It’s a wrap on The Challenge in 2023, and it’s been an interesting year. In 2022, we saw a huge investment in the franchise, but it began to slow down this year.
We started 2023 by wrapping up Ride or Dies, then the World Championship aired — the end of the international installments of the show. Three seasons were filmed in 2023, including The Challenge:USA 2 and Battle for a New Champion. All Stars 4 was also filmed, but we’ve yet to hear an official chirp about it.
Given the shows current trajectory, I expect these advancements in the Challenge world in 2024. Granted, I’ve done this in the past, and my predictions aren’t always accurate, so this is just meant to be fun.
We finally get All Stars 4… somewhere
This spinoff season filmed nearly a year ago, and at this point, we can fairly confidently say there will be a full year between the first day of filming and the first episode’s premiere. There’s no way this season is just going to get scrapped, but it might not be a Paramount+ exclusive like the prior seasons. Given the lingering impacts of the writers’ strike and the lack of content that was created during it, the show might air on MTV and Paramount+ simultaneously.
Production corrects course for Season 40
Season 40 is going to be a big one, and I expect it’ll be a bigger event than season 39. That’s not saying much, the lack of veterans on Battle for a New Champion has yielded an underwhelming response, and production isn’t going to let that happen again.
Season 40 won’t be all winners
The idea of an all-winners season 40 has been floated around (similar to Survivor 40), but it doesn’t seem likely at this point. Many of the biggest names in the franchise haven’t won yet, but unlike Survivor, champion-based themes have already been used. This year we saw the World Championship, and all of the Challenge legends weren’t even champions. So, I’d expect a strong cast, but I would also expect other big names to get invited.
We’ll see some notable returns, but nothing too shocking
I’d expect some notable returns for season 40 (or other shows), but I wouldn’t expect production to dig too deep. People like Cara Maria, Zach, CT, and Paulie are likely going to be considered, but I would be shocked to see anyone return to The Challenge who didn’t do season 30-39. If we get someone who fits this criteria, it’ll be someone like Jonna, who has reestablished a strong presence on a spinoff.
The Challenge: USA 3 gets some big names
I expect we’ll get another installment of The Challenge: USA on CBS. It’ll likely be similar to the version we saw this year, with some “legends” and a few returners. I also expect it’ll be in a late time slot, like the 10 p.m. slot it filled this year. This will give CBS a solid night of summer reality TV, but The Challenge won’t be the main feature of the evening.
Challengers will continue to invade other shows
In 2023, popular figures from The Challenge managed to book gigs on other reality shows — like Bananas on House of Villains and CT, Bananas, and Trishelle on The Traitors 2. I anticipate more reality shows with superstar casts will get assembled, and the biggest names from The Challenge will be invited to join. Think people like Wes, Cara Maria, Veronica, or Cory (in addition to the ones already booking outside gigs).
The Challenge’s direction will be seriously reassessed
We know season 40 is coming to MTV, but the show might not last on the network forever. Executives at Paramount Global are going to wonder if it’s worthwhile to move to CBS as the show’s primary home. This shuffle will become more evident if All Stars airs on MTV, and the continuation of that pillar will come into question as well. While 2022 saw a lot of experimentation with The Challenge franchise, 2024 will attempt to make production of the show more streamlined and efficient.
Stop Being Polite 