Breakfast Club Celeb Relative on CLAIM TO FAME Season 3 Premiere Recap
July 12, 2024
Devin, Dylan Stole the Show Tonight on THE BACHELORETTE Season 21 Week 2 Recap
July 15, 2024Final Three Teams on RACE TO SURVIVE: NEW ZEALAND Episode 9 Recap
Last week on “Race to Survive: New Zealand” showed the teams finishing Race 4 which proved to be extremely brutal and claimed two front runner teams. They were Ryan and Bronsen, and Corry and Oliver.
Only three teams remain at the start of Race 5 which is a race with some unique rules. The first rule was that the teams had to complete the first part by the end of the daily clock on day two. Or, be eliminated. The other contingency was that the teams had to split up and navigate solo for the first portion.
The teams who remain are unlikely pair exes Paulina and Creighton, underdogs Nik and Kennedy, and smoke jumpers Ethan and Tyrie.
Because we are now down to the final three teams, the show decided to combine what would have been two more races into one large final race.
SPLITTING UP!
THE FIRST HALF of the race lasted two days, covering 15 miles. The teams had to decide who would take-on the land portion from the start, and who would take-on the water portion.
At the start, one team member had to travel by land, the other one by river. This was the first seven miles of Race 5 that racers had to split-up.
The racers who paddled the 3 miles of river were also responsible for capturing the food cache before heading up the opposite side of the mountain to reunite with their team member at the mandatory checkpoint.
Before seeing Paulina off, Creighton advised Paulina to NOT stick with Kennedy because she is “so much faster” than her. The ladies were off to paddle upstream in the rafts, as well as Tyrie.
Pictured: Tyrie Mann Merrill — Photo by: Brian Finestone/USA Network
Tyrie and Ethan maintained their lead in both water and land. Tyrie reached the food cache first. Ethan arrived at the mandatory check point first, Tyrie soon followed.
The men were forced to pause in the race at this point due to not having the required two hours left to enter the next leg in the race.
SHAKE HER!
Creighton was feeling the pressure of the time limit. This was the first race this season to have a time limit placed on the racers. Surprisingly, Paulina was two miles ahead of Creigthon in her navigation.
Kennedy caught up to Paulina, who proved to do very well on her own at navigation. Paulina admitted to Kennedy that she tried to “shake” her several times, but Kennedy just kept coming back!
Nik and Kennedy reunited just in time to set up overnight camp together, with Paulina (bringing Kennedy). Kennedy took all of the credit for the navigation.
DAY 2:
Creighton, not making it to the same point in the race as Paulina yet, camped on his own. The next day, the racers were placed on a 12 hour clock. Two hours more than the usual ten hours. If they didn’t finish in time, they were out!
At the start of Day two, it was hilarious when Kennedy told Nik that they basically needed to get rid of Paulina. This was after Kennedy spent much of the previous day trailing her.
The next portion of the race had an interesting game play for the racers. There were multiple paths of rope up a cliff. The first one to arrive, who were Ethan and Tyrie, got to choose their path (notably the easiest) and then close that path off from the rest of the teams!
SURPRISE NAVIGATION:
Paulina ended up proving to herself and Kennedy and Nik that she’s a better navigator than any of them initially thought. Because she made it to the end crate before them and Creighton who arrived one hour after she did.
Pictured: (l-r) Creighton Baird, Paulina Pena — Photo by: Brian Finestone/USA Network
That also meant that Paulina and Creighton were in last position, also having the last option at the path up the rope. Which was also the toughest. Luckily, climbing is what they excel at, and they quickly caught back up to Kennedy and Nik.
Had it not been for the heavy 30 lb backpack weighing Paulina down, they clearly would have finished the climb before Kennedy and Nik. Paulina and Nik were in last place after this.
One mile away were Ethan and Tyrie who were starting the last leg of the first part of Race 5.
QUITE THE CONUNDRUM:
This last portion of the race put racers in a conundrum of choosing between getting the last food cache, but having to cut through thick forest to get it. OR, skipping the food cache and cruising along the river to the end. Ummmm…what to do? What to do?
Having six hours left to cover seven miles of race, Kennedy and Nik skipped the food cache. Ethan and Tyrie followed the ridgeline to grab the food cache, and just before fog setted-in making it even more challenging for racers Paulina and Creighton who went for the food.
TICK-TOCK:
Tyrie and Ethan were again the first ones to finish Day 2 of the race. At this point, if no other teams were to join them and make it to this end crate before the clock ended, Tyrie and Ethan would have automatically won the grand prize of $500,000 voiding the second and last portion of the race!
But…then came along Kennedy and Nik, followed by Paulina and Creighton who rushed through the remaining 20 minutes to make it there. Thus, next week’s episode will reveal the winner.
“Race to Survive: New Zealand” airs Mondays at 8 pm PT/ 11 pm ET on USA Network.
