The Challenge’s Complicated Relationship w/ the Fans: A Timeline
January 2004
Fans: Hey, MTV. We loved The Gauntlet. Even though we’re sad to see it end, we look forward to the next season. Just take your time in creating it.
MTV: Fine. Here’s the follow-up season dropping just a mere two weeks after the final episode of The Gauntlet.
Fall 2004
Fans: Hey, MTV. If we have anything to nitpick on The Inferno, it’s that the competition between the two teams was too lopsided. Could you make sure you make it more fair for the next one?
MTV: Fine. Here’s a sequel to Battle of the Sexes, where it’ll feel like the Real World vs. Road Rules of old.
2006
Fans: Hey, MTV. Our lifelong dreams include going on Real World or Road Rules, just so we can have an opportunity to go on The Real World/Road Rules Challenge.
MTV: Fine. Here’s a season where fans like you get to bypass the casting process for Real World and Road Rules and just go straight onto this show.
January 2008
Fans: Hey, MTV. Don’t listen to the reception for The Inferno III. Us fans that watched it loved it just the way it was. Nothing else needs to be altered with this show.
MTV: Fine. Here’s The Gauntlet 3, where we desperately pander to boost our ratings and pamper the worst of humanity over our tried and true competitors.
Summer 2008
Fans: Hey, MTV. We hope these a-holes we were stuck with on The Gauntlet 3 don’t become a thing moving forward. P.S. Have you watched the most recent season of Survivor? That was some of the best works of reality TV to ever air. You should check it out. It may inspire you.
MTV: Fine. Here’s an announcement for a season that takes place completely on an island and goes totally in the opposite direction of the show’s formula and game structure. P.S. Have you watched this new show called I Love Money? We’re totally infatuated by how chauvinists can make domination throughout a game work more efficiently. You should check it out. It may have inspired us.
2009
Fans: Hey, MTV. This JEK Dynasty you’re trying to shove down our throats is getting out of hand. Could you slack off on that a little?
MTV: Fine. Here’s a season where the JEK Dynasty takes control over a team of champions and steamrolls over a team of non-champions from beginning to end. Plus, we’ll also throw in some raping-by-toothbrush and duct tape black eyes for good measure. If you’re not into that,… here’s a promo for a show that takes place in New Jersey, and all the cast members are carbon copies of that Kenny guy. I’m sure that will keep you occupied long-term.
Spring 2010
Fans: Hey, MTV. This Fresh Meat experiment you did a while back might have been a bad idea long-term. What it left us with now is staining the good name of The Real World/Road Rules Challenge.
MTV: Fine. Here’s a title alteration and a sequel to Fresh Meat.
Fall 2010
Fans: Hey, MTV. Road Rules is long gone now, and The Real World is starting to turn into a shell of itself. You can do a lot better than relying on Fresh Meat competitors to keep the talent pool fresh.
MTV: Fine. Here’s an import from that Spring Break mini-series we did not too long ago. So what if we just bring only one person and forget that its other newbies get completely forgotten? We have a good feeling that this one is going to be sticking around forever.
Winter 2012
Fans: Hey, MTV. That Rivals season you did last year was very good. We’re looking forward to seeing what you have in store for us next. Just keep it fresh.
MTV: Fine. Here’s the exact same thing, except with exes this time. Look, you even get Johnny winning the final AGAIN!
Fall 2012
Fans: Hey, MTV. We’re tired of these usual vets you got continuously appearing on these shows. Give us some new fresh blood. Not more Fresh Meat, but some Real World newbies that we might like.
MTV: Fine. Here’s a roster of mostly fresh rookies that you’ll definitely hate on a sequel to a season that’s so old, we can get away with not making it look like a sequel. Heck, we don’t even have the dignity to tack on the number 2 to the title.
January 2015
Fans: Hey, MTV. That Are You the One? show you’ve been promoting last year? It sucks. Can you make it go away forever?
MTV: Fine. Here’s an expansion to our Challenge casting pool to include cast members from Are You the One? in there!
December 2015
Fans: Hey, MTV. You’re actually including Are You the One? cast members on The Challenge now? Not cool! I’d hate to imagine how much lower you’ll stoop next.
MTV: Fine. Here’s a season where our competitors bring a relative to compete alongside with them.
Spring 2016
Fans: Hey, MTV. These pair-oriented seasons that try to recreate the formula of Rivals 1 are getting played out right now.
MTV: Fine. Here’s Rivals 3!
Summer 2016
Fans: Hey, MTV. Johnny Bananas is the worst human being to ever exist! I can’t believe you made him the face of your once-beloved show.
MTV: Fine. Here’s a plot twist that allows him to claim his Rivals 3 partner’s entire cut of the first-place cash prize for himself. Nothing like ego-boosting our golden boy more than we already should.
2017
Fans: Hey, MTV. Camila’s being racist on your show. You need to get her off your show now, before things get worse!
MTV: Fine. Here’s a $450,000 first-place cash prize just for her, which she won’t even be present to collect, because she assaulted one of our crew members on one of our spin-off shows.
2018
Fans: Hey, MTV. Dirty 30 got a little lame with its excessive use of cliffhangers and encouragement of playing dirty.
MTV: Fine. Here’s a spiritual trilogy to expand onto that.
2019
Fans: Hey, MTV. For all the times we’ve complained about expanding your casting pool, we have to admit you did some good with that last year. Those Big Brother people you brought on really brought a lot of the drama we come to expect from you guys, and we were fascinated with the inclusion of people from UK shows and people from your American versions of those UK shows. We’re interested in seeing where you go with this next, as long as you guys make your casting decisions wisely.
MTV: Fine. Here’s even more newbies from shows outside the MTV network and the United States. These new kids on the block include woman-haters, closeted Trumpies with racist backgrounds, weak personalities with short shelf-lives, and just for you Big Brother fans, JOSH MARTINEZ!
Winter 2020
Fans: Hey, MTV. War of the Worlds 2 was not your best. The domination of Cara Maria and Paulie’s cult and the allowing of so many people to skate to a final really got on our nerves. Even your cast members are speaking out against it. This may be the biggest sign that you need to change things.
MTV: Fine. Here’s a new season without Cara Maria and Paulie. In their place, a batch of competitors with little to no personality, an underground shelter theme, and a new rule of “go into elimination or don’t run the final” with the corniest concept you can imagine.
Summer 2020
Fans: Hey, MTV. We just discovered that Dee Nguyen has a past of being racist on Twitter. With the Black Lives Matter protests going on right now in the middle of a pandemic, we hope you guys use this opportunity to be a little more proactive.
MTV: Fine. Here’s a knee-jerk edit that cuts out Dee completely from the remaining episodes of this season at the expense of the drama you guys know to love.
December 2020
Fans: Hey, MTV. We hate the Red Skulls twist. It’s the stupidest thing you ever created, and that’s saying a lot.
MTV: Fine. Here’s that twist again, but this time, the skulls are golden.
Spring 2021
Fans: Hey, MTV. What the fuck are you doing? You’re ruining the show with that ridiculous spy theme, those gold skulls, those forgettable rookies from shows we don’t have access to in this country, blatant rigging in favor of particular competitors, unlikable veterans, and a lack of authentic drama. Something’s gotta change, or else we won’t tune in anymore. In fact, your show deserves to be cancelled.
MTV: Fine. Here’s the exact same thing again for next season, but no gold skulls this time. Just more ineptitude from our crew operations. If you don’t like it, we don’t give a flying fuck about what you think. There are plenty of Ridiculousness reruns we can air for the remaining time slots on our schedule. What is Music Television? Heck, we don’t even know what television is anymore.
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