‘The Challenge’ Executive Producer Julie Pizzi Clears up Common Fan Misconceptions (Exclusive)

For 37 seasons, The Challenge has produced some of the most thrilling moments on television and captured fans’ hearts as a result. Many of those fans have been there since the show first premiered in 1998, and they’re one of the biggest reasons why The Challenge has been able to have such a lasting impact. Ahead of its 38th season, which is currently in production, The Challenge‘s executive producer Julie Pizzi spoke with PopCulture.com, during which she cleared up some of the more prevalent misconceptions that the MTV show’s fans have. 

Considering that there have been 37 seasons and almost too many Challenge competitors to count, viewers naturally have certain contestants that they like to root for. Unfortunately, since there are a number of factors that go into forming the right cast, some fan favorites might not always get a spot on a season. While Pizzi noted that they do listen to what fans want to see in advance of each new season, it’s not always possible.

“We really do look at, I mean, we have hundreds of people that are sort of on our roster and we make decisions based on [the] theme or cast availability or sometimes a cast member will say, ‘I only have, I want to do one more season and I’m retiring,’” Pizzi explained. She went on to say that there is a lot that plays into forming a cast for The Challenge, whether that’s touching on past rivalries, scheduling issues, or, like many other shows at the moment, COVID-19. Pizzi added, “So, there’s a lot of thoughtfulness that goes into it. And I would say that when the audience is really asking for somebody back, we are absolutely listening.”

When it comes to crafting the perfect Challenge season, those plans often hit the public before the show even airs thanks to some prominent spoiler accounts. Pizzi said that it is “disappointing” when the team sees these spoilers, and added that it’s particularly “devastating” for “all the people that work so hard to produce this show, but also for the cast.” But, even though the production team would like to crack down on spoilers, Pizzi did acknowledge that they can have a positive effect on the viewing experience for some fans because they are, at the end of the day, “super supportive of people that talk about the show.” Still, when it comes to revealing certain details, such as the winners, she’d prefer some things to wait until showtime. 

Pizzi cleared up a number of Challenge misconceptions during the chat. However, the biggest one tied back to one of the most common fan complaints in any given season — rigging allegations. She said, “I think that the one thing I can promise the audience is that the integrity of the game is so important to the production, to the producers, and to the company. And that there, we really do not produce the cast. We don’t produce outcomes. This is one of the things that I appreciate so much about this game is that it really is authentic.”

Aside from choosing the individuals to be on the cast, “everything that happens from the day they show up to the day they leave is truly organic.” Pizzi even mentioned that there would be no reason for them to “produce” a specific outcome because, typically, what actually happens is even wilder than fiction. The producer added, “I think the truth is anything can happen on The Challenge and that’s why we love it so much. So, the one thing I would say is we would never fix a game.”