MTV premiered the new season of one of its most popular franchises, “The Challenge,” last week. But as fans of the series know, this season, “Battle of the Exes 2,” developed a different feel and tone. Two cast members, Diem Brown and Ryan Knight, died after filming had wrapped. Brown died on Nov. 14 following a battle with cancer and Knight died on Nov. 27 of unknown causes. This season is dedicated to them both.
The show’s producer, Jonathan Murray, has said that the deaths influenced how they edited the show. When asked in a Reddit AMA if they had considered not airing the show, he said, “All the cast and people who make the series believe that Diem and Knight would have wanted us to air the shows. We worked hard to make sure these final show do them justice.”
The season premiere echoed this sentiment, and in a new clip from Tuesday’s episode, debuting on HuffPost Entertainment, viewers see Brown and her ex/teammate, CT Tamburello, compete in a kissing challenge. Drop the card, kiss your ex. Easy, right?
“The Challenge: Battle of the Exes 2″ airs Tuesday at 11:00 p.m. ET on MTV.