Who won The Challenge 40: Battle of the Eras? Details explored

The winners of The Challenge 40: Battle of the Eras have been crowned. Jordan emerged victorious on the men's side, taking home the grand prize of $400,000. Meanwhile, Rachel and Jenny made history as the first-ever joint winners, splitting the prize money, with each receiving $237,500. The finale episode, which aired on January 8, 2025, saw the remaining eight contestants compete in the final challenges.

TJ's karma points played a crucial role in determining the outcome, ultimately leading to the historic tie between Rachel and Jenny. The season concluded with an exciting two-part finale, featuring challenges in the Philippines, and a final elimination round that saw Cara Maria eliminated by Tori leaving only 8 challengers to compete.

---

What other events happened in The Challenge 40 finale?

The contestants of The Challenge 40 endured a grueling two-day final, unaware that karma votes from previously eliminated contestants would significantly impact the outcome. The votes were equivalent to two full checkpoints, adding an extra layer of complexity to the competition.

As the night wore on, the contestants found themselves at the bottom of The Sinister, tasked with the arduous job of counting thousands of coins. The hours ticked by, and the effects of sleep deprivation began to manifest, taking a toll on their mental states. To make matters worse, they were interrupted every 30 minutes and forced to sing a familiar song, further testing their endurance.

Despite her strong performance in previous checkpoints, Jenny struggled to keep up, eventually abandoning her counting efforts and opting for rest. She hoped that one subpar performance wouldn't derail her chances of winning. Derek, on the other hand, stopped counting at 2:25 am, confident that his total of 6,088 coins was accurate. Jenny's rough estimate of 6,052 coins was close to Derek's count.

Tori was the last to complete the task, finishing at 4:30 am, but the accuracy of their counts would ultimately determine the outcome. After a brief rest, TJ revealed the results of the checkpoint, with Derek and Rachel coming out on top. In the sixth checkpoint of The Challenge 40 finale, contestants participated in a high-speed math competition on a sandbar.

The first to solve the math puzzle could swim back to Sinister and advance, while the loser had to wait and compete against another opponent. Ultimately, Bananas was left at a disadvantage, stuck on the island until the others reached Sinister. Michele, despite being the last to swim back, leveraged her swimming skills to overtake Tori and Rachel.

The order of finishers for this checkpoint was Jordan, Derek, Kyland, and Bananas for the men, and Jenny, Michele, Rachel, and Tori for the women. In the final challenge, "Champion's Cove," The Challenge 40 contestants had to swim to a buoy, navigate a cathedral, retrieve an underwater scooter, and collect their last token by following a series of buoys.

Jordan emerged victorious once again, followed by Bananas, Derek, and Kyland. In the women's competition, Michele took the top spot, followed by Rachel, Tori, and Jenny. The scoring system in The Challenge 40 awarded points based on performance in each checkpoint, with four points for first place, three for second, two for third, and one for fourth.

Additionally, karma points were equivalent to two full checkpoints, with bonus points awarded to the top karma earners. Jordan emerged as the winner, securing his fifth title and a $400,000 prize. In the women's division, Rachel and Jenny made history by tying for first place, splitting the $475,000 prize.

Rachel's karma points proved crucial, propelling her from third place to the tie. This marked Rachel's third Challenge victory and Jenny's second. Rachel achieved this feat despite being the sole survivor of her Era 1 team, which was eliminated early in the competition. Her perseverance and determination ultimately paid off, earning her a share of the top prize.

---

The Challenge 40 finale part 2 aired from 8-9:30 pm ET/PT on MTV.