Season 40 might be a new “era” for The Challenge, but the past few installments have been a polarizing bunch of seasons. After Total Madness changed the show’s dynamic, we began a series of spy-themed, rookie-filled seasons.
Spies, Lies and Allies may be the most infamous of the bunch. Many viewers think this is the single worst season of the show, but now that a few years have passed since its initial run, perhaps it’s time to view it through a different lens. I’ve even ranked this as the best post-COVID season, though I acknowledge it’s a significant downgrade from earlier Challenges.
Now that this season is a few years in the rear view — with some lasting impacts on the series — let’s look at the bad, ugly, and possibly good things from Spies, Lies and Allies.
What was wrong with Spies, Lies and Allies?
Following Double Agents, which was a ratings success, production seemed to have a decent budget for the show. And for some reason, they thought the spy theme was a necessary addition, so we saw that return for season 37.
These themes aren’t a huge deal, but they can get a little tiring, especially when the cast is filled with the same people from Double Agents. The single biggest issue on this season was the repetitive nature of the players. The cast featured 16 “veterans (including Nam and Amber B.), and 15 of them were on Double Agents. The only person who wasn’t doing back-to-back seasons was Amanda, and she hadn’t been absent from the show for a huge period of time.
While Double Agents wasn’t a totally shocking cast, it did have a few highlights worth noting. Darrell and Nicole Z. returned after multiple seasons away from the franchise, and viewers had Theresa’s surprise return.
Many fans were also tired of daily challenges that followed similar themes. They’d look cool in the trailer, but in practice, they were mostly some form of cardio, cracking a code, and solving a puzzle. It got repetitive, especially on a season that had 19 episodes, but there were some standout challenges like Satellite Sabotage and Boom Raiders.
What really didn’t work?
Casting was a major problem this season, especially if the goal was to lure in returning Challenge viewers. And the biggest fault wasn’t the repetitive nature of the veterans, rather, it was all of the random international additions to the show.
It’s clear that MTV wanted this program to have some ability to be aired on international MTV networks and recapture the magic of War of the Worlds. This meant we had over a dozen international rookies, and the American audience had no connection to these people. While this may have justified airing the show overseas, The Challenge is also a blatantly American program, meaning international viewers are thrown in the middle of a complex game that has one or two people representing their country.
It also felt like this was a season that was introducing a new roster of “veterans” to become the face of The Challenge. Bananas and Wes were gone, and the show was still recovering from the impacts the Dee fallout. This meant other mainstays like Jordan and potentially Cara Maria were taking a hiatus, and CT was the only real fan favorite on the show. Tori and Devin defaulted into the main character roles and the Big Brother alliance was central to the show’s progression. This dynamic led to the creation of the Vacation Alliance.
Quickly, this group found the path of least resistance to progress in the game. In the first nine episodes, Amber was the only veteran who competed in the Lair. Veterans who had historically opposed each other — like Tori and Ashley — called a ceasefire to make the game as easy as possible. So, viewers spent months watching the rookies get weeded out.
What was redeeming on Spies, Lies and Allies?
Spies, Lies and Allies gave viewers many valid reasons to complain, and the show felt very drawn out if you were watching it live. But on a cast filled with rookies, there were some good ones in the mix. Particularly, producers did a nice job getting Survivor players who were impactful on the CBS show. Michele and Tommy are winners, and Michaela had been heavily requested on The Challenge for years (well, at least since Jay’s debut).
Midway through the season, the cast split into three “cells,” which was a refreshing change of pace on the show. We hadn’t seen a three-team format since Cutthroat, and the ability to swap cells made the dynamic a bit more interesting. This was especially true when Amanda decided to infiltrate the emerald cell and take Tori’s spot.
Most importantly, this was a season that actually had some drama. We saw Fessy betray Amber, Josh and Fessy get into a huge fight, Amanda threaten Tori’s game, and Devin and Cory have a falling out. It wasn’t massively dramatic compared to earlier Challenge seasons, production even edited one big fight out, but it offered more than Double Agents or Ride or Dies.
Plus, CT won for the men. It’s not like he had a hard time securing the win, but for casual fans of the show, that’s a reason to celebrate.
What’s Spies, Lies and Allies’ legacy?
Three years since its debut, time has not been kind to this season. If we take a step back, it’s kind of a COVID clusterfuck. Cast members had to film and quarantine for long periods of time, and production likely had a repetitive cast because people cleared for Double Agents would be cleared to film another season. It also seemed to try to replicate the success of War of the Worlds by pairing veterans with international partners, but it became evident that War of the Worlds was lightning in a bottle.
After Spies, Lies and Allies, Ride or Dies discarded the bulk of the rookies who debuted on that season, with Michele being the only exception. A few more returned on Battle for a New Champion, but it feels like Michele is the only one who’s really had a lasting impact on the franchise so far — and that means something following Emanuel’s victory on Battle of a New Champion.
Spies, Lies and Allies will also be remembered as a formative time for the Vacation Alliance. On Double Agents, Devin was running around the house screaming “Big Brother sucks” and trying to get Tori out of the game. By the time he arrived on this season he was forced to patch things up.
This season also displayed a flawless performance from CT. He wasn’t super focal to the political game or the drama of the season, but he effortlessly navigated every twist and turn of the game. Fans also developed a soft spot for his apprentice Emy — but she seems to be a casualty of Challenge bans (for now). Kaycee ultimately won on the female side, but generally, she gets less praise than CT. Her victory feels like it was assisted by the show’s formatting, and based on merit, Tori seemed like the more deserving victor.
Spies, Lies and Allies may have many flaws, but it’s actually not the worst season to rewatch. If you can overlook the disappointment that came with the initial cast reveal, you can appreciate the messiness of the show and the people who tried to play the game.
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