Real World/Road Rules Challenge: Fresh Meat is the 12th season of the MTV reality game show, The Challenge (at the time known as Real World/Road Rules Challenge). Fresh Meat is the first season to include previously unknown contestants as part of the cast. Previous to Fresh Meat, all seasons functioned solely by the program's trademark: strictly using contestants that were previously cast on past seasons of The Real World or Road Rules. Filmed in Australia, Fresh Meat featured two-player teams; each team had an alumnus of The Real World or Road Rules partnered with a newcomer to the series (collectively known as the "Fresh Meat"). A launch special aired May 22, 2006, a week before the season premiere. This is the first edition of the Fresh Meat series, with Fresh Meat II following in 2010.

Format

Prior to the season, each of the 12 newcomers (referred to as "Fresh Meat") participates in a series of challenges to test their skills. Each alumnus selects one of the rookies of the opposite sex to be their partner for the entire season, using the stats from the pre-season challenges. In odd-numbered episodes, teams participate in a challenge. (Challenges are sometimes called "missions.") The winner of the challenge has immunity from going into Exile, and selects one team to go into Exile. They also get the chance to pick the order in the next challenge. The remaining teams get together to vote for the other Exile team; the winning team and their pick for the Exile are not present during the process. Each individual gets a vote, and voting is not secret. The team with the most votes is picked to go into Exile. In even-numbered episodes, teams participate in another challenge. If one of the two teams picked for Exile wins the challenge (sometimes referred to on the show as winning the "pardon"), they can select another team to go into Exile in their place, however, they cannot pick the team that won the previous challenge as that team has immunity. They also receive a prize and will get to pick the order in the next challenge. The challenge of this episode is followed by the Exile. Exile is a race between two teams. Unlike the elimination games of other seasons of The Challenge, the remaining teams do not watch the battle between the two Exile teams. The Exile teams run a course and whoever crosses the finish line first stays, while the other team goes home. Along the way, there are two optional puzzle stations where, if the puzzle is solved correctly, they will get a prize that will benefit them in the race (such as dropping their bags or taking minutes off their total time.) To make matters more difficult, each member will be carrying bags equal to the weight of the luggage they brought to the Challenge. A car picks them up and they are taken, blindfolded, to the race course. Once the car stops, they must jump out and go on with the race. Both team members must cross the finish line, but it doesn't matter who carries what bags. Initially, the final challenge was to consist of four teams, with first-place winning $250,000, second place $30,000, third place $20,000 and fourth place winning nothing. However, due to the medical disqualification of Team Coral & Evan, the final challenge only featured three teams, with all finalists winning money.

Contestants

Teams

Stats

Each of the 12 Fresh Meat cast members participated in a multi-challenge obstacle course, testing their strength, stamina, and mental ability. The multi-challenge obstacle course included: The alumni used the stats from each player's obstacle course performance to determine their partner.

Draft selections

Gameplay

Challenge games

Exiles

Exile is a race between two teams with a start and a finish, and two puzzles in between. The puzzles are optional and can be skipped by the teams, however, teams must grab their flag at each puzzle before proceeding. Puzzles that are completed may result in a reward significant to the remainder of the race. Couples will be carrying bags that, when combined, equal the amount of luggage each cast member brought with them to the Challenge. Couples must carry the bags at all times, unless a reward allows them to drop them. There are three different Exile courses on this season: Beach, Forest, and Cliffside. Each Exile contains a start, a finish, and two puzzles; however, the terrain of the course may affect a team's performance. Teams that participated on each course are as follows:

Final challenge

Game summary

Elimination chart

Exile progress

Voting progress

Episodes

Reunion special

The reunion special, Well Done: The Fresh Meat Reunion, was aired on September 11, 2006, and was hosted by Susie Castillo. It was revealed on the reunion show that Casey spent her $10,000 on breast implants, and Wes said he spent his on Johanna. Kenny spent his $15,000 on a wrestling ring.

After filming

In October 2011, Starkman and Santucci were named in a lawsuit filed by fellow castmember Tonya Cooley, in which Cooley claimed that she was raped with a toothbrush while passed out from heavy drinking, during filming of season 18 of The Real World/Road Rules Challenge. The case was settled out of court on October 24, 2012. The details of the settlement have not been made public. Since then, Starkman got married and welcomed his first son. Casey Cooper and Ryan Kehoe were flown out to Argentina with the initial cast of The Challenge: All Stars to serve as alternates although both were sent home after not being used. Both Cooper and Kehoe were ultimately cast on the second season of The Challenge: All Stars. Shortly after her appearance on the reality competition series, Cooper announced her pregnancy, and married husband Kyle Toups on December 7, 2021.

Death of Diem Brown

During the filming of Fresh Meat, Diem Brown revealed to her partner Derrick Kosinski and Aviv Melmed that she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. During the Fresh Meat reunion show in 2006, MTV donated $5,000 to her then-charity organization liveforthechallenge. In June 2012, after six years of remission, she announced that she was diagnosed with cancer for a second time. Shortly after successful completion of chemotherapy in February 2013, she competed in The Challenge: Rivals II. One year later, while filming The Challenge: Battle of the Exes II in Panama, she collapsed on set and was air-lifted to a New York-area hospital, where she was subsequently diagnosed with cancer for a third time, though she kept it hidden for two months prior to filming. Brown died on November 14, 2014, at the age of 34.

Subsequent seasons of The Challenge