We’ve been hearing speculation about The Challenge 42, and all signs point to this being a transitional season. Now, we have more reason to believe the show will be migrating to Paramount+ .
Olivia recently spoke with Scott Yager on the Challenge Mania podcast, and the two felt Olivia’s victory didn’t get the recognition it deserved. The recent champ attributed the lack of attention to a major transition behind the scenes.
On the podcast, Olivia explicitly said that the show was “going on to Paramount,” which seems like a clear sign that the show is jumping to the streaming service.
The duo attributed the lack of attention to layoffs at Paramount and MTV. Behind the scenes, a lot of the staff that would have been in charge of promo were let go. As viewers, we don’t see this, but there’s no doubt that cast members hear about restructuring.
For the record, I don’t feel Olivia’s win is getting less attention than other recent winners — at least not yet. If feels on par with Kaycee’s win on Spies, Lies and Allies, and it’s probably a bigger deal than Amber B.’s victory on Double Agents and Emanuel’s win on Battle for a New Champion.
We also need to remember that Olivia is not an official authority. There’s no reason to believe she’s lying, but things can change — and she may have been given the wrong information. But let’s assume Olivia isn’t incorrect; her announcement isn’t really breaking news.
All of the signs have been pointing to the show moving to Paramount+ . Bananas discussed the possibility, and the season is rumored to have a shorter filming window than Vets & New Threats (a 7-week filming window aligns with All Stars, which was on Paramount+). Plus, calls for season 42 have been going out, so cast members likely have an idea of what’s happening.
Obviously, this is a big change, but it’s not necessarily bad. After all, we’re watching MTV crumble before our eyes, even if the flagship US network is still on air. Moving The Challenge to Paramount+ means the show could outlive MTV.
Stop Being Polite 