WARNING: SPOILER ALERT! DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU’VE SEEN THE LATEST EPISODE OF THE CHALLENGE!
Ready?
Season 38 of The Challenge is here: Ride or Dies, which pairs up competitors with one family member, friend or significant other as pairs try to win money. There are sure to be twists and turns that we’ll see throughout the season that might change everything.
As usual, we’ll do some power rankings each week to see who’s in the lead … and who could fall short.
In this week’s episode: The teams play in their latest challenge, one legend goes home … and then the game is turned upside down yet again when the players are put back into their pairings.
1
Bananas and Nany
Now that the pairs are back together, I think they’re the ones to beat, without a doubt. Bananas hasn’t really been challenged much by anyone this year and Nany continues to prove she’s one of the all-time greats never to have won one.
2
Horacio and Olivia
Too high? No way. Rookies of the Year and then some.
After Horacio’s team lost this week’s challenge — Takes Two to Tango, in which the players had to pair up and get from one end of a set of beams to the other while 20 stories up a high rise, WELP! — the men were on the chopping block. Horacio got voted in (thanks in part to Tori voting for him and NOT for her ex, Jordan), and won a very tough elimination against Jordan, proving the rookie is very much a contender. Let’s see if they can keep this up as the final looms.
3
Devin and Tori
Look: The final won’t necessarily be all athletics, all the time. If everything this season holds, it’ll be equal parts puzzles and running while holding heavy objects.
And that’s why these two are a near-perfect combo. Plus, maybe the drama with Jordan will be behind Tori (if he’s eliminated next week after this ep’s cliffhanger).
4
Jordan and Aneesa
Bold to put them here when their situation is fraught: Jordan was eliminated this week … but then TJ Lavin brought back all the eliminated players who still had partners left in the competition and changed the format from two teams to pairings again.
Then? These two faced off against Kenny and Kaycee and Faysal and Moriah in Don’t Let Me Down: They had to roll a heavy cylinder up a ramp and hold it there for a full minute. Faysal and Moriah won, and now the siblings will face these two at the beginning of next week’s episode in a win-or-go-home.
Bold prediction without seeing what the challenge is: I think they’ll win it and move on.
5
Faysal and Moriah
A little low maybe? But these two have A LOT to work out. Faysal hasn’t been known to work well with others and that carried over to this season with his Ride or Die partner.
If they figure it out? They can move up. But until then, they’re here.
6
Chauncey and Amber
I’m probably underrating this couple, but Chauncey quit this week’s challenge due to fear of heights, and I just think there are better pairs out there. I wouldn’t be shocked if they prove me wrong, though.
7
Kenny and Kaycee
Kaycee is already an all-time great. But as we saw in Don’t Let Me Down and earlier this season, Kenny struggles. So I’m worried they’re out next week.
