The Gauntlet III is the 15th season of the MTV reality game show, The Challenge. The season is directly subsequent to The Inferno 3. Being the third in The Gauntlet series, The Gauntlet III marked the show's 2nd trilogy, continuing on from The Gauntlet and The Gauntlet 2. The season was filmed in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, with former cast members from The Real World and Road Rules competing, along with several cast members from the Fresh Meat challenge. This season was in the format of two teams: Veterans vs. Rookies, with a format similar to The Gauntlet 2. The contestants on the Veterans team had been on at least two prior seasons of the Challenge, and the contestants on the Rookies team had been on fewer than two prior seasons.