Rivals III is the 28th season of The Challenge. This season features various alumni from The Real World, The Challenge, and Are You the One? teaming up with their biggest rival of the opposite sex for a share of $350,000. This season was filmed in Mexico and Argentina for the final from November to December 2015.
Description[]
They’ve been pissed off. They’ve been wronged. They’ve been betrayed. And now they want vengeance! Rivals is back and the stakes couldn’t be higher! Twenty-six fan-favorites from The Challenge, The Real World, and Are You The One? will head to exotic Mexico and be paired up with their biggest enemy! However...this time around the game has a shocking twist – players will be paired up with their rival – of the opposite sex! These guys and girls must figure out a way get over their bad blood as they compete in a series of heart-pounding challenges in order to earn a share of the massive $350,000 prize! Tempers will rise, passions will flare, and pride will be on the line in the most shocking season of The Challenge yet!
Format[]
Similar to the Battle of the Exes format, each team participates in numerous challenges, which are followed by an elimination round — "The Jungle." The winning team of each challenge is safe from elimination, while the last-place finisher is automatically sent to The Jungle. The winning team also earns the right of choosing two teams that will face the last-place finisher in The Jungle. Prior to The Jungle, the two teams nominated by the winning team participate in a elimination draw in which all four participants either draw one of three white skulls or one black skull out of a bag (similar to the Free Agents season). When a participant draws a black skull, his or her team 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 $350,000 prize, while the losing team is eliminated from the game.
Money for finalists is split as follows:
- First Place: $275,000 ($137,500 each)
- Second Place: $50,000 ($25,000 each)
- Third Place: $25,000 ($12,500 each)
Twists[]
- Skull Draw: Unlike previous seasons where the Power Team chooses one team to go against the last-place player, the Power Team will nominate two teams. The team that competes is determined by the Skull Draw. One by one each player from each team will draw out skulls from a box. If they draw out a white skull, the team is safe at that moment. If they draw a black skull, the team will go into elimination against the last-place players.
- Share or Steal: Each contestant will compete against their partners for points. The partner that accumulates the most points will decide to share or steal the money they earned in the Final Challenge.
Contestants[]
Game Summary[]
| Elimination chart | |||||||||||||||||
| Episode | Winners | Jungle teams | Jungle game | Jungle outcome | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Challenge | Last-place | Winners' picks | Winners | Eliminated | ||||||||||||
| 1/2[1] | Give Me Some Slack |   |
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Back It Up | |
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| 3 | Dirty Laundry | ||||||||||||||||
| 4/5[3] | Out On a Limb |   |
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Weight for Me[4] | |
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| 6 | Laps of Judgement |   |
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  |
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| 7 | Road to Nowhere |   |
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Chill Out | |
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| 8/9[7] | Up All Night | |
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Hear Me Out | |
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| 10/11 | Take It to the Grave |   |
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Spun Out | |
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| 11 | Catch & Release | |
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Shattered Dreams | |
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| 12 | Bridging The Gap | |
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Tunnel Vision | |
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| 13[8] | Don't Wine for Me, Argentina | |
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| 13/14 | Final Challenge | |
2nd: Jenna & Vince, 3rd: Cheyenne & Devin | ||||||||||||||
Note: Teams listed in bold indicate that the team pulled the Black Skull in the Jungle.
Episode Progress[]
| Teams | Episodes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/2 | 3 | 4/5 | 6 | 7 | 8/9 | 10/11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Finale | |
| Bananas & Sarah | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | WIN | SAFE | WIN | SAFE | WIN | WIN | ELIM | WINNERS |
| Jenna & Vince | WIN | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SECOND |
| Cheyenne & Devin | OUT | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | THIRD | ||
| Dario & Nicole | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | WIN | SAFE | ELIM | OUT | |
| Nany & Wes | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | ELIM | SAFE | ELIM | OUT | ||
| Christina & Nate | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | WIN | SAFE | ELIM | OUT | |||
| Ashley & Cory | SAFE | SAFE | WIN | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | OUT | ||||
| Jamie & KellyAnne | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | ELIM | OUT | |||||
| Camila & Tony | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | DQ | |||||
| Amanda & Nelson | N/A | SAFE | ELIM | SAFE | OUT | ||||||
| Simone & Thomas | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | QUIT | |||||||
| Jessica & Johnny | ELIM | SAFE | OUT | ||||||||
| Brandon & Briana | SAFE | SAFE | QUIT | ||||||||
| Averey & Leroy | DQ | ||||||||||
- Competition
- The team won the final challenge.
- The team lost the final challenge.
- The team won the challenge and was safe from the Jungle.
- The team was not selected for the Jungle.
- The team was selected for the Jungle, but pulled a white skull and was safe.
- The team was selected for the Jungle but did not have to compete.
- The team won in the Jungle.
- The team lost in the Jungle.
- A contestant was removed from the competition due to injury, so his/her partner was also eliminated.
- A contestant withdrew from the competition, so his/her partner was also eliminated.
- The team was disqualified from the competition due to violent behavior.
Notes[]
- ↑ Averey & Leroy were removed from the competition in episode 2 due to injury. Leroy initially revealed in episode 1 that he was suffering from a pinched nerve in his back, though he and Averey participated in the "Give Me Some Slack" challenge. Prior to the first Jungle nomination in episode 2, T.J. delivered the news that Leroy was medically unable to continue competing, and Averey was sent home as the result of being Leroy's partner.
- ↑ Amanda & Nelson were brought into the competition prior to the "Dirty Laundry" challenge in episode 3, as a replacement team for Averey & Leroy. T.J. surprised every team that no Jungle nomination would be held following the "Dirty Laundry" challenge in Episode 3. In addition, no winning or losing team was announced, but if it was, it would have been either Christina & Nate, Nany & Wes or Camila & Tony.
- ↑ Prior to the "Out On A Limb" challenge in episode 4, Brandon quit the game due to homesickness. Briana was sent home as the result of being Brandon's partner.
- ↑ After losing in the first Jungle, Cheyenne & Devin were brought back to the competition prior to the second Jungle as a replacement team for Brandon & Briana.
- ↑ Christina & Nate finished last in the "Laps of Judgment" challenge in episode 6 after losing one of their tokens. At the end of the challenge, Christina & Nate asked if any one of the teams had taken their token by accident, but no one said they had it. However, at the nomination ceremony. T. J. Lavin then explained that Camila & Tony sabotaged Christina & Nate by grabbing one of their tokens. Though Camila & Tony did it by accident, they were automatically sent into the Jungle instead of Christina & Nate.
- ↑ Simone & Thomas were nominated for the Jungle in episode 6. However, due to a personal emergency back home, Thomas quit the game, and Simone was sent home as a result of being his partner. T. J. Lavin then explained that a Jungle would still happen if Nany & Wes drew a black skull. As the result of Nany & Wes both drawing white skulls, no Jungle was held in Episode 6.
- ↑ Prior to the "Up All Night" challenge in episode 8, Camila & Tony were disqualified from the competition after they engaged in a drunken, disorderly and near-violent altercation with each other.
- ↑ No challenge was held prior to the Final Cork selections, and no team had immunity from the final Cork draws. Cheyenne & Devin and Jenna & Vince each drew white works out of a bag, and secured their spots in the final challenge, while Dario & Nicole and Bananas & Sarah each drew black corks and participated in the last Jungle.
Episodes[]
| Episode | Original Air Date | Viewers (in millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Mexican Standoff" | May 4, 2016 | 0.66 |
| 2 | "The Curse of the Black Skull" | May 11, 2016 | 0.70 |
| 3 | "The Replacements" | May 18, 2016 | 0.73 |
| 4 | "I'm Going Home" | May 25, 2016 | 0.84 |
| 5 | "Where the Ratchet Things Are" | June 1, 2016 | 0.73 |
| 6 | "The Naked Truth" | June 8, 2016 | 0.74 |
| 7 | "Camilanator: Salvation" | June 15, 2016 | 0.78 |
| 8 | "Stand by Me" | June 22, 2016 | 0.86 |
| 9 | "Let Sleeping Dogs Wake" | June 29, 2016 | 0.84 |
| 10 | "Digging Your Own Grave" | July 6, 2016 | 0.92 |
| 11 | "Rivals: Civil War" | July 13, 2016 | 0.76 |
| 12 | "Raging Bullies" | July 20, 2016 | 0.80 |
| 13 | "Grapes. Wrath." | July 27, 2016 | 0.68 |
| 14 | "Split Decision" | August 3, 2016 | 0.72 |
Reunion[]
The reunion was filmed in New York City, New York, and was hosted by entertainment personality Nessa. The contestants who attended the reunion were: Ashley, Bananas, Camila, Cheyenne, Cory, Dario, Devin, Jenna, Nany, Nate, Nicole, Sarah, Vince, and Wes.
| 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 |