Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Inferno 3 is the 14th season of the MTV reality game show, The Challenge (at the time known as Real World/Road Rules Challenge). The Inferno 3 marked the show's first trilogy, the third of the Inferno series, continuing on from The Inferno (8th season) and The Inferno II (10th season). Filming took place in Cape Town, South Africa, with cast members from The Real World, Road Rules and the Fresh Meat challenge competing. The teams were in the format of The Inferno II, "Good Guys" versus "Bad Asses." Contrary to the previous Inferno shows, the Lifesaver competitions have been limited to gender-only winners. The season premiered on Tuesday April 10, 2007 on MTV. There were $400,000 in prizes.

Format

The competition consists of a series of team and individual challenges (sometimes called "missions"), with an elimination challenge known as the "Inferno." At the end of each challenge, $10,000 is awarded to the winning team to be banked into the team's bank account. Odd-numbered challenges are designated as team challenges (for the exception of Episode 15), while even-numbered challenges are designated as individual challenges. At the end of team challenges, one player from each team is nominated by the opposing team for the Inferno, depending on gender. If a gender-designated player who was nominated for the Inferno out-performs his/her respective teammates on the individual challenges, that player is awarded a Life Shield, and is required to replace himself/herself with a teammate of the same gender in the Inferno. If a player who was not nominated for the Inferno in a team challenge wins a Life Shield in the ensuing individual challenge, that player has the option as to whether or not to replace himself/herself in the Inferno with a teammate of the same gender. Each Inferno alternates between male and female. The winning players from the Inferno rejoin their respective teams and stay in the game for a chance at a share of $150,000, coupled with the accumulated money earned from the team and individual challenges, while the losing players is eliminated from the game.

Contestants

Gameplay

Challenge games

Inferno games

The final challenge

The final challenge revolved around the idea of "The Big Five", which is a reference to the top five animals for hunting in the region. Contestant had to carry square tile puzzle pieces throughout the entire mission, accumulating more pieces along the way to complete bigger puzzles, each being a picture of an animal. The first puzzle is that of a water buffalo, after which each team has to swim across a lake with their puzzle pieces, before reaching the second puzzle station, which is a leopard. After the leopard puzzle station, each team must retrieve puzzle pieces by digging through a pit with a gurney at the bottom that will aid in each team carrying their respective puzzle pieces, before reaching the rhino puzzle station. The fourth puzzle station is that of an elephant. The remaining puzzle pieces for the final checkpoint — a lion puzzle station — are hanging overhead in a net, and players from each team must stay within a designated safe zone in order to untie the knots, which will release the pieces. After each team solves their final puzzle, they will no longer be required to carry any puzzle pieces to the finish line. In the end, the Bad Asses emerged victorious, winning an additional $150,000 on top of the $90,000 that they earned in the previous missions, for a grand total of $240,000, while the Good Guys earned $60,000.

Game summary

Elimination chart

Bank Accounts

Inferno progress

Partners

Episodes

Top 10 moments

Instead of a Reunion special, which has aired at the end of each season, excluding the Inferno II, a Top 10 Moments special aired on July 10, 2007. All members who participated in the Final Challenge participated in the special.