The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros

Champs vs. Pros
Presented by	Victor Cruz
No. of contestants	20
Winners	Cara Maria Sorbello Darrell Taylor
Location	Los Angeles, California
No. of episodes	6
Release
Original network	MTV
Original release	May 16 (2017-05-16) – June 20, 2017 (2017-06-20)
Season chronology
Next → Champs vs. Stars

The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros is a special mini-series of MTV's long-running reality game show, The Challenge . In the six-week event, ten Challenge greats competed against ten professional athletes. The series premiered on Tuesday, May 16, 2017, and concluded on June 20, 2017. The series was hosted by NFL wide receiver Victor Cruz. Contestants competed to win $50,000 to donate to the charity of their choice. ^{[1] [2]} In 2017 the series format was changed to include celebrities and was renamed Champs vs. Stars .

The format featured alumni from The Real World , Road Rules , and The Challenge, competing with athletes who have participated in professional leagues and events such as the National Football League, Women's National Basketball Association, Ultimate Fighting Championship, World Surfing Championship, along with the Winter and Summer Olympics.

Contestants

Player	Known For	Team	Charity	Raised	Finish
Cara Maria Sorbello	The Challenge: Fresh Meat II	Champs	ASPCA	$55,000 [A]	Winner
Darrell Taylor	Road Rules: Campus Crawl	Champs	March of Dimes	$55,000	Winner
Kamerion Wimbley	Retired NFL linebacker	Pros	Kamerion Wimbley Foundation	$1,000	Runner-up
Lindsey Jacobellis	Snowboarder and Olympic medalist	Pros	ASPCA	$5,000	Runner-up
Camila Nakagawa	Spring Break Challenge	Champs	Men With Dreams	$1,000 [A]	Third place
Wes Bergmann	The Real World: Austin	Champs	American Cancer Society	$1,000 [A]	Third place
Chris "CT" Tamburello	The Real World: Paris	Champs	Grayken Center for Addiction Medicine	$5,000	Episode 6
Gus Kenworthy	Skier and Olympic medalist	Pros	The Trevor Project and Happy Hippie Foundation	$1,000	Episode 6
Louise Hazel	Heptathlete and Olympian	Pros	Save the Children	$5,000 [B]	Episode 6
Lolo Jones	Olympic hurdler and bobsledder	Pros	Hurdles of Hope	$1,000 [B]	Episode 6
Ashley Mitchell	Real World: Ex-Plosion	Champs	Facing Addiction	$1,000 [C]	Episode 5
Louie Vito	Snowboarder and Olympian	Pros	Wings for Life	$1,000	Episode 5
Jordan Wiseley	The Real World: Portland	Champs	Lucky Fin Project	$5,000	Episode 4
CM Punk	UFC Fighter/Former Pro Wrestler	Pros	PAWS Chicago	$1,000	Episode 4
Tia Blanco	Surfer and World Champion	Pros	St. Jude's Children's Hospital	$1,000	Episode 3/4
Ashley Kelsey	The Real World: San Diego (2011)	Champs	Make-A-Wish Foundation	$1,000	Episode 3
Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio	The Real World: Key West	Champs	Special Olympics	$1,000	Episode 2
Shawne Merriman	Retired NFL linebacker	Pros	Lights On Foundation	$1,000	Episode 2
Candice Wiggins	Retired WNBA Player	Pros	Greater Than AIDS	$1,000	Episode 1
Veronica Portillo	Road Rules: Semester at Sea	Champs	Planned Parenthood	$1,000	Episode 1

Charity money shared

1. After winning final challenge Cara Maria agreed to give $5,000 of her prize money to each of Wes and Camila's charities.
2. After both being eliminated Louise and Lolo agreed to pool their prize money together and split it $3,000 to each of their charities.
3. After defeating Ashley in elimination Lolo agreed to give $5,000 of her own personal money to Ashley's charity, raising Ashley's total raised to $6,000.

Gameplay

Challenge games

• Against the Ropes: Similar to the original challenge "Piggy Back" from Free Agents , teams are separated into two groups of five. Then, each group has to advance on hanging ropes from one platform to another that is suspended above water. After one player advances onto one rope, the next teammate has to use the first player as a "human bridge" in order to advance to the next rope. Subsequent players will continue the process, until each player is hanging into their own rope, at which point, players will continue to use their teammates as "human bridges" in order to reach the opposite platform. The team that gets the most players across wins.
  • Winners:Pros
• Tailgate BBQ: Similar to the original challenge "Sausage Party" from Free Agents, players have to roll themselves along a "barbecue-style" obstacle course, while covered in shrink wrap. Each player will wiggle and roll through a variety of "condiments" and on oversize metal bars that resemble a grill grate, and toward place mats with hot dog labels on them. Certain players from each team will have to hold a "chip" bag in their mouth. If they do not hold it in their mouth the entire way through, a two-minute penalty will be added to their team total. The team with the shortest time wins.
  • Winners:Champs
• Out of Bounds: Similar to the original challenge "Pole Push" from The Gauntlet III , played in same-sex rounds. A pole is situated in the middle of a large rectangular pit surrounded by water. Pros and Champs will go head to head to try to push their opponent into the water. The team with the most points at the end wins.
  • Winners:Pros
• Keep Your Eyes On The Prize: Similar to the original challenge "Don't Forget About Me" from Battle of the Exes II , teams will have to split up into groups. One team member will lift up a steel door out of the sand that is connected to a memory puzzle for as long as they can. Two other team members will try to memorize one row at a time. Those two team members will tell another two team members what the row combination is. Those two people will then sprint to their last team member and tell them what the row is. If the row is wrong, they will have to take that whole row down and restart that row. The team who finishes first wins.
  • Winners:Champs
• Over the Line: Similar to the original challenge "Reaching Out" from The Duel , two members of each team will be strapped to the end of a rope that is connected to the other ropes that are being used and each member will also have a small football in their hand. On go, the team members must work together to pull their opponents to their line on the boundary of the challenge. Once each member gets their football over the line, they will score a point. The first team to score three times wins.
  • Winners:Champs
• No Guts No Glory: Played individually and in two rounds - one for guys and one for girls – players must select a plate of food they would like to eat – either an entree, side dish or dessert – to earn a colored ball. Balls are worth different numbers of points depending on which table they came from with entrees worth the most and desserts worth the least. Once a player has a ball, they must shoot it into a hoop at the far end of the course. The top guy and girl from each team will be declared the winners and advance to the finals together as a pair. The next best individual finisher will also earn a spot in the final, along with a member of their choosing from their own team.
  • Winners:Camila, Cara Mara, Darrell, Kamerion and Lindsey
  • Chosen to run the final:Wes
  • Eliminated:CT, Gus, Lolo and Louise

Arena games

• Pull No Punches: Similar to the original "Wrecking Wall" from Free Agents, each player must punch through a 30-foot dry wall to make holes so they can climb up until they can reach a bell. The first player to ring the bell wins the elimination round.
  • Played by:Ashley M. vs. Veronica and Candice vs. Lolo
• Blindsided: Similar to the original "Snapper" from Rivals II , played within a large circle, players have to swing and break a wooden stick at their opponent, while blindfolded. The blindfolded players will be wearing bells on their shoes and guided by their partners, who are standing outside of the circle. The player that breaks a stick on their opponent two times, wins the elimination.
  • Played by:CM Punk vs. Shawne and Johnny vs. Wes
• Basket Brawl: Similar to the original "Balls In" from The Inferno II , Free Agents, and Invasion of the Champions , 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. To make things harder, the barrel is elevated and they are given a medicine ball.
  • Played by:Ashley K. vs. Ashley M. and Lolo vs. Tia
• Ice Bath: Similar to the original "Chill Out" from Rivals III , players will have to submerge their arms into a bucket full of ice water for 1 minute. They will then have to unlock a series of locks to reveal a slide puzzle. They will then have to solve the puzzle. If the puzzle is not unlocked or solved within 2 minutes, they will then have to submerge their arms in the ice bucket again for another minute. The first player to solve their puzzle first wins.
  • Played by:CM Punk vs. Gus and Jordan vs. Wes
• Going the Distance: Similar to "Spool" from The Ruins and "Knot So Fast" from Battle of the Seasons (2012) and Invasion of the Champions, players have to untangle two-hundred feet of heavy rope from a low rectangular structure. The first to untangle their rope wins.
  • Played by:Louie vs. Wes and Ashley M. vs. Lolo

Game summary

Episode		Gender	Winners				Arena contestants								Arena game	Arena outcome
#	Challenge		Team		Captain		Losing Captain		Voted In		Captain's Pick		Voted In			Winner		Loser
1	Against the Ropes	Female		Pros		Louise		Ashley M.		Veronica		Candice		Lolo	Pull No Punches		Ashley M.		Veronica
																	Lolo		Candice
2	Tailgate BBQ	Male		Champs		Jordan		CM Punk		Shawne		Wes		Bananas	Blindsided		CM Punk		Shawne
																	Wes		Bananas
3/4	Out of Bounds	Female		Pros		Lindsey		Ashley M.		Ashley K.		Lolo		Tia	Basket Brawl		Ashley M.		Ashley K.
																	Lolo		Tia
4	Keep Your Eyes On The Prize	Male		Champs		Darrell		Gus		CM Punk		Wes		Jordan	Ice Bath		Gus		CM Punk
																	Wes		Jordan
5	Over The Line	Male		Champs		CT		Louie	—			Wes	—		Going the Distance		Wes		Louie
		Female				Cara Maria		Lolo				Ashley M.					Lolo		Ashley M.
6	No Guts, No Glory	—				Cara Maria	—												CT
						Darrell
						Camila [a]
						Wes [a]
						Kamerion													Gus
						Lindsey													Lolo
																			Louise
	Final Challenge	—		Darrell & Cara Maria			2nd place: Kamerion & Lindsey; 3rd place: Wes & Camila

Episode progress

Contestants Episodes 1 2 3 4 5 6 Cara Maria SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE WIN WON WINNER Darrell SAFE SAFE SAFE WIN SAFE WON WINNER Kamerion SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE WON SECOND Lindsey SAFE SAFE WIN SAFE SAFE WON SECOND Camila SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE WON THIRD Wes SAFE ELIM SAFE ELIM ELIM SAVE THIRD CT SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE WIN LAST Gus SAFE SAFE SAFE ELIM SAFE LAST Lolo ELIM SAFE ELIM SAFE ELIM LAST Louise WIN SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE LAST Ashley M. ELIM SAFE ELIM SAFE OUT Louie SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE OUT Jordan SAFE WIN SAFE OUT CM Punk SAFE ELIM SAFE OUT Tia SAFE SAFE OUT Ashley K. SAFE SAFE OUT Bananas SAFE OUT Shawne SAFE OUT Candice OUT Veronica OUT

Teams

  The contestant is on the Champs team.

  The contestant is on Pros team.

Competition

  The contestant won the final challenge.

  The contestant did not win the final challenge.

  The contestant was the winning team captain and was safe from the Arena.

  The contestant won the challenge and advanced to the final challenge.

  The contestant was chosen to go to the final by one of their teammates.

  The contestant was not selected for the Arena.

  The contestant won in the Arena.

  The contestant lost in the Arena and was eliminated..

  The contestant didn't win the challenge and wasn't picked to be in the final challenge and was eliminated.

Voting progress

Captain's Pick	Ashley M. losing captain	Candice 1 of 1 vote	CM Punk losing captain	Wes 1 of 1 vote	Ashley M. losing captain		Lolo 1 of 1 vote		Gus losing captain		Wes 1 of 1 vote	Louie losing captain	Lolo losing captain
Voted Into Arena	Veronica consensus	Lolo random draw	Shawne 5 of 8 votes	Bananas 4 of 7 votes	Tie Vote	Ashley K. 1 of 1 vote	Tie Vote	Tia 1 of 1 vote	Tie Vote	CM Punk 1 of 1 vote	Jordan 5 of 5 votes	Wes 1 of 1 vote	Ashley M. 1 of 1 vote
Voter	Episodes
	1		2		3/4				4			5
Cara Maria				Bananas	Ashley K.						Jordan		Ashley M.
Darrell				Bananas	Ashley K.						Wes
Lindsey			Shawne				Lolo		Kamerion
Kamerion			Shawne				Louise		CM Punk
Camila				Darrell	Camila						Jordan
Wes					Cara Maria						Jordan
CT				Bananas	Ashley K.						Jordan	Wes
Gus			Shawne				Louise			CM Punk
Lolo			Shawne					Tia	Louie
Louise		Candice	Unknown				Tia		Kamerion
Ashley M.				Bananas		Ashley K.					Jordan
Louie			Unknown				Tia		CM Punk
Jordan				Wes	Cara Maria						Jordan
CM Punk							Tia		Louie
Tia			Unknown				Louise
Ashley K.				CT	Cara Maria
Bananas				Unknown
Shawne			Shawne
Candice
Veronica

Episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Original release date	US viewers (millions)
1	1	"Secrets and Limes"	May 16, 2017 (2017-05-16)	0.57 [3]
2	2	"Settling the Scores"	May 23, 2017 (2017-05-23)	0.53 [4]
3	3	"Watch Out for the Wolfpack"	May 30, 2017 (2017-05-30)	0.63 [5]
4	4	"A Cold Day in Hell"	June 6, 2017 (2017-06-06)	0.60 [6]
5	5	"Immovable Objections"	June 13, 2017 (2017-06-13)	0.58 [7]
6	6	"No Guts No Glory"	June 20, 2017 (2017-06-20)	0.53 [8]

Notes

1. For being the top finishers from their teams in the No Guts No Glory challenge, Cara Maria & Darrell and Kamerion & Lindsey each formed a pair to take into the final challenge as a team. As the next highest placing individual, Camila was able to choose one other member from her team to take to the final with her to form the last pair. She chose Wes.

References

1. "Preview of MTV series The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros". espn.com. 20 April 2017. Retrieved 2017-04-24.
2. "Champs vs Pros: Beloved Challenge Victors Set to Battle Top Athletes". MTV.com. Archived from the original on April 25, 2017. Retrieved 2017-04-24.
3. "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.16.2017". Showbuzzdaily.com . Archived from the original on 18 May 2017. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
4. "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.23.2017". Showbuzzdaily.com . Archived from the original on 27 May 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
5. "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.30.2017". Showbuzzdaily.com . Archived from the original on 5 June 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
6. "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 6.6.2017". Showbuzzdaily.com . Archived from the original on 8 June 2017. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
7. "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 6.13.2017". Showbuzzdaily.com . Archived from the original on 14 June 2017. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
8. "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 6.20.2017". Showbuzzdaily.com . Archived from the original on 22 June 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2017.

External links

• Official website