Should We Have Another Battle of the Sexes?

We’re officially in Era 5 of The Challenge, and looking back at Era 4, the formats were a mess. Subtitles like Final Reckoning, Double Agents, and Total Madness really didn’t tell us much about the season’s game play, and fans tend to gravitate toward clearer formats.

For example, Battle of the Sexes — that premise was super clear. But, it felt like Sexes 2 had its problems, and we haven’t seen the format since.

On Battle of the Sexes 2, the girls lost most of the missions, and predictably, they lost the final. After this, it felt like production ensured gender balance for over a decade.

More recently, seasons like Final Reckoning and All Stars Rivals removed the gender equality. We also had Vendettas, War of the Worlds, All Stars 1, and All Stars 4 where there was only one winner, regardless of sex.

So, should we bring the Battle of the Sexes format back?

I’d argue that yes, Battle of the Sexes would feel like a welcome return, but production would need to ensure the daily challenges are somewhat balanced.

If we look at the girls on Battle of the Sexes 2 (and Sexes 1, for that matter). Many of them are Real World and Road Rules alumnae. Production often cast people on those shows that were camera-ready, but physical abilities weren’t a necessity. In fact, one of the girls on Battle of the Sexes 1 was very pregnant.

Now, we have many women on The Challenge that are physically strong — and let’s be real, body image has gotten a lot healthier for women since 2004. So, many of the women currently on The Challenge are in better physical shape to compete with men.

We also know Challenges nowadays have many equalizers involved. It’s not uncommon to see a daily challenge with rowing, swimming, collecting puzzle pieces, and solving the puzzle. Back in 2004, the missions were simple games that tested one skill. If a competitor sucked at that skill, their performance would suffer.

If we saw another Battle of the Sexes, I would expect to see eliminations and the score board likely isn’t going to come back. I could see an Inner Circle returning in some capacity, because it’s not drastically different than the Troika on Vendettas or the Tribunal on War of the Worlds.

Mostly, I think Battle of the Sexes would be a good throwback for old school fans and a clear concept that viewers can understand. I have a hard time believing a theme like “Spies, Lies and Allies” would turn heads and make a non-Challenge viewer tune into the show. Battle of the Sexes is a timeless theme, and it could be a good way to ease viewers into the franchise.