Battle of the Exes originally had a 'Final Four' instead of a 'Final Three' finale

In the original rules of the Battle of the Exes, castmembers were told that there would be four teams in the final.

Sarah and Vinny in Battle of the Exes

However, early on in the Challenge, two teams were sent home early despite scheduled eliminations. Sarah (Brooklyn) and Vinny (Fresh Meat II) were sent home for Vinny's bad behavior. In the second episode, Vinny took off Mandi's (Fresh Meat II) top when the cast was at a club. Later on, Heather (Las Vegas) and Dustin (Las Vegas) were also sent home because Dustin had busted open his knee.


After the two teams were sent home, producers changed the rules from a Final Four to a Final Three. Originally, an alliance of Johnny (Key West)/Camilla (Spring Break), CT (Paris)/Diem (Fresh Meat), Mark (USA Tour I)/Robin (San Diego) and Dunbar (Sydney)/Paula (Key West) were gunning for those four top spots. The rule change quickly dissipated the alliance, breaking the bonds between the foursome, eventually leading to some friction that we saw unfold on-screen.

Bunim-Murray: Here's five things we'd like to see on the next Challenge

After the season finale of Rivals, we gave a couple of suggestions about things to fix on the new season of the Challenge. We've updated that list for the upcoming 23rd season of the Challenge.

Tyler and Derrick in the Gulag on Cutthroat.

1. Bring New Blood. The most disappointing part of Battle of the Exes was the fact that Johnny (Key West) was able to pull an upset and win back-to-back Challenges. We always like to see new faces on the Challenge. If Rivals and Exes taught us anything, is that strategic casting goes a long way. New or old, the castmembers that are brought back should have pre-existing relationships that will guarantee conflict once the season starts. Try to avoid bringing back castmembers with pre-existing alliances.

2. Put the Veterans at a Disadvantage. From a casting perspective, it may be impossible to put new bodies in these spots. How many former castmembers are willing to give up a month out of their lives to go and film a series every few months? So, if we're being forced to see the same new faces again and again, use this to your advantage. Pit the Veterans directly against each other. Allowing one team to make the decision about who gets thrown in actually helps a lot. The decisions about who gets thrown in is less reliant upon the alliances. However, veterans still seem to be at an advantage because many of the group missions require group strategies. Make sure alliances don't count for much in the game.

3. Make Next Season an Individual Challenge. After the success of Rivals, it was probably difficult for producers to not use the two-person team format once again. However, Exes seemed to fall flat because some of the connections were stagnant. The most inspired pairing was CT (Paris) and Diem (Fresh Meat). Viewers, and I'm sure producers, hoped to see the pair re-kindle their romance. However, castmembers wised up. And on the reunion, the cast commented that they had relationships waiting for them at home. Thus, we saw many of the teams agree to work exclusively as partners, and to leave feelings checked at the door. Next season should have the castmembers working on their own to win the grand prize. The last time we saw this was in 2009 with The Duel II.

4. Epic Missions & Battles = Epic Seasons. Every Challenge will bring infighting and drama. However, the viewers enjoy it the most when the drama bleeds into the Challenge. The most epic battles are one-on-one and usually involve physical contact. Every mission, every one-on-one is an opportunity. Stop wasting these opportunities by repeating challenges or having lame missions.

5. Keep the Stakes High, but Keep the Rules Simple. This latest Challenge was a step in the right direction. It wasn't very hard to follow eliminations or strategy in Exes. But in keeping the rules simple, you have to make sure to also keep the stakes high. Don't let teams skate by on alliances or don't let teams fly under the radar. The best Challenge rules force teams to act. And the best Challenges are the ones where the game brings drama. Let the Challenge rule the competitors, don't let the competitors rule the Challenge.

What about you? What changes do you want to see next season? Who do you want to see on the Challenge next season?

Smoking kept CT and Diem from winning the Challenge

One of the most frustrating parts of the finale was fan favorite CT (Paris) and Diem's (Fresh Meat) disappointing finish.

Diem and CT reunited.

The couple began the last leg of the final mission well in front of their competitors. However, CT (Paris) found himself winded going up the last mountain to the finish line. Johnny (Key West) and Camilla (Spring Break) overtook CT to win the grand prize.


Diem reveals to OK! Magazine that smoking was the culprit in CT's performance. All I can do is look down and be like that is the best stop smoking campaign known to man. CT can pucker out on national TV because he can smoke a cigarette right before they said go and [they] blew the horn. He smoked a cigarette right when TJ said go." 


Unfortunately, CT's smoking habit eventually prevented the duo from taking home the grand prize.

Battle of the Exes finale is down 500k viewers from the Rivals finale

Although MTV has renewed the Challenge for another season after Battle of the Exes, ratings for the finale drew less viewers than the Rivals finale. 

Johnny and Camilla win the Exes. 

Less than a year ago, Rivals was able to pull in 2.4 million viewers for its finale. This year, Battle of the Exes pulled in 1.9 million viewers. While not a stark contrast, Battle of the Exes was unable to keep the momentum that Rivals had going. Battle of the Exes ran out of steam in the last couple episodes, with most teams getting along leading up to the final mission. Meanwhile, Rivals benefitted from both the underdog storyline of CT (Paris) and Adam (Paris) and rivalry storyline between Wes (Austin) and Johnny (Key West). 

However, the series still shows some promise. The second episode of Battle of the Exes hit a season-high of 2.2 million viewers. (That was the episode where Vinny (Fresh Meat II), Sarah (Brooklyn), Wes (Austin) and Mandi (Fresh Meat II) were sent home.) The show is still hitting high numbers consistently throughout the season and scores very well in the 18-24 demographic. Going into its 23rd season, the Challenge still has a relatively consistent viewership. 

Cast List for MTV Challenge: Battle of the Exes

MTV just announced the next season of the Challenge. With the new format pitting former flames on two-person teams, we announce the cast list here at the RWRRBLOG:

Abram (South Pacific) and Cara Maria (Fresh Meat II)
Aneesa (Chicago) and Rachel (Campus Crawl)
Camilla (Spring Break) and Johnny (Key West)
CT (Paris) and Diem (Fresh Meat)
Dunbar (Sydney) and Paula (Key West)
Dustin (Las Vegas) and Heather (Las Vegas)
Emily (Washington DC) and Ty (Washington DC)
Jasmine (Cancun and Tyrie (Denver)
Leroy (Las Vegas) and Naomi (Las Vegas)
Mark (USA Tour 1) and Robin (San Diego)
Nate (San Diego) and Priscilla (San Diego)
Mandi (Fresh Meat II) and Wes (Austin)
Sarah (Brooklyn) and Vinny (Fresh Meat II)

Some of these pairs were actual relationships outside the show, some were harmless flings, others were just one-night stands. Nonetheless, there seems to be built-in drama in this format. Each week, one team is eliminated until three teams are left standing at the Final 3. With the exception of one person, the people left standing in the finals have never won a Challenge. Battle of the Exes premieres January 25.