S01.E01: Run the World

[shantown]

Quote

Host TJ Lavin brings together the most decorated Challenge Legends of all time and the fiercest Global MVPs from Argentina, Australia, the UK, and the USA for a groundbreaking and grueling new competition.

Airs March 8 on Paramount+
(and looks like the premiere will be shown on MTV at 8pm as well)

[AntFTW]

1) I’ve been saying for a long time how Nelson is an idiot and he will never win one of these things. Will he make a liar out of me this season? Probably not.

2) Kaycee and Troy's conversation while they were feeling out each other was very awkward.

3) The first challenge in the first episode includes an eating challenge, right out of the gate. I thought we were better than this.

4) I’m glad to see Justine on this season. After she quit in the final on USA, I didn’t expect to see her back on any version of The Challenge ever again. I thought she was very endearing on USA.

5) It's interesting to watch everyone talk about who they would align with in this first episode. No one seems to really be on the same page.

6) As soon as Kaz said "Zara would never vote for me" in the nominations, my first thought was "well, that should make the voting a little easier. Vote Kaz in. Put Zara in a position where she has no choice." Zara from the UK and Grant from Australia held the power so to solve that problem, vote in a UK girl and an Aussie girl. Then, I pause to do some work because I have to make money and then I come back and they do exactly that. Good job team!

Whoever had the USA team aligned with them for this vote had the winning hand because USA were the only ones with all of their numbers, 4 people. UK was down 2 people (Zara won the challenge and Nathan was medically DQed); Australia was down 1 person (Grant won the challenge); Argentina was down 1 person (Claudia was the last-place loser in the challenge).

7) It's been a longggggg time since I've been shocked by anything in The Challenge and they got me when they said Zara's vote is the tie-beaker because it's a women's elimination. I'm not sure if that's workable going forward because the idea was for there to be a men's and women's elimination. How does it work if the challenge winners won't budge on both the men's and women's vote?

8) I never pay attention to what TJ wears but I liked that beige/tan jacket he had on at the elimination.

Edited March 9, 2023 by AntFTW

[shantown]

Let me just start off by saying that I loved this episode. I planned to watch this season regardless since the format/concept intrigued me, but this episode actually had me excited to keep watching, which is something I haven't felt in a long time!

I haven't watched any of the international versions, so I'm going in with no prior thoughts on any of the MVPs. Will be interesting to see how they do since this is their second show and they're not total newbies. I like that they're all former finalists or winners of their season. Gives them a leg up already, and also means they're not just bowing down to the Legends since they've ALL done this before. While I don't know everyone's name just yet, there's a lot of them that I do like at the start. (And I'm already wondering if any of these folks will make their way to the original show?)

Aside from the UK host who occasionally yelled "Go UK!" now and then, the multiple hosts didn't have much to do... and then disappeared completely by the end of the episode. I wish they either gave the international hosts something to do, or didn't have them all there. I also wish there had been a different host for the USA season besides TJ, because it would have been nice to see him as the Legend Host (of the original show) and then have the 4 MVP Hosts there to also give commentary, explain directions, whatever.

Liked seeing the required skills for each segment. Did not like that Tristan, who would have otherwise been in elimination and therefore out of the deliberation room, was allowed to stay and be involved in nominations.

One of the MVPs made a good point that you want a Legend partner who's won a lot, but not so much that they're a constant target. I'm interested to see who the pairs end up being and how the alliances among the Legends affect the alliances among the MVPs, which are pretty much along country lines right now.

[AntFTW]

On 3/8/2023 at 8:31 PM, shantown said:

Let me just start off by saying that I loved this episode. I planned to watch this season regardless since the format/concept intrigued me, but this episode actually had me excited to keep watching, which is something I haven't felt in a long time!

On 3/8/2023 at 8:31 PM, shantown said:

I haven't watched any of the international versions, so I'm going in with no prior thoughts on any of the MVPs. Will be interesting to see how they do since this is their second show and they're not total newbies.

I just wrapped up the UK version. The only one I haven't seen is Argentina, which I don't think is on P+ in the USA yet. They were all better than the USA spinoff IMO.

On 3/8/2023 at 8:31 PM, shantown said:

(And I'm already wondering if any of these folks will make their way to the original show?)

I hope so!

On 3/8/2023 at 8:31 PM, shantown said:

Aside from the UK host who occasionally yelled "Go UK!" now and then, the multiple hosts didn't have much to do... and then disappeared completely by the end of the episode. I wish they either gave the international hosts something to do, or didn't have them all there.

Agreed! However, I did appreciate their laughing during the eating challenge. That cracked me up LOL

On 3/8/2023 at 8:31 PM, shantown said:

One of the MVPs made a good point that you want a Legend partner who's won a lot, but not so much that they're a constant target.

That's a little tricky with the guys because you either have guys (Wes, Darrell, Johnny and Jordan) who won a lot or guys that have never won (Theo and Nelson).

 

Edited March 10, 2023 by AntFTW

[Guest]

10 hours ago, AntFTW said:

I thought we were better than this.

No, you didn't.  lol. 

10 hours ago, AntFTW said:

I never pay attention to what TJ wears but I liked that beige/tan jacket he had on at the elimination.

I saw this before I watched the episode and made a mental note to pay attention to his jacket.  I did not think about again until almost the end of the 2nd episode and I'm not going to go back and look.  So much for my mental prowess.

2 hours ago, shantown said:

Did not like that Tristan, who would have otherwise been in elimination and therefore out of the deliberation room, was allowed to stay and be involved in nominations.

Me either, that bugged. 

1 hour ago, AntFTW said:

I just wrapped up the UK version. The only one I haven't seen is Argentina, which I don't think is on P+ in the USA yet. They were all better than the USA spinoff IMO.

I haven't seen Argentina yet either.  The UK version looked way easier that the US version.  

_____________________________________

I think when Sarah makes "jokes" people laugh in order to be polite; not because she's funny.

I should not have been surprised by the "legends" showing up but I was indeed surprised.  Then I rolled my eyes at myself because, of course, they couldn't just play it straight.  My guess is that they couldn't count on the country champions to fabricate drama.  The legends know why they're getting paid.

[Lantern7]

I woke up extra early this morning, logged into P+ . . . and I found that the episode was over an hour long AND they had dropped the first two. I wound up splitting the episode between the library, a cramped bus seat, and what MTV wound up airing tonight. The sad thing is that the effects feel like they work better on a bigger screen. On the other hand, you get cussing on your device, and you don't get to see the puking enlarged. Once again, I think the show is pushed by a vomit fetish community.

Good start to the season, though the immediate puking was troublesome. Right off the bat? Really?!? The rest of the mission worked out in bringing out fodder for the Arena. Of course, there's always one lucky bastard, and Tristan wriggles off the hook after Nathan is booted (presumably for COVID). Does anyone know a Tristan? I immediately think of the pointy-hared dope from Yu-Gi-Oh because I'm weird like that.

Heh . . . got a small chuckle from Johnny asking people to aim their champagne corks at the ceiling, lest Theo get blinded again. I'm impressed he's back. BMP could have called in another American regular, but they gave him a shot several seasons after his last outing. Seriously, we could have gotten Fessy. FESSY. I mean, Nelson is there, so the floor is low already.

Kiki winning means that we get more interviews with her, and I am a shallow man. Also, there's the possibility she winds up picking Danny as her partner. I know he's asked questions where he feels obliged to bring up HIS Kiki, but it's still a fun running joke. I don't know when I'll see the second episode, so that's why I'm wondering about that happening.

On 3/8/2023 at 11:57 AM, AntFTW said:

3) The first challenge in the first episode includes an eating challenge, right out of the gate. I thought we were better than this.

We are. This show is not.

ETA: Anyone else dig the cover of "I'm Only Happy When It Rains"?

ETA2: Duh, Danny and OtherKiki can’t be partners. Sorry about that mistake.

Edited March 9, 2023 by Lantern7

[luckyroll3]

12 hours ago, shantown said:

Let me just start off by saying that I loved this episode. I planned to watch this season regardless since the format/concept intrigued me, but this episode actually had me excited to keep watching, which is something I haven't felt in a long time!

Damn, y'all have convinced me that I need to watch....

[AntFTW]

43 minutes ago, luckyroll3 said:

Damn, y'all have convinced me that I need to watch....

[shantown]

1 hour ago, luckyroll3 said:

Damn, y'all have convinced me that I need to watch....

I can't guarantee it'll stay this good, but things seemed to click together really well this episode. I don't think it was the sheer number of "new" players, but the fact that those new international players had a season under their belts already which I think gave them more confidence as far as challenges, but also more comfort in the talking heads. By far one of my biggest annoyances about Nelson is the weird overacting/dull intensity of his talking heads, and a lot of these international players already seem much more natural in their interviews and commentary which is a breath of fresh air to watch. 

Something about the way they broke down the skills needed for each challenge was interesting too. It also seemed like there was more of a focus put on how each Challenger completed each section over just commentary from those watching. More show, less tell. A nice change that I hope continues.

To make a long post short: I'd give it a shot! The first two eps are already available so it'll be a good barometer of if you want to stick around til next week or not!

[MMLEsq]

12 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

Kiki winning means that we get more interviews with her, and I am a shallow man. Also, there's the possibility she winds up picking Danny as her partner. I know he's asked questions where he feels obliged to bring up HIS Kiki, but it's still a fun running joke. I don't know when I'll see the second episode, so that's why I'm wondering about that happening.

Also dipping my toe into the shallow end of the pool:  I found Kiki's face very distracting.  Like, really-obvious-plastic-surgery distracting.  If she's had plastic surgery or some procedures on her face, I'd love to see the "Before" picture because I'd wager it might be better than the "After" picture.  YMMV.

2 hours ago, shantown said:

Something about the way they broke down the skills needed for each challenge was interesting too. It also seemed like there was more of a focus put on how each Challenger completed each section over just commentary from those watching. More show, less tell. A nice change that I hope continues.

I enjoyed that as well.  Off the top of my head, I think they said that Kaycee's main skill was "Social" or "Sociability" or something like that, which surprised me.  I would have thought her main skill was "Strength" (which I recall is what they had for Tori).  

---

For whatever reason (or no reason), I just assumed there'd be a whole bunch of countries involved.  Not just four.  I was also surprised to see four people from each country, which is something they failed to mention during the airing of The Challenge USA.  I thought the group of "Legends" (is that what they were called?) was an interesting mix of "old school" and newer challengers.  I'm just happy that there was no Aneesa or Veronica.  I may be in the minority, but I could do without Wes.  His ego knows no bounds.

I don't know why they bothered having four hosts.  They could have taken the salaries of the three hosts other than T.J. and added it to the prize winnings.

Finally, can someone explain the timing of when this was filmed? 

Spoiler

Coming off the latest regular Challenge season and its reunion where Amber announced her pregnancy,

I'm trying to figure out if this was filmed before the last regular Challenge season, or between the last regular Challenge season and the filming of its reunion...

 

[AntFTW]

22 hours ago, MMLEsq said:

I'm trying to figure out if this was filmed before the last regular Challenge season, or between the last regular Challenge season and the filming of its reunion...

Spoiler

It seems like it was filmed after the Ride or Dies season because Tori references “having experience winning and what it takes” when Danny chooses her in episode 2.

 

Edited March 10, 2023 by AntFTW

[lasu]

Nelson's hair says it was Ride or Die, World Championship, then Ride or Die Reunion.

[AntFTW]

1 hour ago, lasu said:

Nelson's hair says it was Ride or Die, World Championship, then Ride or Die Reunion.

That order makes the most sense to me.

[aghst]

I have to admit my attention waned.

So the qualifying event was a real test I'd say.  More about strength and stamina, with the hammering segment and such.

But they were going to target Argentina, since Claudia came in last and was already in elimination.  Then all of a sudden it flipped and they voted for 2 of the top finishers among the women in the qualifying event?

They looked like each country contingent was going to rally around and try to stick together in the voting and make alliances as a country group, rather than individuals.

But like I said, I didn't pay attention in the second half.  They decided to target good competitors for some reason?  Like Australia as a group finished well so they voted in Kiki and Kaz was another strong finisher so they put her in as well?

That's kind of what they did in Challenge USA, the casts from each show banded together and tried to take out outside groups.

 

[jsm1125]

On 3/9/2023 at 12:01 PM, MMLEsq said:

Also dipping my toe into the shallow end of the pool:  I found Kiki's face very distracting.  Like, really-obvious-plastic-surgery distracting.  If she's had plastic surgery or some procedures on her face, I'd love to see the "Before" picture because I'd wager it might be better than the "After" picture.  YMMV.

I enjoyed that as well.  Off the top of my head, I think they said that Kaycee's main skill was "Social" or "Sociability" or something like that, which surprised me.  I would have thought her main skill was "Strength" (which I recall is what they had for Tori).  

---

For whatever reason (or no reason), I just assumed there'd be a whole bunch of countries involved.  Not just four.  I was also surprised to see four people from each country, which is something they failed to mention during the airing of The Challenge USA.  I thought the group of "Legends" (is that what they were called?) was an interesting mix of "old school" and newer challengers.  I'm just happy that there was no Aneesa or Veronica.  I may be in the minority, but I could do without Wes.  His ego knows no bounds.

I don't know why they bothered having four hosts.  They could have taken the salaries of the three hosts other than T.J. and added it to the prize winnings.

Finally, can someone explain the timing of when this was filmed? 

  Hide contents

Coming off the latest regular Challenge season and its reunion where Amber announced her pregnancy,

I'm trying to figure out if this was filmed before the last regular Challenge season, or between the last regular Challenge season and the filming of its reunion...

 

I’m not a Kaycee fan, but she is both strong and social. She manages to fly really under the radar in her seasons, and only sees elimination rounds when she chooses them to get a skull (to qualify for a final).

There must be something that doesn’t translate on screen, as I find her as compelling as a dish rag.

[Lamb18]

I found Kiki's face distracting, too.

[millennium]

I'm late to this but was relieved to discover the show has a much better vibe than Challenge: USA.   It's not just the addition of the vets (although they are always welcome in my home).  The international players all seemed to have decent personalities.   A far cry from Tyson, Angela, Leo, James, etc.

re: Kiki.  Plastic surgeons need to stop performing that cheekbone augmentation that makes people look like Jocelyn Wildenstein.   I don't know how they can take the Hippocratic oath and then do that to people.  The lips too. 

Can we please please puh-leeeeze get rid of Nelson and Kaycee?   They bring nothing to The Challenge.

Surprised by the ages of some of the international players.   Claudia, now eliminated, is 45.

[jsm1125]

6 hours ago, millennium said:

I'm late to this but was relieved to discover the show has a much better vibe than Challenge: USA.   It's not just the addition of the vets (although they are always welcome in my home).  The international players all seemed to have decent personalities.   A far cry from Tyson, Angela, Leo, James, etc.

re: Kiki.  Plastic surgeons need to stop performing that cheekbone augmentation that makes people look like Jocelyn Wildenstein.   I don't know how they can take the Hippocratic oath and then do that to people.  The lips too. 

Can we please please puh-leeeeze get rid of Nelson and Kaycee?   They bring nothing to The Challenge.

Surprised by the ages of some of the international players.   Claudia, now eliminated, is 45.

I think we’ll be rid of Nelson for a while. He got into a horrific car accident several weeks ago, and there’s a chance at least one of his feet/legs might be amputated 

[AntFTW]

6 hours ago, millennium said:

I'm late to this but was relieved to discover the show has a much better vibe than Challenge: USA. 

I just started Argentina. They just put it on P+ and I watched one episode. I don't know if I'll finish because it's 15 episodes and 15 episodes sounds exhausting. I don't have much of an opinion on Argentina yet.

UK and Australia were much better than The Challenge: USA. All of the World Championship spinoffs (minus Argentina). including World Championship itself, USA is the worst one IMO.

7 hours ago, millennium said:

Surprised by the ages of some of the international players.   Claudia, now eliminated, is 45.

Well... Darrell is also 45 or somewhere around there. I appreciated Claudia's sportsmanship.

[millennium]

3 hours ago, jsm1125 said:

I think we’ll be rid of Nelson for a while. He got into a horrific car accident several weeks ago, and there’s a chance at least one of his feet/legs might be amputated 

Tough break.   Since I am only just now starting Challenge: World Championship I have stayed away from everything Challenge to avoid being spoiled and hadn't heard.  Any word yet on what caused the accident?

[jsm1125]

1 minute ago, millennium said:

Tough break.   Since I am only just now starting Challenge: World Championship I have stayed away from everything Challenge to avoid being spoiled and hadn't heard.  Any word yet on what caused the accident?

Nothing has been confirmed from what I can tell