The Challenge: Invasion of the Champions

The Challenge: Invasion of the Champions
Genre	Reality game show
Created by	Mary-Ellis Bunim Jonathan Murray
Presented by	T. J. Lavin
Starring	Winners: Chris "CT" Tamburello Ashley Mitchell
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of episodes	16 (including the Reunion special)
Production
Location(s)	Krabi, Thailand[1]
Running time	60 minutes (including commercials)
Release
Original network	MTV
Original release	February 7 (2017-02-07)[1] – May 16, 2017 (2017-05-16)
Chronology
Preceded by	Rivals III
Followed by	XXX: Dirty 30
External links
Website	www.mtv.com/shows/challenge-invasion

The Challenge: Invasion of the Champions^[2] (originally promoted and titled as The Challenge: Invasion)^[1] is the 29th season of the MTV reality game show, The Challenge. The new individual format was filmed in Krabi, Thailand during October and November 2016, and features alumni from Real World, Road Rules, The Challenge, and Are You the One? competing.

The season premiered on February 7, 2017,^[1] and concluded with the reunion special on May 16, 2017.

Cast

Host: T. J. Lavin, BMX rider

Champion of

Note: The Champions — Ashley K., Camila, Cara Maria, CT, Darrell, Johnny, Laurel, and Zach — entered the game later than everyone else as a season twist.^[3]

Format

The game started off with 18 Underdogs (players who have yet to win a challenge) who get dropped off a boat and onto a beach, where they were living in "The Shelter." They compete individually in challenges, followed by an elimination round.The male and female winners of the challenge would be safe from elimination, and earn their ticket to "The Oasis" — the season house. The last-place finishers of each gender automatically went straight into elimination for the first challenge.^[4][5]

In the second challenge, the challenge winners will choose a player of the opposite gender to go into the elimination. The remainder of the cast then voted in who goes against them for the first and second challenge. The males voted for the females, and vice versa.^[6]

In the third challenge, and the last chance to earn a ticket to the Oasis, the winners will be safe from elimination, and the two remaining players of each gender will automatically compete against each other. In the elimination, each gender will compete. The winners of the elimination round would return to the game, and earn a ticket to The Oasis. The losers of the elimination round go home. Players could not go into The Oasis until every ticket had been earned.^[4] Players who earned their ticket to the Oasis will be exempt from elimination and will not compete in challenges until the Champions enter the gnome.^[3]

In Episode 5, eight of the toughest champions (four male, four female) will enter the game, which will become a team competition - Underdogs vs. Champions. Each challenge will be designated as either an Underdog or a Champion elimination known as "The Fortress". The winning team will earn money in their team bank account depending on the challenge.^[7] The best performing male and female of the team designated for the challenge will then choose one player of each gender to go into the elimination. The remainder of the cast will then vote in the players who will go against the nominated players in The Fortress. The winners return to the game, and the losers are eliminated.^[8]

Gameplay

Challenge games

• The Over Under: Players will start by grabbing a bucket and filling it with mud. They will have to use the mud to try and get over a huge wall that is made up of bamboo poles. After they get over the first wall, they will go to a second wall and dig their way under the wall. After they get under the second wall, the will go to a tied idol and try and get the idol out from a tricky rope maze.^[4]
  • Winners: Dario & Nicole
• Shell Shocked: Players are paired up into male and female teams. Each team must row an unstable boat to four checkpoints. At each checkpoint, they will retrieve a bag of coconuts. Once all of the bags are collected, they will return to the starting line where they will shoot the coconuts into a basket. The basket is connected to a pole with a weight behind it. The more coconuts you shoot into the basket, the higher the weight will go. The first team to lift the weight will win.^[6]
  • Winners: Hunter & Ashley M.
• Caged and Confused: Players will be trapped inside a cage hanging on a rope. They will pull a rope that will make them spin down to the ground. Each player then must roll to the finish line while still inside their cage. When they reach the finish line, they will put a rope towards them. At the end of the rope is a coconut, with a key attached. They will use the key to unlock the cage and get out. The player that gets out of the cage first will win. The two remaining players will automatically go to the elimination.^[3]
  • Winners: Shane & Amanda
• Knockout: A ball will be catapulted to the teams. Each player will battle to get the ball into their goal. The game will be played in two separate heats — one for each gender. The team that scores three points scored in both heats wins.^[8]
  • Individual Winners: Ashley M. & Dario
  • Team Winners: Underdogs
• Roll With The Punches: Played in male/female pairs, and two pairs at a time, each pair will spend three minutes in a spinning wheel made out of four beams that is suspended above water. Each contestant must leap from beam to beam as many times as possible without falling into the water. A pair accumulates one point for each rotation, and the team who accumulates the most points wins.^[9]
  • Individual Winners: Bananas & Laurel
  • Team Winners: Champions
• Curry Up: Contestants from each team must solve a puzzle, by consuming a bowl of curry soup at two different stations and twice racing three miles to their designated puzzle station. The curry bowls at the first stations are spicy, and are spicier at the second station. Underneath the bowls are place mats that represent puzzle pieces that each team can drop off at their designated puzzle station. Each bowl of soup must be completed before a team can take their place mats and race to their puzzle station. The first team to complete their puzzle wins.^[7]
  • Individual Winners: Hunter & Nicole
  • Team Winners: Champions
• Fallout: A large, slippery platform is suspended above water. Played in separate male/female heats, each contestant will attempt to grab one of two ropes, and hang on for as long as possible. When the platform pivots like a seesaw, players will end up sliding into and knocking other players into the water, making it difficult to hang onto the ropes. When a player falls into the water, his/her time is stopped, and the team with the longest cumulative time hanging on the ropes wins.^[10]
  • Individual Winners: CT & Camila
  • Team Winners: Underdogs
• Crossover: Played in male/female pairs, each player must traverse a series of inflatable tubes that are attached to a moving speedboat. One player starts at one tube, while his/her partner will start on the opposite end. Each player will "crossover" in the middle, and once each player has reached the opposite side, they will have to pull themselves toward the boat and retrieve a flag within a three-minute time limit. A pairs' time is stopped once each player has grabbed their flags. The team that retrieves their flag in the fastest average time wins.^[11]
  • Team Winners: Underdogs
• X-It: In the first Underdog Bloodbath game, players are harnessed up to an "X" structure. They will grab the puzzle pieces of their color and throw them to their table. Each piece corresponds to a number represented by a symbol. Once they retrieve all of their bags, they must then unhook themselves and solve an ancient puzzle. Each column and row must have the puzzle pieces add up to 21. Pieces of the same symbol can not be used twice in a row or column. The last male and female to complete this task will be eliminated.^[12]
  • Eliminated: Hunter & Jenna
• Caved In: Each team will need to navigate through a series of cages by going through small doors. However, each cage has an obstacle that the team must work through to get to the right door. If the team chooses the wrong door, it will set them back to the previous cage. The team that gets through all of the cages will win.^[13]
  • Team Winners: Underdogs

Elimination games

• In The Trenches: Similar to "Hall Pass" from Battle of the Exes, players start at opposite end of the trench, they have to transfer ten sandbags from one side to the other side.^[5]
  • Played By: Kailah vs. Marie and Tony vs. Bruno
• Who's Got Balls?: Players will hike up to a cliff side where they will jump off a platform while holding on to five balls. The player that holds on to the most balls win. If both opponents hold on to all of the balls, the winner will be determined by the time it took them to jump off.^[6]
  • Played By: Jenna vs. Anika and Cory vs. Theo
• Thai Rise: Players will race up to the top of the Tiger Cave Temple, and retrieve a bag of rice that has a bell in it. Once they get the bag the players will race back down, and hang their bell. The player to do this task the fastest wins.^[3]
  • Played By: Sylvia vs. LaToya and Nelson vs. Anthony
• Tuk Tuk Bang Bang: Players stand on the back of their "tuk tuk," and have to run into a wall in order to move the tuk tuk further and further. Players will repeat this process until they reach the end of the driveway, knocking over the wall in the end. The first player to do so wins.^[14]
  • Played By: Sylvia vs. Kailah and Shane vs. Tony
• Pole Wrestle: Similar to the original "Pole Wrestle" from The Duel, players are placed at the center of a circle and are asked to place both hands on a wooden pole. The first contestant to wrestle the pole out of his or her opponent's hands twice, wins.^[9]
  • Played By: Cara Maria vs. Ashley K. and Darrell vs. Zach
• Bell Ringer: Players will try to smash Thai idols with the rope connected to the bell suspended 15 feet above. As the idols are being smashed, powder will explode, making it more difficult for the players to see. The first player to smash all 16 idols will win.^[7]
  • Played By: Nelson vs. Dario and Jenna vs. Sylvia
• Balls In: Similar to the original "Balls In" from The Inferno II, Spring Break Challenge and Free Agents, each player will be given five chances to get as many balls inside a barrel, located in the middle of a large circle. If a player is either knocked out of or steps out of the ring, or if the ball is knocked out of the ring, their ball is considered "dead." Players will alternate between offense and defense in each round. The player who gets to three points wins.^[10]
  • Played by: Darrell vs. Bananas and Laurel vs. Cara Maria
• Inside Out: In the first round between the three initial players, the players are harnessed to a rope tied behind their back to a ring in a game similar to "Reverse Tug-O-War" and "Looper" from The Gauntlet 2 and Free Agents, respectively. The first player to ring their bell would win that round while the losing players would face off in the final round. In the final round, the losing players are tied together, facing each other this time, and must wrestle to get both feet outside the ring. The player to get both feet out of the ring in two rounds wins.^[12]
  • Played by: Ashley M. vs. Nicole vs. Amanda, Cory vs. Nelson vs. Shane
• Knot So Fast: Similar to the original "Knot So Fast" from Battle of the Seasons (2012) and "It Takes Two to Tangle from Battle of the Exes II, players have 20 minutes to create as many knots using 200 feet of rope within a dome-shaped structure. After those 20 minutes are up, players must untie their opponents' knots. The player who unties the opposing players' knots first wins the elimination.^[13][15]
  • Played by: Camila vs. Laurel and CT vs. Darrell

Game summary

Elimination chart

Episode progress

Competition

     The contestant won the final challenge.

     The contestant did not win the final challenge.

     The contestant won the challenge and won safety from the elimination round.

     The contestant won the challenge, but was subject to the elimination round.

     The contestant was exempt from participating in the elimination round.

     The contestant was not selected for the elimination round.

     The contestant won in the elimination round.

     The contestant won the elimination round by default.

     The contestant lost in the elimination round and was eliminated.

     The contestant withdrew from the elimination round.

     The contestant came in last in the daily challenge and was eliminated.

Notes

• In Episodes 3 and 4, a contestant is exempt from both challenge participation and elimination after earning a ticket into the Oasis — the result of either winning a challenge or in the elimination round.^[6][3]
• The Underdogs participate in individual challenges from Episodes 1–4. When the Champions enter the competition in Episode 5, all contestants will be separated into two teams — Champions and Underdogs.^[4][5][6][3]
• The first three elimination rounds were not given a name.^[8]

Bank Accounts

Updated after Episode 12.

Voting Progress

Teams

Note: In Episode 7's challenge, due to the fact that the champions team had 2 less players, 2 champions (Bananas and Laurel) had to go against Cory and Jenna (the final underdogs pair).

Episodes

After filming

The reunion special aired on May 16, 2017, one week after the season finale, and was hosted by WWE pro wrestler, The Real World: Back to New York alum, and former Challenge champion Mike "The Miz" Mizanin. Cast members who attended were Amanda, Ashley M., Camila, Cara Maria, Cory, Jenna, Johnny Bananas, Kailah, Shane, CT, Nicole, Laurel, Nelson, Hunter, and Darrell. It had 0.5 million viewers in its first-run airing.^[16]

Notes

References

External links

• Official website