Two Must Go Home on CLAIM TO FAME Season 3 Episode 2 Recap
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July 24, 2024“Race to Survive: New Zealand” airing on USA Network, ended its second installment with a total of three teams left fighting to make it to the very last end crate. After a grueling 40 days, with very little down time for racers who had a total of four Survival Camps, the second half of this last race proved to be even more challenging than the prior legs of the race.
The final three teams are: in the lead, Ethan and Tyrie; trailing behind them are Paulina and Creighton, and Kennedy and Nik.
These racers are all from various backgrounds. Tyrie and Ethan are both Smokejumper firefighters. Ethan stated that they earn less than fast food workers even after being in the field over a decade. Paulina and Creighton, who are recently divorced, are avid climbers. Kennedy and Nik are oil rig workers.
Race 5, the final race that determines the first finishers who will win the grand prize of $500,000, started with the racers having to sprint over slick moss rocks, then to “Dead End Cavern,” a confusing tunnel cave.
From there it’s to a brush-filled ridge, then the grand finale of “The Dome,” a fifteen hundred foot high barrier, plummeting down and over Alpine rocks to get to the end crate. This end crate holds one set of gold medallions for the winning team.
A chance at winning half a million dollars is the reason why these racers endured the 40 day race, and hung in there throughout the suffering of little food, to no food and minor injuries. All, for $250,000 each for the winning team!
GETTING THROUGH DEAD END CAVERN:
At the start of this portion of the race, Paulina and Creighton lost their lead quickly due to Paulina struggling over the slick, mossy rocks, falling repeatedly.
She later felt the weight of guilt for this incident which laid heavily on her, realizing that perhaps she was holding Creighton back from winning a grand prize of a lifetime. Creighton assured her that he was not upset because he knew she gave it her all.
Ethan and Tyrie took the lead again and were the first team to reach Zone 2, “Dead End Cavern” cave only 1200 yards, but with a very confusing interior of maze-like passages (leading to dead ends) that made it extremely complicated for anyone to find their way out of.
Kennedy and Nik were the next team mates to enter the cave. This is when Nik recounts his vision that he predicts is a prophetic one where he and Kennedy are forced to go through a storm to reach the end crate holding the reward. SPOILER!! Part of this actually was true.
The prediction of their win, made it seem like it was coming even more into fruition when Kennedy felt a breeze that she realized would lead them out of the cave.
This made them get ahead of Ethan and Tyrie who were still struggling to find their way out. But, not for long because due to catching sight (and most likely sound too) Tyrie and Kennedy were hot on their trail.
They too soon emerged from the cave and went into super sonic speed to catch up to Nik and Kennedy.
After reaching about the midpoint in the forest to the ridge, the race clock went off and racers were forced to camp overnight and continue the race the next morning.
At that point of the race, Nik and Kennedy were still in first place, Ethan and Tyrie in second, and Paulina and Creighton in third, last place.
DAY 40 OF 40:
The final day of the race! It was during their hike up the ridge when Tyrie and Ethan took over Kennedy and Nik, reclaiming their first place spot.
Tyrie and Ethan’s plan to reach the finish line was to skip the food cache. But, this would also force them up an extremely steep path, which would put tremendous wear on their bodies.
Kennedy and Nik chose to take the trail to the food cache which provided for a more doable climb up the mountain.
Paulina and Creighton’s strategy was to go straight to the dome, also skipping the food cache. They said, “flying up mountains” is what they do. They also saw it as a chance to pass up the two other teams.
As the teams reached higher and higher in elevation, the temperature of elevation dropped, taking them through a storm.
Ethan and Tyrie were the first ones to exit out of that storm, finishing Zone 3, and moving on to the other side where the next feat was to conquer “The Dome.”
Serving as a barricade standing between the racers and a half million dollars, was this 1,500 foot high rock that each team had to climb over to a final descent to reach the grand prize.
One team member at a time had to climb the dome. Then, it’s two miles to the end crate holding only one pair of gold medallions for the winning team.
ZONE 5 – THE FINAL LEG:
These racers still had yet to get through two miles of rock Alpine to reach the final end crate. Ethan and Tyrie had just started the push towards it, while the other two teams were scaling their way over the Dome.
Paulina and Creighton were in second place, Kennedy and Nik in third. Nik was completely spent and out of energy, letting Kennedy take the lead.
Realizing they most likely were too far behind to catch-up and claim the winning prize, Nik appeared to have given up.
Nik stated that basically the only thing still pushing him was Kennedy, getting his “partner to the end crate.”
THE WINNING TEAM:
Ethan and Tyrie proved to be the team to beat because they indeed kept that lead they gained earlier on and were the first team to make it to the final end crate, winning them half a million dollars!!
The very un-salty followers of that, coming in second place was Creighton and Paulina who celebrated with the smokejumpers, and were proud of their own second place finish.
Not too long from there, came Kennedy and Nik also celebrating their third place win.