About a year ago, Challenge fans were watching Battle for a New Champion, a season that put 24 contenders against each other. It was the first season without any Real World or Road Rules representation, and the fresh cast was off-putting for many long-time Challenge fans.
Flash forward to the second half of 2024 and we’re seeing Battle of the Eras. This season is stacked with a cast of 40 people, many of whom are Challenge legends. Still, many fans are complaining that the show is taking too long and there isn’t enough drama.
Despite its lukewarm initial impression, is it time to admit that Battle for a New Champion was actually better than the veteran-filled 40th season? Let’s look at some key comparisons.
Casting
Both season 39 and season 40 should be recognized for the fact that they had very intentional casting. In the case of Battle for a New Champion, it relied on fresh faces, which is usually an unpopular choice. However, the season did give people like Melissa, Jay, Nurys, Horacio, and Kyland the opportunity to shine, and the contenders on the season were hungry for a win.
There were some silver linings to that cast, but it really can’t compete with season 40. Battle of the Eras had a very clear format, at least initially, and it brought back dozens of people fans were eager to see. While there were some underwhelming performances, season 40 gave people what they wanted rather than trying to convince us we wanted to see fresh faces.
Point: Battle of the Eras
Drama
If you’re a reality TV fan, you want to see competitors argue. We’ve seen a few fights on Battle of the Eras, most of them were unserious or super uncomfortable. Now that the end of the season is near, we still haven’t seen a lot of buzz-worthy arguments. People like Laurel, Johnny Bananas, and Rachel should be noted for their ability to bring entertainment to the show after 15+ years, but most of the cast members are content playing a drama-free game.
Battle for a New Champion was the opposite. We had many messy showmances, betrayals, and arguments. People were willing to make big moves, to the point that the randomness of the pole draw made the game less fun. If you’d rather see drama than familiar faces, this is a great season to watch. Even the Champions who infiltrated the game brought drama with them.
Point: Battle for a New Champion
Competition
If you look back on Battle for a New Champion, which daily challenges and eliminations come to mind? Chances are, a lot of them are forgotten. People may remember Bingo Bango or Drum Roll, but the majority of the games didn’t have a lasting impression because they didn’t impact daily outcomes significantly.
Battle of the Eras gets credit for starting the game with the Era Invitational and its 8-person elimination. Afterward, the game remained competitive, though some dailies have been forgettable. However, fans seem to remember games like Battle for Honor and Building Bridges. We’ve also had memorable eliminations like Killer Quads and Coming from Behind. So far, this season seems to have left a strong impression with its competitions.
Point: Battle of the Eras
Romances + Hook Ups
It seemed like everyone was involved in some type of romance on Battle for a New Champion. We started with Melissa and Kyland, Michele and Callum, and James and Moriah. As the season progressed, we watched Emanuel blow up his at-home relationship for temporary hook-ups, and fan-favorite couple Horacio and Nurys emerged. It’s hard to beat the sheer number of romances this season, and they added many dramatic stories.
There have been relationships on Battle of the Eras, but they’re mostly defined by Devin and Michele and Olivia and Theo. We have a few briefer romantic connections, but there isn’t a lot of drama associated with people like Nia and Kyland or Brad and Emily. The biggest issue on this season was the fact that we had interesting couples on Episode one, like Cara Maria and Paulie and Nurys and Horacio, but the Era Invitational split them up.
Point: Battle for a New Champion
Pacing
As the seasons get longer, pacing becomes a more important component of viewers’ satisfaction. Battle for a New Champion started out slow during the control phase, and it took a long time to get going. People were impatient waiting for the Champions to appear. Once this started happening in the Chaos phase it allowed us to go weeks without a contender going home. It wasn’t until the final conquest phase that the show’s pace really picked up.
Battle of the Eras feels like the opposite. It started with eight people leaving from the Era Invitational. Then, we started losing two people per week, but now we’ve gone down to one per week. Perhaps the fact that we’re losing fewer people makes the show feel like it’s dragging, but at least people are going home. We had five episodes on Battle for a New Champion where no one did.
Point: Battle of the Eras
Overall, I think Season 40 is a slight upgrade from its predecessor, but both seasons have their ups and downs.
If you’re looking for drama, Battle for a New Champion is probably a better option. That season’s format made it easy for competitors to coast by with mediocre efforts, and your alliance was more important than your daily performance. But, it filled in the gaps with arguments and hookups, and it does feel like viewers got to know the contenders throughout the season.
Battle of the Eras does well with its competitive aspect. It’s the first season to introduce a 4-team approach, and you’ll see competitors get eliminated every week. The cast was cut in half fairly quickly, which means there has been a lot of incentive for people to win. With the reduction in people, most of the dramatic cast members have taken an early flight home. There are some disagreements, but with few exceptions, they’re handled civilly without major confrontations.
Stop Being Polite 