Mayhem Classic 2026 Will Be Livestreamed Free, Froning Funding Production

Rich Froning is pulling out his own wallet to put the 2026 Mayhem Classic on your screen for free. On Episode 075 of The Rich Froning Podcast, Froning and Rory McKernan confirmed that the Mayhem Classic, scheduled for April 17–19 at CrossFit Mayhem in Cookeville, Tennessee, will be fully livestreamed at no cost to viewers, with Froning personally funding the production.

That's a notable pivot from where things stood a couple months ago. Froning had been publicly noncommittal about broadcast plans, telling fans in an earlier video, "I love you, but I'm not in love with you," while Mayhem weighed its options. One of the scenarios on the table at the time was releasing post-produced videos after each event wrapped, rather than a live broadcast. The full livestream confirmation puts that option to rest.

To help offset production costs, Mayhem will host an optional online community event tied to the competition weekend. Participants pay a nominal fee, and in return they get workouts programmed by Mayhem that will closely mirror the actual Mayhem Classic programming, scaled to be doable inside a CrossFit affiliate. The livestream itself stays free regardless of whether you sign up for the community event. The exact fee amount and registration process have not yet been announced.

The Mayhem Classic is the first Semifinal of the 2026 CrossFit Games season, and the stakes on the competition floor are real: the top 3 men and top 3 women earn a ticket to the CrossFit Games. The women's field already shows serious depth. The Yeti Girls are bringing Danielle Brandon, Emily Rolfe, and Alex Gazan. Mayhem Platinum, representing CrossFit Mayhem's home program, will field Lindsey Lane, Jessica Androsik, and Kensie Campbell. Just Girls rounds out the mix with Gabriela Migala, Alexis Raptis, and Paige Rodgers.

The livestream platform has not been officially confirmed, and the specific broadcast schedule across the three competition days is still forthcoming. With six weeks until the April 17 opener, Mayhem is expected to release additional details on the community event signup and where fans can tune in.