The Challenge: All Stars

TV review by Melissa Camacho, Common Sense Media
The Challenge: All Stars Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 15+

Nostalgic MTV competition reboot has cursing, risky stunts.

Paramount+ Game Shows 2021
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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Challenge: All Stars features older and wiser cast members from the original MTV franchise competing in an extreme reality competition. This streaming series is uncensored, so expect lots of cursing (including "damn," "bitch," "ass," "s--t," and "f--k"). Flashbacks from earlier shows feature arguments and physical altercations; in the present day, disagreements are verbal. Likewise, there are parties where contestants drink, but they don't revel in the wild social events as they did when younger. The challenges are still dangerous, and despite the use of safety gear, people occasionally get hurt. Viewers of all ages should be reminded not to try these activities at home.

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What's the Story?

THE CHALLENGE: ALL STARS is a reboot of the popular MTV reality series in which former cast members compete for $500K. Hosted by T.J. Lavin, it features contestants from earlier installments of The Challenge (who originally starred in The Real World and the Road Rules) facing off in daily challenges in the Andes mountains of Argentina. Challenge winners have the chance to save a teammate if necessary. After each challenge, contestants must nominate who will face off in the elimination round, the loser of which leaves the game. The player who makes it to the end wins the cash.

Is It Any Good?

This formulaic but fun-for-fans series offers viewers the old-standby MTV reality competition format with tempered interpersonal drama. Most of the contestants -- who are now in their 30s and 40s and have careers, families, and more life experience -- are interested in having fun, but they don't have the stamina to party like they did during their earlier reality show appearances. They also handle disagreements more maturely. While all the contestants are competing for the cash prize, some clearly are also participating in The Challenge for more personal reasons.

The competitions are over the top, and nomination periods can sometimes be tense, but it's the nostalgia that will pull in most viewers. Old disagreements and previous relationships are rehashed, and reminders of past entanglements are woven through the new episodes. It's hard not to chuckle at some of the cast, many of whom haven't competed in an MTV challenge show in decades, when they discuss their age or talk about their aches and pains. Viewers unfamiliar with the MTV franchise may not find The Challenge: All Stars very exciting, but fans of the original series will enjoy the blasts from the past.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about reality competitions like The Challenge. Is a large cash prize the only thing that drives people to participate in them? If given the opportunity, would you participate in one? Why, or why not?

  • The Challenge: All Stars features people who starred in MTV reality shows between the 1980s and early 2000s. What do you think motivated them to participate in another reality show decades later? How do they feel they've changed since their earlier appearances? Do you agree?

  • Are the players really the way they seem on TV, or does editing shape how they come across to viewers?

TV Details

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