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ShowsThe ChallengeSeason 9
Aired 2004–2005 · Men vs Women, second pass

Battle of the Sexes 2

MTV ran back the gender-split format with a bigger cast and a Gauntlet-style elimination round folded in. The first season-format to get a sequel in the franchise, and the one that proved the men-versus-women idea had real staying power.

Premiered
MTV · late 2004
Format
Men vs Women · Gauntlet rules
sequel to S6, post-Gauntlet refit
Cast size
30 players
15 men, 15 women
Host
Jonny Moseley
fourth season at the helm
On this page
  1. 01The take
  2. 02The shape of the season
  3. 03Where it sits in the canon
  4. 05Adjacent in the canon
  5. 06Also appears in
01The take

Battle of the Sexes 2.

02The shape of the season

A rhythm worth tracking.

The franchise's first format sequel. MTV ran the men-versus-women split again, this time with a Gauntlet-style elimination round already baked in, and the result is a season that knows what it is from the first episode. The casts are large, the format is familiar, and the show now has confidence in its own grammar. Jonny Moseley hosts again. A cleaner, more self-assured pass at the idea that started in S6.

03Where it sits in the canon

The #04 slot.

Slot #04 of 40 in the The Challenge Editor's Canon. The seasons on either side show what I ranked it against.

No spoilers. Every page is reviewed before it goes live.
06Also appears in

Cross-references.

The Challenge — Editor's CanonEditor's Canon · #04
The Challenge S9 — Battle of the Sexes 2 — tiered.tv