We’re down to the final three on Race to Survive: New Zealand and the stakes are higher than ever. Only one race stands between one of these teams and the $500,000 prize, and of course, it won’t be easy.
In Race to Survive: New Zealand Episode 9, “Separate Ways,” the final three teams are forced to split up. As if there haven’t been enough injuries and mishaps this season, now they have to venture into the forest alone? Scary stuff. Here’s what ended up going down this week on Race to Survive.
Race to Survive: New Zealand Episode 9 – Race 5, Day 1
With Race 5 on the horizon, everyone was still reeling from the shocking double-elimination that happened last week. Did one of the remaining contestants rat out the River Guides to get ahead in the competition? That’s still undetermined.
Regardless of what happened, the three remaining teams were ready for Race 5. They received the rules and felt immediately thrown off by the latest twist. In the first leg of the race, the teams would have to split up. One person takes a packraft through river rapids while the other has to bushwhack their way up a mountain. They then have to reunite at a mandatory checkpoint before moving forward in the course.
Another wrinkle to this course? It’s a time trial. Anyone who doesn’t make it to the finish line by the end of Day 2 gets the chop. No pressure, right?
The three remaining teams quickly decided who would take the land route and who would take the river. Paulina, Tyrie, and Kennedy all signed up for the packraft option.
That rafting option seemed like the more fun route, but within about five seconds of them being on the water, you’re reminded there is no fun allowed on this show. The rapids were fierce, and it didn’t take long for the racers to start getting slammed into the rocks.
Tyrie was the first one to get whacked, and he ended up going overboard. Still, that didn’t stop him from dominating this leg of the race. The Smokejumpers always prevail. He finished first with Paulina and Kennedy showing up neck and neck.
Once they finished at the river, the rafters had to drop off their boats, collect a food cache, and proceed into the forest. Their next goal: navigate their way up a hill to meet their partner at the top.
A dead end for the Divorcees
Tackling part of the race alone felt like a daunting challenge for everyone. For exes Paulina and Creighton, it took an emotional toll. Race to Survive is their last hurrah as a couple, so being split up in the race felt like a reflection of what was happening in the real world. That weight hit Paulina like a ton of bricks.
“I’ve been so stoic about our relationship for so long, and I’m going to have to navigate through life without him after this and I’m going to miss having him around,” Paulina tearfully admitted.
She continued, “It’s scary both here and in the real world.”
Despite the fears and the teas, Paulina pressed forward. She found herself right alongside Kennedy at a few different points in the day. The two relied on each other for encouragement and navigated up towards the checkpoint together.
Meanwhile, Creighton was struggling big time. He’s great at catching eels and fileting hedgehogs, but navigating alone isn’t his strong suit. He wandered around the jungle and at one point, hit a total dead end in his navigation. By the end of Day 1, Creighton was the only person left in the forest who hadn’t found their partner. That’s not a good look.
Race to Survive: New Zealand Episode 9 – Race 5, Day 2
When the 12-hour race clock started on Day 2, the threat of elimination became very real. It didn’t matter who came in first; the only thing that mattered was getting to that finish line. Otherwise, you’re out of the competition.
Everyone felt the pressure and was eager to push forward on Day 2, so much so that Kennedy and Paulina’s prior camaraderie vanished. Kennedy told Nik that they needed to make sure they got ahead of Paulina, no matter what. Shake her!
Ultimately, it didn’t matter because Creighton was still spinning in circles in the forest. When he finally made it to Paulina, they had less than 10 hours to finish the race. Creighton came up to the checkpoint, and Paulina looked at him and said, “I’m so happy to see you.”
That’s probably one of the last times he’ll ever hear that from Paulina, but he didn’t have time to take it in. They were a whole hour behind the Oil Riggers and had a lot of ground to cover. Thankfully for them, the next phase of the race was a rock-climbing challenge. They have over twenty years of combined mountaineering experience, so they felt confident that they could gain some ground.
Climbing Crumbling Cliffs
Every race has some sort of adventure challenge and this week’s was called Crumbling Cliffs — a 300-foot vertical accent up fixed ropes. It sounds dangerous and looks dangerous, so, of course, these racers were excited.
This rock climbing challenge had three paths, each with varying difficulty. It was first come, first serve, so the Smokejumpers got the first pick. To no one’s surprise, they made easy work out of the challenge. The rest of the racers didn’t have as much luck, underscoring just how much last week’s double elimination shifted this competition.
On the climb, Kennedy scaled pretty quickly, but Nik stalled out. The heavy backpack made it a little difficult. His slow ascend cleared the way for Paulina and Creighton to catch up.
The Divorcees felt confident about their rock-climbing abilities, even though the only path left for them in the challenge was the most difficult. Creighton scaled it in what seemed like a few seconds. However, Paulina wound up struggling. Just like Nik, the heavy backpack made it hard to maneuver up the ropes.
Creighton decided to go back down to help her lighten the load, and the two made it to the top of the cliff successfully. It’s proof that all of these racers work better in pairs. It’s just too much for one person.
A fight to the finish line
After scaling the cliff, there was very little time to spare. The clock was ticking, and the teams had a game-defining decision to make as they headed towards the final checkpoint. Do they go the easy way along the river, or take the hard way through the dense forest which also had a food cache?
The decision was easy for the Smokejumpers because they had a solid lead on everyone else. They went to the food cache and trotted to the final checkpoint with plenty of time to spare. If no one else made it there by the end of the day, they’d be declared the winners of this whole damn thing.
Obviously, we’re an episode or so too early to declare a winner, so that didn’t happen. Instead, we got a nail-biter sprint to the finish line.
The Oil Riggers took the easier route and skipped the food cache. They weren’t too concerned about calories because they literally ate an entire sheep a couple of days prior.
The Divorcees decided that they did want to go for the food cache, and that decision almost cost them their spot in the race. The clock was ticking, they were bickering, and struggling to make their way out of the maze-like forest. However, with less than 15 minutes on the clock, they made their way to the checkpoint!
All three teams made it to the checkpoint and gained entry into the second leg of Race 5. It’s a Down Under miracle, but the racers don’t have much time to celebrate. There’s another leg to this race, and next time, it’s for all the marbles.
Race to Survive: New Zealand continues on the USA Network, Monday nights at 11/10c.
TELL US – WHAT WERE YOUR THOUGHTS ON RACE TO SURVIVE: NEW ZEALAND EPISODE 9? WERE YOU SURPRISED TO SEE PAULINA AND CREIGHTON MAKE IT TO THE FINISH LINE IN TIME? WHO ARE YOU ROOTING FOR TO WIN THE $500,000 PRIZE?