In MTV's reality competition series The Challenge, the show both tries to come up with original concepts for its daily challenges in each episode, and often time reworks prior daily challenge ideas to make them more interesting or unique.
It's not unusual to see daily challenges similar formats or fall into a similar style or category. And, while some challenge ideas are brilliant and new (or at least never seem to get old), others feel tired and played out. So which dailies should The Challenge do more of, and which should they retire?
Played Out: Car Crash/Dangerous Challenges
The Challenge has a terrifying habit of creating daily challenges that are way too dangerous for the contestants to compete in, and there is no better example of that problem than "Car Crash".
This baffling, bizarre challenge seemed to be an awful concept to begin with, and player to injure themselves while jumping from car to car, the moment when he came up in the water floating face-down was a moment Challenge fans will never forget, for all the wrong reasons.
Fans Want More Of: Fast & Furious/Action Challenges
It's actually pretty unusual for a cross-promotional event to work well, but when The Challenge teamed up with The Fast & The Furious franchise, the results were one of the coolest daily challenges ever.
And, although these more action-movie stunt-type challenges are probably insanely expensive, the investment is worth it, as the results are amazing and really make The Challenge seem like an extraordinary reality competition.
Played Out: Ice Spy/Player Elimination Challenges
The Challenge incorporates these daily challenges where the other contestants can eliminate their competitors quite often, but this season's "Ice Spy" challenge truly demonstrated what a failure they are.
These challenges enable players to work with their alliances and ensure that they win, but watching Fessy and Aneesa just standing there doing nothing while their allies handed them a win was honestly a bit of an embarrassing moment for a show that is meant to revolve around competition.
Fans Want More Of: Aerial Takedown
The whole concept of "Aerial Takedown," a daily challenge where competitors have to get on to a cargo net being flown by a helicopter and knock each other off of the net, is a neat concept that looks cool on camera as well.
However, this is a daily that needs to be repeated purely because the male competitors on the challenge basically refused to participate, so the audience hasn't even seen the game play out like it's meant to yet.
Played Out: Day of Wreckoning/Weight Based Challenges
The most memorable instance of this daily challenge style is irrefutably when Turbo and Ninja Natalie teamed up on War of the Worlds, and Ninja went absolutely nuclear on Turbo for "blowing the challenge" before finding out that they actually won.
However, regardless of how unnecessary Ninja's meltdown was, the fact that the players had absolutely no idea who was winning or losing pointed out how lame the challenge was, and honestly, who wants to watch players just run back and forth holding heavy things?
Fans Want More Of: Eye In The Sky
Teamwork makes the dream work, and this unique challenge concept actually does force players to work together and trust in each other completely.
The setup is this: the players are tied together on a rig suspended high up in the air, and the player who is guiding the team physically is blindfolded, while the other player is wearing a virtual reality headset, instructing the physical guide on where to go. It's a fun concept that really shows who can work together.
Played Out: Cold War/Cold Challenges
The Challenge has filmed seasons in a wide variety of locations, from deserts to tundras and everywhere in between. And obviously, if they're filming in a cold location, then they can't avoid the players getting a bit chilly.
But a recurring daily that seem dangerous, but it also just doesn't seem very competitive, as certain players obviously can't control how they physically react to extreme cold.
Fans Want More Of: All Brawl
While some challenges that offer players the opportunity to team up against one another wind up getting railroaded by the alliances who can work together to win, the recent addition of "All Brawl" seems to circumvent that issue.
While brawling is obviously what is expected, there is a strong strategic aspect to the challenge as well, which enables anyone who is lucky enough to find the relic and keep a good poker face the opportunity to win.
Played Out: Drone Control
Obviously using a spy drone for a daily challenge was meant to fit into this season's Double Agents theme, but all that "Drone Control" really demonstrated is that some challenges need a lot more vetting before making it to the screen.
Not only did the competition involve very little testing of the player's skills, but given that literally only one team was even capable of completing the task, obviously it's not a concept that works as a challenge.
Fans Want More Of: Trivia
Challenge host TJ Lavin isn't the only one who loves trivia. Sometimes the simplest ideas are also the best, and there's a reason why trivia is a daily challenge that comes back season after season.
Giving the mental players a chance to shine over the physical stars of the game is always fun, but watching players give hilariously dumb answers to easy questions is even better, and watching the players wipe out when they lose never gets old.
