In 2010, Survivor debuted Heroes vs. Villains — its first season that wasn’t named after its location (aside from All Stars). But before Survivor was dividing its tribes using a theme, The Challenge was finding ways to split up its cast.
The franchise has found some concrete ways to divide teams: Real World vs. Road Rules, Rookies vs. Veterans, or Challengers vs. Champions. Much like Survivor, it’s also used abstract themes, like Good Guys vs. Bad Asses.
More than ever, the CBS/MTV/Paramount umbrella is starting to blend. If The Challenge ever has another two or three-team season, it would be fun to have a theme that plays into the show’s history. What could that look like? Here are 10 fun ideas.
Note: I’m not relying on formats that are half newbies. So don’t expect to see Vets vs. New Threats with a whole team of rookies.
MTV vs. CBS
The window is closing on this one, but with the migration to Paramount+, the Survivor and CBS alliances seem to have more importance. With this format, the red team could be people who debuted on MTV, and the blue team would be people who debuted on a CBS show like Big Brother, Survivor, Amazing Race, or any other failed program.
New School vs. Old School
Allegedly, this was the original theme for The Gauntlet 2, but it transformed into rookies vs. veterans. This is a simple theme, but sometimes, the most obvious formats are the easiest to understand. The red team could be people who debuted on The Challenge before the 2020s, and the blue team could be fresher faces to the franchise. Or, the old school team could be people who have appeared on All Stars, but there are a couple of holes in the format (i.e., CT and Bananas).
Lovers vs. Fighters
Some cast members are known for drama, arguments, and throwing fists. Other competitors are known for showmances and hookups. This format would create a blue team filled with the most explosive cast members and a red team with people who use The Challenge as a dating show.
Minds vs. Muscles
Some of the biggest Challengers have never won, because they’re all muscle with an inability to do a puzzle. Meanwhile, the sharpest minds can be dangerous in a final, but they really struggle to get there. This format would put the brains against the brawn (something Survivor has done) to see which class of Challenger is superior.
Rags vs. Riches
Ashley “Millionaire Mitchell” is known for winning seven-figures on The Challenge, but there are many people who have won huge hauls on reality TV. The blue team would be a group of people who have amassed $500,000 or more in reality TV winnings, while the red team would be people who do not have big winnings. This would allow the show to encourage winners from other reality shows to come to The Challenge, which could make the season pretty buzzy if they get the right people to appear.
Loathed vs. Loved
Did you know that MTV.com had a poll in 2004 where viewers could classify Challengers as either saints or sinners? This became The Inferno 2, but the idea of a poll could work in a different context. So, Paramount could create a poll where fans could rate Challengers as “loved, loathed, or neutral.” The blue team would be the Challengers, who were most loved, and the red team would be the ones who were most loathed. If a Challenger was heavily voted as neutral… well, this isn’t the season for you.
Invasion of the Flops
12 Challenge champions think they’re filming an all-champs spinoff. Little did they know, a group of 22 Challenger/reality show flops were filming a pre-season competition in a different house. After that group has dwindled to 12 people, the remaining flops become the black team, and the 12 champions become the red team. It’s kind of a mix between Invasion of the Champions and Battle for a New Champion.
80s vs. 90s vs. 00s
Most of the Challenge’s winners were born in the 1980s. While they’re some of the most beloved people in the franchise, many of them may be past their prime. We’ve also seen a few winners born in the 1990s, but some of these ’90s babies are still fighting to reach the top. This format would create a red team with competitors born in the 1980s, a blue team with players born in the 1990s, and a gray team with 2000s babies. The show hasn’t seen many of those yet, but this would be a good opportunity to highlight fairly new Challengers while bringing in new ones.
Similarly, we could have Gen X vs. Millennials vs. Gen Z… but good luck Gen X.
East Coast vs. West Coast vs. Other Coasts
It’s surprising that The Challenge hasn’t really used places of origin to determine teams (aside from War of the Worlds 2). The red team could be people born near the West Coast, and the blue team could be people born near the East Coast. But we know that international competitors are a staple of the franchise, so the gray team would be people who weren’t born on either of the US coasts.
Winners vs. Finalists vs. Challengers
Challenge finalist Paulie claims that the veterans (aka, the folks who comprise the bulk of the winners) are washed up. This format puts that to the test, with a blue team consisting entirely of Challenge winners. The red team would have competitors that haven’t won but have reached the final. The gray team would be upcoming Challengers and rookies who have never made a final, but have the potential to prove The Challenge needs a takeover.
Stop Being Polite 