‘The Challenge All Stars’ Boss on ‘Rivals’ Return, MTV Move and Bringing Back Controversial Players: ‘We Are in Constant Conversations With Cast About Their Growth’

variety.com:

Emily Longeretta How do you follow up the epic 40th season of MTV’s “The Challenge“? Bring back one of the most popular themes for “The Challenge: All Stars.” That’s exactly what the series will do when Season 5 debuts on Wednesday, Jan.

29. Plus, it’s moving back to the original home of “The Challenge,” MTV. (It previously streamed on Paramount+.) “It was a long, long, long walk down memory lane and then talking to everybody to see what’s been happening since other seasons,” showrunner Emer Harkin tells Variety of Season 5, which features 13 teams of two. “It was really about authentic rivalries and a real and meaningful entry point.

It’s such a fan favorite season so we just want to do it justice.” The “Rivals” theme first debuted in 2011, with “Rivals II” airing in 2013, followed by the third in 2016.

This time around, some players are teamed up with new rivals (full team list here!) — like Steve Meinke and Adam Larson, who had a falling out on “All Stars” Season 4 — while others are paired with decade-long opponents, like Veronica Portillo and Katie Doyle, who came to blows on 2004’s “The Inferno.” And then there’s exes Ashley Kelsey and Dario Medrano, who were once in love… and haven’t spoken in years.