The Challenge: Vets & New Threats Season 41 Filming Locations

MTV’s hit reality competition series The Challenge returns with its forty-first season, The Challenge: Vets & New Threats, introducing a fresh twist to the long-running franchise. This new season pits 16 returning “Vets” against 16 “New Threats” from popular reality shows like Love Island, Survivor, Big Brother, Too Hot to Handle, and Are You the One? Each veteran is paired with a rookie in a male-female duo. These pairs are made during a high-stakes draft in the ‘Day Zero’ launch special.

The season began with a special on July 23, 2025, and the first episode aired on MTV on July 30, 2025, at 8 p.m. ET. As the “New Threats” try to beat the legendary Vets, viewers can expect tough challenges, surprising alliances, and the breakdown of old power structures. Julie Pizzi, Justin Booth, and Jacob Lane, who are the show’s executive producers, say that this season will be the most unpredictable yet, with betrayals and power changes making the competition fierce.

Where Was The Challenge: Vets & New Threats Filmed?

Season 41 of The Challenge was shot entirely in Santiago de Chile, Chile. This gave the franchise a new international setting. The main filming took place in February 2025, which was summer in the Southern Hemisphere and perfect for both water and land stunts.

Santiago de Chile

The Challenge 41 will be filming in Chile! pic.twitter.com/ReAu1wKtf9

— GamerVev (@GamerVev) February 8, 2025

The cast and crew set up in Santiago de Chile, which is Chile’s capital and largest city. The city was known for its dramatic landscapes, which were framed by the Andes Mountains. The mix of urban and natural scenery made the high-stakes competitions more exciting.

For challenge locations, production primarily used two key sites:

Laguna Carén (Pudahuel): The season’s water challenges, such as endurance swimming, raft building, and diving, took place in this lagoon and wetland area. The natural setting gave the scenes a movie-like look and kept the contestants on edge because the weather was always changing.

Hacienda Santa Martina (Lo Barnechea): This high-end golf and country club was the place where land-based competitions were held. It had wide open fields, rough terrain, and wide views of the valley. It was the perfect mix of beauty and difficulty for obstacle courses and endurance challenges.

The contestants stayed in a fancy house in Lo Curro, Vitacura, while filming challenges in the communes of Pudahuel and Lo Barnechea. This residential area is known for its high-end homes with private pools, large lounges, and views of Santiago. It is located on the slope of Cerro Lo Curro. This beautiful property was both a place for the cast to plan and a setting for a lot of drama that happened behind the scenes.

Why Santiago Was the Perfect Choice for The Challenge

Santiago offered a diverse environment to test contestants physically and mentally. Because of its many isolated hills, Santiago is known as the “City of the Island Hills.” The city’s theme of breaking down old barriers and dealing with new threats fit perfectly with the season’s theme.

The city is a centre for culture and adventure, so production companies can use city amenities while filming in natural areas nearby. The contestants and crew had access to modern facilities and the Andes in the background made for a rough, movie-like setting for filming. Also, Santiago is the only place in the world where you can ski in the Andes and check out the city’s nightlife all in the same day. This makes it a great setting for a reality show that likes contrast and the unknown.

Behind the Scenes of Season 41

Although MTV has not released many behind-the-scenes details, social media posts from cast members teased sunny outdoor training areas, mountain views, and poolside hangouts in Santiago. Fans immediately recognized the luxurious Lo Curro neighborhood from the skyline shots, fueling speculation about the season’s exact filming location before the premiere.

The production team, led by Bunim/Murray Productions, ensured that each challenge highlighted the region’s natural beauty while providing the dramatic landscapes The Challenge is known for. By filming entirely in Chile, Season 41 adds another international location to the franchise’s history, joining iconic past destinations like Iceland, Croatia, and South Africa.

The Challenge Returns with a Global Stage

By choosing Santiago de Chile as its filming base, The Challenge: Vets & New Threats brings an exciting new visual element to the series. The combination of mountain vistas, shimmering lagoons, and modern luxury gives this season a distinct personality that fans will immediately notice on screen.

As alliances shift and rookies challenge veterans, Santiago serves as the ultimate playground for high-stakes competition, proving once again that The Challenge is never afraid to push its cast to the limit—both physically and mentally—in some of the world’s most stunning locations.

Official Trailer

Production Timeline

For more TV show, movie, and reality series filming location updates, visit netfilming.com, your source for production news and behind-the-scenes insights.

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