Rivals is the 21st season of The Challenge. This season features alumni from The Real World and The Challenge teaming up with their worst enemy for a share of $300,000. This season was filmed in Costa Rica, and Argentina for the Final Challenge, from February to March 2011. It premiered on June 22nd, 2011, and concluded with the reunion special on September 11th, 2011. This season marked the first time in which there was a change of location during the competition.
Description[]
Can you trust your worst enemy? That is the question that twenty-eight vicious competitors will be asking themselves this season as they travel to the lush jungles of Costa Rica to compete in a thrilling new Challenge: Rivals. These fan favorites will receive the shock of their lives when they learn that their one and only teammate will be their biggest rival! In order to win, these arch-enemies must figure out how to overcome their rocky pasts and compete together for a jaw-dropping grand prize. Over $300,000 is at stake, and these bitter rivals will fight tooth and nail in order to get their hands on a cut of the cash!
However, not every rival pair will make it to the end to fight for a share of the wealth. Teams will live in fear of "The Jungle" -- a mentally and physically exhausting elimination round. Avoiding the dreaded "Jungle" will mean that these bitter enemies must learn to work together, despite their ugly pasts, in order to win challenges. Here's how it works: there will be male challenge days and female challenge days. After each challenge, the winning duo will be safe from "The Jungle." However, ranks will be thinned as the last place pair will automatically be sent into "The Jungle." Their opponents will be selected by their peers in a public forum. These two unlucky teams will battle it out in "The Jungle" for survival. The winning pair will stay in the game to pursue their dreams of victory. The losing pair, however, will be sent home in disgrace. Only the pairs that make it to the end will have a chance at the money.
With over $300,000 on the line, these players must quickly learn to bury the hatchet with their rival or risk losing a shot at the cash. Old tensions will arise and new feuds will form. Partnerships will be tested, romances will blossom, hearts will be broken, and punches will be thrown, as battles rage both on and off the playing field. And in a shocking, mid-season twist, players will be sent over 3,000 miles away to a new location! Those who manage to survive until the end will compete in what is undeniably the biggest, baddest, most treacherous finale in Challenge history -- where one male team and one female team will win it all and be crowned champions of Rivals.
Format[]
Each team will consist of players who will be paired with their "worst enemies," whom they have engaged in bitter feuds, fights and rivalries with in previous Real World and/or Challenge seasons.
Each team participates in numerous challenges, which are followed by an elimination round called "The Jungle." Each challenge is alternatively designated as either a male or a female challenge day. The winning team of the gender not designated for the Jungle is awarded $2,000. The winning team whose gender is designated for elimination wins immunity from the Jungle, while the team that finishes last is automatically sent to the Jungle. A public vote is cast by teams of the opposite gender to determine which team of the same gender will face the last-place finisher in the Jungle. The team who wins the elimination round returns to the game and has a shot at a $300,000 prize, while the losing team is eliminated from the game.
At the end of the season, six teams will compete in the final challenge — three of each gender.
Money for finalists is split as follows:
- First Place: $100,000 ($50,000 each)
- Second Place: $50,000 ($25,000 each)
- Third Place: Walks away empty-handed
Contestants[]
Game Summary[]
| Episode | Gender | Challenge Winners | Jungle contestants | Jungle game | Jungle outcome | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Challenge | Won $2,000 | Immune | Last-place | Voted In | Winners | Eliminated | ||
| 1[1] | High Dive | Female | Adam R. & Leroy | Jasmine & Jonna | Evelyn & Paula | Aneesa & Robin | Hands On | Evelyn & Paula | Aneesa & Robin |
| 2 | Car Crusher | Male | Evelyn & Paula | Adam K. & CT | Kenny & Wes | Davis & Tyrie | Blast Off | Kenny & Wes | Davis & Tyrie |
| 3 | Sync or Swim | Female | Adam K. & CT | Evelyn & Paula | Cara Maria & Laurel | Camila & Theresa | Door Jam | Cara Maria & Laurel | Camila & Theresa |
| 4 | Hammock Crawl | Male | Johnny & Tyler[3] | Kenny & Wes | Brandon & Ty | Going Up | Kenny & Wes | Brandon & Ty | |
| 5 | Against the Current | Female | Johnny & Tyler | Jenn & Mandi | Katelynn & Sarah | Jasmine & Jonna | Unburied | Jasmine & Jonna | Katelynn & Sarah |
| 6 | Catch & Release | Male | Cara Maria & Laurel | Kenny & Wes | Evan & Nehemiah | Adam K. & CT | Rail Slide | Adam K. & CT | Evan & Nehemiah |
| 7 | Sawed Off | Female | Johnny & Tyler | Evelyn & Paula | Cara Maria & Laurel | Jasmine & Jonna | Blast Off | Cara Maria & Laurel | Jasmine & Jonna |
| 8/9 | Bombs Away | Male | Evelyn & Paula | Leroy & Michael | Adam K. & CT | Johnny & Tyler | T-Bone | Johnny & Tyler | Adam K. & CT |
| 9/10 | Final Challenge | Evelyn & Paula | 2nd place: Cara Maria & Laurel, 3rd place: Jenn & Mandi[4] | ||||||
| Johnny & Tyler | 2nd place: Kenny & Wes, 3rd place: Leroy & Michael[5] | ||||||||
Episode Progress[]
| Teams | Episodes | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8/9 | Finale | |
| Johnny & Tyler | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | WIN | WIN | SAFE | WIN | ELIM | WINNERS |
| Evelyn & Paula | ELIM | WIN | WIN | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | WIN | WIN | WINNERS |
| Kenny & Wes | SAFE | ELIM | SAFE | ELIM | SAFE | WIN | SAFE | SAFE | SECOND |
| Cara Maria & Laurel | SAFE | SAFE | ELIM | SAFE | SAFE | WIN | ELIM | SAFE | SECOND |
| Leroy & Michael | N/A | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | WIN | THIRD |
| Jenn & Mandi | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | WIN | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | THIRD |
| Adam K. & CT | SAFE | WIN | WIN | SAFE | SAFE | ELIM | SAFE | OUT | |
| Jasmine & Jonna | WIN | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | ELIM | SAFE | OUT | ||
| Evan & Nehemiah | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | OUT | |||
| Katelynn & Sarah | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | OUT | ||||
| Brandon & Ty | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | OUT | |||||
| Camila & Theresa | SAFE | SAFE | OUT | ||||||
| Davis & Tyrie | SAFE | OUT | |||||||
| Aneesa & Robin | OUT | ||||||||
| Adam R. & |
DQ | ||||||||
- Competition
- The team won the competition.
- The team did not win the final challenge.
- The team could not complete the final challenge and was disqualified.
- The team won the mission and was safe from the Jungle.
- The team won the mission and $2,000.
- The team was not selected for the Jungle.
- The team won in the Jungle.
- The team lost in the Jungle and was eliminated.
- The contestant/team was disqualified from the competition.
- The team withdrew from the competition.
Notes[]
- ↑ Leroy's original partner, Adam R., was sent home prior to the first Jungle for punching Ty. His RW: Las Vegas roommate, Michael Ross, was brought in as Leroy's replacement partner. Ironically, due to the theme of Rivals, Leroy & Michael were very good friends on their original season. The "High Dive" challenge was won by the team of Adam R. & Leroy, prior to Adam's disqualification.
- ↑ Cara Maria & Laurel were the women's team to complete the "Hammock Crawl" challenge but were disqualified for going over the 15-minute time limit. Therefore, no female team won any money.
- ↑ Evan & Nehemiah completed the "Hammock Crawl" challenge in the fastest time. However, they were disqualified for touching more than two hammocks at a time, after host T.J. Lavin explained to each team that doing so would result in a DQ. Therefore, the male team with the next fastest time — Johnny & Tyler — was declared the winner by default.
- ↑ Jenn & Mandi and Leroy & Michael were both disqualified during the final challenge and finished in third by default. Jenn & Mandi were disqualified on day 1, after taking too long to complete the "Pile Up" and "Re-creation Campsite" checkpoints. When daylight ran out, producers informed Jenn & Mandi that advancing to the "Final Feast" checkpoint would be too dangerous to attempt in the dark. (It has been implied, though, at the reunion, that Jenn & Mandi were actually incapable of completing the tent puzzle and were told to move on simply for footage purposes.)
- ↑ Leroy & Michael were disqualified on day 2, after they decided that Michael was too worn out to climb the mountain without injuring himself.
Episodes[]
| Episode | Air date | Viewers (in millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Welcome to the Jungle" | June 22, 2011 | 1.88 |
| 2 | "Through the Looking Glass" | June 29, 2011 | 1.36 |
| 3 | "Underdog Day Afternoon" | July 6, 2011 | 1.66 |
| 4 | "D-Day" | July 13, 2011 | 1.62 |
| 5 | "Ill Communication" | July 20, 2011 | 1.66 |
| 6 | "Blowup" | July 27, 2011 | 1.99 |
| 7 | "Blood on the Dance Floor" | August 3, 2011 | 1.59 |
| 8 | "Cry for Me, Argentina" | August 10, 2011 | 2.06 |
| 9 | "The Storm Before the Storm" | August 17, 2011 | 1.99 |
| 10 | "At the End of the World" | August 24, 2011 | 2.37 |
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: Adam K., Cara Maria, CT, Evelyn, Jenn, Johnny, Kenny, Laurel, Leroy, Mandi, Michael, Paula, Tyler, and Wes.
Trivia[]
- Rivals marks the first season to not feature any alumni from Road Rules.
| 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 |