The debut of The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2, the 34th season in MTV’s long-running reality franchise, delivered the franchise’s highest premiere demo ratings in years. Last night’s season opener logged a 0.85 rating in P18-49 in Live+same day, the best season premiere rating in six years in the demo, and a 0.98 in P18-34, its best season premiere rating in five years in the demo.

Wednesday’s night’s 0.85 in P18-49 is up 7% versus the prior season premiere, the opener of The Challenge: War of the Worlds in February (0.79), and up 2% vs. the season average for War of the Worlds (0.83), which was the highest in seven years in 18-49 (Live+3). Among P18-34, Wednesday night’s 0.98 rating is up 9% versus the prior season premiere (0.90) and up 5% versus the full prior season average (0.93). Total viewers were 886,000, up 2% from last season’s average (865k).

Last season’s The Challenge: War of the Worlds finale, which saw Turabi “Turbo” Camkiran, a two-time Survivor Turkey winner, take the $750,000 grand prize, was the series’ highest rated finale in seven years, with 1.04 million viewers and a 1.0 rating in Live+ same day.

In The Challenge: War of the Worlds, veterans team up with rookie prospects from franchises including The Bachelor, Big Brother, Love Island, Survivor, American Ninja Warrior, UK series Geordie Shore and Ex on the Beach and Floribama Shore.

The Challenge: War of the Worlds was created for MTV by Bunim/Murray Productions. Gil Goldschein, Julie Pizzi, Scott Freeman and Justin Booth serve as Executive Producers, and Jack Reifert and Danny Wascou serve as Co-Executive Producers.

You watch a tease for The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2 below.