The Challenge: Free Agents is the 25th season of the MTVreality game show, The Challenge. The season is located in Uruguay, with former cast members from MTV's The Real World, Fresh Meat II and Spring Break Challenge competing. The season follows a new format, featuring each contestant competing in either teams, pairs or for themselves, for a share of $350,000 in prize money.[2]
This season is once again hosted by T. J. Lavin, and premiered on April 10, 2014 on MTV,[2] marking the first time that the show has aired on a night other than a Wednesday since season 14 aired in 2007. This season also marks the first since season 11 that does not include any cast members from The Real World: Austin or the first Fresh Meat challenge.
Note: For the first time in the show's history, each contestant will have numbers on the backs of their jerseys. Jersey numbers are in parentheses, next to the cast members' names.
Format
Prior to each challenge, host T. J. Lavin will announce to each contestant as to whether a challenge will be declared as either an individual, pair, or team challenge. After each challenge, the winning teams/pairs/players are not only safe from elimination, but will also choose one player of each gender to compete in the elimination round. If a challenge is played in a team or pair format, each member of the winning pair/team is safe from elimination. The remaining players will participate in an elimination vote called "The Draw," in which each player will either flip over a "kill card," which has a skeleton symbol, or a blank card. If a player flips over a blank card, that player saves himself/herself from participating in the elimination, however, if a player flips over the "kill card," that player will face the player of the respective gender that was previously voted by the winning team/pair/individual in the elimination. The winning players of each gender return to the game and have a shot at competing for a $350,000 prize, while the losing male and female players are eliminated from the game.[4]
At the end of the season, six players will compete in the final challenge — three of each gender. The first-place finishers win $125,000, second-place wins $35,000 and third-place wins $15,000.[4]
Gameplay
Challenge games
Out on a Ledge: Each player participates in a multi-stage race to the top of Montevideo's World Trade Center. First, host T. J. Lavin chooses one player of each gender to be team captains. The captains then alternate between choosing male and female players for their teams, which are initially two teams of 14 players — Team Black and Team Red. The teams are then split up into three teams — two of four players and one of six players. The three teams are positioned at three different locations — one four-player team is chained together at the rooftop next to a locked box at a puzzle station, another four-player team is chained together at a plank hanging from the edge of the rooftop, while the six-player team is chained together at the base of the building.
In Phase 1, the two six-player teams race against each other through all 42 stories of the World Trade Center, and each team is possessing a key that will be required to unchain their respective 4-player team that is chained together at the locked box, where Phase 2 will begin.
In Phase 2, one four-player team uses a key to unlock a box which contains puzzle pieces. When that team solves their puzzle, another key is retrieved to unchain the other four-player team standing by near the plank.
In Phase 3, players from the remaining four-player teams have to race along a plank suspended 450 feet above ground level, one player at a time, then retrieve a pink flag sitting in the middle of a rolling log, and ring a bell in the fastest time possible. The entire challenge is a timed event, and the team that completes the challenge in the fastest time wins.[4]
Winners: Team Black (Aneesa, Bananas, Cohutta, CT, Devyn, Jasmine, Jessica, Johnny, Jordan, Laurel, Nany, Nia, Preston & Swift)
Auto Body Rally: Played in male/female pairs, each pair has to race in a sportscar on a drag strip, then run around a series of hay bales, and ride together on an oversize bicycle within an obstacle course consisting of bales of hay, toward a finish line. When each pair rides the bicycle, one player has to backwards-steer the front of the bicycle while the other pedals in order to navigate through the obstacle course. The team with the fastest time wins the challenge, while the teams with the four slowest times are automatically sent to "The Draw."[5]
Winners: Cohutta & Laurel
Bar Crawl: A giant wall, with platforms on both sides, numerous holes horizontally-aligned at the base of the wall and two oversize bars in two holes, is suspended from a crane over water. Played in teams of four (two players on both sides of the wall)[c], each team has to advance from one platform to the other by using the bars as a "walkway." Players on each side have to shove the bars through the holes in order for their partners to advance forward on the bars. It is a timed event, and the team that advances all of their players from one platform to the other in the fastest time wins, while the teams with the two slowest times are automatically sent to "The Draw." A team is disqualified if they do not complete the challenge within a time limit, or if any team member drops a bar into the water.[6]
Winners: Team Brandon (Brandon, Bananas, Camila & Jessica)
Bounce Out: First, players are separated into two teams of 11 players. Then, the two teams are split into two groups — of six and five players. Each player wears oversize plastic bumper suits with pictures of their faces on them, and the groups have to designate one player to serve as "the ball," in which that player will try to advance from one side of a beach to another, toward a soccer goal. The remaining players will either try to defend their own goal or help escort the designated "ball" toward their opponent's goal. After one group scores a goal, the other group will take the field and try to do the same. The first team to score three goals wins the challenge, while all members of the losing team are automatically sent to "The Draw."[7]
Winners: Team Red (Bananas, CT, Jessica, Johnny, Jonna, Jordan, Laurel, Nany, Preston, Swift & Theresa)
Piggy Back: First, players are separated into two teams of ten — five of each gender. Then, each team has to advance on ten hanging ropes from one platform to another that is suspended above water. After one player advances onto one rope, the next teammate has to use the first player as a "human bridge" in order to advance to the next rope. Subsequent players will continue the process, until each player is hanging into their own rope, at which point, players will continue to use their teammates as "human bridges" in order to reach the opposite platform. A team is disqualified if even one player fails to grab each rope. The team that advances all of their players from one platform to the other in the fastest time wins, while all members of the losing team are automatically sent to "The Draw."[8]
Smarty Pants: T. J. Lavin asks each player a series of trivia questions, which includes spelling, sports, geography, pop culture and U.S. history. The challenge is played in multiple rounds — separated by gender. Each player is hanging by a rope from a platform suspended above water, and if they correctly answer a question, they will stay in the game, but will get a red X for each wrong answer. If a player gets two red X's, he/she is dropped into the water. The first four players of each gender to be dropped into the water are automatically sent to "The Draw," while the last player of each gender standing wins the challenge.[9]
Winners: Zach & Devyn
Sausage Party: Players have to roll themselves along a "barbecue-style" obstacle course on the beach, while covered in shrink wrap. The challenge is played in two separate heats — one for each gender. Each player will wiggle and roll through a variety of "condiments" and on oversize metal bars that resemble a barbecue grill, then will roll toward a series of oversize circular discs at the end of the course that resemble bread buns. The first player that makes his/her way through the course and onto the oversize "bread buns" wins, while the three players in each heat that do not make it to the buns are automatically sent to "The Draw."[10]
Winners: Johnny & Laurel
Hold That Pose: Played in two teams of seven, all members of each team have to grab hold of a certain color of rope with their feet and hands. There are two ropes with 28 straps — four straps for each player, and once the hands and feet of each player are strapped in, all team members have to "hold a pose" above the sand for one minute. The first team to "hold a pose" for one minute without any players making contact with the ground wins, while all members of the losing team are automatically sent to "The Draw."[11]
Winners: Team Devyn (Devyn, Cara Maria, CT, Jessica, Leroy, Nany, Zach)
Dug Out: Much like the "T-Bone" elimination from Rivals, players run up and down, through intersecting half-pipes that are dug several feet deep, and have to transfer five colored balls to their partner's ball rack from one side to the other. The challenge is played in same-gender pairs — one round for each gender, and the pair that transfers all of their colored balls — 10 total — to each others' racks wins, while the remaining players are sent to "The Draw."[12]
Winners: CT & Zach and Nany & Theresa
Elimination games
Balls In: Each player will be given five chances to get as many balls inside a barrel, located in the middle of a large circle. If a player is either knocked out of or steps out of the ring, or if the ball is knocked out of the ring, their ball is considered "dead." Players will alternate between offense and defense in each round. The player who has more baskets than their opponent after five rounds wins the elimination round.[4][8][12]Note: Challenge previously used during The Inferno II.
Played by:Chet vs. Frank, Jemmye vs. LaToya, Bananas vs. Isaac, Jasmine vs. Laurel, Cara Maria vs. Jessica & Cohutta vs. Leroy.
Wrecking Wall: Each player must punch through a 30-foot dry wall to make holes so they can climb up until they can reach a bell. The first player to ring the bell wins the elimination round.[5][10]
Played by:Dustin vs. Frank, Emilee vs. Jonna, Bananas vs. Jordan, and Aneesa vs. Jonna
Looper: Each player has a rope hooked to their backs, and has to run around two posts, where each player will try to reach a bell, in a tug-of-war match. The first player to ring the bell wins the elimination round.[6] After its original appearance, a rope was added to each post, allowing competitors to use it to make pulling their opponent easier.[9]
Played by:Cara Maria vs. Nia, Jordan vs. Swift and Camila vs. Theresa
Oppenheimer: Each player must run across a caged circle hallway and passed the other player to ring a bell. The first player to ring the bell twice wins the elimination round.[7][11]
Played by:Cara Maria vs. LaToya, Brandon vs. Zach, Cohutta vs. Preston and Aneesa vs. Laurel
The Reunion special will air on June 26, 2014, after the season finale.[21]
Footnotes
^ abcFrank initially thought that he was suffering from a collapsed lung, and had hoped to continue competing. However, when he arrived at the "Bar Crawl" challenge in Episode 3, host T. J. Lavin delivered the news that doctors diagnosed Frank with a contagious viral infection, and he was immediately removed from the competition.[6]
^ abcChet withdrew from the "Balls In" elimination at the end of Episode 1, after he busted his chin open. T. J. Lavin gave Chet the option to either continue the elimination round with a bandage, or get stitches and forfeit; Chet chose the latter, fearing a bacterial infection. Therefore, Frank was declared the winner by default.[4]
^ abcAs a result of Frank's departure due to illness, Team Jasmine competed in the "Bar Crawl" challenge with three players, while the other five teams competed with four players.[6]
^ abcdIn the "Piggy Back" challenge, each team advanced the same number of players (4) from one platform to the other. However, Team Yellow was disqualified due to Preston failing to grab the last two ropes, after T. J. Lavin stated in the rules that each player was required to grab all ten topes. Therefore, Team Purple was declared the winner by default.[8]
^ abcJohnny was selected for the elimination round in Episode 3, but did not have to compete. There were four cards in "The Draw," but only three male players were eligible for participation — CT, Jordan and Swift — none of them drew the "kill card." Therefore, by virtue of Frank's illness that resulted in his removal from the competition, no male elimination round was held.[6]
^ abA tie vote was reached in Episode 4 between Aneesa and LaToya. A re-vote was required to determine who would be selected for the elimination round.[7]
