Premiered July 25, 2022 on National Geographic; streamed on Disney+
The first season of The Challenge put six celebrities through Bear Grylls' learn-it-then-prove-it survival format. Each episode drops one guest into a different wild landscape — desert slot canyons, frozen alpine terrain and coastal jungle — with skills to master before the challenge is over.
The guests and their challenges
Natalie Portman — Escalante Desert
Taken into the desert's slot canyons; the episode tied into her training for Thor: Love and Thunder.
Simu Liu — Canadian Rockies
Avalanche skills, a plunge into a frozen lake and alpine travel in sub-zero conditions.
Ashton Kutcher — coastal jungles of Costa Rica
A jungle adventure that began with a helicopter jump into the Pacific Ocean.
Florence Pugh — volcanic rainforests of Costa Rica
Rainforest challenges; the National Geographic episode title also identifies the location.
Anthony Anderson — Sierra Nevada Mountains
Mountain challenge in the Sierra Nevada; reviewed sources give only the guest and location.
Rob Riggle — Great Basin Desert
Desert challenge; reviewed sources give only the guest and location.
Note: Some episode databases list slightly different air dates than National Geographic's July 25, 2022 premiere announcement; we report the premiere date from the network's own release.
