Well, welcome on into the last days of the summer of 2019 -- yes, while we and likely you might be tearing up saying that statement, the good thing about it is that the best time of year to be a fan of television is just about here: the fall is right around the corner... and that means that the good stuff is just ahead in the world of MTV, especially its reality programming.
Right now, there is love in the air:
Ex On The Beach continues along with familiar names to MTV and reality fans accompanying the Malibu love shack, as does
Are You The One? out in Hawaii in its trend-setting eighth season featuring sexually fluid singles.
Teen Mom OG has wrapped up its 10th anniversary season and a new
TM2 is on its way, while we've just had the coronation of Mr. and Mrs. Situation on
Jersey Shore. And this year's big revival of
The Hills has seen plenty of drama on- and off-screen, while
The Real World is heading towards the end of its summer revival in Atlanta.
The 36th Annual MTV Video Music Awards take place tomorrow night at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, where the biggest stars in music and pop culture will collide... and where MTV will reveal what old and new shows will join those series above in the coming year, all amidst the Viacom/CBS reunion. We know of one new program that's on the slate in the much buzzed about series
Ghosted: Love Gone Missing... the latest rookie series to garner the post
Teen Mom launch pad. And there is so much more that we're anticipating both this fall and as we head towards 2020.
Not only is this the week of MTV's biggest annual soiree, it's also just about time for the thing we care about most on this site to take over much of our attention on here. Two nights after the silver astronauts are handed out, in this site's estimation the fall's main attraction will kick off in the 34th season of
The Challenge, as the fifth major pro sport takes center stage with what promises to be another stellar season of action and drama that those in America and around the world will get to see for themselves.
Earlier this year, those longing for a clean slate after the connected triumvirate of
Dirty 30,
Vendettas and
Final Reckoning got exactly what they looking for: a memorable season that brought a fresh, new energy to TV's first reality-based competition show with an international flavor.
War of the Worlds brought together competitors from the United States and countries around the world in the quest for $1 million, and it was a most memorable season that saw a ginger man and a Latina make their return, saw unexpected early exits by big name veterans and the lady behind the chaotic ending to Final Reckoning, and the emergence of new stars that have given this franchise a shot in the arm.
From the all-in gamble of a new villain that saw him miss out on his second straight final, to a Brit giving U.S. viewers a taste of what he's been like on the other side on the pond, and girls from down south, down under and a Ninja leading a new charge,
War of the Worlds had it all. It all culminated with something that we've not had in many years: a final that fit the bill of a season that served as the one opportunity for The Challenge to regain lost fans from the trilogy and score new ones with a two-day exam that tested those who were fortunate to get to the end. And once the dust settled, a Turkish reality TV veteran became a popular champion with "Turbo" reigning supreme in Namibia.
Now, the scene shifts again for Season 34 of The Challenge to the country of Thailand, site of the Champs' domination of The Ruins and the first titles for CT and Ashley M. But this time, the focus shifts to competitors from countries around the world to a battle among two nations with so much in common and for whom they share a special relationship and a long history dating back some 240 years. Just as it was on a summer's night in France last month when their national women's football teams duked it out in the FIFA Women's World Cup semifinals that saw the defending champs win en route to back-to-back titles and their fourth overall, the United States and the United Kingdom will be on opposite sides of the pitch for
War of the Worlds 2.
A theme of the first
War was the disunity among the American players with many turning on each other in Namibia. But something that has become a characteristic for those from the nation that has it all good in this decade has been of a British alliance that has been unstoppable: on Vendettas, Final Reckoning and War of the Worlds, the Union Jack was represented in the final challenge. It's with that in mind that has the Americans thinking of reclaiming the throne in what will be a team challenge. Plus, there's an extra kink to all this: a lineup of "reinforcements" with two Americans, an Australian and that defending champ from the Middle East are waiting for both sides to take their pick to join them in this battle that will culminate in a final battle for $1 million US / £814,430 UK.
War of the Worlds 2 will mark the big attraction of this fall for many of you MTV fans and to us at this site, and we'll be guiding you through this season of compelling competition and drama from here before it premieres right through the final in the wintertime. And coming up in our preseason preview, we'll have the usual suspects of giving you a sense of what we can expect from Asia, give some predictions of how the game will operate in this America/British battle, and of course meet the competitors. And this is just part 1 of our first look: we'll be following this up with our traditional orientation of getting to know the rookies of this Challenge season... in this case, an all-British version of "Who Are These Newbies?" with six from the UK making their American debuts.
So, come on in, welcome and get comfortable with that jersey... and join us after the jump as we take our first look at
The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2. We're glad you're with us...
