The Challenge: Free Agents Season Premiere (RECAP)

I'm excited to recap the newest season of MTV's The Challenge--The Challenge: Free Agents! This episode and the next will be a struggle to review since MTV has the show on Scandal Thursday at 10 p.m exactly, but I'm still watching!

This season, which marks the 25th season of The Challenge, takes place in Punte Del Este, Uruguay, South America! 28 MTV alumni came together to battle it out (see the full list of competitors here). When TJ announces the game to them, he lets them know that this is definitely an individual game. At the beginning of each challenge, everyone will be part of a team, or pair, or go alone, but at the end of the day, there are no teams. Every player is playing for himself!

The scariest part is that a lot of this game is a game of chance. A guy and a girl will be chosen by the house (unless it's an individual challenge and you automatically go in). However, any member of the losing team or pair, can enter what is called "The Draw," where you pick a card to see who's going in to face the opposing girl and guy! Each week, two players will be eliminated, one guy and one girl. At the very end, there will be two grand winners, a guy and girl. Third place will take home $15,000, second place $35,000, and 1st place, $125,000!!!

The first few nights, of course, is all fun and games, though a lot of people are concerned about the layout of the game. They should be. This isn't really a game of alliances where people can carry you to the end. You have to really prove that you belong here. And, like I said, it's a game of chance. So no matter how well you do on a challenge, unless you WIN, you might get thrown into the battle for elimination.

The night before the challenge, the house gets a clue from TJ:  "Let's start off on a high note and determine who will be a real contender this season." Everyone automatically starts thinking that it will involve heights, and they were right. The next day, at the Uruguay World Trade Center, everyone sees a hanging platform over the building, which is the tallest building in the city at 42 stories. TJ announces they are playing "Out on a Ledge" For this challenge, they will be split up into two teams of 14 (Red and Black), and there will be three stages. Stage one is running the stairs. Six players will be chained together, and race up the stairs to the rooftop with a key. At stage 2, four players will use the key to unlock a box with a puzzle inside. puzzle. At stage 3, the last four remaining players on each team will have to walk the platform, manage to make it across a rolling log with a flag in the middle that they have to grab, and ring a bell to finish! The team with the fastest time overall will win!

To say that this challenge was crazy is an understatement. Having 12 people trying to make it through a narrow stairway up 42 flights is exhausting, especially when people try to block others from getting through! The Red Team manages to make it up it up first, and then try to hold off the Black Team at the door. However, Swift jumps over the team to grab the key, knocking Latoya into the wall in the process (she later has to leave the challenge to go to the emergency room). In the second phase, the Red Team, led by Chet, struggles to put the puzzle together, and the Black Team takes a big lead over them.

Though there was a big effort by the members on the Red Team to make it across the platform, especially with that rolling log, the Black Team takes the first challenge! Two people will be chosen by the black team to go into elimination, and another two will be put into the Draw. At their deliberation, it's difficult to get 14 people to come to a consensus. They're not a team, though, so who cares? Just make your own individual vote. Latoya and Chet are chosen individually, which pisses Latoya off. People see her as being weak since she's a rookie, and she went to the hospital on the first day. The rest of the team still isn't safe though. Half of the house ends up packing their bags, because it could be anybody going home!

At the Draw, they have to flip a block to decide if they make it. Whoever picks the Kill Card (a block "Balls In." The goal is to score a basket in a barrel, with the opposing players alternating offense and defense over 5 rounds. If the ball or the player goes out of bounds, that round is over. During his heat with Frank, Chet's face get cut up bad some kind of way on his chin. He has a choice to forfeit or play and get stitches later. Of course, pretty boy Chet decides to forfeit. I think it's weak, but I knew that Frank was staying regardless. He brings too much drama and is actually a good competitor anyway. During the heat with Jemmye, Latoya comes out with a vengeance, determined to prove to the rest of the house that she belongs here! After a great fight t to the finish, Latoya sends Jemmye home, and shows the house that she's a force to be reckoned with! I'm actually rooting for her, because she keeps it real, and showed that she's a strong competitor even though she's a rookie! Bet the house is scared now!
with a skull on it), will have to go in to face Latoya and Chet. Jemmye and surprisingly Frank get the Kill Card! The players face off in

Check out all new episodes of The Challenge: Free Agents on Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET only on MTV!

Images via MTV