The Challenge 40: Battle of the Eras

Battle of the Eras
Season 40
Presented by	T. J. Lavin
No. of contestants	40
Location	Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
No. of episodes	6
Release
Original network	MTV
Original release	August 14, 2024 (2024-08-14) – present
Season chronology
← Previous Battle for a New Champion Next → -

The Challenge 40: Battle of the Eras is the fortieth season of the MTV reality competition series The Challenge, featuring alumni from The Real World, Road Rules, The Challenge, Are You the One?, Big Brother, Survivor, Love Island (U.S. and UK), Survival of the Fittest, and Exatlon competing for a share at a $1 million prize.^[1] A launch special titled "Eras Only" aired on August 7, 2024, followed by the season premiere on August 14, 2024.^[2]

Battle of the Eras features 40 contestants split into four teams based on which season of The Challenge they debuted on. Those who debuted during the first ten seasons (Road Rules: All Stars through The Inferno II) comprised Era I; those who debuted between the eleventh and twentieth seasons (The Gauntlet 2 through Cutthroat) made up Era II; those who debuted between the twenty-first and thirtieth seasons (Rivals through XXX: Dirty 30) made up Era III; and those who debuted between the thirty-first and thirty-ninth seasons (Vendettas through Battle for a New Champion) made up Era IV.^[3]

Following the opening "Era Invitational" twist, the format of the game is as follows:

• Daily challenges: Players compete in a challenge as teams. For the first challenge, teams had to elect one male and female representative, while for subsequent challenges, each team has a male and female target selected by the winners of the previous elimination round. The winning team's representatives/targets are safe from elimination while the last-place team's representatives/targets are automatically sent to the elimination round.
• Nominations (The Chamber): The representatives/targets of the winning team must select a male and female representative/target from one of the teams that did not win to compete against the last-place team's representatives/targets in the elimination round. If the winners do not agree, they are sent to the elimination round instead.^[4][5]
• Eliminations (The Arena): The representatives/targets of the last-place team individually compete in an elimination round against the representatives/targets selected by the winners, or the winning representatives/targets if they could not agree on a decision. The winners continue in the competition and earn the power to choose the next targets, while the losers are eliminated.^[6]

Twists

• Era Invitational: For the first challenge, contestants compete against members of their Era, as part of the "Era Invitational" twist which culminates in eight eliminations. The last-place male and female player from each Era are automatically sent to the elimination round. The winning male and female player are immune and earn the power to select two members of their own Era to compete against the last-place players in the elimination round.^[7]
• Karma Vote: Each eliminated contestant is given the chance to rate the remaining contestants from one (lowest) to five (highest). The effect of these points will be revealed later in the season.^[8]
• Targets: From episode 3, the winners of elimination round earn the power to select one male and female player from each team as new targets for the next cycle.^[9]

Debuted on

• Light It Up: Players must assemble a three-dimensional puzzle, then paddle a coracle to collect ten lights of their Era's color from buoys in a lake. After collecting all ten lights, players must return to shore and place them in a board. The first male and female player from each Era to finish wins while the last-place male and female player from each Era are automatically sent to the elimination round.^[10]
  • Winners: CT and Rachel (Era I), Bananas and Laurel (Era II), Cory and Tori (Era III), Horacio and Michele (Era IV)
• Gladieater: Teams must paddle a dragon boat around an island. Once complete, each team member must consume one of eight delicacy dishes. Afterwards, teams must hang shields with logos of all 40 seasons of The Challenge to date in chronological order. The first team to finish wins while the last team to finish has their representatives automatically sent to the Arena.^[8]
  • Winners: Era III
• Cradled Cranium: Teams begin harnessed 30-feet above water. Each round, one team member from each team must select a trivia question from among various categories, which also vary in points based on their difficulty. If they answer correctly, their team earns the points assigned to that question. However, if they answer incorrectly, two members of their team are dropped into the water and eliminated from the challenge. The team with the most points by the time all their team members are eliminated wins while the team with the fewest points have their targets automatically sent to the Arena. In the event of a tie, a sudden death round involving one member from each tied team is held.^[9]
  • Winners: Era II
• Fast Pass: Teams must carry and maneuver a large Y-shaped beam around various trees to reach eight sandbags, and return them to the start four at a time. Afterwards, two team members must distribute the sandbags on a balance beam so that the weight balances out. The first team to finish wins while the last team to finish has their targets automatically sent to the Arena.^[6]
  • Winners: Era IV
• Cloud Catcher: Three team members at a time race to collect large helium balloons attached to their team's colored poles and attempt to return them to their team's station intact, one at a time. When returning the balloons to their station, players must take them through a pergola with various spikes in it. Once teams collect all their balloons (either intact or popped), a riddle raises which they must solve and use the answer to unlock a chest and have their time stopped. The team with the most intact balloons collected wins, with ties broken based on time, while the team with the fewest intact balloons (or slowest time) has their targets automatically sent to the Arena.
  • Winners: Era IV

• Balls In: Each round, players play both offense and defense. The offense player has one attempt to deposit a ball into a goal at the center of a ring (or enter the inner boundary surrounding the ring with the ball) while the defense player attempts to stop them by blocking them and knocking the ball onto out of bounds. Players then switch roles and repeat the process before the end of the round. The first player to score in two out of three rounds wins.
  • Played by: Amanda vs. Nia, Leroy vs. Tony
• Pole Wrestle: Players begin at the center of a ring with both hands on a pole. The first player to wrestle the pole out of their opponent's hands two out of three times wins.^[10]
  • Played by: Aneesa vs. Katie, Derrick vs. Mark
• Hall Brawl: Players must run through a narrow hallway, past/through their opponent and push a button at the opposite end. The player to hit the button first in two of three rounds wins.^[11]
  • Played by: Olivia vs. Nurys, Paulie vs. Theo
• Take Shelter: Players have 20 minutes to barricade the entrance to a bunker using provided materials. After those 20 minutes are up, players must attempt to break into their opponent's bunker. The first player to break into the bunker and switch on the light inside wins.
  • Played by: Cara Maria vs. KellyAnne, Brandon vs. Ryan
• One Step at a Time: Following the directions/restrictions listed on a board, players must place colored tiles onto a frame one at a time to create a path to the other side of the Arena. Each time they make a mistake, they must remove the incorrect tiles one at a time. The first player to correctly place their path to the other side of the Arena wins.^[8]
  • Played by: Averey vs. Jodi, Darrell vs. Tony
• Pick It Up: Players must throw a ball into an overhead track, collect as many bamboo jacks scattered around the Arena as possible, and catch the ball after it rolls out the other end of the track. After catching the ball, players can place the jacks they are holding on a board, and repeat this process until they collect 40 jacks. Each time players miss the ball, they must place the jacks they are holding behind a line further from their original point and collect them from there instead. The first player to collect 40 jacks on their board wins.^[12]
  • Played by: Aneesa vs. Jenny, Derrick vs. Horacio
• Getting Hammered: Players must remove 100 nails from a board and hammer them into an adjacent board, then press a button at the center of the Arena. The first player to finish wins.
  • Played by: Emily vs. Tina, CT vs. Nehemiah
• To the Point: Players begin in opposite sides of a cage which has a wall of spikes on each side and dozens of balls in the center for either player to throw. Players attempt to throw the balls onto their opponent's spikes, or block their opponent's shots, while their opponent tries to do the same. If a ball lands in the boundary in front of the wall, it is considered "dead" and can no longer be thrown. The player with the most balls landed on their opponent's spikes once all the balls are used up wins.^[13]
  • Played by: Brad vs. Cory, Jonna vs. Rachel

Color key:

  The contestant won the daily challenge, was immune from elimination, and selected the elimination contestants

  The contestant's team won the daily challenge, had the power to select the elimination contestants, but could not come to a decision and was sent into the elimination round and won

  The contestant was not selected for the elimination round

  The contestant was nominated for the elimination round but was not selected

  The contestant won the elimination in the elimination round

  The contestant lost in the elimination round and was eliminated

  The contestant's team won the daily challenge, had the power to select the elimination contestants, but could not come to a decision and was sent into the elimination round, lost and was eliminated

• Official website