The BEST episodes of The Challenge season 12
Every episode of The Challenge season 12, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of The Challenge season 12!
Reality stars compete in physical and mental challenges that will push them to their limit for their share of a $1 million prize. Age-old alliances, twists and turns from host TJ Lavin, and everyone living together under one roof only make the battle that much harder.
#1 - Kickin' Things Off
Season 12 - Episode 1 - Aired 5/22/2006
Real World/Road Rules Challenge Fresh Meat head down under as a pack of eager hopefuls try to make a name for themselves against alumni in Australia. The twist? Each new cast member is paired with an alumni creating 12 individual teams. The four remaining teams will duke it out in the final challenge in hopes of heading home with a $250,000 cash prize. The first challenge begins on the 175th floor of the famous Q1 building where the teams go against each other in a battle of time and speed.
#2 - Game Over?
Season 12 - Episode 10 - Aired 7/24/2006
Evan finds his calling for the night when he enters a contest at a local club called Cheeky Monkey. The object of the contest is to blow up a condom to the point where it bursts. Believe it or not...Evan comes out the winner! Back at the house Wes is devising a plan to keep Katie and Eric around so he gives them advice to help them beat Tina and Kenny in the Exile. At the challenge the teams are divided into two large teams chosen by Shane and Linette and Theo and Chanda. Each team must pull an 850-pound sled full of hay. Theo and Chanda's team win phase one and then must break up into their individual teams and tow a 350-pound sled as fast as possible to the finish line. Evan begins to worry about his hernia but through the agonizing pain and sweat most teams make it across and Darrell and Aviv come out the winners! Unfortunately for Coral, her knee cap has popped out of place during the mission so she and Evan head to the hospital. The doctor tells Evan he is hemorrhaging and that it is "game over" time for him. Then he decides to send Coral to another hospital that is nearly two hours away. The future of their team is up in the air. At the Exile, Katie and Eric have a slow start as Tina and Kenny jet off to the puzzles. The bags become the worst part of the mission for the teams but when Tina solves the puzzle, she and Kenny get to drop their bags. Even after forgetting a flag the two emerge victorious. br> Back at the house, Wes is fully expecting to see Eric and Katie. He doesn't. Looks like his strategy didn't work.
#3 - Climber's Paradise
Season 12 - Episode 5 - Aired 6/19/2006
Tina is full of opinions, calling Wes sexist and saying her partner Kenny is only here for fun and games. At the "Climber's Paradise" challenge each team must climb a wall while carrying a bag full of pegs for one another. The pegs will then be used to make it up the wall and two flags must be captured at the top to complete the mission. But there is a 10-minute time limit and falling off of the wall you means you are automatically disqualified. The first batch of teams finds themselves disqualified, leaving only six teams that actually capture their flags. Coral and Evan come out the winners. When Wes finds out, he goes straight to Coral attempting to sway her vote away from him or Johanna. Coral entertains Wes as if he has a logical point, but laughs behind his back when she and Evan decide to send Wes and Casey into Exile. Feeling like he got stabbed in the back, Wes tells Johanna "you have to fight for your right to be here." When Johanna tells him she is not going to go crazy in deliberation, it escalates into a screaming match, with Wes proclaiming she is stupid in front of everyone. At deliberation everyone decides to send Johanna and Jesse into Exile against Wes and Casey. After the outcome, Johanna is still not talking to Wes. She thinks he takes the game too seriously and Wes confesses this game has the power to break them up.
#4 - Hanging Tough
Season 12 - Episode 3 - Aired 6/5/2006
Trust and support go hand-in-hand this week on the challenge when Diem confesses to her partner Derrick that she is suffering from ovarian cancer. The tragic news drives Derrick to give his all and make a difference in Diem's life. At the challenge it is a test of strength: The male on each team must hang upside down from a crane, holding their partner's arms as they dangle over water. Coral and Evan, yet again, choose the line-up and, yet again, target the Austin cast as they send Melinda and Ryan alongside Wes and Casey to be the first on the crane. Water becomes the main factor as each team's grip slowing breaks apart. When Coral and Evan come out as the winners again, Evan wonders, "Why do they even bother showing up?" They decide to send Melinda and Ryan into exile... what a surprise! Later that night at Deliberation, it's a battle of love as Wes decides to vote himself into Exile and asks everyone else to do the same instead of sending Johanna. There are waterworks when Johanna bursts into tears, asking how could she possibly stay knowing Wes went home for her? The rest of the cast obliges though, and sends Wes into Exile. The dramatics may never end, even down under!
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#5 - Crossing Paths
Season 12 - Episode 7 - Aired 7/3/2006
While out on the town Tonya and Johnnie discuss how to work better with one another and Wes confesses to Johanna via phone that he feels alone at the challenge. Evan, on the other hand, finds out that he has an athletic hernia -- a torn muscle in his stomach -- and he fears what Coral will think. At the challenge each team must "cross paths": Starting at opposite ends of a rope that hangs 25 feet above water, they must get across the rope by passing one another and reaching the other side -- all without a harness! While it seems to be one of the hardest challenges, most teams come out "swinging" and make it across. The result is a refreshing surprise as Theo and Chanda win the challenge. They contemplate for quite some time before ultimately deciding to send Wes and Casey in to Exile. At deliberation each team goes back and forth deciding between Tina and Kenny and Tonya and Johnnie. When the latter are voted in, Tonya wonders why no one admits they sent them in because they don't like her. She pulls Derrick aside to state she thought he was her friend, but he realizes there he couldn't overturn the majority decision.
#6 - And the Winners Are...
Season 12 - Episode 16 - Aired 9/4/2006
On the final Challenge, the teams will need to stop at series of checkpoints along a 10 mile run. When things start off, Kenny and Tina are in the lead and it looks like they have a good chance of winning. But when they hit the puzzles that are in between checkpoints, they have more trouble than usual. Wes and Casey are going strong for the first part of the mission, but Darrell and Aviv are able to complete their puzzle and drop their weight, enabling them to run much faster then the other teams. Darrell and Aviv pull off a big win, winning the long-awaited prize of $200,000 to be split between them both. Kenny and Tina come in second place, winning $30,000 and Wes and Casey are last, winning $30,000.
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#7 - Jailbirds
Season 12 - Episode 4 - Aired 6/12/2006
Ryan begins to feel his partner, Melinda, doesn't have her head in the game after she talks to Danny and confesses she would rather be with him at home than at the challenge. Team work is key at the next challenge as each team is handcuffed, shackled, and locked in a jail cell and must sift through several pales of "slop" using only their faces and mouths. Three keys must be found: two unlock their handcuffs and one unlocks the jail cell. Once released, they must sprint to the finish line. While the pails of slop make some sick and others "sloppy," all teams quickly find the keys. All teams except Coral and Evan that is, who decide they are going to let this one go to another team and laugh their entire way to the finish line. In the end Theo and Chanda are the winners and its exile time for Melinda and Ryan and Wes and Casey. At Exile, the teams are instructed to grab a flag at each checkpoint while carrying bags of sand equivalent to their luggage weight. Ryan and Melinda complete the first puzzle which allows them to drop their bags. This may look like a step ahead for the team but Melinda realizes they forgot to grab the first flag! As each team struggles to the finish line, Wes and Casey come out the winners and head back to the house, but Wes' overconfidence is starting to wear on the other teammates as he proclaims he is just "too good."
#8 - Money or Friendship?
Season 12 - Episode 11 - Aired 7/31/2006
Evan returns from the hospital with bad news: his hernia has a 99% chance of causing permanent damage if not healed properly. Coral joins him shortly after, knee cap back in place, but on crutches. The two decide to downplay their injuries in fear that the others will think they are weak and send them to Exile. On the other end of the house Diem, Linette and Aviv grow close and admit that they have each others backs. At the challenge T.J. drops shocking news when he tells the cast that due to doctor's orders, Coral and Evan must leave the challenge for good. In tears, Coral attempts to change the executive producer's decision but soon realizes they must leave Australia. The rest of the cast see this decision as an advantage. Batten Down the Hatches is the name of the game as each team must climb down two ladders hanging 25 feet in the air out of a dive boat. Once at the bottom of the ladders, they must swing to one another, trade ladders, then make it back up to the boat as fast as possible. After a few tries and shaky ladders, most teams figure out the perfect strategy and make it back up to the boat. Diem and Derrick come out the winners and Diem is filled with excitement until she realizes she is sending one of her friends to Exile. Derrick convinces her that the best bet for them is to send Linette and Shane into Exile. Linette is overcome with anger and Diem feels horrible. Before deliberation, Wes yet again tries to sway votes but everyone catches on to his plan. At deliberation, Wes' actions play against him and he and Casey are sent to Exile.
#9 - Kayak Challenge
Season 12 - Episode 8 - Aired 7/10/2006
With Tonya heading into Exile, she admits that she has three years of animosity built up toward Tina. Meanwhile, Linette finds herself forming more than just a crush on Theo when the two get close. At the challenge, each team must blow up an inflatable kayak, paddle it across the river, grab their flag, paddle back to shore, and then deflate and bag their kayak. The twist? Their hands and feet are not allowed outside of the kayak. Everyone makes it across, save for Wes and Casey who decide to forfeit since they are going into the Exile anyway. The first team to go, Linette and Shane not only end up the winners of the challenge but also win a trip to Costa Rica! Reality sets in for Johnnie and Tonya, who realize they are going to Exile against Wes and Casey, but they keep their heads high and remain confident -- until they realize they will be carrying the weight of their luggage, that is. With almost twice what Wes and Casey will carry, it seems hopeless from the beginning. Indeed, Wes and Casey fly past the puzzles, as well as Tonya and Johnnie, and end up the winners. Back at the house, Wes expresses no fear of returning to Exile and he hopes he can be the one to send Tina and Kenny in next!
#10 - The Death Roll
Season 12 - Episode 15 - Aired 8/28/2006
Each team realizes that time is almost up and everyone discusses how important it is to win the upcoming challenge--a crocodile death roll. As the fake croc spins faster and faster, each team struggles to hold on. It's not so easy. After a few rounds of spinning Kenny and Tina edge out Diem and Derrick for victory. Not only do they get to decide who goes into Exile, they also win a Kicker car audio system. With revenge in mind, Kenny and Tina decide to send Derrick and Diem in against Darrell and Aviv. When Diem hears she is being sent in she goes ballistic. She tells Tina that it was she and Derrick who got Tina and Kenny as far as they did and calls her heartless. Tina, being the person she is, laughs at Diem's accusations and calls her anorexic. In Exile, Derrick decides that they should drop their bags from the beginning. The puzzles will say to drop them anyway, right? The first puzzle comes up and it says to drop one bag but with two bags each that still leaves one puzzle that they hope will say to drop the other bag. When the teams arrive at the second puzzle they realize they didn't grab the flags, so the boys run back but only to find that each teammate must be there to pick up the flag. With this huge disadvantage, Aviv and Darrell decide to forget the second puzzle and just go to the finish line. Diem and Derrick stick to the puzzle but soon learn that they lost the Exile. Derrick feels like he let Diem down but the house is excited to see Aviv and Darrell get out of the car. They all hug and scream in excitement that they are going to receive money regardless.
#11 - Kenny and Tina's Triumph
Season 12 - Episode 14 - Aired 8/21/2006
Theo and Chanda discuss Exile. Theo is almost excited about it, but wishes Derrick would own up to wanting him in there. For her part, Chanda understands why Derrick and Diem would want them in Exile--they feel threatened by them. Derrick feels terrible about the decision and Diem feels like there is some animosity from Derrick about her choice. The clue comes and the group finds out they need to be "dressed sharp" for their next challenge. Turns out they'll be doing "Target Training." After running through a training course and taking aim with some paintball guns, they teams have to grab a 70-lb aboriginal "artifact" and run back through the obstacle course. When the dust settles and all the groups have finished, Darrell and Aviv have come out on top--and "for the first time in Fresh Meat history," received a pardon. Darrell and Aviv choose Tina and Kenny to head into Exile. Since Tina and Kenny know what the Exile's about, they run off, leaving Theo and Chanda in the dust. Tina and Kenny solve the first puzzle quickly, grab the flag, and are off. When they get to the second puzzle, they can't get it and run off without realizing that they don't have their flag. They run back and grab the flag, but Tina swears she can get the puzzle. When Kenny switches two of the rocks, the pair jump into a waiting van--the prize for solving the puzzle--and drive to the finish line far in front of Theo and Chanda.
#12 - Costume Extravaganza
Season 12 - Episode 6 - Aired 6/26/2006
The cast members decide to spice things up and have a costume extravaganza. Tonya lets loose and Johanna realizes that this challenge shouldn't come between her and Wes. They apologize to one another and Johanna tells him there will be no second chances. At the challenge it is a battle of oats as each team must sprint to a tub full of rolled oats, collect as many as possible, sprint over to another bucket, and drop off what they have collected in a matter of two minutes. The teams soon learn that the oats are just like quick sand and this won't be half as easy as expected. During the challenge each team tries their hardest to come up with an unique plan but Johnnie and Tonya find themselves fighting more than working together. Coral and Evan, yet AGAIN, come out the winners! After the challenge Wes and Casey and Johanna and Jesse head to Exile. Like every other Exile, both teams must carry their combined luggage weight through the mission. The challenge turns into Johanna and Jesse's favor until they realize they forgot to pick up both flags. With this huge disadvantage Casey and Wes end up the winners. Before Johanna and Wes kiss and say their goodbyes Johanna tells Wes she was disgusted with his behavior and the way he treats Casey (after he shared a few harsh words with her during the mission). Before heading back to the house, Casey lays it on the line to Wes saying she is sick of being in the Exile and to stop making everyone so mad! He apologizes but admits he now feels alone.
#13 - Anxieties Run High
Season 12 - Episode 2 - Aired 5/29/2006
Anxieties run high when the rest of the cast decides to break up the Austin couples- Danny and Melinda and Johanna and Wes- and send Danny and Ev to compete against Wes and Casey in the Exile. The Challenge "stumps" a few teams as they test their balance on tree stumps. They are not only balancing but each team must dodge a medicine size swinging ball being wailed at them from other cast members. Coral and Evan once again come out as the winners and the two teams prepare for Exile. Emotions flare when the cast finds out they are not allowed to watch the challenge and the Austin couples say their goodbyes. The two teams head to the challenge blindfolded and are welcomed by four large bags- the same amount of weight as their luggage! Each team must carry the bags through the entire challenge and are given the option to complete puzzles for prizes. Wes and Casey skip out on the puzzles and come out as the winners. According to Tina this is no longer a game, this is politics.
#14 - Jump Down Under
Season 12 - Episode 12 - Aired 8/7/2006
Linette and Aviv talk to Diem about her decision to send Linette into Exile. They make Diem promise that she will not put Linette and Shane first for the mission the next day. Linette is trying not to get too attached to Theo because she fears that something will happen that she won't be able to control. The Fresh Meat cast is told to be ready by 8 am for their next challenge. Their challenge is called "Jump Down Under." They will have to jump off a 12-meter platform--the same height as a 4-story building--into the water, swim 20 feet, crawl up a giant raft, grab the flag and swim 30 feet to finish the challenge. Though Diem promised not to put Shane and Linette first, she feels that Linette and Aviv ganged up on her the night before. So she goes back on her word. Casey is terrified of the mission and is trying to calm herself down. When it's her turn to jump off the platform, she turns and walks away, telling Wes to call her whatever he wants, but she won't jump. Though Wes and Casey were disqualified, Shane and Linette came in last place, losing the possible pardon. Both Wes and Casey and Shane and Linette are sent into Exile. It's a close race in Exile with Shane and Linette taking the lead early on. Back at the house, everyone wants to see who's coming back. The black van pulls up and Wes and Casey step out, back from Exile for the fifth time.
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#15 - Kenny VS Tina?
Season 12 - Episode 9 - Aired 7/17/2006
Tina and Kenny come away from a team meeting with an understanding that they need to avoid Exile at all costs -- and must work together more than they have been doing so far. The night before the challenge, Coral and Evan fear they are blending in and both feel they need to push for a first-place finish to keep the other teams from targeting them. Meanwhile, Evan is holding back a secret: he is suffering from a sports-related hernia. He is constant roaring pain and if his condition worsens, he could be forced to pull out of competition. In the challenge, the teams are literally thrown to the sharks. They must collect puzzle pieces scattered across a tank while avoiding multiple types of sharks. Of the eight teams, five teams are disqualified and Shane and Linette again pull off a victory. After a team meeting, they choose Eric and Katie to go into Exile. At the deliberation, Tina and Kenny are voted into Exile with one of those votes coming from Kenny. His act of voting against his own team sends Tina into the stratosphere.
#16 - Diving In
Season 12 - Episode 13 - Aired 8/14/2006
Diem admits to having a crush on Derrick, but she tries to ignore it because she needs to keep her head in the game. Tina is feeling sick, but Kenny tells her that the mission won't wait for her. And it won't--the message comes that they need to be ready by 5am. The next morning, they are informed of their challenge--Deep Blue. Four nautical miles off the coast of Australia, the teams have to dive 30 feet into the ocean to capture their team flag and hold their breath for as long as possible. The teams are getting nervous and Wes even tells Casey he doesn't mind if she is terrified and they are disqualified. Theo doesn't feel as if he has anything to worry about because he has made an alliance with Derrick, but Chanda is of the opinion that nothing short of first place will keep them out of Exile. Tina and Kenny can only make it for a few seconds before heading to the surface. Darrell bails on Aviv, but Aviv is able to capture the flag. Theo and Chanda do well by floating to the top where there's more oxygen in the water. But nobody is able to beat the new "dream team" of Derrick and Diem, who must now decide who to send into Exile. Though Derrick has aligned with Theo, Diem wants to put Theo and Chanda into Exile since they came in second place and could eventually beat Derrick and Diem. Derrick tries to convince Diem to put in Tina and Kenny, but in the end, Derrick allows Diem to choose and Diem chooses Theo and Chanda. After the vote, Darrell and Aviv are placed in Exile as well. This hurts Derrick since Darrell and Theo were his best friends in the competition. Derrick is feeling terrible about the decision, but Wes tells him that he shouldn't because there have been "shadier" things happening. Later that evening, to Wes's excitement, Derrick decides to align with Wes. Wes has been angling to become allies with the strongest team, to no avail--until now. Diem finds herself getting closer and closer to Derrick. She isn't sure what their relationsh
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