Why the Challenge's promised "100-hour final" fell through

The Challenge: Ride or Dies promises a 100-hour finale. However, some problems arise when the 100 hours are not fully spent racing.

The Challenge: Ride or Dies promised an epic 100-hour finale, but the format ultimately fell through. After a long season, four teams still have a chance to win the million-dollar prize, which will be split evenly by the winning ride-or-die pair. The finalists included Jordan Wiseley and Aneesa Ferreira, Johnny Bananas and Nany Gonzalez, Olivia Kaiser and Horacio Gutiérrez, and Tori Deal and Devin Walker. Longtime The Challenge host TJ Lavin teased an epic 100-hour finale, adding that it will be the longest in the show's history.

In the past, the finals of the Challenger League have been intense. They are the ultimate test of strength and willpower for those who can make it to the end, to determine who is best qualified to be the Champion. Even with a strong roster of finalists for Challenger Season 38, each of them is expected to struggle through the finale process, as almost all finalists have in the past. However, the promise of the 100 Hours final ended in an oversold final form, resulting in a disappointing setup that was far less intense than it has been in past seasons.

The Challenge's 100-Hour Final Wasted A Lot Of Time

#TheChallenge #TheChallenge38 #TheChallengeRideorDies another immediate cut from morning to night. what have they done in the HOURS in between like why is 100 hours necessary when we only get to see a fraction of it— jennifer (@rtvjennifer) February 16, 2023

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when TJ announced the 100-hour final, which seemed to imply that the contestants had to fight through the 100 hours. However, it soon became apparent that a significant portion of that time was not spent racing, and in the end, it didn't matter what most contestants had done up until then. On the first day, competitors raced through a series of checkpoints, including a challenge where Olivia was injured, and scrambled to stay ahead. Tori and Devin had a huge lead, but it was all for naught once each team reached the feeding checkpoint and were neck and neck again.

The Challenge's Editing Didn't Show Everything

The main problem with the 100-hour final is that, in reality, the contestants actually only participate about half the time. In finals, the first few hours are spent driving, and the clock keeps ticking, even as contestants wait or sleep at checkpoints. Also, the way the final three episodes were edited made it unclear what was going on in certain parts of 100 Hours. At one point, the clock showed 50 hours left, but the next checkpoint opened with 30 hours left and no way of knowing the time in between. challenge inconsistency The edit doesn't make it clear what's really happening.

The Challenge Final's First 90 Hours Didn't Show Results

Another big problem is that the first 90 hours end up having no effect on the final result. Torrey and Devin held the lead for most of the final. Aneesa sprained her ankle early on and walked most of the game. In the end, however, it came down to an easy knockout, with Devin and Tori not having any advantage to push themselves and stay ahead for so long. The entire final turned into a one-elimination match, with the first 90 hours ultimately meaningless.

In the past, challenge finals were brutal. It's hard not to compare the Ride or Dies finals to the Free Agents finals, where contestants compete to climb a mountain in frigid temperatures. The Challenge: Ride or Dies has been losing viewers, possibly in part by focusing on gimmicks and empty promises instead of delivering quality competition. Hopefully future seasons of The Challenge will deliver even better finals that truly live up to its expectations.