This Ends Your Time on the Challenge

It's time to finish what we started in Bangkok! The Season 42 finale of The Challenge: Cutthroat II is here, and $550,000 is on the line. Two teams, one final, questionable drinking challenges, wilderness bathroom emergencies, and enough exhaustion to make everyone question their life choices.

Orange and Team Blu-ray battle through the final checkpoints, but a 10-mile race, a massive puzzle, and one explosive finish will determine who takes home the money. CT and Bananas are fighting for a victory together, Tori is apparently making enemies faster than she can make friends, and the question of who deserves what gets VERY real when the prize money is finally divided.

And we're not sending off Season 42 without handing out THE ENDIES! Who was the messiest bitch? Biggest flop? Biggest camera whore? Who deserves a callback, and who are we still wondering, “And you are?” We've got awards, receipts, hot takes, and absolutely no shortage of people to drag.

Plus, we discuss the season's biggest moments, the questionable decisions, the unexpected favorites, and all the delicious tea that didn't make it into these notes.

The final is over. The money has been split. The Endies have been awarded. And we have THOUGHTS.

That's a wrap on Season 42. What a fucking ride.

The Challenge final is here, the prize money is HUGE, and some people are already looking at that $500K like it's sitting in their personal checking account. 

As the teams embark on a grueling two-day final, Bananas is busy getting inside Lete's head, captains are eyeing their potential payouts, and the question of who deserves a “fair share” threatens to become just as important as actually winning. Teamwork is supposedly the name of the game—but what happens when everyone has a different idea of what fair means?

Meanwhile, CT lands in the medical tent, puzzles are making everyone question their life choices, a hidden UFC treasure chest adds $25K to the chaos, and suddenly everyone who's been judging someone else's endurance has a very convenient reason to slow down.

Is this a test of physical strength, puzzle-solving, and teamwork—or a two-day exercise in hypocrisy and financial planning?

The final has barely started, and we're already side-eyeing EVERYONE.

The biggest rig in Challenge history. A team that can't finish a puzzle. A rookie who's officially DONE playing nice. And TJ warning the finalists that some of them are about to regret everything. 😈

Lete has been holding back all season—but after carrying Team Blu-ray in the daily, she's sent into her first-ever elimination. And she's not exactly thrilled about it. Meanwhile, Orange makes some questionable decisions that come back to bite them, Justin's spirit is hanging by a thread, and one competitor's journey ends in a landslide.

We're also diving headfirst into Challenge Reddit, debating whether rookies should have to prove themselves in the sand before earning a spot in the final, and asking the question everyone loves to argue about: how does The Challenge stack up against other reality TV?

The final is officially within reach. But if TJ's warning is anything to go by, making it there might be the easy part.

Lete is unleashed. Justin is out. And regret is on the menu.

The season may be over, but the Bananas tea is just getting started—and trust us, you need to hear this.

Meanwhile, Orange is playing chess while Team Blu-ray is out here eating checkers. Bananas launches an undercover operation involving a certain pair of underwear, Tori revives a character nobody asked for, and Will apparently has feelings for Tori that materialized out of thin air. Sure, buddy.

Then the Banana Backpack gets a Cutthroat II rematch. Tori makes a bold move, Anna Leigh discovers that “ant strength” only gets you so far, and CT delivers a life lesson we may or may not be qualified to apply: you gotta break their spirit.

The gossip! The dirty gameplay! The backpack! Let's talk about it.

The Challenge has entered the UFC era.

With The Challenge now under the Paramount umbrella, we're getting a very unexpected crossover—and this week, Trial by Combat brings UFC energy straight to Bangkok.

But first, we've got some serious housekeeping to do. We catch up on everything we apparently forgot to talk about last week, laugh way too much, and revisit Justin's bold claim that he “proved Tori's ass wrong.”

Honey...

CT proved YOUR ass wrong.

Meanwhile, Team Blu-ray is officially an all-women team, and everyone is sharing their “why”—although Lete's “why” seems to mostly be... vibes.

Then TJ shows up at the house.

Usually, that's terrifying.

This time, there's no daily challenge at all.

Instead, the two team captains—Tori for Orange and Adrienne for Blu-ray—are thrown into Trial by Combat, where they'll face mercenaries in two classic Challenge eliminations: Balls In and Pole Wrestle.

And there's serious money on the line.

Each winning captain gets $25,000, but that's not all. Winning their battle also locks them into the final.

So now we're asking the important questions: What happens to that $25K if they win the final? Can a captain keep it? Do they have to share it with their team? And exactly how much power is one person supposed to have?!

We also get UFC-style commentary from Valentina and TJ, which has Wiley wondering if we're witnessing the birth of the Challenge's own version of an MMA broadcast.

Naturally, that leads us into a discussion of the Challenge Mount Rushmore—including which women deserve a spot.

And just when we think we've seen all the surprises this season...

Someone returns who swore they would never come back.

So what happens when The Challenge meets the UFC?

Two captains. Two mercenaries. Two brutal eliminations. $25,000 on the line. And a guaranteed spot in the final.

This is The Challenge: Cutthroat II, and apparently we're fighting now.

Two teams remain in The Challenge: Cutthroat II, and suddenly the rules—and the politics—have changed.

With the game narrowing, everyone wants power, but becoming captain comes with a whole new set of consequences. A daily challenge leaves us questioning whether someone was actually trying to win, trying to lose, or playing an even bigger game than we realized.

Meanwhile, CT is somehow both the problem and the solution. His teammates question whether they can trust him, accusations start flying, and Cara finds herself caught in the middle. But when the dust settles, one Challenger who has spent the season talking plenty of shit about CT may discover exactly why you don't count him out.

We're also getting increasingly suspicious of Bananas' strategy, revisiting the eternal question of whether throwing a challenge can actually work, and watching the Orange Team struggle to agree on who they want in the sand.

Then comes an elimination that is absolutely filthy—literally. Heavy boxes, dirt, metal netting, and a puzzle turn this into a battle of strength, endurance, and brains.

And when it's over, the person who needs CT the most might be the last person you'd expect.

Plus, Cara earns a new title, Tori leaves us wondering what exactly she wants from CT, and Justin gives us a line that may have permanently changed the way we think about post-elimination celebrations.

The Challenge Season 42 is getting smaller, the stakes are getting bigger, and apparently everybody hates CT… until they need CT.

WE MADE IT TO 50 EPISODES! 

And what better way to celebrate than having three Challengers mysteriously disappear from the season?

Leo, Nelson, and Josh have broken The Challenge Code of Conduct and are sent home—but the episode gives us almost NO explanation. Production simply cuts them out of the season, leaving us with a LOT of questions.

So, for our 50th episode of This Ends Your Time On The Challenge, Alicia and Wiley break down what happened, what wasn't explained, and what we initially thought happened based on the stalemate at the end of the previous episode.

Their departures also completely shake up the game. Gray and Blue both need new captains, and Blue has lost both of its male players. The remaining Blue women come up with a strategy to rotate captain duties and attempt a mutiny every other week, potentially giving each of them a shot at captain safety before the final.

And then...

It's time to eat.

Unfortunately, this is our first eating challenge of the season—and it looks absolutely DISGUSTING. We're talking about the nastiest food the Challengers have had to consume, leading us to discuss vegan exemptions, communication vs. physical strength, and one very important question:

How many Challenge fans have emetophobia?

Blue Team pulls out the win, led by Cara Maria and her apparently indestructible stomach, prompting TJ to point out that the team finally won after all their men went home. But how would they have performed if the guys were still there?

We also revisit the season-long money twist, Bananas' infamous decision with Sarah Rice, and whether Production is gaslighting us about how long they've actually been explaining the money-splitting rules.

Then the drama REALLY kicks in.

Cassidy and Adrienne get into money-related drama, Justin continues to have entirely too many opinions about CT, Tori asks whether a captain can nominate themself, and we get our first look at a brand-new elimination format.

We break down the rules, the strategy, who we wanted to win, who we thought would win, and—because this is The Challenge—how those three things don't necessarily line up.

And just when we think we understand the format, Production throws another wrench into the game.

With Blue having no men left and next week's elimination being a men's elimination, TJ announces that Blue and Gray will merge, forcing them to choose yet another captain.

Because apparently 50 episodes wasn't enough chaos.

Three Challengers gone. One disgusting eating challenge. Money drama. A brand-new elimination. Another team shakeup.

And that's how we celebrate 50 episodes of This Ends Your Time On The Challenge.

We're back with another episode of The Challenge: Cutthroat II, and this week starts with Nelly knowing he doesn't have the votes for a mutiny—but that isn't going to stop him from airing his grievances.

Then it's time for Perfect Match, and CT immediately finds himself in the crosshairs. Justin wakes up ready to talk some shit, while CT is already looking gassed. But there's a reason CT keeps telling his team not to burn him out before the puzzle...

Because the Orange Team goes from last place to FIRST.

And once again, CT reminds everyone that his brain might be just as valuable as his muscles.

We also get a tiny cowboy rodeo party, Lete debuts her drag alter ego Oliver Clothesoff, Bananas officially describes himself as an “overgrown man-baby,” and Izzy delivers one of the most unintentionally obvious observations we've ever heard.

Meanwhile, Tori reminds the Orange Team exactly how valuable CT could be in a final, while Nelly and Josh battle over who should become captain. We break down who we'd actually trust with that responsibility—and we're not exactly blown away by Nelly's daily win record.

Elsewhere, Izzy and Leo seem to be each other's consolation prizes, Leo threatens to sabotage his own team (which we explain is an absolutely terrible idea under this season's rules), and Tori attempts to play matchmaker with a blind date prank involving Leo and Will.

It could have been funny.

It wasn't.

But then the game takes a VERY unexpected turn.

Something happens that sends a team leader home, leaving us wondering what this means for the night's elimination. Then someone deliberately causes a stalemate vote, and we're left trying to figure out exactly what the hell happens next.

And just when we're done...

Alicia catches something in next week's preview that could point to something MAJOR.

Is she onto something? You'll have to listen to find out.

CT. Captain drama. Sabotage. Stalemates. Oliver Clothesoff. And a potentially HUGE preview.

Cutthroat II continues to deliver.

We're back in Bangkok for another episode of The Challenge: Cutthroat II, and this week we're bringing a very special guest to the couch: Gretchen, Wiley's alter ego, has officially entered the game. And because Wiley turned 30 this week, he's also entered his Dirty Thirty XXX Era.

You're welcome.

This week, we finally get some serious tea on Lete, courtesy of the always-reliable Alicia, as we question just how much of her past experience may have been embellished. Meanwhile, Nelly makes his case for becoming the Blue Team's captain, Cara tries to help him out, and the complicated relationships between Lete and Anna Leigh make the potential captain situation even messier.

Speaking of captains: what exactly are the rules of a mutiny?! If starting a mutiny requires a unanimous vote, does choosing the replacement captain also require unanimity—or is that a simple majority? We need answers!

Meanwhile, Bananas continues planting the seeds of his plan to overthrow Tori, and this week's daily challenge leaves us with one major question:

How the hell does the scoring work?!

We break down our confusion, attempt to make sense of the rules, and ultimately demand that Production give us more information.

Then things get WILD.

Will apparently proposes to Deb with a cock ring, Anna Leigh gets caught in another questionable lie, and we take a look back at the receipts from her previous questionable moments this season. We also revisit Cara's impressive elimination record and discuss whether her reputation as a Challenge legend gives her any advantages in the game.

And because apparently this house doesn't have enough drama, Anna Leigh and Leo stage a breakup for their alleged secret TV affair.

It's another week of The Challenge Season 42, and Cutthroat II is getting increasingly messy.

Mutiny. Lies. Secret affairs. Questionable scoring. Cock rings. Gretchen.

What more could you possibly want?

This episode is DIRTY.

The permanent team captains have arrived, and we're learning exactly what that means for the rest of Cutthroat II. These captains are now permanently safe from elimination, they'll hold the power over their teams, and they'll ultimately have a say in how the money gets divided at the end of the season.

Unless, of course, someone decides to overthrow them.

Bananas has some thoughts on who should hold that power, while Michelle somehow manages to make another intelligent observation about why she doesn't want a woman as her team's captain. Meanwhile, Wiley has a very specific name for this week's daily: Dirty 3-Way Basketball.

The teams are playing both sides, bros are scoring against their own bros, and Nelly is NOT happy about it. Keanu makes a bold public declaration that he'll volunteer for elimination whenever his team loses just to prove himself.

And then there's Sydnee.

We're talking confidence, body-shaming accusations, OnlyFans shade, an injury, a LOT of crying, and some very strong opinions from Wiley and Alicia. Plus, we have to discuss the increasingly blurry line between hooking up, cheating, and what exactly constitutes crossing the line in a Challenge house.

Basically, everyone is making questionable decisions and we're here to judge them.

Then comes an elimination that we absolutely loved—and a result that genuinely surprised us.

Permanent captains. Dirty basketball. Alleged hookups. Betrayals. Tears. And one hell of an elimination.

Cutthroat II is officially getting messy.