The Challenge: Invasion of the Champions
Invasion of the Champions | |
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Season 29 | |
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Presented by | T. J. Lavin |
No. of contestants | 26 |
Location | Krabi, Thailand |
No. of episodes | 16 (Reunion Included) |
Release | |
Original network | MTV |
Original release | February 7 May 16, 2017 | –
Season chronology |
The Challenge: Invasion of the Champions[1] (originally promoted and titled as The Challenge: Invasion)[2] is the 29th season of the MTV reality game show, The Challenge. The new individual format was filmed in Krabi, Thailand during October and November 2016, and features alumni from The Real World, Road Rules, The Challenge, and Are You the One? competing.
The season premiered on February 7, 2017,[2] and concluded with the reunion special on May 16, 2017.
Cast
Host: T. J. Lavin, BMX rider
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- Champion of
Format
The game started off with 18 Underdogs (players who have yet to win a challenge) who get dropped off a boat and onto a beach, where they were living in "The Shelter." They compete individually in challenges, followed by an elimination round.The male and female winners of the challenge would be safe from elimination, and earn their ticket to "The Oasis" — the season house. The last-place finishers of each gender automatically went straight into elimination for the first challenge.[3][4]
In the second challenge, the challenge winners will choose a player of the opposite gender to go into the elimination. The remainder of the cast then voted in who goes against them for the first and second challenge. The males voted for the females, and vice versa.[5]
In the third challenge, and the last chance to earn a ticket to the Oasis, the winners will be safe from elimination, and the two remaining players of each gender will automatically compete against each other. In the elimination, each gender will compete. The winners of the elimination round would return to the game, and earn a ticket to The Oasis. The losers of the elimination round go home. Players could not go into The Oasis until every ticket had been earned.[3] Players who earned their ticket to the Oasis will be exempt from elimination and will not compete in challenges until the Champions enter the gnome.[6]
In Episode 5, eight of the toughest champions (four male, four female) will enter the game, which will become a team competition - Underdogs vs. Champions. Each challenge will be designated as either an Underdog or a Champion elimination known as "The Fortress". The winning team will earn money in their team bank account depending on the challenge.[7] The best performing male and female of the team designated for the challenge will then choose one player of each gender to go into the elimination. The remainder of the cast will then vote in the players who will go against the nominated players in The Fortress. The winners return to the game, and the losers are eliminated.[8]
Gameplay
Challenge games
- The Over Under: Players start by grabbing a bucket and filling it with mud. They will have to use the mud to try and get over a huge wall that is made up of bamboo poles. After they get over the first wall, they go to a second wall and dig their way under the wall. After they get under the second wall, they go to a tied idol and try and get the idol out from a tricky rope maze.[3]
- Winners: Dario & Nicole
- Shell Shocked: Players are paired up into male and female teams. Each team must row an unstable boat to four checkpoints. At each checkpoint, they retrieve a bag of coconuts. Once all of the bags are collected, they return to the starting line where they shoot the coconuts into a basket. The basket is connected to a pole with a weight behind it. The more coconuts they shoot into the basket, the higher the weight goes. The first team to lift the weight wins.[5]
- Winners: Hunter & Ashley M.
- Caged and Confused: Players are trapped inside a cage hanging on a rope. They pull a rope that will make them spin down to the ground. Each player then must roll to the finish line while still inside their cage. When they reach the finish line, they pull a rope towards them that is connected to a coconut, with a key attached. They use the key to unlock the cage and get out. The player that gets out of the cage first wins. The two remaining players are automatically nominated for elimination.[6]
- Winners: Shane & Amanda
- Knockout: A ball is catapulted towards the teams. Each team battles to get the ball into their respective goal. The game is played in two separate heats — one for each gender. The team that scores three points, that can be scored in both heats, wins.[8]
- Individual Winners: Ashley M. & Dario
- Winning Team: Underdogs
- Roll With The Punches: Played in male/female pairs, and two pairs at a time, each pair spends three minutes in a spinning wheel made out of four beams that is suspended above water. Each contestant must leap from beam to beam as many times as possible without falling into the water. A pair accumulates one point for each rotation, and the team who accumulates the most points wins.[9]
- Individual Winners: Bananas & Laurel
- Winning Team: Champions
- Curry Up: Contestants from each team must solve a puzzle, by consuming a bowl of curry soup at two different stations while racing three miles to their designated puzzle station. The curry bowls at the first stations are spicy, and are spicier at the second station. Underneath the bowls are place mats that represent puzzle pieces that each team can drop off at their designated puzzle station. Each bowl of soup must be empty before a team can take their place mats and race to their puzzle station. The first team to complete their puzzle wins.[7]
- Individual Winners: Hunter & Nicole
- Winning Team: Champions
- Fallout: A large, slippery platform is suspended above water. Played in separate male/female heats, each contestant attempts to grab one of two ropes, and hang on for as long as possible. When the platform pivots like a seesaw, players end up sliding into and knocking other players into the water, making it difficult to hang onto the ropes. When a player falls into the water, his/her time is stopped, and the team with the longest cumulative time hanging on the ropes wins.[10]
- Individual Winners: CT & Camila
- Winning Team: Underdogs
- Crossover: Played in male/female pairs, each player must traverse a series of inflatable tubes that are attached to a moving speedboat. One player starts at one tube, while his/her partner starts on the opposite end. They encounter each other in the middle, and once each player has reached the opposite side, they have to pull themselves toward the boat and retrieve a flag within a three-minute time limit. A pairs' time is stopped once each player has grabbed their flags. The team that retrieves their flag in the fastest average time wins.[11]
- Winning Team: Underdogs
- X-It: In the first Underdog Bloodbath game, players are harnessed up to an "X" structure. They will grab the puzzle pieces of their color and throw them to their table. Each piece corresponds to a number represented by a symbol. Once they retrieve all of their bags, they must then unhook themselves and solve an ancient puzzle. Each column and row must have the puzzle pieces add up to 21. Pieces of the same symbol can not be used twice in a row or column. The last male and female to complete this task are eliminated.[12]
- Eliminated: Hunter & Jenna
- Caved In: Players navigate through a series of cages by going through small doors. However, each cage has an obstacle that the team must work through to get to the right door. If a team chooses the wrong door, it gets them back to the previous cage. The team that gets through all of the cages wins.[13]
- Winning Team: Underdogs
Elimination games
- In The Trenches: Similar to "Hall Pass" from Battle of the Exes, players start at opposite end of the trench, they have to transfer ten sandbags from one side to the other side.[4]
- Played By: Kailah vs. Marie and Tony vs. Bruno
- Who's Got Balls?: Players have jump off a platform while holding on to a total of five balls. The player that holds on to the most balls win. If both opponents hold on to the sama amount of balls, the winner is determined by the time it took them to jump off.[5]
- Played By: Jenna vs. Anika and Cory vs. Theo
- Thai Rise: Players race up to the top of the Tiger Cave Temple, and retrieve a bag of rice that has a bell in it. Once they get the bag, they race back down and hang their bell. The player to do this task the fastest wins.[6]
- Played By: Sylvia vs. LaToya and Nelson vs. Anthony
- Tuk Tuk Bang Bang: Players stand on the back of a "tuk tuk", and have to push their tuk tuk further and further until they reach the end of the driveway, knocking over the wall in the end. The first player to do so wins.[14]
- Played By: Sylvia vs. Kailah and Shane vs. Tony
- Pole Wrestle: Similar to the original "Pole Wrestle" from The Duel, players are placed at the center of a circle and place both hands on a wooden pole. The first contestant to wrestle the pole out of the opponent's hands twice, wins.[9]
- Played By: Cara Maria vs. Ashley K. and Darrell vs. Zach
- Bell Ringer: Players have to break Thai idols using a rope connected to a bell suspended 15 feet above them. As the idols are being smashed, they release powder, making it more difficult for the players to see. The first player to smash all 16 idols wins.[7]
- Played By: Nelson vs. Dario and Jenna vs. Sylvia
- Balls In: Similar to the original "Balls In" from The Inferno II, Spring Break Challenge and Free Agents, each player is 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 alternates between offense and defense in each round. The player who gets to three points wins, with each ball being worth a point.[10]
- Played by: Darrell vs. Bananas and Laurel vs. Cara Maria
- Inside Out: In the first round between the three initial players, the players are harnessed to a rope tied behind their back to a ring in a game similar to "Reverse Tug-O-War" and "Looper" from The Gauntlet 2 and Free Agents, respectively. The first player to ring their bell wins that round while the two remaining losing players face off in the final round. In the final round, the losing players are tied together, facing each other this time, the player to get both feet out of the ring in two rounds wins.[12]
- Played by: Ashley M. vs. Nicole vs. Amanda, Cory vs. Nelson vs. Shane
- Knot So Fast: Similar to the original "Knot So Fast" from Battle of the Seasons (2012) and "It Takes Two to Tangle from Battle of the Exes II, players have 20 minutes to create as many knots using 200 feet of rope within a dome-shaped structure. After those 20 minutes are up, players must untie their opponents' knots. The player who unties the opposing players' knots first wins the elimination.[13][15]
- Played by: Camila vs. Laurel and CT vs. Darrell
Final challenge
For the final challenge both teams are dismantled and players compete as individuals. Players pair up with each of the opposite gender competitors during the different stages of the final and their final placement is determined by their total final time. In addition to their share of what is in their team bank account, first place players receive $100,000 each, second receive $15,000 each, and third receive $5,000 each. Players must stay at The Shelter for the duration of the final challenge.
- Stage 1: Pairs must swim from a sand barge to an island and solve a triangle puzzle in order to retrieve a key. They must then use a paddleboard to swim back to the barge to unlock another puzzle. Once the puzzle on the barge has been solved, the pair's times will be stopped.
- Time Buster #1: Pairs will try to extract as much water as they can out of a pile of coconuts and deposit it into their team container. The pair with the most water extracted from their coconuts after an hour has the power to assign a five-minute time penalty to two other players.
- Stage 2: Players are divided into new pairs and race over a mile into the jungle to complete a series of checkpoints. Once they are done, players race back in order to stop their times. Tasks include solving a puzzle, eating disgusting dishes, and walking along a rope.
- Time Buster #2: Pairs must lace Thai prayer beads onto a wire spool for an unrevealed amount of time. Whichever pair has the longest strand laced by the time T.J. Lavin returns is able to add a five-minute penalty to two other players.
- Stage 3: Players are divided into new pairs and follow a series of checkpoints leading to a 10-mile kayak ride. Once a pair has rowed their kayak to the barge, their time is stopped.
- Stage 4: Players compete individually and hang on to a bar suspended from a speedboat until they reach a buoy. Upon reaching the buoy players must swim as fast as they can to the finish line where their individual times are stopped. Players that fall off the bar before reaching the buoy must swim the remaining distance. On the shore T.J. announces the final results.
- The Challenge: Invasion of the Champions winners: CT & Ashley
- Second place: Nelson & Camila
- Third place: Cory & Nicole
Game summary
Elimination chart
Episode | — | Winners | Elimination contestants | Elimination game | Elimination outcome | ||||||||||
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# | Challenge | Last-place | Voted In | Winner | Loser | ||||||||||
1/2 | The Over Under | Nicole | Marie | Kailah | In The Trenches | Kailah | Marie | ||||||||
Dario | Bruno | Tony | Tony | Bruno | |||||||||||
Challenge | Winners | Winner's pick | Voted In | Elimination game | Winner | Loser | |||||||||
3 | Shell Shocked | Hunter | Theo | Cory | Who's Got Balls? | Cory | Theo[a] | ||||||||
Ashley M. | Jenna | Anika | Jenna | Anika | |||||||||||
Challenge | Winners | Last-place | Elimination game | Winner | Loser | ||||||||||
4 | Caged and Confused | Amanda | LaToya | Sylvia | Thai Rise | Sylvia | LaToya | ||||||||
Shane | Anthony | Nelson | Nelson | Anthony | |||||||||||
Challenge | Fortress Team | Winners | Player's Pick | Voted In | Fortress Game | Winner | Loser | ||||||||
5/6 | Knockout | Underdogs | Underdogs | Sylvia | Kailah | Tuk Tuk Bang Bang | Sylvia | Kailah | |||||||
Tony | Shane | Shane | Tony | ||||||||||||
7 | Roll With The Punches | Champions | Champions | Cara Maria | Ashley K. | Pole Wrestle | Cara Maria | Ashley K. | |||||||
Zach | Darrell | Darrell | Zach | ||||||||||||
8 | Curry Up | Underdogs | Champions | Nelson | Dario | Bell Ringer | Nelson | Dario | |||||||
Jenna | Sylvia | Jenna | Sylvia | ||||||||||||
9/10 | Fallout | Champions | Underdogs | Bananas vs. Darrell | Balls In | Darrell | Bananas | ||||||||
Cara Maria vs. Laurel | Laurel | Cara Maria | |||||||||||||
10 | Crossover | — | Underdogs | —[b] | |||||||||||
Challenge | Bloodbath Team | Winners | Fortress contestants | Fortress game | Winner | Loser | |||||||||
11/12 | X-It[b] | Underdogs | — | Hunter | |||||||||||
Jenna | |||||||||||||||
— | Amanda vs. Ashley M. vs. Nicole | Inside Out | Ashley M. | Amanda | |||||||||||
Nicole | |||||||||||||||
Cory vs. Nelson vs. Shane | Nelson | Shane | |||||||||||||
Cory | |||||||||||||||
Challenge | Fortress Team | Winners | Fortress contestants | Fortress Game | Winner | Loser | |||||||||
12/13 | Caved In | Champions | Underdogs | Camila vs. Laurel | Knot So Fast | Camila | Laurel | ||||||||
CT vs. Darrell | CT | Darrell | |||||||||||||
13/14/15 | Final Challenge | — | CT | 2nd place: Nelson; 3rd place: Cory | |||||||||||
Ashley M. | 2nd place: Camila; 3rd place: Nicole |
Episode progress
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- Competition
- The contestant won the final challenge.
- The contestant did not win the final challenge.
- The contestant won the challenge and won safety from the elimination round.
- The contestant won the challenge, but was subject to the elimination round.
- The contestant was exempt from participating in the elimination round.
- The contestant was not selected for the elimination round.
- The contestant won in the elimination round.
- The contestant lost in the elimination round and was eliminated.
- The contestant came in last in the daily challenge and was eliminated.
- The contestant withdrew from the elimination round.
Bank Accounts
Updated after Episode 12.
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Voting Progress
Voted into Elimination |
Tony 5 of 8 votes |
Theo 1 of 1 vote |
Cory 7 of 7 votes |
No vote |
Tony 1 of 1 vote |
Shane 3 of 5 votes |
Zach 1 of 1 vote |
Darrell 2 of 3 votes |
Nelson 1 of 1 votes |
Dario 3 of 4 votes |
No vote | ||||||||||||||
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Kailah 7 of 8 votes |
Jenna 1 of 1 vote |
Anika 7 of 7 votes |
Sylvia 1 of 1 vote |
Kailah 3 of 5 votes |
Cara Maria 1 of 1 vote |
Ashley K. 2 of 3 votes |
Jenna 1 of 1 votes |
Sylvia 4 of 4 votes | |||||||||||||||||
Voter | Episode | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
1/2 | 3 | 4 | 5/6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | ||||||||||||||||
Ashley M. | Tony | Theo | Tony | Dario | |||||||||||||||||||||
CT | —[c] | Camila | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Camila | —[c] | CT | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Nelson | Kailah | Anika | Kailah | Sylvia | |||||||||||||||||||||
Cory | Kailah | Anika | Ashley M. | Sylvia | |||||||||||||||||||||
Nicole | Theo | Cory | Shane | Nelson | |||||||||||||||||||||
Darrell | —[c] | Ashley K. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Laurel | —[c] | Zach | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Shane | Kailah | Anika | Kailah | Sylvia | |||||||||||||||||||||
Amanda | Tony | Cory | Cory | Dario | |||||||||||||||||||||
Jenna | Theo | Cory | Shane | Shane | |||||||||||||||||||||
Hunter | Kailah | Jenna | Kailah | Jenna | |||||||||||||||||||||
Cara Maria | —[c] | Darrell | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Bananas | —[c] | Cara Maria | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Sylvia | Tony | Cory | Cory | Dario | |||||||||||||||||||||
Dario | Kailah | Anika | Sylvia | Sylvia | |||||||||||||||||||||
Zach | —[c] | Ashley K. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Ashley K. | —[c] | Darrell | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Tony | Sylvia | Anika | Ashley M. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Kailah | Theo | Cory | Shane | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Anthony | Kailah | Anika | |||||||||||||||||||||||
LaToya | Tony | Cory | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Anika | Tony | Cory | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Theo | Kailah | Anika | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Bruno | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Marie |
Teams
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Episodes
No. in season |
No. in series |
Show Title | Original air date | U.S. TV first-run viewers (million) | |
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1 | 357 | "Gimmie Shelter" | February 7, 2017 | 0.69[16] | |
18 eager Underdogs are brought to Thailand, where they learn that they will be living in the Shelter. However, they learn that their living place is only temporary as they can earn their way into the Oasis. Lines are drawn in the house during the first challenge. Bruno becomes very frustrated and finishes last in the challenge, and Marie also finishes last, sending both of them into the first elimination. Nelson then confronts Tony when Tony doesn't try to help his friend Bruno. Nicole and Dario earn the first two tickets in the Oasis, and the players learn that no one can go into the Oasis until everyone earns their spot. | |||||
2 | 358 | "Skeletal Fracture" | February 7, 2017 | 0.65[16] | |
Tony, Cory, Kailah, and Jenna quickly become the outcasts when they refuse to form alliances with the other side to advance in the game. After the dispute, Kailah finds comfort in Cory, and they start to grow closer. Nicole and Tony try to convince Sylvia to vote with them, but she is faced with the ultimate decision when Nelson tells Sylvia that she'll have a target on her back if she doesn't vote for Tony. Sylvia betrays her Real World: Skeletons roommates during the deliberations, and Kailah becomes the bandwagon vote for elimination. Kailah and Tony gain their tickets into the Oasis after defeating Bruno and Marie. | |||||
3 | 359 | "Helter Shelter" | February 14, 2017 | 0.65[17] | |
Hunter and Ashley M. start to couple up. During the "Shell Shocked" challenge, the guys and the girls pair up, and lovebirds Hunter and Ashley win. In a desperate attempt to get to the Oasis, Cory campaigns the rest of the house to throw him in the elimination. Jenna knows that she will inevitably be sent in, and Anika volunteers to go against her. During deliberations, Hunter sends in Jenna and Ashley sends in Theo. Cory and Anika are thrown in to face them. In one of the scariest eliminations in Challenge history, Theo cracks and quits and Jenna wins against Anika. | |||||
4 | 360 | "Four Tickets To Paradise" | February 21, 2017 | 0.76[18] | |
It's the last chance to earn a ticket to the Oasis, and paranoia gets to the remaining contestants. Nelson and LaToya begin hooking up as both of them are in danger of going home. During the "Caged and Confused" challenge, Shane and Amanda win not only a spot in the Oasis, but also a year supply of Burger King food. Anthony, Nelson, LaToya, and Sylvia head into the last elimination to earn a spot in the Oasis. Sylvia and Nelson win the "Thai Rise" elimination, and become the final Underdogs to go into the Oasis. The Underdogs finally move into the Oasis, and enjoy their time there. Before the next challenge, the Underdogs learn that they will have to compete against eight of the toughest Champions if they want to become the next batch of winners of The Challenge. | |||||
5 | 361 | "Underdog Eat Underdog World" | February 28, 2017 | 0.78[19] | |
The Underdogs form a team against the Champions, as the game follows a new format. During the "Knockout" challenge, the Underdogs pull an unexpected win, but things go to haywire when they have to prepare for an Underdog elimination. Dario and Ashley M. decide the first players into the elimination; Tony and Sylvia. The divide continues in Team Underdogs as some want to make the best choice for the team and others want to ensure their safety. Nicole develops a crush on Cara Maria, and Ashley K. & Dario begin flirting with each other. Kailah gets super drunk and wets her bed, which causes Cory to be turned off. | |||||
6 | 362 | "The Mile-High Club" | March 7, 2017 | 0.80[20] | |
Jenna's feelings for Zach begin to resurface as they continue to spend time together. Nelson begins to make moves on Sylvia, but she turns him down causing Nelson to lash out. Cory and Kailah make up after the bed situation. During deliberations, Kailah once again becomes a target and Shane is thrown in against Tony. Shane proves his fearlessness as he calls out Tony for calling him weak. The cast ventures into the Fortress, where the remainder of the eliminations will take place. During the "Tuk Tuk Bang Bang" elimination, strategy proves to outweigh strength as Shane and Sylvia earn another week in the game. A scandalous rumor involving Jenna spreads in the Oasis, and Jenna fears that it will cause a rift in her relationship with Zach if he finds out. | |||||
7 | 363 | "Achy Breaky Heart" | March 14, 2017 | 0.86[21] | |
Hunter and Cara Maria begin flirting, and Ashley M. starts to freak out. Jenna is hesitant to tell Zach about the rumor. During the "Roll with the Punches" challenge, the Champions win and Bananas & Laurel earn immunity from the Fortress. Unsurprisingly, Bananas nominates Cara Maria and Laurel nominates Zach. During deliberations, the Champions choose Ashley K. and Darrell to face off against Zach and Cara Maria. In the Fortress, the players learn that the Champions will compete in elimination rounds from past seasons of The Challenge to prove why they deserve the Champion title. In the "Pole Wrestle" elimination, Darrell and Cara Maria win against Zach and Ashley K. | |||||
8 | 364 | "A Low Down Dirty Shane" | March 21, 2017 | 0.81[22] | |
The Underdogs team begin to suspect that Shane may be double-crossing sides to stay in the game. During the "Curry Up" challenge, the Champions snag another win and Hunter and Nicole win immunity from the elimination. Nelson and Hunter have a small dispute with Bananas and Hunter threats that he will beat Bananas in the final. Hunter and Nicole send in Jenna and Nelson into the Fortress. Back at the house, the alliances still split the Underdogs as Dario confronts Shane after he learns that Shane made a deal with Nicole in order to throw off the other side. Bananas decides to prank the Underdog girls by stealing their toilet seat and Ashley lashes out. Sylvia decides to throw herself into the Fortress after her poor performance in the challenge. During deliberations, Dario and Sylvia are voted in to compete against Jenna and Nelson. In the "Bell Ringer" elimination, Jenna and Nelson win against Dario and Sylvia. The next day, the pranking continues when Camila and Cara Maria put chips under Ashley and Amanda's sheets. They both lash out and Ashley directs her anger at Hunter when he starts laughing. She knows Hunter knows who did it, but he won't tell her. This causes a strain in Ashley and Hunter's relationship. | |||||
9 | 365 | "An Officer and a Gentlewoman" | March 28, 2017 | 0.82[23] | |
The house throws a costume party. Nicole and Cara Maria continue to flirt with each other. Nicole begins to flirt with Laurel as well. Laurel opens up to Camila about her feelings for Nicole. A love triangle between Laurel, Cara Maria, and Nicole causes Laurel to feel hurt. Laurel tells Ashley and Amanda that she participated in the prank. Amanda begins to lose respect for Laurel, but Laurel tries to argue that it was a fun thing. The confrontation continues in the house which leads to a big alteration between Laurel & Camila and Amanda. In the aftermath, the house becomes annoyed with Ashley and Amanda, and Camila and Amanda go at it once again. Nicole continues to play both Laurel and Cara Maria, but she is forced her to choose one of them. In the "Fall Out" challenge, the Underdogs win and CT & Camila earn immunity from the Fortress. Cara Maria feels that Camila's strategy to win was unfair. Bananas prepares for his biggest elimination opponent yet, and Cara Maria is nervous to go against her friend Laurel. Cara Maria tells Laurel to confront Nicole about her feelings for her. Laurel and Nicole discuss their relationship. Nicole reveals that she did like Laurel, and Laurel rejects her. In the Fortress, the players play the "Balls In" elimination round from The Inferno II & Free Agents. Bananas' fate in the game depends on the final round. | |||||
10 | 366 | "Go Your Own Way" | April 4, 2017 | 0.76[24] | |
Picking up where last week left off, Bananas loses against Darrell. Laurel and Cara Maria then compete and in a close battle, Laurel wins. Shane calls out Hunter during a night out saying that Hunter only cares about himself and claims that he doesn't care about Ashley. This causes Hunter to lash out and Ashley to be upset. During the "Crossover" challenge, the Underdogs snag a third win and $30,000 to their team bank account. TJ then surprises the whole house announcing that there will not be an Underdog elimination and there will be a house party instead. During the party, Laurel confronts Nicole once again and Nicole apologizes for playing her. TJ shows up at the house party announcing that it was a going away party for the Underdogs as they will be competing in the Underdog Slaughter. | |||||
11 | 367 | "The Bloodbath" | April 11, 2017 | 0.78[25] | |
The Underdogs are shocked at the news that they will be competing in the Bloodbath, and most of them are nervous for what's to come. Camila continues her fling with Cory, and she hopes that he can come back. Laurel and Nicole grow closer. Shane thinks that he can win the Bloodbath because he is the most well-rounded Underdog. The first game in the Underdog Bloodbath is called "X-It". At the end of the challenge, Hunter and Jenna are the first to lose. The rest of the Underdogs head to the Fortress where they play "Inside Out". In the female round, the girls struggle to win the first heat, but Ashley gets the win. In the second part, Nicole beats Amanda, sending her home. In the male round, it is much quicker as Nelson grabs the first win. However, in a strategy to take out Shane, Cory believed that Nelson did not do his part leading to a huge confrontation in the Fortress. | |||||
12 | 368 | "Caged" | April 18, 2017 | 0.79[26] | |
Cory gets physical with Nelson after he confronts him after the first round. Cory loses his trust for Nelson. In the second round, Cory wins against Shane making him the final Underdog in the final challenge. Cory and Nelson squash their beef and agree to work together so that the Underdogs can win the final. The next day, Nicole finds her jar of peanut butter that was hidden for 3 weeks; a prank in which Laurel was involved in, but she is afraid to admit it. CT considers retirement after completing this season. During the "Caved In" challenge, the Underdogs win once again. Laurel and Camila go at it after the Champions's lost. All four of the Champions prepare for the final Champ elimination of the season. In the Fortress, the Champs play "Knot So Fast". In a shocking outcome Camila wins against the undefeated Laurel. | |||||
13 | 369 | "A River of Endless Light" | April 25, 2017 | 0.76[27] | |
Darrell and CT compete in the final elimination round of the season. In one of the smartest strategies in Challenge history, CT wins against 4-time Champion Darrell. The cast goes out for one last night before the grueling final. When they return, Nicole and Nelson talk about Nicole's relationship with Laurel, and she is upset that Laurel is gone. Ashley, whose friends are all eliminated from the game, has a mental breakdown because she thinks Nelson and Nicole are talking about her. She then decides that she wants to go home. Nelson and Nicole try to calm her down, but Nelson directs all the cameras at Ashley to prove that she is an attention whore. CT manages to calm Ashley down, and convinces her to stay. The finalists leave the Oasis and head to an island resort. There, they learn that they will be participating in the Thai ceremony of lights, which also happens to be the death anniversary of Diem Brown. The final is now here, and the players learn that they will no longer be playing in teams. The money they earned from challenges are split, and they learn that the first place finisher will earn $100,000. The first stage of the final involves each player pairing up; Nelson & Ashley, CT & Camila, and Cory & Nicole. | |||||
14 | 370 | "Math Is Hard" | May 2, 2017 | 0.78[28] | |
In the first leg of Day 1 of the first-ever three day final challenge, the pairs swim to an island where they must solve a puzzle to retrieve a key, and then solve another puzzle when they get back. CT & Camila gain a strong lead, but Nelson & Ashley come a close second. Meanwhile, Cory & Nicole get a penalty for being unable to solve the puzzle. The finalists then learn that they will be spending their nights in the Shelter. Before they get rest, the pairs must crack as many coconuts as possible and fill a tube with the liquid inside. The pair that got the most filled had the power to add 5 minutes to the player's score of their choice. Cory & Nicole win and they choose CT & Ashley for the penalty. In Day 2, the pairs switch and now it's CT & Ashley, Cory & Camila, and Nelson & Nicole. The pairs will race a mile into the jungle where they will enter a cave. In the cave they must eat what's on their table completely to receive a piece to the puzzle. To get the second piece, they have to complete a ropes course. If the pair could not compete this task in the time limit, they had a penalty and will be forced to move on. Nelson & Nicole gain a strong lead in this stage, while CT & Ashley and Cory & Camila could not. After the ropes course, they must swim through a rive to receive their third piece. They then must go to solve their puzzle similar to the one seen in the "Unburried" elimination from Rivals. Despite struggling, CT & Ashley were the first pair to complete the task, and Nelson & Nicole finish second. Meanwhile, Cory & Camila struggle to communicate after they solve the puzzle wrong. | |||||
15 | 371 | "The True Champions" | May 9, 2017 | 0.73[29] |
Reunion Special
The reunion special aired on May 16, 2017, one week after the season finale, and was hosted by WWE pro wrestler, The Real World: Back to New York alum, and former Challenge champion Mike "The Miz" Mizanin. Cast members who attended were Amanda, Ashley M., Camila, Cara Maria, Cory, Jenna, Johnny Bananas, Kailah, Shane, CT, Nicole, Laurel, Nelson, Hunter, and Darrell. It had 0.50 million viewers in its first-run airing.[30]
Notes
- ^ a b c Theo was disqualified from elimination for refusing to jump off the cliff. As a result, Cory was declared the winner by default.[5]
- ^ a b c Host T. J. Lavin first announced that no elimination round would be held following the "Crossover" challenge in Episode 10, and instead that each contestant was treated to a house party. However, that was a part of the Bloodbath twist and it was an underdog go-away party where the Underdogs will face each other in two consecutive elimination rounds. The first one will be a four-way elimination round in which one player of each gender will be eliminated and the second elimination will be a three-way elimination with another one eliminated player.[11]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q The Champions (Ashley K., Bananas, Camila, Cara Maria, CT, Darrell, Laurel, and Zach) entered the competition at the fourth challenge as a season twist.[6][8]
- ^ Since the Champions had two players less than the Underdogs, they had to select a pair (Bananas and Laurel) to compete twice and go against Cory and Jenna (the final underdogs pair).
References
- ^ "The Challenge: Invasion of the Champions".
- ^ a b c d Donnelly, Matthew Scott (January 11, 2017). "Underdogs Will Have Their Day When The Challenge Returns For Season 29". MTV. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
- ^ a b c "The Challenge: Invasion of the Champions Episode 1 "Gimme Shelter" – Video at MTV.com".
- ^ a b "The Challenge: Invasion of the Champions Episode 2 "Skeletal Fracture" – Video at MTV.com".
- ^ a b c d "The Challenge: Invasion of the Champions Episode 3 "Helter Shelter" – Video at MTV.com".
- ^ a b c d "The Challenge: Invasion of the Champions Episode 4 "Four Tickets To Paradise" – Video at MTV.com".
- ^ a b c "The Challenge: Invasion of the Champions Episode 8 "A Low Down Dirty Shane" – Video at MTV.com".
- ^ a b c "The Challenge: Invasion of the Champions Episode 5 "Underdog Eat Underdog World" – Video at MTV.com".
- ^ a b "The Challenge: Invasion of the Champions Episode 7 "Achy Breaky Heart" – Video at MTV.com".
- ^ a b "The Challenge: Invasion of the Champions Episode 8 "An Officer and a Gentlewoman" – Video at MTV.com".
- ^ a b "The Challenge: Invasion of the Champions Episode 10 "Go Your Own Way" – Video at MTV.com".
- ^ a b "The Challenge: Invasion of the Champions Episode 11 "The Bloodbath" – Video at MTV.com".
- ^ a b "The Challenge: Invasion of the Champions Episode 12 "Caged" – Video at MTV.com".
- ^ "The Challenge: Invasion of the Champions Episode 6 "The Mile-High Club" – Video at MTV.com".
- ^ "The Challenge: Invasion of the Champions Episode 13 "A River of Endless Light" – Video at MTV.com".
- ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (February 8, 2017). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.7.2017". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (February 15, 2017). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.14.2017". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (February 22, 2017). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.21.2017". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (March 1, 2017). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.28.2017". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (March 8, 2017). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.7.2017". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (March 16, 2017). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.14.2017". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (March 22, 2017). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.21.2017". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (March 29, 2017). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.28.2017". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (April 5, 2017). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.4.2017". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (April 12, 2017). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.11.2017". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (April 19, 2017). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.18.2017". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (April 26, 2017). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.25.2017". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (May 3, 2017). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.2.2017". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (May 10, 2017). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.9.2017". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (May 17, 2017). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.16.2017". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved September 2, 2019.