In the timeless classic 10 Things I Hate About You, Bianca sulks in her room in front of a TV playing an episode of The Real World: Seattle. Bianca dolefully indulges in a teenager’s secret desire: every now and then we want to watch people get wasted and yell at each other on TV.

While The Real World is an excellent source for catty fights and drunken hookups, it’s spin-off series The Challenge (originally The Real World Road Rules Challenge, say that five times fast) is the secret gem of MTV. The network, once reigning champion of reality TV, is rebuilding itself around fictional series like Teen Wolf and Awkward and moving away from Teen Mom and Jersey Shore—for the better probably. But before you turn up your Ivy League nose at my trashy taste, get a load of the premise.

The Challenge takes people who were on The Real World (and now instead of Road Rules, their competitive dating show Are You the One?) and puts them in a house on some kind of team. Sometimes it’s pairs, sometimes it’s two big groups, sometimes it’s a bunch of little groups. Throughout the season, the cast gets up to the classic Real World antics—drinking, fighting, hooking up—but they also have to compete in athletic challenges and eliminate people every week in crazy physical smackdowns as they each attempt to walk away with the final cash prize. It’s The Real World meets Survivor meets Wipeout. What’s not to love?

The coming season, which premiers on May 4, is “The Challenge: Rivals III.” Rivals seasons have been some of the strongest because the storylines so often involve returning worst enemies becoming best friends, and I’m a sucker for reconciliation (Elle and Vivian anyone?). This season I’m looking forward to the reappearance of Challenge vet Wes, and I’m hoping Johnny Bananas and Sarah can mend their relationship after Sarah, in a move inspired by Johnny’s own infamous backstabbing, got Johnny eliminated right before the final on Battle of the Exes 2.

This season will certainly involve the classic Challenge combination of blood, sweat, booze, and tears, but I hope Rivals III will also create some opportunities for The Challenge: Besties someday. Set your DVRs for May 4, and may the fourth be with the Challengers.