The Challenge: USA season 2

The Challenge: USA
Season 2
Presented by	T. J. Lavin
No. of contestants	24
Winners	Chris Underwood Desi Williams
Location	Pula, Croatia
No. of episodes	14
Release
Original network	CBS
Original release	August 10 (2023-08-10) – October 19, 2023 (2023-10-19)
Season chronology
← Previous Season 1

The second season of The Challenge: USA premiered on CBS on August 10, 2023, with next-day uncensored episodes on Paramount+. ^[1] The season features eighteen CBS cast members from Survivor , The Amazing Race and Big Brother competing for $500,000. ^[2] Unlike the first season which only featured alumni from CBS reality shows who have never appeared on The Challenge, the season expanded casting to also include six veterans of The Challenge whose original shows were on MTV as well as CBS alumni who had previously competed on The Challenge. ^[3]

Format

The second season of The Challenge: USA features a daily challenge, a nomination process and an elimination round. This season initially had contestants competing in three teams decided during the first episode. The format is as follows:

• Daily Challenge: Teams compete in a main challenge. The winning team is immune from elimination and earns the power to nominate one male and one female contestant to potentially compete in the elimination round.
• Nominations: Members of both losing teams privately vote for one contestant, of either gender, to potentially compete in the elimination round. This voting acts as a random ballot, with a ball being added to the Hopper for each vote a contestant receives, increasing their probability of being selected to compete in the elimination round.
• Eliminations (The Arena): At the Arena, the Hopper randomly selects one contestant who received votes to compete in the elimination round. The same-gender player nominated by the challenge winners then becomes their opponent for elimination. The winner remains in the game while the loser is eliminated.

At the end of Episode 7, teams were disbanded and the game changed to an individual format, with challenge winners limited to only the top performing male and female contestant.

Twists

• The Hopper: The Hopper is a lottery machine which randomly selects a ball with the name of the contestant to compete in the Arena.
• Defection: During the team format, the winners of elimination rounds may choose to remain on their current team or "defect" and join another team. If they choose to defect, they must select a player of the same gender from their desired team to swap positions with.
• Double Elimination: Episodes 4, 10 and 13 featured double eliminations where one male and one female contestant were eliminated. Both contestants nominated by the challenge winners were guaranteed to compete in the Arena. The voting contestants vote for one player of each gender, with the hopper selecting one contestant of each gender to compete in Elimination.

Contestants

Male contestants [2] [4] Original season Finish Chris Underwood Survivor: Edge of Extinction Winner Cory Wharton Real World: Ex-Plosion Runner-up Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio The Real World: Key West Third place Faysal Shafaat Big Brother 20 Fourth place Josh Martinez Big Brother 19 Episode 13 Tyler Crispen Big Brother 20 Episode 11 Wes Bergmann The Real World: Austin Episode 10 Sebastian Noel Survivor: Ghost Island Episode 9 Monte Taylor Big Brother 24 Episode 8 Dusty Harris The Amazing Race 33 Episode 6 Luis Colón The Amazing Race 34 Episode 4 Paulie Calafiore Big Brother 18 Episode 3

Female contestants [2] [4] Original season Finish Desi Williams Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers Winner Chanelle Howell Survivor 42 Runner-up Michaela Bradshaw Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X Third place [a] Tori Deal Are You the One? 4 Fourth place Cassidy Clark Survivor 43 Episode 13 Michele Fitzgerald Survivor: Kaôh Rōng Episode 12 Alyssa Snider Big Brother 24 Episode 10 Tiffany Mitchell Big Brother 23 Episode 7 Alyssa Lopez Big Brother 23 Episode 5 Amanda Garcia Are You the One? 3 Episode 4 Jonna Mannion The Real World: Cancun Episode 2 Ameerah Jones Big Brother 24 Episode 1/2

Draft

At the start of the season, three captains were randomly selected from the CBS reality players to draft the contestants into three teams of eight. Each team consisted of two Challenge veterans and six CBS reality players, with an even gender split. Italicized names indicate players who were placed on a team by default.

Round	Red Team	Blue Team	Green Team
Captain	Josh	Cassidy	Desi
1	Jonna	Cory	Wes
2	Paulie	Tori	Michaela
3	Michele	Faysal	Monte
4	Dusty	Alyssa L.	Ameerah
5	Chanelle	Sebastian	Tyler
6	Bananas	Alyssa S.	Amanda
7	Tiffany	Chris	Luis

Gameplay

Challenge games

• Storm the Castle: Teams must transport two heavy statues uphill to the ruins of a castle, memorizing rune symbols and completing two checkpoints along the way. Both checkpoints require teams to identify three symbols which were not displayed to obtain the codes to unlock a wagon to use, and offload each statue's base, respectively. The first team to bring both statues to the castle ruins wins.
  • Winners: Blue Team
• Working the Poles: Played in two heats of four members from each team. Team members begin on a platform above water and must traverse several hanging poles to reach their team platform at the opposite end, with all three team's paths intersecting. Team members are eliminated from the challenge if they fall into the water. The team with the most players to reach their platform in the fastest time wins.
  • Winners: Green Team
• Capsized: Teams must swim to a boat and overturn it to view and memorize an answer key of 20 flags on the underside. Team members then swim to eight buoys to collect flags submerged underneath before hanging them to recreate the answer key on the boat's topside, and each team member must swim to at least one buoy. Once complete, teams swim back to the starting dock to have their time stopped. The team with the most correctly hung flags in the fastest time wins.
  • Winners: Blue Team
• Sideswiped: Played in six heats. Each heat, two team members from two teams begin harnessed between two trucks – one assigned to each team. As the trucks speed down a runway, team members have five minutes to swing past their opponents and stick as many of their eight disks as possible on specified areas of their team's truck while their opponents try to block them and do the same. The team with the most total disks attached to their truck and the end of the challenge wins.
  • Winners: Red Team
• Unboxed: Each team member must carry a box proportional to their bodyweight to the end of a trail. Along the way are five puzzle stations where teams may choose to spend time using the puzzle pieces in one team member's box to solve a puzzle, which allows them to leave the box behind for the remainder of the challenge. Except for the first station, only one team may solve the puzzle at each station. The first team to reach the end of the trail wins.
  • Winners: Green Team
• High-Q: Teams begin on a platform above water. Each round, teams are asked a trivia question and their platform inclines slightly if they answer incorrectly, making it more difficult to stay on. Team members are eliminated from the challenge if they fall into the water. The last team standing wins.
  • Winners: Blue Team
• Wreck & Roll: Two team members begin inside a giant sphere. They must roll around a course and knock down eight of their team's columns to release lettered tyres placed on top of each column. The remaining team members must collect the tyres and arrange them on a grid to solve a word puzzle. The first team to solve the puzzle wins.
  • Winners: Blue Team
• Spell-Lunkers: Played in four heats. Players swim to a buoy and dive to view a word puzzle submerged underneath. They must find the theme of the words hidden in the puzzle and use it to open a lockbox containing a flashlight. With the flashlight, players must then swim through a dark cave to a second word puzzle, solve the theme of the words and use it to unlock a second lockbox. The male and female player with the fastest time wins.
  • Winners: Bananas & Tori
• Speed Jumps: Played in two stages. In Stage One, players jump on a trampoline adjusted for their height to view a board of numbers behind a tall wall. They must sum the numbers together and present their answer to host T.J. Lavin. The first three male and female players to answer correctly progress to Stage Two. In Stage Two, players jump on a trampoline located on the back of a semi-trailer as it speeds down a runway. They must collect overhead flags along the runway, with green, yellow, and red flags worth one, two, and three points, respectively. The male and female player with the most points wins.
  • Winners: Faysal & Tori
• Go the Distance: Played in male and female heats. Each round, players jump off a platform into the water of the Punta Christo Quarry and attempt to grab a hanging baton (adjusted for their armspan and height) to advance to the next round. After each round, the batons are moved further away, and players are eliminated from the challenge if they are unable to grab their baton. The last male and female player standing wins.
  • Winners: Faysal & Michaela
• Slippery Business: Played in male and female rounds. Players begin in a ring, covered in oil, and attempt to push their opponents out of the ring. The last player standing in each round wins.
  • Winners: Cory & Michaela
• Brain Squeeze: Players must search the Punta Christo Fort for all their assigned bags of puzzle pieces, without being told that there are eight bags, and bring them to their puzzle station outside the fort. After collecting all their puzzle pieces, the first male and female player to assemble the puzzle wins.
  • Winners: Chris & Desi
• Burst Your Bubble: Played two players at a time, players must climb up a 40-foot rope ladder to the basket of a hot air balloon then cross a narrow balance beam to reach a second hot air balloon. The male and female player with the fastest time wins.
  • Winners: Chris & Michaela

Arena games

• Slam Dunked: Players begin harnessed over a water tank filled with 1,500 balls. Throughout the elimination, they must remove as many balls as possible from the tank, while continuously being lifted out of and lowered into the tank 15 times. The player with the most balls removed at the end of the 15 dunks wins.
  • Played by:Ameerah vs. Michele
• Drop the Ball: Players attempt to catch balls dropping from a large pinball-like machine and deposit it into their goal to earn points, while their opponent tries to block them and do the same. Black balls are worth one point while silver balls are worth three points, and balls are considered out of play once they hit the ground. The player with the most points after all 60 balls are released wins.
  • Played by:Jonna vs. Tori
• Fire & Ice: Players begin standing on a block of ice with one arm raised above their head and connected to a bucket of fish guts which spills if they move/lower that arm. Throughout the elimination, they can throw beanbags at a target to ignite a flame underneath their opponent's ice block, making it more difficult for them to keep their arm raised as the ice melts, while also turning off the flame under their own ice block. The last player standing wins.
  • Played by:Bananas vs. Paulie
• Evil Eye: Players begin in the center of the Arena with both hands on a large evil eye disk. The first player to wrestle the disk out of their opponent's hands and bring it outside the boundary of the Arena twice wins. ^[6]
  • Played by:Chris vs. Luis, Amanda vs. Desi
• Block Heads: Each player begins locked in a geometric-shaped cage and must roll the cage to four flagpoles and collect the attached flags. After collecting all four flags, players place them on a lightbox to reveal a code which they use to unlock the cage and escape. The first player to escape their cage and push a button at the boundary of the Arena wins.
  • Played by:Alyssa L. vs. Cassidy
• Crank Shafted: One player attempts to balance on a wheel for as long as possible. Their opponent can untie up to three steering wheels, attach them to a crankshaft and use them to spin the wheel to make it harder to balance on. Attaching more steering wheels to the crankshaft makes it easier to spin, however players risk losing time untying them. Once the player on the wheel falls off, players switch positions and repeat this process. The player who balances on the wheel for the longest time during their turn wins.
  • Played by:Dusty vs. Wes
• Top Heavy: Each player begins harnessed to a beam at the center of the Arena. They must generate momentum to swing the beam back and forth so they can collect balls at one end of the Arena and throw them into a basket at the other end. The first player to land ten baskets wins.
  • Played by:Michaela vs. Tiffany
• Too Cool For Spool: Players begin harnessed to a giant spool at the center of the Arena, which spins as they move towards and away from it. They must collect balls at the boundary of the Arena and use them to assemble a five-layer pyramid on top of the spool. The first player to assemble their pyramid wins.
  • Played by:Monte vs. Tyler
• Trick, Trick, Boom: Players line up three barrels with flat panels mounted on them, then perform a trick shot by throwing a ball to have it bounce on each panel before landing in a barrel at the end. After landing their first trick shot, players must then add two additional barrels, with slanted panels, to their setup and throw a second trick shot. The first player to land both trick shots wins.
  • Played by:Chris vs. Sebastian
• Ripped Off: Players begin harnessed to the side of a cylindrical tower, with one player designated as the "chaser" and the other as the "runner", who wears a jumpsuit with ten patches attached to them. The chaser attempts to rip off as many patches from the runner's jumpsuit as possible in five minutes while the runner tries to prevent them from doing so. Afterwards, players switch roles and repeat this process. The player who rips the most patches off their opponent during their turn as chaser wins.
  • Played by:Alyssa S. vs Cassidy, Chris vs. Wes
• Barrel Tag: Starting on opposite ends of the Arena, one player begins as "it" and must use two barrels to move around the Arena without touching the ground and tag their opponent, while their opponent tries to avoid them using the same method. Once the player who is "it" tags their opponent, players switch roles and repeat this process. The player who tags their opponent the fastest during their turn as "it" wins.
  • Played by:Chris vs. Tyler
• Hot Wheel: Players begin on opposite sides of a bar which has a torch connected to the center and steering wheels attached to each end. They must spin the wheels to attempt to maneuver the torch to light their six assigned targets while their opponent tries to do the same. The first player to light all their targets wins.
  • Played by:Cassidy vs. Michele
• Hall Brawl: Holding a kick shield for the initial impact, players must run through a narrow hallway past their opponent and solve a puzzle at the opposite end. The first player to solve the puzzle wins.
  • Played by:Cassidy vs. Chanelle, Faysal vs. Josh

Final Challenge

The final eight contestants competed in the Final Challenge, which began the day after the "Hall Brawl" elimination.

Day one

For the first day, players compete in four trials based on four traits "needed" to become a champion. The top-performing male and female player of each trial earn a one-minute advantage for day two, while the respective last place male and female player incur a one-minute penalty. For each trial, players can also "double down" and call that they will win that trial. This doubles their advantage to two minutes if they win the trial, but also doubles their penalty to two minutes if they place last. Afterwards, players had to participate in an Overnight Stage challenge which went unaired in the episode.

• Trial 1 (Strength): Players must use a sled to haul four boxes proportional to their bodyweight up a hill.
• Trial 2 (Smarts): Players compete in a five-word spelling bee, earning one point for each correctly-spelled word.
• Trial 3 (Skills): Players must arrange tiles into a grid, so that four squares of the same color cannot be in a row.
• Trial 4 (Steel Stomach): Players must consume three out of four dishes from the choices of: a tofu and sauerkraut smoothie, a chia stack topped with mealworms and crickets, wasabi crackers and loaded chilli truffles.
• Overnight Stage: Players spent the night at a campsite and had to complete an unaired overnight segment before they could sleep. As a group, players had to stand on a narrow pedestal for one hour, counting the time themselves, before stepping off. If they stepped off before one hour or after one hour and five minutes, they would have to restart. ^[7]

Day two

Players complete a ten-mile race to the finish line at the top of a mountain, departing based on the time advantages or penalties earned during the previous day. Along the way are three "Risk Stations". Players can choose to spend time attempting the challenges at the first two Risk Stations to earn an advantage, while the third Risk Station is mandatory to complete. Additionally, the last male and female player to reach the second Risk Station are eliminated from the Final Challenge.

• Risk Station 1: Players can attempt to throw an axe and hit a target within five attempts to access a 1.2-mile shortcut to the next station. From this station, all players must carry a heavy rock to the next station.
• Risk Station 2: Players can attempt to place rocks in one side of a scale so that it balances out the other side, within one try. If they are successful, they can ride an ATV one mile to the next Risk Station. The last male and female player to arrive at Risk Station 2 are eliminated.
  • Eliminated: Faysal ^[b] and Tori (4th place)
• Risk Station 3: Players must stack cinder blocks with the names of eliminated contestants in the order they were eliminated before proceeding to the finish line. The first male and female player to reach the finish line are declared the winners of the season and receive $250,000 each.
  • Winners: Chris and Desi ($250,000 each)
  • Runners-up: Chanelle and Cory
  • Third place: Bananas and Michaela ^[a]

Game summary

Episode		Winners	Arena contestants		Arena game	Arena outcome
No.	Challenge		Winners' picks	Hopper pick		Winner	Eliminated	Defected	Swapped
1/2	Storm the Castle	Blue Team	Ameerah	Michele	Slam Dunked	Michele	Ameerah		—
			Luis
2	Working the Poles	Green Team	Bananas	Jonna	Drop the Ball	Tori	Jonna		—
			Tori
3	Capsized	Blue Team	Amanda	Paulie	Fire & Ice	Bananas	Paulie		Cory
			Bananas
4	Sideswiped	Red Team	Luis	Chris	Evil Eye	Chris	Luis		—
			Desi	Amanda		Desi	Amanda		Alyssa S.
5	Unboxed	Green Team	Cassidy	Alyssa L.	Block Heads	Cassidy	Alyssa L.		—
			Chris
6	High-Q	Blue Team	Tiffany	Dusty	Crank Shafted	Wes	Dusty		Chris
			Wes
7	Wreck & Roll	Blue Team	Michaela	Tiffany	Top Heavy	Michaela	Tiffany	—
			Tyler
8	Spell-Lunkers	Bananas	Alyssa S.	Monte	Too Cool For Spool	Tyler	Monte
		Tori	Tyler
9	Speed Jumps	Faysal	Cassidy	Sebastian	Trick, Trick, Boom	Chris	Sebastian
		Tori	Chris
10	Go the Distance	Faysal	Alyssa S.	Cassidy	Ripped Off	Cassidy	Alyssa S.
		Michaela	Chris	Wes		Chris	Wes
11	Slippery Business	Cory	Cassidy	Chris	Barrel Tag	Chris	Tyler
		Michaela	Tyler
12	Brain Squeeze	Chris	Josh	Cassidy	Hot Wheel	Cassidy	Michele
		Desi	Michele
13	Burst Your Bubble	Chris	Cassidy	Chanelle	Hall Brawl	Chanelle	Cassidy
		Michaela	Faysal	Josh		Faysal	Josh
14	Final Challenge	Chris	2nd: Cory; 3rd: Bananas; 4th: Faysal
		Desi	2nd: Chanelle; 3rd: Michaela; 4th: Tori

Episode progress

Contestants	Episodes
	1/2	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	Finale [a]
Chris	WIN	SAFE	WIN	ELIM	NOM	WIN	SAFE	SAFE	ELIM	ELIM	ELIM	WIN	WIN	WINNER
Desi	RISK	WIN	SAFE	ELIM	RISK	WIN	WIN	SAFE	SAFE	SAFE	SAFE	WIN	RISK	WINNER
Cory	WIN	RISK	WIN	WIN	SAFE	SAFE	RISK	SAFE	SAFE	SAFE	WIN	RISK	RISK	SECOND
Chanelle	SAFE	SAFE	RISK	WIN	RISK	RISK	RISK	SAFE	SAFE	SAFE	RISK	RISK	ELIM	SECOND
Bananas	RISK	NOM	ELIM	RISK	SAFE	WIN	WIN	WIN	RISK	RISK	SAFE	SAFE	RISK	THIRD
Michaela	SAFE	WIN	SAFE	RISK	WIN	RISK	ELIM	SAFE	SAFE	WIN	WIN	SAFE	WIN	THIRD
Faysal	WIN	SAFE	WIN	SAFE	RISK	WIN	WIN	SAFE	WIN	WIN	SAFE	SAFE	ELIM	FOURTH
Tori	WIN	ELIM	WIN	SAFE	SAFE	WIN	WIN	WIN	WIN	RISK	RISK	SAFE	RISK	FOURTH
Josh	SAFE	SAFE	RISK	WIN	SAFE	SAFE	RISK	SAFE	SAFE	SAFE	SAFE	NOM	OUT
Cassidy	WIN	SAFE	WIN	RISK	ELIM	WIN	WIN	RISK	NOM	ELIM	NOM	ELIM	OUT
Michele	ELIM	SAFE	SAFE	WIN	SAFE	SAFE	SAFE	SAFE	SAFE	RISK	SAFE	OUT
Tyler	SAFE	WIN	RISK	RISK	WIN	SAFE	NOM	ELIM	RISK	RISK	OUT
Wes	RISK	WIN	SAFE	RISK	WIN	ELIM	WIN	SAFE	SAFE	OUT
Alyssa S.	WIN	RISK	WIN	SAFE	WIN	RISK	RISK	NOM	RISK	OUT
Sebastian	WIN	RISK	WIN	RISK	RISK	WIN	WIN	RISK	OUT
Monte	RISK	WIN	RISK	RISK	WIN	SAFE	RISK	OUT
Tiffany	SAFE	SAFE	SAFE	WIN	RISK	NOM	OUT
Dusty	RISK	RISK	SAFE	WIN	RISK	OUT
Alyssa L.	WIN	RISK	WIN	SAFE	OUT
Amanda	SAFE	WIN	NOM	OUT
Luis	NOM	WIN	SAFE	OUT
Paulie	SAFE	RISK	OUT
Jonna	SAFE	OUT
Ameerah	OUT

Color key:

  This contestant won the Final Challenge.

  This contestant lost the Final Challenge.

  The contestant was eliminated during the Final Challenge.

  This contestant won the daily challenge.

  This contestant was not selected for the Arena.

  This contestant received votes through the Hopper, but was not selected for the Arena.

  This contestant was nominated by the winning team but didn't have to compete in the Arena.

  This contestant won the elimination in the Arena.

  This contestant lost in the Arena and was eliminated.

  This contestant was medically disqualified from the competition.

Team progress

Contestants	Episodes
	1/2	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14
Chris	Blue						Green	Individual Game
Desi	Green				Blue
Chanelle	Red
Cory	Blue			Red
Bananas	Red			Blue
Michaela	Green
Faysal	Blue
Tori	Blue
Josh	Red
Cassidy	Blue
Michele	Red
Tyler	Green
Wes	Green						Blue
Alyssa S.	Blue				Green
Sebastian	Blue
Monte	Green
Tiffany	Red
Dusty	Red
Alyssa L.	Blue
Amanda	Green
Luis	Green
Paulie	Red
Jonna	Red
Ameerah	Green

• Teams at the start of each episode

Voting progress

	Episode
	1/2		2		3		4		5		6		7		8		9		10		11		12		13
Winners' picks	Ameerah 6 of 8 votes		Bananas 4 of 7 votes		Amanda 4 of 8 votes		Desi 3 of 6 votes		Cassidy 3 of 5 votes		Tiffany 5 of 7 votes		Michaela 4 of 7 votes		Alyssa S. 2 of 2 votes		Cassidy 2 of 2 votes		Alyssa S. 2 of 2 votes		Cassidy 2 of 2 votes		Michele 2 of 2 votes		Cassidy 2 of 2 votes
	Luis 7 of 8 votes		Tori 5 of 7 votes		Bananas 6 of 8 votes		Luis 3 of 6 votes		Chris 4 of 5 votes		Wes 7 of 7 votes		Tyler 5 of 7 votes		Tyler 2 of 2 votes		Chris 2 of 2 votes		Chris 2 of 2 votes		Tyler 2 of 2 votes		Josh 2 of 2 votes		Faysal 2 of 2 votes
Hopper pick	Michele		Jonna		Paulie		Amanda	Chris	Alyssa L.		Dusty		Tiffany		Monte		Sebastian		Cassidy	Wes	Chris		Cassidy		Chanelle	Josh
Chris	Ameerah	Luis	Paulie		Tiffany	Bananas	Amanda	Wes	Tiffany		Tiffany	Wes	Alyssa S.		Monte		Alyssa S.		Tori	Wes	Tori		Michele	Josh	Cassidy	Faysal
Desi	Michele		Bananas	Tori	Josh		Amanda	Chris	Dusty		Alyssa S.	Wes	Alyssa S.	Monte	Monte		Tyler		Cassidy	Tyler	Tori		Michele	Josh	Tori	Bananas
Chanelle	Wes		Jonna		Tyler		Amanda	Wes	Dusty		Alyssa S.		Josh		Monte		Tyler		Cassidy	Tyler	Tori		Cassidy		Tori	Bananas
Cory	Ameerah	Luis	Dusty		Amanda	Bananas	Desi	Luis	Tiffany		Dusty		Tiffany		Sebastian		Sebastian		Cassidy	Tyler	Cassidy	Tyler	Cassidy		Chanelle	Bananas
Bananas	Monte		Alyssa L.		Monte		Michaela	Tyler	Faysal		Alyssa S.	Wes	Michaela	Tyler	Alyssa S.	Tyler	Sebastian		Cassidy	Tyler	Chris		Cassidy		Desi	Cory
Michaela	Bananas		Bananas	Tori	Josh		Cassidy	Wes	Not shown		Alyssa S.		Monte		Monte		Tyler		Alyssa S.	Chris	Cassidy	Tyler	Cassidy		Cassidy	Faysal
Faysal	Ameerah	Luis	Dusty		Michele	Bananas	Michaela	Tyler	Desi		Tiffany	Wes	Michaela	Tyler	Sebastian		Cassidy	Chris	Alyssa S.	Chris	Chris		Cassidy		Chanelle	Bananas
Tori	Ameerah	Luis	Dusty		Desi	Monte	Michaela	Monte	Alyssa L.		Tiffany	Wes	Michaela	Tyler	Alyssa S.	Tyler	Cassidy	Chris	Cassidy	Tyler	Chris		Cassidy		Chanelle	Josh
Josh	Monte		Alyssa S.		Monte		Desi	Luis	Chanelle		Dusty		Chanelle		Sebastian		Sebastian		Cassidy	Wes	Chris		Cassidy		Chanelle	Bananas
Cassidy	Ameerah	Luis	Jonna		Amanda	Bananas	Amanda	Tyler	Dusty		Tiffany	Wes	Tiffany	Tyler	Monte		Bananas		Tori	Wes	Chris		Chanelle		Chanelle	Josh
Michele	Monte		Jonna		Monte		Amanda	Luis	Dusty		Dusty		Tiffany		Monte		Tyler		Cassidy	Tyler	Chris		Cory
Tyler	Dusty		Not shown		Paulie		Amanda	Chris	Cassidy	Chris	Dusty		Chanelle		Sebastian		Sebastian		Michele	Bananas	Chanelle
Wes	Dusty		Not shown		Chanelle		Cassidy	Chris	Cassidy	Chris	Michaela		Michaela	Chris	Cassidy		Sebastian		Cassidy	Tyler
Alyssa S.	Michaela	Luis	Jonna		Amanda	Bananas	Amanda	Chris	Not shown	Chris	Dusty		Chanelle		Sebastian		Sebastian		Cassidy	Bananas
Sebastian	Ameerah	Luis	Paulie		Tiffany	Monte	Amanda	Monte	Tiffany		Tiffany	Wes	Tiffany	Tyler	Monte		Tyler
Monte	Bananas		Bananas	Tori	Paulie		Amanda	Sebastian	Cassidy	Chris	Dusty		Chanelle		Sebastian
Tiffany	Wes		Cory		Tyler		Cassidy	Wes	Sebastian		Dusty		Cory
Dusty	Desi		Cory		Tyler		Desi	Monte	Tiffany		Chanelle
Alyssa L.	Michaela	Monte	Jonna		Amanda	Bananas	Amanda	Chris	Chanelle
Amanda	Michele		Chris	Tori	Monte		Michaela	Chris
Luis	Bananas		Bananas	Tori	Paulie		Amanda	Bananas
Paulie	Monte		Alyssa S.		Monte
Jonna	Michele		Sebastian
Ameerah	Bananas

Episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Original release date	Prod. code	U.S. viewers (millions)
13	1	"The Riskiest Season Yet"	August 10, 2023 (2023-08-10)	201	1.74 [8]
14	2	"Blurred Battle Lines"	August 13, 2023 (2023-08-13)	202	1.76 [9]
15	3	"Civil War"	August 17, 2023 (2023-08-17)	203	1.42 [10]
16	4	"Double Crossed and Sideswiped"	August 20, 2023 (2023-08-20)	204	1.62 [11]
17	5	"Operation Hat Trick"	August 24, 2023 (2023-08-24)	205	1.46 [12]
18	6	"A Really Good Looking Underdog"	August 27, 2023 (2023-08-27)	206	1.69 [13]
19	7	"Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Love"	August 31, 2023 (2023-08-31)	207	1.54 [14]
20	8	"Independence Day"	September 7, 2023 (2023-09-07)	208	1.49 [15]
21	9	"Enemy of the State"	September 14, 2023 (2023-09-14)	209	1.45 [16]
22	10	"A Less Perfect Union"	September 21, 2023 (2023-09-21)	210	1.50 [17]
23	11	"Slippery Business"	September 28, 2023 (2023-09-28)	211	1.44 [18]
24	12	"Revenge Amongst the Ruins"	October 5, 2023 (2023-10-05)	212	1.41 [19]
25	13	"The Treason for the Season"	October 12, 2023 (2023-10-12)	213	1.49 [20]
26	14	"The Pursuit of Glory"	October 19, 2023 (2023-10-19)	214	1.75 [21]

Notes

1. Michaela was medically disqualified during day two of the Final Challenge due to dehydration. ^[5]
2. Faysal initially arrived at Risk Station 2 second; however, he was required to backtrack and run a one-mile penalty lap for taking the shortcut when he had not completed Risk Station 1. Bananas and Cory reached the station during this time, eliminating Faysal from the Final Challenge.

References

1. Dana Rose Falcone. "Paulie Calafiore, Cory Wharton, Johnny 'Bananas' and More Return for 'The Challenge: USA' Season 2". People . Retrieved July 13, 2023.
2. Longretta, Emily (July 11, 2023). "'The Challenge: USA' Season 2 Pits 'Survivor' and 'Big Brother' Champs Against MTV Legends: Meet the Cast". Variety . Retrieved July 13, 2023.
3. Bloom, Mike (July 13, 2023). "CBS and MTV Stars Collide! Meet the Full Cast of The Challenge: USA Season 2". Parade . Retrieved July 13, 2023.
4. Caruso, Nick (July 11, 2023). "The Challenge: USA Season 2: MTV Legends Bananas, Wes, Tori to Battle CBS Favorites — See Cast List, Trailer". TVLine. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
5. Bucksbaum, Sydney (October 20, 2023). "The Challenge: USA finalist breaks down that medical DQ: 'Humans cannot outrun motor vehicles'". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved October 20, 2023.
6. Rob Cesternino (August 21, 2023). "Week 2 Exit Interview #2 The Challenge: USA Season 2". Rob Has a Podcast (Podcast). Retrieved August 21, 2023.
7. Bucksbaum, Sydney (October 20, 2023). "The Challenge: USA season 2 winners reveal what you didn't see in the final". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved October 20, 2023.
8. Douglas Pucci (August 11, 2023). "Thursday Ratings: The Challenge: USA Returns for its Second Season on CBS". Programming Insider. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
9. Douglas Pucci (August 14, 2023). "Sunday Ratings: CBS Wins, Benefits from PGA Golf Overrun into Prime Time". Programming Insider. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
10. Douglas Pucci (August 18, 2023). "Thursday Ratings: CBS Leads in All Key Prime Time Figures". Programming Insider. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
11. Douglas Pucci (August 21, 2023). "Sunday Ratings: CBS Wins in Demos, Close Battle with ABC for Tops in Total Viewers". Programming Insider. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
12. Pucci, Douglas (August 25, 2023). "Thursday Ratings: CBS Wins in Total Viewers as NFL Preseason Final Week Kicked Off in Select Markets". Programming Insider. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
13. Douglas Pucci (August 28, 2023). "Sunday Ratings: Fox Leads Key Demos with NFL Preseason". Programming Insider. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
14. Douglas Pucci (September 1, 2023). "Thursday Ratings: Fox Wins the Night in Total Viewers with College Football Season Kickoff". Programming Insider. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
15. Douglas Pucci (September 8, 2023). "Thursday Ratings: NFL on NBC Returns to Dominate the Prime Time TV Landscape". Programming Insider. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
16. Douglas Pucci (September 15, 2023). "Thursday Ratings: Amazon Prime Video Leads Prime Time with NFL Thursday Night Football Return". Programming Insider. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
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18. Douglas Pucci (September 29, 2023). "Thursday Ratings: The Golden Bachelor Series Premiere on ABC is Top Non-Sports Telecast in Prime Time". Programming Insider. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
19. Douglas Pucci (October 6, 2023). "Thursday Ratings: 'The Golden Bachelor' on ABC Nearly Matches Premiere Night Figures in Week Two". Programming Insider. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
20. Pucci, Douglas (October 13, 2023). "Thursday Ratings: Canadian Medical Drama 'Transplant' Returned for its Third Season on NBC". Programming Insider. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
21. Pucci, Douglas (October 20, 2023). "Thursday Ratings: Broadcast Networks Televise President Biden's Address to the Nation". Programming Insider. Retrieved October 21, 2023.