The Challenge: Rivals III
The Challenge: Rivals III | |
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Genre | Reality game show |
Created by | Mary-Ellis Bunim Jonathan Murray |
Presented by | T. J. Lavin |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 28 |
Production | |
Production locations | Huatulco, Mexico, Buenos Aires, Argentina |
Running time | Episode 1: 90 minutes (including commercials); All other episodes: 60 minutes (including commercials) |
Original release | |
Network | MTV |
Release | May 4, 2016[1] – present |
Release | The Challenge: Rivals III |
Release | The Challenge: Rivals III |
Release | The Challenge: Rivals III |
Release | The Challenge: Rivals III |
Release | The Challenge: Rivals III |
Release | The Challenge: Rivals III |
Release | The Challenge: Rivals III |
The Challenge: Rivals III is the 28th season of the MTV reality game show, The Challenge. Being the third in the Rivals series, Rivals III marks the show's third trilogy (following the Inferno and Gauntlet series), continuing on from the original Rivals and Rivals II. It was filmed in Huatulco, Mexico and Buenos Aires, Argentina, with former cast members from MTV's Real World, Spring Break Challenge, Are You the One?, and Battle of the Bloodlines competing. This season marks the first since season 11 to not feature any original cast members from the Fresh Meat or Fresh Meat II challenges.
Unlike the previous two installments of the Rivals series, which featured same-gender pairs, this season will see a change in the format, with male/female pairs that had bitter feuds, fights or strained relationships in previous seasons of Real World, The Challenge and Are You the One? (similar to the Battle of the Exes series). Unlike the other Rivals seasons, only the winning team from each week's challenge will decide who will face the last-place team in the elimination round. The season premiered on May 4, 2016.[1] Lisa Fletcher replaced longtime Challenge producer Justin Booth as executive producer this season. Booth had served as the executive producer since season 15.[2][3]
Cast
Host: T. J. Lavin, BMX rider
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- Note: There are two "Johnny" castmembers — Johnny Devenanzio & Johnny Reilly. Johnny Devenanzio is appointed by his nickname "Bananas."
Teams
Male Partner | Female Partner | Team[4] | Finish |
---|---|---|---|
Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio | Sarah Patterson (née Rice) | Bananas & Sarah | |
Cory Wharton | Ashley Mitchell | Cory & Ashley | |
Dario Medrano | Nicole Ramos | Dario & Nicole | |
Jamie Banks | KellyAnne Judd | Jamie & KellyAnne | |
Johnny Reilly | Jessica McCain | Johnny & Jessica | |
Nathan Siebenmark | Christina LeBlanc | Nate & Christina | |
Nelson Thomas | Amanda Garcia | Nelson & Amanda[a] | |
Thomas Buell | Simone Kelly | Thomas & Simone | |
Tony Raines | Camila Nakagawa | Tony & Camila | |
Vince Gliatta | Jenna Compono | Vince & Jenna | |
Wes Bergmann | Nany González | Wes & Nany | |
TBD | TBD | TBD[a] | |
Brandon Tindel | Briana LaCuesta | Brandon & Briana | Episode 4[a] |
Devin Walker | Cheyenne Floyd | Devin & Cheyenne | Episode 2[a] |
Leroy Garrett | Averey Tressler | Leroy & Averey |
Format
Each team participates in numerous challenges (sometimes called "missions"), which are followed by an elimination round — "The Jungle." The winning team of each challenge is safe from elimination, while the last-place finisher is automatically sent to the The Jungle.[6] The winning team also earns the right of choosing two teams that will face the last-place finisher in The Jungle. Prior to The Jungle, the two teams nominated by the winning team participate in a elimination draw in which all four participants either draw one of three white skulls or one black skull out of a bag (similar to the Free Agents season). If a participant draws a black skull, his/her team will face the last-place finisher in The Jungle.[7]
Unlike the original Rivals and Rivals II seasons, both of which featured same-gender pairs, no money is awarded to a gender-specific first-place finisher after each mission, as this season features male/female pairs. At the end of the season, three teams will compete in the final challenge for a share of a $350,000 prize — the first-place team wins $275,000, second-place wins $50,000 and third-place wins $25,000.[6]
Pre-season rivalry backgrounds
As with the first two Rivals seasons, Rivals III combines individuals who have had acrimonious or at least strained relations or interactions prior to the season. Unlike the first two Rivals seasons, which featured same-gender pairs, this season features male/female pairs. The following lists all the teams on Rivals III and explains why they've been paired and dubbed as "rivals." Each of the teams' history of animosity and/or open expressions of hostility are detailed as follows:
- Bananas & Sarah: The two entered Battle of the Exes II with a long-running friendship, and an alliance that had lasted through many of their past seasons. During that season, however, Sarah played the game to win, and along with her partner Jordan Wiseley, fought to remove her toughest competition from the game whenever the opportunity presented itself. After Bananas re-entered the game as a result of the "Battle of the Ex-iled" twist, they continued to work together until Sarah decided to send Bananas into the final Dome elimination against Leroy, which stunned Bananas and eventually sent him and his partner Nany home. Bananas lashed out at Sarah and stated he would never backstab anyone like that, but his efforts floundered when Paula Meronek publicly and angrily told him that he'd done exactly to that during The Island by throwing her off the eventually-winning team and putting her on an incompetent team in order to increase his own chances of winning.[8][9][10]
- Brandon & Briana: Briana disagreed with the way Brandon was playing the game during their appearance on Are You The One? Season 2, especially with Brandon's unwillingness to separate from Christina.[6][11]
- Cory & Ashley: The pair met as roommates during their original season of Real World: Ex-Plosion. They got along until Ashley got drunk and disrespected Cory by telling him she could buy his family. After that night, they continued to be on bad terms. After Ashley faced disagreements with many housemates, said she would only stay if the other roommates wanted her there. Cory was one of the four housemates to vote Ashley out, leading to her voluntary departure.[12][13]
- Dario & Nicole: The two got into a huge argument with a bunch of people on Battle of the Bloodlines where Dario tried voting in Nicole's cousin Nany into The Pit.[14][15]
- Devin & Cheyenne: The two got into multiple fights on Are You The One? Season 3, as the result of Cheyenne taking exception to the way Devin treated women in the house (especially Kiki).[6][16]
- Jamie & KellyAnne: The two engaged in a verbal scuffle during Battle of the Bloodlines, after Anthony Cuomo, KellyAnne's cousin, purposely threw a challenge ("Too Clingy") in an unsuccessful attempt to save KellyAnne from The Pit. The two are also rumored to have gotten into many other arguments.[17][18]
- Johnny & Jessica: Jessica never got along with Johnny and Averey during their original season on The Real World: Portland, as Jessica was called out for constantly needing attention by multiple housemates. Jessica also sided with Nia during a tense night out between Nia and Averey. They got into multiple verbal fights where Johnny made denigrating remarks regarding Jessica's weight, calling her a "defect," which made her cry multiple times, and on an aftershow, Johnny disapproved of Jessica's refusal to condemn Nia's behavior in the house. Their rivalry continued on Free Agents, where Jessica voted for Johnny to go into the elimination round (which was cancelled due to Frank Sweeney's unexpected departure).[19][20][21]
- Leroy & Averey: Leroy & Nia eliminated Averey & Johnny on Battle of the Exes II. On an episode of the aftershow, Leroy stated that he believed Johnny's side of the story regarding Johnny and Averey's breakup, mouthing off on-stage that she was a liar.[6][22]
- Nate & Christina: The two began to grow close on their season of Are You The One? Season 2, with both feeling that they could be a perfect match. However, when it was discovered that they were not, the ease with which Christina decided to go back to Brandon infuriated Nate, causing him to belittle her and claim her feelings for him were never real. Christina, in turn, started an actual relationship with Brandon.[6][23]
- Nelson & Amanda: During Are You The One? Season 3, Nelson was repulsed by Amanda's loud and obnoxious behavior. He also had took the side of another housemate who had hit Amanda due to her behavior.[24]
- Thomas & Simone: The pair engaged in a verbal altercation during Battle of the Exes II, which featured Simone splashing drinks in Thomas' face. This fight had gone un-aired on the actual season, but was shown in the Battle of the Exes II trailer. The fight was revealed to be over Thomas not minding his business and Simone getting angry.[6][25]
- Tony & Camila: The two got into a verbal argument on Battle of the Bloodlines after Camila was informed by her sister, Larissa Nakagawa, that Tony called Larissa "short, weak, and that she would be the first person eliminated from the game." Tony defended himself by calling it lies, but later he confessed that he was being sarcastic. The fight escalated when Nicole Ramos stepped in the defense of the Nakagawa sisters, and Nany González came in the defense of her bloodline Nicole. The fight was stopped with Tony walking away and Camila crying because she didn't want her sister to be bullied by anyone.[26][27]
- Vince & Jenna: Jenna was annoyed by Vince during Battle of the Bloodlines. Vince (and his bloodline Bananas) also threw Jenna (and her bloodline Brianna Julig) into every elimination possible, and eventually, Jenna always came back and made it further in the game than Vince.[6][28]
- Wes & Nany: The two were on rival teams on Battle of the Exes II. Wes and Nany's partner, Johnny Bananas, battled for supremacy within the game. As a result, Wes and Theresa González sent Nany and Bananas into the Dome versus their friends and allies, Leroy and Nia. Nany and Bananas were eliminated, but later re-entered the game via the "Battle of the Ex-iled" twist. Later in the game, Wes and Theresa were sent into an elimination against Leroy and Nia. During the "Hall Brawl" elimination, Wes was injured after being run into by Leroy, to which Nany laughed and taunted Wes as payback for their earlier animosity in the game.[9][29][30]
Gameplay
Challenge games
- Give Me Some Slack: A platform is suspended 400 feet above the ocean. A series of five skulls is dangling from the platform. The girls are positioned outward at one plank, facing the dangling skulls, while their male partners are positioned on the other side of the platform, holding a rope that is attached to the backs of their female partners. The goal is for each girl to lean forward and retrieve as many skulls as possible, or in the fastest time, and deposit the skulls into their team bucket. Each successive skull becomes more difficult for each girl to reach, and a team is disqualified if the female partner falls off the plank. The team to retrieve the most skulls wins, while the last-place finisher is automatically sent to The Jungle.[6]
- Winners: Vince & Jenna
- Dirty Laundry: Teams are positioned on a pole within a giant tub. The pole is coated with a bar of soap. Each team must use friction with their bodies (in a suggestive manner) in order to erode the soap and reveal four numbers on the wheel. Each team then runs toward a "clothesline" and a bucket full of t-shirts with numbers on them, and must dig through the bucket, then find the four t-shirts with the correct numbers, then hang the t-shirts on a clothesline.[24]
- Winners: N/A[b]
- Out On A Limb: A structure, with four platforms, is suspended 30 feet above the water. Each team must advance in unison from platform to platform by using a swinging bar, and there will be a bell at the end of the last platform in which each team must ring. Each successive platform becomes farther and more difficult for each team to reach. The team to advance the farthest or ring the bell in the fastest time wins, while the last-place team is automatically sent to The Jungle.[31]
- Winners: TBD Episode 5
Jungle games
- Back It Up: Teams have to shimmy their way up a wall while facing each other, transfer ceramic pottery on their laps, and deposit the pottery into a cargo net through a hole at the top of the wall. If a team drops a piece of pottery, they have to start over at ground level. The first team to deposit three pieces of pottery through their designated hole in the wall wins.[7]
- Played by: Johnny & Jessica vs. Devin & Cheyenne
Game summary
Elimination chart
Episode | Challenge winners | Jungle contestants | Jungle game | Jungle outcome | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
# | Challenge | Last-place finisher | Winner's pick | The Skull pick | Winning team | Losing team | |||||||||
1/2[a] | Give Me Some Slack | Vince & Jenna | Johnny & Jessica | Brandon & Briana | Devin & Cheyenne | Back It Up | Johnny & Jessica | Devin & Cheyenne | |||||||
Devin & Cheyenne | |||||||||||||||
3[a] | Dirty Laundry | —[b] | |||||||||||||
4/5[a] | Out On A Limb | ||||||||||||||
6 | |||||||||||||||
7 | |||||||||||||||
8 | |||||||||||||||
9 | |||||||||||||||
10 | |||||||||||||||
11 | |||||||||||||||
12 | |||||||||||||||
13/14 |
Jungle progress
Teams | Episodes | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1/2[a] | 3[a][b] | 4/5[a] | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Final | ||
Bananas & Sarah | SAFE | SAFE | ||||||||||
Cory & Ashley | SAFE | SAFE | ||||||||||
Dario & Nicole | SAFE | SAFE | ||||||||||
Jamie & KellyAnne | SAFE | SAFE | ||||||||||
Johnny & Jessica | JUNGLE | SAFE | ||||||||||
Nate & Christina | SAFE | SAFE | ||||||||||
Nelson & Amanda | —[a] | SAFE | ||||||||||
Thomas & Simone | SAFE | SAFE | ||||||||||
Tony & Camila | SAFE | SAFE | ||||||||||
Vince & Jenna | WIN | SAFE | ||||||||||
Wes & Nany | SAFE | SAFE | ||||||||||
TBD | —[a] | |||||||||||
Brandon & Briana | JUNGLE | SAFE | QUIT | |||||||||
Devin & Cheyenne | OUT | JUNGLE | ||||||||||
Leroy & Averey | OUT |
- Competition
- The team won the final challenge.
- The team lost the final challenge.
- The team won the challenge and was safe from the Jungle.
- The team was not selected for the Jungle.
- The team was selected for the Jungle, but pulled a white skull and was safe.
- The team won in the Jungle.
- The team lost in the Jungle.
- The team was disqualified from the competition due to physical violence.
- The team was removed from the competition due to illness/injury.
- The team withdrew from the competition.
Injuries, disqualifications and replacements
- Leroy & Averey were removed from the competition in Episode 2 due to injury. Leroy initially revealed in Episode 1 that he was suffering from a pinched nerve in his back, though he and Averey participated in the "Give Me Some Slack" challenge.[6] Prior to the first Jungle nomination in Episode 2, host T. J. Lavin delivered the news that Leroy was medically unable to continue competing, and Averey was sent home as the result of being Leroy's partner.[7]
- Nelson & Amanda were brought into the competition prior to the "Dirty Laundry" challenge in Episode 3, as a replacement team for Leroy & Averey.[24]
- Prior to the "Out On A Limb" challenge in Episode 4, Brandon quit the game due to homesickness. Briana was sent home as the result of being Brandon's partner.[31]
- An unknown replacement team will be brought into the competition in Episode 5.[31]
Episodes
No. in season |
No. in series |
Title | Original air date | U.S. TV first-run viewers (million) |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 343 | "Mexican Standoff" | May 4, 2016 | 0.66[32] |
2 | 344 | "The Curse of the Black Skull" | May 11, 2016 | 0.70[33] |
3 | 345 | "The Replacements" | May 18, 2016 | 0.73[34] |
4 | 346 | "I'm Going Home" | May 25, 2016 | 0.84[35] |
5 | 347 | "Where The Ratchet Things Are" | June 1, 2016 | N/A |
6 | 348 | "The Naked Truth" | June 8, 2016 | N/A |
Notes
References
- ^ a b "Sneak Peek: Rivals III at MTV.com".
- ^ "Premiere/Trailer Alert: "The Challenge: Rivals III" Premieres on Wednesday, May 4 at 10:00-11:30 PM ET/PT on MTV". The Futon Critic. April 4, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
- ^ "TJ Lavin to Host MTV's Real World/Road Rules Challenge – Gauntlet III: January 9, 2008".
- ^ a b c "The Challenge: Rivals III cast at MTV.com". April 4, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
- ^ Joseph, Natalie (September 17, 2015). "MTV stars encourage students to vote at Decision 2016 event". Longwood University — The Rotunda. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "The Challenge: Rivals III Episode 1 "Mexican Standoff" – Video at MTV.com".
- ^ a b c "The Challenge: Rivals III Episode 2 "The Curse of the Black Skull" – Video at MTV.com".
- ^ "The Challenge: Rivals III Promo – Bananas & Sarah – Video at MTV.com".
- ^ a b "The Challenge: Battle of the Exes II Episode 10 "Lovers In the Dark" – Video at MTV.com".
- ^ "The Challenge: Battle of the Exes II Episode 11 "Bye Bye, Love" – Video at MTV.com".
- ^ "The Challenge: Rivals III Promo – Brandon & Briana – Video at MTV.com".
- ^ "The Challenge: Rivals III Promo – Cory & Ashley – Video at MTV.com".
- ^ "Ex-otic Encounters". Real World: Ex-Plosion. Season 29. Episode 4. January 29, 2014. MTV.
- ^ "The Challenge: Rivals III Promo – Dario & Nicole – Video at MTV.com".
- ^ "The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines Episode 5 "A House Divided" – Video at MTV.com".
- ^ "The Challenge: Rivals III Promo – Devin & Cheyenne – Video at MTV.com".
- ^ "The Challenge: Rivals III Promo – Jamie & KellyAnne – Video at MTV.com".
- ^ "The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines Episode 8 "Blood is Thicker Than Mud" – Video at MTV.com".
- ^ "The Challenge: Rivals III Promo – Johnny & Jessica – Video at MTV.com".
- ^ "Pantsfall". The Real World: Portland. Season 28. Episode 8. May 15, 2013. MTV.
- ^ "The Challenge: Free Agents Episode 3 "You Be Illin'" – Video at MTV.com".
- ^ "The Challenge: Rivals III Promo – Leroy & Averey – Video at MTV.com".
- ^ "The Challenge: Rivals III Promo – Nate & Christina – Video at MTV.com".
- ^ a b c d "The Challenge: Rivals III Episode 3 "The Replacements" – Video at MTV.com".
- ^ "The Challenge: Rivals III Promo – Thomas & Simone – Video at MTV.com".
- ^ "The Challenge: Rivals III Promo – Tony & Camila – Video at MTV.com".
- ^ "The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines Episode 1 "There Will Be Blood" – Video at MTV.com".
- ^ "The Challenge: Rivals III Promo – Vince & Jenna – Video at MTV.com".
- ^ "The Challenge: Rivals III Promo – Wes & Nany – Video at MTV.com".
- ^ "The Challenge: Battle of the Exes II Episode 5 "Love, Sweat, and Tears" – Video at MTV.com".
- ^ a b c "The Challenge: Rivals III Episode 4 "I'm Going Home" – Video at MTV.com".
- ^ "Wednesday cable ratings: NBA Playoffs land on top". May 5, 2016. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
- ^ "Wednesday cable ratings: NBA Playoffs continue to dominate". May 12, 2016. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
- ^ "Wednesday cable ratings: NBA Playoffs continue to beat NHL Finals". May 19, 2016. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
- ^ "Wednesday cable ratings: NHL Conference Finals hold steady". May 26, 2016. Retrieved May 26, 2016.