The Challenge Season 39 is the upcoming installment of MTV’s popular competition series. While the season has not been confirmed anywhere, early online spoilers reveal what fans can expect when it arrives on MTV.
That includes who will be in Season 39’s cast and how the show’s format will work. So far, it appears much different than Season 38, aka Ride or Dies.
In the Ride or Dies season, the teams were man and woman pairs who teamed up due to their strong bonds, such as husband and wife, friends, or relatives.
While they mainly competed together, things changed a bit via a midseason twist to create two larger teams. Eventually, it went back to pairs. There was also a twist, where an eliminated competitor got a chance to return if their teammate could survive in the game.
Eliminations featured the infamous daggers, with cast members able to determine their fate at the elimination venue.
Ultimately, Tori Deal and Devin Walker became first-time Challenge champions. Based on the latest Season 39 spoilers, another first-time champ will be crowned on MTV.
What are The Challenge Season 39’s title and format?
According to @mtvchallengeinsider on Instagram, MTV’s The Challenge Season 39 will be called Battle for a New Champion. The season will crown just one winner when all is said and done.
Based on additional spoilers, the season will open with an early two-day event like a final, where castmates compete to get food, drinks, and sleeping bags or beds. Once that was completed, castmates got to move into The Challenge house.
In the season’s format, everyone is competing together as a team. The season started with a $300,000 prize pot, with $50,000 added to it for each challenge they won. That money gets added to the pot for the final prizes.
Eliminations were done via house vote for the first four times, with the person that got voted in getting to choose their opponent. However, things changed by the fifth elimination, as that is when two cast members are voted into the elimination.
These eliminations feature mercenaries who show up to compete. The mercenaries are Challenge champions, and they get to draw a sword from three random swords. Two swords have the voted-in cast members’ names, and the third allows the mercenary to choose their opponent.
If the mercenary wins the elimination, they don’t stick around for the show but win $15,000 from the cast’s prize money.
Based on the spoilers, there is no set number of finalists, and it can be an uneven number of competitors. There will be just one winner for Season 39. However, prize money is given out for first, second, and third place.
Star cast member drops out of The Challenge 39
An earlier post from @mtvchallengeinsider revealed that Johnny Bananas has decided to drop out of The Challenge Season 39.
Bananas was initially going to appear as one of the mercenaries. These are veteran cast members who show up at eliminations to take out one of the competitors.
Based on previous spoilers, mercenaries don’t take a spot in the game if they defeat their opponent.
Other mercenaries have included Challenge champions Tori Deal, Jordan Wiseley, and Laurel Stucky, each of whom has participated in Season 39 eliminations.
The reason for Bananas choosing to drop out is unknown. However, there’s speculation it’s due to drama with his ex-girlfriend, Moriah Jadea.
Bananas and Moriah had a showmance on The Challenge: Ride or Dies and it’s believed Moriah began to hook up with a new castmate during Season 39. However, more details will likely arrive as the new season’s episodes present the story.
The Challenge Season 39 is TBA for MTV. The Challenge: USA 2 premieres Thursday, August 10, at 10/9c on CBS.
Episodes of The Challenge are now streaming on Paramount+. Try it FREE!
The link above is an affiliate link. This means that for any qualifying purchase you make, we may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you.