Challenge Documentary

## Top 10 Moments

1. ***Heartbreaking Heist:*** Emery stealing the money from Claire. (*Rivals III*)
	1. Emery & Claire have had a rocky history. They were frenemies on their original series, *Real World: Cancun,* and their frenemy nature translated onto *The Island* as well, where they managed to make it to the Final as rookies and place 2nd. After getting their first wins on *The Duel II* & *The Ruins* respectively, they returned on *Cutthroat* as teammates. Despite winning the season together and claiming they were "ride or dies", they were constantly throwing the other under the bus, trying to get the other out before the Final. They reunited on *Free Agents* after not talking for 2 years, and Claire made sure her allies went after Emery. This rivalry was finally put on its head in *Rivals III*, where they were partnered together. As the "team to beat," winning multiple dailies and eliminations, as well as repairing their broken friendship. They ran the Final as friends, but when TJ gave the option for each team highest earners to take all the prize money, all of their hard work went down the drain, and Emery stole the money. Claire had stated after that season that she would not return to the series after her third win. However, both and she and Emery returned on *War of the Worlds*, where she voted Emery into elimination in the second round. While their appearances have been on an off since then, they have taken time outside of the game to once again rebuild their decade-long friendship. They both made their triumphant return as friends on *Ride or Dies* as heavy hitters, but still find themselves not completely able to trust the other.
2. ***The Benefits of a Secret Vote:*** Lexi & Justin duping Carrie & DaShawn. (*Cutthroat*).
	1. *Cutthroat* is seen as a season where the game became more cutthroat and nasty. Lots of friendships were thrown out the window for the sake of the game. On the Gray Team, DaShawn, Thomas, & Carrie became the leaders, Chris, Luke, Ananda, & Lexi were their allies, and the targets were Lillian, Justin, and Brittany from the bat. However, Lexi grew a bond with Justin, and wanted to change the leadership of the team so this season would not be destined to be a repeat of the previous ones with the same people making the finals. Lexi and Justin grouped up the rest of their team to make the inaugural blindside against Thomas & Carrie, which sent Thomas home. Carrie & DaShawn were sent in the next round, eliminating DaShawn, but Carrie managed to hang in there until Heavy Hitter Tori eliminated her in a twist. This move caused Carrie & Lexi to be partnered on the following season (spoiler alert: they win).
3. ***Underdogs Up One:*** Scott defeating Harley in Pole Wrestle. (*The Duel*)
	1. The first pole wrestle ever was held between Callie & Faith on *The Duel*. Hotshot Harley was targeting all of the *Fresh Meat* rookies and not being subtle about it. It led to many confrontations during his 5 episode stint, most notably between him and Lexi. After being sent into elimination, he chose Scott to go up against, leading to yet another confrontation. Despite being smaller in stature, Scott did not give up, and ended up beating Harley in the first ever male Pole Wrestle. Harley's exit allowed the *Fresh Meat* players to have more agency in the game without him persecuting their existence.
4. ***Property of Faith:*** Aodhàn stealing Faith's key, only for her to win & take it back. (*The Island*)
	1. Loudmouth *Fresh Meat* player Faith rubbed a lot of people the wrong way with her "annoying presence", one of those many people was Aodhàn. They had many arguments, bickerings, back-and-forths, and insulting confessionals about each other. During *The Island*, Aodhàn was kept out of the Face-Offs because he was an under the radar, decently social rookie low on everyone's priority list. He was also perceived as weak, which the veterans wanted as a potential safety net in the future. When he was finally given the opportunity to play, he shockingly won, and stole Faith's key. Faith was irate, but unable to fight for it back due to the male-dominant nature of the season and the threat card being pulled. She was finally able to win it back, letting Aodhàn know exactly how she felt about him in the most girlboss way. She ended up winning the season while Aodhàn was eliminated right before the final.
5. ***Record Setters:*** Adam & Lillian winning 5 eliminations each, setting a record for most eliminations competed in and won in a single season. (*The Duel*)
	1. Adam & Lillian both entered the game with a smaller social circle, only creating an alliance with *Real World: Yosemite* and *Hollywood* castmates. This caused them to be sent into multiple eliminations, both of them winning 3 times in a row. Adam had a few numbers outside of the Sunset alliance, but his abrasive nature lost them quickly. However, after he beat Marcus in a blowout contact elimination, Adam was untouched by the rest of the house until it was just him against the majority alliance guys, where they would then only select Adam as an opponent because of the fear of ruffling veteran feathers. However, once they realized Adam would go in anyway, they just started voting him in. Lillian, on the other hand, came in as a rookie, and while initially laid low, her dominance in her first elimination and the following daily challenge put the living fear in every other girl. Whenever she didn't win, she was in the Duel. Lillian was able to match Adam's 5 wins, but Adam wasn't able to get 6 because he lost the final elimination.
6. ***"Sit Back & Relax" Strategy:***Dustin & DaShawn's strategy to always be nominated that actually got them far in the game despite being against everyone in the house and everyone's main target. (*The Ruins*)
	1. DaShawn & Dustin entered *The Ruins* as the most dangerous duo in the game, and the social politics of the Champions team put those 2 at the very bottom. However, none of the Challengers wanted to face against either of them in elimination. They decided they would use the already present fear against their opponents, deciding to announce they would fill up 2/3 of the Champion Nominees at every challenge. This way, they would also get to choose their opponents should they be the ones going into elimination. However, the fear the rest of the cast had scared them that to even vote against one of them could mean a death sentence.
7. ***Defying the Odds:*** AC & Claire's win on the *The Ruins*.
	1. The Challengers team had been decimated throughout the course of the game, only containing 3 women going into the final against 1 female & 4 male champions. Things got even worse when a provoked Lillian slapped the dogsh\*t out of Tony, disqualifying her days before the final challenge. However, the numbers disadvantage became AC & Claire's biggest advantage, as they were able to maneuver through the challenges quicker. The girls beat out the guys, earning these future *Challenge* legends their first wins.
8. ***Backpacked:*** Dustin carries Adam into defeat in a surprise mercenary elimination on *Cutthroat*.
	1. Despite being more towards the bottom of the Blue team, Adam was confident that Season 20 was his Champion season. With a dominating team and newfound allies Stephen & Emery backing him up, he felt solid. However, he was blindsided by his allies and sent into elimination against his best friend Justin. Things took a turn for the worst when Dustin & Tori were brought out as Heavy Hitters, and each man had to compete individually against the legendary Dustin. Dustin defeated Adam with ease, carrying him to the finish line on his back.
9. ***Character Development with a Splash of Diet Coke:*** Marcus, Jackson, Sean, and Tony getting chewed out by Ananda for bullying Sydney. (*Rivals*).
	1. In one of the most chaotic nights in *Challenge* history, the boys start harassing Sydney for cheating on Jackson with Jed and attacking her character, going so far as to pour a liter of diet coke on her head. Ananda, still drunk from the club, swoops in and saves Sydney from the mess. Then after making sure her partner is okay, absolutely verbally obliterates Marcus, Jackson, and Carrie in one of the most heartwarming Ananda-way possible.
10. ***Comeback Kid:*** Hannah finishing the *Free Agents* final, only to come back next season and win *Exes II*.
	1. Viewed as non threat on her first season, Hannah came into *Free Agents* wanting to never be the weakest player in the game. However, it was clear from early on that Hannah was playing with a bunch of heavy hitters. While she won 6 daily challenges the final puzzle elimination against Claire, no one was expecting her to finish in the final because she refused the work out. She defied expectations by finishing, vowing to "work out next time" so she can win. And whatever workout she did worked, because next season she became a *Challenge* champion.
11. ***Not the Layup Team You Were Looking for:*** Hannah & Jonah vs. Valenzuela & Madison pole wrestle. (*Battle of the Exes II*).
	1. Madison & Valenzuela just won their way back into the game against Ava & Nicho, and won the first challenge upon their reentry. They were allied with Hannah & Jonah, who were seen as the layup team all season, but strategically dominant as they managed to avoid the Dome all season. Sydney & Jackson won the final daily and chose Hannah & Jonah to battle against Madison & Valenzuela. The competition was *Pole Wrestle,* a *Challenge* classic, and what seemed like a game in the stronger team's favor. However, Jonah put his all into his round and won, motivating Hannah to outsmart Madison and pull off one of the biggest upsets in *Challenge* history. Hannah & Jonah went on to defy even more odds by winning the season and becoming Champions.
12. ***Ultimate Rookie of the Year:*** Keiana defeats two mercenaries. (*Vendettas*).
	1. *Vendettas* introduced a lot rookies to the franchise, including *Are You the One? 5* castmate Keiana. Keiana stuck out as a physical threat from the jump, prompting the Troika to send her into elimination, only for Mercenaries to come out. Keiana competed against Julie in one of the most iconic headbangers in history, becoming the only player to beat their respective mercenary and return to the game. The next coup to take out Keiana was foiled by another Mercenary twist, where Keiana beat champ Katie J. handily. Despite being thrown into these eliminations however, Keiana was able to align herself with the strongest men, which allowed her to make it to the final, where she was the only rookie to make the final round and placed 4th.
13. ***Millionaire Madi:*** Madison takes the money from Hunter. (*Final Reckoning*).
	1. Madison and Hunter entered *Final Reckoning* as Mercenaries with very personal history. Having developed a friendship outside the show, Hunter became angry with Madison once he found out about her plotting against him. This led to their "vendetta" partnership, where they proved to be a very compatible, threatening team. However, Hunter's constant disrespect towards Madison as a strategic component in their game frustrated her. When she was announced as the sole winner of *Final Reckoning* and given the choice of taking the $1,000,000 or splitting it with Hunter. She decided to take the money from her friend, blindsiding everyone. Madison took a break from the game since then, and repaired her friendship with Hunter before *Ride or Dies*, but he could not resist getting his revenge on her and sending her home early
14. ***The Four-Fingered Plan:*** With the help of his friends and alliance members' acting, Ben blindsided Brandon when his girlfriend Ava and best friend Jaeden were pitted against each other. (*Final Reckoning*).
	1. *Final Reckoning* saw the clash between two sides of the house: Ava, Brandon, Jaeden, and Katelyn vs. Greyson, Hunter, Madison, and Baylor. Brandon's partner Ben felt closer with the opposite side of the house, since all of Brandon's friends have iced him out since he won *Dirty 30*. The pair was unable to trust each other's alliances, so they threw their vote away most of the time in order not to gain an even bigger target already being one of the only all-male teams. Ben & Brandon finally won a daily when there were 9 teams left in the game, which put them in a sticky spot on where to place their power vote. Brandon saw an opportunity for his alliance to finally take power in the game, but Ben wanted Brandon's allies out of the game so that his partner would finally listen to him, and the only sure fire way to do this was to pit his two greatest allies, Jaeden (and Grant) and Ava (his girlfriend) (and Lillian), against each other. Ben convinced his allies Greyson and Hunter to get into a fake fight in order to convince Brandon that the other side of the house was crumbling. He then grouped up his allies and told them to burn their votes on each other, meanwhile convincing Brandon to vote Grant & Jaeden. While Brandon was resistant, Ben told him that all the other teams were going to vote for either Greyson & Tyler, Hunter & Madison, or Caroline & Jack (as the easiest team to beat) so the best way to protect themselves from the wrath of his allies was to burn their vote. Right before the vote, Ben had Delaney & Caroline tell Jaeden & Ava to also burn on each other, as the other teams were voting the stronger teams. Having caused enough chaos and misdirection, Ben was able to convince Brandon to "burn" his vote on Grant & Jaeden, which sent the boys into elimination against his girlfriend Ava. Brandon was blindsided that his best friend and girlfriend were in the elimination when he had all the power to save them. While this move caused a major fracture between them, it goes down as one of the best moves in *Challenge* history.
15. ***Crying Over Spilled Milk:*** In the final elimination of the season, Ben and Brandon disagree on which part to do individually, leading to a very upset Ben after Brandon couldn't hold his arms up longer than his opponent, eliminating them. (*Final Reckoning*).
	1. After a season of vying for control of their partnership, Ben & Brandon found themselves in the Final elimination, where one partner had to eat cookies & drink milk while the other had to hold their arms above their head. Ben begged to do the endurance portion of the challenge, but Brandon insisted to do it instead, thinking he is more fit for the more important role. Ben was angry that Brandon refused to give him the endurance role, especially after Brandon said he would do the eating role better than Ben as well. While Ben was able to complete his portion, Brandon lost the endurance challenge to Delaney, eliminating them. Ben, who has felt disrespected by his partner, gave him absolute hell for losing it for them, especially after doing the absolute most to get them to the end, in one of the most angry speeches ever.
16. ***Last Ditch Blindside:*** Joe, Izzie, and Hunter throw Ben into the last elimination on *Total Madness*).
	1. With the final looming, Hunter, Joe, and Tyler were worried about running against Ben in the Final. UK Vet Matt was under the impression that OG Rosey would be sent against him, but asked the Tribunal for Ben, as well as relaying his worry to Hunter. Hunter convinced Joe & Izzie to blindside Ben in a last ditch effort to remove him from the competition. However, Ben finally got his first Hall Brawl win and was able to make the Final.
17. ***Over-Confidence is a Silent Killer:*** Isaiah volunteers for elimination to eliminate Matt, despite already having a red skull. He ends up losing in an upset. (*Total Madness*).
	1. Matt and Isaiah had been on-and-off beefing during *Total Madness*, and when Matt finally got an opportunity to go into Purgatory and earn his Red Skull, Isaiah couldn't bear seeing Matt gloat and have hope in the game. Isaiah also won the daily challenge, and had the opportunity to volunteer himself for elimination. Despite already having a Red Skull, Isaiah throws himself in to prove a point to Matt: "Don't f\*ck with the monster." However, the elimination itself was not a headbanger, more with rhythm and agility. Isaiah had trouble getting the hang of the ropes-system, while Matt breezed to an easy victory.
18. '**Taking Bitches Down:** *Rookie Aspen dominates a physical challenge and wins the challenge for her and her partner on* Double Agents*.*
	1. In the *Aerial Takedown* daily challenge, all of the males chose not to attack each other in order not to ruffle feathers, but their female partners showed up to play. In the first women's round, rookie Aspen had to face off against veterans: Sophie, Delaney, Matti, Makenzie, and Devina. What no one was expecting was for Aspen to completely dominate her round, managing to personally throw Matti and Sophie off. Aspen ended up beating Keiana's time from the 2nd round and won safety for her and her partner, Jaeden.
19. ***Careful What You Wish For:*** Aidan attempts to make Ben house vote so he can face him in elimination after working together all season. When Ben finds out, he ensures that they do go against each other, and Ben wins. (*Double Agents*).
	1. The alliance of Ben, Caroline, Makenzie, and Aidan dominated the political schemes of *Double Agents*, but Aidan was the only one who did not have his gold skull. His options were to win a daily, which he had failed to do all season, or to try to convince the rest of the house to send him into the Crater. While he had the option to campaign for one of the 2 rookies, Dayson or Aulgimond, to be sent against him, he instead tried to convince Keiana & Dayson to throw Ben against him. However, his plan was thwarted when he did not become the house vote at Final 12 because Dayson wanted to eliminate Tyler or Stephen before the Final. It was also a girl's elimination. Keiana asked Aidan aloud at elimination, "Do you still want to go in even if it's not Ben?" Which caused Ben to start questioning what was really happening. After Devina's elimination, Ben started going off on Aidan for trying to plot against him, saying he's too scared to even tell his ally he wants to go against him. With his double agent nature exposed and as the only agent without a skull, Aidan finally earned his place in the *Crater*. Ben asked Dayson & Keiana to throw him against Aidan so that he could get an opportunity to change his partner if he wanted, and also eliminate the person coming for him. The cast was shocked to see a Hall Brawl for the 2nd time in a row, and Aidan got his wish as Keiana & Dayson sent Ben into the *Crater*. Ben's sheer fury trumped Aidan's desperation to get a skull, and Aidan was eliminated in 2 blowout rounds. Ben made a quick speech about always being doubted despite being a champion, and he chooses to remain with Meredith, knowing that she will get him his 2nd win.
20. ***Love Goggles:*** After being voted in by the Sapphire Cell with the support of the rest of his own team, Marek threatens to pick Philip unless Caroline gives him her undying loyalty for the rest of the game. When the time came, however, Marek picked her best friend Ben. (*Spies, Lies & Allies*).
	1. The veteran alliance in *Spies, Lies, & Allies* was a dominating force that only left room for rookies who were strong enough or had strong enough connections with the vets. The Sapphire Cell, a team of all vets, won the daily challenge, and after conspiring with the Emerald Cell vets, voted in Marek, a strong rookie who wasn't afraid to shake up the game. Marek had tried forming an alliance with Caroline and Ben from Emerald once he switched to the team, but after realizing his teammates were the ones to throw his name out there, he sought revenge. He confronted Caroline at the bar, and she quickly threw the other veteran guys, Dustin & Ben, under the bus as every man left in the game would rather go up against a rookie than another vet. Marek told Caroline that if he had her guaranteed protection for the rest of the game, he wouldn't ever choose her showmance Philip to go against as long as Caroline had nothing to do with it. Wanting to protect her love interest and numbers in the game, Caroline agreed, knowing that Marek would be targeted anyway so she really didn't have to say anything. At the elimination, Marek questioned her again: "Before I choose someone TJ - Caroline, do I have your word?" No one knew what was going on, but when Caroline said yes, Marek chose her best friend Ben to battle in elimination. Caroline felt absolutely duped, but didn't know whether she herself would save Ben over Philip. However, she never would have agreed if she knew Marek was going to pick Ben instead. Marek narrowly beat out a blindsided Ben, sending the reigning champ home, and giving future champ Caroline the ammunition to win.
21. ***Legacy Champion:*** Bobby was a housemate on the first *Real World* season in New York. Then, he won the first ever *Challenge* season *Challenge 2000*. After 20 years, he returned and won the first first *All-Star* season.
	1. Bobby is a Reality TV pioneer: the first golden boy on the first *Real World* season, and was a pioneer in winning the first *Challenge* ever. He competed in 5 challenges after that, ending with his 2nd win on *The Gauntlet II*. On *Battle of the Seasons*, he first met *Road Rules: Down Under* alum Hannah and they started a romantic relationship with each other. They competed on the next season together as a couple, but Hannah quit as soon as Bobby was voted off the show. They got engaged shortly after, appearing on *The Gauntlet II* as an engaged couple before both stopping their reality tv careers to focus on their life together. They got married, had 3 beautiful kids, but both picked up the call that led them back to the *Challenge*. On the historic first *All-Star* season, they became the first married couple to compete against each other on the show. While they both proved to have the chops to come back and play, Hannah was eliminated one round before the Final. But Bobby managed to prevail, becoming first and sole *All-Star* champion, and making history to win the first seasons of both shows and being on the first MTV Reality show.
22. ***The All-Star Return:*** Morgan only competed on two seasons before having kids and getting married. When she was asked back for *All-Stars*, she surprised everyone by tying for third and being the highest placing female. But what no one expected was for her to come back and win the next two installments, solidifying herself as a proven *Challenge* champion.
	1. Morgan's debut on *The Challenge* wasn't exactly super memorable. A *Real World: Yosemite* rookie, her alliance was targeted due to not being in the majority alliance, but she was spared until all her other allies were eliminated because she was able to make social bonds with other veterans. Once it was just her, she won 2 eliminations and made the Final, where her team lost to the Champions. She came back on *Cutthroat*, only to cut early for not having as many connections, but never came back after that. She was shocked to get a call asking for her return to the first *All-Stars* installment, especially after leaving RTV to start a family. While originally an alternate, she joined the main cast, and started making friends. These deep, personal friendships that *All-Stars* valued carried her to the Final, where she shocked everyone by tying with Faith for the highest placing female, but only snagged 3rd. However, being that close to a Final drove her to work harder going into season 2. She came back not only stronger, but with a better handle of the strategic game as well, building on her relationships from last season to plant her in a power alliance all season. Despite facing off against literal *Challenge* legends in the Final, she and *RR: Campus Crawl* alum crossed the finish line in 1st place. Torn with the idea of leaving her family for the third time, Mommy Morgan came into *All-Stars 3* knowing she HAD to win. She HAD to make all this time spent away from her family worth the money she would earn. She had to adapt to now being the biggest female threat in the house and the only female *All-Star* champ. Things only got harder when Ginger came in as a replacement, and only spoke on Morgan's character and a rumor that she cheated on her husband with Danny, her closest ally. Morgan took the game into her own hands and eliminated Ginger herself, and after losing Danny, eliminated Joi as well, and won her way to the Final from there. While her female competition was stiff, Morgan managed to beat every single woman in the Final despite being older than all of them, and took home her 2nd win, establishing her as the only female *All-Star* champ and a *Challenge* legend.