We’re in a Challenge off-season, and fans are bored. So are cast members, and a clip of Wes & Bananas talking about the future of the show recirculated online.
This clip comes from this episode of the Death, Taxes, and Bananas podcast at about 1:06:10. In the episode, Bananas celebrated outliving MTV (it’s not dead, but I digress) and talked about the show moving to Paramount+. But the discussion isn’t really a negative one. Bananas notes that longtime shows like Catfish, Teen Mom, and Ridiculousness have gotten the chop, but The Challenge survived.
The two also discussed what is needed to keep The Challenge afloat, and they made some points. Now, I’m joining the conversation with my five ideas… like I said, we’re all bored during the off-season.
1. Well-trained veterans: The one thing that makes The Challenge unique is its casting. The show is designed so there aren’t any constants on the cast (though some veterans are almost always there), but there are always returners. Challenge fans tune in to see their favorite personalities, and it’s always fun to see competitors fight for victory. But, after Vets & New Threats, we’re really starting to see that it’s a disservice to cast out-of-shape veterans. It frustrates fans, and it can be a poor reflection on the show’s talent.
2. “International Appeal:” Wes mentioned Paramount+ wants The Challenge to appeal to its international markets, much to the dismay of Cara Maria because she loves Americans (likely referencing this joke Cara made last year). As a viewer of the show, if The Challenge is airing on Paramount+ with international contestants, I definitely see how this would make the show more marketable abroad. Still, the cast needs to primarily cater to the US market, because this is where the show has the most history, but it can serve as a platform to introduce us to international contestants. This is one thing Vets & New Threats got right: The season had some memorable international newbies, but it did a great job of including rookies from US shows.
3. Clear themes: Let’s be honest, for a while, the Challenge lost its direction. No one knows what Spies, Lies and Allies means as a theme, and titles like Final Reckoning tell us nothing. The show should not be a mystery for viewers, especially if the production wants international audiences to watch on Paramount+. Clear, easy-to-understand themes work well. A few twists are ok, but there have been times when the show was blatantly trying to extend the season (the teams on Ride or Dies) by forcing convoluted formatting twists.
4. A clear reason for the show: The Challenge has been on the air for over 25 years, but it’s evolved so much that its identity has changed. With the hypothetical move to Paramount+, the franchise has an opportunity to redefine its core values and let viewers know why the show is different from Survivor, The Traitors, or Fear Factor: House of Fear. The Challenge has decades of relationships, drama, and athletic feats, but more recent seasons seem to be more about explosions and Survivor-style daily Challenges. As we enter a new era, The Challenge needs to show its longtime viewers (and the new ones) why they should use their streaming time to watch The Challenge rather than a bunch of housewives.
5. Decent promotion: Olivia recently spoke with the Challenge Mania podcast and discussed that her Vets & New Threats win wasn’t promoted, partially because MTV laid off a lot of its talent. If The Challenge is siloed on Paramount+, it will be easy for it to get overlooked (not that running ads on MTV really helped the show). Paramount staff will need to make an effort to make people aware of the new season, and they will probably need to do more than just run social media ads. After all, Big Brother and Survivor contestants have found a home on The Challenge. The least CBS can do is run some Challenge ads during new Survivor and Big Brother episodes.
Stop Being Polite 