Season 41 of the hit reality competition series “The Challenge,” titled “Vets & New Threats,” continues with Episode 9 on Wednesday, September 24 (9/24/2025), at 8 p.m. ET on MTV, and TJ’s mini-final looms over the competition.
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, “Does Anyone Want to Confess,” the season’s long-awaited cheating scandal finally comes to light. Elsewhere, the “Lock-In” has arrived. That means the top performers will be forced to choose their teammate for the rest of the season, and the mini-final will separate the elite from the rest of the pack. A “Challenge-first” event is also teased.
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 and offers half off the first month of service.
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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.
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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?
In ‘Justice for Leka,’ the episode was packed with injustices, but if there’s one thing it did not feature, it was any modicum of justice for Leka.
Theo has a swollen knee, and is awaiting the results of an MRI to determine if he can even compete. Because of this, he becomes the de facto hangnail, and Will gets to compete with Dee as a partner.
The narrative premise is that all the players are targeting CT for what he did to Leka in Episode 6. Except if anything is made abundantly clear in episode 8, it’s that CT did not throw the Daily in episode 8.
This is another heights over water Daily, and everyone has eyes on CT to see if he suddenly has it in him to climb. Guess what, he doesn’t. Somehow, despite failing to climb up, and dealing with a partner who deliberately throws to guarantee CT goes to elimination, everyone still somehow thinks that CT karmically deserves this for Leka’s elimination from the game. It’s pretty wild groupthink.
Sydney and Yeremi devour this Daily, proving just how valuable athleticism is on this particular season. Yeremi has sites dead set on Derek and Derrick, both of whom have gladly put a target on him this season.
Olivia has a pouty pity party because her reign of popularity seems to be at an end with the elimination of Izzy. All the new threats have turned against her, and not many of the vets seem to be backing her any more either. Add to that the thing with Theo, and she’s very down in the dumps here.
Club night has some fairly uninteresting politicking. Derek makes a vague suggesting that he’s a better future partner to some of the people in their alliance to Yeremi and Sydney. Yeremi clearly is having none of that.
At the nomination, Yeremi and Sydney nominate Derek Chavez, and there’s not much to say about this one. Turbo had a big outburst at Derek for being fake earlier in the episode, and while Turbo’s take there is more reactionary than accurate, it’s a sentiment that’s also felt elsewhere in the house, especially for Justin.
Theo is medically cleared, so it’s put to a vote, and Derek loses in a landslide where only Jonna votes for Theo because of her friendship with Derek. Kudos to Jonna for sticking to her guns there, even though this would have been a very easy place to betray a friend.
Well, it’s CT vs. Derek in the elimination, and man, CT just seems super down on himself this episode. There’s a ton of negative energy directed his way, including some outright mockery during the Daily. He knows he’s out of shape, he knows the house is against him, and he knows he’s bound for elimination, and what’s disheartening is, it seems like the house has effectively bullied him into thinking he deserves this. Whether or not that’s the case, it’s sort of a bad look for everyone on the season, and you can tell he’s feeling it.
This elimination is a pole wrestle. Derek is immediately nervous, and let’s face it, he’s got good reason to be. CT is huge. CT is strong. CT is an elimination king. Derek puts up a real fight in round 1, but CT ultimately takes it. In Round 2, Derek is complete gassed, and this one is over mercifully quick. CT doesn’t even look happy about it.
Did we get “justice for Leka?” Not in my book.
TJ reveals that next week’s Daily is an individual.