American Grit (2016) s01e01 Episode Script

Ruck Up

1 (John Cena) America We never retreat from a challenge.
Our finest hours have come with our backs against the wall.
And it's in this land of opportunity that I've built my career as a WWE superstar and beyond.
My love of this country is why I give back, especially the men and women of the military, who know firsthand that our freedom is never free.
American heroes like Navy SEAL commander Rorke Denver (Rorke) In my 13 years as an active-duty Navy SEAL, I led assault teams all around the world.
Our guys are the very extreme of military operations.
Our job is to go hunt evil.
We are in harm's way the entire time.
(John) Marine Gunnery Sergeant Tee Hanible I spent 19 years in the Marine Corps and I was the only female to deploy in one of the first units in Iraq.
When you're riding and it's dark, you can hear the explosions.
[explosions, gunfire.]
As a sergeant, you can't show any kind of being scared.
(John) Army Ranger Nick "The Reaper" Irving (Nick) I earned the nickname "The Reaper" due to the fact that I killed 33 enemy combatants in 3 1/2 months.
[gunshot.]
(John) And Army Sergeant Noah Galloway.
(Noah) After seeing the horrors of September 11th, it motivated me to drop out of college and join the military.
It wasn't a career decision.
It was what I needed to do for my country.
In 2005, my Humvee hit a trip wire that detonated a roadside bomb.
The explosion sent my Humvee flying through the air, and I lost my left arm and left leg as a result.
(John) Each member of this extraordinary cadre will handpick a team of four ordinary people.
All have been impacted by the military in some way.
(Ashley) My dad is a marine.
Having that blood flow through me is, like, such a swelling pride.
(John) And run them through punishing challenges inspired by actual military training.
Come on, Lisa! (John) These 16 civilians will be pushed to their breaking point.
I'm not just giving up! That's exactly what happened.
You don't know what real suffering is.
(man) Suck it up! Let's go! I'm gonna break.
Submerge! Come on! We can go harder.
You got to pick it up! (John) And the only way their journey ends is to give up, ring out, and go home.
[intense music.]
(Nick) Ain't nothing to it but to do it, baby! Figure out a way to dig deep.
Finish strong.
(John) In the end, one team will stand united beside their leader victorious (Tabatha) Thank you for believing in me.
(John) With a chance to take home $1 million.
(Noah) Give it all you got.
All of it! No! No! [indistinct shouting.]
(Tee) Come on, let's go! (John) Who will rise to the occasion All we ask for is all you got.
Show the world they have "American Grit"? dramatic percussive music.]
(man) Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh Whoa-oh-oh All alone now We in the fire Gonna burn it down Get out alive Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh Welcome to the wilderness.
Oh, my God, it's John Cena.
Welcome to the toughest challenge of your life.
Ooh! Every single one of you has said the exact same thing.
When faced with a challenge, you won't give up.
I dig that.
But this competition will put that to the test.
If you want to win this thing, you will have to share the same traits of the brave men and women who defend the freedoms of this great nation-- courage, perseverance, most importantly, teamwork, because in this competition, you will be broken into teams of four.
In the end, each surviving member of the winning team will win $250,000.
And if you can set aside your differences, fight alongside one another, the winning team will walk away with up to $1 million.
[cheers and applause.]
(John) Each team will be given one leader.
To lead the best, you need the best.
These individuals are the best, each a decorated U.
S.
military hero in their own right.
They survived their own military training and are now excited to take on the challenge of training you-- civilians.
They're about to decide who they want on their team.
Rest assured, they will stop at nothing to make sure the winner comes from their ranks, am I right? - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- Right.
See, these individuals were watching you today.
Move it out, let's go! We've been putting these civilians through hell today.
We're gonna be rappelling over this bridge.
(Rorke) Forced marches, rappelling off a bridge.
We're doing this so we can see what they're made of.
(Brooke) Hold on.
I'm trying.
(Tee) I've seen some people hesitant.
I've seen some people crying.
(Nick) We're going down together.
- Okay.
- Wait a moment.
(Rorke) 75% to 80% of the people that show up to SEAL training don't make it.
This is very similar.
All I need to do is find four.
Yeah, buddy! (Rorke) I don't need the others.
I need four that can be on my team.
(John) On top of watching you today, the Cadre have done their homework.
They know who you are-- your setbacks and your accomplishments.
I'm gonna give you a few minutes to go inside, fight amongst yourself, and decide which competitors go where.
Being a Ranger, I've worked with the highest elite caliber of human beings on the planet.
I'm not sure how these civilians are gonna measure up to that, but I think it's gonna be an interesting game.
- Well, what'd y'all see today? - I know who I want.
I don't know who just made you boss here.
(Rorke) That's a pretty good question.
What part of Marine Corps don't you get? That trainer-- he's a little bit cocky.
(Noah) Yeah, I don't want him.
(Tee) I think could fine-tune him.
You're not trying to psych them out, are we, with the short sleeves, are we? They're already psyched out.
I think you're the right person to tune him, because he's not for me.
I think I can give him some mentorship and I can go ahead and fine-tune him.
There's always that fine line between confidence and cocky.
But that's okay, 'cause in the Marine Corps, we know how to go at it, do that attitude adjustment, and break you down.
I like the cop, that quiet professional.
- Are you going over? - Of course I'm going over.
So are you.
(Lisa) Oh, my God! This is insane! Yeah, he was one of my favorites too.
(Jim) My name is Jim Vaglica.
I've spent 16 years on a regional SWAT team.
My team got involved in the capture of the Boston Marathon bomber.
People think that I'm intense, but if you can't handle it, then you really shouldn't be hanging around with me.
You got the cop.
You can have him.
I mean, I took the whole team out of this forest, brought them up the hill.
As I turned around, there's Tabatha, the little fire plug.
There's something there that just catches me.
I'm excited.
My name is Tabatha, but my nickname is Goldie.
I'm a full-time mom.
I'm also a star in Roller Derby.
Don't be fooled by all this red lipstick.
Do not think for one minute that I'm not the girl to stand up and hold my ground, okay? I want the lumberjack.
(Rorke) Who doesn't want the lumberjack? I need these crates across this bridge.
Come on, big boy.
Let's go.
Give me the youngest one.
He's got to be 21.
- Is that the wrestler? - The wrestler, yeah.
My name is Cam Zagami.
I'm a professional wrestler.
I'm a small guy in a big man's world.
But I have the mind-set to make it.
So, for me, it's not a matter of if, but a matter of when.
A total superstar, but I still live with my parents.
(Nick) I'm looking at Cam being the brawn behind Jim's brain.
A complete unit needs that balance to operate effectively as a team.
I want that NFL player.
(Tony) My name is Tony Simmons.
I'm a former NFL football player, and now I coach wide receivers in college.
I can do what these young guys can.
I'm just sitting in a older body.
When the other one was crying and not feeling sure about it, he implemented teamwork.
(Nick) Nobody can take this from you.
You got this.
I don't want the drama.
I don't want the crybabies.
- But did she go down? - She went down.
She went down with someone-- But she did it with coaching her, exactly.
(Nick) Ain't nothing to it but to do it, baby! - Whoo! - That's what I'm talking about! (Lisa) Oh, my God.
I think that's something to work with.
(Lisa) My name is Lisa Traugott.
I am 41.
I'm a mother of two.
And I'm a bodybuilder.
Some people are fueled by others who say you can't.
I'm fueled by people who tell me I can.
I really want to be a Rocky for moms.
You can take the crybaby.
I'll give y'all this.
Y'all let me have the one that struggled today and the lumberjack.
I can make something with that team.
Okay.
Out of all these people, I'm hoping to find four that I could see actually making it in the Army.
We've all said who we want, who we'll take.
Yeah, I think we've made our decisions.
And when it's all said and done, we all know who's gonna come out on top, 'cause Rangers lead the way.
[laughter.]
(Nick) Let's do it.
(John) Take a good look at your teammates.
They are your lifeline here.
In this competition, your teammates cannot vote you off.
In this competition, your mentors cannot have you eliminated.
Hell, I can't even send you home if I want to.
The only way you get eliminated is when you give up, ring out, and go home.
Tomorrow will be your first challenge.
It's your first chance to show your teammates, mentors, myself, and the world exactly what you got.
- Good luck.
[cheers and applause.]
(Rorke) I think there are some competitors that we're gonna need to look out for.
But my background is leading SEALs, so I want my team to go in against the best athletes.
That's where you want to be.
You don't want to beat easy opponents.
You want to beat the best opponents.
[all cheering.]
This competition's gonna be tough.
Not only will they be competing as teams, but they'll also be living together as teams.
This is where the winners sleep.
That's my bed right there.
You can be right here.
(Nick) I know from firsthand experience in the military that living with individuals after training when exhausted isn't easy.
(Maria) Oh, first off, let's get to know each other.
- I want to check out the house.
- Who cares? It's still gonna be there when we're done talking.
(Maria) I'm Maria Kang.
Everyone knows me as a mother whose photo went viral.
I'm the No Excuse Mom.
Some people said that I was a fat shamer.
I'm not gonna apologize, because I never said you were fat.
I work out a ton.
I persevere.
I'm a winner.
I do care a lot about strength and conditioning and pushing myself to the limit.
(Chris) I'm Chris Krueger, and I'm a strength coach to the stars.
And I help those great people to be even better.
I am not content to be normal.
Normal people are weak and stupid.
I feel very confident in this squad.
- Is that even fair? - We just got the money! [laughter.]
[dramatic music.]
(John) What a day, what a day.
Competitors, how are you? - Good! - Whoo! Sound mildly enthusiastic.
Welcome to your first Evolution.
Evolution is a military term, used to describe the tactics and drills that our men and women of the U.
S.
military deal with every day.
And here, we hope these challenges will help you evolve as a team.
Today's Evolution is called the Ruck Up.
It is a cornerstone of U.
S.
Army Ranger training.
Each team is gonna pick up a massive 120-pound log, and you are going to race with it over three miles through the forest.
There, you'll encounter three unrelenting obstacles.
The rules are simple.
Your log can never hit the ground.
If it does, you'll be penalized, costing you valuable time.
The first team to complete all three obstacles and finish the race wins, which means the entire team is safe.
Do we understand? (all) Yes, sir! (John) All righty.
Mentors, gather your teams and come up with a game plan.
All right, let's do it.
Be deliberate.
Be purposeful in your actions.
(Tabatha) I want to prove to Rorke I can do this.
I've always been the one that people say, "That girl is capable of that? That girl is playing Roller Derby? Whoa!" We're gonna have our two strongest guys on the ends with this.
- You got good knees, Jim? - Yeah.
I've done SWAT competitions where my team needed to carry a log, so I'm thinking maybe this is gonna play to some of my strengths.
Keep in mind, that log will not touch the ground.
(Chris) 120-pound log, I could carry by myself-- It's not about by yourself.
We need to function as one body.
You will do it together.
Chris thinks he can just take this log and run through this Evolution himself.
In the Marine Corps, the stakes are high.
There's no room for individualism.
You try to go out and be the captain saver, you get yourself killed, you get your unit killed.
[all shout indistinctly.]
All right, mentors, enough chalk talk.
Let's see what you guys got.
Competitors, logs on your shoulders.
The team that's gonna win this Evolution is the one that operates as a team.
In the military, you've got all these different skill sets that come together.
It's the units that work as one kind of organism that have success on the battlefield.
Teams ready go! (Tee) Pick it up! Pick it up! Here we go.
Here we go.
Come on, guys, pick it up! Remember, you must make it through this obstacle without that 120-pound log touching the ground.
(Mark) I got it.
I feel like I've very strong in a lot of areas.
I'm a lumberjack.
I eat frickin' logs for breakfast.
I got it.
Go! Come on, Jim! Come on! - It's down! - Somebody up.
- Got it.
- Nice save.
Nice save, Ashley.
- I got it! I got it! - One up.
(Rorke) Move the log! Give yourself room! - Move that log over there.
- Push it through.
Push it through! We got to communicate.
We got to listen to instructions.
I need it there! Because it's so hard carrying this weight and still trying to work as a team.
- Here you go.
- Guys, talk to each other.
Here, hold this.
Hold the back.
Hold the back! Hold the back! (Rorke) Nice save.
Here, hold this.
Hold the back.
Hold the back! Hold the back! (John) Your log hit the ground.
Take your punishment.
(Noah) They did have a little slip.
But in the military, especially in combat, bad things happen.
We've learned our lesson, okay? Just pay attention to everything we're doing.
So you have to have the mentality of never looking back.
(Rorke) Keep going.
Keep going.
(Nick) Come on, Jim.
Let's go.
- Come on, Jim.
- Come on, Jim! (Nick) Come on, Jim.
Here we go.
- Got you, Tony.
Take it.
- [shouts.]
(Tony) I got it.
(Chris) We have a beautiful team top to bottom.
I think we have the most athleticism.
Just another walk at the beach.
Here we go! (John) The first obstacle is complete.
Now they must carry that heavy log on to the second obstacle over three miles away.
(Ashley) Let's go, guys.
Let's go.
- You good, Goldie? - Yeah.
Good job, guys.
(Mark) We're walking.
We're walking.
We're walking.
And keep in mind, bodybuilders are known as immobile.
Endurance isn't my trait.
[groans.]
- Drive, Tony, drive! - I can't! (Tony) Don't tell me what to do.
Pick it up! Tony's not what I expected.
- Give me ten seconds.
- Just leave him alone.
You are not tired! Why are we struggling so hard? (Lisa) Okay, I need a little more help in front.
I'm just thinking, like, "How can I help my team?" Let's speed up a little bit.
I got it.
- I got it.
- Oh, everybody's close.
Everybody's close.
You want me to run to the right, I'll run to the right.
You want me to run to the left, I'll run to the left.
(John) Team Noah's making their move.
I will not be the weakest link on this one.
(John) After coming from last place, Team Noah's taken the lead.
Move that log! Come on! (John) All right, they're at the second obstacle.
They have to cross that 6-foot divide, and the best way to do it is by using that rope.
It takes teamwork in this one.
Set the log on top.
Everybody start getting up.
(Noah) That's a great idea.
Hold the end with the rope.
Watching them work as a team and not really knowing each other yet, I'm impressed, and it reminds me a lot of the military-- how we're kind of thrown together and have to work together.
- I got it, go.
- You don't need the rope.
(Chris) No, Tony, we need the rope.
Tee is yelling at us to not use the rope.
It's physically impossible.
I'm sorry, guys! - Hold it down! (Tee) Hold it down.
(Chris) If that's her thinking, that's baloney.
Guys, go! (John) Team Noah's figured out how to use the rope and is making it across.
Everyone else seems to be struggling.
I got it.
Up in front! Get as much grip as you can up front.
[shrieks.]
I hit my head against the log.
- Oh, my God.
- You all right? (Nick) Come on back.
Come on back.
We got it.
(Maria) I just remember getting right back up, knowing that we had to start over again.
[all shouting indistinctly.]
Damn it.
They know they screwed up.
But being a sniper, sometimes you miss a shot.
You got it.
Don't let it get to you.
And you have to suck it up and just drive on.
- We got to focus, you guys.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
(Mark) We're almost there, guys.
This is the last leg.
You guys don't even look tired.
- Chest up, let's go! - We got this! Go! We're going.
We are with you.
- Up.
- Yeah! (Noah) This is it! Come on, come on, come on, come on.
They're at the final obstacle.
They need to add up the year that that they were born to get the combination for that lock.
I'm 1968.
- '89.
- '74.
(Noah) Final obstacle--math.
And this is where I get really nervous.
How many years were you born before 2000? 26? Come on! Nothing's solved! Nothing's solved! We see two teams at the finish line.
And they're still working on getting everything figured out.
We have a chance.
Now we got ourselves a party.
- Put it down! - Whoa, whoa, whoa.
"The combination is the sum of all four of your birth years.
" '77.
(John) All four teams are still trying to solve the last puzzle.
This is anyone's game.
(Ashley) Ivette, you're not moving it.
We got to figure out-- (Ivette) Are you serious? I'm moving it.
You don't see me moving it? (Ashley) No, baby, we got to add these together.
- Come on, we got this.
- It's '73.
(Ivette) Calm down! One--what was your last number? Four.
Yes! Here we go! [all cheering.]
(John) We have a winner.
Winner is Team Noah.
[triumphant music.]
- Oh, my God.
- Whoo! Don't matter how many times we fell--we got back up.
Looking at my team at this point, I got some concerns.
Are we gonna be the kind of team that's gonna be able to work together, or are we gonna get in each other's way? (John) So here we are.
Team Noah wins the Evolution.
- Whoo! - Yeah! (John) That means the three losing teams will have to send one member from your team to face the most brutal of military exercises.
And at "American Grit," we call this course the Circus.
And the Circus does not end until one of your gives up, rings out, goes home.
Rorke, Tee, Nick, you have a decision to make, because it will be you who chooses which member of your team goes to face the Circus.
You certainly got some thinking to do.
[dramatic music.]
Losing that was a tough pill to swallow for me.
We had it, but what Tee was telling us to do was physically impossible.
I am so ticked off right now.
The team failed because of poor leadership.
She's our mentor.
(Chris) Yeah, but if you have a coach and you're like, "Let's keep running the wrong play," that's never gonna work.
How do you feel? Physically, I'm just kind of beat, but I don't care about physically right now.
I got to get over it in my head.
(Maria) I think Jim, because he is the oldest guy here, struggles with "failing.
" (David) Our different backgrounds, each of 'em played a different part in how we were able to get through it.
I want to find out where we come from so that we can keep winning these Evolutions.
I recently lost 50 pounds.
My mom--she got advanced-stage lung cancer.
And I just kept, you know, emotional eating, eating.
And then one day, my husband said, "Lisa, I will always love you, but I'm just not attracted to you right now.
" So I was like, "Okay, I guess I better go to the gym and figure this out.
" I was so mad at my husband for saying that, 'cause it hurts, you know.
But that kind of inspired me to start on this whole path of fitness.
Bodybuilding just changed my life.
I'm so much happier.
My husband and I-- we're so much closer.
My only goal was to just step onstage.
It was never to win.
That only just happened this year.
- You want to go in the hot tub? - Yeah.
I have my hot-tub gear.
Hey! Abercrombie model.
- Oh, stop.
- You know what? [laughter.]
- He's posing.
- There you go.
Not posing, that's just my body.
[laughter.]
Actually, I know when people pose, because that's the kind of industry I'm in.
Did you know that I'm actually the cover model of "American Fitness" magazine this month? I actually did not know that.
Humble brag, wow.
So I actually know when people pose.
You sound like a fake expert to me.
- Really? - Yeah, you do.
Okay, then describe it.
How am I fake? Whoa, hold on.
Let me talk about myself and how great I am again.
When did I ever talk about how great I am? The thing about the magazine just came out of nowhere.
I'm not gonna argue about this.
Oh, you're so distasteful.
- You're the worst person.
- Okay.
(Brooke) Maria thinks things are coming out one way and come off a little offensive and abrasive.
What in the wide world of sports makes her so insecure about me? (Kimberly) 'Cause you have a good body.
And she's the fitness model with the terrible body? [laughter.]
Chris just attacked me in there.
- What'd he say? - Let me tell you.
He was like this, "You're so fake.
" [whining.]
I was like, "Oh, my God.
" This is day two in the house and he's got you frazzled.
You got to bring it down.
I cannot stand a crybaby, as a woman, as a single mom, as a caregiver to my niece.
And then he's like, "You walk around like you're a fake expert.
" You need to take that on somewhere, sweetheart.
I can't be sitting there arguing there arguing with him.
I'm not gonna give him that much energy.
He is, like, the "epi-tome" of what's wrong with our fitness in America.
(Rorke) This is the nightmare of losing the Evolution.
Now I need to send someone to the Circus.
- Rorke! - Rorke! Team, what's up? In SEAL training, a Circus is not cotton candy and juggling clowns.
It is a mythic endurance beating for hours.
I've got to send one of my athletes.
I have no idea what they're gonna face.
And I want to know what this team thinks about who should go in.
One of the things we do in the SEAL teams, after every mission, we do what I call these Viking councils.
The fundamentals of a Viking council are brutal honesty.
So do this-- kind of give me, "This is why I probably should go to the Circus.
And this is why I shouldn't go to the Circus.
" If it's an obstacle course, I would volunteer myself.
Tabatha.
I'm really good at quick stuff.
Quick, quick, quick.
- Yep.
- Reasons not to go We don't know what the Circus is.
Even though I am a smaller woman, a smaller athlete, as far as our team is concerned, we're all eligible for Team Rorke.
I mean, I'm willing to go if it's something that I'm gonna be best at.
- Put me in, Coach.
- Look, I love the answers.
I mean, I feel like everybody made my decision point exceedingly hard.
My team didn't have a shortcoming where I say, "Obviously, you're the person to go in.
" So it becomes more of a tactical decision on who I think has the best shot of coming back to us in the Circus.
How do you guys feel today, though? - Like, you don't feel like-- - I'm the oldest person.
I-I thought I'd feel worse.
I think overall, we were proud of ourselves working as a team.
- Yeah.
- We failed a mission.
To him, we failed.
What do you think about the Circus coming up? - What do you think about it? - I didn't sleep about it.
'Cause I've already thought about, as a leader, who I would choose.
- Who? - I'd send Jim.
And the reason why-- you need some confidence.
You need a win under your belt.
I like Maria, but I'm certainly not gonna volunteer somebody to go to Circus, you know what I mean? (Nick) So who would you send if you had to pick? I would like to volunteer.
It's just the unknown.
But I have no quit.
That's the big thing, is not giving up, I think, 'cause I remember, uh when I was in Afghanistan, we were surrounded by a few hundred guys, and it was a team of six of us.
We started calling it for air strikes on us, you know, so we won't get captured and get our heads, you know, chopped off, whatever.
Right when we're thinking everything's about to go down and call it quits, my best friend came in with a machine gun team and helped us get out.
Five minutes after that, I watched him take two rounds and bleed out.
(Maria) I think Nick is an incredible leader.
He's a sniper.
He sees perspective like nobody else.
You can't put your mind, body, soul, anything into it, then what's the point of doing it at all? (Maria) He's a man of little words.
But when he does see something, it's powerful.
I wanted to try to do something for you because you won.
I hope you accept my little token of food as a thank-you for allowing me to be part of something really special.
Thank you.
- This is my favorite food now.
- Steak! - Steak.
- Have you tried bison? Yes, I have, but, actually, what's really good is beaver.
Really? - Yeah, a lot of people eat beaver.
(Lisa) The other moms at the PTA are gonna be so jealous 'cause I just had lunch with John Cena.
You guys did kick ass out there.
- Cheers, guys.
- Cheers.
(Lisa) I did a shot of whiskey with John Cena.
I mean, how awesome is that? Toughest thing is always to stay on top of the mountain.
Good luck the rest of the way too.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
(Tee) So what do you think? There were some times when I was in mode of, like, "I can't run right now" and that was just one of those things, I just can't.
(Tony) I felt like I did not do the best for my team.
- Drive, Tony, drive! - I can't.
Now we're going to the Circus.
Whoever she chooses, we just got to come back home.
What about you, Chris? [sighs.]
My takeaway was we can't trust you.
You can't trust me? Why's that? You gave us the worst advice possible that only made us slower.
You told us to pull the log between our legs.
The obstacle is designed to use the rope.
What was your takeaway? Is there anything in that challenge that you could have done different? I will take ownership.
Oh, so you do take ownership now.
I'm not blaming you.
I'm saying I blame myself for listening to you.
I should have taken the lead earlier.
I cannot trust you.
You gave us bogus advice, okay? - Then we're talking about-- - Hey, hey.
- How about-- - I said pause.
- Pause on that.
- Okay.
What do you think? Do you feel like I let you down in this challenge? You didn't let me down.
I was, like, listening.
And I know, you're there to help us think.
You're there to coach us.
This is mind-boggling.
We would have been better off without you there.
Really? We would have finished the drill faster without you.
(Tony) Chris was really disrespectful towards Tee.
That's a woman of the military.
You have to respect her.
I'm here to guide and to mentor you.
The argument-- that needs to stop.
If this was real-world Marine Corps and I had one of my marines tell me, "You're the one that [bleep.]
this up for us," I would rip somebody's head off.
But with Chris, he's a civilian.
So Chris is damn sure lucky I'm really good at holding in my temper at times.
A lot was said today, and I'm gonna take a lot back with me.
[dramatic music.]
Competitors, welcome to the Circus.
In the military, a circus is a punishing, seemingly endless physical-training exercise.
The circuses run during SEAL training are legendary.
And I want Rorke to comment on what the Circus means to a U.
S.
Navy SEAL.
Well, SEAL training is near-mythic in its intensity, physical and mental.
And if a class has an issue, we'll implement what's called a circus.
And every class that enjoys this savage beating that takes place will never forget it.
Behind you is the Circus.
[dramatic tones.]
"American Grit's" version is a brutal obstacle course that will send the competitor through 13 muscle-draining obstacles of cargo nets ascending to 30-foot treetops, tumbling down to the base of this canyon, and culminating on that platform right there.
That's where the test of endurance will begin.
That's when you'll have a chance to prove you have American grit, because the Circus does not end till one of you gives up, and just like any U.
S.
Navy SEAL throwing in the towel, when you give up, you will ring out.
And when you ring out, your journey on "American Grit" is over.
[bell tolls.]
For three of you, facing this Circus is about to become very real.
Now, Tee, I heard there was some dissension in the ranks in your team.
(Tee) Having led marines for almost 20 years and to have my leadership questioned, you know, by a fitness trainer, it kind of puts it out there.
Care to comment? I think we hashed it out already.
Oh, it's been taken care of.
Right, Chris? [tense music.]
So now it's time to find out who Nick, Tee, and Rorke have chosen to face the Circus.
Nick.
I'm gonna send.
Jim.
- I got this, brother.
- I know.
I got this.
Nick, why? When I was overseas, I missed a bunch of shots.
And I would beat myself up really bad over it.
In order for me to get out that rut, I had to get back out there, and I have to put Jim in that same position.
Tee, who are you sending to the Circus? (Tee) Do I put up someone who had a down day, or do I put up someone who I think still needs to implement that teamwork strategy? My decision is Chris.
Let's go, Jim! - Take your spot, man.
- Let's go right now.
(Jim) Chris is lucky I just pushed him.
If we were on the street, I would have knocked his ass out.
Tee, why? I think Chris has what it takes to make it through this challenge, but maybe come back a little bit more humble and be better for the team.
(John) Rorke? Well, I'm gonna send one of the biggest members of my team.
But I'll never really think of size-- what you bring physically to the table is what I'm looking for.
It's what's in here.
So I'm gonna send my girl Goldie.
(woman) That's what's up.
(Tabatha) I'm not afraid of the Circus.
I was born to two teenagers.
So, from the time I entered this world, I was the underdog.
(Rorke) I think Goldie is gonna rip through this course and send a message that everyone in this fight is capable.
You've been chosen to face the Circus.
Before we get started, I'd like to privately talk to each individual running the Circus.
(Rorke) I think Goldie is gonna kind of be the underdog, but she's got toughness that is earned.
I mean, you can't buy it, you can't teach it.
That's something we've learned in SEAL training, is that it's about your heart.
She's just got that in her.
(John) Jim.
- How do you feel? - Feel great.
You had a rough first Evolution.
There was maybe some speculation that you were down on yourself.
I was.
This is redemption.
Why? Because Nick knows I have the skill set to defeat this course.
Do you think your age at all will play into this at all? No.
I know Jim's age could factor in, but with a guy like Nick, it factors more in for experience.
Now, did Jim just have a bad day? I truly wish you the best of luck.
Or is that a sign of things to come? I want to know how you feel about being chosen.
I'm at peace.
You say you're at peace, and I can genuinely see that in the smile on your face.
I want to get to know what's behind that smile.
My smile started as a way to cover up pain.
My sister-- she fought sickle cell disease.
They've told us plenty of times to save our good-byes to her, and then one morning, I get a phone call, and she's gone and-- [cries.]
[sighs.]
I miss her.
My sister fought through death.
Surely I can fight through the Circus.
That's why I'm looking forward to this.
I want to make her proud.
You're up against a tough group.
You give 'em hell out there, okay? I will.
(John) When you have something to fight for, when your body is ready to say, "I'm out," this can take over.
What's up, John? How you doing? You seem excited and focused.
What's going on? Yeah, well, I get to do the obstacle course.
There is no way for me to possibly question your athletic ability.
For me, your character may be in question.
Your mentor is a gunnery sergeant in the United States Marine Corps.
When you turned ten years old, she was in boot camp kicking ass with men.
When you were getting your driver's license, she was in Iraq in combat.
And she was responsible not only for her own life, but the safety of more than 1,000 marines.
In 2008, while you were discovering yourself, your mentor was being awarded by the United States Marine Corps and the White house.
You sleep under a blanket of freedom that she has provided for you.
Number one, I did question her leadership skills because they were in question-- Oh, please finish.
If you're a football coach and you keep running the wrong play, you go to the coach, and you say, "We need to change this and this.
" You got a problem with your coach, from now on, don't talk to your coach in front of the team.
I think you owe Tee an apology.
I do hope Chris comes back.
He has the maturity level of a child, and I think this competition would help him evolve into a man.
(John) This is how the Circus is gonna work.
You will take your places down at the start line, and I will blow a horn.
When I do, you will sprint up to that cargo net, and that starts your 13-obstacle competition.
(Nick) You know, the whole obstacle course, it comes clear out of the military handbook.
That's one of the main reasons why I picked Jim.
He comes from a tactical background.
I come from a tactical background.
You're all gonna end up on the endurance platform.
The first one there gets to rest those drained muscles because the endurance does not start until everyone reaches the platform.
Now, the obstacles you encounter on the Circus today, they'll remain permanent.
The thing that is ever-changing is the endurance challenge.
Today's endurance challenge, all you have to do is bear the weight of your sandbag for as long as you can.
The first sandbag that drops means one of you gives up.
When you give up, you will ring out.
And when you ring out, your journey on "American Grit" is over.
Head to the starting line.
[all cheering.]
Let's go, Chris.
I sent Chris into the Circus because that would be the best way for him to have that quick, swift piece of humble pie.
He's going up against Jim, who's the oldest competitor, and Goldie, the smallest.
As long as he listens, he'll do well, and he'll come right back to the house even stronger.
(John) Three, two, one, go.
[air horn blasts, all cheering.]
(Maria) Go, Jim! Pace yourself.
Whoo! (Maria) Pace yourself, Jim.
Neck and neck at the base of the cargo net.
That three-story vertical climb is designed to wear down both those arms and legs.
(Toby) Looking good, Goldie.
Just like that! - Go! - There you go, Jim.
- All right, Goldie! - Come on! (Tee) Roll it down.
There you go.
(John) Chris, the first one to get up and over.
Jim's very close behind.
- Right there, Jim, baby.
- Aah! - Stay strong, Goldie! - Whoo! (Rorke) Goldie, you're right with 'em.
Perfect, perfect.
(Tee) Good job, Chris.
Watch your footing.
(Nick) Nice and smooth, Jim.
(Rorke) Goldie, nice and easy.
You're doing great, Goldie.
You got plenty of time.
(Tee) Easy there, use those legs.
(John) Chris is starting to climb the Giant's Ladder Make it look easy.
(John) A more than 30-feet-high wooden log structure guaranteed to burn out the whole body.
[panting, grunts.]
- Jim, straddle.
- Go! Use your legs.
There you go.
(Tee) There you go, Chris.
(John) Chris onto the high beam first.
- Let's go, Jim! - Gah! (Rorke) And you can use an arm to-- exactly.
You are doing awesome.
(John) Jim on the high beam right now.
Chris out in front.
Remember, finish first, and they get to rest those worn-out muscles before they start the endurance portion.
Goldie, you're fine.
I'm coming, Chris! Goldie is up and over the ladder.
(Brooke) Come on, Chris! You're almost done! [dramatic music.]
[indistinct shouting.]
(woman) We love you, Goldie! [grunts.]
- Roll, baby! - Roll! Chris at the base of the downward fall.
[indistinct shouting.]
- [shouts.]
- Whoo! (John) Chris has reached the endurance platform.
(Brooke) Good job, Chris.
Now just focus on resting.
Focus on resting.
(Nick) Just roll down.
There you go, just like that.
Save your arms.
Rest 'em down here.
(woman) Come on, Goldie! [panting.]
(Nick) Come on, Jim! Come on, Jim! (John) Jim has reached the endurance platform.
- Good job, Goldie! - Shake 'em out.
There you go.
All right, Goldie! - Use your legs.
- We love you, Goldie! Whoo! Goldie has reached the endurance platform but will get no rest.
Competitors, on your mark, the endurance challenge has begun.
[air horn blasts.]
(man) Come on, Jim! Keep your arms relaxed and just be prepared to suffer.
You can do it.
If me and Goldie go back to the house, I will be the happiest man.
(Brooke) You were the first one through that course.
You got some good rest.
- Now just hold on.
- Looking good.
(Tee) You got this.
Easy day.
Just a little nap.
(John) Oh, you're just taking a nap down there.
I'm sorry.
I thought you were struggling.
Don't overextend yourself, though.
Chris just getting a stretch on, mocking you both.
[laughing.]
(John) Shots fired.
- Get mad.
- I don't have to get mad, man.
(John) We are gonna wait until one bag drops.
Someone soon will give up, ring out, and go home.
[tense music.]
It should have been 30% of my body weight.
(John) Ooh, man.
Confidence is high.
Dropping the mic.
You reek of confidence, Chris.
That's the cologne I put on every morning-- Confidence.
That's a strong smell from here.
Goldie, like a statue-- never wavering, amazing resolve.
Goldie, how heavy is your bag? I don't care.
(Nick) Keep it up, Jim.
- Jim, you starting to tire? - I ain't going anywhere.
- Don't talk about it.
- Oh, it's burning.
(Tabatha) It's not burning at all.
No, not me.
Them.
Shut him up.
The rain's coming.
(John) And with the rain comes slick ropes.
You know as well as I do, when grip fails, it is gone.
Goldie has no wasted movements.
What's gonna happen is Chris is gonna fumble.
[whispering.]
Hey, Jim.
Can you hear me? (Tee) Focus on me, focus on me.
(Maria) I just think it's incredible how disrespectful he is to everybody.
I'm gonna let you just keep talking out of your ass over there by yourself.
We're all talking about it.
[all talking at once.]
(Maria) Just wait till I get you alone.
We are not here to argue.
We are here for our team.
Whoo! Focus, got it? - [exhales deeply.]
- Focus.
[breathing deeply.]
If I can sit out in the middle of nowhere for five days I can do this for five days.
(Nick) That's what I'm talking about.
Competitors, you have passed the 40-minute mark.
When you hear the horn, you must choose one hand only.
You can no longer switch.
(woman) You got this, Jim.
- [laughing.]
You got this! [air horn blasts.]
(John) When you hear the horn, you must choose one hand only.
You can no longer switch.
- [laughing.]
- You got this, Chris.
[air horn blasts.]
- All right, Goldie.
- You got this, Goldie.
Oh, been resting this one for ten minutes.
It feels brand-new.
You know that, right? You are in the best position to win this.
Better than Jim, better than Chris.
Nope.
Nope.
You still got this.
Mind over matter.
[dramatic music.]
Do you want to be the first one to ring that bell? There's gonna come a time where you're gonna have to find it somewhere.
I told you guys this would happen.
Goldie, you've got this, girl.
He's gonna be okay.
His hand's coming off with this rope.
He's not gonna let go.
Nobody wants to ring that bell.
Hold it.
I got you.
Hold it.
Hold it.
Hang in there as long as you can.
I think fatigue is starting to set in on Goldie, I'll be honest with you.
You lock in.
(man) Jim's starting to get a little tired.
Hold it.
Hold it, Chris.
Hold it! Hold it, Chris! This is where it gets a little interesting.
Stay in there, Jim.
Stay in there, Jim! He's going! Dig deep.
Dig deep! [all screaming.]
(John) It's over! It is over! [all cheering.]
[all screaming.]
I knew it! (John) Talk about shock! Talk about the upset! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for believing in me! Thank you for sending me here! Thank you! It is special beyond belief.
I've led some of the highest level performing teams on Earth, and Goldie's performance will rank right up there in my memory for the rest of my life.
(John) Goldie, Jim, congratulations.
You have survived the Circus.
- Yeah! - Whoo! - Up in the house! - Whoo! [all cheering.]
(Tee) I was embarrassed.
He had that challenge.
Instead of just keeping his head in the game, his cocky attitude has gotten the best of him.
(John) Chris, it's time for you to ring out and go home.
[dramatic music.]
[bell tolls.]
(Chris) Ringing the bell is a huge disappointment.
I feel bad for letting my team down, but I gave my best possible effort.
I really respect your service, and I respect you.
Sorry I let you down.
You didn't let me down, 'cause as long as you learn something, you never let me down.
(Chris) Am I cocky? Certainly.
If I didn't believe in myself, that's lame.
(John) Next time - Brooke, I need you, Brooke! - What are you doing? (John) Team Tee must recover from their first casualty.
We're struggling hard.
Give it all you got! This is very much in the wheelhouse of SEAL training.
Find your stroke! (John) Still at full strength, Team Rorke and Team Nick have their sights set on Team Noah.
(Rorke) It's about what you bring to the fight, above and beyond what your body can do.
They're gonna catch up! Go, go, go! Find it! Find it! (John) Who will be the next contestant to give up, ring out, and go home, on "American Grit"? (woman) No! No, no!
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