A Former Champ Gets the Boot! Who Went Home in ‘The Challenge: Vets and New Threats’ Season 41 Premiere Tonight? originally appeared on Parade.
Tonight, The Challenge returned for its 41st season on MTV. After last season’s epic celebration, things went back to more of a tried-and-true formula for Vets and New Threats. But, after missing out on rookies for the past couple of seasons, MTV filled half the cast with the newbies, who were looking to make their statement as the new faces of the hit reality franchise. And one of them got a major dose of that in the premiere, as they were able to shockingly take down a former champ in the elimination arena.
Check out our spoiler-filled recap of the premiere below and find out who was eliminated tonight.
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Who was eliminated in The Challenge: Vets & New Threats Season 41 premiere tonight?
Rogan O’Connor
It’s been five years since we last saw Rogan O’Connor on our screens. And to say the former champ had a rough return would be an understatement. The first night, he hooked up with Izzy Fairthorne, hoping to curry favor with her as a possible partner. But his “polidicking” ended up for naught, as he was instead partnered up with fellow Brit Adrienne Naylor. They immediately failed their first test as a team, as their slowness had them finishing in last in the daily, sending them into elimination. Rogan declared he wanted to face off against Justin Hinsley in elimination, which most of the house agreed to do. But, despite the size mismatch, Justin’s dexterity and use of physics beat out Rogan’s raw strength, surprisingly eliminating him first from the competition.
Who won the daily challenge in The Challenge: Vets & New Threats Season 41 premiere tonight?
Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio
Dee Valladares
After partnering up at the end of Episode 0, the new pairs of vets and newbies were immediately put to the test in their first daily. It was a wild free-for-all, as the duos ran up and down a muddy pit to collect as many balls as possible. Despite her hesitancy to get picked by Johnny Bananas, Dee’s partnership with the seven-time champ paid off, as the two won the daily and safety from elimination, as well as the ability to save one other team.
Related: Everything to Know About The Challenge Season 41
What is the format of The Challenge: Vets & New Threats Season 41?
The premiere was able to provide some clarity as to how at least the first part of The Challenge Season 41 is going to work:
–Before the daily, TJ Lavin will do a random draw to decide whether it is a men’s or women’s elimination.
–The pair that wins the daily is safe from elimination.
–The pair that finishes in last place in the daily automatically goes into elimination.
–The winning pair selects one other pair that will also be safe from elimination.
–The rest of the house (including the saved pair) vote among all the available options, depending on gender.
–The partner of the eliminated player is considered a “hangnail.” It’s unknown what this role currently means, and whether they would be able to choose their own partner or not.
–TJ announced to the cast that the players would get new partners. This means we might see shakeups and new pairs every single episode.
Who’s left in the game on The Challenge: Vets & New Threats Season 41?
Adrienne Naylor
America Lopez
Aneesa Ferreira
Ashley Mitchell
Aviv Melmed
Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio
Ben Davis
Blue Kim
Cara Maria Sorbello
Cedric Hodges
Chris “CT” Tamburello
Dee Valladares
Derek Chavez
Derrick Kosinski
Gabe Wai
Izzy Fairthorne
Jake Cornish
Justin Hinsley
Leonardo “Leo” Dionicio
Leroy Garrett
Michaela Bradshaw
Nany González
Nia Moore
Olivia Kaiser
Sydney Segal
Tay Wilcoxson
Turabi “Turbo” Çamkıran
Will Gagnon
Yeremi Hykel
Related: CT Tamburello Says Some Rookies on ‘The Challenge’ Season 41 Didn’t Know Who He Was (Exclusive)
A Former Champ Gets the Boot! Who Went Home in ‘The Challenge: Vets and New Threats’ Season 41 Premiere Tonight? first appeared on Parade on Jul 31, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 31, 2025, where it first appeared.
