The Challenge in the Media: "The road to [fame] is straight and narrow."

[Eolivet]

2 hours ago, Jillibean said:

Apparently they only quarantined for one week, which is what people are speculating led to this outcome.

CDC updated their quarantine guidance, which now states 7 days after travel, if one tests 3-5 days after travel. I'm beginning to wonder if MTV tested them after travel at all, just tested them before, quarantined for 7 days and then let them loose. In which case, they could very easily miss a positive test.

And yeah, I would guess the entire cast and crew now has to quarantine for at least 7 days (with a negative test on day 5 or later) or 10 days without testing. But like you alluded to, if anybody else develops symptoms, that's game over for the season, I'd imagine.

[aghst]

MTV will send them home and TJ will wag his finger at them.

I thought they were in Argentina so makes it easy for them to ignore more stringent US CDC guidance.

[Unclejosh]

They are in Croatia.  All-Stars filmed in Argentina.

[Lantern7]

Out of Context covers All Stars episodes 2-5.

 

[Lantern7]

. . . and here are episodes 6-7.

 

[Lantern7]

Covering the penultimate episode.

 

[snarts]

High hopes for season 2. Mark had a huge 50th birthday bash earlier this week. Flipping through social media, so many old RW/RR peeps showed up: Montana, Genesis, Amaya, Casey, Jon Brennan, Sarah Greyson, Ayiia. 

Hope it gets renewed and hope they cast people we've not seen for awhile. 

[Lantern7]

Final "Out of Context." This was put up last week, but it was taken down. Watch it while you can!

 

[aghst]

So 10 episodes but last one was reunion, so they can whip out these All-star seasons in a couple of weeks of shooting?

while the regular season probably takes a month or two to shoot?  After all they start with like 40 people, many of them from the UK.

still TJ and crew are more busy if they keep filming both seasons and since All-Star is on a separate subscription service, they likely will keep it in production.

[Zima]

A great interview with Yes!

 

[MaggieG]

https://tvline.com/lists/the-challenge-season-37-cast-photos-premiere-date-watch-trailer/

New season coming Aug 11th. Lots of familiar faces and a bunch of new faces/rookies. 

[aghst]

5 minutes ago, MaggieG said:

https://tvline.com/lists/the-challenge-season-37-cast-photos-premiere-date-watch-trailer/

New season coming Aug 11th. Lots of familiar faces and a bunch of new faces/rookies. 

Wow quick turnaround.

Double Agents was December 2020 to April 2021.  So they must have started filming while Double Agents was still airing, though would that have meant they filmed over the winter?

Guess so, if they're airing the first ep in mid August.

Or maybe they filmed in the spring.

Wiki says Croatia so another country with minimal travel restrictions compared to other countries.  That is where Below Deck Sailing Yacht and Below Deck Mediterranean (now airing) were filmed.

So this season 37 may have been filmed roughly the same time as BDM.  Seems like the weather is warm enough for people to go into the water, though it gets windy at times.

So maybe they will have more water activities whereas in Double Agents, they did one or two dailies in water and then the Final but you could tell the water was really cold.

I'm hoping the major players from DA like CT were still able to do season 37.

[AntFTW]

17 minutes ago, MaggieG said:

https://tvline.com/lists/the-challenge-season-37-cast-photos-premiere-date-watch-trailer/

New season coming Aug 11th. Lots of familiar faces and a bunch of new faces/rookies. 

I'm curious of who is making up the season themes. They just get quirkier with each passing season.

[shantown]

56 minutes ago, MaggieG said:

https://tvline.com/lists/the-challenge-season-37-cast-photos-premiere-date-watch-trailer/

New season coming Aug 11th. Lots of familiar faces and a bunch of new faces/rookies. 

15 vets and 19 rookies? Wondering what kind of breakdown that will be for teams/pairs or if it's a free-for-all. Did they film this back-to-back with Double Agents though? Why are all the vets people who we just saw? Bummer.

Wondering if "to win their share of $1M" implies a team challenge, or a male and female winner splitting it.

[AntFTW]

39 minutes ago, shantown said:

15 vets and 19 rookies? Wondering what kind of breakdown that will be for teams/pairs or if it's a free-for-all. Did they film this back-to-back with Double Agents though? Why are all the vets people who we just saw? Bummer.

Wondering if "to win their share of $1M" implies a team challenge, or a male and female winner splitting it.

If I had to guess it seems like they did season 36, All Stars and then season 37 back to back.

It could explain why Aneesa wasn’t at the All Stars reunion, perhaps because she was filming season 37.

I remember Aneesa and TJ saying on the Challenge podcast that they didn’t really have a break because they basically went to Argentina to film All Stars right after season 36.

Edited July 14, 2021 by AntFTW

[lasu]

1 hour ago, shantown said:

15 vets and 19 rookies? Wondering what kind of breakdown that will be for teams/pairs or if it's a free-for-all. Did they film this back-to-back with Double Agents though? Why are all the vets people who we just saw? Bummer.

Yes, that is a massive cast and over half are rookies?  Blugh.  At least I "know" a handful from Survivor.  

I know we have All Stars now, but I'm really bummed with the direction this is continuing to take.  Obviously there is an audience for it, but what I liked about it was sort of checking in on folks I knew from various RW and RR seasons.  I wasn't even thrilled when they did Fresh Meat.  But alas, what can you do?

I hope there's a massive purge in the first episode so I can learn fewer names.

39 minutes ago, AntFTW said:

It could explain why Aneesa wasn’t at the All Stars reunion, perhaps because she was filming season 37.

I have a memory like sieve.  Weren't Nany and CT at the All Stars reunion?

[peachmangosteen]

I would be down for them to have The Challenge be just a general, all reality shows cast while All Stars is RW/RR focused.

[AntFTW]

2 hours ago, lasu said:

I have a memory like sieve.  Weren't Nany and CT at the All Stars reunion?

Were they? You're telling me something new.

[peachmangosteen]

Yea, they were both there.

[AntFTW]

2 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

Yea, they were both there.

The foot prints in the sand distracted me.

[Jillibean]

20 hours ago, lasu said:

Yes, that is a massive cast and over half are rookies?  Blugh.  At least I "know" a handful from Survivor.  

I know we have All Stars now, but I'm really bummed with the direction this is continuing to take.  Obviously there is an audience for it, but what I liked about it was sort of checking in on folks I knew from various RW and RR seasons.  I wasn't even thrilled when they did Fresh Meat.  But alas, what can you do?

I hope there's a massive purge in the first episode so I can learn fewer names.

I have a memory like sieve.  Weren't Nany and CT at the All Stars reunion?

Nany and CT weren't on All Stars and weren't at the reunion for that show. They were at the Double Agents reunion, which was filmed much earlier. Aneesa did indeed miss the All Stars reunion because she was filming 37.

For anyone who's curious on the timing of filming:

Double Agents--late August to late October 2020

All Stars--mid January to mid/late February 2021

Season 37--mid April 2021 to end of June

We've had a turnaround of about a month on the last two regular challenge seasons, a little more on All Stars. Pre-pandemic, when they were filming two challenges a year, they would generally start a new one midway through the last one airing, taping the reunion for the last one just before filming started on the new one. So for example, I believe the FR reunion was filmed the first week of October 2018, then the cast left for filming on WotW the second to third week of October. They filmed the reunion for WotW in April 2019 and then the cast left for WotW2 mid-May. It seems like the current schedule is back to their status quo, plus the addition of All Stars

[lasu]

59 minutes ago, Jillibean said:

Nany and CT weren't on All Stars and weren't at the reunion for that show. They were at the Double Agents reunion, which was filmed much earlier. Aneesa did indeed miss the All Stars reunion because she was filming 37.

Thank you - like I said, my memory is a sieve.  I tried to make CT and Nany be at a reunion for a show they weren't even on.  *sigh*

[AntFTW]

2 hours ago, Jillibean said:

Nany and CT weren't on All Stars and weren't at the reunion for that show. They were at the Double Agents reunion, which was filmed much earlier. Aneesa did indeed miss the All Stars reunion because she was filming 37.

I was starting to go mad thinking "HOW DID I MISS THAT!?!?" 😱

[lasu]

25 minutes ago, AntFTW said:

I was starting to go mad thinking "HOW DID I MISS THAT!?!?" 😱

Never trust me, I'm the one who is mad!

[peachmangosteen]

2 hours ago, lasu said:

Never trust me, I'm the one who is mad!

Hell, I totally bought into it and believe it as well lol.

[AntFTW]

On 7/14/2021 at 3:27 PM, lasu said:

Yes, that is a massive cast and over half are rookies?  Blugh.  At least I "know" a handful from Survivor.  

I know we have All Stars now, but I'm really bummed with the direction this is continuing to take.  Obviously there is an audience for it, but what I liked about it was sort of checking in on folks I knew from various RW and RR seasons.  I wasn't even thrilled when they did Fresh Meat.  But alas, what can you do?

I hope there's a massive purge in the first episode so I can learn fewer names.

I guess we're in for a LOONGG season. I'm hoping for a massive first-day purge as well. I love first-day purges. If they have a first-day purge, I'm hoping they do it like they did Dirty 30 with having people choose who to save and send home, and not having the last place people be purged out. I'm up for shots getting fired early.

I get that they have to introduce new people. I've always been more of a "keep it in the MTV family" viewer. Similarly, I wouldn't want to see the MTV folks on Survivor (it's the only CBS reality show I watch).  Also. the MTV people seem to be the shit starters and pot-stirrers. For me so far, most of the people that have come from non-MTV shows have been pretty boring to watch. The only rookies I'm excited to see are Michaela and Michele from Survivor.

Edited July 16, 2021 by AntFTW

[UniqBlue69]

21 hours ago, AntFTW said:

I guess we're in for a LOONGG season.

Per the press release, another 19-episode season. Blergh.. I felt like last season dragged through the halfway point.

[AntFTW]

31 minutes ago, UniqBlue69 said:

Per the press release, another 19-episode season. Blergh.. I felt like last season dragged through the halfway point.

I agree. I felt the same way about season 35 also. Maybe it's as a result of the skulls, but after the halfway point of the season, no one seemed to be willing to rock the boat. People with skulls want to keep them so they are less willing to make a splash and do the more predictable safe moves. I'm not sure if they're continuing the skull concept for season 37 but if not, hopefully that means people are willing to make bolder moves.

[aghst]

What's worse, the 19 episode season -- which may include the reunion shows -- or the 10 episode All Star season?

I guess they have to fill that slot for MTV, provide it enough programming.

So are they still going to have to go to elimination at least once to be eligible for the Final?

Will there be another fake elimination house?  I don't think they ever combined the requirement to go into elimination with a second-chance for those eliminated to come back yet.

They also haven't had a situation where some players last the whole game and can't get to elimination so they're eliminated right before going to the Final.

That would be kind of fun to see.  Imagine if those with skulls in Double Agents all colluded to keep CT out of elimination.  Since he ended up winning maybe that kind of collusion will be more overt.

With more rookies in the mix, the vets could struggle to maintain alliances.  Smartest thing for rookies would be to try to eliminate vets early but they're going in cold so they aren't usually going to form a pact, though the rookie females in Double Agents kept it going pretty long.

[AntFTW]

5 hours ago, aghst said:

What's worse, the 19 episode season -- which may include the reunion shows

Funny enough, when they announced 18 episodes for last season, I thought that included the reunion and it did not. It was ultimately 20 episodes with 18 episodes covering up to announcing the winners of the season.

[peachmangosteen]

6 hours ago, aghst said:

What's worse, the 19 episode season -- which may include the reunion shows -- or the 10 episode All Star season?

Definitely the 19 episode season. This show has been dragging from at most the mid point on the past few seasons. They need to cut the episodes by at least 3 imo.

[aghst]

1 hour ago, peachmangosteen said:

Definitely the 19 episode season. This show has been dragging from at most the mid point on the past few seasons. They need to cut the episodes by at least 3 imo.

Thing is many of the episodes of Double Agents and I think the one before that as well were like 90 minutes or maybe even 2 hours?

But the All-Star episodes were all 60 minutes.

The other thing is they had a couple of episodes where they didn't have anything happen, no daily challenge or elimination.

So there is definitely more filler in the Double Agents season.  I guess if they could sell the ad time, it helps keep the show on the air?

[AntFTW]

I just saw that the new season of Survivor premiers in September so at least the Challenge will remain interesting long enough for Survivor to come back, before it starts to drag out with filler content.

Edited July 17, 2021 by AntFTW

[Unclejosh]

I am thinking that due to the higher budget of the show now including the amount of the prize, they need more episodes of each season and longer eps to sell ad time for in order to make the product viable from a TV executive point of view.

[MaggieG]

https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/why-did-lauren-coogan-leave-the-challenge/

This doesn't really answer anything. I thought maybe she had Covid but this makes me think it was something else.

[aghst]

I should remember to watch the after show on Youtube.

Maybe they will dish there.

I can't bring myself to listen to the podcasts.

[AntFTW]

15 minutes ago, aghst said:

I should remember to watch the after show on Youtube.

Maybe they will dish there.

I can't bring myself to listen to the podcasts.

They didn’t dish anything so you’re not missing anything

[ImpinAintEasy]

9 hours ago, MaggieG said:

https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/why-did-lauren-coogan-leave-the-challenge/

This doesn't really answer anything. I thought maybe she had Covid but this makes me think it was something else.

The rumor was she said something racially insensitive to Aneesa. 

[AntFTW]

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/survivor-romania-runner-emanuel-neagu-160000256.html
 

Survivor Romania runner-up Emanuel Neagu reveals why he's such a threat on The Challenge

[lasu]

Does anyone know why Nam left?  I don't think I'd even realized he'd been there.

 

What about Theo's eyeball?  How's it doing?  Do you think we'll ever see him again?  PUN INTENDED.

[ImpinAintEasy]

2 hours ago, lasu said:

Does anyone know why Nam left?  I don't think I'd even realized he'd been there.

 

What about Theo's eyeball?  How's it doing?  Do you think we'll ever see him again?  PUN INTENDED.

They had a Covid outbreak and had to quarantine a second time after the initial daily challenge. Nam was one of the people who tested positive. He either didn’t recover in time to return or pulled out because after a second quarantine the season was extended beyond a date he could commit to. 
 

Theo wants to return, but supposedly he is too expensive for the show to insure him with his disability. 

[Unclejosh]

I believe Nam had COVID pretty bad and was not healthy enough to come back after the 2nd quarantine as stated above. Unless I am mistaken, he didn't just test positive, he was actually sick.

Theo in addition to his eye being a liability, he has some problematic issues with women I think.  Either in person or on social media.  So even if he was fully healthy, he might not be on.

[lasu]

On 8/24/2021 at 12:40 PM, Unclejosh said:

Theo in addition to his eye being a liability, he has some problematic issues with women I think.  Either in person or on social media.  So even if he was fully healthy, he might not be on.

Ah, bummer.  He seemed likeable.  It does seem like the whole UK crowd he was a part of is gone anyway, with the exception of Kyle.  Kyle really owes Cara, at the end of the day.

[shantown]

Johnny Bananas was on the latest episode of Derrick K's Challenge podcast. I hate agreeing with Johnny Bananas, but he made some points I agree with regarding the recent iterations of the Challenge. He said (and I'm paraphrasing here) that the whole increasingly complicated concepts of total madness and double agents and spies and allies and switching partners, etc means that everything is a "twist" or trying to be a shock and it really dilutes the relatability. Previous seasons you knew that the pairs were rivals, or exes, or besties. Or you knew teams were good vs. bad, vets vs. rooks, season vs. season. Now everything is constantly switching. He didn't seem to like it much, and I don't either. 

Bananas also apparently started his own Challenge recap pod, and the first episode has Wes on. I would be interested to hear what these two guys have to say about the more recent format and casts. I skipped out on several years of the Challenge and recently came back to it and the cast is mostly unrecognizable to me minus a few because I don't watch any of the other US shows represented, let alone the international versions. Wes and Johnny, whether you love them or hate them, did spend over a decade doing these shows and have seen the shift happen away from "RW vs. RR" or (similar cut-and-dry themes) to this sort of ever-shifting concept the Challenge is now. 

Anyway, it was an interesting listen so thought I'd share!

[aghst]

The switching of partners at least give some rookies a chance, by picking a vet, making them less likely to be voted into elimination if they stayed on all-rookie teams.

It will get interesting if a vet or two finally goes down to elimination this season.

Sure the old vets probably would prefer to stick to other vet partners, not be subject to being forced to pair with rookies.  Makes it a lot easier to whittle down the rookies out of the game quickly.

TJ seems not on board with the first couple of eliminations only being rookies so maybe the producers decided to let them pick partners and the Agency to pick ANY two players, not just teams, for the Lair.

[ImpinAintEasy]

The ratings are at an all-time low after doing really well the previous two seasons. Now, ratings are down for everything nowadays, and the previous seasons, particularly ’Total Madness’, aired during lockdowns. It’s Summer and most places are opened up now. So logically ratings will dip. FWIW, I’ve liked a lot of the rookies. It’s the vets that are weaker this season. Unfortunately, I think a lot of the older vets will opt to do All-Stars instead of the main show. Also, I really hope MTV hasn’t shadow banned Jordan for what happened on his RW season. He’s an asshole, but he made for entertaining tv and was the best competitor on the show. 
 

 

[aghst]

Ugh they might feel pressured to bring back Bananas who’s been off for a couple of seasons.

 

[AncientNewbie]

14 hours ago, aghst said:

Ugh they might feel pressured to bring back Bananas who’s been off for a couple of seasons.

 

 

I'm not too worried about this. He seems busy chasing other work with his NBC show(s) and the Ringer podcast. 

For my $0.02 on ratings, I have to say I'm tuning in as fervently as ever, but if I wasn't obsessed with this show I wouldn't ever just be watching MTV and come across it. I think the lack of programming on MTV really hurts this show, because it's not a lifestyle brand anymore. 

[shantown]

1 hour ago, AncientNewbie said:

For my $0.02 on ratings, I have to say I'm tuning in as fervently as ever, but if I wasn't obsessed with this show I wouldn't ever just be watching MTV and come across it. I think the lack of programming on MTV really hurts this show, because it's not a lifestyle brand anymore. 

There's a much bigger discussion here and probably some smarter insights than what I'm able to make - but I agree. Especially for something like Challenge: All-Stars. That kind of show would have been a huge tentpole for MTV up until maybe 5 years ago? Wild that they've thrown away so much of their concept/shows and ultimately all of their "street cred."

[Zima]

Jenna and Zach had their baby:

http://www.mtv.com/news/3178739/challenge-jenna-compono-zach-baby/