Overview
- The show, which premieres Wednesday, Aug. 5 at 3 a.m. ET, will stream exclusively on Paramount+ with new episodes released weekly on Wednesdays.
- Season 42 is billed as The Challenge: Cutthroat, filmed in Thailand with 24 competitors divided into three teams competing for a share of a $500,000 prize.
- The cast mixes veterans and newcomers, including Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio, Chris “CT” Tamburello and Cara Maria Sorbello, and features human-interest storylines such as Nelson Thomas returning to compete with a prosthetic.
- Paramount+ offers an ad-supported plan at $8.99 per month and an ad-free plan at $13.99 per month, and the streamer no longer provides its own free trial.
- Viewers seeking temporary free access can use third-party trials that include Paramount+—notably Walmart+’s 30-day trial with a Paramount+ Essential perk and DIRECTV’s five-day trial through its Premier package—and the season’s full move off MTV underscores a wider shift of legacy cable franchises to streaming.