The Challenge: Vets and New Threats premiered on July 30, 2025. The latest competition series welcomed 16 veterans, each paired with a rookie partner from shows such as Love Island, Big Brother, and more. In episode 1, they were hurled directly into the first challenge, where they had to dive into a huge mud pit to collect balls worth varying degrees of points.In an interview with TVLine, published on July 30, 2025, alum Cara Maria Sorbello shared her thoughts on the first challenge of the competition series, where the partners not only had to tackle a difficult obstacle course but also do so tied to each other.While reflecting on the hurdle, the contestant and two-time winner of The Challenge noted that the "hardest part" about the course was utilizing the area. She pointed out the many factors that could affect a player's performance, highlighting the places that she found challenging to master.The contestant also commented on the season's first elimination, expressing her surprise at the results. Although Cara complimented the elimination nominees' strategies, she noted that winning challenges took more than sheer strength.The Challenge 41 star Cara Maria Sorbello praises Justin's strategy in the elimination challenge View this post on Instagram Instagram PostThe first obstacle course of the competitive series challenged the pairs to work in tandem despite their incompatibility. They had to jump into a mud pit to collect balls of varying points. While reflecting on the challenge, Cara said that the hardest part about this type of challenge was "just making use of the area."She explained that the pit was not the same throughout. While some areas were muddier, others were drier, which made maneuvering difficult as the players were unaware of what they were stepping into. However, what added to the challenges was the fact that they had to work in unison with their partners."So when you’re running down, you could be going for one thing, they could be going for the other thing," she said.Analyzing her performance with partner Jake Cornish from Love Island UK season 7 and the difficulty level of the obstacle course, Cara said she thought she did "incredibly well" until she saw the number of balls the other teams had collected. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostThe Challenge contestant shared that the other pairs formed alliances and tried various tricks to collect the balls. As a result, she believed the course was a "wild one.""It was tough, but I like that. I like the type of challenges where you have to grind it out," Cara added.The top eight teams that accumulated points competing in the hurdle, Mud Ball Madness, were Nia and Justin in 8th place, Leroy and Sydney in 7th, Ashley and Gabe in 6th, Michaela and Will in 5th, Olivia and Cedric in 4th, Theo and Izzy in 3rd, Aviv and Yeremi in 2nd, and Bananas and Dee in 1st.Bananas and Dee earned immunity as first-place holders, whereas Rogan and Adrienne went straight into the elimination arena as last-place finishers. Soon after, The Challenge host, TJ Lavin, flipped a coin to decide whether the arena would be a male or female elimination. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostIt ultimately sent Rogan into the arena, where he had to compete against Justin. Despite Rogan's physical strength, Justin managed to outperform him. While commenting on the elimination challenge, Cara said:"Looking at what this is off the bat, I’m thinking, 'Oh my God, Justin doesn't stand a chance. He’s a little peanut in this hamster cage.' All Rogan has to do is give one hard ram into it and he’s a rugby player, you know? Game over. This thing’s gonna flop around and he’s got this in two seconds. And boy was I wrong!"She noted that Rogan got "gassed" because he was "going for pure brutality and strength," which Justin lacked. She praised Justin's creativity, complimenting how he used his gymnastics and cheerleading skills to tackle a contender as formidable as Rogan. Cara concluded by saying that Justin showed how the game was supposed to be played, and "with a little flair, too."The Challenge 41 episodes will be available for streaming on Paramount+.