The competition continues on September 9, 2026 with another episode of The Challenge: Cutthroat. Here’s everything you need to know before tuning in, including when the episode premieres, where to watch, what happened last week and a preview of what’s ahead.
- Episode: Episode 7
- Season: Season 42
- Episode Title: “You Need Me”
- Air Date: September 9, 2026
- Time: 3:00 AM ET / 12:00 AM PT
- Host: TJ Lavin
- Filming Location: Thailand
- Streaming Service: Paramount+
What is ‘The Challenge’ on Paramount+ About?
Hosted by TJ Lavin, The Challenge is a long-running reality competition series that debuted in 1998. Each season brings together a mix of reality TV veterans and newcomers to compete in physically and mentally demanding challenges for a cash prize.
Season 42, Cutthroat, features 24 competitors divided into three teams as they battle for a share of the $500,000 prize. Throughout the season, competitors must work together as teams to earn a place in the final, but in the end, the winning team captain will decide how the prize money is divided.
How to Watch ‘The Challenge: Cutthroat’
New episodes of The Challenge premiere Wednesdays on Paramount+ and are released weekly at 3:00 AM ET / 12:00 AM PT. Previous seasons of The Challenge are also available to stream on Paramount+.
You can stream Paramount+ through DIRECTV, making it easy to follow the competition all season long. Get started today!
‘The Challenge: Cutthroat’ Episode 7 Preview
Heading into Episode 7, the three permanent captains are still standing. TJ Lavin gave every team the option to mutiny and replace their captain last week, and all three passed, so Cory Wharton, Tori Deal and Josh Goldstein keep their teams and their automatic safety from elimination.
Team Orange lost a player for the first time this season and is down to seven, though that still leaves them two ahead of anyone else. Team Grey and Team Blue are both at five. Grey ended a three-week drought with a daily win last week, which puts all three teams within reach of each other for the first time in a while.
Blue is still the only team without a daily win through six episodes, but they are also the most dangerous team in the elimination arena. Anna Leigh Wilson, Nelson Thomas and Cara Maria Sorbello have each won an elimination, giving Blue three arena victories in three weeks. Any captain sending someone against Blue now has to weigh that record, which may change how the nominations fall if Blue lands in the bottom again.
What Happened on ‘The Challenge’ Last Week?
Need a refresher? Here’s what happened in Episode 6 of The Challenge: Cutthroat.
Daily Challenge
Before the daily challenge, TJ Lavin offered every team the chance to mutiny and replace the permanent captain they had named the week before, but none of the three took it.
Blue came closest to a change when Nelson Thomas and Cara Maria Sorbello argued for installing a woman as captain, reasoning that Josh’s automatic safety left Nelson as the default nominee on any men’s elimination week. The idea never gained enough support within the team.
The teams then competed in “Trial by Terror,” a memory challenge staged on platforms suspended 30 feet above the water. Two platforms were separated by a series of differently colored rings, and players had to hang from the rings matching the color they were given to make the crossing.
Team Grey won and took safety, ending the three-episode run of Orange victories.
Elimination
Under the permanent captain system, the nominations belonged to the captains rather than the teams. This episode featured a women’s elimination, with Orange captain Tori Deal and Blue captain Josh Goldstein each selecting a nominee.
Tori described the call as a coin flip between Deb Chubb and Izzy Fairthorne, having already ruled out protecting Michele Fitzgerald, and she ultimately sent in Deb. Josh chose Cara Maria Sorbello, a strong challenge competitor, on the reasoning that she gave his team the best chance of surviving the arena.
The two met in “Air Time,” built around rowing machines and two giant puzzle boards. Rowing inflated a column that revealed a sequence of symbols, which players then had to memorize and recreate on their board. Each competitor worked through four machines, and the first to finish won the elimination and stayed in the game.
Cara Maria finished first, sending Deb home in 18th place. It was Blue’s third arena win of the season and Orange’s first loss of a player, cutting them to seven. Deb said on her way out that she had made lifelong friends on the season and would particularly miss Will Gagnon.
‘The Challenge: Cutthroat’ Season 42 Competitor Tracker
| Competitor | Original Show | Team | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adrienne Naylor | Married at First Sight UK 8 | Grey | Active |
| Alexis Lete | WWE NXT | Blue | Active |
| Anna Leigh Wilson | The Amazing Race 35 | Blue | Active |
| Brad Fiorenza | The Real World: San Diego | Blue | Eliminated (22nd place) |
| Cara Maria Sorbello | The Challenge: Fresh Meat II | Blue | Active |
| Cassidy Clark | Survivor 43 | Grey | Active |
| Cedric Hodges | Big Brother 26 | Blue | Eliminated (24th place) |
| Chris “CT” Tamburello | The Real World: Paris | Orange | Active |
| Chris Underwood | Survivor: Edge of Extinction | Grey | Active |
| Cory Wharton | The Real World: Ex-Plosion | Grey | Active |
| Deb Chubb | Love Island USA 4 | Orange | Eliminated (18th place) |
| Izzy Fairthorne | Too Hot to Handle 3 | Orange | Active |
| Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio | The Real World: Key West | Orange | Active |
| Josh Goldstein | Love Island USA 3 | Blue | Active |
| Justin Hinsley | Cheer | Orange | Active |
| Keanu Soto | Big Brother 27 | Grey | Eliminated (19th place) |
| Leonardo “Leo” Dionicio | Love Island USA 5 | Grey | Active |
| Michele Fitzgerald | Survivor: Kaôh Rōng | Orange | Active |
| Nelson Thomas | Are You the One? 3 | Blue | Active |
| Nurys Mateo | Are You the One? 6 | Grey | Eliminated (21st place) |
| Reilly Smedley | Big Brother 25 | Blue | Eliminated (23rd place) |
| Sydney Segal | Survivor 41 | Grey | Withdrew (20th place) |
| Tori Deal | Are You the One? 4 | Orange | Active |
| Will Gagnon | Are You the One? 9 | Orange | Active |
‘The Challenge: Cutthroat’ Episode Schedule
Follow the season with the episode schedule below:
| Episode | Title | Air Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Episode 1 | “Return to Cutthroat” | August 5, 2026 | Aired |
| Episode 2 | “Crying Won’t Get You Off This Roof” | August 5, 2026 | Aired |
| Episode 3 | “Keep My Name Out Your Mouth” | August 12, 2026 | Aired |
| Episode 4 | “Say It To My Face” | August 19, 2026 | Aired |
| Episode 5 | “Down and Dirty” | August 26, 2026 | Aired |
| Episode 6 | “Leave Room For Jesus” | September 2, 2026 | Aired |
| Episode 7 | “You Need Me” | September 9, 2026 | Upcoming |
New episodes premiere every Wednesday. This schedule will be updated as additional episodes are announced.
Watch ‘The Challenge: Cutthroat’ on DIRECTV
Never miss an elimination! Stream new episodes of The Challenge: Cutthroat every week on Paramount+ through DIRECTV, and catch up on previous seasons of The Challenge anytime.
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Frequently asked questions
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