# List of The Challenge (TV series) episodes (seasons 31–present)
This list covers the episodes of *The Challenge*, MTV's long-running reality competition series, from season 31 (*Vendettas*, 2018) through the most recent season, 42 (*Cutthroat*). Season 31 is commonly treated as the start of the show's modern era: casting opened beyond the MTV universe, and the seasons that followed settled into a pattern of roughly 13 to 24 episodes each, airing in yearly cycles.[1](https://thetvdb.com/series/the-challenge) • [2](https://shapes.inc/fandom/the-challenge/timeline)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Season 31 | *Vendettas*, 16 episodes, January 2 to April 17, 2018, on MTV[1](https://thetvdb.com/series/the-challenge) • [3](https://www.paramountplus.com/shows/the-challenge/episodes/31/) |
| Seasons 32–39 | *Final Reckoning* (24 eps) through *Battle for a New Champion* (21 eps), July 2018 to March 2024[1](https://thetvdb.com/series/the-challenge) |
| Seasons 40–41 | *Battle of the Eras* (21 eps, Aug 2024–Jan 2025) and *Vets and New Threats* (21 eps, Jul–Dec 2025)[1](https://thetvdb.com/series/the-challenge) • [4](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/2100/the-challenge/episodes) |
| Season 42 | *Cutthroat*, the first season as a Paramount+ original, premiered August 5, 2026; 13 episodes through October 2026[1](https://thetvdb.com/series/the-challenge) • [5](https://www.paramountplus.com/sneak-peak/the-challenge-cutthroat-seson-42-everything-you-need-to-know/) |
| Season 42 format | 24 competitors in Thailand, three permanent teams, $500,000 prize, weekly Wednesday releases[5](https://www.paramountplus.com/sneak-peak/the-challenge-cutthroat-seson-42-everything-you-need-to-know/) |
| Franchise scope | Paramount Global Content lists the series as seasons 19–42 with 279 episodes total at 60 minutes[6](https://paramountglobalcontent.com/title/challenge-the) |
## Season 31: Vendettas (2018)
**Vendettas** premiered on January 2, 2018, with the episode "When Worlds Collide", and ran 16 episodes through April 2018.[1](https://thetvdb.com/series/the-challenge) • [3](https://www.paramountplus.com/shows/the-challenge/episodes/31/) The season organized its game around personal grudges: 28 competitors vied for a share of $500,000, and for the first time in the show's history a single winner was crowned regardless of gender.[7](https://thechallenge.fandom.com/wiki/The_Challenge%3A_Vendettas) • [8](https://www.thetvdb.com/series/the-challenge/allseasons/official) Casting also opened beyond the MTV and Bunim-Murray ecosystem in this season, drawing players from shows including *Big Brother*, *Survivor*, and various UK reality series.[2](https://shapes.inc/fandom/the-challenge/timeline)
Documented episode titles and airdates from the season include:[3](https://www.paramountplus.com/shows/the-challenge/episodes/31/)
1. "When Worlds Collide" (January 2, 2018)
2. "The Power of Three" (January 9, 2018), in which TJ Lavin introduced "Grenades" to the challengers
3. "#Banatalie" (January 16, 2018)
4. "Pizzagate" (January 23, 2018)
5. "Rumor Has It" (March 6, 2018)
6. "It's Britni, Bitch" (March 13, 2018), featuring a double elimination with four returning Mercenaries
7. "Help Me, Rhonda" (March 20, 2018)
8. "Czechmate" (March 27, 2018)
9. "Vendettas Never Die" (April 3, 2018), in which a twist made the final winner-take-all
10. "The Challenge: Vendettas Finale Part 1" (April 10, 2018) and "Finale Part 2" (April 17, 2018), the latter revealing the winner
## Seasons 32–39: the MTV streaming-transition years (2018–2024)
Channel Guide Magazine groups seasons 31 through 39 as the show's fourth era.[9](https://9c519110712a1cc5ffdf-b1b745d17d9877b298ac94fd86f5428e.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/ChannelGuideE-Aug2024.pdf) TheTVDB's season table records the following run of flagship seasons, each with its subtitle, air window, and episode count:[1](https://thetvdb.com/series/the-challenge)
| Season | Title | Originally released | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | Final Reckoning | July 2018 – December 2018 | 24 |
| 33 | War of the Worlds | February 2019 – May 2019 | 18 |
| 34 | War of the Worlds 2 | August 2019 – December 2019 | 18 |
| 35 | Total Madness | April 2020 – July 2020 | 18 |
| 36 | Double Agents | December 2020 – May 2021 | 21 |
| 37 | Spies, Lies & Allies | August 2021 – December 2021 | 21 |
| 38 | Ride or Dies | October 2022 – March 2023 | 21 |
| 39 | Battle for a New Champion | October 2023 – March 2024 | 21 |
Season 39, *Battle for a New Champion*, opened with a sneak-peek special airing October 18, 2023, in which host TJ Lavin explained the season's structure to a cast competing for a championship without any prior winners in the game.[10](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/2100/the-challenge/episodeguide)
## Seasons 40 and 41: Battle of the Eras and Vets & New Threats (2024–2025)
**Battle of the Eras**, the show's 40th season, aired from August 2024 to January 2025 in 21 episodes, closing with a two-part finale ("The End of An Era, Parts 1 and 2") on January 1 and 8, 2025, followed by a two-part reunion.[1](https://thetvdb.com/series/the-challenge) • [4](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/2100/the-challenge/episodes) Season 41, *Vets & New Threats*, ran from July 30 to December 17, 2025, opening with a "Day Zero" special on July 23, 2025, and closing with "Reunion Part 2" on December 17, 2025.[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/2100/the-challenge/episodes) Tom's Guide describes season 41 as pairing 16 veterans with 16 newcomers in teams of two, and lists it at 22 episodes on Paramount+; TheTVDB counts 21 numbered episodes plus the special.[11](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/paramount-plus/3-new-to-paramount-shows-you-need-to-binge-watch-this-weekend-march-20-22-2026) • [1](https://thetvdb.com/series/the-challenge)
## Season 42: Cutthroat (2026–present)
**Cutthroat** marks a distribution change: after nearly 30 years on MTV, the series moved to [Paramount+](https://www.edgepedia.org/paramount) as an original, premiering August 5, 2026 with a two-episode launch.[5](https://www.paramountplus.com/sneak-peak/the-challenge-cutthroat-seson-42-everything-you-need-to-know/) • [12](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/paramount-plus/new-on-paramount-in-august-2026-all-the-new-shows-and-movies-to-watch) The season revives the Cutthroat format in Thailand: 24 veterans and rookies are split into three permanent teams chosen by three captains, and a team must cross the final finish line together to claim a share of the $500,000 prize, with each captain deciding how the money is divided.[5](https://www.paramountplus.com/sneak-peak/the-challenge-cutthroat-seson-42-everything-you-need-to-know/) • [12](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/paramount-plus/new-on-paramount-in-august-2026-all-the-new-shows-and-movies-to-watch) The cast mixes Challenge veterans such as Chris "CT" Tamburello and John "Johnny Bananas" DeVenanzio with newcomers from CBS reality shows including *Survivor*.[5](https://www.paramountplus.com/sneak-peak/the-challenge-cutthroat-seson-42-everything-you-need-to-know/) Executive producers are Julie Pizzi, Justin Booth, and Jacob Lane, and new episodes arrive weekly on Wednesdays.[5](https://www.paramountplus.com/sneak-peak/the-challenge-cutthroat-seson-42-everything-you-need-to-know/)
The season's episodes through mid-October 2026, with airdates from Paramount+ and TheTVDB:[13](https://www.paramountplus.com/shows/the-challenge/episodes/) • [14](https://thetvdb.com/series/the-challenge/seasons/official/42)
| # | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Return to Cutthroat | August 5, 2026 |
| 2 | Crying Won't Get You Off This Roof | August 5, 2026 |
| 3 | Keep My Name Out Your Mouth | August 12, 2026 |
| 4 | Say It To My Face | August 19, 2026 |
| 5 | Down and Dirty | August 26, 2026 |
| 6 | Leave Room For Jesus | September 2, 2026 |
| 7 | You Need Me | September 9, 2026 |
| 8 | Is This Safe? | September 16, 2026 |
| 9 | A Captain's Worst Nightmare | September 23, 2026 |
| 10 | Trial By Combat | September 30, 2026 |
| 11 | Underwear Gate | October 7, 2026 |
| 12 | Participation Trophies | October 14, 2026 |
| 13 | The Final – Part 1 | October 21, 2026 |
The season's future became a public question in October 2026, when veteran competitor Cory Wharton said in a social media video that he did not think the show was coming back, citing the absence of casting calls and a reunion for season 42; neither MTV nor its parent company had commented at the time of that report.[15](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/the-challenge-fans-cory-wharton-react-alleged-cancellation) A later report carried a more positive update from Wharton about the show's potential future.[16](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/after-the-challenge-42-cancellation-rumors-cory-wharton-big-update)
## References
1. [The Challenge – TheTVDB.com](https://thetvdb.com/series/the-challenge)
2. [The Challenge Timeline – Shapes](https://shapes.inc/fandom/the-challenge/timeline)
3. [The Challenge Season 31 Episodes – Paramount+](https://www.paramountplus.com/shows/the-challenge/episodes/31/)
4. [The Challenge – Episode List – TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/2100/the-challenge/episodes)
5. [The Challenge Season 42: Everything You Need To Know – Paramount+ Sneak Peak](https://www.paramountplus.com/sneak-peak/the-challenge-cutthroat-seson-42-everything-you-need-to-know/)
6. [Paramount Global Content – Challenge, The](https://paramountglobalcontent.com/title/challenge-the)
7. [The Challenge: Vendettas – The Challenge Wiki](https://thechallenge.fandom.com/wiki/The_Challenge%3A_Vendettas)
8. [The Challenge – Aired Order – All Seasons – TheTVDB.com](https://www.thetvdb.com/series/the-challenge/allseasons/official)
9. [Channel Guide Magazine, August 2024 – The Challenge 40: Battle of the Eras](https://9c519110712a1cc5ffdf-b1b745d17d9877b298ac94fd86f5428e.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/ChannelGuideE-Aug2024.pdf)
10. [The Challenge – Episode Guide – TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/2100/the-challenge/episodeguide)
11. [3 new to Paramount+ shows you need to binge-watch this weekend (March 20–22) – Tom's Guide](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/paramount-plus/3-new-to-paramount-shows-you-need-to-binge-watch-this-weekend-march-20-22-2026)
12. [New on Paramount+ in August 2026 – Tom's Guide](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/paramount-plus/new-on-paramount-in-august-2026-all-the-new-shows-and-movies-to-watch)
13. [The Challenge Seasons & Episodes – Paramount+](https://www.paramountplus.com/shows/the-challenge/episodes/)
14. [The Challenge – Cutthroat – Season 42 – TheTVDB.com](https://thetvdb.com/series/the-challenge/seasons/official/42)
15. [Wait, Is The Challenge About To Be Canceled? – CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/the-challenge-fans-cory-wharton-react-alleged-cancellation)
16. [After The Challenge 42 Cancellation Rumors, Cory Wharton Dropped A Big Update – CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/after-the-challenge-42-cancellation-rumors-cory-wharton-big-update)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Seasons, episodes, and installments › Installment collections and reference › Reality, talk, and documentary episode lists*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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