Things are about to get even more cutthroat on The Challenge.
Two-time UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko is heading to Thailand for an upcoming episode of The Challenge: Cutthroat, and she isn’t merely stopping by to give the competitors a pep talk.
Shevchenko will surprise the remaining Challengers with a Trial By Combat, and the stakes couldn’t be much higher: A coveted ticket to the final will be on the line.
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When Is Valentina Shevchenko on ‘The Challenge’?
Shevchenko will appear on the Sept. 30 episode of The Challenge: Cutthroat. According to Paramount, her arrival will catch the players off guard and “put the fate of the teams in jeopardy.”
Based on the trailer, the two captains—Tori Deal for Orange and Adrienne Naylor for Gray—will be the one’s taking Shevchenko on in the arena. The game appears to be what has previously been called “Balls In,” where one player tries to score by putting a ball into a barrel or basket while the opposing player plays physical defense.
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Exactly how the Trial By Combat will work hasn’t been revealed, but the wording suggests Tori and Adrienne will have an opportunity to bypass at least some of the remaining game by succeeding in Shevchenko’s trial.
We don’t yet know if both women can secure their spot in the final or if only one of them can. Knowing this show, it’s probably only one of them.
Who Is Valentina Shevchenko?
Shevchenko is one of the most accomplished fighters in UFC women’s history.
The MMA star is a two-time UFC women’s flyweight champion, making her a particularly intimidating person to see walk onto a Challenge set immediately before something called a “Trial By Combat.”
Shevchenko’s appearance also continues The Challenge tradition of dropping unexpected twists on competitors just when they think they’ve figured out the game.
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How Does ‘The Challenge: Cutthroat’ Work?
Season 42 brought The Challenge back to Thailand and divided its competitors into teams, with $500,000 at stake.
Unlike seasons in which individual players ultimately compete for the prize, Cutthroat requires the winning competitors to cross the finish line as a team. That has made the season a balancing act between individual survival and keeping a team strong enough to win the final.
Captains have also wielded considerable power throughout the season, forcing players to navigate both their own alliances and what’s best for the team.
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Now Shevchenko’s Trial By Combat threatens to shake up that structure once again.
And with a direct path toward the final potentially hanging in the balance, the remaining Challengers may be about to discover that getting through Thailand was merely the warm-up.
New episodes of The Challenge: Cutthroat season 42 drop every Wednesday at at 3 a.m. ET/12 a.m. PT on Paramount+.
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