Tonight on “The Challenge: Battle of the Eras,” Burger King is getting in on the action, as the Challengers must survive a death-defying plunge and a brutal swim, with a whopper of ramifications if they can’t!
Here are the contestants still in contention for the Season 40 championship:
Era 1: Rachel Robinson
Era 2: Cara Maria Sorbello, Derek Chavez, Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio
Era 3: Cory Wharton, Jordan Wiseley, Tori Deal
Era 4: Jenny West, Kyland Young, Michele Fitzgerald
Below, read our full recap of tonight’s episode, titled “Must Win Era” airing Wednesday, Dec. 11 (8:00 – 9:30 PM ET/PT) on MTV.
After winning in last week’s arena, Jenny called out Cory, Derek, and Jordan as targets. With numbers dwindling, players are eager to reach this season’s epic final. When they arrive to the next Daily Challenge, TJ lets them know they’ll be competing in “Fire Plunge.” One at a time, players will take their turn in a convertible, solve a puzzle, plunge off a 300-foot cliff, and swim 500 meters to the finish line. As the loser of last week’s challenge, Bananas will have a 30-second penalty.
Jordan is drawn to go first. He’s a professional race car driver, but that’s not as much of an advantage in this challenge as it sounds. They’re not actually driving the car as it flies off a cliff. Regardless, Jordan has proven himself capable at just about everything, and he solves the puzzle quickly and takes off swimming to the finish line. The triathlete nailed this one.
Rachel goes first for the women. She knows if she can avoid being targeted this week, she should be able to sail into the final. She puts up a “savage” time and sets a high bar to reach for the other competitors. Cara Maria proves to be the worst swimmer, which baffles Rachel. “It looks like she’s joking,” says the Era 1 veteran.
Cory struggled with the puzzle and quickly saw his advantage over Bananas evaporate. While the beefy former football player has never been known for his swimming prowess, he’s clearly been working on it. He puts up a solid time and avoids landing in last place. That unfortunate position belongs to Derek. Cara Maria was last among the women, so she’ll have a 30-second penalty at the next challenge. The winners today were Jordan and Tori. Since Jordan won and Derek lost, the only other target is Cory, meaning he’ll head down into the arena for the fourth time. Can he take down Derek for an impressive 4-0 record this season?
Back at the house, the Challengers enjoy a feast courtesy of Burger King. The fast food chain also gave today’s winners, Jordan and Tori, each $5,000. While chowing down, Cory and Derek share their mutual respect for each other, but both want to win this season badly. Derek also shared emotional stories about his sister, who sadly died by suicide in 2021.
Tonight’s elimination is called “Closing Time.” Players will race to collect heavy cinder blocks and build an image out of them (on both the front and back). This is a combination of both physical and mental strength, which should be a relief to Derek. At least he’s not going head-to-head with Cory in a physical matchup, and the puzzle portion could be an equalizer.
Cory’s strategy is to collect all the blocks first and then build the puzzle. Derek is building the puzzle as he collects them. It’s two very different strategies, but only one will prove to be correct.
After a long, tough battle, Derek emerges victorious — and on his sister’s birthday no less. It’s an emotional victory and Derek continues to defy the odds this season. Cory leaves devastated once again. As the winner of this week’s elimination, Derek names Cara Maria, Jenny, and Rachel as targets. Then, TJ tells them they’ll be traveling and the next time he sees everyone, “It will be a lot less green.”
