Original subtitles

* *

MICHELE: Headed right back to hell.

-(woman screams) -MONTE: So, are we playing Survivor?

TIFFANY: Girl, that's not your damn friend.

* Crazy... *

-JONNA: I'm a dead man walking! -BANANAS: Oh, we know!

* Crazy for feeling... *

-PAULIE: This is not Big Brother. -JOSH: Nobody said it was.

-PAULIE: I mean, you're fucking playing like it. -How?

DESI: I'm not just letting you guys throw me in.

-DUSTY: This is a different game! -(screaming)

TJ: The most competitive and cutthroat game on television

is back.

(screaming)

TJ: The Challenge takes being athletic and strategizing...

-This game is all here. -...but also,

ruthless and risky moves in order to win.

I've had nothing but your back in this game.

Then get your ass down here and play.

-TJ: Go! -(air horn blows)

(TJ laughs)

Players from Survivor...

CHRIS: I'm the only player

in Survivor history to be voted out and win

-the same season. -TJ: ...Big Brother...

TIFFANY: I am America's favorite player. Duh.

TJ: ...and The Amazing Race...

DUSTY: We had nothing like this on our show.

TJ: ...all face off in the biggest, craziest

and riskiest Challenge...

-Oh, shit! -Oh, my God.

TJ: But what they don't know

is that some of the greatest Challenge vets

from MTV's The Challenge are also joining the competition.

The bar is set higher than ever as the grueling competition

pushes them past their physical and mental limits.

JONNA: The rookies have no idea what's in store for them.

BANANAS: I've won seven titles,

and I'm the Challenger that keeps everyone up at night.

TJ: Those who can't cut it are going to elimination,

where there's only one rule: you lose, you go home.

(shouting, oohing)

And in the end, only one man...

...and one woman will emerge victorious

and take home $250,000 each.

I'm TJ Lavin,

and this is The Challenge: USA.

* *

PAULIE: Holy shit!

-What up, bud? -(laughs)

I'm glad you're back, brother.

-Let's get it. -Glad to be back, baby.

Excited to see you, man.

I'm Paulie. The last time you saw me on season 18

of Big Brother, I was a boy.

Now I'm here, grown into a man.

Paulie, good seeing you, buddy.

PAULIE: On top of my Big Brother days,

this will be my fourth Challenge.

It's been a long-awaited return.

I got 20 comp wins in three seasons.

Made finals, got second place.

Got third place. I'm a beast.

Now that I'm back, I feel like this is the Super Bowl, baby.

You know, we here to get this ring.

-Hi. -Hello, hello.

MICHELE: What a motley crew.

We are. We got all the ladies.

I'm Sebastian.

So, on Survivor, I was known as the happy-go-lucky

kid island boy.

I used to have long blond hair, but now I got

this short little Australian grunge mullet.

I've always manifested myself being on The Challenge.

And I know I'm here for a reason.

And I'm ready to show I'm not just a sixth-place finisher

that almost won Survivor. I want to win.

-We have a strong group here. -I know.

MICHELE: My name is Michele,

and yes, I've been on The Challenge twice,

but I've won Survivor, and I'm Survivor strong.

Winning this season is so important to me

because I want to prove that, like,

I actually have the capability

to go far and win.

And, like, obviously, the money 'cause...

Well, honey, I look good in gold.

PAULIE: I see all these beautiful faces.

I'm seeing Survivor, I'm seeing Big Brother,

I'm seeing The Amazing Race.

And then I'm seeing Josh.

And I feel as though

all this euphoria I had of my return

is just slowly leaving my body.

I haven't seen you in three years.

-Four. -Four years?

-Four years. -Wow.

PAULIE: Josh, who I saw

as my little brother coming into his first Challenge season,

only for him to align with people that were coming for me,

and, you know, I think the rest is history.

I think we have enough blowups to last a lifetime

of highlight reels.

(overlapping shouting)

Yes, you fucking will!

-I'll fucking kill you! -Do it! Do it!

PAULIE: Part of me wants to...

hug him, put the differences beside of me,

and then there's that other side of me that's like,

"I kind of want to rip your head off."

You know, I don't know if I want to be nice.

I haven't decided yet.

It's gonna depend on my mood, you know?

DUSTY: The Challenge, dude?

-This is dog-eat-dog. Yeah. -This is wild.

I couldn't pick a better Amazing Racer.

-Yeah. -You're a beast, bro.

DUSTY: I'm Dusty, and I am from

season 33 of The Amazing Race.

I have been a superfan of The Challenge since day one.

And it's just surreal to start this journey

of something that I've waited for my entire life to do.

It means more to me than anyone else in the house.

I truly believe that, and I think that is

what's gonna drive me to do whatever it takes to win.

-Let's go. -I know.

-(laughs) -Put-put Amazing Race on the map, baby.

LUIS: My name is Luis, and you might remember me

from the season 34 Amazing Race.

Coming into this game, Dusty and I

are the only two Amazing Racers,

so I know that I am the underdog.

But hey. Bring it.

* *

-MICHAELA: TJ! -(whooping, applause)

-TJ! -Ow, ow, ow!

Welcome to The Challenge: USA.

-(cheering) -We are in my favorite location:

Croatia.

(cheering, applause)

All right. I like it.

I like the enthusiasm.

Now, this season is about risk-taking.

That is why you are here.

Because you are all risk-takers.

CHRIS: I'm Chris,

and I am the winner of Survivor: Edge of Extinction.

What I had to do on Survivor,

I had to take the only thing that was safe in that game,

which was my Immunity Necklace, and give it away.

That was the riskiest thing I have ever done,

and that's why I was the winner of that million dollars.

TJ: And at the end of it all,

one man and one woman will take home $250,000 each.

(cheering, applause)

Hell yeah, baby.

Now, this season is gonna be played in teams.

Those teams are gonna be selected right now.

(cheering, applause)

This is the Hopper.

I'm gonna put your names in this Hopper.

I'm gonna select three of you.

Those three are choosing the teams.

All right?

TIFFANY: I always want to be control.

But there is also a disadvantage to that,

because you're showing people

what's going on in your head by the people that you choose.

TJ: Ready?

(shouting, whooping)

(shouting indistinctly)

TJ: Uh-oh.

(whooping)

Ha, ha. My man Josh.

-Yeah! -(cheering, applause)

Let's fucking go!

I am back and I feel better than ever.

I got my start on Big Brother and then I went on to compete

-on MTV's The Challenge. -WOMAN: Yeah, Josh!

JOSH: And now I'm probably the healthiest I've ever been.

So for all of you out there that love to hate me,

buckle up, 'cause it's gonna be a long season.

All right, next up...

Oh, boy. What do we got here?

This...

-...is Cassidy. -(cheering, applause)

In my season of Survivor,

I was the runner-up second-place finisher,

but I played it a little bit safe

and I didn't win, so if I am given

the opportunity to take a big risk

that could change the game for me, I am going to take it

and I'm not gonna play scared.

TJ: And...

-Desi. -(cheering, applause)

DESI: I am Desi, I'm from season 35 of Survivor.

Last time I played this game, I made it to the final,

but I had a partner who quit.

I'm coming back this time to claim that title.

My girl. Hell yeah.

I really hope that Desi picks me.

Watching season one of The Challenge: USA,

I know she is strong,

and I think Desi and I can do some damage together.

TJ: All right.

I have one more surprise for you.

(all oohing)

(sighs)

-Send them out. -(excited chatter)

JOSH: Yo! Let's fucking go!

(whooping)

I see Tori Deal. I know she just won her first Challenge,

so...

I'm assuming she's here for blood.

We see Wes. Then I see Bananas.

I think this might be a lot more difficult than I anticipated.

Oh, no!

-It's Wes! -WES: What is going on?

If you don't already know,

my name is Wes. I was originally on

The Real World.

I then turned that

into an incredibly illustrious career

on The Challenge.

I had to recently move into a mansion,

not because I needed a bigger house

but because I ran out of room

for my trophies.

-Wes and Bananas! -Oh, okay.

(whooping)

BANANAS: Ladies and gentlemen,

children of all ages, I'm Johnny Bananas.

I started my journey on The Real World: Key West.

Since then, I've done every Challenge

that's been thrown my way.

I hold the record for the most wins,

most seasons done.

I am The Challenge.

(whooping)

Let's go, Wes!

CHANELLE: I don't want to compete against them.

They're vets.

They have relationships.

They have experience.

And they know exactly how to exploit rookies

like myself.

(whooping, cheering)

TORI: I'm Tori.

Out of the eight seasons I've been on,

I've been to five finals. I just won

the last season of The Challenge: Ride or Dies.

Even though I look nice and sweet,

you put me on that field and I'm ripping somebody's head off.

I go full beast mode, and...

I'm proud to do that as a woman.

LUIS: Brought the hammers out. Damn!

TJ: Yes, we did bring the hammers out.

AMANDA: What's up, guys? My name is Amanda.

My reputation on The Challenge--

people refer to me as the devil, Satan.

And I don't like you!

I'm coming into this with nobody.

I don't like Tori.

I don't like Michele.

But I'm not here to make friends.

I'm here for my son.

So I need to take home that money.

MICHELE: I'm not happy to see Amanda here.

I made the mistake of getting on her bad side.

Amanda was hooking up with Faysal

in Spies, Lies & Allies.

When they ended things, me and Faysal

started hooking up a little bit, and...

Amanda feels like I went behind her back.

She went for Fessy as soon as Fessy got off the show.

MICHELE: So she could be

my Achilles' heel in this game.

So, no doubt, we have a group of pros here.

That's right. It's Cory Wharton here.

I've done ten seasons of The Challenge.

I've been to four finals.

I'm confident in my game.

I'm confident in myself.

I'm not gonna let anybody slow me down.

CBS kids, you better watch out,

'cause I'm coming for that crown.

TJ: They are known to make ruthless

and risky moves

in order to get to the end and win.

JONNA: I was originally on The Real World: Cancun.

-I'm Jonna. -I've done five seasons of The Challenge,

three seasons of All Stars

and then I just competed in the global championship.

I have something that some people don't have,

and that's just...

I'm smart. I'm really good at puzzles.

Whoo!

JONNA: After winning back-to-back,

I think my reputation is now

"you don't want to see Jonna in the final."

And I'm gonna be honest with you--

you don't want to see me in the final.

'Cause I'll take your money.

TJ: All right.

Time to pick the teams.

Josh.

Whew! No pressure, Teej.

Jonna, I've been dying to meet you and play with you, so,

Jonna, you're my first pick.

(cheering)

TJ: All right. Next up, Cassidy.

I think I got to go with Cory.

-You sold him for me. -(whooping, cheering)

(laughs)

CASSIDY: From my experience, when you're on a team

in a game like Survivor,

the challenges are very physical at the beginning.

So Cory looked super strong.

And I just felt like he didn't have

a huge ego, the way

that Bananas and Wes do.

So I was happy to pick Cory first.

Ha-ha!

(laughter)

Oh, yeah!

TJ: All right. Desi.

I grew up watching this game.

And little Desi couldn't not pick Wes.

-(cheering) -Fuck you, Bergy!

-Good pick! -DESI: I feel like Wes has a really bad reputation.

People think he's an asshole.

Look, I have respected Wes as a player

for a long time.

So I'm super stoked to have the opportunity

to play with him in this game.

TJ: Next up, Josh.

JOSH: I need to keep my friends close.

I need to keep my enemies closer.

Paulie.

(gasping, laughter)

JOSH: While he hates my guts

and we don't really know where we stand,

the guy likes to win and the guy's a good competitor,

so I'd rather have him in my corner

than rallying numbers against me.

-Hug me. -PAULIE: So now, in order for me to navigate this game,

I need Josh

and Josh needs me.

So to make sure that this team

stays intact, we need to put aside our hatred for each other

and put forward our love of winning.

All right. Next up, Cassidy.

-You have that winner energy with you right now, so... -Thank you. Thank you, sis.

We need to bring that over to my team.

Come on, Tori!

Michaela.

Yeah! Hell yeah!

Since I did Survivor,

I have learned so much,

like how to use

my strategy to advance myself

and protect myself

but also how to handle

my own emotions in stressful situations.

So I want to go from being

first out my first season of The Challenge

to being a Challenge champ.

I'm gonna go with Michele.

Uh, I'm gonna go with Fessy.

-Monte. -TJ: All right. -DESI: Michaela and I

are both Survivor, so we need somebody on the other side.

We needed a Big Brother player.

And Monte was first runner-up on his season.

So we had the sense

that not only is he a good physical player

but also he knows strategy.

-Dusty. -(laughter)

JOSH: I don't know much about Dusty.

The only thing I know is that this guy does triathlons.

So that's somebody that I want on my team.

I'm picking Alyssa L.

Yay!

Ameerah.

Yay!

-Chanelle. -Hell yeah.

-Sebastian. -I like this team.

Yeah, buddy.

I'm honestly stoked. Like, I think we have

the most strength, and I think we have experience.

Plus, I got Tori.

She plays like a badass.

And I also think

that she is a hottie.

Tyler.

TJ: All right.

Come on over, Banana Man! Yeah!

Just to make it as confusing as possible,

-the other Alyssa. -(laughter)

TJ: And because each team needs two Challenge veterans, Amanda,

you're on Desi's team.

-(whooping) -Hey, guys.

TJ: Now, this also means

Josh gets Tiffany.

-Come on over, baby! -Come on, T-Money!

-T-Dawg! -Come here!

-I'm gonna take Chris. -All right. -Yeah!

-People! -No matter how good you are,

no matter how many accolades you have,

there are plenty of people that still don't see me

as the smartest, the strongest.

I just have something to prove all the time.

TJ: Which means Luis

-goes to Desi. -Let's go. -(cheering)

LUIS: Let's go, team!

Let's go, team!

-Let's go, team! -DESI: I know the people

on my team are not only physically strong

but they're also smart.

And everything in this game is not about brute strength.

Sometimes it's about strategy.

This team is now the Red Team.

-Yeah! -TJ: Blue Team.

(whooping)

-TJ: And the Green Team. All right? -Boo!

ALYSSA L.: I feel like the teams are

pretty evened up.

But Red has more loudmouths, more drama.

That could probably affect their team.

What I love most about my team

is that there's no big egos.

And that could really benefit our team.

TJ: Now it's time for you to go back to the house,

get to know each other

and get some rest, 'cause The Challenge

starts tomorrow.

(cheering, whooping)

All right!

(whooping)

-(overlapping chatter) -Wait, are you going the right way?

(babbling)

PAULIE: Get out of my way!

Where's the actual door?

(shouting, screaming)

JOSH: Yeah!

-I got it. -Yeah!

I'm Chanelle, I'm from Survivor season 42,

and you guys probably remember me

for being a massive risk-taker.

On Survivor, I slept in the dirt.

I didn't have a bed.

I didn't have a roof.

This house is decked out.

Dorothy, you are not in Kansas anymore.

Sleep with one eye open, sis.

Fuck.

I'm never gonna get a good night of rest in here.

FAYSAL: What's going on? It's Faysal.

You might know me as Fessy.

Even though I come from Big Brother, this is

my fifth season on The Challenge.

Coming into this house, there are a couple of women

that I have had some short flings with in the past.

Tori, Michele and Amanda.

But I've moved on.

I hope everybody has moved on.

I'm staying out of it.

I'm here to win this game.

Is he trying to recruit you into his alliance?

WES: He's actually trying to get me to switch teams.

-Yeah, see? I knew it. -Listen, he said that...

-You don't waste any time, dude. -Go ahead.

-You two can have each other. -We're basically sharing a bed.

(laughter)

ALYSSA S.: Do you ever get numb to it or after all these seasons,

is it still hard to lose someone in elimination?

-TORI: It's emotional, for sure. -Yeah.

Especially when you get, like, really close to people.

Yeah, the saying at Big Brother is "Expect the unexpected."

So we're ready for some blind sides, we're ready

-for some crazy... -AMEERAH: And with this one,

they said, "Be ready for a lot of risk."

And I'm here for it.

AMEERAH: My reputation on Big Brother

was that I was a shark

and that I was super direct.

I came into this game with Monte and Alyssa

from Big Brother 24.

I hope that Big Brother can all have

each other's backs and that we can work together.

We definitely have the numbers to do something in this game.

I think our team is strong.

-If we can just rein in the chaos energy... -I think...

-Well, you mean the egos? -Yeah.

You mean if Johnny and I can get along?

You mean if Josh and I can get along?

But if we can't get along,

we'll probably burn in chaos?

MICHELE: This season, I am on Team Red Flag.

There's a lot of tension going on in this group.

Paulie, Bananas and Josh have a history

longer than a fucking CVS receipt.

We are one step away

from all imploding.

TJ: Coming up on The Challenge: USA...

-CHANELLE: Move out of the way! -When things get heavy,

-one team will tear themselves apart. -Stop!

Watch out-- Watch out, Johnny, move!

We are a disaster. If this experience

isn't what Team Red Flag's is, I don't know what is.

TJ: And a twist that no one will see coming.

I need all of you to go back to the house,

where you will place a vote in secret.

TYLER: Yo, this secret vote is a game changer.

This is feeling like Big Brother all of a sudden.

JOSH: Bring it in, fam. Bring it in.

I don't want to get emotional,

I just want to say I feel so lucky

to compete with every single one of you.

Cheers, guys, let's bring it in. Cheers.

-(cheering) -To every fucking season!

Season two of The Challenge: USA!

(whooping)

This is my first time on The Challenge.

Coming in here to prove myself.

I just got out of a long-term relationship.

My ex is Angela. She competed on the first season

of The Challenge: USA. She crushed it.

I met her on Big Brother. It was a difficult time,

but that's life.

I take it on the chin every time and I get right back up.

I feel like there's a lot of sirens in here,

but I'm not giving in to temptation.

Not this time. (chuckles)

(whooping)

* *

(laughs) That one looks like fucking Wes!

(laughter)

WES: If I didn't already have several statues

of myself naked,

I would take this one home.

They got the abs just right.

There's only six of them.

In real life, there's eight and some obliques.

Amanda's this one right here.

MICHELE: As if seeing Amanda's face

in real life is not enough

to make me want to throw up in my mouth,

now I see it chiseled

into a fucking seven-foot statue.

TJ: All right, everyone, welcome

to your first challenge on this season

of The Challenge: USA.

(cheering, applause)

-Let's go. -TJ: Now, today's challenge

is called Storm the Castle.

As you can see,

there are six statues behind me.

Each statue represents a Challenge great.

Jonna and Bananas,

Amanda and Wes,

and Cory and Tori.

You chose those players. Now you got to carry them.

PAULIE: Not only are you gonna put me in this house

on a team with my enemies

Johnny Bananas and Josh,

but now I got to carry my enemy on my back?

You are really trying to just...

...just beat that ego out of me.

TJ: To begin, you're all gonna start back here.

When I say go, you will race

to your corresponding statue.

You will then have to carry that statue

all the way up to the castle ruins.

And those statues are very heavy.

It's gonna be really hard.

Along the way, you'll see several signs

with symbols on them.

You must memorize these symbols,

'cause they correspond with puzzles.

You must complete the puzzle to move on.

The first team to get all the way to the top,

placing both of their statues on their pedestals

will win today's challenge, be safe from elimination

and also, select two players

to be at risk of elimination.

ALYSSA L.: Getting cut right before the final

last season was kind of bittersweet.

So I definitely don't want to feel that again

this time around.

I think I'll definitely switch up my strategy

a little bit this season.

I'm kind of like a free agent, almost,

and I'd love to see where everyone's head is at.

All right, good luck, everyone.

-Let's get it done. -Yeah.

* *

DESI: I think there's a lot of teams with a really loud bark

but they don't have the strength and the minds to back it up.

-So no chance we're gonna lose this. -Preach.

CASSIDY: I think the biggest concern

on our team right now is from Fessy.

He's wondering why we're not carrying a statue of him.

(laughter)

MICHELE: As of right now, I think we're all on the same page.

BANANAS: We haven't even started the game yet.

Let's not put the cart before the horse here.

TJ: All right, everybody ready?

CONTESTANTS: Yeah!

-Go! -(air horn blows)

-(laughter) -Oh, shit.

(whoops)

CORY: All right, girls, y'all are in the front.

We're gonna push onto your shoulders.

Onto your shoulders. Lift on three.

One, two, three. Up.

-They're right behind us. -Ready, Fessy?

-Yeah. -Oh, shit. Wait a minute. -Watch your step.

-Let's get it up higher, Johnny. -Hold on, stop for real quick,

-girls. -Okay.

(grunting): All right, three, two. Move.

MICHELE: These statues are so freakin' heavy.

It's like if you took Johnny Bananas' ego

and put it into stone form.

That's how big and how heavy these statues are.

-Which way? -This way. Come on.

MICHAELA: Y'all can push faster.

I feel like I'm dragging it.

I think that we have the right combination of people.

We have assigned people to carry the statues,

like Monte, who is extremely strong.

And then we have me and Amanda, looking out for signs

so that we can go ahead and solve the puzzles

once we get to the station.

Sign right.

WES: Are you memorizing all of it?

-I got it, Wes. -Okay.

Double zero, line through it.

(breathless): Hourglass.

There's a cart.

-WES: "Select the three ruins..." -AMANDA: "...you did not see.

Flip them and put them in numerical order."

WES: We are going to take all of the pieces

that we have seen along the journey off the board.

On the other side of the remaining pieces

will be three numbers.

Those three numbers will unlock

a wagon to carry our statue

from this leg to the next leg.

-By the wagon. -Yeah, yeah.

Push.

-AMANDA: 5-7-8. 5-7-8. -WES: 5-7-8?

ALYSSA L.: The first puzzle,

we're all kind of getting there

around the same time.

-It's these three. Six. -Yeah. 6-8-9.

It's a little chaotic, but everyone seemed

-to solve this fast. -Let's go!

Hold it, grab the front right here.

One, two, three, push.

Let's go, let's go, let's go.

Wait, wait, wait. Keep it up.

JONNA: Go, go, go, go. Come on.

LUIS: I'm feeling

distraught.

We are losing our lead right now.

-One, two, three. -(grunting)

LUIS: But hey, we're not giving up.

As a firefighter, I'm used to carrying things.

We have to carry hoses up multiple staircases.

And I want to show my team how strong I am.

Pay attention, pay attention. We got one coming up.

BANANAS: What do we do if they're in our way?

-We want to go! -JONNA: Move out of the way!

BANANAS: Let's go, Josh!

CHANELLE: Stop! Watch out!

Watch out, watch out, watch out!

Watch it, watch it, watch it!

Okay. Okay, okay. Watch out, Johnny!

-Johnny, move! -TIFFANY: Run. Wait.

CHANELLE: We are a disaster.

If this experience isn't literally

what Team Red Flags is, I don't know what is.

-Let's go, Sebastian. -Slow, slow, slow.

-There we go. -TYLER: The Red Team's wagon,

honestly, almost killed Johnny Bananas,

and we whipped by them and we get our lead back.

I'm feeling pretty confident now.

Like, we might be able to take this thing home.

-Oh, shit. -Wait, wait, wait, wait!

-You guys looking for signs? -Nope. Keep going.

WES: I haven't seen any.

Three, two, one, go.

-PAULIE: Josh, on that side. -Up, up, go up with me.

There's definitely some weak links here.

Okay, we need more than just two guys

-in the front. -Guys, you guys need to help!

JONNA: Dusty can't really hold his weight.

And of course, Josh is starting to freak out.

No, hold the statue.

Right now, the Red Team is screwed.

CORY: Go up, go up.

Come on, don't lose momentum. Don't lose momentum.

AMEERAH: "Select the three runes you did not see.

"Flip them and put them in numerical order.

The correct answer cuts both statues in half."

This is where we show our strength.

And we're in the lead.

I got second place in Big Brother,

but I'm looking to go from second place

to first place.

AMANDA: 2-6-7. Check.

2-6-7.

It's wrong?

We have a clear lead, we should have plenty of time.

And then it becomes clear that Amanda doesn't know

-what symbols she saw. -Was that the first round or the second?

I see, like, a flash of blue and a flash of red.

We're literally self-destructing.

Okay, go-- go to the puzzle. Go.

-Let's go! Go! -Come on!

Wagon's here.

JOSH: Okay, go.

This one...

4, 4-8-9.

Cut it in half. We get to cut it in half.

CASSIDY: We were able to take off half the weight

at the base, it's a huge help.

I am so exhausted by this time, and I see the next portion

of this trek is taking me

pretty much straight uphill.

Oh, my God, I don't know how the hell I'm gonna do this.

-1-4-6, 1-4-6. -1-4-6.

MICHELE: Check. Check. Let's go.

You two got that?

(overlapping shouting)

-2-3... 3-5-6? -I thought I saw it.

I don't remember seeing this one.

Red and Blue are gone, and we're just guessing

at this point.

Trying whatever combination we can.

A lot of people, like Michele and Tori,

want me out, so we need to catch up, we need to win.

-(shouts) -Need help in the back!

You got Blue passing Red,

Red passing Blue.

It is coming down to the wire here.

Oh, man, it's a tight race.

(echoes): Let's go!

2-3-6. Shit.

ALYSSA L.: Come on, run.

-Yes. -Come on, bro.

Whoo!

TJ: Oh, man, oh, man, it's a tight race.

Anybody's race, let's go!

(overlapping chatter)

-I'm here with you. -Right here.

-Right here. -Right here.

Hurry, hurry. Hurry!

-We got it. Check. -All right, Blue is done.

(cheering)

-Blue is done! -(shouting)

Let's fucking go!

I picked the winning team.

We absolutely crushed it,

and there's no feeling like that.

TJ: Blue getting it done.

That's what I'm talking about, baby.

TJ: Wow.

All right. Great job, all of you.

It was very neck and neck

right there at the end, however, the Blue Team,

-getting it done, prevailing. -(applause)

Wow. Which means

you are all safe from elimination.

Great job. Now I need you to go back to the house

and pick two people-- one man and one woman

from the losers-- the Red or Green Team--

to be at risk of elimination.

The Blue Team gets to nominate a man and a woman

from either of the losing teams to be

"at risk" of going into elimination.

That's a risk that I don't want to take,

so it's gonna be very important

that my name is not amongst those who are at risk.

TJ: The losing squads, the Red Team and the Green Team,

I need all of you to go back to the house

where you will place a vote...

...in secret.

TYLER: Yo, this secret vote is a game changer.

This is feeling like

Big Brother all of a sudden.

This is feeling like my wheelhouse.

TJ: I need all of you

to go back to the house,

where you will place a vote...

...in secret.

One by one, into the Hopper.

You remember the Hopper from yesterday, right?

At the elimination, the Hopper will randomly determine

who is playing for their spot in the game.

The Blue Team won, so they're safe.

Your vote has to come from the Red or Green Team.

BANANAS: This allows people

to make a lot bigger moves

and basically hide behind a shroud of secrecy.

This doesn't necessarily bode well for my game.

AMANDA: I love this.

If this game is about taking risks,

I'm gonna shoot my shot

every single time, all right?

TJ: Got it?

All right, good luck. I'll see you soon.

CASSIDY: Good job, guys.

-We did it. -(cheering, applause)

CHRIS: Getting that first win with Blue

was so exciting because, for me, I have never, ever won

a challenge with a team.

Because my first season of Survivor,

we lost three in a row.

The fact that we now have the power at the start of this game,

I'm just so pumped that I'm in this position.

(all chant)

JOSH: One thing I know about this game

is that there's strength in numbers,

and the good thing is that I have

a lot of friends within the Blue Team.

So I think the smartest move

is for the Red Team and the Blue Team to work together,

and I think that we can dominate,

but also take control of this game moving forward.

CORY: I don't have any desire

in voting you in.

You're way bottom on my list. You know what I mean?

You're not good at this game, Josh...

-CORY: No, no... -(laughter)

CASSIDY: Just kidding. I love you.

* *

CORY: Good job today. Good job, everybody.

It was good to see our team come together.

We did well, we communicated great.

TORI: My strategy in nominations

at this point is to make sure

that absolutely no Challenge vet gets a vote.

That's my only goal right now,

because there are only six Challenge vets in this game.

So I need to convince people from Big Brother

and Survivor to vote

against each other, essentially.

So, do we want to weaken a team, do we want to target

just one team so we're not going after Green and Red?

-I think that's a good idea. -I think-- Yeah.

I don't want to waste this.

I want to make it benefit us.

I do agree with: one team.

I think if we align with Red, it's a good chance that,

if they were to win, they would work out with us.

And have you guys talked to Red at all

before coming out here, like, getting a feel

for where their heart's at?

-Yeah, I talked to Josh. -And?

And he was basically like, you know, "If you guys

looked out for us, we would look out for you."

I mean, he's saying that as one person,

but, like, he's also somebody that can corral people.

CORY: Got it down to a team.

-We got it down to a team. -(overlapping chatter)

We're, like, halfway there. Halfway.

ALYSSA S.: Oh, my gosh.

This is really, really hard for me.

That means that we are against Green,

and a lot of my people are on that team.

FAYSAL: So now we got to...

narrow it down to one guy and one girl,

so who are we thinking?

Who are our men? We have Wes.

I'll go Luis.

-Mine's Monte. -TORI: Okay.

ALYSSA L.: I know Luis outside of this game.

We're good friends, so I'm not gonna make moves that benefit

someone else and not myself.

I'm not gonna be sucking up to the vets.

TORI: Okay, now we got to get to girls.

Ameerah's a cross-country runner.

CORY: I have never talked to Ameerah.

I want to have more of a relationship with her,

-but... -I've never talked to her, either.

She's worth having a conversation with.

Ameerah is my best friend outside of this house.

I don't want to lose Ameerah.

To me, the thing that worries me is I feel like

if we vote in the other three girls...

...they're gonna make a huge thing,

because they're super strong.

CORY: So my vote

is Luis and Ameerah.

CASSIDY: Luis and Ameerah.

TYLER: Luis and, uh,

for the girls, Ameerah.

TORI: Luis and Ameerah.

FAYSAL: My vote is Luis and Ameerah.

ALYSSA L.: Monte and Michaela.

Luis and Ameerah.

Luis and Michaela.

ALYSSA L.: It's pretty clear, like, I'm not an idiot.

Cory, Tori

knew exactly who they wanted going in.

And everyone is just feeding their egos.

* *

So we ended up going with Ameerah and Luis,

and I'm happy with that.

I protected the vets,

and I feel like they're gonna repay me that favor.

-Okay, run, hide. -(laughter)

* *

AMANDA: What?

Damn.

WES: I'm actually so happy.

As far as the Challenge vets go,

we stand out like sore thumbs.

You should be ganging up on us.

We're the threats.

You're supposed to come after us.

-What? -They don't want to go big, guys, so...

LUIS: I am last place in the popularity contest,

and this game has gone out of my hands.

It's not a great feeling.

I was, um, just outvoted.

-Are you kidding me, Alyssa? -No.

The Blue Team is a bunch of punks. They have Tori

and they have Cory running that team,

and all the rest of them are just falling in line.

MICHAELA: We got your back.

Don't worry about it. I'm-a posture up.

* *

Blue has this next week.

We dwindle down Green, it's gonna probably be

Blue and Red winning again,

and then we protect each other again.

Seeing the Blue Team's nominations,

I think they're gonna have the Red Team's back.

So my objective with this vote is to vote

for a male Green Team member in order to weaken their team.

Is ev-- would everybody be okay here

if we picked a guy from Green to send in?

-MICHELE: Yes. -JONNA: Having the secret vote

just adds so many layers to this game.

Not only do you have to play with your team,

but you also have to think about your long-term game,

because there's only one male

and one female winner.

At some point, we're gonna have to turn against each other,

so I mean, I might as well rip the Band-Aid off.

BANANAS: Who runs the Green Team, in everybody's opinion?

Wes, right?

CHANELLE: So you want to cut off

the head of the snake?

Why not Monte? He's a big dude, he's strong,

he's athletic, the guy ran track and field.

MICHELE: We don't all necessarily

have to say the same guy.

You can't, like, randomly, willy-nilly throw, like,

a girl in.

JONNA: I don't know what to think of Michele.

Right before coming to The Challenge,

Wes tells me "Stay far away from Michele,"

because Michele is a very emotional player.

Wes is the person that I'm closest to here.

And the only person I feel like I can trust in this game.

BANANAS: The likelihood of a guy

from their team going in is the same, whether we put them

all in one name or if we spread eight votes

-across three different guys. -JONNA: So, is that the plan?

Is everybody just gonna pick a Green guy?

JOSH: Yep. Exactly.

(alarm blaring)

* *

I'm going for Bananas. I'm not here to play the vets' game.

(air hissing)

Bye.

SEBASTIAN: I don't want Big Brother people.

* All these people are liars. *

Even though Ameerah has been nominated,

if TJ pulls a man out of the Hopper, she's actually safe.

So my goal here is to get as many votes on men as possible

so there's less likelihood

that a female could end up in the elimination.

Even if it means that Luis is going in.

AMANDA: See you.

This is cute.

We obviously want to weaken the Green Team.

JONNA: I'm just gonna put everything out the window.

I know I'm not supposed to vote for someone on my team, but...

* *

JONNA: I'm just gonna put everything out the window.

I know I'm not supposed to vote for someone on my team,

but there's one person on my team

that I feel like is going to really affect my game.

(air hissing)

Goddamn it, I cannot believe I'm not putting Amanda's name

in this fucking contraption.

Did it.

* *

AMANDA: We just made our secret vote.

We don't know if TJ's gonna announce

who's in the Hopper,

or is it gonna continue to be a secret?

I don't know what's about to happen, but I just got to hope

that somebody that I put in there

is gonna be going up for elimination.

TJ: All right, everyone.

Welcome to your first elimination here at the Arena.

(cheering, applause)

-Yeah! -TJ: The Arena is where

all the elimination rounds are gonna be taking place

on this season of The Challenge: USA.

If you find yourself down here,

it's because you didn't win the challenge

or it's because you didn't make enough alliances,

which is very important as well, because two people in the end,

one man and one woman,

are gonna split $500,000.

250 each. Life-changing money.

Now, Blue Team,

absolutely killing it at the first challenge.

You secured the victory and you've secured safety.

In doing so, you had to choose two players--

one man and one woman-- to be at risk of elimination.

You did that and you chose Ameerah and Luis.

Come on out.

(cheering, applause)

-Whoo! Let's go, baby! -Yeah, fired up.

Fired up!

So, the rest of you had a secret vote

where you had to place balls

into the Hopper with names on them.

In a moment, I'm gonna fire up that Hopper.

And whoever's name comes out...

...they're on the line.

The more balls in the Hopper, the better chance

you have of coming in here.

Okay, so let's see who got votes tonight.

-(excited chatter) -Lucky numbers? Ha, ha!

Now we get to see how many votes

each individual player had, and...

(laughs) it's not so secret anymore.

TJ: Wes...

-...with two votes. -Wow.

Dusty.

Two votes.

Desi. One vote.

Michele.

Three votes.

(laughs): Oh!

MICHELE: Are you kidding me? Three balls. I hate it.

I don't like luck, I don't like chance.

I don't want to be in this situation.

Monte.

Four votes.

Oh, I like that.

TJ: And we have...

Bananas.

Four votes.

No fucking way!

-I demand a recount. -Oh, shit.

MICHELE: I'm realizing that there are seven votes

for Green players and nine votes for Red players.

Uh, the math isn't mathing.

It should be eight for Green, eight for Red.

Does this mean that somebody on Red voted a Red?

There's a rat in this house.

So if a woman's name comes out, Ameerah, you're playing tonight.

If a man's name comes out,

Luis, you're playing tonight, all right?

So let's get to the Hopper,

find out who's in trouble tonight.

-All right. -Come on...

Red. Red, Red, Red, Red, Red.

I'm 100% worried, man.

With the Hopper, I could possibly go home.

But it could work to my advantage,

especially if we get rid of a huge threat

in Bananas, who is a vet,

who's won the damn game.

TJ: Next on The Challenge: USA,

who will be first to be sent home in the riskiest season yet?

CHANELLE: The vets on our team?

I don't trust any of them.

They think that we're stupid?

-Fine. -Cheers.

I have a crush on Tori and I'm not afraid to admit that.

Welcome to your second challenge

this season.

-Oh, my God. Fuck. -AMANDA: Bye, Red! See you later!

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Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org

* MTV. *