01x09 - If We Don’t Move Fast, We’re Doomed

[bunniefuu]

[Bear Grylls] Previously,

on the World's Toughest Race

Over the past 7 days,

adventure racers from around the world

have pushed themselves

beyond human limits.

That was, like, surreal to me

what me and my twin have done.

[Grylls] In an attempt to tackle

this terrifying race course,

teams have suffered severely.

That was so hard.

[Grylls] Elite athletes have been put

to their ultimate test

Arriving to a limit in my mental

and physical strength.

and some have even been forced

to overcome their own personal demons,

just to stay alive.

I really went from being one of the top

female Ironman athletes in the world

to contemplating ending my life.

[Grylls] Team after team have fallen victim

to Fiji's brutal environment,

giving them no choice but to exit the race,

leaving only 49 out of 66 teams

still on the racecourse.

Teams have been racing

for over 150 consecutive hours

and are currently spread out

across 200 kilometers

of Fiji's unrelenting jungles,

mountains, and oceans.

[ cheering, applause ]

Only three teams have crossed

the finish line,

and all teams remaining have one goal--

survive and finish

this unprecedented expedition.

And while most teams in the back of the pack

decided to sleep at the base of Vuwa Falls

to avoid climbing in the dark

I don't think we should go up, personally.

Because we'll get hypothermic.

Team Iron Cowboy charged ahead

to brave the gutsy climb at night.

Yeah. I'm set. I'm ready. I'm excited!

I've been training for this.

[Grylls] Vuwa Falls is

a terrifying thousand-foot climb,

known to be one of the most strenuous points

on this racecourse,

and Team Iron Cowboy

is taking a big leap of faith

by attempting this death-defying ascent

in complete darkness.

Never done one of these

so, taking it step by step.

In our group, we've done 125 Ironmans,

so, we've got a lot of experience mentally.

We're a gritty-- gritty little group here.

This is winning

in the back of the pack.

But this is my jam. I love this stuff.

It's like, really active, mind work

and I'm loving pretty much every second of it.

[Grylls] While Sonja thrives

climbing the falls,

her teammates struggle to keep up,

falling further and further

behind their team captain.

This is the scary part for me.

In the dark

tired

frustrated.

None of us have

extensive climbing experience.

We're learning how to adventure race

in the toughest race on the planet.

This is the part we were pretty much

worried most about.

We've been doing it for four hours.

Pretty exhausted at this point.

[James] This is a sufferfest.

Every step along the way,

somebody else rolls up

and did what they needed to do

to get everybody else through.

I loved every rope.

It was awesome.

Tell me this is the top.

[ laughing ]

Yes! Woo!

[Sonja] Yeah!

Just patience and resilience, and one by one,

we made our way up to the top.

Yes!

- [Sonja] Woo hoo!

- Woo hoo!

[Sonja] Oh, wow.

[ kiss ]

I just hope my family's proud of me

when they see it all.

They helped me get up that, actually.

First breakdown of the race

right there, guys.

[Grylls] Over 170 kilometers ahead

on the racecourse,

lead teams are on the final ocean leg,

which is where the winning teams

had major trouble yesterday.

Each of these lead teams are fighting

for their top 10 position,

along with the bragging rights of finishing

the World's Toughest Race.

This ocean is definitely starting

to get rougher.

There are teams on the water.

Boy, are they gonna be feeling it

at this stage.

When the sea is this far out,

it starts to get rough.

It is going to be harrowing.

You know, trying to paddle one of

these small boats through thick waves,

against the wind,

it's gonna be a whole world of pain

for these lead teams.

[Emma] We wanted to arrive in the top 10,

and that's, for me, it's enough.

My body is completely out.

Run out of energy and everything.

We just fight for finish.

All the countries are here.

The best teams of the world.

So, it's the world championship.

So, the level is so high.

And it's perfect.

The weather,

it's a very big element in this race.

And, uh, it's like, quite demanding for us.

I've never done it on an outrigger.

I think they're moving the island.

It just didn't seem to ever

want to get any closer.

But, meanwhile, back on the main island,

the majority of the teams

in the World's Toughest Race

are still fighting for every inch,

and they are not having a good time.

That's where we're heading now,

to see how they're getting on.

They are really in the hurt locker,

many of them,

and they're getting

to the toughest part of the race.

Over 100 kilometers back,

Team Flying J are dealing with one of

the most pivotal spots on the racecourse--

the infamous pools above Vuwa Falls.

The rocks are slippery,

the bushes impenetrable,

and the water freezing.

Thank God we didn't do this last night.

Oh my God.

That would have sucked.

I'm Dianette Wells.

I'm the team captain of Team Flying J.

The incredible men I'm racing with,

are Guy LaRocque.

I've done many bike races with him.

My next guy is a former Navy SEAL.

His name is Harald Zundel.

He's the calmest, coolest,

most collected beast out there.

And then Blain Reeves.

And Special Ops won't really tell us

exactly what he does for the Army,

but, you know, he's a badass,

and I'm so happy to be racing with him.

Didn't expect this

long swim, early in the morning.

It's a little cold.

Feeling Fiji.

[Dianette] I'm one of the few

female team captains out there,

and I'm 53 now.

I have a lot of wear and tear.

But I'm nervous about

just keeping my mates just calm,

and letting nothing faze us.

You know, just like being a mom.

[ breathing heavily ]

Harald, he was falling all over the place

in the water.

And by this time, I was just so cold,

because we'd been going so long.

- Our swim's almost over.

- Yeah.

I can see the end.

Being in the jungle

and you're constantly wet,

the cold is unbelievable and unbearable.

It's the coldest I've ever been.

- [ sighs ]

- How slippery are these roads?

[ chuckles ]

The It's so hard to stand,

it's like being on ice without

without ice skates or clamp-ons or anything.

[ groans ]

It's worse-- it's worse than ice.

Uneven and flat.

[ straining ]

[Dianette] I think you're past the point

of stitches, right?

No, I need stitches.

[Dianette] Doesn't it have to be

within a certain time?

- [Dianette] It just reopened.

- Yeah, it did reopen.

On the bouldering section going up the river,

I slipped and banged up my shin

up at the rock,

and I split-- split it open,

so I could see the flesh almost to the bone,

and I'm like, "Oh-- not good."

Um, so we put a butterfly stitch on it

and some duct tape,

to, uh, you know, stop the bleeding,

and I'll get it checked out

at, uh, Checkpoint 23,

when there's a full medical staff,

because it is swollen right now,

so, I'm worried about infection

more than anything else right now.

It's a new day.

We're just ready to get moving, you know?

The finish line is in sight now,

and that's where we're headed.

[Grylls] 28 kilometers behind Team Flying J

are the back-of-the-pack teams,

who are fighting for every inch

on this racecourse just to stay alive.

They now have to tackle

the towering Vuwa Falls.

We're about to go and climb that.

I'm about to cry. [ laughs ]

It's giving me goosebumps.

We have been waiting for the waterfall.

Like, I was like, if I was to just make it

to the waterfall during the whole expedition,

that would be epic.

This is Day 7, and we finally made it

to the climbing section.

So, we are pumped, like,

we just want to do this,

and, like, have some fun up there,

in the slopes, and, yeah,

get some arms working.

Wow.

This is so unbelievable.

I feel like crying.

Vuwa Falls was just-- ah, it was so surreal.

Even though it was cold up there, that was

definitely one of the high moments.

I've, uh, always heard about this place.

Vuwa Falls.

My mom's from this province,

a village not far from here,

but I never grew up here.

This is my home. My home.

The best morning of my life.

Woo!

Even I live in Fiji, I've never seen

beautiful things like this in Fiji.

So yeah. [ laughs ]

What a great experience.

For the two Fiji teams to experience

some of the places that we don't even go,

I think if it wasn't for Eco-Challenge,

we'd never have seen

all those beautiful places.

This was amazing.

It was.

[Grylls] 20 kilometers ahead,

18-year-old Hunter and his dad,

from Team AR Georgia,

are halfway between Checkpoint 23

and Checkpoint 24,

as they make their way to Camp 4.

My dad started racing

probably three years prior to me starting,

and I was always out there, helping him out,

and I was like,

"Why can't I do this race with you?"

So, started racing when I was 7

and never stopped.

[Grylls] This section of the racecourse

is grueling.

Teams must navigate 16 kilometers

on paddleboards

through lakes, rivers, and tributaries.

And over the last few hours,

water levels have subsided,

making navigation hard and causing

extensive problems for the teams.

So, this is the stream,

but it looked like a dead end.

- Apparently not.

- We've been going west.

One of the things that I really want to make

sure that I don't do is let my team down.

And I have to get through that mentally

throughout the course.

I am the navigator.

So, I'm gonna have to really stay focused,

and the mental game is very important

in adventure racing.

And your team has to work together

to coach themselves at the right pace,

at the right time,

to make sure that you finish.

You're going to go directly there

from where the rapids were.

Let's see how far this goes

until it shallows out.

I know what you're saying.

I know where the point is.

But, um, if there's no water, it doesn't--

you know

We might have to put in

right there at the end to cross this river.

I think it would be quicker

to port it right now.

I think this is really slow-moving.

We're second-guessing.

If we just--

He knows where we are. We just need

to point in that direction and go

is my vote, but

we all have to agree so

[ laughs ]

The fun of teamwork here.

[Jeff] What do you see?

It's a big bank,

and it looks like it goes that way.

Hunter, this is the direction.

We want to go right that way.

Yeah, it looks like there's something there.

There's no easy part of this race.

You don't realize how tough the terrain

actually is here,

because we realized the last 20%

of every single leg is the hardest.

All of a sudden,

you're on a standup paddleboard,

and then you run out of water.

[Jeff] Where are you trying to go, Hunter?

I think that way, but I don't have the map,

so I'm just listening to him.

It kind of goes along that shore there

but the problem is, these high points

over here don't exist on the map.

If we get out, Dad

that looks like there's a trail that follows

the river all the way down.

I think one of our big problems

is just agreeing

and three of us wanting to do one thing,

one of us wanting to do the other,

but we're kind of having a little tension there.

[ laughs ]

[Grylls] 16 kilometers behind AR Georgia,

Team Flying J is at Checkpoint 23

seeking medical attention on Harald's shin.

His cut is deep, and signs of infection

are imminent.

[Dr. Carachi] Okay.

Uh, which one's the worst one?

- This one.

- So, this one there.

Alright, so, you want to swing your legs

around here?

Sure.

This is a a tough environment to race in,

and there's a lot of bacteria,

there's a lot of infection around

through the river,

as they're paddling in the sea.

In the bouldering section, I slipped off

of many slippery boulders

and smashed it right onto another boulder,

and it just opened up,

created a little gap.

Thanks.

Yeah, it's a point of 2.5 centimeters there.

It's full thickness, so it's all the way

through the skin there.

It also looks as if it's got the beginnings

of infection right there as well.

[Grylls] After injecting a local anesthetic,

the doctor must close the gaping wound

with stitches to prevent further infection,

with the hopes that Harald

and his team, Flying J,

can continue to the finish line.

I can feel that.

[Dr. Carachi] Do you want me

to put more local in?

- Mm, yeah, maybe.

- Yeah.

The wound shows early signs of infection.

However, I felt that the best option

was to give it a good, clean scrub

as best as possible,

and to try and prevent any further infections

from getting in.

The fact that it's infected

will make wound healing very difficult.

[Harald] I am worried, but I also know

that we're getting closer and closer

to the finish line, so

I'm going to follow the doctor's advice,

take the medication,

and just keep on pushing forward.

Flying J's gonna finish the race.

[Grylls] But ex Navy SEAL Harald isn't

the only one on Flying J who's struggling.

His teammate,

Ironman athlete Guy LaRocque,

is barely hanging on,

as the race takes its toll

both mentally and physically.

Oh, it's been tough for me

the last couple days.

I've I've, uh

This-- this team has, uh,

basically held me through everything.

The one thing about Eco is it

it's designed to turn you inside out.

You just never know when your day is coming.

And what day is that going to be?

For me

yesterday

today.

I can't let these lay down.

We've come too far, man.

[Grylls] Less than 5 kilometers

behind Flying J,

and in the middle of the 8-kilometer swim

through the icy pools,

Team Iron Cowboy is nearing

their breaking point.

I don't do well in cold,

and, so, swimming in the pools

and navigating all of the rock fields

in the water,

that seemed like it was just never gonna end.

Very cold, very long.

Very wet trek.

I loosened all the straps on my pack,

let the waist belt off

and the chest belt off.

Loosened the shoulder straps.

Game changer.

[Grylls] In order to prevent hypothermia,

Sonja has come up with a method

of tying the backpacks

in a way that makes it easier to swim.

I'm just gonna get you swimming,

so you can warm up.

- Okay.

- So

I'm gonna put your waist band

around your waist like like this.

Now you can swim.

- Sweet!

- Yeah.

[James] Sonja is an unbelievable,

strong woman.

Her heart is pure gold.

She wants to help everybody.

- Okay.

- Better?

- Yeah.

- Sweet.

She's gone through

a lot of emotional things in her life,

massive depression, completely had a

you know, a life meltdown.

And then this race is, uh, is her comeback.

We're gonna cross that finish line together.

[Grylls] Only a few kilometers back,

Team Khukuri Warriors approach the start of

the hellish pool section on the racecourse.

You're okay? Look, you're still smiling.

So many teams are out of this race.

You have no idea.

- Oh, really?

- So many teams.

And this is the section that breaks people.

So, you're here, you're smiling,

you're together. Good job.

Bear, he's such an inspiration.

And just to hear him speak,

it just changes so much

about our own perceptions and beliefs,

about what humans can do.

That section was super hard.

It's gonna get cold and difficult

in this next bit.

But get through it, and then

it's all heading down to the end.

- We're game.

- [Grylls] Okay. Go, go, go, go, go.

He's out to see and look deep

into our own soul

and make the most of our physical abilities.

- Come on, India!

- [Praveen] Come on, India, get to work.

[Grylls] 25 kilometers ahead,

AR Georgia are still desperately trying

to locate Checkpoint 24,

after losing valuable time being totally lost

on their paddleboards.

If they don't find their bearings soon,

the consequences could be disastrous.

When team dynamics break down,

it's only a matter of time

before more mistakes are made.

What about that way?

- Dad.

- Huh?

There's a bunch of logs in the river anyway,

so you have to get out.

Yeah, I see what it does.

So, we all have our, like, ideas, and

we're not the ones who look at the map, so,

ultimately, you have to rely on the navigator

and not argue too much,

'cause that just brings their

confidence down, and that doesn't help.

So, these are all footprints

leading this way

and my gut and my map and my distance

tells me that our checkpoint's over there,

but, uh, just because you're on a SUP board,

doesn't mean that you're paddling

the whole way.

Alright, so, what we've got

is we've got a whole bunch of fin marks

on the ground, people dragging.

We've got footprints,

all toes leading that way. Make sense?

It's only a K.

- So, are you guys doing now what you'd

- [ laughs ] Yeah.

Sometimes, it just

takes some time [ laughs ]

to try it.

So yes. [ sighs ]

I don't mind mud.

I don't like it when it's mixed in

with cow dung.

You can't eat, you can't drink,

'cause you can't touch yourself.

[ flies buzzing ]

Whew! That smells good.

Oh, ha, ha, ha!

Perfect!

Perfect!

I wasn't paying attention.

Ugh.

Hey, bula!

We're lost!

Do you know where the road is?

Yeah, yeah, yeah! to the road.

- I'm going that way?

- Yeah, yeah.

Perfect, thank you. Bingo.

Always double-check where you're going.

Always.

[Katie] Through the cow pies.

Alright! Welcome to CP 24, guys.

You guys look a little muddy there.

[Katie] Yeah. [ laughs ]

I would say that's more poopish.

- [ laughing ]

- More cow poop.

You would not be wrong.

Just because we're mountain biking,

doesn't mean we're on a mountain bike.

Just because we're on a SUP board doesn't

mean we're going to be on the board.

Just because we're in a, you know, a sailboat

doesn't mean we're going to get wind.

That's what the Eco-Challenge

is all about, so [ sighs ]

And dirty feet.

[Grylls] Over 180 kilometers ahead,

and days ahead of AR Georgia,

the frontrunners are nearing the end

of the k*ller final 45-kilometer open-ocean

outrigger paddle towards the finish line.

[Tom] We have a saying in New Zealand.

"If you're not first, you're last."

And it's sort of how we feel finishing.

Definitely, being a small nation,

there's a lot of pride

in our sporting legacy

and history over the years

and everything New Zealand does.

[ laughter ]

[ applause ]

- [ cheering ]

- You finished!

Yeah!

I just finished the toughest race in the world. [ laughs ]

It's a pretty amazing feeling.

[ cheering ]

- Oh, well done.

- How are you?

Oh, I'm so excited to see you. [ laughs ]

[Bernadette] We're very

I mean, we've never finished,

you know, in the top 10.

So, yeah, crossing the finish line

was certainly a bit of euphoria.

Yeah, incredibly, incredibly excited.

We're impressed with ourselves, really.

Woo!

Woo hoo hoo!

[ applause ]

[Emma] Adventure racing,

it's not the most healthy

[ laughs ] activity to do.

There were several times during the race

that I was not clear that I would finish.

This is the world championship

adventure racing.

That's why I'm proud if I can be a reference

for the women that they can do whatever,

even if they are mothers.

You can train, you can be yourself,

you can feel powerful.

The empowered woman.

Here, the top 10 teams, the women

perfect.

Continuing down this ridge line,

wherever this ridge line terminates,

it is steep.

The steepest is here

and this is less steep.

This, to me, looks passable.

Let's see?

[Grylls] 40 kilometers from Camp 4,

Team Curl has decided

to veer off the ridgeline trail

for a shortcut down a steep ravine

that could save them time.

But this is a risk.

Trekking off course in Fiji

can quickly backfire,

causing a dire situation for the entire team.

[Jennifer] Justin is the brains of the group.

There's no question about that.

He is always five steps ahead

of any human that I know.

And he took 150% of the brunt of navigation.

Where there's a will, there's a way.

But, yeah, it could get really steep.

I wish I was a goat.

[Justin] Just trekking, getting up

in those canyons

that you know few people have been in,

for me, that's experiencing the countryside

of this place that is just so raw

and so, just it makes you feel so small.

I don't see a trail, Jenn.

That's our ridge that we need to get around,

before we're gonna see the road.

[Grylls] With many kilometers to go

until they reach Camp 4,

Team Curl's decision

to leave the ridgeline trail

is turning out to be a bad move.

We are missing the mark here.

What the heck's going on?

I'm so confused.

I am so puzzled right now.

I didn't feel too scared

about navigating too far off course,

and maybe I should have been

a little more scared.

I mean, it shows it going straight up.

I mean, it's hard to tell, right,

if it zigs and zags.

But then it veers hard right.

That's the direction of our peak.

- Wait, where are you going to get up there?

- Well, I'm not sure.

We have to get up and over

this band of cliffs,

but we're just not really sure

which is the right way to go.

I don't like this at all.

I don't mind climbing

I mind dying.

Ahh!

This sucks.

[Grylls] 45 kilometers back from Team Curl

is Iron Cowboy,

where Sonja is fiercely fighting

to keep the guys motivated

to hang on and stay in the race.

See, look, there.

Here we go. Here we go.

And this is Iron Cowboy, the Americans,

digging deep now.

This water is absolutely freezing.

Never give up! Keep going!

[ Sonja laughing ]

You can do it, guys!

You can do this!

You haven't got much longer left

in the water, round this bend!

This is really the heart, the crux of this.

If they can get through this,

they can do this.

It's going to be a tipping point

for this team.

[James] I think a race like this allows you

to really have conversations with yourself.

There's a lot of slugfesting out there,

where it's you and your mind

and your thoughts.

And you're gonna find out real quick

if you like you or you don't like you.

I think that's why I enjoy these so much,

is because I can work on me,

and hopefully come out on the other side

a different and better person.

[Dr. Thorne] What can we get you?

Coffee, cocoa?

[James] Yes!

Sonja, I think you would be

an amazing professional eco racer.

No, seriously.

Like, that's your jam, man.

It's what you love to do.

Trust me, I'd rather be golfing

with my buddies.

[Sonja] Yeah.

[James] I just feel like I have no business

being out here. I don't even have experience.

I've literally almost died.

It is these experiences that make us, like,

really think about

what's important in our life.

You have so much time to think

when you're kind of miserable.

Like many endurance athletes,

I have demons that I'm trying to slay.

Um, we do really hard things,

because it helps us feel like

we're maybe in control

of the things we aren't.

I will walk out of this race

stronger emotionally,

which is something

I've really been working on

but didn't quite always know how.

I am a tough chick. I'm super tough.

Physically, emotionally, spiritually.

I'm tough.

And I'm-- like, I'm proud of that.

I'm proud of myself.

[Grylls] Meanwhile, just a few kilometers

behind Iron Cowboy,

Team Khukuri Warriors are forced to face

one of the most brutal parts

of the racecourse--

attempting to swim the 8 lethal kilometers

through the freezing pools

towards Checkpoint 22.

We do this. We do this, yeah?

We'll traverse left first

get to that grass section

go up a little. See if we can traverse that way.

We just keep going this way.

I remember seeing this lake that we had

to cross, and I'm like, "Holy sh*t."

And Praveen and me and Nungshi haven't

done swimming without PFDs before.

The three of us, we were so scared of water.

Move it.

Move your fingers and toes, guys!

Brandon! Where are you?

Try sidestroke.

[Tashi] I'm doing the stroke right now.

I'm doing doggy style.

This course is breaking people,

and it's breaking teams.

Meanwhile, those twins, still going.

This is where it gets very real.

This is where heroes are made.

Come on, twins. You show!

[Tashi] Keep going.

[Brandon] Guys, you've gotta move

or you get hypothermic.

We have 3 KMs to go like this.

If we don't move fast, we're doomed.

[Grylls] Over 160 kilometers ahead

on this course,

a race for the top U.S. team has formed.

Team Out There is literally chasing

Bend Racing.

They know how strong Bend Racing is

on the water,

and they're giving everything they've got

to get to the outriggers at Checkpoint 30

as soon as possible.

Woo!

About to start the last leg.

What do you feel, man?

Last leg, I feel excited.

We've barely taken these things out

on the ocean before.

Whose bag, is that your stuff?

Head to the fence.

I can't still check you in

until your team is here.

[ yells in Fijian ]

We're definitely capable of--

of being the top U.S. team,

so, we'll be leaning on our tenacity

and really making a big push.

We-- we tend to really try

to kind of pick up steam and be steady

when a lot of teams are falling apart.

[Josiah] It feels good to be

this close to the finish line.

We've come a long way.

But I think we still have a fair amount

of paddling ahead of us.

See if we can put, uh, one more good day

on the water.

We're almost there.

We're almost there.

[Grylls] Over 90 kilometers back

and a day and a half behind Team Out There

and Bend Racing,

is Team Costa Rica,

who are approaching Camp 4.

But before they get there, they have

one more challenge to overcome.

[ yells in Spanish ]

[ calf braying ]

[Eduardo] The finish line for stage 4

is there, and all of a sudden,

we're almost there,

and this bull comes out of nowhere.

stampeding

"Aah!" Everybody running around.

[ yells in Spanish ]

[ yells in Spanish ]

[ speaking Spanish ] The bull sees our red.

[ speaking Spanish ] It made him crazy.

A super scary moment.

I'm laughing now, but, at the moment,

it was total madness.

Bula vida!

[Eduardo] In Costa Rica,

we have the saying "Pura vida."

And so, we ended up saying, "Bula vida."

And "pura vida" means pure life,

and it means everything's awesome.

And I think "bula vida" says the same thing.

It's like, everything's great.

Everything's joy.

Bula vida.

[ cheering ]

Bula vinaka.

[ applause ]

Woo!

[Eduardo] So, today is Costa Rica's

independence day,

and that coincided with the toughest section

of the race for us,

and we brought our colors in a big way.

Oh, no, where's the medallion?

Oh, what are we gonna do?

We've got to go back!

Hey, I'll do those rope sections 20 times.

[ cheering ]

I love you, Kevin!

[ laughs ]

[Eduardo] Having Latin blood is a big part

of why we're so joyful all the time

and why we just take positivity

as a way of life, so to speak.

But I also think it has a lot to do with

the strong friendship that binds this team.

And in a race like Eco-Challenge,

the World's Toughest Race,

if you can't rely on somebody else

in a way that you would rely on your father

or your brother or your best friend,

you won't have success.

It almost feels like we finished, though.

[Grylls] 10 kilometers back from Costa Rica

and still trying to navigate

the 50-kilometer hike to Camp 4 is Team Curl.

They're still lost and anxiously trying

to find their bearings

before the sun goes down.

[ sighs ]

I'm seeing the settlement

over there to the right.

[Jennifer] Mm-hmm.

That's the direction we need to be headed,

so we can go down this road

a little ways more.

Hey!

[ distant ] Hey!

Wainadu Creek! Go this way?

[ distant yelling ]

- Eh!

- Eh!

[Brett] Steven is an excellent athlete,

and he's just a-- more importantly,

just a great human.

His heart is as good as gold, like,

he just wants everyone

to be happy and healthy,

and he brings everyone up around him

to better places.

My father committed suicide

about eight and a half years ago.

And, for me, it was a huge b*mb.

It just blew everything up.

It forced me to reconsider

everything that I was doing.

Metabolizing all of that

is what I'm, like, here for.

I think the World's Toughest Race

is offering that to me, like,

to to fully show up

and, like, get my a*s kicked.

That was a joke.

[Jennifer] Worth the price of admission.

[ laughs ]

- Is that part of it?

- I was like, wait, what?

[Grylls] 30 kilometers back

and a day behind Team Curl

is Team Khukuri Warriors

and the back-of-the-pack teams,

who are all dangerously close to hypothermia

from being in the freezing pool section

for most of the day.

Come on, guys. We can do this.

[Grylls] These middle and

back-of-the-pack teams are all struggling,

which goes to show how relentless

and impressive the lead teams' pace was,

who all cruised through these sections

of the course days ago.

[ Camera-man ] Are you scared of water, you said?

- Very scared of water.

I'm going to keep my calm, yeah?

I swam with my team without a PFD

for the first time.

I'm not a good swimmer,

and I was like sh*t scared.

I was like, "What if I drown here?"

[Anna] The cold was terrible.

When we had to go into the water,

that was rough. [ laughs ]

But we're just focused

on getting to the finish.

We're on our home soil.

My team will finish the World's Toughest Race

Eco-Challenge

not just for us, but for everybody else

who's cheering us on.

[ struggling ] Oh, man.

Move, move, move.

Finally. My fear of water.

Oh! Finally.

[Nungshi] On a personal level,

I think it was just about my fears

and to realize that it is temporary,

you know?

Like, fear is in our mind.

So, if you can move that away,

can tell your mind to control your body

and just keep moving past these obstacles,

fear just is non-existent.

- Good morning.

- Woo!

[ applause ]

Oh my God. Let's go, let's go!

Finally, there's a warming tent.

Get your wet stuff off as soon as you can.

- We'll get you a hot

- [ Nungshi sighs ]

Oh, man, that was the hardest thing

I've ever done in my life.

My mind kept telling me,

"Don't give up, don't give up,"

which is so crucial for my body to function,

and I'm so happy

everything was working in sync.

The last leg was really pushing it hard.

Really pushing it hard, because

we wouldn't have made it otherwise.

I can't believe I'm holding

a cup of hot chocolate.

I was, like, so proud of Nungshi and I, like,

we pressed through, so, I'm so glad

we got done with that part,

and if it hadn't been for us--

each other motivating one another,

we would have been out of the race.

[Grylls] 75 kilometers ahead, at Camp 4,

Team Curl finally reaches their destination,

after a crippling hike that cost them

countless hours

being lost in the highlands.

Hey, buddy.

[Steven] The way this thing is set up

is really cool.

It's not only, like,

physically beating us down,

but it's making us have to rely on

some deep parts of ourselves.

Like, what why the hell

am I doing something like this?

Why do I care about, like, facing suffering

and over and over and over?

What-- like, what is it about the unknown

that's enticing?

Relying on ourselves

and on each other, and

it's developing something pretty

pretty nice inside.

Can we do rice and quesadillas?

eat for a month?

Could I get a hug too?

[ music ]

[Grylls] Over 140 kilometers ahead,

on Mana Island,

race director Kevin Hodder anxiously awaits

the first U.S. team at the finish line.

[ music ]

You made it! Come on, guys!

Woo!

[ cheering ]

Whew!

We made it.

Mana!

Woo!

[ cheering ]

All right, guys, not only have you made

a solid top-15 finish

in the World's Toughest Race,

you're our first American team

to arrive at the finish line.

- [ all cheering ]

- That was our goal!

We definitely feel like we're winning life

for having been able to come here

and take part in this,

and to make it through with our team.

I just want to say thanks to Eco-Challenge

for actually putting on an event

that allows us to not only race

but to get to know a place in a way

that is so much deeper

than any other event that I've ever done.

And that makes me walk away

feeling like an actual explorer.

[ cork pops ]

Woo hoo hoo hoo hoo!

Yes, sir!

[Melissa] Don't waste it all.

I'm just really grateful

to have had this experience,

and I'm grateful that it's so amazing

and I'll be able to tell my kids

about it one day,

and there's a lot of pieces that

that are tough.

And I'm happy

to live with those things forever

if the experiences are as good as they are.

It's always the earned victory

that makes the better story.

And I think that's--

that's adventure racing in a nutshell.

Wow, top U.S. team.

- Crazy.

- I don't know how that happened.

[ Melissa laughs ]

[Grylls] On the final episode

of the World's Toughest Race,

33 teams remain, with all eyes set

on one goal-- the finish line.

But for all remaining athletes

- Nice one!

- Can't break us yet.

here in Fiji, nothing is a guarantee.

- [ groaning ]

- We are going to take him to hospital.

[Grylls] On the World's Toughest Race.

[ music ]

[ roaring ]