‘The Challenge’ Showrunner Gives Insight On What To Expect In Season 36

Season 36 of MTV’s immensely popular The Challenge series has been given the green light. The news isn’t much of a shock to loyal fans who have been sticking with the show since its debut in 1998. COVID-19 was rumored to have delayed filming, which would have been completed by now. According to showrunner and producer Emer Harkin, Season 36 is pretty darn close to starting. The longtime Challenge producer caught up with Entertainment Weekly to discuss what’s coming for the new season.

“We’re getting ready to head to location for season 36 imminently. We’re very heavy in development in what our next world and our next season is going to embody. It’s definitely something that’s going to be forward-thinking, that’s fresh and fun. Everybody’s had a really difficult year, it’s been a very dark, oppressive year for pretty much everybody, so I’m excited to provide a bit of levity and continue to provide an excellent standard of competition reality sports for all of our viewers. It’s going to be an exciting next season.”

Harkin did not reveal where Season 36 would film, but its likely that competitors will stay in the United States. The show traditionally takes its stars overseas, but the pandemic is the one calling the shots these days –,ost countries have a travel ban on the U.S. right now, except for the United Kingdom.

The longtime showrunner also noted the Red Skull twist will likely be coming back in some form, but possibly not in the same fashion as it was on Total Madness.

The odds of Season 36 being Mark Long’s OG season are highly unlikely. As The Inquisitr previously reported, the former Challenge champion has begun a campaign for an OG-only season, which will shoot for two weeks in the U.S. There has been no response from MTV or Challenge production company Bunim/Murray regarding Mark’s hopeful season. Mark recently asked his Twitter followers if they would consider watching his OG-only season on Netflix, to which fans replied with an overwhelming “yes.” The veteran did not say if he had been in touch with the streaming network and seemed to be just an idea.

There have been plenty of rumors regarding the cast for Season 36, but no confirmation just yet. Noted Challenge insider Pink Rose has not made any revelations on Vevmo at this time either. Chris “Swaggy C” Williams, who made his debut on Total Madness, will not be appearing on Season 36. Swaggy, the husband of Bayleigh Dayton, has decided to retire from reality television.