The Challenge Historian

The Challenge USA is back! At the tail end of a nearly 20 hour road trip this Challenge Historian pulls out the computer to give his thoughts (better late than never, right) on this premiere episode! Michele and Josh take center stage, Bananas doesn't give the toast, Desi is the best, the Hopper is actually kind of cool, romances brewing, rivalries renewed, teams in shambles off the jump, and a wh...

It took us 38 seasons of the Challenge to introduce the third best partner concept in Challenge History, Ride or Dies, but what if we would have done it sooner? What if the OGs got a chance to compete with their besties to win that life changing sum of money? That is what we are here to debate. On the final of our three part series of OG fantasy casting the best partner themes in Challenge history...

We are one week away from the premiere of Challenge USA 2 which means we've got some previewing and some predicting to do! This brand new seasons sees MTV legends finally get to crossover to those sweet airwaves of CBS to bring some of the "Varsity" players into the "Junior Varsity" world (as someone like Bananas might say). Join the Challenge Historian as he breaks down the cast, the trailer, the...

Rivals is the greatest theme in Challenge history (or in any reality competition shows history for that matter). It's a perfect blend of everything that makes The Challenge and Reality TV great, and it gave us five exceptional seasons (Vendettas and Final Reckoning count y'all). But what if they would have pulled this epic theme out a little bit earlier in the timeline? What if some of the messies...

Battle of the Exes is one of the all time best themes for a Challenge season. But what if we didn't have to wait until season 22 for them to debut it? This Challenge Historian decided to put on his time traveling producer hat and put together a fantasy cast for what a Battle of the Exes OGs Edition would have looked like. This will be the first in a three part series looking at OG editions of the...

The Flagship show lives! Filming is under way for The Challenge Season 39 and the cast has been made official which means WE'VE GOT REACTIONS! It's a polarizing group to say the least, as the casting department has gone young, inexperienced, and international. What's this Historian think about this potential new direction? Who do I love seeing back? I cover those thoughts and so much more in this...

Have you ever debated your Challenge "Mount Rushmore?" Or any pop culture "Mount Rushmore" for that matter? Well I'm guessing that A) you have, and B) you did it wrong. Why? Because we as a society get the "Mount Rushmore" analogy all wrong. Tune into this episode to hear how we get it wrong, a history lesson on what the actual Mount Rushmore is, the criteria for a true Challenge Mount Rushmore, a...

The first ever (and last ever?) World Champions were crowned last week and this Challenge Historian is back one more time to talk the entire season as a whole and hand out some awards! Full season recap and awards, topics include: Intro, Programming Notes, Rewatch Series Updates (00:00) Did It Work and Ranking the Six Seasons (07:38) What I liked, Disliked, and Wish I Could Have Changed (17:37) Is...

A Final where we don’t see large portions of it? No, never! Plus: Theo continues the unfortunate rolled ankles in a final streak, Troy puts a Champion on his back - literally, Tori and Danny seem to get exactly the position Tori wanted all along, Kaz and Jordan dominate, and the wardrobe department finally does TJ dirty with that oversized but still awesome conductor outfit! It’s The Challenge Wor...

Of course TJ wasn’t going to let a World Championship happen without a Hall Brawl, we should have known! Plus: Jordan’s deal gets exposed, Emily gets to swim one more time, Troy and Kaycee can’t catch a break, Sarah has to pick between her besties, TJ saves his tricks for the end, and Aussie on Aussie crime comes to its logical conclusion! It’s the Challenge World Championships Episode 11 Recap, t...

Instant reactions (almost a month later) to the official cast for Challenge USA 2. They set off awhile back to film, we got the official list of who made it into the house and who is there as alternates, and I of course have a lot of opinions! This cast list has some things I loved (Paulie is back), some things I didn't love (no Jonathan, Tori or Noelle from Survivor), and some things I was confus...

Kiki you are not just a legend you are an icon and we will never forget it! Plus: Emily drags Yes to victory, Tori feels guilty to the point of volunteering for elimination, Sarah and Theo stay chilling, Kaycee and Troy stay the front runners, and Jordan makes a massive blunder follows that up by being a horrible teammate then saves it all by making a secret deal behind everyone's backs! It’s the...

Queen KellyAnne bows out and the season has lost its probable MVP! Plus: Danny and Tori actually agree on something, Emily brushes off a horrific crash at the sickest challenge of the season, Jordan completely shuts out his partner Kaz, and Kiki teaches Darrell Aussie lingo before he teaches her Tangerine puzzles! It’s the Challenge World Championships Episode 9 Recap, topics include: Cold Open (0...

Everyone is sick but for very different reasons! Plus: the sun sets on team Argentina, the worst version of trivia I’ve maybe ever seen, we’ve got a new super team and everyone should be nervous, Emily vs Kiki finally hits maximum velocity, Sarah says what most of us are thinking, and Danny and Tori just can not get on the same page, and my goodness is it hilarious! It’s the Challenge World Champi...

Jordan finally gets his Bananas redemption! Plus: my sneaky dark horses Emily and Yes step right on into the spotlight, Tori is doing everything she can to regain control of the house, USA gets the band back together for the briefest of moments, the MVPs must go it alone, everyones starting to get sick, Kaz and Theo are two mature adults, and KellyAnne puts on a masterclass in political planning t...

Grant jumps and misses, Bananas and Sarah butt heads, Tori and Danny would like to pass their vote, Amber finally has friends which leads to the Aussies being in shambles, KellyAnne gets to be her authentic self, both All Stars 3 winners are eliminated in the same episode, and did everyone in the cast not realize what an olympic gold medal in swimming meant? Of course she’s way freaking faster tha...

Move over Bananas, the real captain save a show is here and his name is Danny “Kiki’s Husband” McCray! Plus: Wes miscalculates, Kaycee speaks up, KellyAnne and Jodi are maybe out of the firing line, Grant doesn’t give a flying you know what about Jordan and Tori’s past, same as Sarah and Emily really don’t give a flying you know what about Jordan and Tori’s past, a stalemate is reached, and Kiki a...

Not sure if you know this, but Wes is kind of a big deal... Plus: The Kangaroo court may be in session but it is certainly not in power, Danny is not about to spend a season feeling like the third most powerful person in a two person team, Bananas claims he never stabs in the back, Brihony fills in as TJ gets inducted, Argentina continues to be the easy target, Zara and Wes prove their position in...

A blatant and pointless backstab has the Challenge house on edge! Plus: Danny and Sarah are skeptical of all the legends (partners included), Tori seems to think she’ll eventually get to be partnered with Jordan, Ben films a cleaning only edition of MTV Cribs, Benja reminds Jodi that she is amazing, then does so again, and again, and again, and again... Nelson and Jujuy can’t get momentum, and did...

Poor performance mixed with isolation leads KellyAnne into a potential death spiral of paranoia! Plus: Jonna is the top draft pick, Bananas is the third draft pick, did I mention we had a Challenge draft? Hell yes we had a Challenge draft! Wes’ school of strategy is in session, Sarah remains a certified mob boss, Yes makes a rare political appearance, and Nelson and Jujuy are the most fun loving p...

You don’t fuck with the icon that is Kiki, you just don’t, certainly not on day 1! Plus: the legends get to sit back and watch, Sarah the villain is already delivering, UK and Australia get caught off guard, Wes somehow hits a new level of bravado, scouting reports are compiled, I was maybe wrong about Grant, and the show loses a potential MVP to a medical pull on day one why the fuck does this ha...

The Challenge World Championship begins next week! The culmination of this year long saga has come and we've got to preview every last bit of it! First we take a quick look back to discuss how we got to this point, which seasons worked or didn't, what factors and formats worked or didn't. Then we spend some time looking ahead and preview the format of the show, every cast member, possible alliance...

A one minute difference across six hours of competition, what an absolute nail biter! Plus: Mark Wright maybe wants TJ's job, AJ and Arabella bow out first, puzzles prove yet again to be the great equalizer, Nathan continues being pure entertainment, and always, ALWAYS put the car in neutral before pushing it, everyone knows that! It’s the Challenge UK episode 5 recap aka the final recap, plus a f...

Warning to all future Olympians to enter the Challenge house: avoid Balls In at all costs! Plus: we finally get some Kaz in our lives, AJ turns the tables on those who’ve thrown him in prior, Callum and Ella put a label on it… maybe, Tristan has come out of his shell, and in a virtuoso performance Nathan maybe freezes his penis off, holds a friendship hostage but not really, has his bromance come...

The arena has officially been dubbed the Pritchard House of Dominance! Plus: Nathan is friends with everyone, Tristan remains under the radar, Ella remains the best, no one seems to care that Kaz is dominating, Ashley gets himself a win and his mate a loss, and everyone get on the old scary truck, it's time for the spooky town challenge! It’s the Challenge UK Episode 3 recap, topics include: Cold...