Vets & New Threats features 16 "Vets" who have previously competed on The Challenge, and 16 "New Threats" making their debut on the series. The season has contestants competing in challenges as male-female pairs, each comprising one Vet and one New Threat (unless otherwise impossible due to uneven numbers or other restrictions). The initial pairs were determined by a draft after a special challenge during the "Day Zero" launch special.[5]
From episodes 1–8, each episode is designated as either a male or female elimination cycle, with the first cycle determined by a coin toss:
Daily challenges: Contestants compete in a challenge as male-female pairs. The winning team is immune and receives the power to either save another team from the elimination round (if gender numbers are even) or nominate a team to potentially compete in the elimination round (if gender numbers are uneven). The last-place team is automatically sent to the elimination round, where the team member of the designated gender will compete.
Nominations (The Judgement): Teams who did not place first or last in the daily challenge (collectively the "Jury") vote for a contestant of the designated gender to compete in the elimination round against the same-gender contestant from the last-place team.
For episodes where gender numbers are even, all non-immune contestants are eligible to be voted for.
For episodes where gender numbers are uneven, and as a result there is a Hangnail, the Jury vote between the Hangnail and the same-gender contestant from the team nominated by the daily challenge winners.
Eliminations (The Arena): The contestant voted in by the Jury individually competes in an elimination round against the same-gender contestant from the last-place team. The winner remains in the competition while the defeated contestant is eliminated. Afterwards, new pairs are determined for the next cycle of the competition.
In episode 9, contestants competed in an individual challenge for a final chance to earn Performance Points, before choosing a partner for the rest of the season. From episode 10, contestants compete in both challenges and eliminations as pairs. The winners of daily challenges are immune while the last-place team is automatically sent to the Arena, where they compete against the team voted in at nominations.
Twists
The Selection: During the launch special, contestants had to race up and down a mountain to reach the cast accommodation for the season. Their placements determined the order they got to draft their initial partner ahead of the first daily challenge. From episodes 1–7, after each elimination, contestants select a new partner for the next cycle in the order they placed in the daily challenge.
Performance Points: From episodes 1–9, the top eight contestants/teams of daily challenges earn points based on their placements. Two points are also awarded to the winner of each elimination round, including wins by default. The points determined the order contestants select their teammate during the "Lock In", with ties broken based on who achieved higher placements.[6]
The Lock In: At the end of episode 9, contestants select a partner for the "rest of the season," with the selection order determined by the amount of Performance Points they have.[7]
Hangnail: From episodes 1–8, a contestant whose partner was eliminated, and as a result there are uneven gender numbers for the next episode, is considered a "Hangnail". The Hangnail is not paired up for the next episode, does not compete in the daily challenge and automatically becomes the nominee for the Jury vote against the same-gender contestant nominated by the daily challenge winners.
Stake a Claim: From episode 10, contestants have the chance to claim a new partner ahead of nominations, with only one claim available for each team. If a contestant uses the claim, they compete in a challenge against the current teammate of their desired partner. If they win, they form a new team with their desired partner, leaving the two former teammates to also form a new team. However, if the contestant loses, they and their original partner are automatically sent to the Arena in place of a nomination vote.[8]
Mud Ball Madness: Twice during the challenge, a helicopter drops hundreds of colored balls into a mud pit. With both team members tethered together, teams must retrieve as many balls as they can and place them in their container outside the pit to score points. Different colored balls are worth different point values. The team that scores the most points wins while the team that scores the fewest points is automatically sent to the Arena.[11]
Winners:Bananas & Dee
Side by Side: Teams enter a giant pit which has side-by-side vehicles repeatedly speeding over the gap above. They must memorize a series of colored symbols located on the underside of the vehicles, which are only visible while the vehicles are mid-air, and replicate it using pieces at their station outside the pit. The first team to finish wins while the last-place team is automatically sent to the Arena.[12]
Winners:Leka & Turbo
Water Tower: One team member swims to a platform where they must solve a slide puzzle. Meanwhile, their partner must swim to a tall container with climbing holds on the outside, climb up to retrieve a flag, jump into the container and dive out the bottom before bringing the flag to the slide puzzle. Teams are disqualified from the challenge if the team member at the container falls off, or is unable to dive out. The team with the fastest time wins while the last-place team is automatically sent to the Arena.[b]
Winners:Justin & Olivia
Amazed: Held across two heats, teams must search a shipping container maze for a Sudoku puzzle, solve it, and return to the entrance. The further in a puzzle is, the easier it is to solve, and there is a 45-minute limit before teams time-out. The team with the fastest time wins while the last-place team is automatically sent to the Arena. If multiple teams time-out, last-place is determined by how many correct numbers teams placed on their puzzle.[13]
Winners:Ben & Michaela
Dirtballer: Inspired by the film Him, teams must dig up three goalposts, transport them across a 500-metre (1,640ft) field and replant them in the ground to assemble a goal. Afterwards, one team member must kick a football and score a field goal. The first team to finish wins while the last-place team is automatically sent to the Arena.[14]
Winners:Jake & Michaela
Runes My Life: Teams must swim to a rope ladder, climb up to a structure and then climb down five connected pillars or nets to collect rune tiles. After collecting all five tiles, teams must solve a puzzle before swimming back to the start. Both team members must complete the challenge's components for a team's attempt to count, and teams time-out if they are unable to complete the challenge after a certain time. The team with the fastest time wins while the last-place team is automatically sent to the Arena. If multiple teams are unable to finish, last-place is determined by progress in the challenge made by both team members.[15]
Winners:Leo & Sydney
Drive Me Crazy: To begin, one team member drives a go-kart five laps around a racetrack. Once complete, their partner has five minutes to solve a puzzle. If they cannot solve the puzzle in this time, the driver must complete another five laps before they can continue solving for another five minutes. After solving a puzzle or timing out after 15 minutes, team members switch roles and repeat this process until they complete or time out all four puzzles. Afterwards, one team member must drive a final lap. The first team to finish wins while the last-place team is automatically sent to the Arena.[6]
Winners:Leo & Nany
Cyclone: Held across three heats, teams begin on a spinning container suspended above water, which has climbing holds mounted to the outside. Each team has five blocks which they attempt to transfer to a ledge at the top of the container. Once teams transfer all five blocks or have both team members fall into the water, they must swim to a platform to have their time stopped. The team with the most blocks transferred wins, with ties broken based on time to determine placements, while the last-place team is automatically sent to the Arena.[16]
Winners:Sydney & Yeremi
Broken Dreams: In a special challenge worth 1.5 times the usual Performance Points, contestants individually complete a "mini-final" up a six-mile (9.7km) trail, which has five checkpoints along the way.
Checkpoint #1: Contestants must memorize symbols painted on rocks along the trail, match the symbols to numbers on a board then solve a math equation with the corresponding numbers.
Checkpoint #2: Contestants use the answer from the previous checkpoint to unlock a box containing a plate of onion, garlic, ginger and a chilli pepper, which they must consume.
Checkpoint #3: Contestants must solve a puzzle tower by rotating a stack of puzzle pieces until they all line up.
Checkpoint #4: Contestants must hang sections of chain together to form ten chains of equal lengths.
Checkpoint #5: Contestants must solve a riddle and collect letters from half a mile (805m) away, one at a time, to spell out the answer.[7]
Fast Thinking: Held across three heats, each team member begins on a stair climber machine over water, set to the lowest speed. In each heat, contestants are asked up to 18 multiple-choice trivia questions. If they answer a question incorrectly, the speed of their machine increases. Contestants are eliminated from the challenge and can no longer answer questions if they fall into the water or hold the machine to balance themselves. The team with the most correct answers wins, with ties broken based on time lasted on the machine, while the last-place team is automatically sent to the Arena.[17]
Winners:Cedric & Michaela
Band Together: Each team has a large pipe on a wooden structure. Teams race to a hill to collect items (such as barrels, tree stumps, and sandbags) with resistance bands attached to them, and use the bands to secure one end of their pipe to the structure. Heavier items have bands with greater resistance. Once secured to support enough weight, one team member must walk across the pipe without falling to retrieve a flag at the other end. The first team to finish wins, while the last-place team is automatically sent to the Arena.[18]
Winners:Dee & Derrick K.
Running Man: Inspired by the film The Running Man. Teams collect a key and use it to unlock a shipping container wrapped in chains and ropes. They must then remove the chains and ropes to open the container and access a manual transmission car inside, before driving or pushing the car 200 yards (183m) to a repair station. There, teams must use power tools to remove the hood of the car, collect a tracking device inside and deliver it to the finish line. The first team to finish wins while the last-place team is automatically sent the Arena.[19]
Winners:Aviv & Yeremi
Arena games
Inertia: Each contestant begins inside a giant wheel at the start of a track containing several humps. They must generate momentum to roll the wheel over the humps to reach the end of the track before returning to the start. The first contestant to finish wins.[20]
Played by:Justin vs. Rogan
Laser Focus: Played across three rounds, each round contestants play "offense" and "defense" once. Ten laser beams consecutively light up for a limited time within a circle. The offense contestant attempts to touch each beam before it turns off to earn a point, while the defense contestant attempts to block them. The contestant who scores the most points during their turn as offense wins the round. The first contestant to win two rounds wins the elimination.[12]
Played by:Blue vs. Tay
Hold 'Em Back: Contestants play as "offense" and "defense" once. The offense contestant must clip themself to a rope, collect a token and deposit it into a container near the boundary of the Arena, repeating this process for three ropes. Meanwhile, the defense player is located behind a wall at the ends of each rope, and attempt to pull the ropes back to prevent their opponent from depositing the tokens. The contestant who deposits all three tokens the fastest during their turn as offense wins.[13]
Played by:Bananas vs. Gabe
Him Collider: Inspired by the film Him. While holding a football, contestants must run through a circular hallway and pass through their opponent to deposit the ball in a container at the end. The first contestant to score in two out of three rounds wins, and also receives tickets to the world premiere of Him.[14]
Played by:Ben vs. Derek C.
Out of Time: Contestants must run up a ramp made of rollers, climb down a ladder and press a button at the end, before returning to press a button at the start to complete one lap. The contestant that completes the most laps in five minutes wins.[15]
Played by:Leka vs. Olivia
Pick It Up Again: Each contestant has five columns around the Arena. They must throw a ball into one of two chutes (at different heights) of a "gameboard", collect bricks and stack them on their columns while the ball rolls down the board, and catch the ball before it falls out the end. If contestants fail to catch the ball in time, the bricks they are carrying do not count. The first contestant to stack seven bricks on each of their columns wins.[6]
Played by:Izzy vs. Tay
Pole Wrestle: Contestants begin in the center of the Arena with both hands on a pole. The first contestant to wrestle the pole out of their opponent's hands twice wins.[16]
Played by:CT vs. Derek C.
Busting Balls: With each team given 50 balls, one team member is blindfolded and uses a ball launcher to fire the balls at 15 targets while their partner directs their aim. The team that hits the most targets wins, with ties broken based on time.[17]
Played by:Adrienne & Theo vs. CT & Tay
Pull It Together: One team member must climb up a cargo net to remove dozens of pegs from a climbing wall. Their partner must then place all the pegs into slots on another side of the wall, climb up and press a button at the top. The first team to finish wins.[18]
Played by:Aviv & Yeremi vs. Gabe & Jonna
Bad Dreams: Held across five rounds, contestants sit on a beam over a mud pit, facing the same-gender opponent from the opposing team. Each round, contestants use a pillow to try to knock their opponent into the mud or hit the pillow out of their opponent's hands. Teams win a round if both members win their matchup; the round ends a draw if both teams win one matchup, or no one wins a matchup after a prolonged time. The team that wins the most rounds wins the elimination. If the score is tied after five rounds, a coin toss is held to determine which gender competes in a tiebreaker round, where contestants stand on the beam instead of sitting.[19]
Played by:Adrienne & Theo vs. Dee & Derrick K.
Stake a Claim game
Episode 11: Contestants must run up a mountain and solve a three-dimensional puzzle before returning to the start. The first contestant to finish wins.[18]
After each elimination from episodes 1–8, contestants selected a new partner for the next episode. Each team had to comprise one Vet and one New Threat and contestants could not select a teammate they already partnered with, unless otherwise impossible due to uneven numbers or other restrictions. After a one-off individual challenge in episode 9, teams were "locked in" from episode 10, but could still change with the Stake a Claim twist.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Prior to the "Dirtballer" challenge in episode 5, Cara Maria withdrew from the competition due to a family emergency. Jonna entered the competition as a replacement for Cara Maria.[9]
1 2 3 4 In episode 3, because Nia had not yet received the results for an MRI scan for a knee injury, Gabe & Nia did not participate in the "Water Tower" challenge and were automatically declared the last-place team. Ahead of the Arena, Nia was medically removed from the competition.[10] As a result, no Arena was held in this episode and America was declared the winner by default.
1 2 3 4 In episode 9, the results of the "Broken Dreams" challenge were annulled and no Performance Points were awarded, as a result of several contestants cheating by discarding uneaten food during the second checkpoint.[7]
1 2 The episode 5 nominations ended in a "stalemate" as Ben and Yeremi remained tied after a revote. As a result, a coin toss was held to determine which contestant would compete in the Arena.
1 2 3 4 In episode 8, because Theo had not completed an MRI scan for a knee injury, he could not compete in the "Cyclone" challenge and was made the Hangnail by default. As a result, Will (the initial Hangnail for the episode) replaced Theo as Dee's partner.
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