Of all the great things about television, the greatest is that it’s on every single day. TV history is being made, day in and day out, in ways big and small. In an effort to better appreciate this history, we’re taking a look back, every day, at one particular TV milestone.

IMPORTANT DATE IN TV HISTORY: March 24, 2003

PROGRAM ORIGINALLY AIRED ON THIS DATE: The Challenge, “Stairway to Heaven” (Season 6, Episode 12) [Stream on YouTube]

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT: While the show is still going after 15 years and nearly 30 seasons, the absolute golden age of The Real World/Road Rules Challenge began at season 5 (the first “Battle of the Seasons”) and lasted roughly through season 13 (“The Duel”). Which isn’t to say there weren’t great moments before that or that there haven’t been great moments after, but those seasons were the best combination of the newness of the concept of The Challenge — combining cast members from different seasons of The Real World and Road Rules was positively novel back then, and not just a little bit thrilling — the cast members themselves, and the fact that this was before the show became a science. These days, you show up with your chemically-enhanced physique and your pre-made allies, you get drunk and fight and hook up (the better to get cast next season), and (if you’re a Johnny Bananas), you waltz to the finale and win some money. Back in 2003, these people were still figuring out the game. Which is why, in “The Battle of the Sexes,” it was so thrilling to watch a character like Emily Bailey do her thing. And by “her thing,” I mean ruthlessly slice her way through a jungle of bitchy girls in order to get her way.

The best thing about Emily’s turn towards villainy is that it was such a sharp one. On her original Road Rules season, she was the prototypical young, sweet, small-town girl looking to learn about life and America or some such. “Battle of the Sexes” was Emily’s third Challenge season after “Extreme Challenge” and “Battle of the Seasons.” Before “Extreme Challenge,” Emily talked on a casting special about how she’d survived a serious car accident where she’d actually broken her back, and I’ve always wondered whether it was that brush with disaster or just simply growing older and experiencing more of the world that hardened her, but by the time “Battle of the Sexes” rolled along, she was an angry little piece of granite, and her target was Veronica.

The rumors that season were that Emily hated Veronica because Veronica had hooked up with Emily’s then-current boyfriend, the oafish and almost entirely unworthy James. Veronica’s tendency to be a big ol’ mean girl herself dulled a lot of the sympathy she might have gotten for being Emily’s target. In fact, it made it a lot more fun to watch. Sort of like when you’re watching a horror movie where 5 jerky teens are being chased by a monster. It’s terrifying but it’s also kind of fun to see the monster win. That’s what this season of The Challenge was like. Terrifying monster Emily chasing down mean girl Veronica with a bloody axe. It was glorious.

Watching Emily play her inner circle members Ruthie and Ellen into voting out Veronica is masterful and chilling, as is watching Emily show no remorse for it afterwards. Few people ever smoked a cigarette with such a grim sense of satisfaction in a job well done.

Where to stream The Challenge