The Challenge Season 40 Finale Recap: Who won the MTV show?

The Challenge season 40 finale was released on 8 January 2025, titled 'The End of an Era Part 2' and crowned a winner for the season. This two-part finale finally came to a close and we saw the contestants try for their chance at sharing the million-dollar prize. However, the ending was not what anyone expected at all with a new twist.

Previously, we have seen that Jordan had been winning the previous episode well. He won every checkpoint and prepared a solid base for his victory. The finale had a lot of swimming challenges and that is his strong forte. As for the women, Jenny was on top and had a lead amongst all with two victories.

The main twist came in the form of Karma votes at the end. These will be cast by the challengers who have been eliminated. It was supposed to cast two full checkpoints to the players.

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The Challenge Season 40 Finale Recap - Counting the Coins

The episode began with the players trying to count the coins. They were present at the bottom of The Sinister. The challenging part was that they had to sing 'Show Me the Way the Way to Go Home' after 30 minutes.

Ultimately, Jenny decides to give up because it is too hard to stay awake. She had already built a lead that could push her to win. Then Derek gives up around 2 AM and the last one is Tori who stayed up all night. As the results rolled out, here is what the board looked like for both men and women.

Men

1. Derek
2. Jordan
3. Kyland
4. Bananas

Women

1. Rachel
2. Michele
3. Jenny
4. Tori

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The Challenge Season 40 Finale Recap - Submerging Terror

The next day rolls and the challengers are woken up early by TJ who introduced the next round. This part is called 'Submerging Terror.' They were required to swim towards a raft which has directions on it. Then after some more swimming which involves a cave, they will have to reach a hidden beach.

The place is supposed to have a paddle and the players will have to fetch that and return to the raft. Diving down in the water, there is a key in the cage that they have to get which will unlock the bangka boat.

They can then use the paddle to come back to Sinister. Soon the race starts and the players are giving it their all. Tori is not happy because she had stayed up all night to count the coins and still was the last one on the board.

She hadn't even gotten any sleep. However, TJ motivated her and she put her head back in the game. This is what the scoreboard looked like after this round.

Men

1. Jordan
2. Derek
3. Bananas
4. Kyland

Women

1. Jenny
2. Tori
3. Rachel
4. Michele

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The Challenge Season 40 Finale Recap - Sixth Checkpoint

The sixth checkpoint rolled around and this involved even more swimming and math. The players had to swim to a sandbar where they had to take part in a speed math challenge and solve equations fast.

The challenger who can solve the puzzle first will be able to come back sooner to Sinister. By the time this round was over, only Bananas were left behind on the sandbar while everyone made their way back. This is what the scoreboard looked like after this round.

Men

1. Jordan
2. Derek
3. Kyland
4. Bananas

Women

1. Jenny
2. Michele
3. Rachel
4. Tori

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The Challenge Season 40 Finale Recap - Champion's Cove

The finale round was called 'Champion's Cove.' This involved even more swimming than before and required the players to swim to a buoy.

They would then have to swim to a cathedral and get a scooter from under the water and then go on to follow buoys which will provide them their last token. The scoreboard looked like this after the round was completed.

Men

1. Jordan
2. Bananas
3. Derek
4. Kyland

Women

1. Michele
2. Rachel
3. Tori
4. Jenny

Here is what the places were worth in points.

• First Place - Four Points
• Second Place - Three Points
• Third Place - Two Points
• Fourth Place - One Point

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The Challenge Season 40 Finale Recap - The Karma Vote Twist

Then came the twist of karma points. Whoever had the best would instantly get awarded eight points. After the votes, the men's scores had not been affected but the women's had a drastic makeover. This is what the final scoreboard looked like.

Men

1. Jordan ($400,000) – 31 points
2. Derek ($75,000) – 27 points
3. Bananas ($25,000) – 17 points
4. Kyland ($0) – 15 points

Women

1. Rachel ($237,500) – 24 points
2. Jenny ($237,500) – 24 points
3. Michele ($25,000) – 23 points
4. Tori ($0) – 19 points

This meant there were three champions. Jordan, Jenny, and Rachel won The Challenge Season 40. Jordan has won four times before and Jenny one time. Rachel has returned to the show after almost 10 years and still managed to win her third title.