The Challenge: Vets & New Threats is the 41st season of the MTV reality competition series The Challenge, featuring alumni from Road Rules, The Real World, The Challenge, Are You the One?, Big Brother (U.S. and Australia), Survivor (U.S. and Turkey), Love Island (U.S. and UK), WWE, Too Hot to Handle, Cheer, Married at First Sight (UK), Canada's Ultimate Challenge, and boxing competing for a share of $500,000. A launch special titled "Day Zero" aired on July 23, 2025, followed by the season premiere on July 30, 2025.
Format Vets & New Threats features 16 "Vets" who have previously competed on The Challenge, and 16 "New Threats" making their debut on the series. The season has contestants competing in challenges as male-female pairs, each comprising one Vet and one New Threat (unless otherwise impossible). The initial pairs were determined by a draft after a special challenge during the "Day Zero" launch special.
From episodes 1–8, each episode is designated as either a male or female elimination cycle, with the first cycle determined by a coin toss: Daily challenges: Contestants compete in a challenge as male-female pairs. The winning team is immune and receives the power to either save another team from the elimination round (if contestant numbers are even) or nominate a team to potentially compete in the elimination round (if numbers are uneven). The last-place team is automatically sent to the elimination round, where the team member of the designated gender will compete. Nominations (The Judgement): Teams who did not win or place last in the daily challenge (collectively the "Jury") vote for a contestant of the designated gender to compete in the elimination round against the same-gender contestant from the last-place team. For episodes where numbers are even, all non-immune contestants are eligible to be voted for. For episodes where numbers are uneven, and as a result there is a Hangnail, the Jury vote between the Hangnail and the same-gender contestant from the team nominated by the daily challenge winners. Eliminations (The Arena): The contestant voted in by the Jury individually competes in an elimination round against the same-gender contestant from the last-place team. The winner remains in the competition while the defeated contestant is eliminated. Afterwards, new pairs are determined for the next cycle of the competition.
In episode 9, contestants competed in an individual challenge for a final chance to earn Performance Points, before choosing a partner for the rest of the season. From episodes 10–17, contestants compete in challenges and eliminations as pairs. The winners of daily challenges are immune while the last-place team is automatically sent to the Arena, where they compete against the team voted in at nominations. Afterwards, the final four teams compete in the Final Challenge to determine the champions of the season. Twists The Selection: During the launch special, contestants had to race up and down a mountain to reach the cast accommodation for the season. Their placements determined the order they got to draft their initial partner ahead of the first daily challenge. Similarly, after each elimination in episode 1–7, contestants select a new partner for the next cycle in the order they placed in the daily challenge. Performance Points: From episodes 1–9, the top eight contestants/teams of daily challenges earn points based on their placements. Two points are also awarded to the winner of each elimination round, including wins by default. The points determined the order contestants select their teammate during the "Lock In", with ties broken based on who achieved higher placements. The Lock In: At the end of episode 9, contestants select a partner for the "rest of the season," with the selection order determined by the amount of Performance Points they have. Hangnail: From episodes 1–8, a contestant whose partner was eliminated, and as a result there are uneven numbers for the next episode, is considered a "Hangnail". The Hangnail is not paired up for the next episode, does not compete in the daily challenge and automatically becomes the nominee for the Jury vote against the same-gender contestant nominated by the daily challenge winners. Stake a Claim: From episode 10, contestants have the chance to "claim" a new partner ahead of nominations, with only one claim available for each team. If a contestant uses the claim, they compete in a challenge against the current teammate of their desired partner. If they win, they form a new team with their desired partner, leaving the two former teammates to also form a new team. However, if the claimer loses, they and their original partner are automatically sent to the Arena in place of a nomination vote. The twist was also offered during the Final Challenge, albeit with no subsequent elimination round and teams were not beholden to one Vet and one New Threat.
Contestants Male contestants Original season Finish The Amazing Race 35Winner Survivor Turkey 8Runner-up Big Brother 26Third place Love Island UK 3Fourth place CheerEpisode 17 Are You the One? 9Episode 16 Love Island UK 7Episode 15 Love Island USA 5Episode 14 The Real World: Las Vegas (2011)Episode 13 Road Rules: X-TremeEpisode 12 WWEEpisode 11 The Real World: ParisEpisode 10 The Real World: CancunEpisode 8 Boxer and commentatorEpisode 5 The Real World: Key WestEpisode 4 Ex on the Beach UK 2Episode 1 Female contestants Original season Finish Love Island USA 3 Winner Survivor 41Runner-up Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen XThird place Married at First Sight UK 8Fourth place The Real World: Las Vegas (2011)Episode 17 Real World/Road Rules Challenge: Fresh MeatEpisode 16 The Real World: ChicagoEpisode 15 Real World: Ex-PlosionEpisode 14 Big Brother 25Episode 13 Survivor 45Episode 12 The Real World: CancunEpisode 11 Big Brother Australia 2023Episode 10 Too Hot to Handle 3Episode 7 Canada's Ultimate Challenge 2Episode 6 The Challenge: Fresh Meat IIEpisode 5 The Real World: PortlandEpisode 3 Big Brother 25Episode 2
Gameplay Challenge games Mud Ball Madness: Twice during the challenge, a helicopter drops hundreds of colored balls into a mud pit. With both team members tethered together, teams must retrieve as many balls as they can and place them in their container outside the pit to score points. Different colored balls are worth different point values. The team that scores the most points wins while the team that scores the fewest points is automatically sent to the Arena. Winners: Bananas & Dee Side by Side: Teams enter a giant pit which has side-by-side vehicles repeatedly speeding over the gap above. They must memorize a series of colored symbols located on the underside of the vehicles, which are only visible while the vehicles are mid-air, and replicate it using pieces at their station outside the pit. The first team to finish wins while the last-place team is automatically sent to the Arena. Winners: Leka & Turbo Water Tower: One team member swims to a platform where they must solve a slide puzzle. Meanwhile, their partner must swim to a tall container with climbing holds on the outside, climb up to retrieve a flag, jump into the container and dive out the bottom before bringing the flag to the slide puzzle. Teams are disqualified from the challenge if the team member at the container falls off, or is unable to dive out. The team with the fastest time wins while the last-place team is automatically sent to the Arena. Winners: Justin & Olivia Amazed: Held across two heats, teams must search a shipping container maze for a Sudoku puzzle, solve it, and return to the entrance. The further in a puzzle is, the easier it is to solve, and there is a 45-minute 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 teams placed on their puzzle. Winners: Ben & Michaela Dirtballer: Inspired by the film Him, teams must dig up three goalposts, transport them across a field and replant them in the ground to assemble a goal. Afterwards, one team member must kick a football and score a field goal. The first team to finish wins while the last-place team is automatically sent to the Arena. Winners: Jake & Michaela Runes My Life: Teams must swim to a rope ladder, climb up to a structure and then climb down five connected pillars or nets to collect rune tiles. After collecting all five tiles, teams must solve a puzzle before swimming back to the start. Both team members must complete the challenge's components for a team's attempt to count, and teams time-out if they are unable to complete the challenge after a certain time. The team with the fastest time wins while the last-place team is automatically sent to the Arena. If multiple teams are unable to finish, last-place is determined by progress in the challenge made by both team members. Winners: Leo & Sydney Drive Me Crazy: To begin, one team member drives a go-kart five laps around a racetrack. Once complete, their partner has five minutes to solve a puzzle. If they cannot solve the puzzle in this time, the driver must complete another five laps before they can continue solving for another five minutes. After solving a puzzle or timing out after 15 minutes, team members switch roles and repeat this process until they complete or time out all four puzzles. Afterwards, one team member must drive a final lap. The first team to finish wins while the last-place team is automatically sent to the Arena. Winners: Leo & Nany Cyclone: Held across three heats, teams begin on a spinning container suspended above water, which has climbing holds mounted to the outside. Each team has five blocks which they attempt to transfer to a ledge at the top of the container. Once teams transfer all five blocks or have both team members fall into the water, they must swim to a platform to have their time stopped. The team with the most blocks transferred wins, with ties broken based on time to determine placements, while the last-place team is automatically sent to the Arena. Winners: Sydney & Yeremi Broken Dreams: In a special challenge worth 1.5 times the usual Performance Points, contestants individually complete a "mini-final" up a trail, which has five checkpoints along the way. Checkpoint #1: Contestants must memorize symbols painted on rocks along the trail, match the symbols to numbers on a board then solve a math equation with the corresponding numbers. Checkpoint #2: Contestants use the answer from the previous checkpoint to unlock a box containing an onion, garlic, ginger and a chilli pepper, which they must consume. Checkpoint #3: Contestants must solve a puzzle tower by rotating a stack of puzzle pieces until they all line up. Checkpoint #4: Contestants must hang sections of chain together to form ten chains of equal lengths. Checkpoint #5: Contestants must solve a riddle and collect letters from half a mile () away, one at a time, to spell out the answer. Winners: None Fast Thinking: Held across three heats, each team member begins on a stair climber machine over water, set to the lowest speed. In each heat, contestants are asked up to 18 multiple-choice trivia questions. If they answer a question incorrectly, the speed of their machine increases. Contestants are eliminated from the challenge and can no longer answer questions if they fall into the water or hold the machine to balance themselves. The team with the most correct answers wins, with ties broken based on time lasted on the machine, while the last-place team is automatically sent to the Arena. Winners: Cedric & Michaela