The Challenge: World Championship is a spin-off of the reality competition series The Challenge. The series features notable veterans from the MTV flagship series competing alongside the winners and select contestants from four spin-off seasons: The Challenge Argentina: El Desafío, The Challenge: Australia, The Challenge: USA (season 1) and The Challenge UK.
The series is hosted by T. J. Lavin with the hosts of the three international adaptations of the series: Brihony Dawson, Mark Wright and Marley making a guest appearance in the premiere episode. Additionally, Dawson guest-hosted an episode while Lavin was inducted in the BMX Hall of Fame. The series premiered on Paramount+ on 8 March 2023.
Background In February 2022, a four international adaptations of The Challenge were announced to air later in the year: The Challenge: USA, The Challenge: Australia, The Challenge Argentina: El Desafío and The Challenge UK. The Challenge: World Championship is a special miniseries in which winners and select contestants of each series (known as "Global MVPs") compete alongside cast members from the MTV series (known as "Challenge legends").
In addition to the title of The Challenge: World Championship champions, the winners also receive US$500,000 (also displayed as ARG$89,475,607, A$726,638 and GBP£413,390).
Sol Pérez, the sole winner of The Challenge Argentina: El Desafío, was unable to receive the required yellow fever vaccination in time.
Format The Challenge: World Championship consists of a daily challenge, nomination process, winners' selection and an elimination round. The first episode had only the "MVPs" (contestants from the spin-off seasons) competing individually. After the first elimination, each MVP picked their "Legend" partner (players from the flagship series) based on the order they completed the "Qualifier" challenge. Afterwards, the format of the game is as follows: Daily Challenge: Teams compete in a daily challenge where the last-place team is automatically sent to the elimination round. The winning team is immune and earns the ability to select a second team to compete in the elimination round between the two teams later selected at nominations. Nominations: Teams, besides the winners and last-place team of the daily challenge, vote for two teams to compete in the elimination round. The two teams that receive the most votes are nominated for elimination. For episode 11, teams only vote for one team instead of two. Eliminations ("The Arena"): At the Arena, the winners from the daily challenge vote between the two nominated teams to select the second team to compete in the elimination round against the last-place team. The winners of the elimination round remain in the competition while the defeated team is eliminated.
Contestants Male contestants Known for Finish Jordan Wiseley The Real World: Portland Winner Danny McCray Survivor 41 Runner-up Troy Cullen Australian Ninja Warrior 4 Third place Theo Campbell Love Island UK 3 Fourth place Yes Duffy Road Rules: Semester at Sea Episode 11 Darrell Taylor Road Rules: Campus Crawl Episode 10 Tristan Phipps Made in Chelsea 16 Episode 9 Benjamín "Benja" Alfonso Actor Episode 8 Ben Driebergen Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers Episode 8 Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio The Real World: Key West Episode 7 Grant Crapp Love Island Australia 1 Episode 6 Wes Bergmann The Real World: Austin Episode 6 Rodrigo "Rodri" Cascón Celebrity chef Episode 4 Nelson Thomas Are You the One? 3 Episode 3 Nathan Henry Geordie Shore 10 Episode 1 Female contestants Known for Finish Kaz Crossley Love Island UK 4 Winner Tori Deal Are You the One? 4 Runner-up Kaycee Clark Big Brother 20 Third place Sarah Lacina Survivor: Cagayan Fourth place Emily Seebohm Olympian Episode 11 Kiki Morris The Bachelor Australia 4 Episode 10 KellyAnne Judd The Real World: Sydney Episode 9 Jodi Weatherton Road Rules: X-Treme Episode 8 Amber Borzotra Big Brother 16 Episode 8 Justine Ndiba Love Island USA 2 Episode 7 Jonna Mannion The Real World: Cancun Episode 6 Zara Zoffany The Royal World Episode 6 Nia Moore The Real World: Portland Episode 4 Sofia "Jujuy" Jiménez Dancing with the Stars Argentina 2018 Episode 3 Claudia Albertario Model and actress Episode 1
Draft selections After the first elimination, each Global MVP drafted their partner for the season from the Challenge Legends in the order they finished the "Qualifier" challenge. Pick #Global MVPChallenge LegendTeamGrant CrappJonna Stephens Grant & JonnaZara ZoffanyWes Bergmann Wes & ZaraBen DriebergenKaycee Clark Ben & KayceeKaz CrossleyJordan Wiseley Jordan & KazDanny McCrayTori Deal Danny & ToriJustine NdibaJohnny "Bananas" Devenanzio Bananas & JustineBenjamin "Benja" AlfonsoJodi Weatherton Benja & JodiKiki MorrisDarrell Taylor Darrell & KikiRodrigo "Rodri" CascónNia Moore Nia & RodrigoEmily SeebohmYes Duffy Emily & YesTroy CullenAmber Borzotra Amber & TroySarah LacinaTheo Campbell Sarah & TheoTristan PhippsKellyAnne Judd KellyAnne & TristanSofia "Jujuy" JiménezNelson Thomas Jujuy & Nelson
Each pair was also given team names of Team Argentina, Team Australia, Team UK or Team USA based on the nationality/spin-off season of the Global MVP: Team Argentina Team Australia Team UK Team USA
Gameplay Challenge games Qualifier: In a special challenge, each MVP individually undergoes a race around the Cape Town Stadium, completing five checkpoints along the way. The first male and female MVPs to finish wins while the last-place male and female MVPs are automatically sent to the Arena. Additionally, the order MVPs finish determine the order they draft their partner for the season after the first elimination. Checkpoint 1 (Eat Your Heart Out): Players must consume a foul-tasting meal and two vegan shakes. Checkpoint 2 (Hammer It Home): Players must use a sledgehammer to hit a tyre proportional to their bodyweight to the end of a lane. Checkpoint 3 (On a Roll): Players must use a large cement cylinder to roll across a track without touching the ground. Checkpoint 4 (Weight for It): Players must arrange several weighted cylinders from lightest to heaviest, where the characters printed on the cylinders form an alphanumeric code. They must then recreate the code using tiles at a nearby solving station. Checkpoint 5 (Plant Your Flag): Players must roll a heavy flagpole with their national flag across a field and plant it at the end to finish. Winners: Grant & Zara Chain Game: Teams race across several sand dunes to a shipwreck. From the shipwreck, teams must drag a chain to one of several puzzles, which they must solve by looping the chain around poles to match the diagram. The further the puzzle is from the shipwreck, the easier it is to solve. After solving a puzzle, teams race back to the shipwreck to ring a bell. The first team to finish wins while the last-place team is automatically sent to the Arena. Winners: Grant & Jonna Gates of Hell: Each round, teams race to the end of a corridor before a gate closes to progress to the next round, and are eliminated from the challenge if one or both team members do not reach the end in time. The last team standing wins. In the event of a stalemate after multiple rounds, a tiebreaker round is held where the first team member to reach the gate wins the challenge for their team. To determine last-place if multiple teams are eliminated in the same round, the last contestant to reach the gate loses the challenge and their team is automatically sent to the Arena. Winners: Wes & Zara Flying Around: To begin, each team member must drink a foul-tasting smoothie in two minutes; teams receive a five-point penalty for the challenge if they cannot finish the smoothie in time and/or a two-point penalty if they regurgitate any of the smoothie. Afterwards, one team member is harnessed on the arm of a spinning excavator. They must catch rings their partner throws to them and attempt to land them in a container in the middle of the field. The team with the most rings scored wins while the last-place team is automatically sent to the Arena. Winners: Darrell & Kiki Rocketman: One team member begins on one end of a giant inflatable airbag. Their partner must jump from a platform onto the other side of the airbag, attempting to launch them over three crossbars at varying heights. The more crossbars teams clear, the more seconds are deducted from their overall time. After landing in the water, each team member swims to collect one puzzle piece at separate platforms before combining them to solve a puzzle onshore and stop their time. The team with the fastest overall time wins while the twhile the last-place team is automatically sent to the Arena. Winners: KellyAnne & Tristan Tunnel Time: Each Challenge Legend begins chained to a pole. Their Global MVP partner must grab a glowstick, enter a dark tunnel under the Castle of Good Hope and count the flags of Argentina, Australia, the UK and the United States on the walls. Afterwards, they must return to their board, multiply each flag's count by the provided number, then sum the four products to determine the code to unlock their partner. Teams then ring a nearby bell to stop their time, and there is a 45-minute time limit before teams time out. The team with the fastest time wins while the last-place team is automatically sent to the Arena. If multiple teams time out, last place is determined by how many correct numbers they have on their board. Winners: Emily & Yes Ripcord Roulette: Played in three heats, teams begin suspended off the side of a building with five ripcords in front of them, and are asked trivia questions one at a time. If they answer correctly, they can a force another team to pull one of their ripcords. However, teams must pull one of their own ripcords if they answer incorrectly. Four of the ripcords are "dummies" while the fifth one drops teams if pulled, eliminating them from the heat. The last team standing in each heat advance to the winner's round while the first team to drop in each heat must participate in an additional loser's round. The last team standing in the winner's round wins while the first team dropped in the loser's round is automatically sent to the Arena. Winners: KellyAnne & Tristan Highway Hijacking: Inspired by the upcoming film Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. One team member begins harnessed on top of a speeding truck while their partner begins in a super buggy inside the truck's trailer. The team member harnessed on the truck must jump onto an adjacent truck, collect a key and use it to unlock a detonator which opens the back of the truck's trailer when hit. After the detonator is hit, the team member in the super buggy must drive through the back of the trailer and to the finish line. The team with the fastest time wins while the last-place team is automatically sent to the Arena. Additionally, the winners also receive tickets to the world premiere of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. Winners: Jordan & Kaz Points Break: While tethered together, teams swim to six platforms in a lake to collect six of their puzzle pieces and return them to shore, one at a time. After collecting all six pieces, teams use them to solve a triangular puzzle, and must then correctly answer a question about the puzzle asking how many triangles it contains. Teams have three attempts to answer before they are disqualified from the challenge. The first team to finish wins while the last-place team is automatically sent to the Arena. Winners: Emily & Yes