MTV’s The Challenge may have won back viewers with the recent airing of Spies, Lies & Allies Episode 5 called Good Vibes and Gladiator.
Based on the latest ratings reveal, the show gained both ratings and viewership for Season 37’s fifth episode, which may have been due to fans expecting a few fights.
The latest numbers arrive after the show was reportedly suffering franchise-low ratings, with fans trying to pinpoint what the cause was.
The Challenge Season 37, Episode 5 ratings revealed
Based on a ShowBuzzDaily report, The Challenge: Spies, Lies & Allies Episode 5 had a 0.34 rating overall in the key 18-49 demographic. That was up 0.04 from the previous week’s rating for Episode 4. The season’s third episode also had a 0.30 rating.
For Episode 5, the rating included 0.40 for 18-49 females and 0.27 for 18-49 males. The episode also reportedly had 591,000 viewers in the demographic watching. That was an increase from the 499,000 reported for the prior episode.
Based on the ratings data, The Challenge was in third place for cable shows on Wednesday, September 8, trailing only Bravo’s Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and TNT’s All Elite Wrestling (AEW) programs.
In Season 37, Episode 5, viewers saw a veteran castmate’s season-ending injury and a bit of deliberation drama ahead of a straightforward one-on-one elimination involving rookies.
The episode’s rating improvement may be a slight reason for showrunners to celebrate. However, it could be based on how Episode 4 concluded, leaving fans expecting more drama and some fights to happen in Episode 5.
Viewers may have expected fallout from Episode 4
In the fourth episode of Spies, Lies & Allies, viewers saw Josh Martinez become irate with his castmate Fessy Shafaat in the stands at the elimination event.
That was due to Josh sticking up for his teammate Amber Borzotra, as he had begged Fessy earlier not to send her into elimination.
Unfortunately, Fessy felt it was the best move to make for him and went through with it. Amber ended up winning in the elimination alongside Hughie Maughan, allowing them to rejoin the rest of the competitors.
However, trailer footage had previously shown fans more on the way involving Josh, Amber, Fessy, and Fessy’s teammate, Esther Agunbiade.
Most likely, fans were expecting that fallout and potential altercations between castmates in Episode 5. Based on previews, it will arrive in Episode 6, with several fights shown in the episode’s preview.
The latest ratings update arrives several weeks after a historically low rating was reported for The Challenge. Following the third episode, fans reacted, suggesting something wasn’t right with the show’s casting, format, and/or theme.
However, if numbers continue to trend upward, it could indicate something else led to the lower numbers during the earlier episodes.
The Challenge: Spies, Lies & Allies airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on MTV