For several days now, fans of MTV’s The Challenge series have been getting a major tease for a possible trailer for Season 35 through social media.
Several cryptic and often creepy Instagram posts have arrived day-by-day, each bringing a single letter with them. They have cast members commenting and fans wondering what’s up, with at least one cast member suggesting a trailer release date.
MTV’s The Challenge Instagram spells out OLTAT?
Sometime after Season 34 ended, MTV’s The Challenge Instagram account was basically wiped clean. On their Twitter page, they tweeted out “What’s happening on our Instagram?” on February 27. Then, they began to introduce a series of new very short video clips on the IG account.
These clips last for maybe a second with an ominous sound playing, and a flickering image on each of them.
The first of the Instagram posts arrived just four days ago. It shows several desk-style lamps shining on a table or desk surface in a dark room.
The post also included the letter “O” as the first in the series of letters, possibly in the wrong order. Challenge competitor Nany Gonzalez commented, “The PTSD continues ??” making fans wondering what it could relate to.
The second of the Instagram posts arrived a day later and shows what could be someone in a very cold, frostbitten sort of state. The post features the letter “L” on it with that ominous sound again.
In a third post, The Challenge’s Instagram showed fans several hazardous containers marked “C2UN.” The post had the letter “T” on it. It also had Challenge regular Dee Nguyen commenting, “Stop giving people anxiety with all this and drop the damn trailer already ??” to the delight of many fans who agree.
Fans got the fourth and fifth posts on the IG account over the past 24 hours. The fourth post featured the letter “A” and has scrambled footage of a tank or other war vehicle.
The fifth Instagram post simply features someone, possibly from The Challenge Season 35 cast, wearing a helmet. It has the letter “T” as the caption. Like the other IG posts, it also has a variety of comments from cast members past and present.
Perhaps the most intriguing of all comments came from Cory Wharton, a former competitor on several seasons of The Challenge. He simply commented, “1 More day ?” which has fans of the belief that just maybe a new MTV The Challenge Season 35 trailer is on the way.
What is OLTAT in the IG teaser posts?
The way in which the Instagram posts arrived has fans wondering what the letters mean. After the first three arrived, “O-L-T,” some fans speculated it was an acronym possibly for “One Last Time” as an indication this will be a final edition of a particular season. Perhaps War of the Worlds 3?
There was also a suggestion that “Olt” was in reference to a part of Romania, possibly where the new Challenge takes place.
Once more letters arrived, it gave a potential anagram. “O-L-T-A-T” could be unscrambled to create “TOTAL.”
However, at least one other commenter on the IG posts gave another possibility. It could be unscrambled to “TATLO” which is Tagalog for “three.”
That could be a reference to the third installment of one of the Challenge themes.
Spoiler alert: Many fans are speculating it’s War of the Worlds III for MTV’s The Challenge Season 35.
That would be a follow-up to last season’s War of the Worlds 2. The theme had two teams, the Brits and The Americans, going at it. The twist was players could switch to the other side if they won an elimination.
Ultimately the Brits won it with a team of Chris “CT” Tamburello, Rogan O’Connor, Dee Nguyen, and Jordan Wiseley.
It appears that a trailer could be on the way, possibly on Tuesday (Mar. 3) so fans are anxiously awaiting what’s next.
Update (3/3): On Tuesday, MTV’s The Challenge Instagram revealed another teaser video (below), this time much longer with the word or letters “DESMSAN.” Unscrambled that spells out “MADNESS” and combined with the previous unscramble seems to be “TOTAL MADNESS.” They also revealed “Tomorrow” at the end of the clip, suggesting a trailer will drop on Wednesday, March 4.
The Challenge is expected to return to MTV in March 2020.