‘The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion’ episode 18: Channel, free stream (2024)

TJ’s final has finally arrived on “The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion,” when Episode 17, “The Beginning of the End,” airs on Wednesday, February 14 (2/14/2024) at 8 p.m. ET.

Stream “The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion” on Philo (free trial).

In episode 18, MTV is teasing that “the final seven contenders enter the Final, where they must face the three levels of the game again.” For those that forgot, that means there will be portions of the challenge themed around control, chaos and conquest. “Control” was previously highlighted by group challenges, “Chaos” by small teams and veteran mercenaries, and “Conquest” has been “every man for himself.”

How can I watch “The Challenge” for free?

Cord cutters can sign up for Philo (free trial), fuboTV (free trial) or DirecTV Stream (free trial) to stream the episode live for free.

Cable subscribers can log in on MTV.com with their cable credentials to stream the game for free.

What channel is “The Challenge” on?

MTV.

Channel finder: Verizon Fios, Xfinity, Spectrum, Optimum/Altice, Cox, DirecTV

What happened last week on “The Challenge”?

Nurys came back to the house heated after eliminating both her boyfriend and other closest friend the previous episode. And she stayed that way the whole time, telling off everyone in the house for failing her as a friend in no uncertain terms.

The only person who seemed interested in mending fences was Olivia, who was also the worst perpetrator of betrayal the week before. Despite their very public ex-friend status since filming, things seemed to improve on the show, with Olivia vowing to right the wrong from the week before, and Nurys seemed to accept that.

The episode was called “Feel the Bern” for a reason. Berna showed off her gymnast skills in a way she hasn’t all season, making the barrel roll running challenge look easy, as her fellow competitors dropped like dead fish into the water below. Despite her absolute dominance in the season so far, Michele was the first to fall in the losers heat, and was purged in the last Challenge of the season.

That’s a net loss for everyone in the house, because everyone is friends with Michele, but a net gain for viewers, because with no one in charge, chaos breaks out. Colleen massages the truth just enough to drive a wedge between Jay and Nurys, and Nurys has had it with everyone, nearly spiraling into a fight with Berna. The outburst causes Jay to abandon his friendship with Nurys.

At the nomination, Nurys is unsurprisingly headed to elimination for the second week in a row, and Olivia, who has cast her lot with her, is similarly doomed. Being attached at the hip to Moriah is no longer enough to save James, who also finds himself headed to the elimination.

Nurys utterly dominates this elimination, carrying her experience and confidence from the week before into a similar obstacle course. She’s briefly stymied by an ice barrel memory challenge, but with Olivia and James stuck on the shape puzzle, it’s really no contest. She heads back to the house, offers some choice words to the rest of the cast, but calms herself enough to offer a heartfelt apology for eliminating James to Moriah. Only Corey offers her any sort of congratulations.

What is “The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion” about?

According to MTV, “In the ruthless world of The Challenge, this newest group of non-champion, next-gen players must work together to win the grand prize -- but it’s still anyone’s game.” The new season is broken into Control, Chaos and Conquest segments, with Challengers forced to adapt their strategies throughout.

What are the differences between the streaming services?

Philo is a live TV streaming service focused on entertainment channels like MTV, Paramount Network, Discovery and more. It offers 60+ channels for the budget-friendly price of $25 per month. It has unlimited DVR, and can be streamed on all your favorite app-enabled devices. Right now, you can try Philo free for 7 days.

FuboTV is a live TV streaming service focused on live sports, including U.S. and international soccer, the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and more. It also includes its own fubo Sports Networks with exclusive programming. It offers 150 channels starting at $74.99, including 1,000 hours of DVR, and streams on most devices. Right now you can try fuboTV free for 7 days.

DirecTV Stream is comparable to FuboTV, as it provides similar channels and functionalities. Their basic package, priced at $79.99 per month with a free trial, includes just over 75 live TV channels. You can explore all of DirecTV Stream’s channel packages on their website.