The Challenge

Each Challenge pits numerous cast members from past seasons of reality shows against each other, dividing them into two separate teams according to different criteria, such as gender, which show they first appeared on, whether or not they're veterans or rookies on the show, etc. The two teams compete in numerous missions in order to win prizes and advance in the overall game.

The Challenge (1998-present) is an American reality competition series created by Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray and produced for MTV and Paramount+. Host T.J. Lavin oversees a rotating cast of contestants drawn from past seasons of other reality shows, including Nurys Mateo, who has appeared across multiple episodes, and Kelechi Dyke, alongside returning figures such as Eric Nies, Cynthia Roberts, and Rachel Campos-Duffy. The engine is simple and relentless: two rival teams, split by criteria that change from season to season, such as gender, original show, or veteran versus rookie status, compete in physical and strategic missions to win prizes and advance through the overall game. Each episode is built around a mission followed by elimination, and the season-long arc tracks shifting alliances and old grudges carried over from other shows. The series has run for forty-two seasons and hundreds of episodes, making it a sprawling, ever-reinventing format rather than a single story. Tone is brash, competitive, and playful, with rivalry and camaraderie in equal measure. Fans of Survivor and The Amazing Race will find resonance in its elimination structure and team-based gameplay, and viewers of the long MTV reality tradition will recognize its youthful, confrontational energy.

Viewers broadly rate the long-running competition as a reliably entertaining, positive reality format, with its best-regarded seasons praised for intense missions and strong casts.

• Survivorshared reality competition format with cast drawn from earlier reality shows
• The Amazing Raceshared reality competition format built on rival teams and elimination missions
• Real World/Road Rules Challengeshared format of returning reality personalities competing in long-running seasonal games

Created by

Mary-Ellis Bunim, Jonathan Murray

Release Date

1998-04-20

Episode runtime

42 min

Rating

8.1 / 10 (81)

What is The Challenge about?

A long-running reality competition that pits alumni from earlier reality shows against each other in team-based missions for prizes and game advancement.

What is The Challenge like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Challenge as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as simple.

Is The Challenge violent?

Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Challenge as mild.

What did critics think of The Challenge?

Viewers broadly rate the long-running competition as a reliably entertaining, positive reality format, with its best-regarded seasons praised for intense missions and strong casts.

Which shows are like The Challenge?

Shows with a similar feel include Survivor, The Amazing Race, and Real World/Road Rules Challenge.

How long is The Challenge?

The Challenge: 42 seasons, 660 episodes.

Is The Challenge still running?

Yes, The Challenge is still running.

Where can I watch The Challenge?

In United States, The Challenge streams on Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount Plus Apple TV channel, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel.