The Challenge: World Championship
Genre	Reality competition
Created by	Mary-Ellis Bunim Jonathan Murray
Based on	The Challenge
Presented by	Brihony Dawson Mark Wright Marley T. J. Lavin
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	12
Production
Executive producers	Julie Pizzi Justin Booth
Production locations	Cape Town,South Africa[1]
Production company	Bunim/Murray Productions
Original release
Network	Paramount+
Release	8 March (2023-03-08) – 17 May 2023 (2023-05-17)
Related
The Challenge The Challenge: All Stars The Challenge: USA The Challenge: Australia The Challenge Argentina: El Desafío The Challenge UK

The Challenge: World Championship is a spin-off of thereality competition seriesThe Challenge. The series features notable veterans from theMTV flagship series competing alongside the winners and select contestants from four spin-off seasons:The Challenge Argentina: El Desafío,The Challenge: Australia,The Challenge: USA (season 1) andThe Challenge UK.^[2]

The series is hosted byT. J. Lavin with the hosts of the three international adaptations of the series:Brihony Dawson,Mark Wright andMarley making a guest appearance in the premiere episode. Additionally, Dawson guest-hosted an episode while Lavin was inducted in the BMX Hall of Fame. The series premiered onParamount+ on 8 March 2023.^[3][4]

In February 2022, a new series of international seasons ofThe Challenge was announced to air later in the year. The series comprises four new editions ofThe Challenge, which includesThe Challenge: USA,The Challenge: Australia,The Challenge Argentina: El Desafío andThe Challenge UK.^[5] These local renditions are followed byThe Challenge: World Championship in which winners and select contestants of each series (known as "Global MVPs") compete again alongside cast members from the flagship MTV series (known as "Challenge legends").^[4]

In addition to the title ofThe Challenge: World Championship champions, the winners of the season also receiveUS$500,000 (also displayed asARG$89,475,607,A$726,638 andGBP£413,390).^[6]

Sol Pérez, the sole winner ofThe Challenge Argentina: El Desafío, intended to compete on the season. However, she was unable to receive the requiredyellow fever vaccination in time as there was a holiday around the timeThe Challenge Argentina: El Desafío finished filming, withThe Challenge: World Championship commencing filming shortly after.^[7][8]

The Challenge: World Championship consists of a daily challenge, nomination process, winners' selection and an elimination round. The first episode had only the "MVPs" (contestants from the spin-off seasons) competing individually. After the first elimination, each MVP picked their "Legend" partner (players from the flagship series) based on the order they completed the "Qualifier" challenge. Afterwards, the format of the game is as follows:

• Daily Challenge: Teams compete in a daily challenge where the last-place team is automatically sent to the elimination round. The winning team is immune and earns the ability to select a second team to compete in the elimination round between the two teams later selected at nominations.
• Nominations: Teams, besides the winners and last-place team of the daily challenge, vote for two teams to compete in the elimination round. The two teams that receive the most votes are nominated for elimination. For episode 11, teams only vote for one team instead of two.
• Eliminations ("The Arena"): At the Arena, the winners from the daily challenge vote between the two nominated teams to select the second team to compete in the elimination round against the last-place team. The winners of the elimination round remain in the competition while the defeated team is eliminated.

After the first elimination, each Global MVP drafted their partner for the season from theChallenge Legends in the order they finished the "Qualifier" challenge.

Each pair was also given team names of Team Argentina, Team Australia, Team UK or Team USA based on the nationality/spin-off season of the Global MVP:

  Team Argentina

  Team Australia

  Team UK

  Team USA

• Qualifier: In a special challenge, each MVP individually undergoes a race around theCape Town Stadium, completing five checkpoints along the way. The first male and female MVPs to finish wins while the last-place male and female MVPs are automatically sent to the Arena. Additionally, the order MVPs finish determine the order they draft their partner for the season after the first elimination.
  • Checkpoint 1 (Eat Your Heart Out): Players must consume a foul-tasting meal and two vegan shakes.
  • Checkpoint 2 (Hammer It Home): Players must use a sledgehammer to hit a tyre proportional to their bodyweight to the end of a lane.
  • Checkpoint 3 (On a Roll): Players must use a large cement cylinder to roll across a track without touching the ground.
  • Checkpoint 4 (Weight for It): Players must arrange several weighted cylinders from lightest to heaviest, where the characters printed on the cylinders form analphanumeric code. They must then recreate the code using tiles at a nearby solving station.
  • Checkpoint 5 (Plant Your Flag): Players must roll a heavy flagpole with their national flag across a field and plant it at the end to finish.
  • Winners:Grant & Zara
• Chain Game: Teams race across several sand dunes to a shipwreck. From the shipwreck, teams must drag a 700-pound (320 kg) chain to one of several puzzles, which they must solve by looping the chain around poles to match the diagram. The further the puzzle is from the shipwreck, the easier it is to solve. After solving a puzzle, teams race back to the shipwreck to ring a bell. The first team to finish wins while the last-place team is automatically sent to the Arena.
  • Winners:Grant & Jonna
• Gates of Hell: Each round, teams race to the end of a 50-yard (46 m) corridor before a gate closes to progress to the next round, and are eliminated from the challenge if one or both team members do not reach the end in time. The last team standing wins. In the event of a stalemate after multiple rounds, a tiebreaker round is held where the first team member to reach the gate wins the challenge for their team. To determine last-place if multiple teams are eliminated in the same round, the last contestant to reach the gate loses the challenge and their team is automatically sent to the Arena.
  • Winners:Wes & Zara
• Flying Around: To begin, each team member must drink a foul-tasting smoothie in two minutes; teams receive a five-point penalty for the challenge if they cannot finish the smoothie in time and/or a two-point penalty if they regurgitate any of the smoothie. Afterwards, one team member is harnessed on the arm of a spinningexcavator. They must catch rings their partner throws to them and attempt to land them in a container in the middle of the field. The team with the most rings scored wins while the while the last-place team is automatically sent to the Arena.
  • Winners:Darrell & Kiki
• Rocketman: One team member begins on one end of a giantinflatable airbag. Their partner must jump from a platform onto the other side of the airbag, attempting to launch them over three crossbars at varying heights. The more crossbars teams clear, the more seconds are deducted from their overall time. After landing in the water, each team member swims to collect one puzzle piece at separate platforms before combining them to solve a puzzle onshore and stop their time. The team with the fastest overall time wins while the twhile the last-place team is automatically sent to the Arena.
  • Winners:KellyAnne & Tristan
• Tunnel Time: EachChallenge Legend begins chained to a pole. Their Global MVP partner must grab a glowstick, enter a dark tunnel under theCastle of Good Hope and count the flags of Argentina, Australia, the UK and the United States on the walls. Afterwards, they must return to their board, multiply each flag's count by the provided number, then sum the four products to determine the code to unlock their partner. Teams then ring a nearby bell to stop their time, and there is a 45-minute time limit before teams time out. The team with the fastest time wins while the 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 they have on their board.
  • Winners:Emily & Yes
• Ripcord Roulette: Played in three rounds, teams begin suspended off the side of a building with fiveripcords in front of them, and are asked trivia questions one at a time. If they answer correctly, they can a force another team to pull one of their ripcords. However, teams must pull one of their own ripcords if they answer incorrectly. Four of the ripcords are "dummies" while the fifth one drops teams if pulled, eliminating them from the round. The last team standing in each round advance to the winner's round while the first team to drop in each round must participate in an additional loser's round. The last team standing in the winner's round wins while the first team dropped in the loser's round is automatically sent to the Arena.
  • Winners:KellyAnne & Tristan
• Highway Hijacking: Inspired by the upcoming filmTransformers: Rise of the Beasts. One team member begins harnessed on top of a speeding truck while their partner begins in asuper buggy inside the truck's trailer. The team member harnessed on the truck must jump onto an adjacent truck, collect a key and use it to unlock a detonator which opens the back of the truck's trailer when hit. After the detonator is hit, the team member in the super buggy must drive through the back of the trailer and to the finish line. The team with the fastest time wins while the last-place team is automatically sent to the Arena. Additionally, the winners also receive tickets to the world premiere ofTransformers: Rise of the Beasts.
  • Winners:Jordan & Kaz
• Points Break: While tethered together, teams swim to six platforms in a lake to collect six of their puzzle pieces and return them to shore, one at a time. After collecting all six pieces, teams use them to solve a triangular puzzle, and must then correctly answer a question about the puzzle asking how many triangles it contains. Teams have three attempts to answer before they are disqualified from the challenge. The first team to finish wins while the last-place team is automatically sent to the Arena.
  • Winners:Emily & Yes
• Downfall: Teams must swim to a pair of rope ladders in the middle of a lake, climb to the middle and untie a largeChallenge symbol tied to the rungs. After untying the symbol, teams can select another team to have their ladder dropped, eliminating them from the challenge. After all teams finish untying their symbol or are eliminated, surviving teams can continue climbing to the top of the ladder and solve a math puzzle. The first team to solve the math puzzle wins while the first team eliminated from the challenge is automatically sent to the Arena.
  • Winners:Sarah & Theo

• Pole Wrestle: Players begin at the center of the Arena with both hands on a metal pole. The first player to wrestle the pole out of their opponent's hands three times wins.
  • Played by:Claudia vs. Kiki
• Tether Brawl: One team member begins lying on a sling suspended over the Arena. From the ground, their partner must swing them back and forth so they can collect eight hanging blocks and drop them at their end of the Arena. If a block falls in the center of the Arena, both teams may attempt to claim it. After collecting eight blocks, the team member on the ground must stack the blocks to form a tower. The first team to assemble their tower wins.
  • Played by:Jujuy & Nelson vs. KellyAnne & Tristan
• Oiled Up: Teams must take buckets of oil up a steep ramp to fill a container at the top so that a ball rises to a marked line. The first team to finish wins.
  • Played by:Benja & Jodi vs. Nia & Rodrigo
• Herculean Strength: One team member must hold up two weighted bars for as long as possible. Their partner can solve math equations to add weight to their opponent's bars, making it more difficult for them to hold on. Easier equations add 11 pounds (5.0 kg) while harder equations add 22 pounds (10.0 kg). The last player holding up their bars wins the elimination for their team.
  • Played by:Ben & Kaycee vs. Wes & Zara
• Lock, Stack & Barrel: Each team has a stack of barrels with symbols printed on them. They must study a 16-symbol answer key (depicting the flags of Argentina, Australia, the UK and the United States), find the 16 matching barrels and arrange them in a four-by-four grid to replicate the answer key. The first team to finish wins.
  • Played by:Bananas & Justine vs. Jordan & Kaz
• Spin Me Round: One team member begins strapped to a rotatable platform. Their partner must spin and hold the platform upright so they can see and describe an answer key behind a wall. The team member holding the platform must then recreate the answer key their partner described using tiles on a board. The first team to correctly recreate the answer key wins.
  • Played by:Benja & Jodi vs. Kaycee & Troy
• Hands Off: Teams must use giant chopsticks to transfer nine geometric puzzle pieces over a balance beam, one at a time. Each time they drop a puzzle piece, they must restart that piece. After transferring all nine puzzle pieces, the first team to solve the puzzle wins.
  • Played by:Darrell & Kiki vs. KellyAnne & Tristan
• Breakthrough: Teams must use a rope to swing through a brick wall, reassemble the wall to reveal a math equation, and solve it to reveal the code to unlock a second rope. Teams then use the second rope to swing through a thick drywall to reach a puzzle. The first team to solve the puzzle wins.
  • Played by:Darrell & Kiki vs. Kaycee & Troy
• Hall Brawl: Played in a male and female round. Each round, players of the designated gender must run through a narrow hallway, past their opponent and ring a bell at the opposite end. The first player to ring the bell wins the round for their team. The first team to win two rounds wins. If the score is tied after both rounds, a coin flip is held to determine which gender participates in the tiebreaker round.
  • Played by:Emily & Yes vs. Kaycee & Troy

After the "Hall Brawl" elimination, teams boarded a train calledThe Fear Express to the start of the Final Challenge.

Day one

• Loops of Hell: Teams must run a four-mile (6.4 km) loop four times, completing one of four checkpoints after each loop. Only one team may complete a checkpoint at a time. During this stage, each team is also given a canister with their team's flag which they require later in the Final Challenge.
  • Crack the Code: Teams must solve several hints to determine a three-digit code.
  • Sick Smoothie: Each team member must drink a foul-tasting smoothie.
  • Throwing Shade: Teams must throw bolts into a container from behind a line, and land three in a row.
  • Weight for It: Teams must arrange ten weighted cylinders from lightest to heaviest, where the characters printed on the cylinders form a code which teams must arrange on an answer board.
• Eliminated: Sarah & Theo (4th place)^[a]

Afterwards, teams return toThe Fear Express and each team can select one member to receive anIV drip. Teams are then treated to a banquet and given a key (which they require later in the Final Challenge) before the Overnight Stage is announced.

• Overnight Stage ("Insomnia"): Teams must spend the night awake onThe Fear Express, and contestants are shocked by ashock collar if they fall asleep. The following morning, the first team to complete the "Loops of Hell" stage receive one hour of sleep, second place receives 30 minutes and third place receives 15 minutes before the Final Challenge continues.

Day two

• Race to the Finish: Teams must cycle to the end of a trail, then follow several arrows on foot to the next checkpoint.
• Misery Mountain: Teams must use the canister and key they received during the previous day to solve a slide puzzle and unlock a message instructing them to race to the top of a mountain. Upon reaching the top of the mountain, teams find a sign instructing them to collect a key and return down to the finish line. The first team to reach the finish line are declared the winners ofWorld Championship and receiveUS$500,000.
  • Winners: Jordan & Kaz ($500,000 - $250,000 each)
  • Runners-up: Danny & Tori
  • Third place: Kaycee & Troy

Competition key

  The contestant won the Final Challenge

  The contestant lost the Final Challenge

  The contestant won the daily challenge and was immune from elimination

  The contestant was not selected for the Arena

  The contestant was nominated for the Arena, but was not selected to compete

  The contestant won the elimination round

  The contestant lost the elimination round and was eliminated

  The contestant was medically removed from the competition

  The contestant was disqualified from the competition due to their partner being removed

  The contestant withdrew from the competition

In episode 1, each MVP voted individually. Starting with episode 2, teams voted collectively.

• The Challenge (TV series)
• Reality television spinoffs
• Television shows set in Cape Town
• Television shows filmed in South Africa
• Television series by Bunim/Murray Productions

• CS1 Spanish-language sources (es)
• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from March 2023