The Challenge: War of the Worlds is the 33rd season of the MTV reality competition series The Challenge. This season featured alumni from The Real World, The Challenge, Are You the One?, The Bachelor Canada, The Bachelorette, Big Brother, Celebrity Big Brother UK, Love Island UK, Survivor Türkiye, American Ninja Warrior, Party Down South, Geordie Shore, Ex on the Beach (Brazil, U.S., and UK), Telemundo, and Floribama Shore competing for a share of a $1 million prize. The season had a "Basic Training" launch special on January 30, 2019, and premiered on February 6, 2019 on MTV.
This is the first edition of the War of the Worlds series, with War of the Worlds 2 following in the fall of 2019.
Format This season featured 16 Challenge veterans and 18 prospects - debuting Challenge competitors from around the world. For the first ten episodes, the players competed in male/female pairs. Each veteran player paired with a prospect of the opposite sex. The Prospect picked their alumni partner based on the finish order of the opening "Impending Dune" challenge. Once in their pairs, the main phase of the game began. The main elements of the game are as follows:
Daily Missions: Each round the pairs compete in the daily challenge. The top 3 pairs are immune from elimination and form the Tribunal for that round of play. Tribunal: The Tribunal collectively nominate three pairs to nominate for the elimination round. The nominated pairs then face the Tribunal's interrogation with each nominee having the chance to plea their case as to why they should not be voted-in to the elimination. Eliminations (The Killing Floor): At "The Killing Floor", the members of the tribunal each individually and publicly vote for a nominated pair to enter the elimination round. The nominated team must then call-out any non-immune pair, challenging them to the elimination. The losing pair is eliminated from the game, while the winner stays in the game and is given "The Relic" - which awards them immunity in the next round of play.
During the 10th episode of the season, the 7 remaining pairs were disbanded, with the 14 remaining players playing the rest of the competition as individuals - with players competing in challenges as individuals and eliminated as individuals. The game format remains mostly the same, but with each round of play being designated as a male or female round and only players of the designated gender are at risk of being eliminated, but any player can be part of that round's Tribunal. Additionally, the relic is no longer awarded to an individual elimination winner.
When eight players remain, they compete individually in the Final Challenge for their share of the $1,000,000 prize. First place received $750,000; second place received $200,000; third place received the remaining $50,000.
Twists Purge: Some challenges are designated as a Purge challenge - sudden death challenges the losers are immediately eliminated. Two Purge challenge were held during the game: In the "Impending Dune" challenge, the worst finishing male and female prospect were eliminated before pairs were drafted. In the "Judgement Day" challenge, the worst finishing male and female were eliminated in the Penultimate Challenge of the game. Double Elimination: The "Ring Tossed" challenge was a Double Elimination in which three teams competed and four players were eliminated (opposed to the normal two players). The pair called-out by the nominated pair must also call-out a third pair - meaning 3 teams would compete to stay in the game. Then the three players of each gender compete against each other in the elimination and only the winner of each gendered heat remaining in the game. Should members of two different pairs win their gendered-heat, they form a new pair and continue in the game, while their original partner is eliminated.
Contestants Male contestants Original season FinishTurabi "Turbo" Çamkıran Survivor Turkey 8 Winner Theo Campbell Love Island UK 3 Runner-up Wes Bergmann The Real World: Austin Third place Hunter Barfield Are You the One? 3Sixth place Paulie Calafiore Big Brother 18 Episode 14 Kyle Christie Geordie Shore 8 Episode 13 Stephen Bear Celebrity Big Brother UK 18 Episode 10 Ashley Cain Ex on the Beach UK 1 Episode 9 Gus Smyrnios Floribama Shore Episode 8 Josh Martinez Big Brother 19 Episode 7 Leroy GarrettThe Real World: Las Vegas (2011) Episode 6 Zach NicholsThe Real World: San Diego (2011) Episode 5 Chris "CT" Tamburello The Real World: Paris Episode 4 João Paulo "JP" AndradeEx on the Beach Brazil 2 Episode 4Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio The Real World: Key West Episode 3 Chase McNary The Bachelorette 12 Episode 2 Alan Valdez Tierra de ReyesEpisode 1Female contestantsOriginal seasonFinishNatalie Duran American Ninja Warrior 8 Fourth placeCara Maria Sorbello The Challenge: Fresh Meat II Fifth place Mattie Lynn Breaux Party Down SouthSeventh place Georgia Harrison Love Island UK 3 Eighth place Da'Vonne Rogers Big Brother 17 Episode 14 Dee Nguyen Geordie Shore 17 Episode 14 Nany GonzalezThe Real World: Las Vegas (2011)Episode 12 Kam Williams Are You the One? 5 Episode 9 Jenna Compono Real World: Ex-Plosion Episode 8 Amanda Garcia Are You the One? 3 Episode 7 Shaleen Sutherland The Bachelor Canada 3 Episode 6 Zahida Allen Ex on the Beach UK 6 Episode 5 Julia Nolan Big Brother 17 Episode 4 Natalie Negrotti Big Brother 18 Episode 4 Morgan WillettBig Brother: Over the Top Episode 3 Ashley Mitchell Real World: Ex-Plosion Episode 2 Liz Nolan Big Brother 17Episode 1
Draft selections Pick #ProspectVeteranTeamNatalie DuranPaulie CalafiorePaulie & Natalie D.Ashley CainKam WilliamsKam & Ashley C.Morgan WillettJohnny "Bananas" DevenanzioBananas & MorganStephen Bear Da'Vonne RogersDa'Vonne & BearGeorgia HarrisonHunter BarfieldHunter & GeorgiaTheo CampbellCara Maria SorbelloCara Maria & TheoJulia NolanChris "CT" TamburelloCT & JuliaTurabi "Turbo" ÇamkıranNany GonzalezNany & TurboDee NguyenWes BergmannWes & DeeJoão Paulo "JP" AndradeNatalie NegrottiNatalie N. & JPMattie Lynn BreauxKyle ChristieKyle & MattieChase McNaryAshley MitchellAshley M. & ChaseShaleen SutherlandLeroy GarrettLeroy & ShaleenZahida AllenZach NicholsZach & ZahidaGus SmyrniosJenna ComponoJenna & GusJosh MartinezAmanda GarciaAmanda & Josh
Gameplay Challenge games Impending Dune: Played in separate male/female rounds, players must race down a sand dune and retrieve a ball that has rolled down from the top of the dune. Players must then race back to the top of the dune with a ball to retrieve puzzle pieces, then race back down with their puzzle pieces to the bottom of the dune to a puzzle station. The last-place finishers of each round are eliminated from the competition. Winners: Paulie & Da'Vonne Eliminated: Josh & Liz Arms-a-geddon Tired: Played in two rounds of 5 minutes each, each team competes against another team in a tug-of-war. Each rope is 400 ft. long, after the 5 minutes is over, each competitor's length of rope is combined with their partner's which forms their team's total length. The three teams with the longest combined length of rope form the Tribunal. Winners: Cara Maria & Theo, Bananas & Morgan, Amanda & Josh Search & Destroy: Played in 4 rounds, competitors must retrieve a hidden ball in a stone graveyard and return it to their partner. Their partner must then go through a mud pit and other competitors to reach the safe zone so that their team can move on to the next round. After each round, 3 teams are eliminated from the mission, as the number of balls hidden, decreases. The last three teams who make it through all 4 rounds form the Tribunal. Winners: Paulie & Natalie D., Wes & Dee, Kam & Ashley C. Fallout: Played one team at a time, competitors must race to touch a floating buoy across an elevated obstacle. Each team must select one person to build momentum on a pendulous rod and one to jump. The fastest three teams to reach the buoy form the tribunal. Winners: Paulie & Natalie D., Nany & Turbo, Hunter & Georgia Tired Out: Chained together, each team must race 200 yards across the desert to their stack of color-coded tires. They must then climb up a sand dune to an answer key of a tire pyramid they have to assemble. After they have memorized the answer key, they have to pick out a tire and race back to the starting line with that tire in order to build the pyramid. 14 tires are needed to complete the pyramid. The first three teams to complete the pyramid correctly form the Tribunal. Winners: Paulie & Natalie D., Nany & Turbo, Cara Maria & Theo Doom Buggy: Played two people at a time, each contestant must climb across ten tires and unhook them while being dragged across the desert at 30 kilometers per hour. The three teams to unhook the most tires form the Tribunal. Winners: Hunter & Georgia, Wes & Dee, Kyle & Mattie Eye in the Sky: Played two teams at a time, each team has one member blindfolded and another wearing a VR device that shows footage from the blindfolded teammate's perspective. The blindfolded partner must guide their partner across an elevated platform. The three teams with the fastest time form the Tribunal. Winners: Wes & Dee, Jenna & Gus, Da'Vonne & Bear Brain Freeze: Each team member alternates running 100 yards into the freezing ocean water to retrieve a puzzle piece, and bringing it back to their puzzle station. They are a total of eight puzzle pieces that need to be retrieved. Once they have retrieved all eight pieces, the teams can then begin to solve their puzzle tower. The first three teams to solve their puzzle tower correctly form the Tribunal. Winners: Wes & Dee, Nany & Turbo, Cara Maria & Theo Road Warrior: Played one team at a time, competitors must swing back and forth on top of two semi-trucks moving at 50 mph transferring rings over to their partner. There are sixteen rings total and the three teams who transfer the most rings the fastest form the Tribunal. Winners: Hunter & Georgia, Kyle & Mattie, Cara Maria & Theo Fandemonium: There is a giant 150-foot hallway that has balls at one end of it while 3 giant hurricane fans blast wind at the players. The three fastest players that deposit their balls in 5 minutes form the Tribunal. Winners: Paulie, Theo and Turbo Highway to Hell: Players are placed on the roof of a car that is on a track, drifting. On top of the car is a puzzle. The 3 fastest players who finish the puzzle within a 3-minute time limit form the Tribunal. Winners: Mattie, Wes and Dee Day of Wreckoning: In teams of two, each duo run to the nearby junkyard to collect trash and run back to their dumpster to deposit it. The three teams who transfer the heaviest junk in one hour form the Tribunal. Winners: Paulie & Georgia, Turbo & Natalie D., and Da'Vonne & Wes Crash Landing: Players are placed on a rotating airplane and attempt to solve a puzzle the fastest. Once they are done, they jump off the plane and into the water. The first male and female to do so earn their spot in the final and the first three players form the Tribunal. Winners: Turbo, Cara Maria and Paulie Judgement Day: Players must start on one of three containers. Once the challenge starts, players must run and jump off the first container into the water and swim around a buoy and then climbing up the second container. Once on the second container, players must rope swing to the third container. On the third container, which is at a severe angle, players must grab a ring and slide down the container, back into the water and swim back to the second. They must climb up the second container and place a ring around a pole. The last placing guy and girl are eliminated. Eliminated: Paulie & Da'Vonne
Killing Floor games Drone Ball Drop: Played in female and male rounds, a drone will drop a ball into a ring and players would run to get the ball and take it across to their basket to score a point. The first team to score two points wins. Played by: Hunter & Georgia vs. Ashley M. & Chase