I’ve said it before, mud and balls make for the best challenges. While this format isn’t quite a staple on The Challenge like Hall Brawl or trivia, it’s not uncommon to see the two elements mix, just like we did on episode 6 of Battle for a New Champion.
Each time we see a muddy challenge, the format is tweaked slightly; but dare I say, all of these challenges are good. Even the worst one is fun to watch, but the best ones rank among my favorite challenges of all time.
12. Bolas for Blood: Ride or Dies
This challenge barely qualifies for the list, because it was really a game of trivia and math. There was little contact, and the veteran teams hadn’t arrived yet, so it was very underwhelming. The only highlight was rookies winning and causing waves in the political game.
Note: This exact game was played on The Challenge: Australia and The Challenge: Argentina (as Respuesta Boleadora). It actually made more sense on Ride or Dies, because the question pertained to fixed partnerships, but there’s no reason to include three separate entries because they’d be the bottom three.
11. Dirty Mouth: Fresh Meat 2
While the concept of running into the mud and getting a ball seems fun, the twist of adding in a blindfold takes away from the excitement. I get it, this allowed teammates to give directions from the sidelines, but this challenge format generally allows for tackling. The blindfolds were a way to minimize the damage… and the fun.
10. Bombshell Battle: Spies, Lies and Allies
For some reason, this challenge feels less memorable than others. Perhaps it was because the format required teammates to alternate to collect five balls in each heat, meaning men and women would be in the mud pit at the same time, which discouraged some tackling. But there were some brawls, including a six person fight for one ball at the end of round one. Perhaps the real reason this challenge isn’t as well remembered is because Logan made deals to win, and he honored the deals, making the conclusion forgettable.
9. Playing Dirty: All Stars 3
This challenge had all of the right elements, but these muddy, wrestling-based challenges aren’t really suited for the older crowd. There wasn’t a lot of fighting, especially when we look at the women’s side, and it was really just a battle to not get last. Veronica got that placement, but she didn’t even see elimination because Tina broke her hand (and Jemmye had to go home for unrelated reasons). Meanwhile, MJ was doomed from the start due to a knee injury, but we did see some harder gameplay during the male heat thanks to Nehemiah.
8. Mud Ball Madness: Vets & New Threats
Unlike many of the entries on this list, this challenge did not encourage tackling. Rather, it was a footrace to collect balls, but that really didn’t make this an uneventful challenge. The biggest problem with this challenge was the editing. It aired at the start of the first episode, and because the show was constantly cutting to introductions, it didn’t feel like the race it was meant to be. When we add in the point system, progress was a bit tricky to follow.
7. Knockout: Invasion of the Champions
If you need further proof that mud + balls makes for great challenges, look no further than Invasion of the Champions. This was the game selected to introduce the champs into the competition, and it was quite simple: a ball is launched and teams compete to score it in their goal. It was a fun way to show the two teams in the game, but the Underdogs had a significant advantage with two extra males and two extra females, which made it easier for them to win.
6. Bingo Bango: Battle for a New Champion
This time, the format called for three people to go into the mud at a time, but it actually worked fairly well because in resulted on small brawls, but there wasn’t an overwhelming amount of things happening at one time. The bingo board wasn’t a bad addition either, the only real problem was the fact that the turquoise team was throwing the challenge — though it did give us a memorable moment thanks to Melissa.
5. Search & Destroy: War of the Worlds
This challenge had the added element of one player searching for a ball, passing it to their partner, then running through the mud to the finish line. The hidden ball aspect was cool, and we did have some memorable brawls from this challenge. The only downside: The winning strategy was running along the side of the pit to avoid the mud. Not a bad strategy for the players, but production could have taken a few minor steps to prevent this loophole.
4. All Brawl: Double Agents
OK, this muddy challenge isn’t all about the balls, the competitors were looking for an X — but it did have balls on the end. Of all the mud wrestling challenges with twists, this is the most interesting. The cast had to look for the X under the mud, which forced people into the depths of the pool and required additional strategy. Some people, like Nam, played it cool until they could sneak out. Other people got overzealous, and wrestling ensued, including a heated exchange between Aneesa and Lolo. In the end, winning heats allowed teams to proceed to Pole Wrestle matches, adding an extra layer of physical competition.
3. Incoming: War of the Worlds 2
For some reason, this challenge isn’t talked about too much, and if it is, it’s because it’s the time when dadbod CT took his shirt off. But, it’s a fun game that’s similar to Mud Bath from The Gauntlet, except the rounds are gendered. It’s notable because team UK got their shit together and figured out how to strategically eliminate the US players, earning one of their few wins this season.
2. Mud Bath: The Gauntlet
We’ve seen many muddy challenges, but none hit quite like the original. At the time, the musical chair-style gameplay was uncommon and really brought out the rivalry between Real World and Road Rules players. This is also one of the most intense challenges we’ve ever seen. Many people got cuts and bruises, which was likely amplified by the massive balls competitors had to retrieve; some people were bouncing off them and defying gravity.
1. Piñata Pit: The Gauntlet 3
The first real challenge on The Gauntlet 3 was chaos, but in the best possible way. TJ opened a piñata and cast members had to race to get a ball. Men and women had different colors, but all players went at the same time. While many people remember CT winning the tiebreaker round, Tori does get serious props for being the best-performing female.
Stop Being Polite 