Premiering in , it originally featured alumni from these two shows. Starting in , new contestants were chosen outside of MTV network alumni from different networks. The contestants compete against one another in various extreme challenges to avoid elimination. The winners of the final challenge win the competition and typically share a large cash prize. The series premiered on April 20, Since the fourth season , each season has supplied the show with a unique subtitle , such as Rivals.
Each season consists of a format and theme from which the subtitle is derived. The show's fortieth season, titled Battle of the Eras , premiered on August 14, 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, in a few seasons, previously unknown contestants.
The cast usually contains both "veterans" or vets and "rookies". Veterans are thought of as players that have won at least one Challenge season or have appeared on several seasons of the show; Rookies refer to newer players.
A season's typical multitude of cast members are usually divided up into separate teams or pairs according to a certain criterion, which varies from season to season. The criteria that teams have been arranged by over the show's history have ranged from gender , the contestants' original show, heroic or villainous status, rivals, countries, family members 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. The format of the competition varies by season.
