Recently, The Challenge has seen the viewership dip in the new season, Ride or Dies. For years, this MTV show funneled talent from other reality TV shows, such as The Real World, Road Rules, and Are You the One?, and later shows, such as Survivor and Big Brother, to create an instant rating success. With each of these shows’ audiences coming together, it was easy to see how The Challenge became one of the highest-rated and longest-running programs in MTV history. Most recently, the season finale of The Challenge: Double Agents garnered the most viewers for the program in 15 years.
Unfortunately, The Challenge has squandered its potential as Ride or Dies gets off to a rocky start in the ratings, with situations like Kaycee and Kenny getting pulled from season 38. Fans have taken to Reddit to discuss why The Challenge is losing viewers at such a rapid rate. Reddit user Original-Sun-5725 started a thread explaining the many problems recent seasons have had. They explained that the reliance on over-used veteran cast members and a revolving door of no-name rookies had alienated the show’s longtime fans.
The Challenge Fans Are Tired Of The Same Cast Season After Season
Although recent seasons have introduced audiences to many new faces, they fail to stick around for longer than a few episodes due to the powerhouse vet alliance of former Are You the One? and Big Brother cast members. While cast member Tori Deal argues it was the hardest season yet, she remains insulated by a multi-season alliance that will protect her while the rookies are sent in one after the other. The repetition of this alliance’s success has caused viewers to become bored and uninterested, as Redditor jenh6 comments, “I have no desire to ever see Kaycee, josh and Faysal ever again.“
Some have contended that the viewer drop is due to cord-cutting and an overall decline in live TV viewership, not the show’s quality. Redditor PonderingWaterBridge thinks “people not having cable is actually the primary driver of the low #s.” Fans have also shown a vested interest in the return of Johnny Bananas on The Challenge, who makes his first appearance in two seasons. This is evident by an increase in social media interactions as the season progresses.
The Challenge is in a transition period as it attempts to find its footing in the streaming landscape. Whether it’s the cast makeup or simply the program’s availability, changes are needed to keep The Challenge from falling even deeper in the ratings. There is definite interest in the program, and it simply needs the love and care it once had to make it shine again.
The Challenge airs on Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST on MTV.
