WARNING: this post contains spoilers
It’s not The Challenge without sweat, tears, petty drama, and at least one unexpected medical emergency — and the finale of The Challenge: All Stars 5: Rivals delivered all of that and more.
The Paramount+ spinoff brought back some of the franchise’s most iconic (and chaotic) competitors, throwing them into forced rivalries for our viewing pleasure. And in true Challenge fashion, the final wasn’t just a test of endurance and puzzle skills — it was a showdown of egos, alliances, and sheer willpower.
Let’s break it down, shall we?
🥇 Who Won?
Your All Stars 5 Champions are… Adam Larson & Steve Meinke!
That’s right, in a season all about beefs, these two proved that healing is real (or at least profitable). Despite a rough start to their partnership and a midseason screaming match that had TJ grinning like a proud dad, the Road Rules alums pulled it together just in time. But Day and Shane put on a great show and finally found a rhythm and worked together.
In the nail-biting final challenge, aptly titled “Balance Them All,” the four remaining teams were tasked with keeping both themselves and heavy sandbags perfectly balanced on a massive seesaw. As other teams shouted, crumbled, and blamed each other (you know who you are, Nicole), Adam and Steve found their rhythm and crossed the finish line first — scoring $250,000.
But the real kicker? Adam ended the season with a literal ring. In his final confessional, he proposed to longtime girlfriend Averey Tressler, and she said yes! Twitter (and Challenge Reddit) promptly lost its mind, shipping it harder than any of the actual Rivals pairings.
Final Placements + Payouts 💰
- Adam & Steve – $250,000
- Da’Vonne Rogers & Shane Landrum – $35,000
- Frank Sweeney & Sam McGinn – $10,000
- Nicole Zanatta & Melissa Reeves – $5,000
💥 What Went Down in the Final Episodes
Oh, just the usual chaos:
- Da’Vonne and Shane led going into the final day and were this close to winning it all. But tension cracked their communication like a dropped puzzle piece. Shane literally told Da’Vonne to “stop coaching me like I’m on Big Brother,” and it went downhill from there.
- Frank and Sam, who somehow made it to the final despite fighting in every single episode, finally had a moment of peace — right before Frank got mild heatstroke and had to be cooled down by medics mid-challenge. Classic Frank.
- Nicole and Melissa had the most volatile chemistry of the group, and while they weren’t in serious contention to win, they were the most entertaining. Nicole passive-aggressively calling Melissa a “drama-baby” during the teeter-totter challenge might’ve been the moment of the season.
- And let’s not forget Steve revealed post-finale that he completed the final with a strained quad AND a disintegrated disc. As in, his back was literally broken and he still outpaced everyone. Someone get this man a chiropractor and a trophy.
💍 The Proposal Heard ‘Round The Challenge House
The MVP moment of the finale wasn’t just the win — it was the surprise proposal. Adam dropped to one knee (metaphorically — they were on a confessional couch) and asked The Real World: Portland alum Averey Tressler to marry him. “We met because of this show,” he said. “It only felt right to make it official here too.”
Cue the happy tears. Cue the Challenge OGs DMing them congrats. Cue Averey posting the ring on IG within hours and tagging MTV.
Reality TV & entertainment 
Leave a comment