The Challenge Historian

Poor performance mixed with isolation leads KellyAnne into a potential death spiral of paranoia! Plus: Jonna is the top draft pick, Bananas is the third draft pick, did I mention we had a Challenge draft? Hell yes we had a Challenge draft! Wes’ school of strategy is in session, Sarah remains a certified mob boss, Yes makes a rare political appearance, and Nelson and Jujuy are the most fun loving positively wonderful team that stands no shot in this game. It’s The Challenge World Championships, Episode 2 recap, topics include:

Cold Open (00:00)

Intro and Programming Notes (00:47)

Production Listened to Fans (02:53)

The Draft and Team Assessments (07:45)

Daily Challenge, Alliances, KellyAnne with/vs Jonna (16:10)

Awards for Best Quote, Moment, MVP (28:08)

Predictions for Next Episode (32:45)

#TheChallenge #TheChallengeWorldChampionship #TheChallengePodcast #TheChallengeHistorian #RealityTV #RealityTVPodcast

You don’t fuck with the icon that is Kiki, you just don’t, certainly not on day 1! Plus: the legends get to sit back and watch, Sarah the villain is already delivering, UK and Australia get caught off guard, Wes somehow hits a new level of bravado, scouting reports are compiled, I was maybe wrong about Grant, and the show loses a potential MVP to a medical pull on day one why the fuck does this have to happen! It’s The Challenge World Championships, episode 1 recap, topics include:

Cold Open (00:00)

Intro and Programming Notes (00:50)

Nathan Being Removed (05:20)

Episode Open and Qualifier Daily (10:40)

First Impressions and Vibes at the House (17:30)

Format Revealed and Alliances Forming (24:30)

Elimination and Draft Reveal (34:55)

Awards for Best Quote, Moment, and Episode MVP (41:18)

Updating Season Predictions Based on Teams (46:48)

#TheChallenge #TheChallengeWorldChampionships #TheChallengePodcast #TheChallengeHistorian #RealityTV #RealityTVPodcast

The Challenge World Championship begins next week! The culmination of this year long saga has come and we've got to preview every last bit of it! First we take a quick look back to discuss how we got to this point, which seasons worked or didn't, what factors and formats worked or didn't. Then we spend some time looking ahead and preview the format of the show, every cast member, possible alliances, possible romances, possible winners - the whole damn thing!

Intro and Programming Reminders (00:00)

Did it work? Reviewing the six seasons that led to here, what was good, what wasn't good, and of course unveiling my plan for exactly how to do it next time (05:55)

Format Breakdown: what we know, what we can assume, and what we hope for / guess will happen (22:19)

Cast Breakdown Part 1: Challenge USA and Challenge Australia folks (33:00)

Cast Breakdown Part 2: Challenge UK and Flagship Legends (46:12)

Predictions: first out, romances, alliances, finalists, runners up and winners (01:11:00)

#TheChallenge #TheChallengeWorldChampionship #TheChallengePodcast #TheChallengeHistorian #RealityTV #RealityTVPodcast

A one minute difference across six hours of competition, what an absolute nail biter! Plus: Mark Wright maybe wants TJ's job, AJ and Arabella bow out first, puzzles prove yet again to be the great equalizer, Nathan continues being pure entertainment, and always, ALWAYS put the car in neutral before pushing it, everyone knows that! It’s the Challenge UK episode 5 recap aka the final recap, plus a full season recap and awards! Topics include:

Cold Open (00:00)

Intro and Programming Reminders (00:45)

Recapping Episode 5 and the final (04:15)

Awards for Episode 5 (18:36)

Full Season Recap (21:07)

Full Season Awards including MVP (32:08)

#TheChallenge #TheChallengeUK #TheChallengeWorldChampionships #TheChallengePodcast #TheChallengeHistorian #RealityTV #RealityTVPodcast

Warning to all future Olympians to enter the Challenge house: avoid Balls In at all costs! Plus: we finally get some Kaz in our lives, AJ turns the tables on those who’ve thrown him in prior, Callum and Ella put a label on it… maybe, Tristan has come out of his shell, and in a virtuoso performance Nathan maybe freezes his penis off, holds a friendship hostage but not really, has his bromance come to full bloom, causes me to laugh out loud numerous times, and knocks out an olympic athlete all in the span of 24 hours!?! Insanity! It’s the Challenge UK Episode 4 recap, topics include:

Cold Open (00:00)

Intro and Programming Notes (00:54)

Five Things Worth Talking About (Mainly Nathan) (03:15)

Awards and Predictions (14:39)

#TheChallenge #TheChallengeUK #TheChallengePodcast #TheChallengeHistorian #TheChallengeWorldChampionships #RealityTV #RealityTVPodcast

The arena has officially been dubbed the Pritchard House of Dominance! Plus: Nathan is friends with everyone, Tristan remains under the radar, Ella remains the best, no one seems to care that Kaz is dominating, Ashley gets himself a win and his mate a loss, and everyone get on the old scary truck, it's time for the spooky town challenge! It’s the Challenge UK Episode 3 recap, topics include:

Cold Open (00:00)

Intro and Programming Notes (00:37)

Five Things Worth Talking About (02:30)

Awards and Predictions (12:13)

#TheChallengeUK #TheChallenge #TheChallengeWorldChampionships #TheChallengePodcast #TheChallengeHistorian #RealityTV #RealityTVPodcast

Pato Brawl, brother vs brother, holy shit YES PLEASE! Plus: Callum may have won Ella (and me) over but make no mistake who wears the trousers in that relationship, an alliance is formed but it’s shaky at best, some prove good at memorizing while others prove good at cheating, and Nathan gets some power and boy does he love how it feels! It’s the Challenge UK Episode 2 recap, topics include:

Cold Open (00:00)

Intro and Programming Notes (00:40)

Five Things Worth Talking About (03:04)

Awards and Predictions (14:15)

#TheChallengeUK #TheChallenge #TheChallengeWorldChampionships #TheChallengePodcast #TheChallengeHistorian #RealityTV #RealityTVPodcast

The combat sports veterans dominate at wrestling, who would have seen that coming?!? Plus: the host seems like he should be competing, the cast is small but horny, Knot So Fast is played very fast, and holy shit Batman it happened again already! Locky’s face post fall into the water can only be described as Olivia-esque and that is not a place you want to be! It’s the Challenge UK Episode 1 recap, topics include:

Cold Open (00:00)

Intro and Programming Reminders (00:35)

Five things worth talking about, including Locky's face, good daily and elim choices, and why I like the small cast format (02:39)

Episode Awards and Season Predictions (09:54)

#TheChallengeUK #TheChallenge #TheChallengePodcast #TheChallengeWorldChampionships #TheChallengeHistorian

The Challenge UK is here! (Maybe?) At least it has aired in the UK and is supposed to be here any hour now to binge on Paramount Plus. While there isn't a lot of info out there on this season there is still enough to scrape together a mini preview and get you set up to dive into this quick five episode run. Topics covered include: cast member bios, host bio, expectations of what it will look like, is it going to suck, and some picks to win it all. Enjoy!

#TheChallenge #TheChallengeUK #TheChallengeWorldChampionships #TheChallengePodcast #TheChallengeHistorian #RealityTV #RealityTVPodcast

Ride or Dies came to a conclusion last week and two brand new champions were crowned! This Historian is back to talk all things season 38 one final time (unless the reunions are fire). Things that worked, missed opportunities, favorite storylines and cast members, and all the awards that could possibly be handed out - it's all covered here on this full season recap. Plus, stick around to the end to find out the answer to Challenge internets favorite recent question: is Devin a top 25 male challenger of all time?

Intro, Programming Updates, and Agenda (00:00)

Did It Work? Featuring: Ride or Dies as a theme, the format, filming five shows at once, things I liked about the season (09:00)

Awards for Best Daily Challenge and Best Elimination of the Season (32:38)

Awards for Best Quote, Dan Renzi Confessional King or Queen, and Best Moment of the Season (42:16)

Awards for Rookie of the Year and Full Season MVP (55:51)

Is Devin Walker a Top 25 Male Challenger of All Time (01:13:34)

#TheChallenge #TheChallenge38 #TheChallengePodcast #TheChallengeHistorian #RealityTV #RealityTVPodcast #RideorDies