When the clock strikes 8:00 on Wednesday nights, there is only one place you can find me: bundled up in a blanket on the couch, remote in hand, turning on the MTV channel to watch my favorite program: The Challenge.
There are a lot of things that people love about reality shows, whether it be the big personalities of the contestants, their emotional origin stories, or the brief escape they offer from real life. That being said, there are so many shows that are so scripted that you can’t help but feel the predictability and unauthentic of them.
This is not the case with this show.
What makes The Challenge unique is that its contestants are chosen from other reality shows- such as Survivor, The Real World, The Mole, Big Brother, and more- to compete against each other. They must complete crazy physical challenges, try to avoid being eliminated by other players and then try to survive to the final challenge of the season, all to win $1 million.
The challenges in the show are physically and emotionally intense, pushing the contestants to their limits. For example, previous challenges have asked them to jump from the tops of moving trucks or 30 foot tall structures. The final rounds of each season see the remaining contestants competing in endurance competitions so big, they usually take days to complete.
Each season, the producers of the show come up with incredible and extremely creative themes that keep the audience engaged and mix up the way that the games are played. They also often throw in veteran players of the show to compete against the new players. There’s no telling what kind of crazy twists and turns this game will bring, whether it’s surprise double eliminations, bonus rounds, power plays, and more.
Some of my favorite parts definitely have to be the fierce cast rivalries and friendships that occur between the contestants, adding a lot of emotional drama to the show.
If I had to rate the show based on the level of excitement that I think it brings, I would rate it a 10 out of 10 due to all of the ways it brings thrills and surprises that keep the audience engaged with the show. I would also give it a 10 in creativity based on its intense personalities, drama, and top-notch games that push contestants to their breaking point.
If you’re a fan of exciting and adventurous shows- such as Survivor, The Amazing Race, and The Traitors– then this is definitely the show for you to watch!