Top Gear (US) s02e04 Episode Script
Death Valley
Now on Top Gear, we set out on an epic journey to the most hostile environments in the country.
Death Valley I think my motor just blew up.
To find America's strongest off-roader.
Are you okay? Top Gear - 02x04 - Death Valley This is the Mojave Desert.
25 thousand square miles of snakes, sand, salt and rocks.
It's one of the harshest environments on earth and the ideal place to find America's strongest off-roader.
Oh, this just doesn't look good at all.
Look at how flat the lake bed is.
This is awesome.
It's just nothing.
We had each bought a 4x4 online for under $5,000 And apparently they were out here waiting for us Somewhere.
I think we're stopping.
Here? I think this is it.
This is it? Where the hell are we? I mean, where are the cars? I don't know.
Here.
Look over here.
That's us? That's got to be them.
How far is that? Gentlemen, prepare to be jealous.
Who got the Jeep? That would be me.
You are Daisy Duke.
Yes! Oh, stop it.
Foust: If you're going off-road and you've only got 5,000 bucks, you've got to go with a Jeep.
I'd gone for a 1983 lnline 6 C-J7 Renegade, the ultimate rock crawler, and a design so good, it's barely changed since the first Jeep back in the '40s.
You're gonna have to have a/c on here, right? No, that's one thing that it didn't have.
We are in the desert, and you got something without air-conditioning.
It's a dry heat.
I mean, I've got the bikini top.
You're gonna get blown away in this thing Death Valley with no doors whatsoever.
The craigslist ad left out the door thing.
What'd you get? Ferrara: I bought a '94 Ford Bronco XLT.
Back in the '60s, Broncos dominated off-road racing.
A big 351 V8 under the hood, this baby has the power and the heritage to destroy the others.
Doesn't it worry you, for the same money, I get an '83 Jeep, and this is such a pile of crap, it's 11 years newer for the same value? You mean I should be worried.
That some idiot took you on craigslist? No, it doesn't worry me at all.
That you don't know how to buy a car.
What year is it? '94.
What else happened in '94? I know what you're saying The O.
J.
chase in a Ford Bronco.
So I know it's good at slow speeds.
You bought an O.
J.
Bronco.
Yes, I did, baby.
And you know what else it's got? Air-conditioning.
Oh, boy.
No way.
Now, you guys need to see a real truck.
Wood: Nothing can beat this 1989 Chevrolet K5 Blazer.
This 350 V8 is bulletproof and had to be.
The military bought 70,000 of these, making them army-tough, the perfect vehicle for the challenge ahead.
If I learned anything from Alaska, I learned that Chevys rule off-road.
And it doesn't matter what they look like.
While the Chevy in Alaska was something of a phenomenon Thank you.
It was lightweight.
You remember? That was the key to that one.
This is lighter, shorter, smaller.
This is a tank.
This is a short, ugly suburban.
It's everything I need and not all the stuff I don't.
But you know what it does have, Tanner? Air-conditioning.
You guys and your air-conditioning.
Yeah, 'cause you're gonna die.
Hold the phone.
Oh, this is the challenge.
- Go ahead.
- Okay.
"To find out which of you "has America's toughest off-roader, you'll travel 400 miles to Vegas.
" Vegas, baby! Vegas! Now we're talking.
"To properly test your vehicles' off-road capabilities, "at no point during the first 350 miles can your tires touch asphalt.
" Wait a minute 350 miles off-road? You heard it.
To get to Vegas.
"Your first challenge is a speed test.
"To see which of your vehicles is fastest, "you'll compete in a drag race.
Winner gets first choice of the items at the finish line.
" A drag race? Aren't you glad you got your bikini top? That was actually sort of funny.
Thank you.
Wood: Two miles across a dry lake bed were three trailers, which would be our accommodations for the next 400 miles.
The winner of the drag race would get first choice.
All right, here we go.
My only concern is I don't want to hit a rut Not that rut, but a rut in the lake bed at speed and then flip over.
That would be bad.
Three, two, one, go! Noo! Oh, come on.
Already?! Ha ha ha ha! There we go.
There we go.
So long, fellas! Come on, come on, come on, Come on! Ferrara: The v8 was giving my Bronco an untouchable lead.
What was O.
J.
.
Thinking? With this kind of power, they should have just put the hammer down.
Noo! How's your bikini top now?! I'm losing Tanner in the dust.
Ohh, I can't see! It's like "Days of Thunder"! Come on, baby! Come on! I'm winning! Ha ha! Okay, so that means you get to go first, right? Yes, I do.
I may have won, but to be honest, I know as much about trailers as Rutledge knows about salads.
Now, I had to choose wisely 'cause these trailers were gonna be our homes until we hit civilization again.
We have the Barbie dream trailer Aerodynamic but ugly.
The pink teardrop.
The teardrop A classic American trailer.
Classic aerodynamic shape.
Wow.
Look in there.
Oh, crap.
Does this go up? That's a pop-up.
I see these at the NASCAR tracks all the time a lot of fun.
It's a bit of a gamble.
Because if it doesn't go up, you'reyou're stuck.
What is this? This is an off-road trailer.
Tires.
It appears they're all Crap.
All right, fellas.
After careful consideration I think I'm gonna take the pop-up.
The pop-up? Foust: Since I came in second, I had next choice.
I'm never gonna be able to pull this up a hill.
It looks heavy, but I got to take it.
Really? I have to take the pink teardrop? Yeah.
You know there's no way I could fit in there.
That's half the fun.
Let's go.
Wood: Our epic journey would start here in the heart of the Mojave Desert.
We head across Death Valley to Mount Charleston and then back on pavement for the final journey to Vegas.
Our 4x4s would have to overcome extreme terrain From perilous rocky passes to great seas of sand dunes.
Then There was Death Valley, home to the second-highest recorded temperature on earth 134 degrees.
This would be Vegas the hard way.
We were up and running.
The next challenge was to make it to the ghost town of Ballarat 100 miles away.
This gave us the chance to get to know our trucks and trailers before we hit the mountains.
Everything about this Jeep is made for off-roading.
The suspension I mean, it's not good at speed going over bumps, but rock crawling, for articulation, the wheelbase, the approach and departure All that kind of stuff Perfect for off-roading.
Even the engine design, the Inline 6 It's just an unstoppable force.
I always wanted a K5 Blazer 'cause you knew with a K5, it was gonna be tough.
I think this is the best off-roader.
Because it doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles.
What you see is what you get.
It's a strong 4x4 with a strong v8 in it.
I didn't say fast I said strong.
This car rides great for a '94.
With 219,000 miles on it.
Power everything.
And it works power windows.
Look at that.
Power door locks.
Power mirrors.
Big 351, which I destroyed them in the drag race, and air-conditioning.
You need that in Death Valley.
Adam made a conservative choice on picking the pop-up.
It weighs less than Tanner's trailer, but it still weighs a ton, I bet.
Tanner made a bad choice getting that off-road one.
Yes, it has ground clearance, but I bet it weighs 1,500 pounds, maybe more.
It's all steel.
Why'd you pick that? I think my trailer's more off-road worthy than the Jeep! But it is heavy as can be.
Wood: We arrived in the ghost town of Ballarat, Population, 3.
Now we need to pick up supplies for the rest of the journey.
One of the shacks appeared to be a general store.
It is open.
It was soon apparent that this wasn't your average store.
How you doing, sir? Good morning, sir.
How are you? Oh, pretty good, pretty good.
So we need to head over those mountains.
What do you have in the way of food? Oh, right now I just got some canned stuff over here.
And then I got some stuff in there.
Do you have any meat Like something Yeah, I got some meat.
I got some burro meat in there.
Burro? Yeah.
You better take that with you.
Wow.
Foust: We cleared out the store of food and water, but we had a small problem.
None of us had a stove to cook on, so we had to improvise.
I took the beans, Adam the vegetables, and Rut prepared the burro meat.
That is fresh.
This is so not the first time that you've done this, is it? Gently place it over intake manifold Braced on there correctly.
You guys, I think we are all set there.
What time do you guys want to eat? Wood: With dinner in the oven, we set out for the next stage of the journey.
Ahead, our 4x4s faced a dangerous, rough and rocky 30-mile pass through the mountains that would take us down into Death Valley.
As long as it's smooth road like this Shouldn't be a problem.
But if it gets really rough, this Jeep is gonna be brutal.
Look at this.
Oh, no.
This doesn't look good.
Oh, man.
This looks scary.
Ferrara: Steep canyons towered above us.
Holy crap.
This was a different type of off-roading altogether.
Hold on, guys, there's a tricky bit up here.
This looks nasty.
Foust: The rocks were wet with snowmelt from the peaks above.
With limited grip, the trailer becomes basically an anchor.
This was our first true test, and I needed a Guinea pig so I could protect my Jeep.
An overconfident new yorker was first in line to oblige.
If O.
J.
can get over on 12 jurors, he can get over this.
Am I clear to go? Yeah, go.
Come on.
Get on up there.
There you go.
Get on up there! Damn.
You might want to back up a little bit.
You dug a hole there.
That hurt.
This is more fun than you could possibly imagine to watch.
There you go.
Whoa! Let's go.
Oh, is that the rear end? Listen, fellas.
I have always yielded to your automotive knowledge and skill.
I'm no genius, but I don't think that's supposed to happen.
We are finding America's toughest off-roader on a quest from the Mojave Desert to Las Vegas.
It's a lot farther than I thought it was, to be honest with you.
Yeah, and there's a reason people don't do this for vacation.
- No.
- It's hard.
I mean, even though Adam won the first event, he just killed that Bronco in what I would call the worst display of off-road driving ever.
It was sad, actually.
It was.
And there's 300 miles to go.
You know but that's what you guys get for trying to take those things over big rocks, because that's what the Renegade was built for.
You guys good? Go ahead.
He's got the gear.
Come on, come on, come on.
There it is.
There you go.
That's a mess.
Oh, my gosh! He's gonna do it.
NoWay.
Yeah! That's what I'm talking about! Daisy Duke did it.
What the hell? How was that physically possible? No way.
Unbelievable.
Jeep rules.
What can I say? It's a Blazer's time to shine.
This is it.
I know it's gonna beat the Bronco since the Bronco died.
Want to dig in and let it fight, let it fight And then slowly accelerate.
Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go! I'm gonna need a winch.
You're gonna need a winch? Basically you're saying, "okay, my truck fails.
" I'm still working, so technically I beat the Bronco.
No, you haven't.
You didn't make it up.
I got up Eventually.
Second place is first loser, my friend.
I can do it.
This is it.
This is the one.
All right, give me everything you got.
Let's go.
Here it is.
Here it is! Go, go, go, go, go, go, go! Go! Yes! Yes! Yes! Look at the trailer! Totally fine! This took a long time.
I feel like the ones that have four wheels.
Should probably hit the road.
That'd be - Um, meAnd you.
- And me.
Okay.
Um - Yeah.
- We'll see you, Adam.
Think I'm gonna need a winch.
Watch out for the coyotes.
You don't think we should feel bad.
About leaving Adam in Ferrara Canyon, do you? No, it's done.
Foust: With Adam and the Bronco out of the picture, it was down to Jeep vs.
Blazer.
As we climbed higher into the mountains, we passed ancient mines haunted by the ghosts of men who died chasing their dreams And abandoned cars rusting back into the earth they came from.
This was no place to get stuck.
This was a place for a real 4x4.
My Jeep was leading the way.
Nothing could stop this off-road monster.
Whoa, big drop.
Ow! Ohh.
Ohh.
Okay, here's a ground-clearance test.
Whoa! My God.
This thing is so awesome.
Mother That is painful.
Wow.
Holy I even still have a trailer back there? Whoa! Yes! Whoa! Holy Hello.
Oh, that's steep! I am constantly amazed by this Jeep.
Wood: We were getting to the top of the hill, and my Blazer's chances at victory suddenly improved.
I think my motor just blew up.
Did you hear that? Yeah, what was that? Sounded like a gun went off.
I thought a gun did go off.
Okay, my Jeep just stopped.
This is unfortunate.
Pulled a plug out, didn't it? Oh, if dinner shorted something in my Jeep, I'm gonna be pissed.
I didn't want that stuff in there.
I'm not sure what's funny.
I can't believe that happened.
Oh The can did burst, yes, and fused the wires to the top of the can.
Oh, God.
Ohh.
Wood: It was really tragic to see the Jeep in this condition.
I wanted to do everything I could to help.
Ooh, oh, gosh.
Oh, God, that's hot.
Well, at least it's pretty good at cooking.
Do you have anything I can try this with? Mmm.
Your Jeep is delicious.
Is this your first time cooking and driving? I bet Adam can make a mean pasta sauce.
You know, 'cause he's Italian.
Yeah, I got it.
Foust: My wiring was screwed.
Luckily I could hot-wire myself out of listening to any more of Rutledge's small talk.
And Start.
By nightfall, the Jeep and the Blazer had made it 30 miles up and over the pass.
In the morning we would drive down below sea level to Death Valley.
But now it was time to eat, with what remained from Rutledge's engine cooking experiment.
Oh, oh.
Oh, I got it.
I got it.
What they call that.
Here.
I don't think you can eat that.
- If it's burned through like that.
- No, it'll be fine.
Oh, my gosh.
That does not look good.
Is it supposed to look like artichoke heart? It kind of looks like a turd.
It smells a lot like engine oil.
Waft it, waft it.
That's not right.
What other options do we have here, dude? Where are the vegetables? They're on the Bronco, aren't they? Adam was in charge of the vegetables.
He's probably dining right now.
Having some carrots, potatoes, zucchini.
And look at us.
Eating ass.
I'll go if you will.
That's terrible.
I don't think I'm gonna eat this.
Me either.
That was gross.
Foust: We had camped high in the hills above Death Valley.
But as the sun rose and began cooking the valley below, a low rumbling drowned out Rutledge's snoring.
Morning, fellas! Where's the big girl? Aw, I thought it was an earthquake.
Where did you come from? I came from the canyon where you left me to die.
Look at this.
No way.
Perfect.
What did you do? Oh, I see.
The tire was falling off, so you put It's a support to keep it in.
It was broke, and now it's not.
You don't have 4-wheel drive anymore.
I got 2-wheel drive.
Actually, it's front-wheel drive.
It's very rare.
Come on.
Let's go.
I could use some coffee and a pair of pants.
I could use a time machine to get this image out of my mind.
You know how tough this Ford is? Even I can't kill it.
Snapped an axle, patched it back together Keep going.
This Blazer is the best 4x4 in America.
K5 Blazer! I don't know how Rutledge can say his car's done super well.
You know, he didn't even want to climb that rock.
He wanted to winch up the rock face.
Adam and I had to talk him into driving his Blazer up the rock face.
I think he should get some points off for that.
Ferrara: Today our challenge was to take our truck 70 miles across Death Valley to the Nevada state line, and our moods weren't improving.
We couldn't agree on anything Who had the best 4x4, who was winning, even directions.
Which way do we go now? That's not a good omen, is it? No, that's like the bird of death.
You know what? Let's take that as a sign.
The crow is on that side That side equals death.
- Let's go that way.
- I like your thinking.
You know what's so great about this trip? Is that we came out here to find America's best 4x4.
Right.
Would you say that Adam's truck still qualifies? Not at all.
Why not? It's still here, and it's still going.
It's the best off-road vehicle.
That's 2-wheel drive.
And it's still kicking your ass.
It's not nothing has kicked the Blazer's ass.
Obviously I picked the best-looking vehicle.
Foust: Rutledge would not shut up about his Blazer.
It was time to bring him down a notch.
This has no place being here, but mine only has front-wheel drive, and I'm still keeping up, Hey, Rut.
So, you really can't feel that trailer back there, huh? Not at all.
It's like a feather.
Can you drive over the edge of the road here.
Like I'm doing right now? Yeah, let me try.
Yeah, no problem at all.
Okay, can you swing the trailer back and forth? That's the nice thing about having a heavy trailer is I can drift it.
All right.
Here, I'll try.
Oh, no! Oh, no! We're on the middle of our epic journey to find out once and for all what is America's toughest 4x4.
Oh, that's right.
It's the Bronco.
It's not the Bronco that just got taken out by a rock.
That was a Boulder.
Did you see the size of that thing? It's certainly not the unstoppable Jeep.
Which has been stopped by a side item.
Canned beans took that out.
It wasn't even an entree.
But I think you are talking about the Blazer, which, just as I suspected, sailing along without any problems.
- Oh, no problems, huh? - Mm-hmm.
That was, until somebody decided to mess with it.
No! Ha ha ha! Ohh, no.
Oh, look at that.
That can't be good.
Wood: My pink teardrop was shattered, and I was now trailer-less.
But something just didn't add up.
Hey, Tanner.
Yeah, Rut? You didn't mess with my trailer at all, right? I mean, I'm starting to think that you guys.
Are really jealous because you've had a lot of problems with the Jeep.
And the axle on the Bronco.
And the Blazer has been perfect the whole time, so I'm thinking maybe someone sabotaged me.
That's, uh, eh, wrong microphone.
I'm onMy radio.
I don't know if you can Eh, eh, er.
Foust: My plan had worked, and only my Jeep and trailer made it all the way through Death Valley unscathed, followed by two homeless guys with bad vehicle choices.
But my triumph was short-lived, because the route ahead was blocked by massive sand dunes.
If we couldn't find a way through them, our mission would be over.
Gentlemen, I think it's probably time to buckle up for this.
Good idea.
Oh, my gosh.
They're huge.
It's like driving in a giant litter box.
Those have got to be 10 stories tall, at least.
Just drive over it! Oh, Adam.
I have an aggressive driving style, and I see no reason to stop now, so hammer down straight up the hill.
Come on, wheel.
Hang on.
Here we go.
Damn it.
st: While Adam was wasting his time, I found a route through the sand dunes and took off on my own.
And sure enough, like two lost sheep, the other two followed.
Whoa! Ha ha! Whoa! Holy Oh, that was fun! Ha ha ha! Wow, man.
This keeps going.
This was perfect 4x4 territory, or 2x4 if you're Adam.
Yeah! Go, go, go, go, go! Watch, watch! Yeah, good girl.
Good girl.
Keep it going! Come on, baby, come on! That's it.
Downhill.
It's all downhill from here.
Adam, you look stuck.
Damn! A lot of people find it hard to get stuck that quickly, but not Adam.
I think if you just give me a push from behind, I'll roll right down.
Foust: There was no way I was gonna help the Bronco, so we took off and left Adam to work it out by himself.
Oh, come on! Damn! Where do we go now? There's another one! Ha ha ha! Whoo-hoo! Holy Yeah! I was wrong, Blazer.
You do still have some spin drift.
Wow, this is cool here.
This is the coolest trip ever.
Wood: An hour later, Adam caught up to us in his battered Bronco, and we made our way to the Nevada state line.
We crossed the worst of the wilderness and were only 50 miles from pavement.
The Bronco was on its last leg, but my Chevy was holding tough.
Adam and I spent the night in our trucks tossing and turning while Tanner slept peacefully in his trailer.
But we knew in the morning, the worst would be behind us.
But as the sun rose, we were confronted by another obstacle asphalt.
We can't touch the road.
I don't know.
I'll see if there's a way around this road.
We looked for an hour, but all roads led to dead ends.
To make it to the finish, we'd have to get creative.
I don't know if there's any way around this one.
I don't think there is.
Vegas is straight that way.
Ferrara: To succeed in our challenge, our tires could not touch asphalt until we reached mount Charleston.
I got a plan.
All right.
Tanner was eager to show off his higher education.
What in the world is your plan? Well, going through the dunes, you know, kind of inspired me.
The pharaohs, when they were doing their work, they used this ingenious system of rollers.
And you're gonna roll your truck over the system? There's lots of junk lying around here, guys.
It's all gold.
There is no way in hell that's gonna work.
You can't get this done.
Oh, you guys with your lack of vision Your Ford Bronco and your Blazer.
Failure! Now, I measured the wheelbase with the shadow.
And went fingertips to wrist.
All right, I think we're ready.
Looks like you're doing a DUI test.
Just lean your head back.
Foust: With Vegas only 100 miles away, I hated to leave my trailer and risk it, but there was no other way.
No idea if this is gonna work, but it's the only shot I can take here.
Showoff with 4 wheels.
Okay, I might need a little help getting off the ground.
Oh, you're not gonna push it now.
Come on.
Give me some help.
That is unbelievable.
NoWay.
This is working.
Hold on.
Push.
Just like the ancient pharaohs, I enlisted the common man to do my work.
All right, keep it coming.
Oh, yeah.
Let's we'll push.
I'm pulling hard.
One, two, three, push! Push! Go, go, go! It's working.
Okay, push! In neutral.
Gentlemen Hot damn.
Witness the sweet vision of victory.
Yeah! I'm across.
Adam's plan was about as subtle as you'd expect from a new yorker.
I'm gonna take the Bronco, I'm gonna go up this ridge here.
I'm gonna flip it on its side, then I'm gonna take the winch, gonna pull it right across.
You're gonna winch it across? Yeah.
How's that gonna work? All right, here we go.
Now, look.
I know this is gonna scratch the paint, but this is tough enough to take it.
Dear lord, please don't let this kill him.
They can't do this with a Jeep or a Chevy.
This is a Bronco.
Oh, he's going fast.
Slow it down.
Slow it down.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Easy, killer.
Whoa.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Stop! There we go.
Almost there.
Holy Are you okay? Are you okay? In our journey to find America's toughest off-roader, we have conquered sand and stone.
But in an attempt to cross a tiny piece of asphalt, someone has done one of the most ridiculous things ever.
Just between us Do you hate cars? I mean, why do you have to kill all the good ones? What is it we're trying to test here? We're trying to test the toughest 4x4.
So you have to put it up to a tough test.
You don't put it on rollers.
And push it across the street like Cleopatra.
But it worked great.
No, you got to put it through a tough test.
My car's tough on its roof, it's tough on its side, it's tough on everything.
Take a look.
Almost there.
Holy Hey! Are you okay? How are you doing? Are you okay? Yeah, I didn't count on that.
See? I told you it could take it.
That's true.
You have the controller for your winch? You could have just borrowed mine, but this is much better.
- You okay in there? - Yeah.
All right, before I get out, do we need anything else? Ferrara: As far as I was concerned, I was still following the rules.
We were told our tires couldn't touch pavement.
It didn't say anything about using the side of the truck.
Oh, so smooth.
Nice and easy.
Oh, look at that.
That's it.
Huh? That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen.
Perfect! Ooh, that chapstick's hot.
Ohh! Yes! Look, this is just cosmetic.
Just cosmetic? It's just cosmetic.
This will be fine.
It's all right.
- You ruined it.
- It's not ruined.
You just go and put a piece of glass, you paint this up It's fine.
This is America's most ruined formerly 4x4, now 2x4.
Look how tough this thing is.
Looks so sad.
It's Ford tough, baby.
Foust: Just when I thought I'd seen the worst idea, it was Rutledge's turn.
Oh, good.
I could use a hand.
I found three pieces of carpet, and I've attached them together.
Now I need a little help lifting the last piece over.
I'm gonna attach it like a big tank track.
I'm gonna drive on over to the other side.
Excuse me, Patton.
Have you thought about how you're gonna see? Oh I got it now.
Just a tiny little glitch I wasn't thinking about.
All right, Blazer.
You haven't let me down yet.
All right, Patton.
Let the tank run! Don't let me down now.
Mr.
Big Hammer.
Big Hammer, go! No way is that working.
There you go.
Wait.
Don't get in front of me.
You're about to touch right there.
What?! There's no way this is working.
You're about to touch again.
Oh, dear.
I lost my hat.
Am I across? I can't tell.
No, you're not across yet.
Keep going! Full throttle! Turn right! Wow, I made it! You've got to be kidding me.
I told you it would work! Who's the best 4x4 in the country? An '89 Blazer, that's who.
Foust: Somehow their two ridiculous ideas worked, and we were off.
Good God, Adam.
You got some smoke coming through there.
Adam's brilliant plan left engine oil in all the wrong places, but somehow the Bronco was still working.
I can't see anything behind.
Wood: From here, using dirt roads and berms along the pavement, it was an easy trek to mount Charleston, where we'd finally be allowed back on pavement for our next challenge.
ra: By dawn, we had made it up the trail to Mount Charleston, a snowy peak towering nearly 12,000 feet above Las Vegas.
We were allowed back on asphalt and ready for our last challenge.
All right, gentlemen.
"From now on you can drive on paved roads, "but it won't be easy.
"Your final destination Trump lnternational Hotel Las Vegas.
" Nice.
"You each have 3 gallons of gas to make it there.
"It is 52 miles away, and the first to Trump Tower gets the presidential suite.
" Presidential suite? Presidents stay there.
The Blazer gets 14 miles a gallon.
That's 42 miles, so we're gonna be 10 miles short, and you all aren't gonna do any better.
Okay, the good news? It's downhill.
- I got an idea.
- Me too.
All right, let's mount up.
This will work.
This will work.
Seriously, it's downhill.
Foust: I knew the key to getting good gas mileage was smart driving technique.
As for the other two, God only knows what they'd come up with.
Those guys have completely trashed their trucks.
What in the hell have you done to your truck? I've removed the excess weight.
You removed the excess truck.
Yeah.
It weighs absolutely nothing now.
You just want it to look like a Jeep.
I really don't.
So you lost the weight, but you've also got worse aerodynamics.
Way worse.
You got a giant playhouse off the back of your house.
It's a boat tail.
That looks like an RV for homeless people.
Wood: Modeled after the back of a boat, my Blazer would cut through the wind like, well, a boat through water.
I mean, look at this.
I've got my safety flag, for one.
But you see how look at this it's so aerodynamic.
You've added like 300 pounds of duct tape.
I got a nice nap in.
I feel pretty good.
You guys ready for the drive? - You didn't do nothing? - You've done nothing? It's good the way that it sits.
Wow.
This is not gonna work.
All right, fellas.
First one there, presidential suite.
- You ready? - Yeah.
Go! - Where's he going? - Later.
I got another plan.
Foust: We were off to a screaming start.
Whee! I decided to use the Jeep for what it's best at Off-roading.
There's no way Adam's gonna get to Vegas with that piece of crap.
He'll blow a tire, an engine, something.
Hell, he might roll it.
He came down the mountain! Tanner's gonna drive too fast, run out of gas too quick.
Then me and the boat-tail Blazer come sailing through.
We got a big downhill, fellas.
See ya! Adam rode his brakes, afraid that too much friction on his axle-repair job could cause his tire to blow, while we let gravity save gas.
Yeah! It's like a roller coaster! Ohh! Can you go any faster? The boat tail's officially drafting.
Adam, can you still hear us? I just lost my hat! Ferrara: 20 minutes later, we had reached the bottom of the mountain.
There it goes.
My tire was shredded, and to save weight, I dumped the spare.
Oh, God.
The Bronco gave me everything it had, but O.
J.
was finished.
I'm gonna go back and get my hat.
Wood: With Adam's Bronco out again, it was back to Jeep vs.
Blazer.
Wood: We were nearing the end of our epic 400-mile journey to Vegas to find the strongest 4x4 in America.
We had survived mountains, Death Valley, and the Mojave Desert.
And we were now on our last challenge A 52-mile race back on pavement to Vegas with only 3 gallons of gas each.
Adam's Bronco had finally met its end, so it was down to Jeep vs.
Chevy.
My gas tank was almost empty, but then There it is.
There's Vegas! With just 15 miles to the Trump Casino, I knew all I had to do to win was wait for Tanner and the Jeep to get bored with hyper-miling.
Why are you going 40 miles an hour? This is killing me.
I went 400 miles off-road.
I'm not gonna lose this challenge now.
The Blazer's gonna win.
Dude, I'm out of here.
See ya! All right, I hope you don't run out of gas.
We're going for it now! This little Jeep is doing awesome 65 miles an hour, humming along.
You know, it's just like Tanner to take off.
It's "tortoise and the hare" That's what this is.
Cars always get better gas mileage at slow speeds, so I think 45's a good speed to run for this.
His hyper-milling stuff is lame, lame, lame, lame.
Uh-oh.
Car's dying, car's dying, car's dying.
Oh, I see it! I see the Trump! How did the needle get pegged so low so fast? Wood: Now on the strip and only 2 miles away, I still had to conserve fuel.
Meanwhile, Tanner's aggressive driving had cost him.
What are those guys handing out? Those trading cards? Easy on the throttle.
Feather it.
Feather it.
I can see it right there.
That's it.
We're ditching it.
Oh.
Oh.
One more light.
That's all I need.
Oh, there it is.
Coming to drop-off.
I made it, I made it, I made it, I made it, I made it! Hey, take care of this thing.
Last time I was here, somebody put a boat tail on it.
- I'll take care of it.
- Thank you.
You're a good man.
That's right, that's right.
Give it up for the Blazer, America's most awesome 4x4.
Now, see, it's not about "awesome," it's about tough.
Look how tough that Bronco is.
It's still going after that beating.
That thing is going nowhere.
It was fast.
It was like a red rocket flying through the air, but the fact is, is that the Jeep towed the heaviest trailer all the way through the desert.
That, I think, makes it the toughest.
That's pretty tough.
It's allergic to beans, but it's pretty tough.
Either way, neither of them made it to the Trump tower in Vegas, which is exactly what the challenge was.
The Blazer did.
End of story.
I win.
Thanks for watching.
Let me hear it.
Death Valley I think my motor just blew up.
To find America's strongest off-roader.
Are you okay? Top Gear - 02x04 - Death Valley This is the Mojave Desert.
25 thousand square miles of snakes, sand, salt and rocks.
It's one of the harshest environments on earth and the ideal place to find America's strongest off-roader.
Oh, this just doesn't look good at all.
Look at how flat the lake bed is.
This is awesome.
It's just nothing.
We had each bought a 4x4 online for under $5,000 And apparently they were out here waiting for us Somewhere.
I think we're stopping.
Here? I think this is it.
This is it? Where the hell are we? I mean, where are the cars? I don't know.
Here.
Look over here.
That's us? That's got to be them.
How far is that? Gentlemen, prepare to be jealous.
Who got the Jeep? That would be me.
You are Daisy Duke.
Yes! Oh, stop it.
Foust: If you're going off-road and you've only got 5,000 bucks, you've got to go with a Jeep.
I'd gone for a 1983 lnline 6 C-J7 Renegade, the ultimate rock crawler, and a design so good, it's barely changed since the first Jeep back in the '40s.
You're gonna have to have a/c on here, right? No, that's one thing that it didn't have.
We are in the desert, and you got something without air-conditioning.
It's a dry heat.
I mean, I've got the bikini top.
You're gonna get blown away in this thing Death Valley with no doors whatsoever.
The craigslist ad left out the door thing.
What'd you get? Ferrara: I bought a '94 Ford Bronco XLT.
Back in the '60s, Broncos dominated off-road racing.
A big 351 V8 under the hood, this baby has the power and the heritage to destroy the others.
Doesn't it worry you, for the same money, I get an '83 Jeep, and this is such a pile of crap, it's 11 years newer for the same value? You mean I should be worried.
That some idiot took you on craigslist? No, it doesn't worry me at all.
That you don't know how to buy a car.
What year is it? '94.
What else happened in '94? I know what you're saying The O.
J.
chase in a Ford Bronco.
So I know it's good at slow speeds.
You bought an O.
J.
Bronco.
Yes, I did, baby.
And you know what else it's got? Air-conditioning.
Oh, boy.
No way.
Now, you guys need to see a real truck.
Wood: Nothing can beat this 1989 Chevrolet K5 Blazer.
This 350 V8 is bulletproof and had to be.
The military bought 70,000 of these, making them army-tough, the perfect vehicle for the challenge ahead.
If I learned anything from Alaska, I learned that Chevys rule off-road.
And it doesn't matter what they look like.
While the Chevy in Alaska was something of a phenomenon Thank you.
It was lightweight.
You remember? That was the key to that one.
This is lighter, shorter, smaller.
This is a tank.
This is a short, ugly suburban.
It's everything I need and not all the stuff I don't.
But you know what it does have, Tanner? Air-conditioning.
You guys and your air-conditioning.
Yeah, 'cause you're gonna die.
Hold the phone.
Oh, this is the challenge.
- Go ahead.
- Okay.
"To find out which of you "has America's toughest off-roader, you'll travel 400 miles to Vegas.
" Vegas, baby! Vegas! Now we're talking.
"To properly test your vehicles' off-road capabilities, "at no point during the first 350 miles can your tires touch asphalt.
" Wait a minute 350 miles off-road? You heard it.
To get to Vegas.
"Your first challenge is a speed test.
"To see which of your vehicles is fastest, "you'll compete in a drag race.
Winner gets first choice of the items at the finish line.
" A drag race? Aren't you glad you got your bikini top? That was actually sort of funny.
Thank you.
Wood: Two miles across a dry lake bed were three trailers, which would be our accommodations for the next 400 miles.
The winner of the drag race would get first choice.
All right, here we go.
My only concern is I don't want to hit a rut Not that rut, but a rut in the lake bed at speed and then flip over.
That would be bad.
Three, two, one, go! Noo! Oh, come on.
Already?! Ha ha ha ha! There we go.
There we go.
So long, fellas! Come on, come on, come on, Come on! Ferrara: The v8 was giving my Bronco an untouchable lead.
What was O.
J.
.
Thinking? With this kind of power, they should have just put the hammer down.
Noo! How's your bikini top now?! I'm losing Tanner in the dust.
Ohh, I can't see! It's like "Days of Thunder"! Come on, baby! Come on! I'm winning! Ha ha! Okay, so that means you get to go first, right? Yes, I do.
I may have won, but to be honest, I know as much about trailers as Rutledge knows about salads.
Now, I had to choose wisely 'cause these trailers were gonna be our homes until we hit civilization again.
We have the Barbie dream trailer Aerodynamic but ugly.
The pink teardrop.
The teardrop A classic American trailer.
Classic aerodynamic shape.
Wow.
Look in there.
Oh, crap.
Does this go up? That's a pop-up.
I see these at the NASCAR tracks all the time a lot of fun.
It's a bit of a gamble.
Because if it doesn't go up, you'reyou're stuck.
What is this? This is an off-road trailer.
Tires.
It appears they're all Crap.
All right, fellas.
After careful consideration I think I'm gonna take the pop-up.
The pop-up? Foust: Since I came in second, I had next choice.
I'm never gonna be able to pull this up a hill.
It looks heavy, but I got to take it.
Really? I have to take the pink teardrop? Yeah.
You know there's no way I could fit in there.
That's half the fun.
Let's go.
Wood: Our epic journey would start here in the heart of the Mojave Desert.
We head across Death Valley to Mount Charleston and then back on pavement for the final journey to Vegas.
Our 4x4s would have to overcome extreme terrain From perilous rocky passes to great seas of sand dunes.
Then There was Death Valley, home to the second-highest recorded temperature on earth 134 degrees.
This would be Vegas the hard way.
We were up and running.
The next challenge was to make it to the ghost town of Ballarat 100 miles away.
This gave us the chance to get to know our trucks and trailers before we hit the mountains.
Everything about this Jeep is made for off-roading.
The suspension I mean, it's not good at speed going over bumps, but rock crawling, for articulation, the wheelbase, the approach and departure All that kind of stuff Perfect for off-roading.
Even the engine design, the Inline 6 It's just an unstoppable force.
I always wanted a K5 Blazer 'cause you knew with a K5, it was gonna be tough.
I think this is the best off-roader.
Because it doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles.
What you see is what you get.
It's a strong 4x4 with a strong v8 in it.
I didn't say fast I said strong.
This car rides great for a '94.
With 219,000 miles on it.
Power everything.
And it works power windows.
Look at that.
Power door locks.
Power mirrors.
Big 351, which I destroyed them in the drag race, and air-conditioning.
You need that in Death Valley.
Adam made a conservative choice on picking the pop-up.
It weighs less than Tanner's trailer, but it still weighs a ton, I bet.
Tanner made a bad choice getting that off-road one.
Yes, it has ground clearance, but I bet it weighs 1,500 pounds, maybe more.
It's all steel.
Why'd you pick that? I think my trailer's more off-road worthy than the Jeep! But it is heavy as can be.
Wood: We arrived in the ghost town of Ballarat, Population, 3.
Now we need to pick up supplies for the rest of the journey.
One of the shacks appeared to be a general store.
It is open.
It was soon apparent that this wasn't your average store.
How you doing, sir? Good morning, sir.
How are you? Oh, pretty good, pretty good.
So we need to head over those mountains.
What do you have in the way of food? Oh, right now I just got some canned stuff over here.
And then I got some stuff in there.
Do you have any meat Like something Yeah, I got some meat.
I got some burro meat in there.
Burro? Yeah.
You better take that with you.
Wow.
Foust: We cleared out the store of food and water, but we had a small problem.
None of us had a stove to cook on, so we had to improvise.
I took the beans, Adam the vegetables, and Rut prepared the burro meat.
That is fresh.
This is so not the first time that you've done this, is it? Gently place it over intake manifold Braced on there correctly.
You guys, I think we are all set there.
What time do you guys want to eat? Wood: With dinner in the oven, we set out for the next stage of the journey.
Ahead, our 4x4s faced a dangerous, rough and rocky 30-mile pass through the mountains that would take us down into Death Valley.
As long as it's smooth road like this Shouldn't be a problem.
But if it gets really rough, this Jeep is gonna be brutal.
Look at this.
Oh, no.
This doesn't look good.
Oh, man.
This looks scary.
Ferrara: Steep canyons towered above us.
Holy crap.
This was a different type of off-roading altogether.
Hold on, guys, there's a tricky bit up here.
This looks nasty.
Foust: The rocks were wet with snowmelt from the peaks above.
With limited grip, the trailer becomes basically an anchor.
This was our first true test, and I needed a Guinea pig so I could protect my Jeep.
An overconfident new yorker was first in line to oblige.
If O.
J.
can get over on 12 jurors, he can get over this.
Am I clear to go? Yeah, go.
Come on.
Get on up there.
There you go.
Get on up there! Damn.
You might want to back up a little bit.
You dug a hole there.
That hurt.
This is more fun than you could possibly imagine to watch.
There you go.
Whoa! Let's go.
Oh, is that the rear end? Listen, fellas.
I have always yielded to your automotive knowledge and skill.
I'm no genius, but I don't think that's supposed to happen.
We are finding America's toughest off-roader on a quest from the Mojave Desert to Las Vegas.
It's a lot farther than I thought it was, to be honest with you.
Yeah, and there's a reason people don't do this for vacation.
- No.
- It's hard.
I mean, even though Adam won the first event, he just killed that Bronco in what I would call the worst display of off-road driving ever.
It was sad, actually.
It was.
And there's 300 miles to go.
You know but that's what you guys get for trying to take those things over big rocks, because that's what the Renegade was built for.
You guys good? Go ahead.
He's got the gear.
Come on, come on, come on.
There it is.
There you go.
That's a mess.
Oh, my gosh! He's gonna do it.
NoWay.
Yeah! That's what I'm talking about! Daisy Duke did it.
What the hell? How was that physically possible? No way.
Unbelievable.
Jeep rules.
What can I say? It's a Blazer's time to shine.
This is it.
I know it's gonna beat the Bronco since the Bronco died.
Want to dig in and let it fight, let it fight And then slowly accelerate.
Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go! I'm gonna need a winch.
You're gonna need a winch? Basically you're saying, "okay, my truck fails.
" I'm still working, so technically I beat the Bronco.
No, you haven't.
You didn't make it up.
I got up Eventually.
Second place is first loser, my friend.
I can do it.
This is it.
This is the one.
All right, give me everything you got.
Let's go.
Here it is.
Here it is! Go, go, go, go, go, go, go! Go! Yes! Yes! Yes! Look at the trailer! Totally fine! This took a long time.
I feel like the ones that have four wheels.
Should probably hit the road.
That'd be - Um, meAnd you.
- And me.
Okay.
Um - Yeah.
- We'll see you, Adam.
Think I'm gonna need a winch.
Watch out for the coyotes.
You don't think we should feel bad.
About leaving Adam in Ferrara Canyon, do you? No, it's done.
Foust: With Adam and the Bronco out of the picture, it was down to Jeep vs.
Blazer.
As we climbed higher into the mountains, we passed ancient mines haunted by the ghosts of men who died chasing their dreams And abandoned cars rusting back into the earth they came from.
This was no place to get stuck.
This was a place for a real 4x4.
My Jeep was leading the way.
Nothing could stop this off-road monster.
Whoa, big drop.
Ow! Ohh.
Ohh.
Okay, here's a ground-clearance test.
Whoa! My God.
This thing is so awesome.
Mother That is painful.
Wow.
Holy I even still have a trailer back there? Whoa! Yes! Whoa! Holy Hello.
Oh, that's steep! I am constantly amazed by this Jeep.
Wood: We were getting to the top of the hill, and my Blazer's chances at victory suddenly improved.
I think my motor just blew up.
Did you hear that? Yeah, what was that? Sounded like a gun went off.
I thought a gun did go off.
Okay, my Jeep just stopped.
This is unfortunate.
Pulled a plug out, didn't it? Oh, if dinner shorted something in my Jeep, I'm gonna be pissed.
I didn't want that stuff in there.
I'm not sure what's funny.
I can't believe that happened.
Oh The can did burst, yes, and fused the wires to the top of the can.
Oh, God.
Ohh.
Wood: It was really tragic to see the Jeep in this condition.
I wanted to do everything I could to help.
Ooh, oh, gosh.
Oh, God, that's hot.
Well, at least it's pretty good at cooking.
Do you have anything I can try this with? Mmm.
Your Jeep is delicious.
Is this your first time cooking and driving? I bet Adam can make a mean pasta sauce.
You know, 'cause he's Italian.
Yeah, I got it.
Foust: My wiring was screwed.
Luckily I could hot-wire myself out of listening to any more of Rutledge's small talk.
And Start.
By nightfall, the Jeep and the Blazer had made it 30 miles up and over the pass.
In the morning we would drive down below sea level to Death Valley.
But now it was time to eat, with what remained from Rutledge's engine cooking experiment.
Oh, oh.
Oh, I got it.
I got it.
What they call that.
Here.
I don't think you can eat that.
- If it's burned through like that.
- No, it'll be fine.
Oh, my gosh.
That does not look good.
Is it supposed to look like artichoke heart? It kind of looks like a turd.
It smells a lot like engine oil.
Waft it, waft it.
That's not right.
What other options do we have here, dude? Where are the vegetables? They're on the Bronco, aren't they? Adam was in charge of the vegetables.
He's probably dining right now.
Having some carrots, potatoes, zucchini.
And look at us.
Eating ass.
I'll go if you will.
That's terrible.
I don't think I'm gonna eat this.
Me either.
That was gross.
Foust: We had camped high in the hills above Death Valley.
But as the sun rose and began cooking the valley below, a low rumbling drowned out Rutledge's snoring.
Morning, fellas! Where's the big girl? Aw, I thought it was an earthquake.
Where did you come from? I came from the canyon where you left me to die.
Look at this.
No way.
Perfect.
What did you do? Oh, I see.
The tire was falling off, so you put It's a support to keep it in.
It was broke, and now it's not.
You don't have 4-wheel drive anymore.
I got 2-wheel drive.
Actually, it's front-wheel drive.
It's very rare.
Come on.
Let's go.
I could use some coffee and a pair of pants.
I could use a time machine to get this image out of my mind.
You know how tough this Ford is? Even I can't kill it.
Snapped an axle, patched it back together Keep going.
This Blazer is the best 4x4 in America.
K5 Blazer! I don't know how Rutledge can say his car's done super well.
You know, he didn't even want to climb that rock.
He wanted to winch up the rock face.
Adam and I had to talk him into driving his Blazer up the rock face.
I think he should get some points off for that.
Ferrara: Today our challenge was to take our truck 70 miles across Death Valley to the Nevada state line, and our moods weren't improving.
We couldn't agree on anything Who had the best 4x4, who was winning, even directions.
Which way do we go now? That's not a good omen, is it? No, that's like the bird of death.
You know what? Let's take that as a sign.
The crow is on that side That side equals death.
- Let's go that way.
- I like your thinking.
You know what's so great about this trip? Is that we came out here to find America's best 4x4.
Right.
Would you say that Adam's truck still qualifies? Not at all.
Why not? It's still here, and it's still going.
It's the best off-road vehicle.
That's 2-wheel drive.
And it's still kicking your ass.
It's not nothing has kicked the Blazer's ass.
Obviously I picked the best-looking vehicle.
Foust: Rutledge would not shut up about his Blazer.
It was time to bring him down a notch.
This has no place being here, but mine only has front-wheel drive, and I'm still keeping up, Hey, Rut.
So, you really can't feel that trailer back there, huh? Not at all.
It's like a feather.
Can you drive over the edge of the road here.
Like I'm doing right now? Yeah, let me try.
Yeah, no problem at all.
Okay, can you swing the trailer back and forth? That's the nice thing about having a heavy trailer is I can drift it.
All right.
Here, I'll try.
Oh, no! Oh, no! We're on the middle of our epic journey to find out once and for all what is America's toughest 4x4.
Oh, that's right.
It's the Bronco.
It's not the Bronco that just got taken out by a rock.
That was a Boulder.
Did you see the size of that thing? It's certainly not the unstoppable Jeep.
Which has been stopped by a side item.
Canned beans took that out.
It wasn't even an entree.
But I think you are talking about the Blazer, which, just as I suspected, sailing along without any problems.
- Oh, no problems, huh? - Mm-hmm.
That was, until somebody decided to mess with it.
No! Ha ha ha! Ohh, no.
Oh, look at that.
That can't be good.
Wood: My pink teardrop was shattered, and I was now trailer-less.
But something just didn't add up.
Hey, Tanner.
Yeah, Rut? You didn't mess with my trailer at all, right? I mean, I'm starting to think that you guys.
Are really jealous because you've had a lot of problems with the Jeep.
And the axle on the Bronco.
And the Blazer has been perfect the whole time, so I'm thinking maybe someone sabotaged me.
That's, uh, eh, wrong microphone.
I'm onMy radio.
I don't know if you can Eh, eh, er.
Foust: My plan had worked, and only my Jeep and trailer made it all the way through Death Valley unscathed, followed by two homeless guys with bad vehicle choices.
But my triumph was short-lived, because the route ahead was blocked by massive sand dunes.
If we couldn't find a way through them, our mission would be over.
Gentlemen, I think it's probably time to buckle up for this.
Good idea.
Oh, my gosh.
They're huge.
It's like driving in a giant litter box.
Those have got to be 10 stories tall, at least.
Just drive over it! Oh, Adam.
I have an aggressive driving style, and I see no reason to stop now, so hammer down straight up the hill.
Come on, wheel.
Hang on.
Here we go.
Damn it.
st: While Adam was wasting his time, I found a route through the sand dunes and took off on my own.
And sure enough, like two lost sheep, the other two followed.
Whoa! Ha ha! Whoa! Holy Oh, that was fun! Ha ha ha! Wow, man.
This keeps going.
This was perfect 4x4 territory, or 2x4 if you're Adam.
Yeah! Go, go, go, go, go! Watch, watch! Yeah, good girl.
Good girl.
Keep it going! Come on, baby, come on! That's it.
Downhill.
It's all downhill from here.
Adam, you look stuck.
Damn! A lot of people find it hard to get stuck that quickly, but not Adam.
I think if you just give me a push from behind, I'll roll right down.
Foust: There was no way I was gonna help the Bronco, so we took off and left Adam to work it out by himself.
Oh, come on! Damn! Where do we go now? There's another one! Ha ha ha! Whoo-hoo! Holy Yeah! I was wrong, Blazer.
You do still have some spin drift.
Wow, this is cool here.
This is the coolest trip ever.
Wood: An hour later, Adam caught up to us in his battered Bronco, and we made our way to the Nevada state line.
We crossed the worst of the wilderness and were only 50 miles from pavement.
The Bronco was on its last leg, but my Chevy was holding tough.
Adam and I spent the night in our trucks tossing and turning while Tanner slept peacefully in his trailer.
But we knew in the morning, the worst would be behind us.
But as the sun rose, we were confronted by another obstacle asphalt.
We can't touch the road.
I don't know.
I'll see if there's a way around this road.
We looked for an hour, but all roads led to dead ends.
To make it to the finish, we'd have to get creative.
I don't know if there's any way around this one.
I don't think there is.
Vegas is straight that way.
Ferrara: To succeed in our challenge, our tires could not touch asphalt until we reached mount Charleston.
I got a plan.
All right.
Tanner was eager to show off his higher education.
What in the world is your plan? Well, going through the dunes, you know, kind of inspired me.
The pharaohs, when they were doing their work, they used this ingenious system of rollers.
And you're gonna roll your truck over the system? There's lots of junk lying around here, guys.
It's all gold.
There is no way in hell that's gonna work.
You can't get this done.
Oh, you guys with your lack of vision Your Ford Bronco and your Blazer.
Failure! Now, I measured the wheelbase with the shadow.
And went fingertips to wrist.
All right, I think we're ready.
Looks like you're doing a DUI test.
Just lean your head back.
Foust: With Vegas only 100 miles away, I hated to leave my trailer and risk it, but there was no other way.
No idea if this is gonna work, but it's the only shot I can take here.
Showoff with 4 wheels.
Okay, I might need a little help getting off the ground.
Oh, you're not gonna push it now.
Come on.
Give me some help.
That is unbelievable.
NoWay.
This is working.
Hold on.
Push.
Just like the ancient pharaohs, I enlisted the common man to do my work.
All right, keep it coming.
Oh, yeah.
Let's we'll push.
I'm pulling hard.
One, two, three, push! Push! Go, go, go! It's working.
Okay, push! In neutral.
Gentlemen Hot damn.
Witness the sweet vision of victory.
Yeah! I'm across.
Adam's plan was about as subtle as you'd expect from a new yorker.
I'm gonna take the Bronco, I'm gonna go up this ridge here.
I'm gonna flip it on its side, then I'm gonna take the winch, gonna pull it right across.
You're gonna winch it across? Yeah.
How's that gonna work? All right, here we go.
Now, look.
I know this is gonna scratch the paint, but this is tough enough to take it.
Dear lord, please don't let this kill him.
They can't do this with a Jeep or a Chevy.
This is a Bronco.
Oh, he's going fast.
Slow it down.
Slow it down.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Easy, killer.
Whoa.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Stop! There we go.
Almost there.
Holy Are you okay? Are you okay? In our journey to find America's toughest off-roader, we have conquered sand and stone.
But in an attempt to cross a tiny piece of asphalt, someone has done one of the most ridiculous things ever.
Just between us Do you hate cars? I mean, why do you have to kill all the good ones? What is it we're trying to test here? We're trying to test the toughest 4x4.
So you have to put it up to a tough test.
You don't put it on rollers.
And push it across the street like Cleopatra.
But it worked great.
No, you got to put it through a tough test.
My car's tough on its roof, it's tough on its side, it's tough on everything.
Take a look.
Almost there.
Holy Hey! Are you okay? How are you doing? Are you okay? Yeah, I didn't count on that.
See? I told you it could take it.
That's true.
You have the controller for your winch? You could have just borrowed mine, but this is much better.
- You okay in there? - Yeah.
All right, before I get out, do we need anything else? Ferrara: As far as I was concerned, I was still following the rules.
We were told our tires couldn't touch pavement.
It didn't say anything about using the side of the truck.
Oh, so smooth.
Nice and easy.
Oh, look at that.
That's it.
Huh? That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen.
Perfect! Ooh, that chapstick's hot.
Ohh! Yes! Look, this is just cosmetic.
Just cosmetic? It's just cosmetic.
This will be fine.
It's all right.
- You ruined it.
- It's not ruined.
You just go and put a piece of glass, you paint this up It's fine.
This is America's most ruined formerly 4x4, now 2x4.
Look how tough this thing is.
Looks so sad.
It's Ford tough, baby.
Foust: Just when I thought I'd seen the worst idea, it was Rutledge's turn.
Oh, good.
I could use a hand.
I found three pieces of carpet, and I've attached them together.
Now I need a little help lifting the last piece over.
I'm gonna attach it like a big tank track.
I'm gonna drive on over to the other side.
Excuse me, Patton.
Have you thought about how you're gonna see? Oh I got it now.
Just a tiny little glitch I wasn't thinking about.
All right, Blazer.
You haven't let me down yet.
All right, Patton.
Let the tank run! Don't let me down now.
Mr.
Big Hammer.
Big Hammer, go! No way is that working.
There you go.
Wait.
Don't get in front of me.
You're about to touch right there.
What?! There's no way this is working.
You're about to touch again.
Oh, dear.
I lost my hat.
Am I across? I can't tell.
No, you're not across yet.
Keep going! Full throttle! Turn right! Wow, I made it! You've got to be kidding me.
I told you it would work! Who's the best 4x4 in the country? An '89 Blazer, that's who.
Foust: Somehow their two ridiculous ideas worked, and we were off.
Good God, Adam.
You got some smoke coming through there.
Adam's brilliant plan left engine oil in all the wrong places, but somehow the Bronco was still working.
I can't see anything behind.
Wood: From here, using dirt roads and berms along the pavement, it was an easy trek to mount Charleston, where we'd finally be allowed back on pavement for our next challenge.
ra: By dawn, we had made it up the trail to Mount Charleston, a snowy peak towering nearly 12,000 feet above Las Vegas.
We were allowed back on asphalt and ready for our last challenge.
All right, gentlemen.
"From now on you can drive on paved roads, "but it won't be easy.
"Your final destination Trump lnternational Hotel Las Vegas.
" Nice.
"You each have 3 gallons of gas to make it there.
"It is 52 miles away, and the first to Trump Tower gets the presidential suite.
" Presidential suite? Presidents stay there.
The Blazer gets 14 miles a gallon.
That's 42 miles, so we're gonna be 10 miles short, and you all aren't gonna do any better.
Okay, the good news? It's downhill.
- I got an idea.
- Me too.
All right, let's mount up.
This will work.
This will work.
Seriously, it's downhill.
Foust: I knew the key to getting good gas mileage was smart driving technique.
As for the other two, God only knows what they'd come up with.
Those guys have completely trashed their trucks.
What in the hell have you done to your truck? I've removed the excess weight.
You removed the excess truck.
Yeah.
It weighs absolutely nothing now.
You just want it to look like a Jeep.
I really don't.
So you lost the weight, but you've also got worse aerodynamics.
Way worse.
You got a giant playhouse off the back of your house.
It's a boat tail.
That looks like an RV for homeless people.
Wood: Modeled after the back of a boat, my Blazer would cut through the wind like, well, a boat through water.
I mean, look at this.
I've got my safety flag, for one.
But you see how look at this it's so aerodynamic.
You've added like 300 pounds of duct tape.
I got a nice nap in.
I feel pretty good.
You guys ready for the drive? - You didn't do nothing? - You've done nothing? It's good the way that it sits.
Wow.
This is not gonna work.
All right, fellas.
First one there, presidential suite.
- You ready? - Yeah.
Go! - Where's he going? - Later.
I got another plan.
Foust: We were off to a screaming start.
Whee! I decided to use the Jeep for what it's best at Off-roading.
There's no way Adam's gonna get to Vegas with that piece of crap.
He'll blow a tire, an engine, something.
Hell, he might roll it.
He came down the mountain! Tanner's gonna drive too fast, run out of gas too quick.
Then me and the boat-tail Blazer come sailing through.
We got a big downhill, fellas.
See ya! Adam rode his brakes, afraid that too much friction on his axle-repair job could cause his tire to blow, while we let gravity save gas.
Yeah! It's like a roller coaster! Ohh! Can you go any faster? The boat tail's officially drafting.
Adam, can you still hear us? I just lost my hat! Ferrara: 20 minutes later, we had reached the bottom of the mountain.
There it goes.
My tire was shredded, and to save weight, I dumped the spare.
Oh, God.
The Bronco gave me everything it had, but O.
J.
was finished.
I'm gonna go back and get my hat.
Wood: With Adam's Bronco out again, it was back to Jeep vs.
Blazer.
Wood: We were nearing the end of our epic 400-mile journey to Vegas to find the strongest 4x4 in America.
We had survived mountains, Death Valley, and the Mojave Desert.
And we were now on our last challenge A 52-mile race back on pavement to Vegas with only 3 gallons of gas each.
Adam's Bronco had finally met its end, so it was down to Jeep vs.
Chevy.
My gas tank was almost empty, but then There it is.
There's Vegas! With just 15 miles to the Trump Casino, I knew all I had to do to win was wait for Tanner and the Jeep to get bored with hyper-miling.
Why are you going 40 miles an hour? This is killing me.
I went 400 miles off-road.
I'm not gonna lose this challenge now.
The Blazer's gonna win.
Dude, I'm out of here.
See ya! All right, I hope you don't run out of gas.
We're going for it now! This little Jeep is doing awesome 65 miles an hour, humming along.
You know, it's just like Tanner to take off.
It's "tortoise and the hare" That's what this is.
Cars always get better gas mileage at slow speeds, so I think 45's a good speed to run for this.
His hyper-milling stuff is lame, lame, lame, lame.
Uh-oh.
Car's dying, car's dying, car's dying.
Oh, I see it! I see the Trump! How did the needle get pegged so low so fast? Wood: Now on the strip and only 2 miles away, I still had to conserve fuel.
Meanwhile, Tanner's aggressive driving had cost him.
What are those guys handing out? Those trading cards? Easy on the throttle.
Feather it.
Feather it.
I can see it right there.
That's it.
We're ditching it.
Oh.
Oh.
One more light.
That's all I need.
Oh, there it is.
Coming to drop-off.
I made it, I made it, I made it, I made it, I made it! Hey, take care of this thing.
Last time I was here, somebody put a boat tail on it.
- I'll take care of it.
- Thank you.
You're a good man.
That's right, that's right.
Give it up for the Blazer, America's most awesome 4x4.
Now, see, it's not about "awesome," it's about tough.
Look how tough that Bronco is.
It's still going after that beating.
That thing is going nowhere.
It was fast.
It was like a red rocket flying through the air, but the fact is, is that the Jeep towed the heaviest trailer all the way through the desert.
That, I think, makes it the toughest.
That's pretty tough.
It's allergic to beans, but it's pretty tough.
Either way, neither of them made it to the Trump tower in Vegas, which is exactly what the challenge was.
The Blazer did.
End of story.
I win.
Thanks for watching.
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