The Era Invitational continues this week with The Challenge: Battle of the Eras, where the first eliminations of Season 40 will send eight players home before the end of Episode 2, including at least one “Challenge” legend. “The Era Invitational, Part 2” airs on Wednesday, August 21 (8/21/2024) at 8 p.m. ET.

ELECTRICITY: The Challenge 40: Battle of the Eras on Philo (free trial).

In Part II of the Season 40 premiere of “The Challenge,” also known as “The Challenge: Battle of the Eras,” the challengers enter the arena after battling for survival. Sixteen players will enter, only eight will return, but the losers will get to give the remaining players a karmic “parting gift,” according to the episode description.

Challenge All-Star Cara Maria Sorbello is already in the hot seat after finishing just seconds behind her arch-rival Laurel Stucky in the first Challenge. On social media this week, Cara directly criticized Laurel for her years of treatment, saying her fellow Challenger just wanted to “take her down and make sure the world knows I’m inferior to her.”

How can I watch The Challenge for free?

Those who have canceled their cable TV subscriptions can sign up for Philo (free trial), DirecTV Stream (free trial) or fuboTV (free trial) to live stream the first episode of “The Challenge” for free.

Cable subscribers can log in to MTV.com with their cable credentials to stream the new episode for free.

What channel does “The Challenge” air on?

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Channel Finder: Verizon Fios, Xfinity, Spectrum, Optimum/Altice, Cox, DirecTV

What happened on The Challenge last week?

Fans can watch all previous episodes of The Challenge: Battle of the Eras Season 40 on Philo.

In the season premiere, fans met the 40 players competing in Season 40 of The Challenge, a compilation of the show’s most popular and well-known contestants from the past three decades of The Challenge, Real World and Road Rules. This list includes famous seven-time winner Johnny Bananas, recent All-Stars 4 winner Laurel Stucky and reigning champion of The Challenge: World Championship Jordan Wisely.

Players were divided into teams based on eras and had to complete a multi-part challenge, the “Eras Invitational,” which included a block puzzle, a boat race, and a salvage objective. The loser of each era automatically advanced to the elimination round, and the winning male/female pair was tasked with nominating their opponent from the other six players in each era.

This left CT Tamburello & Rachel Robinson (Era I), Stucky & Bananas (Era II), Cory Wharton & Tori Deal (Era III) and Horacio Gutiérrez & Michele Fitzgerald (Era IV) in the position of power. The losers were Mark Long & Katie Cooley (Era I), KellyAnne Judd & Ryan Kehoe (Era II), Nia Moore & Leroy Garrett (Era III) and Nurys Mateo & Theo Campbell (Era IV).

At deliberations, everything old was new again, as the old feud between Cara Maria and Laurel Stucky resurfaced despite Cara’s request for a fresh start, Nurys was upset about her betrayal by Olivia (and Michele) at Battle for a New Champion, and fans were reminded for the millionth time that Jordan and Tori used to date (and were even engaged). Oh, and who can forget Paulie and Theo’s extremely mature past behavior that looks like a guarantee for the arena in Part II?

But fans were left with a cliffhanger that will happily be resolved for us in Episode 2, when we head to the arena and the first eliminations of the season take place. After that, it will feel like a proper start to the season, with episodes set to air through December of this year. Buckle up.

Who is competing in the 40th season of The Challenge?

Era I: Seasons 1-10

• Tina Barta
• Katie Cooley
• Aneesa Fereira
• Brad Fiorenza
• Derrick Kosinski
• Mark Long
• Rachel Robinson
• CT Tamburello
• David Taylor
• Jodi Weatherton

Era II: Seasons 11–20

• Derek Chavez
• Nehemiah Clark
• Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio
• KellyAnne Judd
• Ryan Kehoe
• Aviv Melmed
• Brandon Nelson
• Emily Schrom
• Cara Maria Sorbello
• Laurel Stucky

Epoch III: Seasons 21–30

• Tori Deal
• Amanda Garcia
• Leroy Garrett
• Jonna Mannion
• Nia Moore
• Tony Raines
• Averey Tressler
• Devin Walker
• Cory Wharton
• Jordan Wiseley

Epoch IV: Seasons 31-39

• Paulie Calafiore
• Theo Campbell
• Kaycee Clark
• Michelle Fitzgerald
• Horacio Gutierrez Jr.
• Olivia Kaiser
• Josh Martinez
• Nurys Mateo
• Jenny West
• Kyland Young

What is The Challenge: Battle of the Eras about?

According to MTV, “The Challenge is a reality competition that features a series of contests for the chance to win money. Contestants must endure brutal challenges, devastating elimination rounds, steamy affairs and bitter rivalries.”

But season 40 of “The Challenge” is about so much more than that. It’s a giant love letter to more than three decades of MTV’s “Real World,” “Road Rules” and, of course, “The Challenge,” bringing together the biggest icons from the show’s many eras for a titanic battle.

What are the differences between streaming services?

Philo is a live TV streaming service that focuses on entertainment channels like MTV, Paramount Network, Discovery, and more. It offers over 70 channels for the low price of $28 per month. It has unlimited DVR and can be streamed on all your favorite app-enabled devices. Right now, you can try Philo free for 7 days.

FuboTV is a live TV streaming service with a focus on live sports, including US and international soccer, NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and more. It also includes its own fubo Sports Networks with exclusive programming. It offers 190 channels starting at $79.99, unlimited DVR, and streaming on most devices. Right now, you can try fuboTV free for 7 days.

DirecTV Stream is comparable to FuboTV as it offers similar channels and features. The basic package, which costs $79.99 per month with a free trial, includes just over 90 live TV channels. You can explore all of DirecTV Stream’s channel packages on their website. Currently, for a limited time, new subscribers can get DTV Stream for three months for $49.99.

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