As we edge closer to its premiere, MTV has dropped the official trailer for The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion.
Season 39 is set to air its first episode on Wednesday, Oct. 25 at 8 p.m. ET/PT via the network. Battle for a New Champion comes to us around eight months after the finale of Season 38’s Ride or Dies. As given away in the season’s title, Battle for a New Champion will crown a Challenge champ from a crop of 24 returning contenders — none of whom have ever earned the illustrious title.
But, that doesn’t mean fans won’t get a steady dose of fan-favorite legends.
“This season, mental and physical limits will be pushed further than ever before as contenders must face off against rotating vets in surprise eliminations,” the season’s synopsis reads. “With the stakes higher than ever, this new era of competitors must beat the best to be the best. In the end, who will solidify their legacy and emerge as a first-time champion?”
You can check out the trailer below:
Chris ‘CT’ Tamburello, Cara Maria Sorbello, and other Challenge champions will appear on Season 39
Hardcore Challenge fans will likely know most of the contenders competing on Battle for a New Champion. But, they’ll definitely know the roster of 10 legends who’ll each spend time on the elimination grounds testing the players’ championship mettle.
They’re all champions themselves, and you can see the 10 names below:
- Cara Maria Sorbello
- Tori Deal
- Kaz Crossley
- Kaycee Clark
- Laurel Stucky
- Chris “CT” Tamburello
- Jordan Wiseley
- Darrell Taylor
- Brad Fiorenza
- Devin Walker
Most of the champions were shown in the trailer, and there was an emphasis on Chris “CT” Tamburello — one of the franchise’s faces — who walked out onto the elimination grounds while wielding a morning star. It’s the first time fans have seen CT on The Challenge since he won back-to-back seasons, with his most recent being Season 37’s Spies, Lies & Allies in 2021.
“If you’re going to win this game, you’re going to have to go threw a champ,” Season 25 Free Agents queen Laurel Stucky says in the trailer.
Perhaps the most exciting addition to the champs cast is Cara Maria Sorbello, a former Challenge regular and two-time champ who hasn’t competed on the show since Season 34’s War of the Worlds 2 in 2019.
It’s unclear how many times we’ll see each legend on Battle for a New Champion, but considering there’s a much larger pool of contenders, there’s a good chance the champs’ appearances won’t be one-and-done.
Ride or Dies’ Horacio Gutiérrez and Olivia Kaiser are among the contenders vying for their first Challenge trophy
Each of the 24 contenders has at least one season under their belt. But, they haven’t all been on MTV’s flagship series. Many competed in international spin-offs like The Challenge: USA and The Challenge UK. To acquaint fans with the contenders, MTV is dropping The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion: Countdown Begins, a launch special airing Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 8 p.m. ET/PT — a week before Season 39 premieres.
Check out the list of contenders below:
- Jay Starrett
- Kyland Young
- Ed Eason
- Horacio Gutiérrez
- Emanuel Neagu
- Chauncey Palmer
- Asaf Goren
- Corey Lay
- Callum Izzard
- Ciarran Stott
- James Lock
- Hughie Maughan
- Melissa Reeves
- Tula “Big T” Fazakerley
- Moriah Jadea
- Jujuy Jiménez
- Zara Zoffany
- Nurys Mateo
- Michele Fitzgerald
- Ravyn Rochelle
- Colleen Schneider
- Jessica Brody
- Olivia Kaiser
- Berna Canbeldek
Among the most notable contenders, Love Island USA’s Olivia Kaiser is back. She made it to the Ride or Dies final challenge alongside her partner, Exatlón Estados Unidos’ Horacio Gutiérrez, who is also competing this season.
“I came here to be a champ, so if I have to stab you in the back, I’ll do what I need to do,” Olivia says in the trailer. “This time, I’m here to win,” Horacio then says.
Names like Survivor’s Michelle Fitzgerald and Jay Starrett are also back on the mainline series, as well as Shipwrecked’s Tula “Big T” Fazakerley, Ex on the Beach UK’s Melissa Reeves, The Circle’s Ed Eason, and Big Brother UK’s Hughie Maughan.
Big Brother’s Kyland Young, The Royal World’s Zara Zoffany, and Dancing With the Stars Argentina’s Jujuy Jiménez are part of the crew of international spin-off competitors.
Although Battle for a New Champion is still around a month away, CBS’s second season of The Challenge: USA is reaching the end game — episodes drop on the network and Paramount Plus weekly on Thursday nights.