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The Challenge Creator Reflects on 30 Seasons of a Reality TV Dynasty

The landmark season is dirtier than ever

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Megan Vick

What began as an experimental episode of The Real World crossover with Road Rules in the late '90s has become a reality institution at MTV -- I'm talking, of course, about The Challenge. The reality series begins its 30th season on Tuesday and shows no signs of going into a final elimination.

The latest iteration, taglined "XXX: The Dirty 30," will bring, you guessed it, 30 previous Challenge/Real World/Are You the One and yes, even Road Rules competitors together to compete for their share of the largest Challenge prize ever -- $1 million. The landmark season will celebrate everything that has made The Challenge a reality TV institution -- nostalgia, drama and backstabbing in a formula that has been perfected over a decade and a half of programming.

"I think The Challenge is in a good place," creator Jonathan Murray told TV Guide at the ATX Television Festival in Austin last month. "The audience has reacted really well to Champs vs Pros, so you know I think it's got a good future."

​Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio, The Challenge: XXX

Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio, The Challenge: XXX

MTV

The expected names have returned for XXX, including Challenge legends CT, Johnny Bananas and Derrick, along with a handful of Are You the One newcomers. But this season's roster also includes some older familiar faces like Veronica from Road Rules: Semester at Sea. The MTV veteran made a brief appearance on Champs vs Pros earlier this summer, but otherwise hasn't been on a full season since 2009's The Ruins. Darrell is also returning for his third consecutive season, proving he's ready to get back in The Challenge game full-time after dominating the reality show's early seasons before the reign of Johnny Bananas. Those nostalgic names are part of what creates The Challenge magic.

"The thing that makes The Challenge unique is that the MTV audience has grown up with this cast," Murray explained. "They've watched CT from the time he was on Real World: Paris. They watched him be sort of a bull in the China shop punching Adam and they've watched him go through his love affair with Diem. They've watched him grow up. They love being on this journey with him and he's not the only one. There are lots of people on The Challenge that the viewers enjoy coming back to them season after season and catching up with them."

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While the competition show is mostly known for its debauchery and backstabbing politics, it also promotes conversation in the same way its mothership series The Real World has done with iconic stories like Pedro's battle with HIV during Real World: San Francisco and transgender activist Katelynn's journey on Real World: Brooklyn. The Real World: Go Big or Go Home alum Christopher Ammon, now going by Ammo, joins The Challenge for the first time on XXX and will provide a valuable opportunity for the audience at home to discuss gender and sexual identity.

"[Ammo] comes back to the next challenge and he's had an evolution as far as his identity. I think viewers are going to find that really interesting," Murray teased.

The producer goes on to explain conversation has always been the driving force of his reality TV empire.

"As far as the conversations the show raises amongst young people -- which is the conversation I'm most interested in -- a lot of the issues that were relevant in 1992 when the show started are still relevant today," he said. "We may have made some strides forward as a society to be more accepting of people's differences, but a lot of kids still come from communities where they grew up with people just like themselves and they don't really have a real opportunity to be in a diverse setting until they go away to college or go into the Army."

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The Challenge making it to this milestone season has been in large part due to Murray and his team's genius way of upping the ante each season and reinventing the politics of the game to put fan favorite characters in brand new and more stressful situations with each new adventure. They're pulling out all the stops this season, meaning that along with hopefully insightful conversation will also come the gritty drama the show has built its reputation on as new twists throw even the most seasoned veterans for a loop.

"Particularly for The Challenge, we need to constantly be changing the game, changing what we're doing not only to keep the show interesting for the viewers but to keep it interesting for those cast members," Murray said. "We don't want them coming into a season thinking they know how to play the game. We've got to find some ways [to make them go], 'Oh, it's not working the same way as before. I need to rethink my strategy.' We need to keep them on their toes."

The Challenge's ability to reinvent itself every season without alienating its core DNA has helped it survive more than 15 years on the air. It continues to be one of MTV's most valued properties as the network bucks almost all of its scripted programming and buckles down on its established franchises. It's more likely to see more of The Challenge than it is to see the reality show retire.

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"It's interesting because I'm not involved in everything that MTV is doing, but what I am feeling is that they're embracing some of their franchise series like The Challenge and Teen Mom," Murray explained. "That's sort of great because the last few years, I think they were trying a lot of different things whether it was scripted or new ideas. It's great to be embraced by the network. There's a lot of energy going into The Challenge and some of those mainstay series."

Truth be told, it's never felt so good to turn 30.

The Challenge XXX: The Dirty 30 premieres Tuesday, July 18 at 9/c on MTV.