Desafío 2021: The Boxis the seventeenth season of the Colombian reality show El desafío, produced and broadcast by Caracol Televisión.

On this occasion, the show will once again feature Andrea Serna as main host and former Miss Colombia Daniella Álvarez in the role of special hostess, both in their second participation as hosts in this reality show. In addition, one man and one woman will win and the prizes to be awarded will correspond to a sum of 800,000,000 Cop.^[1]

The news about the realization of the program officially came to light during the broadcast of the last episode of Desafío 2019, when Andrea Serna mentioned that the production was devising what would be the next season, contemplating the possibility of recording it and broadcasting it live and direct.

Thus, in early 2020, Caracol Televisión issued the relevant communications and announced the opening of registrations for all those who wanted to represent their regions.

At that time, the channel was in the transmissions of the third edition of the talent show A otro nivel.

However, due to the health emergency triggered by theCoronavirus (COVID-19)pandemic, the production had to be postponed until further notice. In December, through a media conference, Canal Caracol made public the fact that the new version of Desafío was already in the process of creation. It also stated that the reality show would be called The Box and would be filmed entirely in Colombia, for which a citadel would be built in the middle of the jungle.

El Desafío officially premiered on March 15, 2021.

Initially, the Dominican Republic was considered as the host country for the competition, given its history of hosting the 2017, 2018, and 2019 editions. However, the COVID-19 health crisis necessitated a change in plans for the reality production team. Consequently, it was decided that the picturesque locations of Colombia would serve as the backdrop for the program, leading to the construction of a citadel amidst the jungle ecosystems of the national territory. This citadel, situated in the village of Cañadas, near Tobia, Cundinamarca, on the right bank of the Dulce River, is equipped with stringent biosecurity protocols to ensure the health and safety of participants and production crew amidst the pandemic.

The competition will feature teams representing various regions of Colombia, including Amazónicos, Antioqueños, Cachacos, Cafeteros, Costeños, Llaneros, Pastusos, Santandereanos, Tolima Grande, and Vallecaucanos, along with a new addition from the department of Boyacá forming a group known as “Boyacenses”.

This season, contestants will not compete for territory, as they will all reside in small Playas Altas, offering numerous amenities such as beds, swimming pools, a full menu, utilities, internet, among others, ensuring a comfortable stay. However, with each competition lost, participants will bid farewell to certain benefits and comforts until they gradually transition to smaller Low Beaches.

Furthermore, viewers will have the opportunity to interact with the Desafío each night, with the chance to win substantial cash prizes. To participate, viewers can register at www.caracoltv.com/desafío, and subsequently support their favorite team. The following day, during the broadcast of the program Día a día, one viewer who supported the winning team will be selected to win COL$ 5,000,000.