition of Shane, which was super exciting for old-school fans.

The Veterans Won’t Do Much

Invasion’s viewership increased significantly when the Champions came in, but viewers knew they were going to fundamentally change the game. On Battle for a New Champion, it’s less exciting. Champs will just be on the show for one elimination.

Apparently, the Champions will have the opportunity to steal prize money — so they won’t be as unmotivated as Vedettas’ mercenaries. But, their only incentive is money. Win or lose, they’re going home.

Obviously, people are excited to see competitors like CT, Cara Maria, Jordan, and Laurel. Perhaps those episodes will see spikes in viewership. But that excitement will be fleeting.

The Pace Is Too Slow

While Invasion’s first episodes felt odd, the promise of going to The Oasis and the need to win made it interesting. We had three challenges, three eliminations, and six departures before the Champs showed up. This time around, we have one person leaving during a 90-minute episode, and most people have the goal of floating to the next challenge.

I want to believe MTV can make 90-minute episodes work, but there’s so little happening in the game (by design) that there are portions of each episode that feel utterly unnecessary.

The Lack of Drama

One of the best things about Battle for a New Champion is the immediate divide between the “US” and “UK” alliances. Despite the opposition, there’s very little drama, though from what we hear, there’s more drama behind the scenes. However, the bulk of it is left on the cutting room floor.

Invasion quickly had friendship-ending, finger-banging drama, and it helped viewers pick sides. While production may want to avoid the controversies that stem from crazy fights, these moments also play critical roles in story progression and character development. Hopefully, this season will demonstrate that omitting good content will make people less interested in the show.

Winning Feels Like a Silver Medal

On Invasion of the Champions, viewers knew an Underdog couldn’t win without beating the Champions, and Ashley did just that — much to Camilla’s dismay. On Battle for a New Champion, all of the Champions will be gone before the final.

So, there will only be one winner, which is already an unpopular design choice. Plus, a lot of the people in the final won’t ever face a Champion in an elimination. This makes the winner feel like he/she is the best runner-up. But because they never had to truly compete with Champions, the victory will feel unearned.