The Challenge Historian

The Battle for a New Champion has officially (because last week wasn’t official) begun! Plus: Berna really wants to room with Michele, Michele really wants to believe Callum doesn’t have a girlfriend, Ciarran takes the lead and avoids the fall, Big T doesn’t have a master plan but also she most certainly does, Horacio ain’t nobody's sheep, the S38 girls are trying to run this shit, Jessica gives the wrong version of a layup pitch, and is it just me or does it feel like Battle of the Sexes 3 up in here? It’s The Challenge Battle for a New Champion series premiere (even if its the second episode) recap! Topics include:

Cold Open (00:00)

Intro and Programming Reminders (00:50)

New Trailer, Launch Special, Chosen Stars (05:04)

Format and Daily Challenge (08:20)

House Night 1 Shenanigans (19:27)

Battle of the Sexes 3 (27:44)

Big T Gets Called Out and Wins (36:05)

Awards Best Quote, Moment, MVP (42:42)

Power Rankings and Predictions (46:38)

#TheChallenge #TheChallengeHistorian #TheChallenge39 #BattleForANewChampion #TheChallengePodcast #RealityTV #RealityTVPodcast #JacobHollabaugh

The Challenge on CBS, take two! This time around, no dating shows allowed, and damn near no Amazing Race allowed, in their place, it was an all out battle of Big Brother, Survivor, and MTV Vets vying to take home the title of USA 2 Champ and the properly explained $250,000 that came with it. Iconic seasons were played, redemption was had, Devin wasn’t there but his age old adage of Big Brother sucks definitely stood the test of time, Josh got emotional, Michele overpromised, Michaela avoided list making, TJ brought a hopper, eliminations got wacky, dailies got fair, Amanda played villain, Tori had a showmance, the whole house maybe actually had a tiny bit of fun that we actually got to see happen on our television screens? And in the end a mostly well produced final was ran and new champions crowned. That’s a lot to talk about, but recap it all one more time we must! It’s The Challenge USA 2 full season recap and awards, topics include:

Cold Open (00:00)

Intro and Programming Reminders (01:15)

Did The Challenge USA 2 Work (05:52)

How to Improve USA 3 (10:20)

Season Grade (14:20)

Good and Bad of the Format (18:20)

MTV Vets Effect on the Show/Game (24:03)

Favorite Storylines of the Season (26:25)

Cast Member Would You Want Them Back (30:47)

Best Quote & Confessional King/Queen (35:07)

Best Moment (39:04)

Best Daily and Elimination (44:05)

Best Performance (50:28)

Season MVP (54:17)

#TheChallenge #TheChallengeHistorian #TheChallengeUSA #TheChallengeUSA2 #TheChallengePodcast #RealityTV #RealityTVPodcast #JacobHollabaugh 

Jacob and Tony are back to break down the latest episode that gave us brand new tribes! Plus: Katurah vs Bruce continues, Kaleb is great at basketball (and basketball references), everybody likes Jake, Emily has new friends, Reba women are split, and for the second time this season we have someone quit mid-tribal council. It's the Survivor 45, episode 4 recap, topics include:

Intro & Programming Notes (00:15)

Tribe Swap (03:10)

Lulu Day 8 and 9 (10:12)

Belo Day 8 and 9 (21:47)

Immunity Challenge (31:51)

Reba Day 8, 9, Pre-Tribal (40:42)

Tribal Council (51:58)

Awards Best Quote, Moment, Gameplay, MVP (01:05:54)

Power Rankings, Predictions, and a Theory (01:14:21)

-- -- -- -- --

Be sure to follow and subscribe to not miss an episode!

Follow Challenge Historian on Instagram.

Watch and subscribe on YouTube.

Follow Tony on Instagram, and make sure to check out all things Challenge Fandom Podcast!

#Survivor #Survivor45 #RealityTV #RealityTVPodcast #TheChallengeHistorian #SurvivorHistorian #SurvivorPodcast 

Legends are born, champions are crowned, redemption is had, endings are abrupt, Survivor is four for four, woulda coulda shoulda for a couple of vets, and add ax throwing to the list of pre-requisites for a Challenge final because the Faysal Fan Club is reeling tonight... but pod through the pain we must! It’s The Challenge USA 2 episode 14 aka the Finale recap, topics include:

Cold Open (00:00)

Intro & Programming Notes (00:37)

Final Construction and Difficulty (04:30)

Four Stages of Day 1 (11:30)

Faysal and Tori Can’t Throw an Ax (19:40)

Michaela, Bananas, Chanelle and Cory Day 2 (26:40)

Desi and Chris Get the Win (32:20)

Awards Best Quote, Moment, MVP (39:04)

Season Recap Preview (41:10)

-- -- -- -- --

Follow Jacob on Instagram if you want additional content or DM to chat Challenge, @ChallengeHistorian

#TheChallenge #TheChallengeHistorian #TheChallengeUSA #TheChallengeUSA2 #TheChallengePodcast #RealityTV #RealityTVPodcast #JacobHollabaugh 

We are one week out from The Challenge 39 aka Battle for a New Champion premiering, which means it's time to do a full season preview. This Historian is hyped for the new season and here to get you feeling the same. Was this theme/cast a good idea? Can Olivia and Horacio live up to their budding face of the franchise status? How will Michele, Jay, Big T, and Mel fare as the "vets" of the house? What role will the champs actually be playing? Will the weather be warm? Why is Ed the absolute best? All these burning questions and more answered in this preview podcast!

PROGRAMMING ALERT: the "launch special" episode of Battle for a New Champion airs tonight, Wednesday October 18th, 8/7c. They do not promote this as an actual episode but it has in the best basically been a real episode, so you should totally watch it!

Timestamps:

Intro, Reminders, Agenda (00:00)

State of the Challenge and Hype Meter Going Into 39 (07:05)

Concept, Theme, Format, Location (17:45)

Full Cast List Quick Thoughts (28:05)

Five Females I’m Most Excited For (42:25)

Five Males I’m Most Excited For (47:33)

Champs Element and Cast (52:23)

Power Rankings and Predictions (56:56)

-- -- -- -- --

Follow Jacob on Instagram if you additional content or to chat Challenge, @ChallengeHistorian

If you'd like further preview of this new season, check out the cast reaction podcast I posted a few months back when they took off for filming, you can find it here.

#TheChallenge #TheChallengeHistorian #TheChallenge39 #BattleForANewChampion #TheChallengePodcast #RealityTV #RealityTVPodcast #JacobHollabaugh 

Jacob and Tony are back to break down the third episode of Survivor 45, otherwise known as the final episode of the three part series, "Survivor: Lulu's Demise." Every bit of the episode is covered: Sabiyah's opening blunder, Kaleb's dominance in the reward challenge, the raid of Reba, Drew and Austin being horrible look outs, the devastation of the immunity challenge, Lulu's trust issues, that thrilling scramble, Sabiyah's mid-tribal cook out, and everything in between.

Timestamps:

Intro & Programming Notes (00:15)

All Tribes Pre-Immunity Challenge (04:57)

Reward Challenge and Raid (18:51)

Belo and Reba Pre Immunity Challenge (30:56)

Immunity Challenge (41:09)

Lulu Scramble and Tribal Council (50:00)

Awards Best Quote, Moment, Gameplay, MVP (01:05:42)

Power Rankings and Predictions (01:14:48)

-- -- -- -- --

Be sure to follow and subscribe to not miss an episode!

Follow Challenge Historian on Instagram.

Watch and subscribe on YouTube.

Follow Tony on Instagram, and make sure to check out all things Challenge Fandom Podcast!

#Survivor #Survivor45 #RealityTV #RealityTVPodcast #TheChallengeHistorian #SurvivorHistorian #SurvivorPodcast 

How about Chris and Michaela? No really, how about Chris and Michaela my goodness! Plus: more old school Challenge references, more secret deals that don’t totally make sense, more finals appearances for a lot of folks with a lot of finals appearances, and more Josh promises made, not kept, and ultimately a heartbreaking loss in an elimination for the ages… almost. It’s The Challenge USA 2 Episode 13 recap, topics include:

Cold Open (00:00)

Intro & Programming Notes (00:45)

Chanelle is No Flop, Josh is a Ball of Stress (04:42)

A Fantastic Daily Challenge (06:56)

Josh’s Vote and Meltdown (10:55)

Everyone Else’s Noms, Votes, and Reactions (18:43)

Bananas Escapes, Hall Brawl But Not, Josh’s Exit (23:32)

Awards for Best Quote, Moment, MVP (33:53)

Power Rankings and Predictions for the Final (35:54)

#TheChallenge #TheChallengeHistorian #TheChallengeUSA #TheChallengeUSA2 #TheChallengePodcast #RealityTV #RealityTVPodcast #JacobHollabaugh 

Remind me, who are the rookies and who are the vets again? Plus: complete fealty towards Tori from all the Survivor women, Josh wants to take out Chris himself, one of the coolest forts ever used for a Challenge, Michaela running the house so easy, and my number one favorite heads home at the hands of another Survivor Elimination Master! It’s the Challenge USA 2 Episode 12 Recap, topics include:

Cold Open (00:00)

Intro & Programming Notes (00:40)

Michele Needs to Own Her Decisions (03:45)

Michaela Fools the Vets (08:02)

Michele and Josh Get Nominated and Emotional (13:12)

Cassidy Gets Another W (21:28)

Awards Best Quote, Moment, MVP (26:32)

Power Rankings and Predictions (29:39)

#TheChallenge #TheChallengeHistorian #TheChallengeUSA #TheChallengeUSA2 #TheChallengePodcast #RealityTV #RealityTVPodcast #JacobHollabaugh 

Our villain breaks good after only one episode, Bruce is doing A LOT, journeys are taken, advantages are gained, Drew is building feudal alliances, Jeff is maybe secretly not loving Lulu, and Brandon is down bad for the second episode in a row but remains hilarious and graceful in the face of adversity. It's the Survivor 45 Episode 2 recap with Tony and Jacob, topics include:

Intro & Programming Notes (00:12)

Opening Credits are Back (04:19)

Lulu Day 4 Vibes (07:10)

Reba Day 4 Vibes (14:29)

Belo Day 4 Vibes (23:23)

Journey and Advantages (30:37)

Immunity Challenge (46:20)

Lulu Pre-Tribal Dynamics (55:37)

Tribal Council (01:04:13)

Awards for Best Quote, Moment, Gameplay, and MVP (01:13:41)

Power Rankings and Predictions (01:24:37)

-- -- -- -- --

Be sure to follow and subscribe to not miss an episode!

Follow Challenge Historian on Instagram.

Watch and subscribe on YouTube.

Follow Tony on Instagram, and make sure to check out all things Challenge Fandom Podcast!

#Survivor #Survivor45 #RealityTV #RealityTVPodcast #TheChallengeHistorian #SurvivorHistorian #SurvivorPodcast 

PROTECT EMILY AT ALL COSTS! My goodness, what a premiere it was for Survivor 45! We had injury concerns, we had someone quit, we had players calling each other out before Jeff could even ask them their names, we had witches and alliances and also non-alliance alliances, we had it ALL! An incredible first episode requires an incredible recap, which is exactly what we have in store for you.

Jacob and Tony are back to break down all the action, and will be doing so every week of Survivor 45. Topics for this episode include:

Intro & Programming Notes (00:12)

Boat Ride Confessionals, Emily Goes at Bruce, Supplies Challenge (05:18)

Sweat vs Savvy Challenge, Reba First Impressions, Belo First Impressions (22:36)

First Immunity Challenge (53:23)

Emily, Lulu Chaos, Hannah Quits, and the Twist We Didn't See (01:01:42)

Awards Best Quote, Moment, Episode MVP (01:35:28)

Power Rankings and Predictions (01:44:30)

-- -- -- -- --

Be sure to follow and subscribe to not miss an episode!

Follow Challenge Historian on Instagram.

Watch and subscribe on YouTube.

Follow Tony on Instagram, and make sure to check out all things Challenge Fandom Podcast!

#Survivor #Survivor45 #RealityTV #RealityTVPodcast #TheChallengeHistorian #SurvivorHistorian #SurvivorPodcast