World's Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji (2020) s01e05 Episode Script

[Bear Grylls] Previously,
on the World's Toughest Race
the harsh weather conditions of Day 4
[ screams ]
wreaked havoc on the 59 remaining teams
making their way through the 11-day,
671-kilometer race.
We're having a hard time.
but our goal is to just keep moving.
[Grylls] The difficult terrain challenged
every athlete's will to push through pain
and continue the race.
Any time we were hoping
to potentially get back,
has been washed out the window here.
[Grylls] While some teams prevailed
Yoo hoo hoo!
the teams at the back of the pack
struggled to stay in the race.
[ yells out ]
The bilibili was sitting up
on top of the water;
now it's sitting in the water.
We were paddling
as hard as we possibly could,
and still just moving so slow.
So, we were the last one in
under the cutoff last night.
[Grylls] The "dark zone"
of the whitewater rapids
allowed Teams Gippsland Adventure
and Tiki Tour
to catch up to race leaders New Zealand.
[Nathan Fa'avee]
It's a bit of bad luck for us.
By stopping the race,
it brings teams back together
that you had basically got out of sight of.
[Grylls] And after a day
of neck-and-neck racing,
the three teams at the front of the pack
checked in to Camp 3 at Lutu village
for a mandatory 90-minute rest period.
There's a real special rivalry
between Australia and New Zealand.
And we'd just so dearly love
to beat them and Tiki Tour.
Hopefully, they'll start to buckle
towards the end.
[Grylls] At this point, it's anyone's race.
♪♪♪
[Grylls] After stopping at Camp 3
for a mandatory 90-minute rest period,
Team New Zealand
has been trekking along Leg 4
for the past 4 hours,
in an attempt to permanently
separate themselves
from the other frontrunner teams,
who are still sleeping back at camp.
It is nice to be in the lead, because
then you go at your own speed
and, I think mentally, it puts you
in a good headspace as well.
But you've got to be willing
to take some risks, and I think
if we can get away while the
rest of the teams are sleeping,
this could be, like, a
major, major part of the race.
Is it possible we've come off
like, higher upstream?
I guess I feel this is the better option here.
Let's just go.
[Grylls] Covering more than 80 kilometers
in total distance,
Leg 4, the Highland Leg,
begins with a trek from Camp 3
to the base of Vuwa Falls.
It's here that teams must ascend
over 1,000 vertical feet
up the face of the falls,
while navigating over slippery rocks
and through ice-cold water.
This climb is the most physically-demanding
section of the race,
where one false move could be fatal.
If teams can make it to the top of the falls,
they'll be rewarded
with their fourth medallion of the race.
And look, you just get
this incredible view here of the Vuwa Falls,
and the team are going to be coming up
this river valley.
This terrain is brutal underfoot.
And this stage, after almost 60 kilometers
of jungle trekking behind them,
this is gonna break many teams.
Next, a series of bouldering fields
and rope climbs
will lead teams to an 8-kilometer swim
in frigid waters, in the pools
above Vuwa Falls.
From there, teams will paddleboard
16 kilometers
and then begin a 50-kilometer trek
through the highlands of the Silicon Valley
until they reach Camp 4.
♪♪♪
[ Grylls] After completing a 5-hour jungle trek,
traversing the 1,000-foot rope climb
up the face of the falls at night
is a high-stakes, high-reward gamble
that could put New Zealand
in the driver's seat of the race,
if they've got the stamina
to complete this daunting task.
- How's it going?
- Good.
Do you know which of these
is the easier or hard one?
No idea.
All right.
I'd rather climb this one.
[Grylls] Performing this climb in the dark
inflicts a level of sensory deprivation
upon the racers
that makes every aspect
of conquering the terrain
more difficult and more dangerous.
For us to win this race
we sort of look for what our team sort
of calls a "race-winning opportunity."
And the time is now.
We know there's teams
breathing down our neck.
But first, they've got to catch us
and then they've got to pass us.
If we want to continue to be a champion team
I just think you have to just
suck it up and push on.
I think our team is very good at doing that.
I often think that if I'm suffering,
then so will everyone else be
through the section.
So, it's probably a good thing.
[ grasshopper chirping ]
Come on, Sophie.
♪♪♪
[Grylls] After several hours
of strenuous climbing in the dark,
Team New Zealand finally reaches
the summit of Vuwa Falls.
They've sacrificed getting any rest
to secure their fourth medallion.
Woo hoo! Look what I found! Hee, hee, hee!
[ laughs ]
Pure gold.
[Camera Op] How good did that feel?
We were successful, but yeah, just a bit slower
going than we anticipated, so we're just sort of
hoping to get through and get
a bit of sleep before it got light.
But I suspect we'll be still out there
in the light.
We have to sleep during the day or something.
We'll see what happens.
- Are we doing any more wet stuff?
- Yeah.
Apparently, we've got to be prepared to swim.
We'll basically follow the stream
on upward for another 6 or 7k.
I guess it'll take a while,
given what it was like earlier.
We'll find out.
We're going. Cheers.
[Grylls] 160 kilometers
behind the race leaders,
the teams at the back of the pack
are finishing the jungle leg
as they pull into Camp 2.
[ applause ] Woo hoo!
Ah! Hiya.
Whoa!
- Well done!
- Thank you.
[Grylls] Team Able Abels arrives
ahead of the Day 5 12:30 p.m. cutoff time,
after a gnarly 40-kilometer
mountain bike section.
[Lauren] Cold.
You cold? You need those wet clothes off.
It's cold all of a sudden.
I literally spent like 12 and a half hours
sitting in water.
- Just sitting in water.
- Yeah. Yeah. Bilibili?
- Like, whole body.
- Was the bilibili horrible?
Yeah, I mean, literally, we were treading
so much water.
Teams were passing us,
their entire boat and self
were out of the water.
Like, their feet weren't even in water.
[Lauren] When you're out there by yourself
and you're just grinding away,
it can get really tough.
Camp is such a mental re-boost.
It helps so much.
Physically, mentally, everything.
They're exhausted, and I've told them,
labor and delivery of a baby will be nothing
compared to Eco-Challenge Fiji,
'cause this is so hard.
[ applause ]
[Col VS Malik] Hey, girls.
Well done, well done, well done.
[Grylls] Team Khukuri Warriors has spent
the last 8 hours on bikes,
battling the Fijian jungle to finish Leg 2.
[Tashi Malik] It's been
an incredible journey, but it's been hard.
I mean, Nungshi, me,
and obviously the team,
we got our bikes like one week
before getting here.
We've never done more than 20 or 30 Ks
on a bike,
so we did struggle
because it's so long and far,
but I'm just amazed how everybody's body's
pushing them through right now.
And, yeah, keep progressing
as camps come by.
[ cheering ]
[Grylls] Running on just a few hours' sleep
in the last five days,
Team Onyx reaches Camp 2
in a state of exhaustion.
We made it to Camp 2, however many days
of racing this has been.
It wasn't necessarily any easier
than the first couple days.
It had its own unique set of challenges.
It was a long, long day.
Hey, Doctor Bob.
[Grylls] And finally, Team Stray Dogs,
the oldest team still competing,
arrives in last place,
after biking more than 10 hours.
Welcome to Camp 2.
The cutoffs so far have really tested
this team,
and it's only gonna get more challenging.
Mwah!
[Adrian Crane] Because the course
is difficult and tricky,
we are ending up near the cutoffs.
It's a very fine balance between pushing
your teammates too hard
and backing off so much that
you just aren't making the time.
Because of the ravages of a few extra years,
we are really trying to get each other
through this.
'Cause we know it's easy to break these, uh,
weary bodies of ours, so
We're all kind of, I think, need some sleep.
[ laughs ]
[Grylls] Team New Zealand
is over 100 kilometers ahead
of teams that are just now starting
the Navua River whitewater rapids.
That's a lead of
almost two full days of racing.
As the rafting dark zone opens at 6 a.m.,
the first team to emerge
are the race veteran women
Bula!
Bula bula. Welcome.
Do you know, uh Ah!
What's the name of the village
we're gonna arrive?
It's Waimboni. Waimboni.
Do you know anybody there?
Uh, we've got a family. You've got a
'Cause we're gonna need help there.
Yeah, no worries.
- There's some people down there.
- Thank you.
[Karina] The hospitality of Fijian people,
it was amazing.
They're so genuine, so natural, so happy.
- Bula bula, vinaka!
- Bula.
[Karina] Glad to see you, you know,
and glad to touch your hand,
glad to make you a smile.
They want to help.
They're special people.
Right, see you guys! Bula!
[Grylls] As best friends in college,
first started Eco-Challenge racing in 2002.
This is the only team in the challenge
with three female members.
[Karina] I did this race 17 years ago.
Before, it was just me, you know?
I was a daughter.
Now, I'm a mother.
So, when you're a mother,
things change completely.
[ all exclaiming ]
[Karina] What I want my kids to say about me,
that I was a life eater?
I don't know, that I lived my life
very intensely.
[ speaking Portuguese ]
If you see a rock in the river,
just reach over to the bank and push away.
[Grylls] The fourth member
José, is filling in
for a very important teammate
who couldn't be here
his wife, Cris.
[Shubi] When we used to
Cris, she used to be one of our teammates.
She used to be our coach also.
She taught us how to be strong, you know,
and not complaining about life.
Never.
And four years ago, she passed away,
from cancer.
And it has been a long time
that we are not racing.
And when we had the opportunity
to bring the team back together again
Woo hoo!
there isn't a better chance
to do something for her.
We still have her in our hearts,
and throughout the race,
we're going to remember
her, all the time, for sure.
Woo hoo!
[Grylls] 74 kilometers
back at Camp 2,
teams are starting to depart
for the river leg.
This leg starts with teams mountain biking
over 59 kilometers
of varied and unforgiving terrain,
to reach the starting point
for the river rafting.
[Allison Abel] You feel great,
you feel great, you feel wonderful.
I love you.
Let's rock 'n' roll, bitches!
I'll be waiting at the next stop!
[Mark Macy] Let's do it!
Team Costa Rica, extraordinary team.
Extraordinary in the sense that
we have the same "pura vida,"
and "pura vida" means "pure life,"
and it means everything is awesome,
everything's joy.
[all] Bula bula!
[Eduardo] We're all friends,
we grew up together,
we're constantly spending times
and adventures together
[ kids cheering ]
we share this passion for being joyful,
for taking on life,
and it's what keeps us going.
I think there's a really strong element
inside of us that binds this team.
[ chirping ]
[Grylls] The first all-African-American team
in Eco-Challenge history, Team Onyx,
is using Camp 2 to rejuvenate themselves
before the next leg.
Up 'til last night, I think we all had
four hours of sleep in four days,
is basically what we've been living on.
So, we just got about 5 hours of sleep.
Outside of that, you can't ask for more.
Five hours doesn't sound like much
when you're at home and you sleep,
but when you do something like this,
five hours is two days' worth of sleep
in one.
So, we're feeling good.
I just found out that we have
a very long trek coming up,
and it's in the mountains,
so, I am so excited.
This is finally my element.
I am extremely proud to be representing
the U.S. in Eco-Challenge Fiji.
Back home, I run as a professional trail
mountain ultra runner.
I've done multiple 100Ks, 50 miles,
50K races.
Now, I, you know, race as an openly gay man.
But I didn't come out
until I was almost 26 years old.
I've had a big platform to stand on
and just kind of be an advocate
for the LGBTQ community
in the endurance world,
along with the black community,
all people of color,
to show them, like, hey,
get out, be outside,
go do these just awesome experiences
that are out there.
Get another medallion.
- I'm ready for this.
- [Clifton] Yes.
[ laughs ]
[Grylls] Just outside of Namuamua village,
Team Able Abels must navigate the first
of a few river crossings
located along the mountain bike trail.
[ frog singing ]
Dad, what are we doing?
I just think we should walk in a a line.
- Then stop.
- So, I am stopping.
I'm just trying to make a hole
so you guys can get through those boulders.
Being a captain
and being a father on the same team
is like a razor's edge.
You can just grab onto the bike
or me, my arm, but we go, okay?
There's really a conflict here, in terms of
looking out for the safety of my daughters
as a father,
versus making choices as a team,
as to, do we go forwards the river,
or do we go around,
do we look for a better spot?
- Almost there.
- Okay.
Almost there.
I care about them more than I would
a normal racer.
They're my own blood.
I feel a humongous amount of pressure,
in terms of when I'm gonna push them
and have them push through adversity or not,
and I'm gonna look out for them
before I want to go find a checkpoint.
[Dan] What's up, ladies?
Next is a bitch of a climb.
Every mountain has a summit.
It doesn't last-- Every climb has a top.
It doesn't last forever. All right?
- Yeah.
- [ laughs ]
[ Ashley laughs ]
- Sure.
- She says with a bit of a tone.
- [ laughs ]
- Just a smidge.
[Grylls] Not far from Team Able Abels,
Team Khukuri Warriors are having
their own issues
with the mountain bike section.
[ cow moos ]
I just want to get past this bike section.
And then I'm rolling. [ laughs ]
I'm not very fond of mountain biking
going uphill.
Going down is crazy, 'cause you're flying.
But, yeah, just pulling this thing up
with a lot of weight on you
Ah.
We are We just keep taking
one step at a time, I suppose.
Keep the breathing going.
Don't want to die here, so
Yeah, keeping that pace
and maintaining it for the next leg too.
[Grylls] So, below me are the Khukuri twins
from India.
And they represent
all those brave women in India
who are fighting for gender equality.
This is their first World's Toughest Race,
and it's definitely been a struggle for them.
But they're still in,
and they are still fighting.
Yay!
[ horse whinnies ]
[Grylls] 130 kilometers to the northwest,
at the Gaganura Falls,
Team New Zealand is finishing
the final section of the ropes course.
After more than 8 hours of navigating
slippery rocks and ice-cold water,
it has proven a monumental task
for these endurance race veterans.
I haven't done an adventure
race in the last four years.
My husband Nick and I had two children.
And then I stepped back and took on
a new role as being a mom,
and that is hard, you know?
Changing your own identity and, you know,
losing that sort of independence.
Before kids, I could train
whenever I wanted to.
Now, when I am out training,
I spend most of the time thinking about
how I need to hurry up
and get back home again.
There's a lot of guilt that goes on,
and in terms of preparing myself
for the task, it has been really hard.
I'm racing with three super strong,
super talented guys,
and I have a lot of doubt in my ability
to complete the race
to a level that I would be satisfied with.
That wasn't that long ago
that I was sitting on the couch,
you know, breastfeeding.
How's it going?
Getting a bit tired.
But, uh, yeah
it's just taking a lot longer
than what we expected.
And hoped.
I know, just like, gonig up very slimy rocks,
and you can't really see that much at night.
How far do you think you're ahead?
No idea. No idea, actually.
Could be a few hours, but they
would've had some sleep, so
we've just pushed on without any.
Anyway, we're pretty much at
the top of the ropes stuff, and
the tape leads us to here,
and we've got to go that way.
Well Shall we get swimming?
Get this over with?
Oh, really?
[ Nathan laughs ]
Awesome.
My favorite early-morning pastime.
The jungle looks pretty much impenetrable.
Well, if we're swimming,
I'm gonna take this off.
[Nathan] You're just gonna brave the cold.
[Grylls] Team New Zealand has been trekking
and climbing all night,
and at this point, sleep deprivation
will definitely affect their ability
to navigate this section of the course.
For the next 8 kilometers,
they must swim and trek
through these bone-chilling waters,
where the water temperature hovers
at 58 degrees Fahrenheit.
This is the most brutal part of Leg 4.
Once teams hit the piercing water,
the dense jungle serves as a barricade that
keeps them submerged for most of the route.
If they can reach this bit,
get out of the water,
push on to that next checkpoint,
it's gonna really be like downhill
towards the end of this race.
But, realistically, this cold jungle water
at this elevation,
we're gonna see teams quitting
in terms of morale
and just not being able to go any further.
Eight and a half kilometers
behind Team New Zealand,
Team Gippsland of Australia
is in second place,
as they charge up
this treacherous 500-meter climb.
We're good, and we're
feeling good, so keep going.
We have a great rivalry,
Australia and New Zealand.
But last night, we chose to
take quite a long four-hour sleep.
Now, we're gonna catch back up to the lead
and, um, yeah, knock off the Kiwis.
I know that ledge is pretty
good, but it can be slippery.
[Kathryn Preston] Yeah, yeah.
I noticed the same thing.
[Grylls] Climbing during daylight hours
after a good night's rest
appears to be helping them narrow
the distance behind Team New Zealand.
But Vuwa Falls isn't called
the Widow Maker for nothing.
One slip on this, and it's over.
A little bit more, keep going!
I'm racing with my wife, Kathryn Preston.
We've been racing together
for probably 10 or 12 years now.
Kathryn is one of the strengths of our team.
She's a real hidden talent
that not a lot of people know of.
[Rob] Go, go, go!
She's one of the strongest athletes
in the sport.
[Grylls] But even for the best climbers,
the wet, slippery, near-vertical boulders
of Vuwa Falls
present a supreme test
of both strength and skill.
Three more meters!
More to go!
Just trying to move efficiently ourselves
is the idea.
[Grylls] Tight on the heels
of Team Gippsland,
Team Canada has moved into third place.
They're optimistic about overtaking
the Australians,
but Vuwa Falls has cursed
these Eco-Challenge veterans in the past.
Hey, not bad.
The top of Vuwa Falls, that's exactly
where our team dropped out in 2002.
We were doing reasonably well,
but we contracted a jungle foot rot
on our feet.
It became so painful that we had to drop out,
and it was crushing.
It was kind of like it is now.
It was a very big part of our lives,
and, you know, we really wanted it
to work out.
We just took a couple of wrong turns,
and lost a few places,
so, it's a bit disappointing.
Progress was pretty slow
because of the slipperiness of the rocks.
I think Tom suddenly thought
we might have missed
the turnoff to get up to the Highlands.
So, we went back down
probably for about 20 minutes.
And then realized, actually, we probably
hadn't missed it and went back up again.
[ laughs ] So, that was another 40 minutes
just like that, gone.
[Grylls] 100 kilometers
back at the Navua River
the veteran members of Team Costa Rica
are facing their most intense moment
of this entire challenge.
Her comeback, I don't know if you know this,
it's important to say,
Veronica died and was brought back to life
in a competition,
a rafting section of a competition.
I came into this challenge with a
lot of fears, because, years ago
I drowned and was resuscitated
in an adventure race.
So, when I get to the rafting portion
I'm like, "Oh my God, I'm so scared."
All right, you in the front. Veronica, you get
in the middle or sit close to here next to me.
That way, you're within my reach, and we'll have
Gerhard and Sergio in front paddling strong.
[Eduardo] Veronica's attitude
is extraordinary.
She is unique in the sense
that she is so adaptable.
She's always willing to do her best
and try to help us
in any way, and that characteristic
is very special in a team,
because you're gonna adapt to
what everybody is feeling at some point.
I tell Eduardo
"I don't know what I'm going
to do if the boat flips
because I will panic."
And he tells me, "Everything will be fine."
And then the moment passes, and you realize
maybe that's why you're there. To be resilient.
To overcome obstacles
throughout your total life.
[ all yelling in Spanish ]
¡Pura vida!
The payoff in adventure
racing is more excitement.
So, I will always want more of it.
[Grylls] 104 kilometers back,
only one team remains at Camp 2.
Team Onyx is the absolute last team
to depart.
Every other team's already left Camp 2
and begun the river leg,
which starts off with
a demanding mountain bike section.
The biggest challenge, I think,
was just all the mishaps that were happening.
One of the recent sections where we had
the bilibili started to sink.
And so, we lost 2 hours.
But we're still charging.
We're still together.
So, we were looking forward to this section
where it was on land mostly
and showing people we could do it.
Woo hoo!
[ all yelling in excitement ]
[Clifton] That's a great pace, guys.
Great pace.
[ laughing ]
[Coree] Leaving Camp 2 going to Camp 3,
you had 25, 30 miles
of big roads in the mountains.
You have these great views,
really steep uphills.
So, I was really excited for that,
'cause I felt that our team
can make up a lot of time,
since we have a lot of strong runners
and hikers and cyclists on the team.
Ooh!
Bula.
Loving the hills, loving the jungle.
Panting like a panther.
Get to the top with everyone.
Some, you walk.
Some, you ride.
Some, you scream downhill.
Woo woo woo woo woo!
Yeah!
Woo!
[Grylls] Leaving Camp 2,
teams must first complete
a hilly, 68-kilometer mountain bike trail
through the jungle,
and this ascends over 1,750 meters
in elevation.
And just the scale of this jungle.
I mean, these teams are like tiny
The people are literally like
tiny little pinpricks.
You know, and just, if you set
a normal person down in this
and said, "Go 5 kilometers,"
99% of the world's population
would be broken.
Recent rains combined with heavy traffic
from the lead teams
that have already passed through
have transformed this red volcanic clay
into a muddy, red muck.
[Eroni Takape] I'm a cyclist.
And I'm an ultra marathon runner,
but Eco-Challenge really is
the toughest race in the world.
[Grylls] The soupy red sludge is pushing
first-time Eco-Challenge competitors
Mad Mayrs to their limits.
[Tyson Mayr] This is a hill that never ends.
It's about 34, 35 degrees.
Humid as hell.
Coming up to probably
a 9,000-meter elevation in total
of what we've done.
That's just on this leg,
so including the last 24 hours,
we're well over 10,000.
This just hurts.
And it's hot.
[ Courtney breathing heavily ]
They said seven, eight hundred worth
of incline for this leg.
They didn't talk about the mud, though.
Good work, team!
What did I think of
the "mountain biking" section? Um
We were kind of hoping to do it, you
know, considering that eight hours, so
we're on our way to try and beat a dark zone
at the whitewater rafting,
so, you have to get there
before a certain time,
otherwise, you're locked out
until the next morning.
But it looks like we won't make it, so
Ow
- [Elijah] You good?
- There'll be more suffering. I'm sure of it.
Let's go home. No, I'm kidding. Let's finish.
Let's do it.
[Shane] Mace, can you believe it?
There's mud here.
[ laughs ] Yeah.
This is the Eco-Challenge way.
[Grylls] Below us now is Team Endure,
and you can't help but be moved
by their incredible story.
And, you know, Mark is one of the pioneers,
one of the old school of this sport.
And he's recently been diagnosed
with Alzheimer's,
and this really is probably going to be
his last race.
Travis, his son, who's one of
the fittest guys out there,
he's given up his chance to try and win this
to race alongside his father.
Watch this, guys. Watch that. Bamboo.
[Travis] Mountain biking uphill,
Dad is in his element.
He is just a badass dude who can handle
just about everything.
Dad, pause for a second.
I'll unjam behind that wheel.
Yeah, that's bad.
- [ laughs ]
- What's the matter with it?
It's just got a little dirt.
Being out here with my dad,
I kept thinking of this memory
of when I was a kid,
every night, Dad and I would walk
into the woods, taking our dogs for a walk.
You know. Darkness in the woods.
[ voice breaking ] And I was a kid,
and I just remember thinking
[ sniffs ]
"How can-- how can Dad not be afraid,
walking around here in the dark in the woods?
We got bears, we got mountain lions.
How can he not be afraid?"
[ sniffs ]
And I would reach into his pocket
and grab his hand,
and I would get this feeling of,
"It's gonna be okay.
I'm here with my dad,
and it's gonna be okay."
[ sniffs ]
The good news is, there's a shower
at the end of this somewhere.
I can't tell you how many times,
whether it was me or a teammate
or most likely, some random person
in a race, you know,
at a transition area or something,
they're struggling
and they're not going to make it through,
and they want to stop,
and Mark Macy goes over there
and talks to 'em
- You okay, Trav?
- I'm good.
[Mark] You got to do it.
It's either do it or go home.
That's our choice.
and, boom, they're back up
and they make it through,
and they get to the finish line,
and they find him,
and they say, "Thank you, Mark,
for getting me here."
[Dannelle] Good job, Mace.
And "I'm a better person
'cause I kept going."
[Travis] Good job, guys.
Good job, guys.
[Grylls] Back at the start
of the mud section,
Team Able Abels reaches Checkpoint 15.
[woman] How's it going?
[Lauren] Woo hoo!
So, this next mountain bike section
is basically bilibili squared.
- Just an FYI.
- What?!
It's like peanut butter,
and you're gonna want to be carrying
The whole way?
A lot of it.
One of the teams said it took them
like 10 hours.
Those are, like
Those are good lead teams, right?
- Those are like
- It's all good.
We're done at 10 tonight, then we
Yeah. You'll be fine.
Then you'll have lots of sleep.
- [Dan] Yeah. We're good.
- [Lauren] Okay, Ash, we've got to hustle.
I don't understand why you're just, like,
always so, such a drill sergeant.
Because you move in slow motion.
[ Dan laughs ]
[Lauren] Like, when we get cut,
you're gonna feel really shitty
about being such a brat.
- Yeah? You think so?
- Alright.
[woman] I feel like I'm sitting
in a station wagon
- on the way to vacation with you guys.
- [ Ashley laughs ]
- You have no idea.
- I'm-- poor Fletcher.
Bilibili squared.
That's a great and a horrible way of putting it.
[ Dan laughs ]
[Grylls] 150 kilometers from the teams
at the back of the pack,
race frontrunners Team New Zealand
have finally reached dry land
and are headed towards Checkpoint 22.
After almost 13 hours of navigating
the treacherous terrain along Leg 4,
the decision to push through the night
with zero sleep
has negatively affected this team's pace.
And spending the last few hours
in the freezing waterways of the jungle
has lowered their body core temperatures
to dangerously low levels,
and physically now, they are struggling.
Welcome to checkpoint. What's up, guys?
We have a warming tent for you.
- We have food, so
- Cool.
[Grylls] Emergency doctors with supplies
are standing by in a warming hut
at Checkpoint 22
to assess each team's ability
to continue the race
after completing the incredibly difficult
trek through the freezing waters.
You get seriously cold there at night.
There are blankets if anybody
wants to grab a blanket.
We are just at the midway stage of a long trek.
And we basically spent the last
not quite a day, but close
in and out of waterways.
And we've just been getting
increasingly cold,
and having to swim quite long distances
with packs and things.
And the rocks are just so incredibly slippery.
You can't even stand up on
them or walk on them.
So, it's been really, really taxing.
Really, really slow going.
And we've all gotten quite cold along the way.
But very, very grateful
for my steaming hot cup of coffee.
[ laughs ] Pleased to be here
and put on some warm, dry clothes.
[Grylls] This is a huge test right now
for Team New Zealand.
They are completely drained,
but they have to find the strength
to push on.
If they can't, the teams chasing them
may catch them very soon.
Having already conquered Vuwa Falls,
Team Gippsland, in second place, is now only
a few kilometers behind New Zealand
and is attacking the near-freezing waters
of the creek pools
that stand between them and the warming hut
at Checkpoint 22.
You were so hot just a moment ago,
and now, you're swimming with your pack
through these
never-ending pools of freezing cold
water, which we didn't expect in Fiji.
And we just wanted to keep
moving well and limit our mistakes.
But we have to just keep pushing and
keep pushing all the way to the finish line.
♪♪♪
[ shell sounding ]
[Grylls] 100 kilometers back,
which is over 40 hours of racing,
teams are making their way
to the Navua River,
to begin rafting 30 kilometers
of class-3 rapids.
[ trilling ]
Team Curl in the house!
Gray. Gray's cute. I like this.
[Grylls] Light-hearted Santa Cruz surfers
Team Curl
are progressing through this challenge
with their own unique motivation.
Uh, rafting. First time together.
We're toying with this dynamic of, like,
how competitive do we want to be?
And also, of course we wanted to finish,
but more importantly, I think
we just wanted to experience
what is Eco-Challenge in Fiji.
Ohh. Look at that.
Wow. You must really love your job.
- [ laughs ]
- I have the best job.
I get to see really, really gross feet.
We decided we're gonna do it our way,
which means having fun
and just encourage each other
with slapstick humor.
Winning hearts and minds.
Okay. I'm putting your filthy ball of dirt
up here next to you.
Dirt bag!
This looks like wow.
Whew!
- Alright.
- Alright, let's get wet.
Whew!
[ all howling ]
[Steven] It's been fun to be a part
of Team Curl.
Like, curly hair just in itself is weird.
Like, every day you wake up,
and you don't know what you're gonna have.
Sometimes I have a Q-tip on my head,
and sometimes I have, like, long,
like, surfer hair.
I never know who I'm gonna be
when I wake up.
I think all the curly people out there know
exactly what I'm talking about.
And if you don't, go get a perm.
Ee-hee!
[Grylls] 100 kilometers ahead,
Team Gippsland is finally completing
the near-freezing creek pools.
[Grylls] Oh, my God. Good job.
You legends.
That's a brutal leg, isn't it?
And cold in that water.
That is a brutal leg you've just done.
You know what?
You've just broken the back of this.
If you do that, you can see this home now.
You're number two,
but you can catch 'em.
A hundred percent.
You can catch these guys.
Well done. Respect.
Respect. You are amazing.
What a remarkable lady.
I do that for you. Come with me.
[Grylls] So, this is a huge moment for them.
You know, to come out of that length
of jungle trek and the climb and the water,
brutal, brutal, hardest part of the course.
And to get here, this is just a checkpoint
and a warming station,
they've got a bag of dry gear, some food,
some hot water, make it into a coffee,
and they'll be here minutes,
and then they're gone.
[Kathryn] All right. Rob, we're all going
to sign that together.
[Man] Good luck, guys.
[Kathryn] Yeah.
[Grylls] Just 14 kilometers
outside of Camp 2,
leading up to the Navua River
whitewater rapids,
Team Onyx is making slow progress.
[ all calling out ]
Nice, guys!
[ laughs ]
Bula!
Cliff's a heavier guy, so he's usually
coming up from the back, so,
on bigger hills, we'd wait
a couple of minutes,
and he'd show up and then start off again.
[ camera clicks ]
Here you go.
The waiting part wasn't unusual for us.
He shouldn't be that far back.
You know, he might be 3 minutes, 4 minutes.
Are you worried?
Holy cow, this is Something's not right.
It's been 10 minutes or so.
Let's go back and check.
[ groans ]
[ groans ]
Ah!
[Grylls] We've got a team down!
A team is down!
♪♪♪
[ roaring ]