Why is ‘The Challenge’ on CBS now?

The Challenge, previously known as Road Rules: All Stars and Real World/Road Rules Challenge, has been MTV’s flagship reality competition show since 1998. Pitting recurring cast members against each other in extreme stunts and physically demanding games, the franchise has maintained a cult following for 25 years.

And because of The Challenge’s success, Bunim/Murray Productions has developed several spin-off shows which have landed on multiple different networks; specifically, CBS and Paramount Plus.

So, to answer the question: “Why is The Challenge on CBS now?” Simply put, last year CBS signed on to air The Challenge: USA — a spin-off from the mainline MTV series that was part of a global initiative. The Challenge: USA, as well as UK, Argentinian, and Australian versions of The Challenge (the latter three aired on other networks) all played out between the summer of 2022 through February. That led to The Challenge: World Championship, a season linking all four spin-off shows. It streamed on Paramount Plus from March through mid-May and featured stars from all international iterations as well as a group of MTV’s challengers.

The Challenge: USA was unique as only reality stars from four CBS reality shows — Survivor, The Amazing Race, Love Island, and Big Brother — starred in it. Episodes dropped weekly from July 6 to Sept. 14, 2022, and Survivors’ Sarah Lacina and Danny McCray became Challenge champions and walked away with around $250,000 apiece.

When is CBS airing its second season of The Challenge?

Although the World Championship season has played out, CBS has elected to remain in business with The Challenge. The USA’s version is releasing its second season, and it’ll premiere on the network on August 10. It’s slated to stream on Paramount Plus as well.

USA 2 will feature contestants from three CBS staples — Survivor, Big Brother, and The Amazing Race. And for the first time ever, notable names from MTV’s version of The Challenge will cross over to CBS. Specifically, John “Johnny Bananas” Devenanzio, Jonna Stephens, Amanda Garcia, Tori Deal, Cory Wharton, and Wes Bergmann, will carry MTV’s flag.

That means 18 CBS contestants will contend with the series’ veterans, including two from The Amazing Race, seven from Survivor, and nine from Big Brother (check out the full cast list here).

On the MTV side of things, the last mainline season that aired was Ride or Dies, the 38th iteration. It ran from October to March. Although nothing has been announced pertaining to it, MTV renewed The Challenge for its 39th season back in June 2022, according to Variety.