The Challenge: Rivals III
The Challenge: Rivals III is the 28th season of the MTV reality game show, "The Challenge". Being the third in the "Rivals" series, "Rivals III" marks the show's third trilogy (following the "" and "" series), continuing on from the original "" and "". It was filmed in Huatulco, Mexico and Mendoza, Argentina during November and December 2015, with former cast members from MTV's "The Real World", "The Challenge", and "Are You the One?" competing. This season marks the first since to not feature any original cast members from the "" or "" seasons. Unlike the previous two installments of  the "Rivals" series, which featured same-gender pairs, "Rivals III" saw a change in format, with male/female pairs that had bitter feuds, fights, or strained relationships in previous seasons of "Real World", "The Challenge", and "Are You the One?" (similar to the "" series). Unlike the other "Rivals" seasons, only the winning team from each week's challenge was allowed to decide which team would face the last-place team in the elimination round. The season premiered with a special 90 minutes episode on May 4, 2016, and concluded its run on August 3, 2016, with the Reunion special. Lisa  Fletcher replaced longtime "Challenge" producer Justin Booth as executive producer this season. Booth had served as the executive producer since . Format. Each team participates in numerous challenges (sometimes called "missions"), which are followed by an elimination round — "The Jungle." The winning team of each challenge is safe from elimination, while the last-place finisher is automatically sent to The Jungle. The winning team also earns the right of choosing two teams that will face the last-place finisher in The Jungle. Prior to The Jungle, the two teams nominated by the winning team participate in an elimination draw in which  all four participants either draw one of three white skulls or one black skull out of a bag (similar to the "" season). If a participant draws a black skull, his/her team will face the last-place finisher in The Jungle. Unlike the original "" and "" seasons, both of which featured same-gender pairs, no money is awarded to a gender-specific first-place finisher after each mission, as this season features male/female pairs. At the end of the season, three teams will compete in the final challenge for a share of a $350,000 prize — the first-place team  wins $275,000, second-place wins $50,000 and third-place wins $25,000. However, in episode 13, a twist revealed that one partner has a choice between keeping all the money to themselves, or sharing it with their partner. Pre-season rivalry backgrounds. As with the first two "Rivals" seasons, "Rivals III" combines individuals who have had acrimonious or at least strained relations or interactions prior to the season. Unlike the first two "Rivals" seasons, which featured same-gender pairs, this season features "male/female" pairs. The following lists all the teams on "Rivals III" and explains why they 've been paired and dubbed as "rivals." Each of the teams' history of animosity and/or open expressions of hostility are detailed as follows: Gameplay. Final challenge. Prior to the final challenge, T. J. Lavin announced that not only would each team be competing against the other teams, but they would also have to compete against their fellow team members through a series of checkpoints. Each in-team victor would eventually be presented with an ultimate choice at the game's end: split the money with his/her partner, or take it all for himself/herself. The first checkpoint involved untangling  coiled wires. Sarah finished first and had to go back and help Bananas. Collectively, they finished the checkpoint first with Vince & Jenna coming in second, and Devin & Cheyenne coming in last. Vince & Jenna arrived at the second checkpoint first. The checkpoint was a giant memory game. Bananas finished first and got the point, and once again, Bananas & Sarah were the first team to complete the checkpoint. Vince & Jenna were second with Devin & Cheyenne once again in last. Checkpoint 3 was a two-dimensional, life-sized puzzle. Vince finished first but had to help Jenna finish, so Bananas & Sarah were actually  the first team to finish the third checkpoint. Sarah finished before Bananas, so she got the point. Vince finished before Jenna. Cheyenne finished before Devin finally getting a point compared to Devin's two. Vince and Jenna edged out Bananas & Sarah on a subsequent run to finish out the first day. To end the day, each team member took turns staying up at night (Whichever team member stayed up the longest earned 2 points.). The second day consisted of eating gross foods to earn points, and then a climb up the rest of the mountain to the finish line. By  the end of day two, Bananas & Sarah took first place (Bananas had more points), Vince & Jenna took second (Vince had more points), and Devin & Cheyenne finished in last (Devin had more points). The final checkpoint involved climbing a mountain, and whichever team arrived at the summit first was the winner of "Rivals III". Episodes. The Reunion. The Reunion special aired on August 3, 2016, following the season finale and was hosted by Nessa. The cast members who attended the reunion were Bananas, Sarah, Vince, Jenna, Devin, Cheyenne, Dario, Nicole, Wes, Nany, Nate, Cory, Ashley, and Camila. The Challenge: Rivals III