The Challenge Season 38 ratings for Episode 9 have arrived, with MTV’s competition series remaining steady after the previous week’s numbers.
While the episode dipped slightly in its rating, the show finished among the top five cable telecasts for a second-straight week and brought in the most viewers so far this season.
The latest installment featured a daily challenge revealed to be a “mini-final,” with the winning team earning much power in the game.
It also brought a game-changing twist for the Ride or Dies partners situation, likely impacting upcoming daily events and eliminations.
All that, along with a Ride or Dies midseason trailer, could mean improved ratings and viewership are on the way for the second half of the season.
This report may contain spoilers through Episode 9 of the Ride or Dies season.
The Challenge Season 38, Episode 9 ratings reveal top-four finish
Based on Showbuzz Daily’s report for Wednesday, December 7, MTV’s The Challenge finished at No. 4 for all cable telecasts that evening.
The ratings for Ride or Dies Episode 9 came in at 0.26 in the key 18-49 demographic, down just 0.01 from the previous week’s ratings.
A reported 563,000 viewers were watching the show, an increase of 41,000 from the previous week’s episode.
Finishing ahead of The Challenge for cable telecasts was All Elite Wrestling’s AEW Dynamite on TBS in the No. 3 spot and two NBA regular season games telecast on ESPN.
As mentioned, it was the second week with a top-four finish for Ride or Dies. The 563,000 viewers were the most for any episode of the season thus far, besting the previous week’s total.
With more surprises on the way and the Season 38 final, viewers could increase more as the episodes continue on MTV.
Ride or Dies episode featured game-changing twist
The latest installment of Ride or Dies had host TJ Lavin unveil a “mini-final” for the competitors to participate in as their daily challenge.
The event involved teammates carrying a heavy plank through a six-mile racecourse, which included completing various checkpoints. The duo to cross the finish line first would win and receive more power than ever.
That winning team was Faysal Shafaat and Moriah Jadea. TJ then revealed the midseason twist to the cast, letting them know they’d be split up from their Ride or Dies partners and there would be two teams.
Faysal and Moriah were made opposing team captains and would get to draft their Ride or Dies teams at The Zone to close out the episode.
Among Faysal’s picks were Kaycee Clark, Johnny Bananas, Nelson Thomas, and Tori Deal. Moriah picked competitors, including Jordan Wiseley, Amber Borzotra, Devin Walker, and Horacio Guttierrez.
Once the new Ride or Dies teams were assembled, TJ dismissed the cast back to The Challenge house to get to know one another better. He also told them to make sure they win the upcoming daily challenges, likely to avoid eliminations.
After the episode, a Ride or Dies midseason trailer arrived to tease upcoming events. That includes a potential season-ending injury for a player, some intense daily challenges and eliminations, and some surprise players coming to compete.
The Challenge: Ride or Dies airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on MTV.