In case you missed it, Network 10’s newest competitive TV series, The Challenge Australia, officially launched this week and it’s already proving to be seriously binge-worthy thanks to its incredible scenery and ultra-luxe villa contestants get to call home.
Consisting of 22 professional athletes and reality stars battling it out against each other in physical challenges and social strategy, The Challenge Australia is part Love Island, part Big Brother and part Survivor.
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In addition to taking home the crown of Australia’s inaugural winner of the series, the celebrity who takes out first place will also make a cool $200,000 and go on to compete against winners from other countries in a kind of Challenge Olympics.
And while watching your favourite influencer battle it out in the mud is fun, the juiciest part of The Challenge Australia so far is proving to be what happens when the contestants head home to their high-end communal villa each night.
Located in Pilar, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina, contestants call the Quintaesencia Hotel & Spa home. Set on rolling green grounds and surrounded by privacy, the Spa offers an indoor pool, outdoor pool, spa, gym and indoor bar for when you need a drink after a long day. The roomies can also enjoy cooking for themselves and each other in the giant kitchen and get to relive their childhoods by bunking in together at the end of the night in shared rooms.
Conveniently, rooms or the entire premises are available to common folks like you and me.
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According to a Network 10 spokesperson, around 50 surveillance cameras were rigged up around the villa and in the eight bedrooms before contestants arrived, meaning viewers can enjoy deep conversations or, in the instance of some contestants, late-night hookups in the shower.
“There are about 80 crew who are in the field making it happen,” they said. “From the art department to the challenge team, the story team, stunts, etc.”
Leaving the villa, participants are able to enjoy the local nightlife with visits to nearby restaurants and bars but come challenge day, they’re bussed further out of town and into picturesque surrounding rural areas.
For physical challenges, Network 10 used locals to devise the tests to ensure local authenticity.
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“We have to test every game before we have the cast play it, and the testers are always from the country we are in. So in this case, a really amazing team of local young kids in their 20s from Argentina were playing all the games and making sure they worked and were safe for our cast.
As to where the next season will be held, the jury is still out, but we’re guessing it’ll be hard to top this season.
The Challenge Australia airs at 7.30pm on Network Ten on Mondays and Tuesdays. Catch up on 10 Play.
Want more The Challenger Australia? Read all our content here, and check out the stories below:
- Everyone Who’s Been Eliminated From ‘The Challenge Australia’ So Far
- ‘The Challenge Australia’ is Here, But What Are The Rules?
- ‘The Challenge Australia’: David Subritzky Gets Dirty
- ‘The Challenge Australia’: Emily Seebohm Shares Her Biggest Fear
- ‘The Challenge Australia’: Jack Vidgen Reveals His Secret Weapon
- Drama Alert! All Your Faves Are on ‘The Challenge Australia’ ATM — Here’s How to Watch
- This is What Brooke Jowett Has Been Up to Since Competing on ‘Australian Survivor: All Stars’
- “I Probably Should Have Trained More”: Konrad Bien-Stephen on How He Prepared for ‘The Challenge Australia’
- Australian Survivor’s Johnny Talks ‘The Challenge Australia’ and Whether He’ll Bring Back the Mullet
- Life Has “Completely Transformed” for Marley Biyendolo Since Winning ‘Big Brother Australia’
- Do They Have What it Takes? Meet the Entire Cast of ‘The Challenge Australia’
- We Finally Have a Premiere Date for ‘The Challenge Australia’
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