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Season 41 of the hit reality competition series “The Challenge,” titled “Vets & New Threats,” continues with Episode 15 on Wednesday, Nov. 5, at 8 p.m. ET on MTV. Cord-cutters can sign up for Philo (7-day free trial), DIRECTV (5-day free trial) or other streaming services listed below to stream the episode live and on demand. In tonight’s episode, “The Best Birthday Present,” the players must trust their partner’s driving skills to help them succeed in a challenge filled with chains. If you love rummaging through your junk drawer and unraveling cable, this elimination won’t be one to miss. Where to watch ‘The Challenge: Vets & New Threats’ live and on demand for free Viewers without a cable subscription can watch “The Challenge: Vets & New Threats” live and on demand for free by using several streaming platforms that offer MTV, including Philo (7-day free trial), DIRECTV (5-day free trial) and Fubo (5-day free trial). We think Philo is the best option for Challenge fans, with the lengthiest free trial and cheapest monthly rate. Sling’s Blue package also includes MTV, but does not offer a free trial. What are the differences between the streaming services? Philo - This is the best name for budget live TV around. You get 70+ channels and unlimited DVR for just $33/month, and it’s currently offering a 7-day free trial. You won’t find a ton of sports options on Philo, but if you love entertainment and lifestyle channels like Paramount Network, Comedy Central, BET and more, the price can’t be beat. Read more: Why we think Philo’s free trial on its streaming service is best in class DIRECTV - Watch live TV from major broadcast and popular cable networks. Enjoy local and national live sports, breaking news and must-see shows the moment they air. Included: unlimited cloud DVR storage space so you can record as many shows as you want and stream them from wherever you go. DTV starts at $34.99 per month after a 5-day free trial when you shop their customizable genre packs. Fubo - Fubo offers one of the widest selections of channels among live TV streaming services. More than 220 channels, including all the sports and entertainment you love, plus sports add-ons for those niche networks you rely on, and it all starts with a 5-day free trial and $30 off the first month of service. Sling - One of the best deals in live TV streaming at just $45.99/month, offering customizable channel lineups for sports, news and entertainment. Now, Sling adds even more value with passes that let you stream live TV without a subscription: just $4.99 for a day, $9.99 for the weekend or $14.99 for a full week. These one-time payments are perfect if you just want to watch a single show, live game or special event. No commitment, no auto-renewal, just affordable access when you need it. What is ‘The Challenge: Vets & New Threats’ about? According to the series’ official logline per Variety, “For 40 seasons, generations of battle-hardened Veterans have fought relentlessly for the ultimate prize: the title of Challenge Champion. “This season, fresh faces and new threats have entered the arena with one goal: to upend the old order and take it all. The Vets, driven by legacy and pride, will need to adapt fast. Their established hierarchy is crumbling, and leaning on past alliances, and experience is no longer reliable—it’s about navigating the ever-shifting landscape of alliances, betrayals, and unknown threats. “To win, Veterans and New Threats will be forced to work together, unless they’re forced to turn on each other. Nothing is guaranteed.” Who is in ‘The Challenge’ Season 41 cast? The returning vets include some of the greatest to ever play the game, including fan favorites like CT Tamburello and Johnny Bananas, controversial characters like Turbo and Ashley Mitchell and even newly minted “vets” like new couple Olivia Kaiser and Theo Campbell. On the new threats side, expect a bevy of competitors from other Paramount properties, like “Survivor,” “The Amazing Race” and “Big Brother.” What happened last time on The Challenge? Last week, early on, there was some chatter about deliberately avoiding winning as a strategy, to help guarantee your ability to vote on both sides of the house. Ultimately, however, winning is still the safest bet. The daily has challengers perform a series of tasks including deciphering runes, solving a math equation, wading through frigid water, entering a lock combination underwater and solving a tricky geometric puzzle. Michaela and Cedric get it done first, because brains are supreme in this challenge. Meanwhile, Turbo appears to be going hypothermic in the water, while Olivia and Will are bickering, as usual. But it’s Leo and Ashley who truly unravel here. The cold water hampers Leo’s ability to crack the lock, and Ashley seems to crash out so hard she is totally unable to help. They come in last, and are destined for elimination. With two members of the Nany/Ashley alliance winning and losing the challenge, it leaves the house roughly 50/50 at the vote, with Theo and Adrienne the obvious target for one side, and an increasingly sick Turbo and Sydney the target for the other. Adrienne makes a misguided attempt to threaten/cajole Aviv at club night. Aviv has a big overreaction to this, because honestly, what else is this woman supposed to do? Just accept her fate and go into the sand for the fourth week in a row? Theo’s side of the house seems to convince themselves that they have a strategy to guarantee that the vote goes for Aviv and Yeremi. But ... it all hinges on Nany voting their way, and she isn’t even in on the plan. That is until Theo surprises her with the news that if she just votes for Aviv and Yeremi, she can save her No. 1 (Turbo) from having to go into elimination or rely on a coin flip. Nany says that’s f---ed up, but, again, what choices does Theo have? He’s been in the sand three weeks in a row, who can really blame him for a hail Mary here? Well, the vote goes exactly as you’d expect, forcing a coin flip to decide between Theo and Adrienne or Sydney and Turbo. Turns out Theo’s psychic was right, and he wouldn’t have to go into the sand a fourth time. Nany confronts Theo after the vote, but ultimately, it seems like she’s more mad at herself than him. The reality is, she could have been the vote that swung the house away from Turbo, but she chose not to do that to make a point, or something. Turbo doesn’t seem bothered, despite appearing to draw closer to deaths door with every breath. At the elimination, Leo and Turbo must race to collect heavy cannonballs and deposit them in a wheel to slowly lift Ashley and Sydney up a pulley system. The women collect numbers, and then must descend and use those numbers to solve a puzzle. Ashley is convinced she has the puzzle figured out before she even gets to it. But her initial assumptions don’t pan out, and once Turbo and Sydney catch up, the elimination is back to ground zero. Ultimately, Turbo activates and realizes that they must use the collected numbers to create equations resulting in the hidden number in the middle, and despite a clear lead in the physical portion, Leo and Ashley are sent packing.
