The Challenge: All Stars Season 5 Finale – A Race for the Stars
On April 9, 2025, the highly anticipated episode titled A Race for the Stars aired, showcasing the final showdown among the last four competing pairs on The Challenge: All Stars. Among these pairs were Frank Fox and Sam McGinn, who faced significant obstacles during the final challenge, putting their quest for the grand prize of $250,000 and the title of champions at risk.
A Struggle for Victory
As Frank and Sam progressed to the ultimate stage of the competition, they were determined to rise to the occasion. However, the final competition proved to be tougher than expected. The structure involved racing against other teams to accomplish a series of checkpoints, gathering stars for each task completed. The duo managing to secure the highest number of stars would ultimately emerge victorious.
At the conclusion of four challenging checkpoints, Frank and Sam had amassed only seven stars, trailing behind their rivals, who had earned as many as 13 stars. This disappointing result left them at the bottom of the leaderboard, leading to Frank expressing his despair on camera. He described the obstacle courses as “insurmountable”for his partner, illustrating the difficulty they faced throughout the finale.
Fan Reactions: Criticism and Support
The social media platform X buzzed with comments from fans during and after the finale, many of whom expressed dissatisfaction with Frank and Sam’s performance. Critiques varied, with some arguing Sam’s lack of contribution hindered their chances while others suggested the team shouldn’t have made it to the finals at all.
“Frank & Sam are so embarrassing right now & I’m loving this karma they’re being served,”a user wrote.
“Sam’s performance in this final is pathetic! Why go on the show THIS out of shape? I feel bad for Frank,”another fan commented.
“Frank & Sam don’t belong in anyone’s final,”a netizen tweeted.
Numerous fans placed the blame squarely on Sam while expressing sympathy for Frank’s situation.
“It’s Frank’s first season back in YEARS, and instead of choosing strong allies, he picks Sam, who can’t secure a win in a final?”a user reacted.
“Frank orchestrated all that strategy just to eliminate the strong players, only to lose in the end,”someone commented.
“Frank could truly dominate a solo season, or any other where he wasn’t paired with Sam,”another fan wrote.
“This just shows why Frank and Sam didn’t deserve to be here,”a netizen posted.
Additional fan comments echoed this disapproval.
“Sam just stood there like a mannequin while Frank did all the running,”a viewer reacted.
“Watching Sam and Frank struggle was painful. I clearly identified what word they scrambled! It should have been ‘hostile,'”another netizen commented.
Checkpoint Breakdown: Frank and Sam’s Performance
The first checkpoint, Coding Ball, required contestants to race down a hill, memorize symbols, and unlock a code. Unfortunately, Frank and Sam did not complete the task and ended up with zero stars. The succeeding challenge, #Barrels, required balancing on barrels and solving a math puzzle. They finished fourth, managing to secure only one star.
In the following task, Towered Out, players utilized a bungee sling to build a basket pyramid while trying to defend against opposing team’s attacks. Frank and Sam succeeded in this challenge, earning three stars for their efforts. The final challenge, Camping Chaos, had them recreate a campsite setup—earning three additional stars—bringing their overall total to seven stars.
In comparison, their rivals performed significantly better: Da’Vonne and Shane gathered 13 stars, Adam and Steve totaled 10, while Melissa and Nicole acquired nine stars each.
Mark your calendars as The Challenge: All Stars airs every Wednesday at 8 PM ET exclusively on MTV.