Taking on 'The Challenge: Battle of the Eras' | "The Final Era"

This brings us all to the end of the big fortieth season of the MTV staple The Challenge. Coverage of The Challenge: All Stars, though, will begin here on the site on the evening of January 30th. To end the monumental season, fellow Alabama Taker and co-host of Taking It Down Adam Morrow joins the discussion.   

It took two episodes of the fortieth season with its four eras to finish the final, and the players swam. They swam a lot. Each competition ranks the men and the women separately into one through four, and they receive corresponding medals. In between, they are forced to stand on the ship Sinister, count coins while sleep deprived, or sing a ridiculous sea shanty. When all is done, T.J. reveals to the competitors the use of the karma votes, having alluded to them at the start of the final. The winner for the men, and it seems by a mile, is Jordan, where the karma points didn’t shake up much. Derek comes in second, Bananas third, and Kyland, who is not much of a swimmer, is the last for the men; he gets no cash. As for the ladies, the karma vote drops Michele to third, Tori finishes fourth with no money, and Jenny and Rachel tie for first. The season ends with the top players reflecting on the season that was. 

How does the season stand now as a piece of television? 

Blaine: That karma vote needed revision. It really should not come down to what amounts to a popularity contest. Part of The Challenge is the need to be cutthroat at the right moments, and that creates both drama for the viewer and also divisions among players. Plus, I really don’t recall T.J. saying it’s “how you treat people” that much to the competition. He said it to the camera plenty, but to the players? Did I miss it? It should’ve been more obvious to them at the very least. Another option is to make the karma votes count less. As for a season and it being Season 40? It was a letdown. It had some moments, but I don’t know that I’ll recall anything in the years to come other than Season 40 happened with four eras. The layout needed better foresight. 

TD: Overall, a disappointment. There were too many missteps by production that squandered a phenomenal roster of players and brought down the entertainment value of the game. Like Blaine mentioned, the karma vote was sloppily added and wasn’t fleshed out enough to have such a vital role in helping Rachel to become co-champion (although I was extremely happy it did, yay Rachel!). I’ve mentioned how much I hated the initial purge challenge – you just don’t assemble a cast like this and then immediately send that many of them home so soon. The idea of the Eras was intriguing, but wasn’t pulled off smoothly.  There were certainly plenty of entertaining moments this season, but it didn’t quite live up the hype.

Adam:  I am in agreement that the karma vote could’ve used some more workshopping. Like Blaine said, the need for some level of tough, unpopular decision making is baked into the game itself. Michele won three eliminations, which means she had to pick targets three times. Of course she ruffled more feathers than Rachel, whose entire Era was out the door immediately and gave Rachel full marks because, why not? As a season, I think its shortcomings were fairly predictable when the idea and cast were announced. These folks have known each other for years, they’ve grown up and softened around the edges (and connective tissue). It's fun to imagine them in their prime, fighting it out, but that’s a fantasy. At times it became a bit of a novelty show, but as the competition tightened down the home stretch, I’m happy with what we got.

As for the final, did it live up to Season 40 hype? 

Blaine: First, yes, there was too much swimming. It’s an odd choice because it seems like a thing that the producers would see through. All of these competitions are hard to assemble and credit to them for making a tough Final, but there needs to be the realization that it will make for a one-sided event. And that happened. Jordan dominated. Should he choose to return, he is undoubtedly the man to beat. Never mind C.T. and Bananas at this point. I don’t think that anyone is better than Jordan, but that’ll be colored by holding only five championships, which ties with C.T. but lingers in the shadow of Bananas’ seven. The final itself was entertaining because of the torturous and rough nature of it all, but it was not suspenseful. Other than hoping Michele faltered, much of it seemed decided before it began. 

TD: Considering how miserable the players seemed to be, I’d say it absolutely did. The Final should be grueling and a test of all the skills The Challenge calls for, and for the most part this final held true to that. There was a ton of swimming, and it’s true that gives players like Jordan an advantage, but here’s a counterargument: If you’re coming on The Challenge and don’t do swim training every single day, you’re a fool. It is absolutely well known how much swimming is involved in this competition, and at this point there’s no excuse for being a poor swimmer. As for the role of the karma points, while I’m not the biggest fan, I’m also not angry at the result they produced. Part of the game is politics, and Michele failed that test and it cost her big time.

Adam: I thought the Final was great. I am surprised there was as much swimming as there turned out to be, maybe they could’ve worked in a few runs around an island a la Rivals II for balance, but overall it was a test of toughness and grit with a very deserving list of contestants. Kyland and Bananas both knew they were screwed pretty early on: one because of swimming and the other because of Jordan, who at this point has to be the clear Finals GOAT. It’s like watching prime Saban’s Joyless Murderball. I love it. But Derek is the MVP of this Final, for all of the reasons he said in his confessionals. The climate of the show has changed so much, and to see a guy who debuted in a time of toxic dudes do so well when given a legitimate chance was great. On the women’s side, I am shocked to admit that I found myself pulling for Michele and greatly aggrieved when Rachel unfairly took her money. Jenny cruised, Tori, my usual rooting interest, struggled (three hours in the water with Cara Maria the night before couldn’t have helped), and Rachel gave the same confession five-hundred times, while Michele gutted it out. I thought back to her heat exhaustion meltdown and how far she’s come. Her gameplay has annoyed the hell out of me on every season she’s been involved with, but a tip of the cap for this gutsy Finals performance.

Who are the faces of the show or the primary competitors for the men and women going forward into new eras? Do any players from Era I return or have a chance if they do? 

Blaine: Michele doing well can go two ways for me. She can be the person I always want to root against, or she can annoy me each season and not even get my drama (or villain) vote. She looks to be a staple, though. She surprised me getting as far as she did. Tori, though, could be one of the greats of the show or maintain a status of "great, but not the greatest." Sadly, the days of C.T., Bananas, Derrick, Mark, Tina, and more from the first two eras are coming to a close. If I have to pick, I'll say that Tori is the current face of the series for the ladies and Kyland quickly becomes the same for the men -- assuming Jordan is truly done.

TD: It’s pretty clear Jordan now wears the crown as the face of the show – however, he only has four titles in my book, I don’t think we should count the spinoff show wins as true Challenge championships, no matter what they call them. Unfortunately, Michele seems to be lining up as the face of the women’s side of things, at least as far as pure television goes. But I guess every story needs an antagonist. Tori is probably the true face of the women of The Challenge, and Jenny could be if she shows up more consistently. Kyland and Horacio are also right there. However, as long as guys like C.T. and Bananas show up, they’ll be the faces of the show. 

Adam: The only thing standing between Jenny and the Mount Rushmore of Challengers is how often production will cast her. Michele is here to stay, it seems, and I’ll be interested to see if her gameplay changes after this great run. Tori has been an anchor from seasons 30 to 40. I imagine she can keep it going for as long as she wants. Rachel may get a call back, but it’d be significantly harder for her with a less era-balanced cast. Nurys had an early exit on 40, but I bet she will be in the thick of things in the future. Cara Maria also seems to be coming back into the fold. For the men, Jordan can clearly come on and win at will. Kyland will be back, and seems to have the all around game for it that Horacio, sadly, doesn’t seem interested in. 

The fifth season of All Stars is coming to MTV in less than three weeks. What started as a haven of old school fan favorites has shifted to include folks who still regularly compete on the main show. Do you like this? What impact is it having on the Challenge world?

Blaine: For the love of god, just change the name. If you haven't won a championship or been to a Final at all, it's not a group of "all stars." I think Adam and I decided a while ago on the Taking It Down podcast that if MTV and Paramount insists on calling it "All Stars," there needs to be a clear set of parameters: the player would need to have a championship, an appearance in a Final, a specific amount of elimination wins, or not been on the series in the last six seasons. It's really become just The Challenge 2. And that's fine! But don't misnomer it. (Like others here will point out, the move to MTV feels right.)

TD: If I’m being honest, I haven’t even watched season four yet, and I’m not sure I finished season three. I’m not a huge fan of all the spin-offs, especially when it’s not really clear what the parameters are. I know “All Stars” is just the name they picked, and not truly the format, but it’d be nice if they did follow a stricter casting policy. The spin-offs should be for more creative games and formats. Like I said above about Jordan’s win on World Championships, I don’t really view anything but the main show as canon, so to say. I know it may be a crotchety old man point of view, but without The Real World or Road Rules putting out new seasons, The Challenge is straying from what attracted me to it in the first place. 

Adam: It makes it all a little too murky for me, to be honest. All Stars had a unique purpose and role. I know that the flexible definition of an all star has irked some, but I don’t see that as the problem. It’s a great place to bring back someone like Sylvia, or a former champ and force in the game like Frank, but why should Faysal be getting a shot at this? I worry that it will dilute the flagship show into more messes like Season 39. That said, I’m glad it’ll air on MTV rather than the straight to Paramount approach, and I will be watching weekly.

Confessionals:

• Derek had a great season, and I like that he did -- it proves that it takes a well-rounded player to get to the final and win it all. Unfortunately for Derek, no one is as well rounded as Jordan. - Blaine

• If this is Jordan’s last Challenge – forever or for a while – it’s a shame. He’s entertaining, he’s fun to watch because he’s so great, he’s a great balance of cocky and fair, and he’s sure to win a lot more. It’s good news for all the other guys, though. - Blaine

• Not airing Amanda’s karma ranking confessional in its entirety is a loss for television. - Adam

• I mean, good luck to Jordan in his aspiring racing career…but I think we all know we’ll see him again on our screens vying for another title. - TD

• I have the feeling this will be the last time we see a lot of longtime favorites on the main show, and that’s a bittersweet thought. TV shows have a weird way of finding their way into our lives on a personal level, and it can elicit real feelings when a character leaves. - TD

• Regardless, I’m always excited for the future, and as long as they run the main show, I’ll tune in. - TD