BY DC CUEVA
And so on this summer's Sunday night, we say Bonjour to all of you... away from this site -- and I have been away for most of this past year-plus, this blogger has just enjoyed his biannual sojourn into enjoying his absolute favorite event, and the only one that I truly binge watch. And just as it was as the world gathered together again after all that time apart three years ago, yours truly is not easing up a bit from the Closing Ceremony of the just-concluded Summer Olympics as he now makes that transition from Paris and the non-stop Games viewing marathon that just ended, straight into his favorite TV show whose newest season is taking place half a world away from the City of Light and love. Most fittingly, the subject of this post just marked the conclusion of these wonderful two weeks by hosting its premiere party at where the Summer Games flame will next be lit in four years from right now.
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| Photos Courtesy: Jonne Roriz/Paramount |
Over the time that I have been following this show since that 2012 Battle of the Seasons, the abundance of competitors who have come onto the scene have been many: big-name legends who were there at the start of this show back in 1999 and the early 2000's, right up to those from all around the world who have come onto this franchise in the past few years... and plenty who I have followed the entirety of their eras. With that deep a well of talent, it was perhaps only a matter of time before a season like this was conceived to mark this milestone season: players from different eras of the show coming together for a season that is surely a can't miss this fall -- and worth it to buy a conventional TV package just to watch it all live.
Imagine... a season that has all (if not, most or many) of your favorites all in one place: one who's won this seven times, another with five but who comes here having placed Challenge Nation's flag atop the house of The Traitors, and those from an earlier time who got their start riding in a recreational vehicle across America. There's also several Challengers who are well-rested from their springtime battle down in South Africa -- from two frenemy rivals to one still in search for title #1. And we even got those who we have followed the entirety of their MTV runs since this site began: a video vixen who came close to winning it all last time out, a master manipulator & his much-derived partner who've come in to defend their titles, and one playboy who made headlines even before the buzz for this season began.
You've enjoyed a good deal over the past two weeks of the world's very best... now, get yourself set for the dessert and the fourth meal. After the break DCBLOG takes our first look at Season 40 of The Challenge: Battle of the Eras... but first, this little teaser of what's ahead over this fall and winter.
WHAT TO EXPECT...
AND MEET THE ERAS
Anyone who is a reality TV aficionado whose horizons are much broader than just MTV's (and in a way, mine) can no doubt still remember when the show that made this genre cool (that is, bring it to the broader distributed world of network television a quarter-century back) decided to mark its fortieth season in a grand way. It was a few short years ago that Survivor marked that milestone by bringing back its biggest champions for Winners at War... and all you fans who love that show no doubt still remember how good that historic season. Now, here's this -- and with high expectations to match.
If what we all got to enjoy with the four seasons of the All-Stars extravaganza on Paramount+ and if you have been following The Challenge a longer than I have, then it's that we adore those old-school players. Those who came onto the scene a little later on no doubt have rolled with the newbies that came in not just from inside the MTV ecosystem, but outside of it... and who have no doubt helped bring greater exposure of this show to a broader audience both here in America and overseas. It's most especially the case when two of those who we're seeing here were just part of The Challenge's takeover of other reality series elsewhere in the universe that dominated all the buzz earlier this year.
So it's with this in mind that we have, by far, the largest cast in this show's illustrious history... and to say that there is something for everyone just as it was in Paris is an understatement. Like it was for those like me who had the time of his life watching everything from archery to wrestling and everything in between for nineteen days in Paris, there is something for all of us in Challenge Nation to put our hat behind -- regardless of whether you've been watching this for all twenty-five years of this thing or for just a fraction of that time. It's so deeply stacked, there's no need to do a "Who Are These Newbies?" post as we traditionally did whenever there's a rookie competitor competing -- there's none this time.
ERA 1 Seasons 1-10
- ANEESA, BRAD ⭐, CT ⭐5x, DARRELL ⭐4x, DERRICK ⭐3x, JODI ⭐2, KATIE ⭐, MARK ⭐2x, RACHEL ⭐2x, TINA
Obviously, Era 1 is where many of yours' attention will be fixated on: the originals that got this all going when this show's title was a mouthful to pronounce. All but two of them come here with stars next to their names as past champs -- twenty in total, and where the experience is deep in 118 total starts and 21 titles between them. We have the creator of All-Stars on this squad, the podcasting pioneer, a fireball of a character, two-thirds of one of this show's first beloved cliques (with one of its most active Tweeters too), and one in search of title #1 as she enters her 18th try to join Susan Lucci in the winner's circle. There's no reason to bet against anyone in this crop, even if you have something in your heart for Aneesa too... and yes, there's the Traitors champion in here too.
ERA 2 Seasons 11-20
- AVIV ⭐, BANANAS ⭐7x, BRANDON, CARA MARIA ⭐2x, DEREK, EMILY ⭐, KELLYANNE, LAUREL ⭐2, NEHEMIAH ⭐, RYAN
Era 2 (spanning from Gauntlet II to Cutthroat) has this show's winningest champion, the one who was pegged as the show's preeminent female face during the 2010's, and our defending champion... and when you put Bananas, Cara and Laurel in the same group than that is reason for them to be given favorite status by some. They're not as deep in experience as Era 1 (75 apps, 14 titles), and this is where we have two returning stars of this season in Aviv who we saw win Fresh Meat with Darrell all those years ago... and it was the allure of #40 that brought Emily back into this fold. And we cannot forget about Brandon, Derek, Ryan, KellyAnne and Nehemiah either... we sure wish some gingerman would be along (but he's given us other ideas to look forward to this fall too).
ERA 3 Seasons 21-30
- AMANDA, AVEREY, CORY, DEVIN ⭐, JONNA ⭐2x, JORDAN ⭐4x, LEROY, NIA, TONY, TORI ⭐
For Era 3 (Rivals I to Dirty 30), this is where my beginnings of watching this show lie in this generation, and where two of these players are officially making their first title defense. We have the drama and pop-off queen among this group, plus a couple resident dads who got someone to play for back home, a hurricane that this one and his fellow fans never thought would make it back, the Hooters girl who stunned us on AS4, and the one we are all pulling for to finally get that first ring. And we have the most talented of the multiple times' champions in this field, and the queen of All-Stars as well... and that in itself may make this section something to eye on, perhaps even a favorite or second choice to make the road for the two teams above a bit harder to earn.
ERA 4 Seasons 31-39
- HORACIO, KAYCEE ⭐, JENNY ⭐, JOSH, KYLAND, MICHELE, NURYS, OLIVIA, PAULIE, THEO
Sure, Eras 4 (Vendettas to New Champ) are pegged by most of you as the underdogs in this game... and just the 32 total apps and two Challenge titlists puts this statement out mildly. But in this crop are winners from four other non-Challenge reality series which can bring the total number of stars up to seven if you can factor in Kaycee and Josh winning Big Brother, Michele on Survivor, Jenny on a UK show and Olivia on a pre-Peacock Love Island. Sure, the star of last season and her boyfriend can be the leaders of this bunch, but we also have the posterboy of the summer house's MTV invasion on here too... and each of these folks have made their mark on The Challenge... so don't underestimate them just yet -- one would want to make sure to keep an eye out.
And the show's format? It's a bit different perhaps: all of these players have to prove themselves right from the outset by trying to get rid of their weakest links within their Era camp at the Invitational phase, all before they get to go on that road to the $1 million come wintertime. It might seem a bit complicated, but having this deep and talented a group from all throughout this show's history will make this one we hope we all can remember. And we can expect the usual fireworks that we are accustomed to from this show... perhaps even a romance or two (provided that you did not spoil yourself with the Instagram stories of a couple of them). All we can say is, bring on Challenge Wednesdays once again...
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DCBLOG has proudly followed The Challenge for most of the last decade, and this site has taken great pride in covering both this show and the world Inside MTV Reality since 2013. But both my own reality as family man and the changes lately to the platform formerly known as Twitter gave this site the chance to rethink our blog strategy. If plans go the way they do and I have the commitment to follow through on it, then our weekly episode coverage will be reimagined into the Challenge WRAP: the week's top moments and highlights from social media. If not, then you undoubtedly are in great hands with Allan Aguirre on Medium -- by now, you must have seen his daily player previews and his weekly recaps... and we shall take the lead in doing what we do best: telling stories through the ExtraTime prism.
In addition to retooling our MTV coverage, DCBLOG plans to expand to covering my other passions: sports, pop culture and whatever I am into. And as we have seen the flame be extinguished in Paris tonight, this one is just now embarking on his next big project that has just begun to be set in stone for the coming months ahead across the DC Social Network, and where I may spend time off this site again just so I can put forth those plans. Before you know it, this one will let you know what that is and how I plan to wrap my arms around that big thing for later this fall... but for now, we got this season to enjoy -- see you Challenge Wednesday.
- I AM DC
@DC408DXTR
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