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The Challenge: USA
Season 2
Presented by	T. J. Lavin
No. of contestants	24
Location	Pula, Croatia
No. of episodes	7
Release
Original network	CBS
Original release	August 10, 2023 (2023-08-10) – present
Season chronology
← Previous Season 1

The second season of The Challenge: USA premiered on CBS on August 10, 2023, with next-day uncensored episodes on Paramount+. The season features eighteen CBS cast members from Survivor, The Amazing Race and Big Brother competing for $500,000. Unlike the first season which only featured alumni from CBS reality shows, the season expanded casting to also include six cast members from The Real World and Are You the One?, who had previously competed on the MTV series.

Contestants

Draft

At the start of the season, three captains were randomly selected to draft the contestants into three teams of eight. Each team consisted of two challenge veterans and six CBS reality players.

Format

The second season of The Challenge: USA features a daily challenge, nomination process and an elimination round. This season had contestants competing in three teams decided during the first episode. The format is as follows:

• Daily Challenge: Teams compete in a main challenge where the winning team is immune from elimination and earns the power to nominate one male and one female contestant to potentially compete in the elimination round.
• Nominations: Members of both losing teams privately vote for one contestant, of either gender, to potentially compete in the elimination round. Each time a contestant receives a vote, a ball with their name is added to the Hopper, increasing their chance of being selected to compete in the elimination round.
• Eliminations (The Arena): At the Arena, the Hopper randomly selects one contestant who received votes to compete in the elimination round. The same-gender player nominated by the challenge winners then becomes their opponent for elimination. The winner remains in the game while the loser is eliminated.

Twists

• The Hopper: The Hopper is a lottery machine which randomly outputs a ball with the name of the contestant to compete in the Arena.
• Defection: The winners of elimination rounds may choose to remain on their current team or "defect" and join either of the remaining two teams. If they choose to defect, they must select a player of the same gender from their desired team to swap positions with.
• Double Elimination: Episode 4 featured a double elimination where one male and one female contestant were eliminated. Both contestants nominated by the winning team were guaranteed to compete in the Arena, while the Hopper selected one contestant of each gender to compete as their opponents.

Gameplay

Challenge games

• Storm the Castle: Teams must transport two heavy statues uphill to the ruins of a castle, memorizing rune symbols and completing two checkpoints along the way. Both checkpoints require teams to identify three symbols which were not displayed to obtain the codes to unlock a wagon to use, and offload each statue's base, respectively. The first team to bring both statues to the castle ruins wins.
  • Winners: Blue Team
• Working the Poles: Played in two heats of four members from each team. Team members begin on a platform above water and must traverse several hanging poles to reach their team platform at the opposite end, with all three team's paths intersecting. Team members are eliminated from the challenge if they fall into the water. The team with the most players to reach their platform in the fastest time wins.
  • Winners: Green Team
• Capsized: Teams must swim to a boat and overturn it to view and memorize an answer key of 20 flags on the underside. Team members then swim to eight buoys to collect flags submerged underneath before hanging them to recreate the answer key on the boat's topside, and each team member must swim to at least one buoy. Once complete, teams swim back to the starting dock to have their time stopped. The team with the most correctly hung flags in the fastest time wins.
  • Winners: Blue Team
• Sideswiped: Played in six heats. Each heat, two team members from two teams begin harnessed between two trucks – one assigned to each team. As the trucks speed down a runway, team members have five minutes to swing past their opponents and stick as many of their eight disks as possible on specified areas of their team's truck while their opponents try to block them and do the same. The team with the most total disks attached to their truck and the end of the challenge wins.
  • Winners: Red Team
• Unboxed: Each team member must carry a box proportional to their bodyweight to the end of a trail. Along the way are five puzzle stations where teams may choose to spend time using the puzzle pieces in one team member's box to solve a puzzle, which allows them to leave the box behind for the remainder of the challenge. Except for the first station, only one team may solve the puzzle at each station. The first team to reach the end of the trail wins.
  • Winners: Green Team
• High-Q: Teams begin on a platform above water. Each round, teams are asked a trivia question and their platform inclines slightly if they answer incorrectly, making it more difficult to stay on. Team members are eliminated from the challenge if they fall into the water. The last team standing wins.
  • Winners: Blue Team

Arena games

• Slam Dunked: Players begin harnessed over a water tank filled with 1,500 balls. Throughout the elimination, they must remove as many balls as possible from the tank, while continuously being lifted out of and lowered into the tank 15 times. The player with the most balls removed at the end of the 15 dunks wins.
  • Played by: Ameerah vs. Michele
• Drop the Ball: Players attempt to catch balls dropping from a large pinball-like machine and deposit it into their goal to earn points, while their opponent tries to block them and do the same. Black balls are worth one point while silver balls are worth three points, and balls are considered out of play once they hit the ground. The player with the most points after all 60 balls are released wins.
  • Played by: Jonna vs. Tori
• Fire & Ice: Players begin standing on a block of ice with their one raised above their head and connected to a bucket of fish guts which spills if they move their arm. Throughout the elimination, they can throw beanbags at a target to ignite a flame underneath their opponent's ice block, making it more difficult for them to keep their arm raised as the ice melts, while also turning off the flame under their own ice block. The last player standing wins.
  • Played by: Bananas vs. Paulie
• Evil Eye: Players begin in the center of the Arena with both hands on a large evil eye disk. The first player to wrestle the disk out of their opponent's hands and bring it outside the boundary of the Arena twice wins.
  • Played by: Chris vs. Luis, Amanda vs. Desi
• Block Heads: Each player begins locked in a geometric-shaped cage and must roll the cage to four flagpoles and collect the attached flags. After collecting all four flags, players place them on a lightbox to reveal a code which they use to unlock the cage and escape. The first player to escape their cage and push a button at the boundary of the Arena wins.
  • Played by: Alyssa L. vs. Cassidy
• Crank Shafted: One player stands on a wheel trying to balance for as long as they can. Their opponents untie up to three steering wheels, attach them to a crankshaft and use them to spin the wheel to make it harder to balance on. Attaching more steering wheels to the crankshaft makes it easier to spin, however players risk losing time untying them. Once the player on the wheel falls off, players switch positions and repeat this process. The player who balances on the wheel for the longest time during their turn wins.
  • Played by: Dusty vs. Wes

Game summary

Episode		Winners	Arena contestants		Arena game	Arena outcome
No.	Challenge		Winners' picks	Hopper pick		Winner	Eliminated	Defected	Swapped
1/2	Storm the Castle	Blue Team	Ameerah	Michele	Slam Dunked	Michele	Ameerah		—
			Luis
2	Working the Poles	Green Team	Bananas	Jonna	Drop the Ball	Tori	Jonna		—
			Tori
3	Capsized	Blue Team	Amanda	Paulie	Fire & Ice	Bananas	Paulie		Cory
			Bananas
4	Sideswiped	Red Team	Luis	Chris	Evil Eye	Chris	Luis		—
			Desi	Amanda		Desi	Amanda		Alyssa S.
5	Unboxed	Green Team	Cassidy	Alyssa L.	Block Heads	Cassidy	Alyssa L.		—
			Chris
6	High-Q	Blue Team	Tiffany	Dusty	Crank Shafted	Wes	Dusty		Chris
			Wes

Episode progress

Color key:

Team progress

• Teams at the start of each episode

Voting progress

Episodes

References

1. Dana Rose Falcone. "Paulie Calafiore, Cory Wharton, Johnny 'Bananas' and More Return for 'The Challenge: USA' Season 2". People. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
2. ^ Longretta, Emily (July 11, 2023). "'The Challenge: USA' Season 2 Pits 'Survivor' and 'Big Brother' Champs Against MTV Legends: Meet the Cast". Variety. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
3. Bloom, Mike (July 13, 2023). "CBS and MTV Stars Collide! Meet the Full Cast of The Challenge: USA Season 2". Parade. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
4. ^ Caruso, Nick (July 11, 2023). "The Challenge: USA Season 2: MTV Legends Bananas, Wes, Tori to Battle CBS Favorites — See Cast List, Trailer". TVLine. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
5. Rob Cesternino (August 21, 2023). "Week 2 Exit Interview #2 The Challenge: USA Season 2". Rob Has a Podcast (Podcast). Retrieved August 21, 2023.
6. ^ "Shows A-Z - the challenge USA on cbs". The Futon Critic. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
7. ^ "The Challenge: USA Season 2 Episode Guide". Zap2it. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
8. Douglas Pucci (August 11, 2023). "Thursday Ratings: The Challenge: USA Returns for its Second Season on CBS". Programming Insider. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
9. Douglas Pucci (August 14, 2023). "Sunday Ratings: CBS Wins, Benefits from PGA Golf Overrun into Prime Time". Programming Insider. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
10. Douglas Pucci (August 18, 2023). "Thursday Ratings: CBS Leads in All Key Prime Time Figures". Programming Insider. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
11. Douglas Pucci (August 21, 2023). "Sunday Ratings: CBS Wins in Demos, Close Battle with ABC for Tops in Total Viewers". Programming Insider. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
12. Pucci, Douglas (August 25, 2023). "Thursday Ratings: CBS Wins in Total Viewers as NFL Preseason Final Week Kicked Off in Select Markets". Programming Insider. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
13. Douglas Pucci (August 28, 2023). "Sunday Ratings: Fox Leads Key Demos with NFL Preseason". Programming Insider. Retrieved August 30, 2023.

• 2023 American television seasons
• The Challenge (TV series)
• Television shows filmed in Croatia
• Television shows set in Croatia