'The Challenge' showrunner Emer Harkin addresses concerns over season 39's cast of no champions.
without a prominent vet presence, and we tossed around a million different ways to bring them into the show that was fair, that was purposeful," Harkin says. "We really wanted to bring them in in a way that presented champion vets in the very honorable light that they should be held. Their presence this time is foreboding and threatening and it looms large, and has a really cataclysmic impact on the game.
But Harkin clarifies that the champions are not coming in as mercenaries — their title is simply champions. "The champions are there as roadblocks to stand in their way and challenge them to perform like a champion," she adds. "If you can get through a champ, then you have a right to be there. In order to be the best, you're going to have to beat the best — and it really is like the Hall of Fame.
However, the format of champions coming in for eliminations is not like the previous red skull twist. "Being in the final isn't contingent on beating a champ," Harkin reveals. "Just by virtue of the number of episodes that we have and the different levels to our format this season, it doesn't mean that everybody is going to take on a champion and must win in order to make the final. But the vast majority of our finalists will have beaten a champion.
The showrunner promises that season 39 is one of the most serious installments of the franchise yet. "It isn't frivolous, it's not like you're coming in and you're here to party and have a good time," she says. "These are people that want to become part of the legacy offranchise, and so you're going to have to prove yourself and work your ass off. Nothing about it is going to be easy.
In fact, Harkin says that every single elimination is going to be a battle, both for the contenders and the champions. "There are some huge nail-biters, there are endurance challenges, it runs the gamut," she adds. "We see blood, we see sweat, we see tears, literally, in all of these eliminations. It's very real and it's very raw.
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