| Rivals | |
|---|---|
| Season 21 | |
 | |
| Presented by | T. J. Lavin |
| No. of contestants | 29 |
| Winners |
|
| Location | |
| No. of episodes | 12 (Special & Reunion Included) |
| Release | |
| Original network | MTV |
| Original release | June 22 – September 7, 2011 |
| Season chronology | |
The Challenge: Rivals is the 21st season of the MTV reality game show, The Challenge. Rivals takes place in Costa Rica, Argentina, and Patagonia. The season used former cast members from The Real World and The Challenge. Rivals marked the first season of The Challenge not to include any cast members from Road Rules.
The season featured a format in which players were teamed with their arch enemies from past seasons of The Real World and The Challenge. The format similar to one suggested the year prior by a reader to the Bill Simmons mailbag on ESPN.com.[1] The season premiered on June 22, 2011, and concluded with the "S#!% They Should Have Shown" special on September 7, 2011.[2]
This is the first edition of the Rivals series, with Rivals II, Rivals III, and The Challenge All Stars: Rivals following in 2013, 2016, and 2025, respectively.
- ^ "Simmons: The Mega-Mailbag". ESPN.com. May 28, 2010. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
- ^ "The Challenge: Rivals at MTV.com". Archived from the original on May 20, 2011.