TJ Lavin Claims ‘Evolution’ Is the Key to The Challenge’s Success

Promo for Season 40 is in full swing, and TJ Lavin was interviewed by CBS Mornings to get some details on the upcoming season. He answered a few questions about the show, but most of them are already known by fans.

TJ mentioned that he has no role in the casting process, and he revealed that he hates quitters because thousands of people are begging to be on the show, so he dislikes when people throw away opportunities.

The interview also made a big deal about the show being the longest-running competition reality show on TV, and TJ stated that “evolution” is the key to success. Some fans may gawk at this answer because many recent evolutionary decisions have been unpopular. But, there’s definite truth to his response. Seasons like Fresh Meat, Rivals, or War of the Worlds breathed new life into the franchise ratings were lukewarm. You could even argue that All Stars, rather than flagship seasons, is the evolution needed to keep old-school fans invested in the franchise.

TJ credited executive producer Justin Booth for coming up with high-quality challenges. Some cast members aren’t fans of Booth, as he made filming more strict and increased the intensity of the competitions. There’s no denying that The Challenge has some cool missions under Booth’s leadership, but we can’t forget that he was involved with the show when it was decided Drone Control was a suitable challenge for Double Agents.

We know the basics of Battle of the Eras’ format, but the interview also revealed the first big twist of the season: the Era Invitational.

Each competitor will need to earn their spot on their team, so it seems like we’ll be losing a lot of players really quickly. In fact, one male and one female from each team won’t survive this twist, shedding eight Challengers before the game really starts.