With how trilogy-happy The Challenge has become, it would be borderline shocking if the show’s 35th season isn’t another War of the Worlds season.

With the 35th season rumored to begin filming next week, I wanted to put on my producer hat and design what I would hope this season to be, both in the format and with the cast. I’ve tried to keep the cast somewhat realistic, although it’s unlikely that everyone on this list won’t be available to be on next season.

I want to be clear that there won’t be any spoilers for War of the Worlds 2 in this article — I’m completely unspoiled.

Format

First of all, the name has to be World War 3. The show missed the opportunity to call season 34 World War 2 and have it themed around one of the most important battles in human history (although since the US and England were allies during the war, it probably wouldn’t have made much sense).

World War 3 will have an apocalyptic feel to it — carnage, ruins and despair. Somewhat similar to the Mad Max style of War of the Worlds, but even more missions and eliminations involving wreckage, bombed out areas, etc.

With this being the third season in the War series, the game will be broken up into three segments.

Season 35 starts with 28 competitors, all whom have been in at least one of the first two seasons of the trilogy, showing up to the first challenge.

TJ greets them by telling them, “You have all fought hard in the first two wars. Some have come out victorious, while some have fallen short. You have made allies, and you have made enemies. Well to survive World War 3, you will have to survive by fighting alongside your greatest allies.”

TJ will separate the teams into seven groups of four. These will be the teams:

Team Bananas: Johnny, Leroy, Laurel, Nany

Team Georgia: Georgia, Bear, Ash Cain, Jenny

Team Cara: Cara, Paulie, CT, Ashley M

Team Wes: Wes, Hunter, Dee, Ninja

Team Jordan: Jordan, Tori, Zach, Jenna

Team Turbo: Turbo, Kyle, Mattie, Da’Vonne (this team is admittedly a bit of a hodgepodge team)

Team Kam: Kam, Kayleigh, Rogan, Joss

(Note: as much as I’d love Amanda and Theo on this season, Amanda is an expecting mother and Theo is blind in one eye after a terrible accident.)

Then TJ will tell them that there is one more team, a new group of warriors entering the battle field.

There’s a couple of ways to go about the eighth team. It could just be a team of rookies. The Challenge has never had a season without any rookies, so it’s probably unrealistic to think that season 35 won’t have any newbies. Since it’s my fantasy, the four rookies I would throw on the season are Louise Hazel and Casper Smart from Champs vs. Stars, Michaela Bradshaw or Cydney Gillion from Survivor and Ronnie Ortiz-Magro from Jersey Shore.

Or instead of bringing in rookies, they could bring in four veterans that have bad blood with each other into the mix. Maybe a team like Tony, Madison, Nelson and Angela (who are currently back together but will probably be broken up by Monday). Putting those four together would be a guaranteed drama fest. As Brad once said on Cutthroat, they might as well write Team Chaos on this team’s back.

The game format will be similar to Battle of the Seasons (2012). The last place team in daily challenges will go into elimination, but instead of there being one winner in daily challenges, the tribunal will be in effect. The tribunal will pick one of the non-exempt teams to face the last place team.

The elimination matchups will be chosen at random, with a male and female from both team flipping a kill card to determine who goes home.

Partner Portion

After six eliminations/episodes, a mini-final mission will determine who will be partnered together in the next phase of the game.

The remaining 20 contestants will be told that the game is getting shook up and that the order they finish will be important in determining how they would be paired up. The last male and female are automatically partnered together and they go directly into elimination.

The top male will get to pick which female he wants to be his partner.

TJ tells the top male that the top female’s team will get to select who goes into elimination to face the last place team, and that she is eligible to be selected by him.

The draft will rotate between the remaining male and female who did best in the mission. For instance, if the top male picked the top female, then the female who finished second would pick next. Then if she picked the fourth-best male finisher, then the second-best male finisher would pick, etc.

The tribunal will go back into effect after the first elimination in pairs, and be in essence the same format as the original War of the Worlds. The partner portion will last four rounds.

Individual Portion

In the final three rounds, TJ will announce that the game has become every man and woman for themselves, similar to War of the Worlds. One person will be eliminated for four episodes, then a purge at the end will determine who makes the final.

Three men and three women will be in the final. There will be a male and female champion, and everyone who reaches the final makes money.

Conclusion

So there you have it. In summary, the beginning of the game will start with eight “allies” teams, then there will be a partner and individual portion will be similar to the original War of the Worlds. The main differences of those portions to War of the Worlds are that the partners won’t necessarily be a rookie paired with a vet, there will be three men and women that make the final instead of four, everyone who makes the final makes money, and there won’t be a solo champion.

What’s your thoughts on this season? Who else and what else do you want to see? How big of an idiot am I? Can’t wait to hear your takes.