The Challenge: Cutthroat Is Coming to Paramount+ — A Super Simple Guide

Where Is "The Challenge" Going?

Imagine your favorite playground moving to a new building. That’s what’s happening to the TV show “The Challenge.”

• The show is moving to a new home called Paramount+ (a streaming service you watch on the internet, like Netflix).
• The new season is Season 42, and its name is “The Challenge: Cutthroat.”
• It will start (debut) on August 5.
• New episodes will come out weekly (one each week) at these times:
  • 12 a.m. PT (midnight in the Pacific time zone, like California)
  • 3 a.m. ET (early morning in the Eastern time zone, like New York)

Important: This is the first time the main show will be only on streaming. It used to be on a TV channel called MTV.

A Little History Lesson

• “The Challenge” has been on MTV (a cable TV channel) since 1998 — that’s a long time!
• There is a side show (called a spinoff) named “All Stars” that was already on streaming, but the flagship (the original big show) was never only online until now.
• Now it is called a Paramount+ original, meaning it is made just for that streaming service.

An Old Theme Returns

“Cutthroat” is like a game style that was used before:

• It was the name of Season 20 back in 2010.
• That old season gave us the funny “Johnny Bananas backpack” moment (a famous event where a player named Johnny Bananas did something silly with a backpack).
• Because of that history, two well‑known players are coming back:
  • C.T. Tamburello
  • Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio

How the New Season Plays Out (ELI5 Style)

This season was filmed in Thailand (a warm, beachy country in Asia). Here’s what you need to know:

• There are 24 players — some are brand new (newcomers) and some are old pros (veterans).
• They are fighting to win a big pile of money: $500,000 (that’s a LOT of allowance!).
• The players are split into three teams.

The Rules in Easy Steps

1. Each team must cross the finish line together as a group to earn any money.
2. But here’s a sneaky twist: at the end, the team captain (the chosen leader) gets to decide how to share the cash.
3. The captain can even choose to keep all the money for themselves.
4. With this group of competitive players, that greedy choice is likely to happen.

Important Callout: The only way to get a share is to finish as a team, but the captain holds all the power at the end — they might take it all!

Who Builds the Show?

Shows have “producers” — think of them as the grown‑ups who plan and build the whole game. Here are the bosses:

• Executive Producers (top bosses) for the company Bunim/Murray:
  • Julie Pizzi
  • Justin Booth
  • Jacob Lane
• Co‑Executive Producers (helpers to the top bosses):
  • Diego Amson
  • Brad Tiemann
  • Joe Awgul
• Supervising Producer (the watcher):
  • Margaret Morales
• Other Executive Producers:
  • Benjamin Hurvitz
  • Melissa Tallerine
• Executive in Charge of Production for MTV:
  • Angela Liao

Meet the Cast and Watch the Trailer

You can see the players and preview the fun in the video below:

Watch the Trailer on YouTube

(If your reader supports it, here is the embed:

)

## Summary
Let’s recap the big points:
– **“The Challenge” Season 42 “Cutthroat”** moves to **Paramount+** on **August 5**.
– It’s the **first time** the main show is only on streaming, not on MTV.
– The **Cutthroat** theme returns from 2010, with **Johnny Bananas** and **C.T.** coming back.
– **24 players** in Thailand, split into **3 teams**, play for **$500,000**.
– Teams must finish together, but the **captain** can take all the money — and likely will.
– Many producers listed above make the show happen.
– The trailer is ready for you to watch now!

## FAQ

**Q1: What is Paramount+?**
A: It’s a paid streaming service (like Netflix) where you watch shows and movies on the internet.

**Q2: Do I need a TV cable package to watch the new season?**
A: No! Because it’s exclusively on Paramount+, you only need that streaming service.

**Q3: Why is the season called “Cutthroat”?**
A: It uses a tricky game style from 2010 where players can turn on each other, plus the captain can steal all the prize money.

**Q4: Who are Johnny Bananas and C.T.?**
A: They are famous contestants from older seasons who are returning for this Cutthroat season.

**Q5: When exactly can I start watching?**
A: Begin on **August 5**; then new episodes appear every week at **12 a.m. PT / 3 a.m. ET**.