Battle of the Exes is the 22nd season of The Challenge. This season features various alumni from The Real World, Road Rules, and The Challenge teaming up with their exes for a shot at $300,000. This season was filmed in the Dominican Republic, and Iceland for the Final Challenge, from November to December 2011. It premiered on January 25th, 2012 and concluded with the reunion special on April 4th, 2012.
Description[]
Some of them have dated. Some of them were in long-term relationships. Some of them have just hooked up. But they've gone their separate ways...until now.
What happens when former lovers are reunited? That is the terrifying question that twenty-six competitors will be asking themselves this season during the most intense Challenge yet, Battle Of The Exes. Set against the exotic backdrop of the Dominican Republic, each former lover will be partnered with their ex -- as their one and only teammate for the entire game. In order to claim their share of a massive $300,000 prize, these brokenhearted exes must find a way to make their failed relationships succeed -- or at least until they cross the finish line.
However, not every pair of exes will make it to the Finals to compete for a cut of the cash. Teams will do whatever it takes to avoid being sent into "The Dome" - a physically and mentally demanding elimination round. Here's how it works: after each challenge, the team that performs the worst will automatically be sent into the dreaded "Dome." And the team that performs the best will become the Power Couple. The Power Couple will be safe from elimination and have the unprecedented advantage of casting the one and only vote for a team to face off against the worst in "The Dome." No more alliances. No more bandwagon votes. The two unlucky teams will battle it out in "The Dome" for survival. The winners will remain in the game. The losers will be eliminated.
Along the way, the past will come back to haunt these former couples. Some exes will struggle to deal with painful grudges and broken hearts that have never been mended. And, for some, old feelings of love will be reignited. The stakes have never been this high, emotions have never been this raw, and the competition has never been this fierce, as these ex-lovers put their hearts on the line and battle for their share of the winnings. In the end, the teams that make it to the Finals will be sent to a shocking location 4,000 miles away where they will compete in one of the most epic finales in Challenge history -- and only one pair of former lovers will be crowned champions of Battle Of The Exes.
Format[]
Each team participates in numerous challenges, which are followed by an elimination round — "The Dome." The winning team of each challenge earns the title of "Power Couple," as well as immunity from entering The Dome, while the last-place finisher is automatically sent to The Dome. The "Power Couple" also earns the right of choosing the team that will face the last-place finisher in The Dome. The team who wins the elimination round returns to the game and has a shot at a $290,000 prize, while the losing team is eliminated from the game.
Money for finalists is split as follows:
- First Place: $150,000 ($75,000 each)
- Second Place: $100,000 ($50,000 each)
- Third Place: $40,000 ($20,000 each)
Contestants[]
Game Summary[]
| Elimination chart | |||||||
| Episode | Power Couple | Dome teams | Dome game | Dome outcome | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Challenge | Last-place | Winners' pick | Winners | Eliminated | ||
| 1 | Give Me Some Honey |   |
  |
  |
X Knocks the Spot | |
|
| 2[1] | Hook Up |   |
  |
|
X Battle | |
|
| 3[2] | Mental Connection |   |
|
  |
Banded Together | |
|
| 4 | Rolling in the Deep | |
  |
  |
X Knocks the Spot | |
|
| 5 | Don't Rock the Boat |   |
  |
|
X Battle | |
|
| 6 | Lube Me Up | |
|
|
Banded Together | |
|
| 7/8 | Race to the Altar |   |
|
|
Hall Pass | |
|
| 8/9 | Feel the Burn | |
|
|
X Battle | |
|
| 9/10 | Viking Quest | |
2nd: CT & Diem, 3rd: Emily & Ty | ||||
Episode Progress[]
| Teams | Episodes | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7/8 | 8/9 | Finale | |
| Camila & Johnny | WIN | SAFE | SAFE | WIN | SAFE | WIN | SAFE | ELIM | WINNERS |
| CT & Diem | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | WIN | WIN | SECOND |
| Emily & Ty | SAFE | SAFE | ELIM | SAFE | ELIM | SAFE | ELIM | SAFE | THIRD |
| Mark & Robin | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | WIN | SAFE | SAFE | OUT | |
| Dunbar & Paula | SAFE | SAFE | WIN | SAFE | SAFE | ELIM | OUT | ||
| Aneesa & Rachel | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | ELIM | SAFE | OUT | |||
| Abram & Cara Maria | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | OUT | ||||
| Jasmine & Tyrie | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | OUT | |||||
| Leroy & Naomi | SAFE | ELIM | OUT | ||||||
| Dustin & Heather | SAFE | SAFE | DQ | ||||||
| Mandi & Wes | ELIM | OUT | |||||||
| Sarah & Vinny | SAFE | DQ | |||||||
| Nate & Priscilla | OUT | ||||||||
- Competition
- The team won the competition.
- The team did not win the final challenge.
- The team was the Power Couple.
- The team was not selected to go into the Dome.
- The team won in the Dome.
- The team lost in the Dome and was eliminated.
- The team was disqualified.
- A contestant was removed from the competition due to injury, so his/her partner was also eliminated.
Notes[]
- ↑ Sarah & Vinny won the "Hook Up" challenge in Episode 2. However, they were both later disqualified from the competition, following an incident at a nightclub in which Vinny ripped off Mandi's dress in public, exposing her breasts. Sarah was sent home as well because she was Vinny's partner, and also because she did not have any other Exes who could have taken Vinny's place. Because they were the Power Couple at the time of their disqualification, the winning couple of the Dome elimination round would select the order for the next challenge.
- ↑ In Episode 3, Dustin suffered a knee injury at the house that required stitches. When he arrived at the "Mental Connection" challenge, host T. J. Lavin delivered the news that Dustin was medically prohibited from competing. Heather was sent home as well because she was Dustin's partner; like Sarah, she did not have any other Exes who could have stepped in.
Episodes[]
| Episode | Air date | Viewers (in millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Love Is a Battlefield" | January 25, 2012 | 1.91 |
| 2 | "What's Love Got to Do with It?" | February 1, 2012 | 2.29 |
| 3 | "Where Did Our Love Go?" | February 8, 2012 | 1.91 |
| 4 | "Love the Way You Lie" | February 15, 2012 | 1.94 |
| 5 | "Crazy in Love" | February 22, 2012 | 1.99 |
| 6 | "Tainted Love" | February 29, 2012 | 1.90 |
| 7 | "Love and Marriage" | March 7, 2012 | 1.82 |
| 8 | "On the Wings of Love" | March 14, 2012 | 1.81 |
| 9 | "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?" | March 21, 2012 | 1.81 |
| 10 | "I Will Always Love You" | March 28, 2012 | 1.99 |
Reunion[]
The reunion was filmed in New York City, New York, and was hosted by Mike "The Miz" Mizanin. The contestants who attended the reunion were: Aneesa, Camila, CT, Diem, Dunbar, Emily, Johnny, Mark, Paula, Rachel, Robin, and Ty.
| The Challenge Seasons |
|---|
Road Rules: All Stars · Real World/Road Rules Challenge · Challenge 2000 · Extreme Challenge · Battle of the Seasons (2002) · Battle of the Sexes · The Gauntlet · The Inferno · Battle of the Sexes 2 · The Inferno II · The Gauntlet 2 · Fresh Meat · The Duel · The Inferno 3 · The Gauntlet III · The Island · The Duel II · The Ruins · Fresh Meat II · Cutthroat · Rivals · Battle of the Exes · Battle of the Seasons (2012) · Rivals II · Free Agents · Battle of the Exes II · Battle of the Bloodlines · Rivals III · Invasion of the Champions · Dirty 30 · Vendettas · Final Reckoning · War of the Worlds · War of the Worlds 2 · Total Madness · Double Agents · Spies, Lies & Allies · Ride or Dies · Battle for a New Champion · Battle of the Eras · Vets & New Threats Champs vs. Pros · Champs vs. Stars 1 · Champs vs. Stars 2 All Stars 1 · All Stars 2 · All Stars 3 · All Stars 4 · All Stars: Rivals USA 1 · Australia · Argentina · UK · World Championship · USA 2 · Sweden |