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Cutthroat is the 20th season of The Challenge. This season features a brand new three team format. The season was filmed in Czech Republic from June to July 2010. It premiered on October 6th, 2010, and concluded with the reunion special on December 22nd, 2010.

Description[]

This season, thirty fan favorites will head to the mysterious city of Prague in the Czech Republic to compete in a bold new Challenge: Cutthroat, where players will discover an exciting new game, filled with twists and surprises. For the first time ever, there will be three teams, chosen by the players themselves. These three teams will battle each other in nine extreme challenges, leading up to a massive and grueling finale. With over $500,000 in cash and prizes up for grabs, the Challengers will need to stay true to the name of the game and get cutthroat to secure their share of the prize!

With a whopping thirty players competing, not everyone will make it to the end to vie for the riches. After each challenge, one man and one woman from each losing team will be sent into the "Gulag," a one-on-one battle arena that will test players' mental and physical capacities. Only the strong will survive and proudly return to the game to compete. The weak will leave with nothing. Staying out of the hellish "Gulag" means achieving victory in the challenges. After each challenge, the winning team will be safe from "The Gulag" and bank $20,000 to be shared amongst their final players. These lucky winners will have the pleasure of dining on an elegant feast, while the two losing teams will each be forced to send one male and one female player from their own ranks into "The Gulag." And in one of the biggest shockers of the game, players will enter a shadowy dungeon to cast a secret vote. Lies will be told and hearts will be broken, as these Challengers realize the powerful impact of a secret vote. Once the dust clears and the votes have been cast, the man and woman on each team with the most votes against them will be sentenced to "The Gulag." But these embattled players aren't out of the game just yet. The men will clash in their "Gulag" competition -- and so will the women. The winners will come right back to the very team that just voted against them and the losers will be sent straight home.

With over a half a million dollars in cash and prizes on the line, players will push themselves -- and each other -- past their breaking points. This is the most exciting group of players in years and anything is possible: friendships will be tested, romances will blossom, rivalries will emerge, and blood will be shed. And the greatest shock of all will occur in a jaw-dropping, mid-season twist that is too big to even hint at! These Challengers are in for the fight of their lives in order to win it all and be crowned champions of Cutthroat!

Format[]

Each team will compete in numerous challenges followed by elimination rounds known as "The Gulag". The winning team will earn $20,000 to their team bank account, and they will also be safe from the Gulag. The losing teams will participate in a secret ballot where they will each vote in one man and one woman to compete in the Gulag. In the Gulag, the players will compete in an elimination round where the winner returns to their team while the loser goes home.

In the Final Challenge, the remainder of the three teams will race for $120,000 to be added to their bank totals. The team who wins will receive the $120,000 while the losing teams are left with whatever money they earned during the daily challenges.

Twists[]

  • Team Draft: In the season opener, the contestants raced to the Gulag, where TJ announced that the three last place finishers - Camila, Shauvon, and Emilee - will be the team captains of the Red, Grey, and Blue teams, respectively. The players then participated in a schoolyard pick to form the teams.
  • Heavy Hitters: Challenge Veterans CT and Tina made a surprise appearance in the second-to-last elimination as a twist. The elimination players will each compete against the Heavy Hitters, and the players to defeat them the fastest won.

Contestants[]

Red Team
Contestant Finish
BradCutthroatIcon
Brad Fiorenza
The Real World: San Diego
Winners
in Czechmate
DunbarCutthroatIcon
Dunbar Merrill
The Real World: Sydney
ToriCutthroatIcon
Tori Fiorenza
Road Rules 2007: Viewers' Revenge
TylerCutthroatIcon
Tyler Duckworth
The Real World: Key West
PaulaCutthroatIcon
Paula Meronek
The Real World: Key West
Disqualified
in Czechmate
CamilaCutthroatIcon
Camila Nakagawa
Spring Break Challenge
Eliminated
in Hell Hath No Fury
BrandonCutthroatIcon
Brandon Nelson
Fresh Meat II
Eliminated
in Where the Red Team Blows
MelindaCutthroatIcon
Melinda Stolp
The Real World: Austin
Eliminated
in Where the Red Team Blows
ChetCutthroatIcon
Chet Cannon
The Real World: Brooklyn
Medically Disqualified
in Where the Red Team Blows
MandiCutthroatIcon
Mandi Moyer
Fresh Meat II
Eliminated
in Newbie Doobie Doo
Grey Team
Contestant Finish
AbramCutthroatIcon
Abram Boise
Road Rules: South Pacific
Runners-Up
in Czechmate
CaraMariaCutthroatIcon
Cara Maria Sorbello
Fresh Meat II
LaurelCutthroatIcon
Laurel Stucky
Fresh Meat II
LukeCutthroatIcon
Luke Wolfe
Fresh Meat II
SarahCutthroatIcon
Sarah Rice
The Real World: Brooklyn
DanCutthroatIcon
Dan Walsh
Road Rules 2007: Viewers' Revenge
Eliminated
in Hell Hath No Fury
AyiiiaCutthroatIcon
Ayiiia Elizarrarás
The Real World: Cancun
Eliminated
in Swat the Hell?
ShauvonCutthroatIcon
Shauvon Torres
The Real World: Sydney
Quit
in Karma's a Bitch
VinnyCutthroatIcon
Vinny Foti
Fresh Meat II
Eliminated
in Karma's a Bitch
JDCutthroatIcon
JD Ordoñez
The Real World: Brooklyn
Eliminated
in Newbie Doobie Doo
Blue Team
Contestant Finish
EmilyCutthroatIcon
Emily Schromm
The Real World: D.C.
Third Place
in Czechmate
JennCutthroatIcon
Jenn Grijalva
The Real World: Denver
DerrickCutthroatIcon
Derrick Kosinski
Road Rules: X-Treme
Eliminated
in Czechmate
JohnnyCutthroatIcon
Johnny Devenanzio
The Real World: Key West
Eliminated
in Always a Bridesmaid...
TheresaCutthroatIcon
Theresa Gonzalez
Fresh Meat II
Eliminated
in Always a Bridesmaid...
KatieCutthroatIcon
Katie Doyle
Road Rules: The Quest
Eliminated
in Couching Tyger, Hidden Danimal
TyCutthroatIcon
Ty Ruff
The Real World: D.C.
Disqualified
in Couching Tyger, Hidden Danimal
EricCutthroatIcon
Eric Banks
Fresh Meat
Eliminated
in Swat the Hell?
EmileeCutthroatIcon
Emilee Fitzpatrick
The Real World: Cancun
Eliminated
in Czech Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself
DerekCutthroatIcon
Derek Chavez
The Real World: Cancun
Eliminated
in Czech Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself

Game Summary[]

Episode Winner Gulag vote Gulag game Gulag
# Challenge Red Grey Blue Winner Loser
1 Gas Problems Grey Team Brandon
N/A
Derek Handcuffs Brandon Derek
Camila Emilee Camila Emilee
2 Brain Buster Blue Team Brandon JD
N/A
Back Up Off Me Brandon JD
Mandi Cara Maria Cara Maria Mandi
3 Bed Head Red Team
N/A
Vinny Eric Die Hard Eric Vinny
Shauvon Katie
N/A[1]
4 Bottleneck Stampede Red Team
N/A
Ayiiia Katie Swat Katie Ayiiia
Luke Eric Luke Eric
5 Surf's Up Grey Team Brandon
N/A
Ty Pole Me Over Brandon Ty[2]
Camila Katie Camila Katie
6[3] Sky Hook Grey Team Melinda
N/A
Emily Handcuffs Emily Melinda
Brandon Derrick Derrick Brandon
7 Gimme a Hand Blue Team Dunbar Dan
N/A
Die Hard Dunbar Dan
Camila Laurel Laurel Camila
8/9 High Ball Grey Team Tori
N/A
Theresa Back Up Off Me[4] Tori Theresa
Tyler Johnny Tyler Johnny
9/10 Riot Act Grey Team Tyler
N/A
Derrick Pole Me Over Tyler Derrick
Paula Emily Emily Paula[5]
10 Czech Point Red Team 2nd place: Grey Team; 3rd place: Blue Team

Episode Progress[]

Contestants Episodes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8/9 9/10 Finale
Brad SAFE SAFE WIN WIN SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE WINNER
Dunbar SAFE SAFE WIN WIN SAFE SAFE ELIM SAFE SAFE WINNER
Tori SAFE SAFE WIN WIN SAFE SAFE SAFE ELIM SAFE WINNER
Tyler SAFE SAFE WIN WIN SAFE SAFE SAFE ELIM ELIM WINNER
Cara Maria WIN ELIM SAFE SAFE WIN WIN SAFE WIN WIN SECOND
Laurel WIN SAFE SAFE SAFE WIN WIN ELIM WIN WIN SECOND
Luke WIN SAFE SAFE ELIM WIN WIN SAFE WIN WIN SECOND
Abram WIN SAFE SAFE SAFE WIN WIN SAFE WIN WIN SECOND[6]
Sarah WIN SAFE SAFE SAFE WIN WIN SAFE WIN WIN SECOND[7]
Emily SAFE WIN SAFE SAFE SAFE ELIM WIN SAFE ELIM THIRD
Jenn SAFE WIN SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE WIN SAFE SAFE THIRD
Paula SAFE SAFE WIN WIN SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE DQ
Derrick SAFE WIN SAFE SAFE SAFE ELIM WIN SAFE OUT
Johnny SAFE WIN SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE WIN OUT
Theresa SAFE WIN SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE WIN OUT
Camila ELIM SAFE WIN WIN ELIM SAFE OUT
Dan WIN SAFE SAFE SAFE WIN WIN OUT
Brandon ELIM ELIM WIN WIN ELIM OUT
Melinda SAFE SAFE WIN WIN SAFE OUT
Chet SAFE SAFE WIN WIN SAFE DQ
Katie SAFE WIN SAFE ELIM OUT
Ty SAFE WIN SAFE SAFE DQ
Eric SAFE WIN ELIM OUT
Ayiiia WIN SAFE SAFE OUT
Shauvon WIN SAFE QUIT
Vinny WIN SAFE OUT
Mandi SAFE OUT
JD WIN OUT
Emilee OUT
Derek OUT
Competition
     The contestant's team won the competition.
     The contestant's team did not win the final challenge.
     The contestant's team won the challenge and was safe from the Gulag.
     The contestant's team lost the challenge, but the contestant was not chosen for the Gulag.
     The contestant was chosen for the Gulag, but did not have to compete.
     The contestant won the Gulag.
     The contestant won the Gulag by default after their opponent was disqualified.
     The contestant lost the Gulag and was eliminated.
     The contestant was disqualified in the Gulag and was eliminated.
     The contestant withdrew from the competition prior to the Gulag.
     The contestant was removed from the competition due to illness/injury.

Voting Progress[]

Voter Episodes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8/9 9/10
Brad Brandon Brandon N/A Brandon Brandon Tyler Tyler Tyler
Camila Mandi Camila Melinda Camila Tori Paula
Dunbar Brandon Brandon N/A Brandon Brandon Tyler Tyler Tyler
Camila Mandi Camila Melinda Camila Tori Paula
Tori Brandon Brandon N/A Brandon Brandon Dunbar Tyler Tyler
Camila Mandi Camila Melinda Camila Tori Paula
Tyler Brandon Brandon N/A Brandon Brandon Dunbar Tyler Brad
Camila Mandi Camila Melinda Camila Tori Paula
Abram N/A Abram Luke Luke N/A Dan N/A
Shauvon Shauvon Sarah Laurel
Cara Maria N/A Luke Vinny Luke N/A Dan N/A
Shauvon Shauvon Ayiiia Laurel
Laurel N/A JD Vinny Luke N/A Dan N/A
Cara Maria Shauvon Cara Maria Cara Maria
Luke N/A JD Vinny Luke N/A Dan N/A
Cara Maria Shauvon Ayiiia Laurel
Sarah N/A JD Vinny Luke N/A Dan N/A
Cara Maria Shauvon Ayiiia Cara Maria
Emily Derek N/A Eric Eric Eric Ty Derrick N/A Johnny Derrick
Emilee Katie Katie Katie Emily Theresa Emily
Jenn Derek N/A Eric Ty Eric Ty Derrick N/A Johnny Derrick
Emilee Katie Katie Katie Emily Theresa Emily
Paula Brandon Brandon N/A Brandon Brandon Dunbar Tyler Dunbar
Camila Mandi Camila Melinda Camila Tori Tori
Derrick Derek N/A Ty Ty Eric Ty Derrick N/A Johnny Derrick
Emilee Emily Katie Katie Emily Theresa Emily
Johnny Derek N/A Eric Eric Eric Ty Derrick N/A Johnny
Emilee Katie Katie Katie Emily Theresa
Theresa Derek N/A Eric Eric Eric Ty Derrick N/A Johnny
Emilee Katie Katie Katie Emily Theresa
Camila Brandon Dunbar N/A Brandon Brad Brad
Mandi Mandi Melinda Melinda Tori
Dan N/A JD Luke Luke N/A Dan
Cara Maria Shauvon Ayiiia Laurel
Brandon Chet Dunbar N/A Brandon Dunbar
Camila Camila Camila Paula
Melinda Dunbar Brandon N/A Brandon Brandon
Camila Mandi Camila Camila
Chet Brandon Brandon N/A
Camila Mandi
Katie Derek N/A Ty Ty Ty Ty
Emilee Theresa Katie Katie
Ty Derek N/A Eric Eric Eric Ty
Emilee Katie Katie Katie
Eric Derek N/A Ty Ty Ty
Emilee Theresa Katie
Ayiiia N/A JD Vinny Luke
Cara Maria Shauvon Cara Maria
Shauvon N/A Luke Vinny
Cara Maria Shauvon
Vinny N/A JD Luke
Shauvon Shauvon
Mandi Brandon Brandon
Camila Camila
JD N/A Luke
Cara Maria
Emilee Ty
Katie
Derek Ty
Emilee

Notes[]

  1. Katie and Shauvon were set to compete in the "Die Hard" Gulag in Episode 3; however, Shauvon quit the game out of respect for her teammates. Therefore, no female Gulag was held.
  2. Brandon won the "Pole Me Over" Gulag by default, after an exhausted Ty failed to get up midway through the Gulag.
  3. Chet was rushed to the hospital after he suffered a concussion at the "Surf's Up" challenge in Episode 5. Prior to the "Sky Hook" challenge in Episode 6, T.J. Lavin delivered the news that Chet was medically prohibited from competing, and he was subsequently removed from the competition.
  4. Johnny, Tyler, Theresa and Tori were selected for the Gulag in Episode 8. However, instead of facing off in same-gender Gulags, each player was met with a shocking twist when CT and Tina were brought into the game. Each player was set up in same-gender battles to face CT and Tina, respectively, in the "Back Up Of Me" Gulag, in a competition for who could knock over their own barrel faster.
  5. Paula was disqualified for repeatedly grabbing the boundary chains in the "Pole Me Over" Gulag, after host T.J. Lavin forewarned her that doing so would result in a disqualification; therefore, Emily was declared the winner by default.
  6. Abram and Sarah were removed from the "Czech Point" final mission, after they both fell severely ill midway through the final race. They both earned a share of the $100,000 that the Grey team earned in the team challenges that they won, with each Grey team player earning $20,000.
  7. Abram and Sarah were removed from the "Czech Point" final mission, after they both fell severely ill midway through the final race. They both earned a share of the $100,000 that the Grey team earned in the team challenges that they won, with each Grey team player earning $20,000.

Episodes[]

Episode Air date Viewers (in millions)
1 "Czech Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself" October 6, 2010 1.74
2 "Newbie Doobie Doo" October 13, 2010 1.27
3 "Karma's a Bitch" October 20, 2010 1.28
4 "Swat the Hell?" October 27, 2010 1.44
5 "Couching Tyger, Hidden Danimal" November 3, 2010 1.31
6 "Where the Red Team Blows" November 10, 2010 1.47
7 "Hell Hath No Fury" November 17, 2010 1.41
8 "Back with a Vengeance" December 1, 2010 1.05
9 "Always a Bridesmaid..." December 8, 2010 1.24
10 "Czechmate" December 15, 2010 1.39

Reunion[]

The reunion was filmed in New York City, New York, and was hosted by entertainment personality Maria Menounos. The contestants who attended the reunion were: Abram, Brad, Cara Maria, Derrick, Dunbar, Emily, Eric, Jenn, Johnny, Laurel, Luke, Paula, Sarah, Tori, and Tyler.

The Challenge Series

Road Rules: All StarsReal World vs. Road RulesChallenge 2000Extreme ChallengeBattle of the Seasons (2002)Battle of the SexesThe GauntletThe InfernoBattle of the Sexes 2The Inferno IIThe Gauntlet 2Fresh MeatThe DuelThe Inferno 3The Gauntlet IIIThe IslandThe Duel IIThe RuinsFresh Meat IICutthroatRivalsBattle of the ExesBattle of the Seasons (2012)Rivals IIFree AgentsBattle of the Exes IIBattle of the BloodlinesRivals IIIInvasion of the ChampionsDirty 30VendettasFinal ReckoningWar of the WorldsWar of the Worlds 2Total MadnessDouble AgentsSpies, Lies & AlliesRide or DiesBattle for a New Champion

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