document_title: One Ring

question_text: where was the ring forged in lord of the rings

text: One Ring

text: Literature[edit]

text: In The Lord of the Rings and the posthumously published The Silmarillion, Tolkien provides a detailed internal development from the forging of the Ring to its destruction. In the fictional context of Middle-earth, these events take place during several thousand years in the Second and Third Age of Arda.

text: Description[edit]

text: The One Ring was forged by the Dark Lord Sauron during the Second Age  to gain dominion over the free peoples of Middle-earth. In disguise as Annatar, or "Lord of Gifts", he aided the Elven smiths of Eregion and their leader Celebrimbor in the making of the Rings of Power. He then forged the One Ring himself in the fires of Mount Doom.[1]

text: Sauron intended it to be the most powerful of all Rings, able to rule and control those who wore the others. Since the other Rings were themselves powerful, Sauron was obliged to place much of his own power into the One to achieve his purpose.[2]

text: Creating the Ring simultaneously strengthened and weakened Sauron's power. On the one hand, as long as Sauron had the Ring, he could control the power of all the other Rings, and thus he was significantly more powerful after its creation than before;[3] and putting such a great portion of his own power into the Ring ensured Sauron's continued existence so long as the Ring existed. On the other hand, by binding his power within the Ring, Sauron became dependent on it—without it, his power was significantly diminished.[1][3]

text: Appearance[edit]

text: The Ring seemed to be made simply of gold, but it was impervious to damage. It could be destroyed only by throwing it into the pit of the volcanic Mount Doom where it was originally forged. Unlike other rings, the One Ring was not susceptible to dragon fire.[4] Like some lesser rings forged by the Elves as "essays in the craft"—but unlike the other Rings of Power—the One Ring bore no gem.  Its identity could be determined by a little-known but simple test: when placed in a fire, it displayed a fiery Tengwar inscription in the Black Speech of Mordor, with two lines from a rhyme of lore describing the Rings:

text:
Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

text: The lines inscribed on the Ring (in boldface above) were pronounced by Sauron when he forged the Ring.  The Elven smiths heard him chanting them, and thereupon became aware of his purpose and took off their own Rings to foil his plan.

text: A person wearing the Ring would enter a shadowy world revealing the physical world from a different aspect, from which physical objects were harder to see. The wearer was mostly invisible to ordinary beings, such as Men, but visible to the Nazgûl. The Ring dimmed the wearer's sight, while at the same time sharpening the other senses.

text: The enigmatic Tom Bombadil appeared to be unaffected by the Ring and to have some power over it; when he wore the Ring, it did not make him invisible, and Frodo could not become invisible to him by wearing the Ring. Also, Tom played with the Ring like a conjurer borrowing someone's watch for a trick, seemingly making it disappear and reappear.

text: The Ring slowly but inevitably corrupted its bearer, regardless of the bearer's initial intent.  For this reason the Wise, including Gandalf, Elrond, and Galadriel, refused to wield it themselves, but determined instead that it should be destroyed. The corrupting power of the ring was apparently stronger on individuals more inclined to evil and selfishness: it took almost immediate hold of the greedy Sméagol as soon as he saw it, and corrupted Boromir after a few months of near proximity, while its effects were only starting to be seen in the well-meaning Bilbo after his sixty years' possession.

text: The Ring had the ability to change size. As well as adapting to fingers of varying size, from Sauron's to Frodo's, it sometimes suddenly expanded  to escape from its wearer.[5]

text: Inscription[edit]

text: The words of the ring-inscription are in Black Speech, a language devised by Sauron and used in the land of Mordor. The inscription reflects the One Ring's power to control the other Rings of Power.  The writing uses Elvish letters (tengwar), in a mode (i.e. orthography) adapted to the Black Speech.

text: Normally the One Ring appeared perfectly plain and featureless, but when heated its inscription appeared in fiery letters. A drawing of the inscription and a translation provided by Gandalf appears in Book I, Chapter 2 of The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Shadow of the Past".

text: Gandalf speaks the words in Black Speech in Book II, Chapter 2, "The Council of Elrond":

text: Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul,Ash nazg thrakatulûk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul.

text: Translated, the words mean:

text: One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them,One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.

text: When Isildur took the Ring from Sauron's hand, it was burning hot, so the letters were legible. Isildur was able to transcribe the inscription before it faded as the Ring cooled. This transcription survived in a document Isildur left in Gondor before marching north to the Gladden Fields, where he was killed and the Ring lost.

text: Gandalf learned of the Ring's inscription when he read Isildur's account.  When Gandalf subsequently heated the ring that Bilbo Baggins had left to Frodo, the inscription reappeared.  The wizard then had no doubt that Frodo's ring was the One Ring.  When Gandalf recited the inscription in Black Speech at the Council of Elrond, everyone trembled:

text: The change in the wizard's voice was astounding. Suddenly it became menacing, powerful, harsh as stone. A shadow seemed to pass over the high sun, and the porch for a moment grew dark. All trembled, and the Elves stopped their ears.

text: The first Ballantine paperback edition of The Fellowship of the Ring printed the inscription upside-down.  Some recent editions[6] accidentally omit the first half of the translation in Book I, Chapter 2.  This error was corrected in the 50th Anniversary edition.

text: Ring-bearers[edit]

text: The term Ring-bearer is used in The Lord of the Rings to describe a person who has possessed the One Ring.  The term is also used to refer to bearers of other Rings of Power.

text: In The Lord of the Rings, Frodo Baggins was appointed Ring-bearer by the Council of Elrond in Rivendell. His task was to carry the One Ring from Rivendell to the Crack of Doom in Mordor and to destroy it before Sauron or his servants could recover it. During this journey, Frodo's companion Samwise Gamgee also carried the ring briefly while Frodo was held captive in the Tower of Cirith Ungol. Near the onset of this journey the Ring was handled also by Tom Bombadil, upon whom the Ring had no apparent effect, and by Gandalf, who cast it into Frodo's fireplace to verify that it was the One Ring.

text: Frodo inherited the Ring from his uncle Bilbo Baggins.  In Tolkien's earlier novel, The Hobbit, Bilbo found the Ring in the caverns beneath the Misty Mountains. It had been lost in the caverns by Gollum, who used the invisibility it conferred to hunt orcs to eat. Gollum, a hobbit previously known as Sméagol, had kept the Ring for hundreds of years. He had murdered his friend Déagol to get the Ring shortly after Déagol found it in the river Anduin.  Many centuries earlier the Ring had betrayed Isildur and fallen from his finger into the Anduin as he was eluding orcs—who killed him when he became visible. Isildur in turn had cut the Ring from the hand of Sauron, who had made the Ring and let much of his power flow into it. Sauron was the Ring's true master, and the only being who could bend it completely to his will.

text: Though Déagol and Gandalf had handled the Ring, the only individuals ever to wear it were Sauron, Isildur, Sméagol/Gollum, Bilbo, Frodo, Tom Bombadil, and Samwise. None but Bilbo, Frodo, and Samwise are actually called "Ring-bearers" in any of Tolkien's works. As Ring-bearers, they were granted passage to the Undying Lands, though Sam lived in the Shire for many years after the departure of Bilbo and Frodo before making the journey himself.

text: Internal history[edit]

text: After its original forging (about S.A. 1600) Sauron waged the War of the Elves and Sauron against the Elves and all who opposed him. Sauron invaded and destroyed Eregion, and killed Celebrimbor, the maker of the three rings of the Elves. However, King Tar-Minastir of Númenor sent a great fleet to Middle-earth, and with this aid Gil-galad destroyed Sauron's army and forced Sauron to return to Mordor.

text: In S.A. 3261, Ar-Pharazôn, the last and most powerful king of Númenor, landed at Umbar at the head of an immense army to do battle with Sauron. The sheer size and might of the Númenórean army was enough to force Sauron's armies to flee. Sauron surrendered to Ar-Pharazôn and was taken back to Númenor as a prisoner. Tolkien, in a letter written in 1958 (#211) wrote that the surrender was both "voluntary and cunning" so he could gain access to Númenor. Sauron was able to use the Númenóreans' fear of death as a way to turn them against the Valar, and manipulate them into worshipping his master, Morgoth, and performing human sacrifice.

text: Although Sauron's body was destroyed in the Fall of Númenor, his spirit was able to travel back to Middle-earth and wield the One Ring in his renewed war against the Last Alliance of Elves and Men between S.A. 3429 and 3441. Tolkien emphasized that Sauron used his ring in Númenor to gain complete control over its people; and while Sauron's body perished in the Fall, the Ring somehow made it back to Middle-earth.  Tolkien wrote, "I do not think one need boggle at this spirit carrying off the One Ring, upon which his power of dominating minds now largely depended." (letter #211).

text: Sauron was killed again by Gil-galad and Elendil at the end of the Last Alliance. The Ring was cut from Sauron's hand by Elendil's son, Isildur, on the slopes of Mount Doom. Though counselled to destroy the Ring, he was swayed by its power and kept it safe instead, "as weregild for my father, and my brother".  A few years later, Isildur was ambushed by orcs by the River Anduin near the Gladden Fields; he put on the Ring to escape, but it slipped from his finger as he swam across the river, and, suddenly visible, he was killed by the orcs. Since the Ring indirectly caused Isildur's death, it was known in Gondorian lore as "Isildur's Bane".

text: The Ring remained hidden on the river bed for almost two and a half millennia, until it was discovered on a fishing trip by a Stoor hobbit named Déagol. His friend and relative Sméagol, who had gone fishing with him, was immediately ensnared by the Ring's power and demanded that Déagol give it to him as a "birthday present"; when Déagol refused, Sméagol strangled him and took it for himself. The Ring corrupted his body and mind, turning him into the creature known as Gollum. The Ring, which Sauron had endowed with a will of its own, manipulated Gollum into hiding in a cave under the Misty Mountains near Mirkwood, where Sauron was beginning to resurface. There Gollum remained for nearly 500 years, until the Ring tired of him and fell off his finger as he was hunting an orc.

text: As is told in The Hobbit, Bilbo found the Ring shortly afterward while lost in the tunnels near Gollum's lair. When The Hobbit was written, Tolkien had not yet conceived of the Ring's sinister history. Thus, in the first edition of The Hobbit, Gollum offers to surrender the Ring to Bilbo as a reward for winning the Riddle Game. When Tolkien revised the nature of the Ring for The Lord of the Rings, he realized that the Ring's grip on Gollum would never permit him to give it up willingly. Tolkien therefore revised the second edition of The Hobbit: after losing the Riddle Game to Bilbo, Gollum went to get his "Precious" (as he always called it) so he could kill and eat Bilbo, but flew into a rage when he found the Ring missing. Deducing from Bilbo's last question—"What have I got in my pocket?"—that Bilbo had found the Ring, Gollum chased him through the caves, not realizing that the hobbit had discovered the Ring's powers of invisibility and was following him to the cave's exit. Bilbo escaped Gollum and the goblins by remaining invisible, but when he rejoined Gandalf and the dwarves he was travelling with, he decided not to tell them that the Ring had made him invisible.  In fact he told them a story that closely followed the first edition of The Hobbit: that Gollum had given him the Ring and showed him the way out. Gandalf was not convinced and later forced the real story from Bilbo; he was thus immediately suspicious of the Ring.

text: Gollum eventually left the Misty Mountains to track down and reclaim the Ring. He wandered for decades, and was drawn to Mordor, where he was captured by Sauron's forces. He was interrogated by Sauron himself, who learned that the Ring had been found and was currently held by one "Baggins" in the land of "Shire".

text: In T.A. 3001, the Ring was beginning to strain Bilbo, leaving him feeling "stretched-out and thin", and so he decided to leave the Shire, intending to pass the Ring to his adopted heir Frodo Baggins. He briefly gave in to the Ring's power, even calling it "my precious"; alarmed, Gandalf spoke harshly to his old friend to persuade him to give it up, which Bilbo eventually did, becoming the first Ringbearer to surrender it willingly.

text: By this time Sauron had regained much of his power, and the Dark Tower in Mordor had been rebuilt. Gollum, released from Mordor, was captured by Gandalf and Aragorn, and from him Gandalf learned that Sauron now knew where to find the Ring. To prevent Sauron from reclaiming his Ring, Frodo and eight other companions set out from Rivendell for Mordor in an attempt to destroy the Ring in the fires of Mount Doom. During the quest, Frodo gradually became more and more susceptible to the Ring's power, and feared that it was going to corrupt him. When he and his faithful companion Samwise Gamgee discovered Gollum on their trail and "tamed" him into guiding them to Mordor, Frodo began to feel a strange bond with the wretched, treacherous creature, while Gollum warmed to Frodo's kindness and made at least some effort to keep his promise. Gollum eventually gave in to the Ring's temptation, however, and betrayed them to the spider Shelob. Believing Frodo to be dead, Sam bore the Ring himself for a short time and experienced the temptation it induced; he wore it briefly twice, but never succumbed to it.

text: Sam rescued Frodo from a band of orcs at the Tower of Cirith Ungol. The hobbits, followed by Gollum, eventually arrived at Mount Doom, where Frodo was overcome by the Ring's power and claimed it for himself. At that moment, however, Gollum attacked him and bit off his finger, taking back the Ring. Gollum was too close to the edge: as he gloated over his prize he fell into the fires of Mount Doom, taking the Ring with him, thus destroying it and Sauron's power.

text: Powers[edit]

text: The Ring's primary power was control of the other Rings of Power and domination of the wills of their users.[7]  The Ring also conferred power to dominate the wills of other beings whether they were wearing Rings or not—but only in proportion to the user's native capacity. In the same way, it amplified any inherent power its owner possessed.[7]

text: A mortal wearing the Ring became effectively invisible except to those able to perceive the non-physical world, with only a thin, shaky shadow discernible in the brightest sunlight.[7] The Ring would also extend the life of a mortal possessor indefinitely by preventing natural aging. Gandalf explained that it does not "grant new life", but that the possessor merely "continues" until life becomes unbearably wearisome. However, the Ring could not protect its bearer from destruction; Gollum perished in the Crack of Doom while in possession of the Ring, and even Sauron himself could not preserve his body from destruction during the downfall of Númenor. Likewise, the Ring could not protect its bearer from physical harm; Frodo was seriously injured by the Witch-king on Weathertop, and lost a finger when Gollum bit it off—on both occasions while wearing the Ring. Sauron himself suffered the death of his physical body at the hands of Gil-galad and Elendil while wearing the Ring. Like the Nine Rings, the One Ring could physically corrupt mortals who wear it for extended periods of time, eventually transforming them into wraiths. Hobbits were more resistant to this process than Men: Gollum, who possessed the ring for five-hundred years did not become wraith-like because he did not wear the ring often after taking it to the tunnels of the Misty Mountains.[8]

text: The Ring might also have given its wielder the ability to read minds, as Galadriel suggested to Frodo when he wondered why he could not read the thoughts of others as she did.

text: Within the land of Mordor where it was forged, the Ring's power increased so significantly that even without wearing it the bearer could draw upon it, and could acquire an aura of terrible power. When Sam encountered an orc in the Tower of Cirith Ungol while holding the Ring, he appeared to the orc as a powerful warrior cloaked in shadow "[holding] some nameless menace of power and doom." The orc was so terrified that it fled. Similarly at Mount Doom, when Frodo and Sam were attacked by Gollum, Frodo grabbed the Ring and appeared as "a figure robed in white... [that] held a wheel of fire." Frodo told Gollum "in a commanding voice" that "If you touch me ever again, you shall be cast yourself into the Fire of Doom," a statement fulfilled when Gollum fell into Mount Doom with the Ring. Although the Ring was certainly invoked with this statement, it is unclear whether Frodo was prophesying (Frodo had previously seen less sinister visions while in possession of the Ring), or if Frodo was actively laying a curse upon Gollum.

text: As the Ring contained a large part of Sauron's power, it was endowed with a malevolent sentience of sorts. While separated from Sauron, the Ring would strive to return to him by manipulating its bearer to claim ownership of it, or by abandoning the bearer at an opportune moment.[9] For example, it slipped from Isildur's finger during the ambush at Gladden Fields; moments later he was killed by orcs, leaving the Ring's whereabouts unknown to Sauron's enemies. It also slipped off Gollum's finger when the time was right for it to be brought back into the world at large. Warned by Bilbo of the Ring's tendency to slip off, Frodo carried the Ring on a chain.

text: To master all of the Ring's capabilities, a Ring wielder would need a disciplined and well-trained mind, a strong will, and great native power. Those with weaker minds, such as Hobbits and lesser Men, would gain little benefit from the Ring, let alone realize its full potential. Even for someone with the necessary strength, it would have taken time to master the Ring's power to the point where he was strong enough to overthrow Sauron.[9] The prospect of mastery is the main appeal that the Ring holds for those who come in contact with it. The Ring appears as a symbol of hope, offering the power to defeat Sauron and bring peace to the world.  Yet in the end, its inherent malevolence would twist its bearer into another Dark Lord as evil as Sauron, regardless of one's intentions at the outset.

text: Despite its power, the Ring did not render its bearer omnipotent. Three times Sauron suffered military defeat while bearing the Ring, first by Gil-galad in the War of Sauron and the Elves, again by Ar-Pharazôn when Númenórean power so overawed his armies that they deserted him, and again at the end of the Second Age with his personal defeat by Gil-galad and Elendil. Tolkien indicates, however, that such a defeat would not have been possible in the waning years of the Third Age, when the strength of the free peoples was greatly diminished. There were no remaining heroes of the stature of Gil-galad, Elendil, or Isildur; the strength of the Elves was fading and they were departing to the Blessed Realm; the Dwarves had been driven out of Moria and would have been unwilling to concentrate their strength in any event; and the Númenórean kingdoms had either declined or been destroyed, and had few allies.

text: Fate of the Ring-bearers[edit]

text: Of the several bearers of the One Ring, three were still alive following the Ring's destruction, the hobbits Bilbo Baggins, Frodo Baggins, and Samwise Gamgee. Bilbo, having borne the Ring longest of the three, had reached a very advanced age for a hobbit. Frodo suffered both physical and psychological scars from his strenuous quest to destroy the Ring. Samwise, having only briefly kept the Ring, was affected the least and simply carried on a normal life following the Ring's destruction.

text: In consideration of the trials the Ring-bearers had endured, special dispensation was granted them by the Valar to travel to the Undying Lands, where it was hoped they could find rest and healing.  At the close of The Return of the King, Bilbo and Frodo embark for the voyage to the West along with Galadriel, Elrond, and many of their folk, as well as Gandalf. Near the end of his life, Samwise is also said to have been taken to the Undying Lands, after living in the Shire for many years and raising a large family.

text: Tolkien emphasized that the restorative sojourn of the Ring-bearers in the Undying Lands would not have been permanent. As mortals, subject to the Gift of Men, they would eventually die and leave the world of Eä.[10]

text: Symbolism[edit]

text: Tolkien wrote the following about the idea behind the One Ring: "I should say that it was a mythical way of representing the truth that potency (or perhaps potentiality) if it is to be exercised, and produce results, has to be externalized and so as it were passes, to a greater or lesser degree, out of one's direct control." (Letter #211, 1958).

text: Tolkien always strongly held that The Lord of the Rings was not allegorical, particularly in reference to political events of his time such as World War II or the Cold War. At the same time he conceded "applicability" as being within the "freedom" of the reader,[11] and indeed many people have been inclined to view the One Ring as a symbol or metaphor. The notion of a power too great for humans to safely possess is an evocative one, and already in the 1930s there were technologies available to suggest the idea. By the time the work was published, though not when most of it was written, the existence of nuclear power and nuclear weapons were common knowledge, and the Ring was often taken as symbolic of them.[12] However, Tolkien specifically rejected the idea of the One Ring being an allegory of nuclear weapons and noted that, had that been his intention, the book would  not have ended with the Ring being destroyed but rather with an arms race in which various powers would try to obtain such a Ring for themselves - creating a bleak world in which such creatures as the Hobbits would be trampled underfoot and have little hope of survival.

text: The effect of the Ring and its physical and spiritual after-effects on Bilbo and Frodo are obsessions that have been compared with drug addiction; actor Andy Serkis who played Gollum in the film trilogy cited drug addiction as an inspiration for his performance.[13]

text: Parallels have been drawn between the literary device of Tolkien's Cursed Ring and the titular ring in Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen.[14] Tolkien dismissed critics' direct comparisons to Wagner, telling his publisher, "Both rings were round, and there the resemblance ceases."[15] According to Humphrey Carpenter's biography of Tolkien, the author held Wagner's interpretation of the relevant Germanic myths in contempt.[16] In the contrary sense, some critics  hold that Tolkien's work borrows so liberally from Wagner that Tolkien's work exists in the shadow of Wagner's.[14] Others, such as Tom Shippey[17] and Gloriana St. Clair,[18]  attribute the resemblances to the fact that Tolkien and Wagner have created homologue works based in the same sources. However, Shippey and other researchers have written on an intermediary position, stating that both the authors, indeed, used the same source materials but that Tolkien was, in fact, indebted to some of the  original developments, insights and artistic uses made upon those sources that first appeared in Wagner, and sought to improve upon them.[19][20]

text: Adaptations[edit]

text: In the 1981 BBC Radio serial of The Lord of the Rings, the Nazgûl chant the Ring-inscription; it is also recited by them in part during Peter Jackson's The Hobbit, specifically during the film The Battle of the Five Armies.

text: In The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, the wearer of the Ring is always portrayed as moving through a shadowy realm where everything is distorted. In the book, neither Bilbo Baggins nor Frodo Baggins ever mentioned anything about this while using the Ring, but when Sam puts on the Ring at the end of The Two Towers he does experience something similar to this. Sam never wore the Ring on screen in Jackson's films.  The actual Ring for the movies was designed and created by Jens Hansen Gold & Silversmith in Nelson, New Zealand, and was based on a simple wedding ring.


document_title: Yellowstone (U.S. TV series)

question_text: who plays the governor on the show yellowstone

root

text: Yellowstone (U.S. TV series)

text: Premise[edit]

text: Yellowstone follows "the Dutton family, led by John Dutton, who controls the largest contiguous ranch in the United States, under constant attack by those it borders — land developers, an Indian reservation, and America’s first National Park. It is an intense study of a violent world far from media scrutiny — where land grabs make developers billions, and politicians are bought and sold by the world’s largest oil and lumber corporations. Where drinking water poisoned by fracking wells and unsolved murders are not news: they are a consequence of living in the new frontier. It is the best and worst of America seen through the eyes of a family that represents both."[1]

tag: p

text: Cast and characters[edit]

text: Main[edit]

text:
Kevin Costner as John Dutton, the 6th generation patriarch of the Dutton family which controls the largest contiguous ranch in the United States. He is confronted with challenge of defending his land from those who would seek to take it from him while also overcoming the recent death of his son and a recent diagnosis of colon cancer. Josh Lucas portrays a young John Dutton in a recurring role.
Luke Grimes as Kayce Dutton, a former US Navy SEAL and one of John and Evelyn's sons. He lives on the local Indian reservation with his wife and son. Rhys Alterman portrays a young Kayce in a recurring role.
Kelly Reilly as Beth Dutton, a financier and the daughter of John and Evelyn. She is educated, highly intelligent, and a master manipulator. She is also, however, very unstable and suffers from a substance abuse problem. Kylie Rogers portrays a young Beth in a recurring role.
Wes Bentley as Jamie Dutton, an attorney, aspiring politician, and one of John and Evelyn's sons. Although completely loyal to his father and family, he is constantly frustrated at the current state of his family. He also has an intense love/hate relationship with his sister Beth. Dalton Baker portrays a young Jamie in a recurring role.
Cole Hauser as Rip Wheeler, the ranch foreman at Yellowstone and John's right-hand man and enforcer. Rip has worked on the ranch for many years and is fiercely loyal to John. He has an on-again, off-again relationship with Beth. Kyle Red Silverstein portrays a young Rip Wheeler in a guest appearance in the episode "The Unraveling: Pt. 1".
Kelsey Asbille as Monica Dutton, Kayce's Native American wife with whom he lives on the local reservation. She is a teacher at the school on the local Indian reservation.
Brecken Merrill as Tate Dutton, the son of Kayce and Monica and John's only grandchild.
Jefferson White as Jimmy Hurdstrom, a ranch hand at Yellowstone.
Danny Huston as Dan Jenkins, a land developer with aspirations of building on parts of Yellowstone.
Gil Birmingham as Chief Thomas Rainwater, the chief of the nearby Indian reservation.

tag: ul

text: Recurring[edit]

text:
Moses Brings Plenty as Rainwater's driver
Ian Bohen as Ryan, a cowboy wrangler
Denim Richards as Colby, a cowboy wrangler
Forrie J. Smith as Lloyd
Wendy Moniz as Governor Lynelle Perry, the Governor of Montana.
Atticus Todd as Ben Waters
Timothy Carhart as A.G. Stewart
Rudy Ramos as Felix Long
Tokala Black Elk as Sam Stands Alone
Michaela Conlin as Sarah Nguyen
Ryan Bingham as Walker
Luke Peckinpah as Fred Meyers
Walter C. Taylor III as Emmett Walsh
Fredric Lehne as Carl Reynolds
Savonna Spracklin as Alice Wahl
Robert Mirabal as Principle Littlefield
Heather Hemmens as Melody Prescott
Katherine Cunningham as Christina
John Aylward as Father Bob
Morningstar Angeline as Samantha Long
Bill Tangradi as Alan Keene
Michael Nouri as Bob Schwartz
Gretchen Mol as Evelyn Dutton, the late wife of John Dutton, mother to Jaime, Beth, Kayce, and stepmother to John’s eldest son, Lee.
Barret Swatek as Victoria Jenkins, the wife of Dan Jenkins.
Hugh Dillon as Sheriff Donnie Haskell

text: Guest[edit]

text:
Dave Annable as Lee Dutton ("Daybreak")
Jill Hennessy as Senator Huntington ("Daybreak"), an ally of Chief Rainwater.
Jeremiah Bitsui as Robert Long ("Daybreak")
Geno Segers as Danny Trudeau ("No Good Horses")
Taylor Sheridan as Travis Wheatley ("Coming Home")
Tinsel Korey as Emily Sessions ("A Monster Is Among Us")
Mike Faiola as Dr. Fielding ("A Monster Is Among Us")
Brian Unger as Dr. Stafford ("A Monster Is Among Us")
Hugh Dillon as Sheriff Donnie Haskell ("The Unravelling: Pt. 1")
Tanaya Beatty as Avery ("The Unravelling: Pt. 2")
James Pickens Jr. as Old Cowboy ("The Unravelling: Pt. 2")

text: Episodes[edit]

text:
No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers(millions)1"Daybreak"Taylor SheridanStory by : Taylor Sheridan & John Linson Teleplay by : Taylor SheridanJune 20, 2018 (2018-06-20)2.83[2]
2"Kill the Messenger"Taylor SheridanStory by : Taylor Sheridan & John Linson Teleplay by : Taylor SheridanJune 27, 2018 (2018-06-27)2.07[3]
3"No Good Horses"Taylor SheridanTaylor SheridanJuly 11, 2018 (2018-07-11)2.17[4]
4"The Long Black Train"Taylor SheridanTaylor SheridanJuly 18, 2018 (2018-07-18)1.89[5]
5"Coming Home"Taylor SheridanTaylor SheridanJuly 25, 2018 (2018-07-25)1.95[6]
6"The Remembering"Taylor SheridanTaylor SheridanAugust 1, 2018 (2018-08-01)2.10[7]
7"A Monster Is Among Us"Taylor SheridanTaylor SheridanAugust 8, 2018 (2018-08-08)2.08[8]
8"The Unravelling, Pt. 1"Taylor SheridanTaylor SheridanAugust 15, 2018 (2018-08-15)2.13[9]
9"The Unravelling, Pt. 2"Taylor SheridanTaylor SheridanAugust 22, 2018 (2018-08-22)2.37[10]

tag: table

text: Production[edit]

text: Development[edit]

text: In 2013, Taylor Sheridan began work on the series, having recently grown tired of acting and begun writing screenplays. Having lived in the rural parts of states such as Texas and Wyoming, Sheridan purposely set the series in Montana and went about writing the first scripts in Livingston.[11]

text: On May 3, 2017, it was announced that the Paramount Network had greenlit its first scripted series, Yellowstone. Paramount issued a series order for a first season consisting of ten episodes. The series was set to be written, directed, and executive-produced by Sheridan. Other executive producers were to include John Linson, Art Linson, Harvey Weinstein, and David Glasser. Production companies involved with the series were set to consist of Linson Entertainment and The Weinstein Company.[1]

text: On October 12, 2017, it was announced that following reports of sexual abuse allegations against producer Harvey Weinstein, his name would be removed from the series' credits as would The Weinstein Company as well.[12] On January 15, 2018, Kevin Kay, president of Paramount Network, clarified during the annual Television Critics Association's winter press tour that Yellowstone will not have The Weinstein Company's credits or logo on them, even though that company was involved in production. Furthermore, he stated that their intent is to replace Weinstein Television with the company’s new name in the show's credits when available.[13] That same day, it was also announced that the series would premiere on June 20, 2018.[14]

text: On July 24, 2018, it was announced that Paramount Network had renewed the series for a second season that was expected to premiere in 2019.[15]

text: Casting[edit]

text: On May 15, 2017, it was announced that Kevin Costner had been cast in the series lead role of John Dutton.[16] In June 2017, it was reported that Luke Grimes, Cole Hauser, Wes Bentley, and Kelly Reilly had joined the cast as series regulars.[17][18] On July 13, 2017, it was announced that Kelsey Asbille had been cast in a main role.[19] In August 2017, it was reported that Dave Annable, Gil Birmingham, and Jefferson White had been added to the main cast while Wendy Moniz, Gretchen Mol, Jill Hennessy, Patrick St. Esprit, Ian Bohen, Denim Richards, and Golden Brooks were joining the cast in a recurring capacity.[20][21][22][23] In November 2017, it was announced that Michaela Conlin and Josh Lucas had been added to the cast in recurring roles.[24][25] On December 19, 2017, it was reported that Heather Hemmens was joining the cast in a recurring capacity.[26] On June 13, 2018, it was announced that Barret Swatek had been cast in a recurring role.[27]

text: Filming[edit]

text: Principal photography for the series began in August 2017 at the Chief Joseph Ranch in Darby, Montana, which stands in as the home of John Dutton. Filming also took place that month near Park City, Utah. The production used all three soundstages at the Utah Film Studio in Park City, which is a total of 45,000 square feet. The building also houses offices, editing, a huge wardrobe department and construction shops. By November 2017, the series had filmed in more than twenty locations in Utah, including the Salt Flats and Spanish Fork. Additionally, filming also took place at various locations in Montana. Production was reportedly set to last until December 2017.[28][29]

text: Music[edit]

text: The series' score was composed by Brian Tyler who worked with musicians from the London Philharmonia Orchestra and viola, cello, and violin soloists. On August 17, 2018, the soundtrack for the first season was released by Sony Music.[30]

text: Release[edit]

text: Marketing[edit]

text: On February 28, 2018, a teaser trailer for the series was released.[31] On April 26, 2018, the first full trailer was released.[32]

text: Premiere[edit]

text: On June 25, 2018, the series held a screening at Seriesfest, an annual international television festival, at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver, Colorado.[33][34]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Critical response[edit]

text: The series has been met with a mixed response from critics upon its premiere. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds a 51% approval rating, with an average rating of 5.86 out of 10 based on 35 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Yellowstone proves too melodramatic to be taken seriously, diminishing the effects of the talented cast and beautiful backdrops."[35] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the season a score of 53 out of 100 based on 26 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews."[36]

text: Ratings[edit]

text: The two-hour series premiere of Yellowstone averaged 2.8 million viewers in live + same day and became the most-watched original scripted series telecast ever on Paramount Network (or its predecessor Spike). The premiere audience grows to nearly 4 million when the two encore airings of the premiere are factored in. The premiere audience more than doubled that of Paramount Network’s first scripted drama series, Waco and more than tripled the debut viewership of Paramount Network's new comedy series, American Woman.[37] It was later reported that the premiere's Live+3 Nielsen ratings revealed that 4.8 million viewers ultimately watched the premiere after delayed viewing was factored in.[38] By the series' third episode, it was reported that the show had become the second most watched television series on ad-supported cable to air in 2018, only behind AMC's The Walking Dead.[39]

text:
No.

Title

Air date
Rating(18–49)
Viewers(millions)
DVR(18–49)
DVR viewers(millions)
Total(18–49)
Total viewers(millions)

1

"Daybreak"

June 20, 2018
0.4
2.83[2]
0.5
2.48
0.9
5.31[40]

2

"Kill the Messenger"

June 27, 2018
0.3
2.07[3]
0.4
2.22
0.7
4.29[41][a]

3

"No Good Horses"

July 11, 2018
0.4
2.17[4]
0.5
3.05
0.9
5.22[42]

4

"The Long Black Train"

July 18, 2018
0.3
1.89[5]
0.5
2.75
0.8
4.64[43]

5

"Coming Home"

July 25, 2018
0.3
1.95[6]
0.6
3.03
0.9
4.98[44]

6

"The Remembering"

August 1, 2018
0.4
2.10[7]
0.4
2.20
0.8
4.31[45][a]

7

"A Monster Is Among Us"

August 8, 2018
0.4
2.08[8]
0.4
2.35
0.8
4.43[46][a]

8

"The Unravelling, Pt. 1"

August 15, 2018
0.4
2.13[9]
0.4
2.14
0.8
4.27[47][a]

9

"The Unravelling, Pt. 2"

August 22, 2018
0.4
2.37[10]
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD

text: Notes[edit]

text: ^ Jump up to: a b c d Live +7 ratings were not available, so Live +3 ratings have been used instead.

tag: ol


document_title: The Challenge (TV series)

question_text: who has the most wins in the challenge

question_tokens: who has the most wins in the challenge

text: The Challenge (TV series)

text: Structure[edit]

text: Overview[edit]

text: The Challenge casts are season specific as the cast varies from season to season. The casts are made up of contestants originating from one of The Challenge's related TV programs and contestants originating from one of the few Challenge seasons that have allowed previously unknown contestants. These shows and seasons are: Real World, Road Rules, Are You the One?, and The Challenge (from Spring Break Challenge, Fresh Meat, Fresh Meat II and Battle of the Bloodlines).

text: A season's typical multitude of cast members are usually divided up into separate teams according to a certain criteria, which varies from season to season. The criteria that teams have been arranged by over the show's history have ranged all across the board, from gender of the contestants and original show of contestants to bad guy/good guy status of contestants and ex-romantic partners of contestants. Each of the opposing teams compete in numerous missions in order to win prizes and advance in the overall game. Following each mission, a team or a cast member is voted into an elimination round to take on the least successful team from the previous mission. In elimination rounds, they must compete against one another to determine which one is eliminated from the season. Each season has its own, very distinct elimination round, distinguished from those of other seasons in title, design, and general atmosphere. Determining which two teams or two cast members are sent into the episode's elimination round frequently leads to drama and contestants playing the game dirty; this is due to the show's contestants being in charge of who is thrown into elimination rounds.[3] Like that of The Real World, sporadically throughout the course of each episode, various contestants are seen privately expressing themselves through reality TV confessionals about the events taking place on the show.

text: Some seasons, however, have used entirely different formats from the typical: The Island is one Challenge in particular that adopted many features atypical to Real World/Road Rules Challenge, instead taking concepts like that of another reality television game show Survivor; as another example, the first season (Road Rules: All Stars) ironically only included contestants from The Real World and consisted of a much smaller cast before the show was completely reconstructed by its second season. Except for season one, a monetary prize has always been the award for winning the final mission.

text: Theme and format by season title[edit]

text: Each distinct season title has indicated the general gameplay format used:

text:
Original Real World/Road Rules Challenge (including RW/RR Challenge 2000 and RW/RR Extreme Challenge): Real World vs. Road Rules groupings, six players per team, no eliminations, missions in number of previous challenges (though the original Gauntlet and Inferno were Real World vs. Road Rules).
Battle of the Seasons (2002) and Battle of the Seasons (2012): On the first Battle of the Seasons, players were separated into teams of Real World and Road Rules, each cast member is paired off with a castmate from their original season. Each mission gave points based on finish. After each mission, the players with the most points cumulative from each team became the "Inner Circle" and voted off whichever pair they wanted. The individual winning pair of each challenge would earn an "additional prize." After five pairs from each team were voted off, the final three Real World teams and final three Road Rules teams would compete against each other in a series of challenges before the final race. The 2012 Battle of the Seasons had a completely different format from the original. Each team consists of two men and two women from select seasons. After each challenge, there is a winning team and a losing team. The losing team is automatically sent to "The Arena," and faces possible elimination. The winning team become the Power Team, and selects one team to battle against the last-place team in the Arena. The teams entering the Arena must select one player of each gender from their own team to compete in the elimination. If the teams entering the Arena cannot decide which players will compete in the elimination, the Power Team chooses for them. The winning pair in the elimination rounds return to their season and stay in the game, while the losing pair is eliminated, reducing their season to two players.
Battle of the Sexes and Battle of the Sexes 2: As the title implies, players are divided by gender. Each mission gave points based on finish, either with a partner or individually. After each mission, the players with the most points cumulative from each team became the "Inner Circle" and voted off whoever they wanted to. The winner of each challenge would earn a "lifesaver" which could be given to a member of either team; the recipient of the "lifesaver" would enjoy total immunity from being voted out, which created many interesting situations. No life-shields were used in the second installment. The final three players of each gender would compete against each other in a final race.
Inferno, Inferno II and Inferno 3: The first Inferno consisted of Team Real World vs. Team Road Rules. The 2nd and 3rd installment consisted of Team Bad Asses vs. Team Good Guys. Teams nominate two of their own players for each elimination round and vote one of the opponents' two nominations into the "Inferno" round. The players going into the "Inferno" then have the opportunity to save themselves from going in by winning a "life saver" in the challenge before the "Inferno."
Gauntlet, Gauntlet 2 and Gauntlet III: The first gauntlet consisted of Team Real World vs. Team Road Rules. The 2nd and 3rd installment consisted of Team Veterans vs. Team Rookies. In the 2nd and 3rd particular installment, "Veterans" are considered players who have participated in a minimum of two challenges, while "Rookies" had either participated in one challenge or none at all. In the first two installments, team captains are assigned on a pre-challenge mission. The losing team's captains would alternate between male and female to go into the "Gauntlet," in which they would face off against someone from their own team as voted by the remaining team members. In the third installment, no team captains are assigned, and the winning team also protects one player from the losing team from being chosen for the Gauntlet, but cannot protect the same player on two consecutive opportunities.
Fresh Meat and Fresh Meat II: These seasons introduce new people to Challenges without appearing on The Real World or Road Rules. These new players are "drafted" by "alumni" of the opposite gender (those who come from RW, RR, or previous 'FM', some of whom have not been on a Challenge before) to create pairings which are the teams for these Challenges. The winning team chooses one team for an elimination round called an "Exile," while the other team is selected by a vote.
The Duel and The Duel II: Promoted as "every man for himself" as there are no permanent teams (though some individual challenges require teams to be formed). All players compete individually, leading to just one champion of each gender.
The Island: A challenge with no missions, just elimination rounds where the competitors are put on an island with limited supplies. In each episode, the competitors select three people (not necessarily by gender) to go into an elimination round to win safety and a key to the prize money chest at the final challenge. The two non-winning players have a chance to plead their case to all the other competitors at the vote-off, where one player wins a key and the other is eliminated.
The Ruins: Two teams of "Challengers" and "Champions" based on whether players have won a previous season's final challenge. Prior to each challenge, each team nominates a group of three players of each gender within the team for elimination; after that challenge, the winning team's nominated group picks the match-ups for the "Ruins," which consist of a male Challenger against a male Champion, and a female Challenger against a female Champion.
Cutthroat: Teams are not initially set. There is a race in the beginning, and while the top three players are announced, the bottom three are named as captains of the three teams; the three teams are then drafted by the captains (while maintaining equal numbers of players of each gender). Each challenge involves all three teams; the winning team is safe from the elimination round — the "Gulag," while the losing teams go against each other in the Gulag. Voting is done within one's own team by secret ballot to choose one player of each gender to go into the Gulag.
Rivals, Rivals II and Rivals III: The first two installments feature two-player teams of the same gender consist of players who are paired against their "worst enemies," whom they have engaged in bitter feuds, fights and rivalries with in previous Real World and/or Challenge seasons. The challenge winner is safe from elimination – "The Jungle," while the last-place finisher and a non-winning team of the same gender battle it out in "The Jungle." Each challenge alternates between a male and a female Jungle elimination in the first two installments. The third installment features male/female pairs. The third installment also has 3 teams going into the elimination; the losing team, and 2 teams picked by the winning team. At the Jungle, the 2 teams picked for elimination by the winning team go back and forth picking skulls out of a box. There are 3 white skulls and 1 black skull. Whoever picks the black skull, them and their partner go into the Jungle against the last place team, and the other team is safe from the Jungle. Also, in the finale, teammates would go head to head in challenges, whoever finishes first the most in the challenges would decide if they would keep the money they earned for their respective placing, or split it with their partner. If the cast member chose to keep it for themselves, then their teammate would leave empty handed.
Battle of the Exes and Battle of the Exes II: Thirteen teams of ex couples compete in a challenge where the winner is safe from elimination and will be known as "The Power Couple," and they are responsible for choosing one team to go into the elimination round called "The Dome," along with the team that came in last-place in the challenge. A twist was added on Battle of the Exes II: Eliminated teams would compete in "Battle of the Ex-iled," which no one in the house knows about. The eliminated team will compete against the last "Ex-ile" winner and the loser would be permanently eliminated. This lasts until only four teams remain in the house, and the last team standing from Ex-ile will go back to the house for two more challenges before the final, which they are eligible for as long as they are not eliminated again.
Free Agents: Each challenge is declared as either an individual, pair, or team challenge. For pair and team challenges, names are drawn out of a bag — one of each gender, or more for multi-team or pair challenges — that will be designated as captains. For team challenges, the captains will select players that will be split evenly amongst gender. For pair challenges, the captains will either select players of the opposite gender for challenges that are designated as male/female pairs, or the same gender for challenges that are designated as same-gender pairs. The winning team/pair/players are safe from elimination, and choose one player of each gender for elimination. The remaining non-winning players then participate in "The Draw," where the one player of each gender that draws a "kill card" faces the previously voted players in the elimination round.
Battle of the Bloodlines: The season starts with 14 pairs of two, each consisting of an The Real World, The Challenge or Are You The One? alumni and their relatives. The winning pair of the mission sends in one pair to face the losing team of the mission into The Pit, depending on gender. However, after the second elimination, pairs are separated into two teams, each consisting of 12. The losing team has to send one player from the losing team into The Pit, while the winning team has to send another player from the losing team into The Pit. If a player loses in The Pit, that player is not only eliminated, but so is their bloodline. The final five teams reverted to their pairs of two. The Pit consisted of both teammates competing instead of one representative competing for both teams for one elimination, then reverted to one representative for each team for the last elimination.
Invasion of the Champions: The game started off with 18 Underdogs (players who have yet to win a challenge) who get dropped off a boat and onto a beach, where they were living in "The Shelter." They compete individually in challenges, followed by an elimination round. The male and female winners of the challenge would be safe from elimination, and earn their ticket to "The Oasis" — the season house. The last-place male and female finishers automatically went straight into elimination for the first challenge. In the second challenge, the challenge winners will choose a player of the opposite gender to go into the elimination. The rest of the house then voted in who goes against them for the first and second challenge. The males voted for the females, and vice versa. For the third challenge, and the last chance to earn a ticket to the Oasis, the winners will be safe from elimination, and the two remaining players of each gender will compete. In the elimination, each gender will compete. The winners of the elimination round would return to the game, and earn a ticket to The Oasis. The losers of the elimination round go home. Players could not go into The Oasis until every ticket has been earned. Players who earned their ticket to the Oasis will be exempt from elimination and will not compete in challenges until the Champions enter the game. Beginning with the fourth challenge, ss the season twist, eight Champions of past seasons of the show will enter the game, and the Underdogs will form a team against them. Each challenge will be designated for an Underdog or a Champion elimination — entitled "The Fortress." The winning team will earn $10,000 in their team bank account. The best performing guy and girl of the team designated for the Fortress will then choose one guy and one girl to go into the elimination. The rest of the house will then vote in the players who will go against them. The winners return to the game, and the losers go home.
XXX: Dirty 30: Similar to Free Agents, each challenge is either an individual, teams, or pairs challenge. The winning individual, pair, or teams would than nominate 1 player from each gender to go into the Presidio. The remaining non-winning players then participate in "The Double Cross Draw" where the one player of each gender that draws "The Double Cross" (XX) chooses a player from their own gender, who also participated in the draw, to join the previously nominated player into the Presidio to face elimination. In a twist, the eliminated players are sent into the Redemption House to compete for a spot back into the game.

text: TV show's conception[edit]

text: During the filming of The Real World: Boston and Road Rules: Islands, the two casts met while the Real World cast was vacationing in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Producers set up a face-off where both teams would compete for a cash prize. The intensely competitive challenge brought in high ratings and this set ideas in motion to produce yet another spin-off series. After another face-off called AquaGames, hosted by Kit Hoover and Mark Long, between The Real World: Seattle and Road Rules: Down Under in 1997, the Challenge series was born in 1998 with Road Rules: All Stars, and featured cast members from five different seasons of The Real World.

text: After All Stars, producers decided to include former castmembers of Road Rules in the series as well. In the next season, two six-member teams were sent around the world in a competition to see which show could best the other in head-to-head competition. The series followed the format for three years and brought in hugely successful ratings.

text: Following the hugely successful boom of reality television in the new millennium, producers decided to add new elements to the series. In 2001, production began on Battle of the Seasons. This season, the first to depart from the previous six-member structure, brought in a large group of former cast members to compete in one location. Beginning with the first Battle of the Seasons, MTV added a fantasy challenge game to their website. Players "draft" cast members, a la fantasy baseball and cast members are given points for performing certain tasks, such as cursing or "hooking up."

text: After switching to the "vote off" format, the series would alternate between "Battle" seasons, including two seasons of Battle of the Sexes and themed Challenges which included the Gauntlet and Inferno seasons. Both the Gauntlet and Inferno seasons contained "showdown" matches between members of the two opposing teams. The cast member who lost the showdown would be sent home. The Gauntlet seasons featured an intra-cast dynamic as teams were forced to vote off cast members within their own groups into the showdown, while the Inferno seasons featured an inter-cast dynamic as teams were forced to vote off cast members from the other group into the showdown.

text: In 2005, Bunim-Murray Productions decided to invite new people to the Challenges who were never a part of either Real World or Road Rules and called them 'Fresh Meat.' This decision was forced, in part, because of the status of Road Rules at the time. While Road Rules had stopped production until further notice after its thirteenth season, Real World had just finished wrapping its sixteenth season in Austin, Texas. Road Rules had a fourteenth, and final, season in 2007. One additional 'Fresh Meat' season has followed with cast also being integrated in The Challenge from the 2010 Spring Break Challenge miniseries, Are You the One?, and the Battle of the Bloodlines season of cast relatives.[4]

text: External episodes[edit]

text: While internal episodes are the usual and feature an original mission, voting process, elimination round, and surrounding social lives between the season's contestants, external episodes feature the season's contestants reviewing themselves in internal episodes and adding feedback. This is typically combined with video clips from the internal episodes in question. The Challenge has three types of these external episodes, an aftershow that takes place sporadically in the form of a series throughout the entire season, a post-show reunion of notable cast members from that season, and a bonus footage special.

text: The Challenge lingo[edit]

text: Veterans and rookies[edit]

text: Two commonly used terms on the show are "veterans" (or vets) and "rookies." Veterans are particularly thought of as players that have won at least one Challenge season, but the term has also been applied to players who have appeared on several seasons of the show, or have appeared in the final stages of a challenge. Rookies are thought of as players that have done none of the above. The most vulnerable rookies are those who have just recently completed their season on The Real World, Road Rules or Are You the One? and are participating in the game for their very first time; often they are the first to be singled out and targeted by everyone else due to their lack of bonds with existing cast. However, at least one rookie has reached the final challenge on almost every season. Exceptions include The Island, Fresh Meat II and Battle of the Exes .

text: Alliance[edit]

text: Another commonly used term on the show is "alliance." The term is used to refer to challengers working together. These contestants have colluded together so as to increase their overall chances of winning the season game. But for safety in numbers offered by the collusion, the show's contestants would run the risk of victimization to the game's politics and popularity factors. Politics plays a role due to the show's formats in which options of who is thrown into elimination rounds and other determining factors are left up to challengers themselves. Alliances are typically formed through pacts and negotiations made among certain contestants early on in the game. Alliance operations can range from saving alliance members, throwing missions for the purposes of advancing the alliance, picking and choosing based upon alliance involvement as opposed to levels of performance, etc.

text: In early seasons of the show, alliances were heavily frowned upon by most of the contestants. As such, alliances used to be carried out with much more secrecy, craft, and deviousness. In fact, many of the earliest alliances on the show were formed to sabotage members of one's own team who were perceived as weak. Once exposed, alliances typically came as offensive and shocking to those not involved. Since the later seasons, however, alliances have become a norm among the show's contestants, so much so that most contestants are expected to join an alliance upon beginning out a season. Despite its use among most, there are still a minority of contestants who elect to play the game straightforwardly, feeling as though alliance tactics are a sign of weakness and a lack of competitive spirit. Those who reject alliances, however, are seen as not playing the game strategically. Although the widespread and overt practice of alliance construction has expelled its original devious reputation, its effectiveness and capacity to surprise attack has waned.

text: Specials[edit]

text: Spring Break Challenge[edit]

text: In March 2010, prior to the airing of the 19th season, MTV aired a special spring break spin-off of The Challenge in Acapulco, Mexico.[5] Challenge alum coached teams of college-aged friends in various challenges of old and new, while Fresh Meat alumnus Evan Starkman and The Real World: Key West alumna Paula Meronek served as broadcasters, with T. J. Lavin as the host. Camila Nakagawa, a contestant of the winning team, went on to appear on future challenges, with her debut Challenge being Cutthroat. To date, Camila is the only player to appear on the challenges.

text: The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros[edit]

text: In a six-episode event entitled The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros, ten Challenge greats competed against ten pros. The series premiered on May 16, 2017, and was hosted by NFL wide receiver Victor Cruz.[6][7]

text: The Challenge: Champs vs. Stars[edit]

text: The Challenge: Champs vs. Stars is a special eight-week mini-series in which ten Challenge greats compete against ten celebrities. It premieres on November 21, 2017, and Mike “The Miz” Mizanin will be the host.[8]

text: Seasons[edit]

text:
Order
Title
Host
Format
Original Release
Location of the residence
Winners

1
All Stars
David "Puck"
Rainey
1 team of 5
June 1, 1998 -
June 29, 1998
Road trip: Montreal→Lake Placid
→Wellington→Auckland→Los Angeles
Cynthia Roberts, Eric Nies, Jon Brennan, Rachel Campos & Sean Duffy

2
Real World vs. Road Rules
David Edwards
2 teams of 6
November 9, 1999 -
December 14, 1999
Road trip: San Francisco→Los Angeles
→Las Vegas→Los Angeles
     Road Rules
(Anne Wharton, Kalle Dedolph, Kefla Hare, Mark Long, Noah Rickun & Roni Martin)

3
Challenge 2000
Gladys Sanabria
2 teams of 6
January 17, 2000 -
April 3, 2000
Road trip: Las Vegas→Nashville→Miami
     Road Rules
(Carlos Jackson, Dan Setzler, Holly Shand, Piggy Thomas, Veronica Portillo & Yes Duffy)

4
Extreme Challenge
none
2 teams of 6
January 9, 2001 -
May 22, 2001
Road trip: Portland, ME→Montreal
→Boston→London→Hamburg→Prague
→London→New York→Los Angeles
     Real World
(Dan Renzi, Jamie Murray, Julie Stoffer, Kameelah Phillips, Rebecca Lord & Syrus Yarbrough)

5
Battle of the Seasons
Eric Nies &
Mark Long
2 teams of
8 pairs of 2
January 28, 2002 -
May 27, 2002
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
     Real World
(Mike Mizanin & Coral Smith, Sean Duffy & Elka Walker, Danny Roberts & Kelley Limp)

6
Battle of the Sexes
Jonny Moseley
2 teams of 18
December 30, 2002 -
May 12, 2003
Montego Bay, Jamaica
     Guys
(Mark Long, Colin Mortensen, Jamie Murray)

7
The Gauntlet
2 teams of 14
September 29, 2003 -
January 26, 2004
Telluride, Colorado
     Road Rules
(Adam Larson, Cara Zavaleta, Darrell Taylor, Dave Giuntolli, Rachel Robinson, Roni Martin, Sarah Greyson, Theo Vonkurnatowski & Veronica Portillo)

8
The Inferno
Dave Mirra
2 teams of 10
February 2, 2004 -
May 31, 2004
Acapulco, Mexico
     Road Rules
(Abram Boise, Christena Pyle, Darrell Taylor, Holly Shand, Katie Doyle, Kendal Sheppard, Timmy Beggy & Veronica Portillo)

9
Battle of the Sexes 2
Jonny Moseley
2 teams of 18
October 4, 2004 -
January 31, 2005
Santa Fe, New Mexico
     Guys
(Dan Setzler, Eric Nies & Theo Vonkurnatowski)

10
The Inferno II
Dave Mirra
2 teams of 10
March 7, 2005 -
June 20, 2005
Manzanillo, Mexico
     Good Guys
(Darrell Taylor, Jamie Chung, Landon Lueck & Mike Mizanin)

11
The Gauntlet 2
T.J. Lavin
2 teams of 16
December 5, 2005 -
March 27, 2006
Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago
     Rookies
(Alton Williams, Ibis Nieves, Jamie Murray, Jodi Weatherton, Kina Dean, Landon Lueck, MJ Garrett, Randy Barry & Susie Meister)

12
Fresh Meat
12 pairs of 2
(m/f)
May 29, 2006 -
September 11, 2006
Myocum, Australia
     Darrell Taylor & Aviv Melmed

13
The Duel
Individual
October 12, 2006 -
January 18, 2007
Armação dos Búzios, Brazil
     Wes Bergmann

     Jodi Weatherton

14
The Inferno 3
2 teams of 10
April 10, 2007 -
July 3, 2007
Somerset West, South Africa
     Bad Asses
(Abram Boise, Derrick Kosinski, Evelyn Smith, Janelle Casanave, Kenny Santucci & Tonya Cooley)

15
The Gauntlet III
2 teams of 16
January 23, 2008 -
March 26, 2008
Riviera Nayarit, Mexico
     Rookies
(Frank Roessler, Jillian Zoboroski, Johanna Botta, Nehemiah Clark, Rachel Moyal & Tori (Hall) Fiorenza)

16
The Island
Individual
→2 teams of 4
September 10, 2008 -
October 29, 2008
Colón Island, Panama
     Red Boat
(Derrick Kosinski, Evelyn Smith, Johnny Devenanzio & Kenny Santucci)

17
The Duel II
Individual
April 8, 2009 -
June 17, 2009
Queenstown, New Zealand
     Evan Starkman

     Rachel Robinson

18
The Ruins
2 teams of 14
September 30, 2009 -
December 23, 2009
Phuket, Thailand
     Champions
(Derrick Kosinski, Evan Starkman, Johnny Devenanzio, Kenny Santucci & Susie Meister)

19
Fresh Meat II
13 pairs of 2
(m/f)
April 7, 2010 -
June 9, 2010
Whistler, British Columbia, Canada
     Landon Lueck & Carley Johnson

20
Cutthroat
3 teams of 10
October 6, 2010 -
December 22, 2010
Prague, Czech Republic
     Red Team
(Brad Fiorenza, Dunbar Merrill, Tori (Hall) Fiorenza & Tyler Duckworth)

21
Rivals
14 pairs of 2
(same gender)
June 22, 2011 -
September 7, 2011
Dominical, Costa Rica
→Buenos Aires & Bariloche, Argentina
     Johnny Devenanzio & Tyler Duckworth

     Evelyn Smith & Paula Meronek

22
Battle of the Exes
13 pairs of 2
(12 m/f; 1 f/f)
January 25, 2012 -
April 4, 2012
Sosúa, Dominican Republic
→Reykjavík, Iceland
     Johnny Devenanzio & Camila Nakagawa

23
Battle of the Seasons
8 teams of 4
September 19, 2012 -
December 19, 2012
Bodrum, Turkey
→Swakopmund, Namibia
     Team San Diego
(Ashley Kelsey, Frank Sweeney, Sam McGinn & Zach Nichols)

24
Rivals II
16 pairs of 2
(same gender)
July 10, 2013 -
September 25, 2013
Phuket, Thailand
     Chris "CT" Tamburello & Wes Bergmann

     Emily Schromm & Paula Meronek

25
Free Agents
Individual
Pairs
Teams
April 10, 2014 -
June 26, 2014
Punta del Este, Uruguay
→Pucón, Chile
 03  Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio

 24  Laurel Stucky

26
Battle of the Exes II
13 pairs of 2
(m/f)
January 6, 2015 -
March 24, 2015
Pedasí, Panama
→Ørsta, Norway
     Jordan Wiseley & Sarah (Rice) Patterson

27
Battle of the Bloodlines
14 pairs of 2
→2 teams of 12
→5 pairs of 2
December 2, 2015 -
February 17, 2016
Bodrum, Turkey
→Berlin, Germany
     Cara Maria Sorbello & Jamie Banks

28
Rivals III
13 pairs of 2
(m/f)
May 4, 2016 -
August 3, 2016
Huatulco, Mexico
→ Mendoza, Argentina
     Johnny "Bananas" Devananzio & Sarah (Rice) Patterson

29
Invasion of the Champions[9]
Individual
→2 teams
→Individual
February 7, 2017[9]-
May 16, 2017
Krabi, Thailand[9]
     Chris "CT" Tamburello

     Ashley Mitchell

30
XXX: Dirty 30
Individual
Pairs
Teams
July 18, 2017
Cartagena, Colombia

text: 5 Timers Club[edit]

text:
[show]As of XXX: Dirty 30

#
Cast member
Original season
Challenge seasons
Challenge seasons won
# of challenge wins
Total Money Made

15
Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio
RW: Key West
The Duel, The Inferno 3, The Gauntlet III, The Island, The Ruins, Cutthroat, Rivals, Battle of the Exes, Rivals II, Free Agents, Battle of the Exes II, Battle of the Bloodlines, Rivals III, Invasion of the Champions, XXX: Dirty 30
The Island, The Ruins, Rivals, Battle of the Exes,Free Agents, Rivals III
6
$685,543

13
Chris "CT" Tamburello
RW: Paris
The Inferno, The Inferno II, The Duel, The Inferno 3, The Gauntlet III, The Duel II, Rivals, Battle of the Exes, Rivals II, Free Agents, Battle of the Exes II, Invasion of the Champions, XXX: Dirty 30
Rivals II, Invasion of the Champions
2
$249,750

12
Aneesa Ferreira
RW: Chicago
Battle of the Sexes, Battle of the Sexes 2, The Gauntlet 2, The Duel, The Inferno 3, The Duel II, Rivals, Battle of the Exes, Rivals II, Free Agents, Battle of the Bloodlines, XXX: Dirty 30

0
$23,571

10
Camila Nakagawa
Spring Break Challenge
Cutthroat, Rivals, Battle of the Exes, Battle of the Seasons (2012), Rivals II, Free Agents, Battle of the Bloodlines, Rivals III, Invasion of the Champions, XXX: Dirty 30
Battle of the Exes
1
$111,750

10
Cara Maria Sorbello
Fresh Meat II
Fresh Meat II, Cutthroat, Rivals, Battle of the Exes, Battle of the Seasons (2012), Rivals II, Free Agents, Battle of the Bloodlines, Invasion of the Champions, XXX: Dirty 30
Battle of the Bloodlines
1
$188,500

10
Derrick Kosinski
RR: X-Treme
Battle of the Sexes 2, The Inferno II, The Gauntlet 2, Fresh Meat, The Duel, The Inferno 3, The Island, The Ruins, Cutthroat, XXX: Dirty 30
The Inferno 3, The Island, The Ruins
3
$176,293

10
Paula Meronek
RW: Key West
The Duel, The Inferno 3, The Gauntlet III, The Island, The Duel II, Fresh Meat II, Cutthroat, Rivals, Battle of the Exes, Rivals II
Rivals, Rivals II
2
$126,000

10
Wes Bergmann
RW: Austin
Fresh Meat, The Duel, The Ruins, Fresh Meat II, Rivals, Battle of the Exes, Battle of the Seasons (2012), Rivals II, Battle of the Exes II, Rivals III
The Duel, Rivals II
2
$248,000

9
Abram Boise
RR: South Pacific
The Gauntlet, The Inferno, Battle of the Sexes 2, The Inferno II, The Inferno 3, The Island, Cutthroat, Battle of the Exes, Battle of the Bloodlines
The Inferno, The Inferno 3
2
$102,500

9
Katie Doyle
RR: The Quest
The Gauntlet, The Inferno, Battle of the Sexes 2, The Gauntlet 2, Fresh Meat, The Gauntlet III, The Duel II, The Ruins, Cutthroat
The Inferno
1
$41,071

9
Robin Hibbard
RW: San Diego
Battle of the Sexes 2, The Inferno II, The Gauntlet 2, The Duel, The Gauntlet III, The Island, The Duel II, Rivals, Battle of the Exes

0
$8,571

9
Sarah (Rice) Patterson
RW: Brooklyn
The Ruins, Fresh Meat II, Cutthroat, Rivals, Battle of the Exes, Battle of the Seasons (2012), Rivals II, Battle of the Exes II, Rivals III
Battle of the Exes II, Rivals III
2
$173,739

9
Veronica Portillo
RR: Semester at Sea
Challenge 2000, Battle of the Seasons (2002), Battle of the Sexes, The Gauntlet, The Inferno, Battle of the Sexes 2, The Inferno II, The Ruins, XXX: Dirty 30
Challenge 2000, The Gauntlet, The Inferno
3
$79,309

8
Brad Fiorenza
RW: San Diego
Battle of the Sexes 2, The Inferno II, The Gauntlet 2, The Duel, The Gauntlet III, The Duel II, The Ruins, Cutthroat
Cutthroat
1
$75,000

8
Darrell Taylor
RR: Campus Crawl
The Gauntlet, The Inferno, The Inferno II, Fresh Meat, The Ruins, Fresh Meat II, Invasion of the Champions, XXX: Dirty 30
The Gauntlet, The Inferno, The Inferno II, Fresh Meat
4
$240,555

8
Diem Brown
Fresh Meat
Fresh Meat, The Duel, The Gauntlet III, The Duel II, The Ruins, Battle of the Exes, Rivals II, Battle of the Exes II

0
$55,000

8
Kenny Santucci
Fresh Meat
Fresh Meat, The Duel, The Inferno 3, The Gauntlet III, The Island, The Ruins, Fresh Meat II, Rivals
The Inferno 3, The Island, The Ruins
3
$236,293

8
Leroy Garrett
RW: Las Vegas (2011)
Rivals, Battle of the Exes, Rivals II, Free Agents, Battle of the Exes II, Battle of the Bloodlines, Rivals III, XXX: Dirty 30

0
$36,500

8
Tonya Cooley
RW: Chicago
Battle of the Sexes, The Gauntlet, Battle of the Sexes 2, The Inferno II, Fresh Meat, The Inferno 3, The Island, The Ruins
The Inferno 3
1
$50,000

7
Beth Stolarczyk
RW: Los Angeles
RW/RR Challenge, Battle of the Seasons (2002), Battle of the Sexes, The Inferno II, The Gauntlet 2, The Duel, The Gauntlet III

0
$2,206

7
Evelyn Smith
Fresh Meat
Fresh Meat, The Inferno 3, The Gauntlet III, The Island, The Ruins, Fresh Meat II, Rivals
The Inferno 3, The Island, Rivals
3
$167,000

7
Rachel Robinson
RR: Campus Crawl
Battle of the Sexes, The Gauntlet, Battle of the Sexes 2, The Inferno II, The Island, The Duel 2, Battle of the Exes
The Gauntlet, The Duel II
2
$135,555

6
Adam King
RW: Paris
Battle of the Sexes 2, The Gauntlet 2, The Gauntlet III, The Duel II, The Ruins, Rivals

0
$1,000

6
Coral Smith
RW: Back to New York
Battle of the Seasons (2002), The Gauntlet, The Inferno, Battle of the Sexes 2, Fresh Meat, The Gauntlet III
Battle of the Seasons (2002)
1
$72,000

6
Danny Jamieson
RW: Austin
Fresh Meat, The Inferno 3, The Gauntlet III, The Ruins, Fresh Meat II, Battle of the Seasons (2012)

0
$0

6
Dunbar Flinn
RW: Sydney
The Island, The Duel II, The Ruins, Cutthroat, Battle of the Exes, Rivals II
Cutthroat
1
$40,000

6
Eric Banks
Fresh Meat
Fresh Meat, The Duel, The Gauntlet III, The Duel II, Cutthroat, Battle of the Seasons (2012)

0
$0

6
Evan Starkman
Fresh Meat
Fresh Meat, The Duel, The Gauntlet III, The Duel II, The Ruins, Rivals
The Duel II, The Ruins
2
$151,293

6
Jenn Grijalva
RW: Denver
The Inferno 3, The Island, The Duel II, Fresh Meat II, Cutthroat, Rivals

0
$20,000

6
Mark Long
RR: First Adventure
RW/RR Challenge, Battle of the Sexes, Battle of the Sexes 2, The Gauntlet 2, The Duel II, Battle of the Exes
RW/RR Challenge, Battle of the Sexes
2
$80,184

6
Nany González
RW: Las Vegas (2011)
Battle of the Seasons (2012), Rivals II, Free Agents, Battle of the Exes II, Battle of the Bloodlines, Rivals III

0
$35,000

6
Theresa González
Fresh Meat II
Fresh Meat II, Cutthroat, Rivals, Rivals II, Free Agents, Battle of the Exes II

0
$35,500

6
Tyrie Ballard
RW: Denver
The Inferno 3, The Gauntlet III, The Island, Rivals, Battle of the Exes, Rivals II

0
$0

5
Brandon Nelson
Fresh Meat II
Fresh Meat II, Cutthroat, Rivals, Battle of the Seasons (2012), Free Agents

0
$0

5
Jasmine Reynaud
RW: Cancun
Rivals, Battle of the Exes, Battle of the Seasons (2012), Rivals II, Free Agents

0
$500

5
Jemmye Carroll
RW: New Orleans (2010)
Battle of the Seasons (2012), Rivals II, Free Agents, Battle of the Exes II, XXX: Dirty 30

0
$7,500

5
Jenna Compono
RW: Ex-Plosion
Battle of the Exes II, Battle of the Bloodlines, Rivals III, Invasion of the Champions, XXX: Dirty 30

0
$37,500

5
Jonna Mannion
RW: Cancun
Rivals, Battle of the Seasons (2012), Rivals II, Free Agents, Battle of the Exes II

0
$0

5
Julie Stoffer
RW: New Orleans
Extreme Challenge, Battle of the Sexes, The Inferno, The Inferno II, The Gauntlet 2
Extreme Challenge
1
$27,904

5
Laurel Stucky
Fresh Meat II
Fresh Meat II, Cutthroat, Rivals, Free Agents, Invasion of the Champions
Free Agents
1
$201,000

5
Mike Mizanin
RW: Back to New York
Battle of the Seasons (2002), The Gauntlet, The Inferno, Battle of the Sexes 2, The Inferno II
Battle of the Seasons (2002), The Inferno II
2
$104,500

5
Ryan Kehoe
Fresh Meat
Fresh Meat, The Gauntlet III, The Island, The Duel II, Fresh Meat II

0
$0

5
Syrus Yarbrough
RW: Boston
Extreme Challenge, Battle of the Sexes, The Inferno, The Gauntlet 2, The Ruins
Extreme Challenge
1
$28,333

5
Shane Landrum
RR: Campus Crawl
Battle of the Sexes, The Inferno, Battle of the Sexes 2, Fresh Meat, Invasion of the Champions

0
$0

5
Tina Barta
RR: South Pacific
The Gauntlet, Battle of the Sexes 2, The Inferno II, Fresh Meat, The Duel

0
$25,000

5
Zach Nichols
RW: San Diego (2011)
Battle of the Seasons (2012), Rivals II, Free Agents, Battle of the Exes II, Invasion of the Champions
Battle of the Seasons (2012)
1
$78,000

Note: Challenge names in bold indicate those that the cast member competed in the final challenge.

text: Cast members[edit]

text: Players with the most final challenge prize money[edit]

text:
Place
Cast member
Original season
Challenge wins/# of Challenges
Total money won

1

Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio
RW: Key West
6/14
$685,043

2

Chris "CT" Tamburello
RW: Paris
2/12
$249,750

3

Wes Bergmann
RW: Austin
2/10
$248,000

4

Darrell Taylor
RR: Campus Crawl
4/7
$240,555

5

Kenny Santucci
Fresh Meat
3/8
$236,293

6

Laurel Stucky
Fresh Meat II
1/5
$201,000

7

Cara Maria Sorbello
Fresh Meat II
1/9
$188,500

8

Landon Lueck
RW: Philadelphia
3/4
$184,166

9

Jodi Weatherton
RR: X-Treme
2/3
$176,666

10

Derrick Kosinski
RR: X-Treme
3/9
$176,293

11

Sarah (Rice) Patterson
RW: Brooklyn
2/9
$173,739

12

Evelyn Smith
Fresh Meat
3/7
$167,000

13

Evan Starkman
Fresh Meat
2/6
$151,293

14

Rachel Robinson
RR: Campus Crawl
2/7
$135,555

15

Jordan Wiseley
RW: Portland
1/3
$133,000

16

Mike Mizanin
RW: Back to New York
2/5
$129,500

17

Paula Meronek
RW: Key West
2/10
$126,000

18

Aviv Melmed
Fresh Meat
1/1
$125,000

19

Jamie Banks
Battle of the Bloodlines
1/2
$125,000

20

Ashley Mitchell
RW: Ex-Plosion
1/3
$121,250

21

Camila Nakagawa
Spring Break Challenge
1/9
$111,250

22

Emily Schromm
RW: DC
1/3
$104,000

23

Abram Boise
RR: South Pacific
2/9
$102,500

24

Susie Meister
RR: Down Under
2/4
$100,173

25

Carley Johnson
Fresh Meat II
1/1
$100,000

text:
[show]Every cast member who has competed on The Challenge.

Cast Member
Original Season
Seasons (W=Winner; F=Finalist; C=Cameo)

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30

Abram Boise
RR: South Pacific

W

F

W

F

Ace Amerson
RW: Paris

F

Adam King
RW: Paris

F

Adam Kuhn
AYTO? 1

Adam Larson
RR: The Quest

W

Adam Royer
RW: Las Vegas (2011)

Alex Smith
RW: Denver

Alton Williams
RW: Las Vegas (2002)

F

W

F

Amanda Garcia
AYTO? 3

Amaya Brecher
RW: Hawaii

Anastasia Miller
RW: Portland

Aneesa Ferreira
RW: Chicago

F

F

Angel Turlington
RR: Viewers' Revenge

Angela Trimbur
RR: X-Treme

Anika Rashaun
RW Seattle: Bad Blood

Anne Wharton
RR: Northern Trail

W

Anthony Bartolotte
AYTO? 2

Anthony Cuomo
Battle of the Bloodlines

Antoine de Bouverie
RR: Europe

Arissa Hill
RW: Las Vegas (2002)

F

Ashley Kelsey
RW: San Diego (2011)

W

Ashley Mitchell
RW: Ex-Plosion

W

Ashli Robson
RW: Sydney

Averey Tressler
RW: Portland

Aviv Melmed
Fresh Meat

W

Ayanna Mackins
RR: Semester at Sea

Ayiiia Elizarraras
RW: Cancun

Becky Blasband
RW: New York

Belou Den Tex
RR: Europe

Beth Stolarcyk
RW: Los Angeles
C

Blair Herter
RR: The Quest

Brad Fiorenza
RW: San Diego (2004)

F

F

F

W

Brandon Nelson
Fresh Meat II

Brandon Swift
RW: St. Thomas

Brandon Tindel
AYTO? 2

Briana LaCuesta
AYTO? 2

Brianna Julig
Battle of the Bloodlines

F

Brianna Taylor
RW: Hollywood

Britni Thornton
AYTO? 3

Brittany Baldassari
AYTO? 1

Brittini Sherrod
RW: Hollywood

F

Brooke LaBarbera
RW: Denver

Bruno Bettencourt
RW: Skeletons

Cameran Eubanks
RW: San Diego (2004)

Camila Nakagawa
Spring Break Challenge

W

F

F

Candice Fowler
Battle of the Bloodlines

Cara Zavaleta
RR: South Pacific

W

F

Cara Maria Sorbello
Fresh Meat II

F
F

F

W

Carley Johnson
Fresh Meat II

W

Carlos Jackson
RR: USA 1

W

Casey Cooper
Fresh Meat

F

Chadwick Pelletier
RR: Down Under

Chanda Sneed
Fresh Meat

Chet Cannon
RW: Brooklyn

F

Cheyenne Floyd
AYTO? 3

F

Chris Graebe
RR: South Pacific

Chris Melling
RR: Europe

Chris "CT" Tamburello
RW: Paris

F

F

F

C

F

W

C

W

Christian Breivik
RR: USA 2

Chris "Ammo" Ammon Hall
RW: Go Big or Go Home

CJ Koegel
RW: Cancun

Christina LeBlanc
AYTO? 2

Christina Pazsitzky
RR: Down Under

Christena Pyle
RR: South Pacific

W

Cohutta Grindstaff
RW: Sydney

Colie Edison
RW: Denver

Colin Mortensen
RW: Hawaii

W

Coral Smith
RW: Back to New York

W

F
F
F

Cory Wharton
RW: Ex-Plosion

F

F

Cynthia Roberts
RW: Miami
W

Dan Renzi
RW: Miami

W

Dan Setzler
RR: Northern Trail

W

F

W

Dan Walsh
RR: Viewers' Revenge

Danny Dias
RR: X-Treme

Danny Jamieson
RW: Austin

Danny Roberts
RW: New Orleans (2000)

W

Dario Medrano
AYTO? 2

Darrell Taylor
RR: Campus Crawl

W
W

W

W

Dave Giuntoli
RR: South Pacific

W

David "Puck" Rainey
RW: San Francisco

David Broom
RW: New Orleans (2000)

David Burns
RW: Seattle

F

David Edwards
RW: Los Angeles

David Malinosky
RW: Hollywood

Davis Mallory
RW: Denver

Derek Chavez
RW: Cancun

Derek McCray
RR: Viewers' Revenge

Derrick Henry
AYTO? 5

Derrick Kosinski
RR: X-Treme

F

W

W

W

Devin Walker-Molaghan
AYTO? 3

F

Devyn Simone
RW: Brooklyn

F

F

Diem Brown
Fresh Meat

F

F

Dunbar Flinn
RW: Sydney

W

Dustin Zito
RW: Las Vegas (2011)

F

Elka Walker
RW: Boston

W

Ellen Cho
RR: The Quest

F

Emilee Fitzpatrick
RW: Cancun

Emily Baily
RR: USA 2

F

Emily Reese
Battle of the Bloodlines

Emily Schromm
RW: DC

F

F

W

Eric Banks
Fresh Meat

F

Eric Jones
RR: Campus Crawl

Eric Nies
RW: New York
W

W

Evan Starkman
Fresh Meat

F

W
W

Evelyn Smith
Fresh Meat

W
F
W

W

Flora Alekseyeun
RW: Miami

Frank Roessler
RW: Las Vegas (2002)

W

Frank Sweeney
RW: San Diego (2011)

W
F

Genesis Moss
RW: Boston

Gladys Sanabria
RR: Latin America

Hailey Chivers
RW: Ex-Plosion

Heather Cooke
RW: Las Vegas (2011)

F

Heather Gardner
RW: New York

Heather Marter
RW: Las Vegas (2011)

Holly Brentson
RR: Maximum Velocity Tour

F

Holly Shand
RR: Latin America

W

W

Hunter Barfield
AYTO? 3

Ibis Nieves
RR: X-Treme

W

Irulan Wilson
RW: Las Vegas (2002)

Isaac Stout
RW: Sydney

Jacquese Smith
RW: San Diego (2004)

Jake Bronstein
RR: Islands

James Orlando
RR: Maximum Velocity Tour

Jamie Banks
Battle of the Bloodlines

W

Jamie Chung
RW: San Diego (2004)

W

Jamie Murray
RW: New Orleans (2000)

W

W

W

Janelle Casanave
RW: Key West

W

Janet Choi
RW: Seattle

Jasmine Reynaud
RW: Cancun

Jason Cornwell
RW: Boston

Jay Mitchell
RW: Ex-Plosion

F

JD Ordoñez
RW: Brooklyn

F

Jeff Barr
Fresh Meat II

Jemmye Carroll
RW: New Orleans (2010)

F

Jenn Grijalva
RW: Denver

F

F
F
F

Jenna Compono
RW: Ex-Plosion

F
F
F

Jeremy Blossom
RR: South Pacific

Jesse Stark
Fresh Meat

Jessica McCain
RW: Portland

Jill Tuttle
Battle of the Bloodlines

Jillian Zoboroski
RR: X-Treme

W

F

Jisela Delgado
RR: The Quest

Jo Rhodes
RW: San Francisco

Jodi Weatherton
RR: X-Treme

W

W

Johanna Botta
RW: Austin

W

John "JJ" Jacobs
AYTO? 1

Johnnie McBride
Fresh Meat

Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio
RW: Key West

F

W

W

W
W

F
W

W

Johnny Reilly
RW: Portland

F

Jon Brennan
RW: Los Angeles
W

Jonna Mannion
RW: Cancun

Jordan Wiseley
RW: Portland

F

W

Josh Florence
RR: Latin America

Julie Stoffer
RW: New Orleans (2000)

W

F

Kailah Casillas
RW: Go Big or Go Home

Kalle Dedolph
RR: Islands

W

Kameelah Phillips
RW: Boston

W

Karamo Brown
RW: Philadelphia

Kat Ogden
RW: London

W

Katelynn Cusanelli
RW: Brooklyn

Katie Doyle
RR: The Quest

W

F

Kefla Hare
RR: Down Under

W
C

Kelley Limp
RW: New Orleans (2000)

W

KellyAnne Judd
RW: Sydney

F

Kendal Sheppard
RR: Campus Crawl

W

Kenny Santucci
Fresh Meat

F

W
F
W

W
F

F

Kimberly Alexander
RW: Hollywood

Kina Dean
RR: X-Treme

W

Lacey Buehler
RW: Austin

Landon Lueck
RW: Philadelphia

W
W

W

Larissa Nakagawa
Battle of the Bloodlines

Laterian Wallace
RR: Maximum Velocity Tour

LaToya Jackson
RW: St. Thomas

Laura Waller
RW: St. Thomas

Laurel Stucky
Fresh Meat II

F
F
F

W

Leah Gillingwater
RW: Paris

Leroy Garrett
RW: Las Vegas (2011)

F

F

Lindsay Brien
RW: Seattle

Linette Gallo
Fresh Meat

Lori Trespicio
RW: Back to New York

F

Luke Wolfe
Fresh Meat II

F

McKenzie Coburn
RW: New Orleans (2010)

Mallory Snyder
RW: Paris

Mandi Moyer
Fresh Meat II

F

Marie Roda
RW: St. Thomas

Mark Long
RR: USA 1

W

W

F

F

Marlon Williams
RW: Portland

F

Matt Smith
RW: New Orleans (2000)

Melinda Stolp
RW: Austin

Melissa Howard
RW: New Orleans (2000)

Michael Ross
RW: Las Vegas (2011)

F

Michelle Parma
RR: Europe

Mike Boise
Battle of the Bloodlines

Mike Johnson
RW: London

Mike Lambert
RW: Miami

Mike Mizanin
RW: Back to New York

W

F
F

W

Mitch Reid
Battle of the Bloodlines

F

MJ Garrett
RW: Philadelphia

W

Montana McGlynn
RW: Boston

Naomi Defensor
RW: Las Vegas (2011)

Nany González
RW: Las Vegas (2011)

F

Nate Stodghill
RW: San Diego (2011)

Nathan Blackburn
RW: Seattle

F

Nathan "Nate" Siebenmark
AYTO? 2

Nehemiah Clark
RW: Austin

W

Neil Forrester
RW: London

Nelson Thomas
AYTO? 3

F

Nia Moore
RW: Portland

Nick Brown
RW: Hollywood

Nick Haggart
RR: X-Treme

Nicole Ramos
Battle of the Bloodlines

Nicole Zanatta
RW: Skeletons

F

Noah Rickun
RR: Northern Trail

W

Noor Jehangir
Fresh Meat II

F

Norman Korpi
RW: New York

F

Paula Meronek
RW: Key West

F
F
F

W

W

Pete Connolly
Fresh Meat II

F

Piggy Thomas
RR: Down Under

W

Preston Charles
RW: New Orleans (2010)

Priscilla Mendez
RW: San Diego (2011)

Rachel Braband
RW: Back to New York

Rachel Campos
RW: San Francisco
W

Rachel Moyal
RW: Austin

W

Rachel Robinson
RR: Campus Crawl

W

F

W

Randy Barry
RW: San Diego (2004)

W

Raphy Medrano
Battle of the Bloodlines

Rebecca Lord
RW: Seattle

W

Rianna Polin
Battle of the Bloodlines

Robb Schreiber
RW: St. Thomas

Robin Hibbard
RW: San Diego (2004)

F

F
F

Roni Martin
RR: Northern Trail

W

W

Ruthie Alcaide
RW: Hawaii

F

Ryan Kehoe
Fresh Meat

F

Ryan Knight
RW: New Orleans (2010)

Sam McGinn
RW: San Diego (2011)

W

Sandy Kang
Fresh Meat II

Sarah Greyson
RR: Campus Crawl

W

Sarah (Rice) Patterson
RW: Brooklyn

F

F

F

W

W

Sean Duffy
RW: Boston
W

W

Shane Landrum
RR: Campus Crawl

Shane Raines
Battle of the Bloodlines

Sharon Gitau
RW: London

Shauvon Torres
RW: Sydney

Shavonda Bilingslea
RW: Philadelphia

Shawn Sealy
RR: Semester at Sea

C

Simone Kelly
AYTO? 1

Sophia Pasquis
RR: The Quest

F

Stephen Buell
Battle of the Bloodlines

Stephen Williams
RW: Seattle

Steve Meinke
RR: The Quest

Steven Hill
RW: Las Vegas (2002)

Susie Meister
RR: Down Under

W

F

W

Svetlana Shusterman
RW: Key West

F

Sydney Walker
Fresh Meat II

Sylvia Elsrode
RW: Skeletons

Syrus Yarbrough
RW: Boston

C

W

F

Tara McDaniel
RR: Northern Trail

F

Teck Holmes
RW: Hawaii

Theo Bradley
RW Seattle: Bad Blood

Theo Gantt
RW: Chicago

Theo von Kurnatowski
RR: Maximum Velocity Tour

F

W

W

Theresa González
Fresh Meat II

F

Thomas Buell
RW: Ex-Plosion

Timmy Beggy
RR: USA 2

F

W

F

Tina Barta
RR: South Pacific

F

F

C

Tony Raines
RW: Skeletons

Tonya Cooley
RW: Chicago

F

W

Tori Deal
AYTO? 4

Tori (Hall) Fiorenza
RR: Viewers' Revenge

W

W

Trey Weatherholtz
RW: St. Thomas

Trishelle Cannatella
RW: Las Vegas (2002)

F

Ty Ruff
RW: DC

F

Tyler Duckworth
RW: Key West

W
W

Tyrie Ballard
RW: Denver

Veronica Portillo
RR: Semester at Sea

W

W
W

F

Vince Gliatta
Battle of the Bloodlines

F

Vinny Foti
Fresh Meat II

Wes Bergmann
RW: Austin

F
W

F

W

Yes Duffy
RR: Semester at Sea

W

Zach Mann
RW: Key West

Zach Nichols
RW: San Diego (2011)

W

F

C

text: Challenge records[edit]

text:
[show]Feat
Male Cast Members
Record
Female Cast Members
Record

Most Season Appearances
Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio
15[a]
Aneesa Ferreira
12[a]

Most Seasons Won
Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio
6
Evelyn Smith
Veronica Portillo
3

Most Consecutive Seasons Won
Darrell Taylor
4
Jodi Weatherton
Roni Martin
Sarah Rice
Veronica Portillo
2

Most Consecutive Seasons
Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio[a]
7
Cara Maria Sorbello
Sarah Rice
7

Most Seasons Between Challenges
Shane Landrum
16
Trishelle Cannatella
14

Longest Span of Seasons
Shane Landrum
Darrell Taylor[a]
24
Veronica Portillo
28[a]

Multiple Wins in the Same Format
Abram Boise
Inferno/Inferno III
Paula Meronek
Rivals/Rivals II

Darrell Taylor
Inferno/Inferno II

Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio
Rivals/Rivals III

Most Seasons Before Winning
Chris "CT" Tamburello
9
Cara Maria Sorbello
Paula Meronek
Sarah Rice
8

Most Appearances in a Final
Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio
8
Cara Maria Sorbello
Paula Meronek
Sarah Rice
5[b]

Most Consecutive Appearances in a Final
Kenny Santucci
6
Coral Smith
Laurel Stucky
Susie Meister
4

Most Appearances in a Final Without Winning One
Cory Wharton
Leroy Garrett
2
Jenn Grijalva
4

Most Challenges Without Appearing in a Final
Danny Jamieson
Tyrie Ballard
6
Jasmine Reynaud
Jonna Mannion
5

Most Challenges Without Winning a Final
Leroy Garrett
8
Aneesa Ferreira
12

Most Seasons in Challenge History
Without Ever Being Sent Home
Jamie Murray
Dan Setzler
3
Susie Meister
4

Most Elimination Wins in a Single Season
Wes Bergmann
5
Casey Cooper
Sarah Greyson
5

Most Consecutive Eliminations in a Single Season
Wes Bergmann
4
Casey Cooper
4

Most Elimination Rounds in a Single Season
Derrick Kosinski
Wes Bergmann
5
Casey Cooper
Sarah Greyson
5

Most Elimination Wins in Challenge History
Wes Bergmann
13
Cara Maria Sorbello
12

Most Elimination Rounds in Challenge History
Wes Bergmann
19
Cara Maria Sorbello
Aneesa Ferreira
17

Most Consecutive Elimination Wins in Challenge History
Wes Bergmann
8
Laurel Stucky
9

Most Challenges Without Winning an Elimination Round
Danny Jamieson
Tyrie Ballard
6
Melinda Stolp
4

Most Finals Without Participating in an Elimination Round
Chris "CT" Tamburello
4
Rachel Robinson
3

Most Seasons in Challenge History
Sent Home Without Formally Losing an Elimination Round
Chris "CT" Tamburello
3
Camila Nakagawa
3

Most Money Won From a Single Season
Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio
$275,000
Jodi Weatherton
$150,000

Most Money Won in Challenge History
Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio
$680,793
Laurel Stucky
$201,000

^ Jump up to: a b c d e Updated as of XXX: Dirty 30; all other feats are updated as of Invasion of the Champions.
Jump up ^ Includes Cara Maria's appearance in the upcoming Dirty 30 final challenge.

text: Locations[edit]

text:
The Challenge has been shot in many different countries around the world, as well as some taking place in North America.
During seasons 1, 4, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, and 28, the cast traveled between several different countries.

text:
Rank
Location
Seasons visited

1

 United States
6 (1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 9)

2

 Mexico
5 (5, 8, 10, 15, 28)

3

 Argentina
2 (21, 28, 30)

 Canada
3 (1, 4, 19)

 Thailand
3 (18, 24, 29)

6

 New Zealand
2 (1, 17)

 Czech Republic
2 (4, 20)

 Panama
2 (16, 26)

 Turkey
2 (23, 27)

 Germany
2 (4, 27)

11

 United Kingdom
2 (4)

 Jamaica
1 (6)

 Trinidad and Tobago
1 (11)

 Australia
1 (12)

 Brazil
1 (13)

 South Africa
1 (14)

 Costa Rica
1 (21)

 Dominican Republic
1 (22)

 Iceland
1 (22)

 Namibia
1 (23)

 Uruguay
1 (25)

 Chile
1 (25)

 Norway
1 (26)

 Colombia
1 (30)