Real World/Road Rules Challenge: Fresh Meat is the 12th season of the MTV reality game show, The Challenge (at the time known as Real World/Road Rules Challenge).
Fresh Meat is the first season to include previously unknown contestants as part of the cast. Previous to Fresh Meat, all seasons functioned solely by the program's trademark: strictly using contestants that were previously cast on past seasons of The Real World or Road Rules.
Filmed in Australia, Fresh Meat featured two-player teams; each team had an alumnus of The Real World or Road Rules partnered with a newcomer to the series (collectively known as the "Fresh Meat"). A launch special aired May 22, 2006, a week before the season premiere.
This is the first edition of the Fresh Meat series, with Fresh Meat II following in 2010.
Format Prior to the season, each of the 12 newcomers (referred to as "Fresh Meat") participates in a series of challenges to test their skills. Each alumnus selects one of the rookies of the opposite sex to be their partner for the entire season, using the stats from the pre-season challenges.
In odd-numbered episodes, teams participate in a challenge. (Challenges are sometimes called "missions.") The winner of the challenge has immunity from going into Exile, and selects one team to go into Exile. They also get the chance to pick the order in the next challenge. The remaining teams get together to vote for the other Exile team; the winning team and their pick for the Exile are not present during the process. Each individual gets a vote, and voting is not secret. The team with the most votes is picked to go into Exile.
In even-numbered episodes, teams participate in another challenge. If one of the two teams picked for Exile wins the challenge (sometimes referred to on the show as winning the "pardon"), they can select another team to go into Exile in their place, however, they cannot pick the team that won the previous challenge as that team has immunity. They also receive a prize and will get to pick the order in the next challenge. The challenge of this episode is followed by the Exile.
Exile is a race between two teams. Unlike the elimination games of other seasons of The Challenge, the remaining teams do not watch the battle between the two Exile teams. The Exile teams run a course and whoever crosses the finish line first stays, while the other team goes home. Along the way, there are two optional puzzle stations where, if the puzzle is solved correctly, they will get a prize that will benefit them in the race (such as dropping their bags or taking minutes off their total time.) To make matters more difficult, each member will be carrying bags equal to the weight of the luggage they brought to the Challenge.
A car picks them up and they are taken, blindfolded, to the race course. Once the car stops, they must jump out and go on with the race. Both team members must cross the finish line, but it doesn't matter who carries what bags.
Initially, the final challenge was to consist of four teams, with first-place winning $250,000, second place $30,000, third place $20,000 and fourth place winning nothing. However, due to the medical disqualification of Team Coral & Evan, the final challenge only featured three teams, with all finalists winning money.
Contestants Alumni Original season Fresh Meat Age Origin FinishDarrell TaylorRoad Rules: Campus CrawlAviv Melmed21Columbus, OhioWinnersTina BartaRoad Rules: South PacificKenny Santucci22Cedar Grove, New JerseyRunners-upWes BergmannThe Real World: AustinCasey Cooper18The Woodlands, TexasThird placeDerrick KosinskiRoad Rules: X-TremeDiem Brown25"Fresh Meat - Kickin' Things Off." Real World/Road Rules Challenge, season 12, episode 1, MTV, 29 May 2006.Roswell, GeorgiaEpisode 15Theo VonkurnatowskiRoad Rules: Maximum Velocity TourChanda Sneed24Long Island, New YorkEpisode 14Shane LandrumRoad Rules: Campus CrawlLinette Gallo21Palmetto, FloridaEpisode 12Coral SmithThe Real World: Back to New YorkEvan Starkman20Perth, OntarioEpisode 11Katie DoyleRoad Rules: The QuestEric Banks23Nicholasville, KentuckyEpisode 10Tonya CooleyThe Real World: ChicagoJohnnie McBride24Savannah, GeorgiaEpisode 8Johanna BottaThe Real World: AustinJesse Stark19Albuquerque, New MexicoEpisode 6Melinda StolpThe Real World: AustinRyan Kehoe24Paramus, New JerseyEpisode 4Danny JamiesonThe Real World: AustinEvelyn Smith18Harrison, New YorkEpisode 2
Teams Stats Each of the 12 Fresh Meat cast members participated in a multi-challenge obstacle course, testing their strength, stamina, and mental ability. The multi-challenge obstacle course included:
A 40-yard dash A series of wall climbs Precision throwing A brainteaser puzzle
The alumni used the stats from each player's obstacle course performance to determine their partner.
Fresh Meat 40-yard Dash Up and Over Hand-Eye Coord. Logic Aviv Melmed 6.28 sec 0 min 52.87 sec 0 of 5 0 min 3.16 sec Casey Cooper 7.22 sec 8 min 59.21 sec 1 of 5 9 min 34.78 sec Chanda Sneed 5.69 sec 0 min 25.40 sec 0 of 5 12 min 20.29 sec Diem Brown 7.59 sec 0 min 33.88 sec 0 of 5 3 min 9.14 sec Eric Banks 6.03 sec 0 min 37.06 sec 2 of 5 11 min 45.72 sec Evan Starkman 5.66 sec 0 min 12.85 sec 1 of 5 2 min 28.00 sec Evelyn Smith 6.16 sec 0 min 18.91 sec 1 of 5 1 min 41.89 sec Jesse Stark 6.15 sec 0 min 15.84 sec 0 of 5 0 min 35.91 sec Johnnie McBride 5.84 sec 0 min 15.47 sec 1 of 5 2 min 15.40 sec Kenny Santucci 6.07 sec 0 min 52.87 sec 0 of 5 7 min 14.94 sec Linette Gallo 7.66 sec 0 min 52.87 sec 0 of 5 0 min 15.92 sec Ryan Kehoe 6.00 sec 0 min 14.97 sec 0 of 5 22 min 16.85 sec
Draft selections Pick # Alumni Draft pick Team Weight of bagsDanny Jamieson Evelyn Smith Danny & EvelynCoral SmithEvan Starkman Coral & EvanDarrell TaylorAviv Melmed Darrell & AvivTonya CooleyJohnnie McBride Tonya & JohnnieTheo VonkurnatowskiChanda Sneed Theo & ChandaTina BartaKenny Santucci Tina & KennyWes BergmannCasey Cooper Wes & CaseyJohanna BottaJesse Stark Johanna & JesseDerrick KosinskiDiem Brown Derrick & Diem10Katie DoyleEric Banks Katie & Eric11Melinda StolpRyan Kehoe Melinda & Ryan12Shane LandrumLinette Gallo Shane & Linette
Gameplay Challenge games Stuck On Me: Players are connected to their partners, back-to-back, by a harness, on a 25-foot narrow balance beam that is hanging from the top of the Q1 building. Each team has to walk toward a white line at the end of the beam, then do a full 360° turn, and walk back to the beginning of the beam. The team that walks to the end of the beam and back in the fastest time wins. Winners: Coral & Evan Bush Whacked: Twenty tree stumps are placed within a circle — eight on an interior ring, and twelve on the exterior ring. The stumps on the interior ring are two feet high, while the stumps on the exterior ring are three feet high. Each team stands on a designated stump on the interior ring, and has to swing a hanging medicine ball in an attempt to knock an opposing team off their stump. A team is disqualified if one player holds the medicine ball for more than three seconds. The challenge is played in three rounds, and after four teams are eliminated from the first round, each team moves to the three-foot stumps. The last team standing on their designated stump wins. Winners: Coral & Evan Hang On: The male players from each team are hanging upside down from leg harnesses, and have to "hang on" to their female partners, while being hoisted 20 feet above water. A team's time stops once a player falls into the water. The team that hangs on the longest time wins. Winners: Coral & Evan Jail Break: Players from each team have to escape from a jail cell, by finding three keys that are located inside six bowls of "prison slop." Each player is suited up in "jailbird" jumpsuits, with their hands behind their backs in handcuffs and their legs in shackles. Each player has to search through each bowl of slop using only their faces and mouths. Once a team has found the three keys that are needed to unlock each other's handcuffs and the jail cell, each player will sprint down a 50-yard dash (with their legs still in shackles) to a finish line. The team with the fastest time wins. Winners: Theo & Chanda Climber's Paradise: Each team has to ascend up a 25-foot climbing wall, by using pegs of different shapes and colors. Each player has to carry the pegs up, and communicate with each other in order to determine the peg shapes necessary to ascend the wall. A team is disqualified if they do not make it to the top of the wall within a 10-minute time limit, or if one or both players falls off the climbing wall. The team that makes it to the top of the wall and retrieves a flag in the fastest time wins. Winners: Coral & Evan Rollin' In Oats: Two tubs of rolled oats are located across a grass field from corresponding deposit tubs. Players from each team have to smother their bodies with oatmeal, then sprint toward their designated deposit tubs, and scrape off the oatmeal from their bodies into the tubs. Each team goes back and forth for a two-minute period, trying to deposit as much oatmeal into their tubs as possible. The team that distributes the heaviest weight of oatmeal into their designated tub wins. Winners: Coral & Evan Crossed Paths: A rope that is suspended 25 feet above water connects two platforms, and the goal for each team is for each player to make their way from one platform to the other. Players will meet their teammate midway through, in which they will "cross paths," and make their way toward the opposite platforms. A team is disqualified if one player falls into the water. The team with the fastest time wins. Winners: Theo & Chanda Incredible Deflating Kayak: Teams have to inflate a kayak using either their mouths or foot pedals, then paddle their way across to an opposite side of a river, grab their team flag, then paddle their way back to the original launching area. A team has to start over if one or both players sticks their hands or legs outside of the kayak while in the paddling process. Once each team had paddled back to the original launching area, they have to deflate their kayak, and stuff it back in the bags that contained the kayaks. The team with the fastest time wins. Winners: Shane & Linette Swimming With Sharks: Teams have to solve a puzzle that is floating on a frame within a shark lagoon. Players from each team have to swim down into the lagoon, relay style, and retrieve the pieces needed to solve the puzzle. A team has ten minutes to assemble the puzzle pieces together, or they will be disqualified. Only one team competes at a time, and all other teams are quarantined in order to avoid getting an advantage prior to their turn. The team that solves a puzzle in the fastest time wins. Winners: Shane & Linette Human Ox Pull: Teams have to pull and drag a heavy sled across a dirt field. The challenge is played in multiple rounds, with eight teams split up into two separate teams of four. In the first round, each teams has to drag an 850-pound sled with a bale of hay from one side of a dirt field to another. The first team to drag their sled to the finish line wins the first round. The four winning teams from the first round are then split up into two teams of two, and have to drag a 350-pound sled to the finish line. The team that makes it to the finish line first wins. In the final round, the same process continues, with the final two 2-player teams competing to win the challenge. Winners: Darrell & Aviv