Overview
- Season 42, titled The Challenge: Cutthroat, premieres exclusively on Paramount+ with the first episodes available on Wednesday, Aug. 5.
- The season revives the 2010 Cutthroat format: 24 competitors are split into three permanent teams that must finish together to claim a share of a $500,000 prize.
- Each team will have a captain who gains final control over how the winning team’s money is divided, creating a strategic social power dynamic late in the game.
- The cast mixes veterans such as CT Tamburello and Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio with newcomers, and TJ Lavin returns as host.
- Paramount+ is the exclusive home with tiered paid plans and no native free trial, though outlets report temporary access via Walmart+ and DIRECTV trial offers, a move that highlights ongoing cable-to-streaming shifts and could fragment longtime viewers.