Battle of the Eras began with a historic Era Invitational, and technically, there were eight first eliminations this season. While we’ve never seen this many eliminations in a single episode before, we have seen many great first eliminations throughout The Challenge’s history.
These 10 eliminations kicked off seasons on very, very memorable notes. And while you can expect to see a few Era Invitational matchups on the list, many other eliminations are just as epic.
What qualifies an elimination for this list? It primarily considers eliminations that put two strong competitors against each other or the two players enter the ring with a lot of unresolved history. But, any memorable elimination will be considered for this list. Also, this may be obvious, but I am only considering eliminations that were competitors’ first overall opportunities to compete.
Derrick vs. Adam (The Gauntlet 2)
Coming into The Gauntlet 2, Derrick didn’t have a stellar Challenge reputation, so he had a lot to prove on the Veterans team. When he faced Adam, a winner on the original Gauntlet, it felt like the odds were in Adam’s favor. However, Derrick wasn’t going to leave without a fight, and he outsmarted Adam to win Name that Coconut and assume the captain position.
Ashley vs. Natalie (Double Agents)
From the start, the stage was set for a seriously epic elimination when Wes and CT found themselves in the sand. But, TJ announced this would be a female elimination, and Millionaire Mitchell had to face a million-dollar Survivor winner. While Ashley put up a good fight, she was outperformed by the super-strong rookie — though Ashley would be brought back later in the season following a string of DQs (including Natalie).
Devin & Tori vs. Sam & Kailah (Ride or Dies)
Ride or Dies was a season filled with rookies, and they used their numbers to orchestrate an elimination that guaranteed a veteran would leave first. Of course, perhaps a bit disappointingly, it was a semi-puzzle elimination. In the end, Kailah went home, and there’s a good shot she would have lasted longer if the three late-arrival veterans teams entered the game with the rest of the group.
Darrell vs. Zach (Invasion of the Champions)
Forcing champions to compete against each other was a polarizing choice, but there’s no denying that it gave us some epic matchups. Darrell, who hadn’t done a season in about seven years, was forced to compete against more-recent Champ Zach. Zach had the size advantage, but Darrell proved his strength and composure by winning Pole Wrestle.
Derrick vs. Mark (Battle of the Eras)
After The Gauntlet 2, Mark ceremoniously passed his bandana to Derrick, as if he was the future of The Challenge. Eighteen years later, the two were reunited to play Pole Wrestle, a classic game, and the two veterans had to fight to earn the right to continue in the game. It seemed like Mark had the advantage here, but just like The Gauntlet 2, Derrick used his size strategically and stayed in the competition.
Darrell & Cara Maria vs. Jillian & Pete (Fresh Meat 2)
From the start, Fresh Meat 2 proved it would be a very different season than the original Fresh Meat. Rookies weren’t sacrificed into the first Exile — instead, two Challenge champs were facing off. To most viewers’ surprise, Jillian pulled off the win, sending Darrell and his then-unproven partner Cara Maria home first.
Paulie vs. Theo (Battle of the Eras)
There’s something about Hall Brawl that makes people really excited, and that was escalated by Paulie and Theo embracing the hype around this face-off. While Theo’s size and speed massively benefitted him in this game, Paulie gets credit for facing his opponent with full intensity, even if he was fighting a losing battle.
Nurys vs. Olivia (Battle of the Eras)
After Battle for a New Champion, Olivia’s betrayal was hot on viewers’ minds. We expected the drama to come to a head on Season 40, but it was shocking to see Nurys call out Olivia for the very first elimination. In Hall Brawl, Olivia had the size advantage and she used that to win. However, victory didn’t come too easily. Nurys showed her grit by dragging Olivia halfway down the hall in her final attempt to win.
Wes & Lacey vs. Eric & Cara Maria (Battle of the Seasons)
This is the original Hall Brawl, and it set the bar very high for future installments. While Cara Maria defeated Lacey (no surprise there), Wes and Eric brought a very exciting battle of size vs. strategy. Big Easy obviously had the advantage, but for a moment, it seemed like Wes had outsmarted him. In the end, Eric’s size prevailed, but the fact that this meant Wes was going home first was still a shocking outcome.
Hunter & Georgie vs. Ashley & Chase (War of the Worlds)
After Ashley stole $1 million from Hunter on Final Reckoning, it was obvious that the two would have tensions on War of the Worlds, but no one expected it to be addressed so quickly. The former partners faced off in Drone Ball Drop, and it allowed Hunter to take out his frustrations in the best way he sensibly could: by wrestling Ashley’s partner. Unsurprisingly, Hunter used this aggression to do his share of the work, but Georgia finished the drill by defeating Ashley.
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