The Challenge 40 finale part 1 recap: 8 contestants compete as Jordan takes an early lead

The latest installment of The Challenge 40, episode 18, premiered on January 1, 2025, at 8 pm ET/PT on MTV and Paramount+. The episode was the first of the two-part finale as 8 contestants competed to win the coveted $1 million grand prize. The champions will win $400,000 each, second place will take home $75,000, third place will get $25,000, and the fourth-place finisher will go home empty-handed.

In the last episode, the contestants traveled to the Philippines, where they participated in two additional challenges and competed in the season's final elimination round. Cara Maria was eliminated after facing off against Tori.

The latest episode of The Challenge 40 saw the 8 finalists compete and endure a gauntlet of intense checkpoints, while TJ revealed a big twist that could possibly change the outcome of the finale.

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What happened in The Challenge 40 finale part 1?

The contestants spent the night before the final challenge on a creepy ship called Sinister. The 8remaining cast members of The Challenge 40 didn't have beds, and most of them expressed feeling miserable. Despite the conditions, Tori was just happy to be on dry land after spending 3 hours in the water fighting Cara Maria in the last episode.

After 5 hours of sleep, TJ woke them up to start the final challenge. During the challenge, the contestants would have to complete tasks at different checkpoints to collect tokens. They would have to swim to and from the ship Sinister to start and finish each task. TJ informed The Challenge 40 finalists about the karma points they had been receiving from eliminated contestants throughout the season.

The person with the most votes would gain an advantage, while the person with the fewest votes would face a significant disadvantage. The results of the karma points would remain unknown until the end of the final challenge when TJ would tally up all the points from the checkpoints and karma votes. The contestant with the highest total would be declared the winner.

The first checkpoint, "Sandblast," required The Challenge 40 contestants to swim to shore and solve a 3D sand puzzle. Contestants had to retrieve each puzzle piece individually. Derek faced a three-minute penalty from the previous challenge. Jordan finished first while Derek, Bananas, and Kyland ended up last. Michele finished first among the women while Jenny, Tori, and Rachel finished after her.

For the second checkpoint, contestants were required to swim to the Ghost Ship, dive underwater, memorize a series of symbols to memory, and then replicate the symbols in the correct order back in the Ghost Ship. Jordan again finished first while Bananas, Derek, and Kyland finished after him. For the ladies, Jenny finished and Tori, Rachel, and Michele followed up.

The third checkpoint dubbed "A Thousand Steps," asked the contestants to swim to the beach, then sprint up 1,000 steps, and then solve a puzzle, after which they could swim back to the ship Sinister. For the third time in a row, Jordan finished first before Bananas, Derek, and Kyland while Jenny finished first for the second time in a row as Michele, Rachel, and Tori followed up in checkpoint 3.

Following the third checkpoint, TJ announced that the fourth challenge would take place overnight in the second part of The Challenge 40 finale. The contestants would be tasked with rummaging through bags containing thousands of coins. They would then return to the ship's deck and sing Show Me the Way to Go Home for 30 minutes. The player with the most accurate count at the end of the night would emerge victorious.

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Watch The Challenge 40 finale part 2 on January 8, 2025.