MTV's "THE CHALLENGE: RIVALS II" ONE-HOUR LAUNCH SPECIAL HOSTED BY NICOLE "SNOOKI" POLIZZI AND KENNY SANTUCCI, AIRS TONIGHT, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26 AT 10:00 PM ET/PT

MTV To Air Marathon of "The Challenge: Rivals I," Friday, June 28th

Santa Monica, CA (June 26, 2013) - Tonight, MTV will air "The Challenge: Rivals II" launch special hosted by Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi and Kenny Santucci with commentary by "Challenge" cast favorites and "Girl Code"/ "Guy Code" comedians. The one-hour special previews the new season of "The Challenge" and breaks down some the biggest moments of the show's history. For an all new super tease of the season, click here.

MTV travels to Thailand when 16 men and 16 women return to one of the Challenge's most exciting recent formats. "The Challenge: Rivals II" premieres on MTV, Wednesday, July 10 at 10:00 P.M. ET/PT. Playing in teams of two, Challenge cast favorites are forced to pair with only one person: their bitter rival. And with more money than ever before at stake, the competition turns explosive.

"The Challenge: Rivals II," hosted by TJ Lavin, pits enemy alongside enemy and asks the question: What do you care about more - old grudges or big money? Some pairs like bad boy CT and master manipulator Wes have been going at each other for years, while others like Frank and Johnny have beef because of a Twitter war! All kinds of rivalries are here, from Challenge veteran Paula, who hooked up with her partner Emily's ex, to Diem and Aneesa, former friends who betrayed each other on a past Challenge. But if you think the drama is in the past for these competitors, think again. The surprises start immediately when a twist sends shockwaves throughout the house, not to mention when a new girl hooks up with CT right under his ex Diem's nose. And that's only the beginning for these Rivals.

On Friday, June 28th MTV will give viewers the chance to revisit The Challenge: Rivals I with a special marathon airing 10:00 AM -7:30 PM ET/PT, featuring several cast members live tweeting during the episodes.

"The Challenge: Rivals II," is the only destination to watch full episodes, check out cast photos, bios, sneak peeks and more!

To sound off on Twitter and Facebook, use the official hashtag #rivals2 and visit the "The Challenge" Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/mtvthechallenge.

"The Challenge: Rivals II," was created for MTV by Bunim/Murray Productions. Jonathan Murray, Scott Freeman and Justin Booth serve as Executive Producers. Jacquelyn French is the MTV Executive in charge of production.

To follow the cast on Twitter you can find them @:
CT: @The Official_CT Wes: @WesMTV
Paula: @paulawalnuts Emily: @EmFitMTV
Frank: @MTVFrankSweeney Johnny: @MTVBananas
Trishelle: @TrishelleC Sarah: @SarahRiceMTV
Leroy: @RoyLee25MTV Ty: @Ty_Ruff_MTV
Diem: @DiemBrownMTV Aneesa: @AneesaMTV
Knight: @Knight_mtv Preston: @PrestoMagicmtv
Camila: @CamilaMTV Jemmye: @JemmyeMTV
Robb: @RobbMTV Derek: @MTVDerek
Naomi: @NaomiMTV Cooke: @CookeMTV
Jordan: @JordanWiseley Marlon: @JDeezyMTV
Jonna : @jonnamtv Nany: @NanyMTV
Dunbar: @DunbarMerrill Tyrie: @TyrieBMTV
Anastasia: @QueenBirdness Jessica: @MTVJess
Zach: @ZachMTV Trey: @MTVtrey
Jasmine: @JazMTV Theresa: @TheresaMTV

About MTV:

MTV is the world's premier youth entertainment brand. With a global reach of more than a half-billion households, MTV is the cultural home of the millennial generation, music fans and artists, and a pioneer in creating innovative programming for young people. MTV reflects and creates pop culture with its Emmy(R), Grammy(R) and Peabody(R) award-winning content built around compelling storytelling, music discovery and activism across TV, online and mobile. MTV's sibling networks MTV2 and mtvU each deliver unparalleled customized content for young males, music fans and college students, and its online hub MTV.com is a leading destination for music, news and pop culture. MTV is a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.

About Bunim/Murray Productions:

Bunim/Murray Productions is the leading producer of innovative entertainment content. The Emmy Award-winning company is widely credited with creating the reality television genre with its hit series The Real World (28 seasons for MTV). BMP continued to innovate with the first reality game show, Road Rules (MTV), in 1995; the first reality sitcom, The Simple Life (E!), in 2003; and the first reality soap opera, Starting Over, in 2003. Bunim-Murray's current programming includes The Bad Girls Club, Love Games and Best Ink (Oxygen), Keeping up with the Kardashians, Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami, Kim and Kourtney Take New York, Khloe and Lamar and Mrs. Eastwood & Company (E!), The Real World and The Challenge (MTV), Project Runway and Project Runway All Stars (Lifetime). Bunim/Murray Productions has also produced films, including Pedro (MTV) and the Emmy Award-winning Autism: The Musical (HBO). Based in Van Nuys, CA, Bunim/Murray Productions was founded in 1987 by Jonathan Murray and the late Mary-Ellis Bunim, who were inducted into the Television Academy of Arts & Science's Hall of Fame in 2012. The company joined Banijay Group in 2010.