Behind the Screen: Favorite Challenge Format?

For over two decades, MTV's The Challenge has been the proving ground where reality TV's fiercest competitors come to cement their legacies. What started as a Real World/Road Rules spinoff has evolved into one of the most physically and mentally demanding competition series on television.

The franchise's expansion — with spinoffs in the USA, UK, Argentina, and Australia — speaks to a global appetite for the brand of cutthroat competition and alliance-driven gameplay that Vevmo's community has been tracking since 2007.

The Duel Gauntlet 1-2 Battle of the Seasons 1 Battle of the Sexes Seasons 2-4 (Challenge, Challenge 2000 Extreme Challenge)...

— Nostalgic

Cutthroat, BOTSeasons 2, and Free Agents. Honorable mention to The Ruins...

— TeamLandon

Thread Summary

Discussion thread about Favorite Challenge Format? with 30 replies from the Vevmo community.

Favorite Challenge Format?

Nostalgic ·
The Duel Gauntlet 1-2 Battle of the Seasons 1 Battle of the Sexes Seasons 2-4 (Challenge, Challenge 2000 Extreme Challenge)
30 Comments
Nostalgic#62
The Duel Gauntlet 1-2 Battle of the Seasons 1 Battle of the Sexes Seasons 2-4 (Challenge, Challenge 2000 Extreme Challenge)
nevidcm#63
My favorite format has to be Cutthroat.
TeamLandon#64
Cutthroat, BOTSeasons 2, and Free Agents. Honorable mention to The Ruins. I love the nominating before the mission rule.
nevidcm#65
TeamLandon;416516 wrote:
Cutthroat, BOTSeasons 2, and Free Agents. Honorable mention to The Ruins. I love the nominating before the mission rule.
I love the format of the Ruins, but I would like it if the teams were not Champions vs. Challenges because, even if you cast weak champions, they will probably win.
Debut Album#66
A new list from me. Battle of the Seasons 2 Free Agents The Duel The Inferno Cutthroat Rivals Battle of The Seasons 1
TeamLandon#67

If only this mattered... 

hardbitten#68

If only this mattered... 

We don't need a Free Agents.. At least not right now. Cutthroat's definitely the way to go. I'm just afraid they're going to swarm half the cast with AYTO/rejects/fillers.

VCR14#69

The ruins had SO much potential if only the cast wasn't so lopsided.

RLK2014#70

If only this mattered... 

We don't need a Free Agents.. At least not right now. Cutthroat's definitely the way to go. I'm just afraid they're going to swarm half the cast with AYTO/rejects/fillers.

I agree about FA I think if anything it should be a duel. I did like the kill card though. 

RLK2014#71

I like the duel because you don't have layups like jenna, Since the person picks who they want chances of having strong people in the final are more likely. 

MTV Junky#72

Ruins, Inferno, Gauntlet....really anything with big teams.

The money aspect of The Ruins was awesome!

WESANDNANYFAN#73

The first DUEL

timster3#74

Eh I think that poll is just old bias since Free Agents was more recent people would rather see another format than something we just had. I personally think Free Agents is the most overall entertaining format. Cutthroat the season was great, but with a bad cast, it could easily be one of the worsts. At least Free Agents can throw some curve balls every once in a while with the draw and random teams.

Tbone#75

Free agents was amazing and the best imo. 

bluehatchet2#76

I like the duel because you don't have layups like jenna, Since the person picks who they want chances of having strong people in the final are more likely. 

Jenna would still slay sorry bout it!

Debut Album#77

Well here's my update favorites.

Battle of the Seasons 2012

Free Agents

Inferno 

Cutthroat

Fresh Meat(The Voting format only for this one)

The Ruins

Battle of the Seasons 2002

MTV Junky#78

Well here's my update favorites.

Battle of the Seasons 2012

Free Agents

Inferno 

Cutthroat

Fresh Meat(The Voting format only for this one)

The Ruins

Battle of the Seasons 2002

Something wrong with the cast?
Debut Album#79

Well here's my update favorites.

Battle of the Seasons 2012

Free Agents

Inferno 

Cutthroat

Fresh Meat(The Voting format only for this one)

The Ruins

Battle of the Seasons 2002

Something wrong with the cast?

Actually yes when I think about it. I mean obviously Fresh Meat but the alumni, especially for the first one, was very tired and old at that point(aside from the Austin Crew) and I wished they diversified a bit. The second one..Eh aside from Landon and CJ and Jillian the alumni weren't anything special there either.

anon3895345345345#80

The Ruins format was my favorite. I loved both teams selecting six players for their nominations, the winning team choosing the elimination rounds and the players increasing their own individual bank accounts when they win their eliminations. They really should make a Ruins 2 with Old School vs. New School teams instead of Champions vs. Challengers.

asdfasdfasdf#81

Ruins definitely. 

LHarkins#82

Free Agents was a great concept in theory in that it broke up most alliances and when people did try to make deals they would more often than not just be made to look like a tit (Jessica). The flaw was how they split up who would be eligable for the vote and who would be eligable for the draw.

IMO if you don't win you can be voted for, if you don't get voted in you go into the draw. Simples. If not that then everyone is eligable for the vote and then at most the worst 4 or 5 performing individuals who weren't voted in go into the draw. 

Imagine a Free Agents during the JEK era, so much more interesting than for example the Rivals voting. 

timster3#83

Kenny would flop on a Free Agents and i'd love it. 

melm3#84

I hope they do a Free Agents 2 soon. And hopefully have better individual challenges than just trivia and rolling in seran wrap.

Debut Album#85

The most recent best challenge formats IMO is Battle of the Seasons 2 and Free Agents.

ChallengeFan00#86

Free Agents

Cutthroat

Ruins

Battle of the Season 2

The Duel (if it was more "revamped")

Klounsnax2.0#87
Free AgentsCutthroatRuinsBattle of the Season 2The Duel (if it was more "revamped")

The original Duel was perfectly fine. But the Duel II made it more of a pair challenge which was obnoxious.

mcteng2012#88

i like the big teams format

rookies who done 2 and less challenges vs vets who done 3 and more challenges

real world vs road rules

team red vs team blue vs team grey

good vs bad

champions vs challengers

hardbitten#89

I wish they had enough Champions wanting to do a Challenge for Champions vs. Challengers/The Ruins.

FreeAgent3#90

Free Agents and Battle of the Seasons are the best for me.

Cutthroat is great too. Maybe a theme next time like RW, RR, FM/BL

Bloodlines had potential but failed. Needs better casting/more focus on the BL.

I'm over Rivals and Exes. 

The ruins is a cool concept but all of the champions are great competitors and the challengers will be filled with fillers who don't usually make it that far.

xHollyangel#91

The Ruins, Cutthroat,Gauntlet and Battle of the Seasons hands down the best formats.

Related Topics

The Challenge