Entering The Challenge USA tonight, we heard near-constant hype about how intense this show was going to really be. Some CBS stars were prepared for this — take the Survivor alum. Is doing this anywhere near similar to Love Island? We can’t imagine so.

After TJ Lavin turned up and announced the rules of the season, we saw everyone split into teams! Of course, things went way too fast for us to jot down everyone. From what we saw, Angela and Tyson have to be one of the biggest threats from the get-go. We’re talking about two super-physical people. Also, Danny and Shan are going to be super-interesting since they were on the same season of Survivor and he voted her out! Cashel and Kyra together was just funny because their Love Island relationship didn’t go so great…

The first team challenge – “Down to Do the Math” required everyone to descend from 22 stories while also solve various math equations. Who said there was going to be math in all of this! We clearly underestimated Cashel & Kyra, since they were the first people to complete this! Azah started to struggle immediately after the challenge and, briefly, we were worried that she was going to be evacuated.

What we did learn is that Azah & Kyland performed worst in the challenge, and this put them in a position where they were on the line. Angela & Tyson got the best overall time, which made Danny happen since he felt he’d be protected down the road. They were safe, and they had to figure out who they wanted to pit against Azah & Kyland.

Angela & Tyson’s decision! – Everyone is totally walking on eggshells at the moment. These two don’t want to nominate someone from Survivor or Big Brother, keeping potential allies in place. Shannon & James just felt like obvious candidates. Shannon didn’t seme that stoked to be there, and nobody had a close bond to James at first.

Yet, James worked hard to keep himself and Shannon in the game, and did enough to spare them. With that in mind, Angela & Tyson opted for a different Love Island duo in Cely & Javonny.

The first eliminated team…

It’s Javonny & Cely. Given that they were lesser-known by mainstream CBS viewers than Kyland & Azah, this is probably a win for the network. Also, Kyland’s spent months apparently training for this. He’s going to live the fight another day!

Overall, the premiere was a good introduction to The Challenge for series newbies. It’s not as complicated as we’ve seen the MTV version be, but that’s probably the point.

Related – Be sure to get some more news when it comes to The Challenge USA!

What did you think about the events of The Challenge USA premiere?

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