The Challenge: Final Reckoning is the 32nd season of the MTV reality competition series The Challenge. This season featured alumni from The Real World, Road Rules, The Challenge, Are You the One?, the U.S. version of Big Brother, and the U.K. television shows Ex on the Beach and Geordie Shore, competing along with, for the first time, alumni from Bad Girls Club and Vanderpump Rules who appeared on the U.S. version of Ex on the Beach. The season premiered on July 10, 2018 on MTV.
Format Contestants are competing in pairs with someone they have a vendetta against (i.e. a rival or ex), who are unknown to them until they successfully survive the Opening Challenge. The elements of the game are as follows:
Daily Missions: Each round, the pairs compete in a challenge. The winning team is immune from elimination and has the "Power Vote" in the Reckoning Vote. Reckoning Vote: Following the Daily Mission, teams have to secretly vote one of the losing pairs for the Elimination Round. The "Power Vote" counts as two votes, but may only be cast on one team. Elimination Rounds (Armageddon): At the "Armageddon", the results of the Reckoning Vote are revealed to the players. In the event of a tied vote, the pair holding the "Power Vote" hold the tie-breaking vote (but should they not be able to reach a decision, then they become the nominated pair). The teams who voted for the nominated team are also revealed, and the nominated team has to call-out a non-immune team who voted for them. The two teams then face each other in the Armageddon. The losing pair is eliminated, while the winners stay in the game.
In the end, the Final Four teams compete in the Final Challenge for $1,000,000, with the winning team taking it all. Unbeknownst to the contestants until the final challenge, the person who accrues a faster time during aspects of the final challenge that are individually timed has a choice between keeping all the money to themselves or sharing it with their partner.
Twists Redemption House: Similar to XXX: Dirty 30, the "Redemption House" gives eliminated teams a chance to re-enter the main game. Periodically, the teams in Redemption House participate in a Double Cross Draw. The team who picked the XX Card will challenge a fellow Redemption pair to an "Apocalypse Challenge", while the teams not picked are officially eliminated from the game and are sent home. The winning team from the "Apocalypse Challenge" returns to the main game, while the losing team stays in "Redemption House", awaiting the next Draw & Challenge. Purges: Some challenges are designated as Purges, where the losing team is immediately eliminated, while the winning team gains an advantage for the next Daily Mission. Mercenaries: For some of the Elimination Rounds, the Nominated pairs have to face a Mercenary team - late entrants into the game who compete to earn their spot in the game.
Contestants Male contestants Original season Finish Hunter Barfield Are You the One? 3 Winner Joss MooneyEx on the Beach UK 1 Runner-upPaulie CalafioreBig Brother 18 Third placeJohnny "Bananas" DevenanzioThe Real World: Key West Episode 19 Tony Raines Real World: Skeletons Episode 19 Nelson Thomas Are You the One? 3 Episode 17 Shane Landrum Road Rules: Campus Crawl Episode 17 Cory Wharton Real World: Ex-PlosionEpisode 17 Devin Walker-MolaghanAre You the One? 3Episode 17Jozea FloresBig Brother 18Episode 13Zach NicholsThe Real World: San Diego (2011)Episode 13Brad FiorenzaThe Real World: San Diego (2004) Episode 12Kyle ChristieGeordie Shore 8 Episode 12 Derrick HenryAre You the One? 5Episode 7Chris "CT" TamburelloThe Real World: ParisEpisode 5 Chuck MoweryAre You the One? 3Episode 1 Female contestants Original season Finish Ashley MitchellReal World: Ex-Plosion Winner Sylvia ElsrodeReal World: Skeletons Runner-upNatalie NegrottiBig Brother 18 Third place Cara Maria SorbelloThe Challenge: Fresh Meat IIFourth place Marie RodaThe Real World: St. ThomasFourth place Kam WilliamsAre You the One? 5Episode 18 Kayleigh MorrisEx on the Beach UK 2Episode 18 Da'Vonne RogersBig Brother 17Episode 13 Amanda Garcia Are You the One? 3Episode 13 Angela BabiczBad Girls Club: Twisted SistersEpisode 8 Faith StowersVanderpump RulesEpisode 8 Tori DealAre You the One? 4 Episode 7 Veronica PortilloRoad Rules: Semester at SeaEpisode 5 Kailah CasillasReal World: Go Big or Go Home Episode 2 Melissa ReevesEx on the Beach UK 2Episode 2 Britni Thornton Are You the One? 3Episode 1 Jemmye CarrollThe Real World: New Orleans (2010)Episode 1 Jenna Compono Real World: Ex-PlosionEpisode 1
Teams Team Partner 1 Partner 2 Amanda & ZachAmanda GarciaZach Nichols Angela & FaithAngela BabiczFaith Stowers Ashley & HunterAshley MitchellHunter Barfield Bananas & TonyJohnny "Bananas" DevenanzioTony Raines Brad & KyleBrad FiorenzaKyle Christie Britni & ChuckBritni ThorntonChuck Mowery Cara Maria & MarieCara Maria SorbelloMarie Roda Cory & DevinCory WhartonDevin Walker-Molaghan CT & VeronicaChris "CT" TamburelloVeronica Portillo Da'Vonne & JozeaDa'Vonne RogersJozea Flores Derrick & ToriDerrick HenryTori Deal Jemmye & JennaJemmye CarrollJenna Compono Joss & SylviaJoss MooneySylvia Elsrode Kailah & KayleighKailah CasillasKayleigh Morris Kam & MelissaKam WilliamsMelissa Reeves Natalie & PaulieNatalie NegrottiPaulie Calafiore Nelson & ShaneNelson ThomasShane Landrum
Pre-season team backgrounds Male teams Bananas & Tony: The two initially bonded on Rivals III. Their alliance would remain strong until Vendettas, when Tony voted Bananas into an elimination, which he lost. Brad & Kyle: The two first met on Vendettas, where Brad used a grenade to make Kyle sit out of a challenge. Kyle's team eventually lost the challenge and Kyle declared Brad would be his "biggest vendetta". Cory & Devin: Tension between the two began on Rivals III when the two got into a heated argument at a bar. Their conflict carried on later in the night when they returned to the house, with producers and Devin's teammate Cheyenne eventually stepping in to get Devin to stop antagonizing Cory. They later solidified their rivalry on XXX: Dirty 30 after Cory voted Devin straight to the Redemption House following the first purge, claiming Devin couldn't be trusted. Nelson & Shane: Despite aligning with many of the same people, Nelson and Shane have a long history of butting heads, stemming back to Invasion of the Champions. Nelson eventually eliminated Shane in the Underdog Bloodbath, and Shane accused him of tricking his friend Cory in the elimination, causing Cory and Nelson to nearly get into a physical altercation. The two also got into a heated confrontation on Vendettas, though it was only shown in the trailer.
Female/male teams Amanda & Zach: On Invasion of the Champions, Amanda spread a rumor that Zach's then-ex-girlfriend Jenna hooked up with Bruno Bettencourt before Zach arrived. This created tension between Zach and Jenna, who were in the process of rekindling their relationship. Ashley & Hunter: Ashley and Hunter had a romantic fling on Invasion of the Champions. Eventually, tensions between the two exploded: Ashley said she was using Hunter to advance in the game, and Hunter called Ashley disposable. Britni & Chuck: The two were inseparable on their season of Are You the One?, despite finding out that they were not a perfect match. After the show, the two began a relationship, with Britni moving to Hawaii to be with Chuck. However, Chuck suddenly walked out on Britni prior to her appearance on Vendettas, though she would ultimately rebound with Brad. CT & Veronica: On XXX: Dirty 30, before voting her into elimination, CT claimed that Veronica was weak and nobody would want her on their team. Veronica won the elimination round, later secured her team the victory at the next challenge, and sent CT straight to Redemption. Da'Vonne & Jozea: Despite being teammates, Da'Vonne orchestrated Jozea's eviction on Big Brother 18 after he admitted to her that he wanted to get rid of all the veteran players. Da'Vonne, who was a returning player, immediately told Head of Household and fellow veteran Nicole Franzel of Jozea's plan, which resulted in her targeting him that week. Derrick & Tori: The two first met on Are You The One? Second Chances, though the two were invested in other relationships. However, by the time the two appeared on XXX: Dirty 30, they had begun dating. After Derrick was eliminated, Tori cheated on him with Jordan Wiseley. While discussing their relationship at the reunion, Tori claimed Derrick hacked into her phone, a claim that Derrick denied. Joss & Sylvia: On Vendettas, Joss and Sylvia were initially friendly, with a mutual attraction forming between the pair. However, Joss burned a bridge with Sylvia when he and Brad chose to vote her into elimination to save themselves after a challenge in which Sylvia did all the work. Though a remorseful Joss tried to reason with Sylvia that it was purely a gameplay move, Sylvia lashed out, not wanting to hear his explanation. Natalie & Paulie: Natalie and Paulie never aligned with each other on Big Brother 18, with Natalie voting to evict Paulie the first week, and Paulie nominated Natalie during his second Head of Household reign. However, tension between the two exploded during the seventh week of the game when Paulie began targeting Natalie after she questioned his intentions with his showmance Zakiyah Everett. Paulie began making numerous derogatory comments towards Natalie, calling her "F.T." (fake tits) in reference to Natalie's breast implants and infamously telling her that, "[she's] about as fake as those things on your chest." Natalie then aligned with Bridgette Dunning and Michelle Meyer to evict Everett from the house, before organizing Paulie's eviction the next week.
Female teams Angela & Faith: Tension between the two began on the first season of Ex on the Beach when Faith went on a date with Angela's love interest Tor'i Brooks. Faith and Tor'i took body shots while on their date, which Tor'i later hid from Angela. At the following elimination ceremony, tensions between the two cliques erupted, as Angela, Tor'i, Cory and Taylor Selfridge attempted to send home Alicia Wright, while the rest of the group wanted to send home Chelsko Thompson. During the ensuing argument, Faith told Angela what really occurred on her date with Tor'i, leading to Angela angrily proclaiming that she wanted to go home. Cara Maria & Marie: On XXX: Dirty 30, Cara Maria orchestrated Marie's elimination, claiming that she was untrustworthy. Though they tried to put the past behind them on Vendettas, the two became involved in a love triangle with Kyle, as both girls expressed an attraction towards him. Though Marie got him first, Kyle ultimately left her for Cara Maria. Jenna & Jemmye: Jenna saved Jemmye from the first purge on XXX: Dirty 30. A few episodes later, Jemmye pulled the double cross and sent Jenna into elimination against her friend Kailah. A blindsided Jenna lost the elimination round, though she returned after winning the first redemption challenge. At the next challenge, when Jenna was given the opportunity to create the pairings, she chose to pair Jemmye with Ammo in revenge. Kailah & Kayleigh: After it was discovered that Kayleigh had kissed Bananas earlier in the season on Vendettas, Kailah, along with Jemmye and Britni, threw Kayleigh's bed and suitcase over a balcony to evict her from the room where Natalie was staying. Kayleigh later quit the game after feeling bullied by the girls. Kam & Melissa: On Vendettas, Kam and Melissa got into a heated argument that nearly turned physical, after Kam tried to tell a drunken Melissa about her reputation in the house. An attempt to clear the air the following only led to another argument between the two. After being eliminated, Melissa returned for the final challenge as a mercenary and awarded Kam with a grenade punishment that had ultimately cost her a spot in the Final 4.