For a show called “The Challenge”, the daily challenges mostly suck. Watching people try to balance over heights or swim under water can get boring fast. When producers actually take the time to think out fun and creative daily challenges where athleticism or balance are not the only requirements, we have more fun watching and more players are given an opportunity to win or shine.

The Soap Bar challenge of Rivals 3 had some safety concerns for the female competitors, but it is without a doubt one of the most memorable challenges. Watching co-ed rivals hump each other on a soap bar synced to some hilarious music made for a hilariously awkward situation, but also a bit of fan service. This is the type of light-hearted challenges they would have in the early seasons and the ones that bring in a person who would never watch the Challenge. Among my casual challenge-watching friends, the soap bar challenge ranks highly.

Likewise, the Up All Night challenge was humorous and competitive because we saw teams pushed to their mental limits while being distracted by a dude on fire, a mariachi band, and an iguana named Alberto. It proved challenges can be difficult and fun. The teammate trivia and the laps of judgment challenge were also great challenges. Laps of Judgment where players had to make choices like eat a birthday cake or go naked was both an endurance challenge and a test of decision making skills.

Rivals 3 Daily Challenge Cons: They had a couple of the worst challenges as well. One egregious challenge was when players rolled on a mini cart off a cliff and tried to grab flags before falling. This resulted in Nate and Christina winning which should never happen. Rivals 3 also had a challenge where players had to jump onto a giant punching bag and then jump from the bag and try to grab some flags on the other side. Only Wes and Bananas succeeded in this challenge and it was boring to watch, maybe it was the talent level that held this daily back.

Actually Fun Eliminations That Required Different Skill-Sets