Monday, May 27, 2024

Race to Survive: New Zealand Episode 2 Recap: Bacon, Eggs, and Tears

Heather and Emilio from Race to Survive: New Zealand doing a high five with excited expressions on their face.
Photo Credit: Tim Williams/USA Network via Getty Images

Buckle up, adrenaline junkies. Race to Survive: New Zealand came through with a brand-new episode, and we saw our first team get eliminated.

In the Race to Survive premiere, we met nine teams brave (and crazy) enough to subject themselves to a 40-day, 150-mile race with no food, no shelter, and worst of all, no bathrooms. They kicked off the first race, challenged to a course consisting of rocky rivers, steep chasms, and winding forest paths.

By the end of Episode 1, three teams pushed to the front of the pack, while a few others struggled to stay out of last place. This week, all of the racers miraculously made it to Survival Camp in one piece, but one team just didn’t quite make it there fast enough. Here’s what happened in Race to Survive New Zealand, Episode 2, “Packrafts, Portages, and Pain” and how everyone finished the first leg of the race.

Teamwork prevails at the front of the pack

Steffen Jean-Pierre and Mikhail Martin climbing across rocks on Race to Survive: New Zealand
Photo Credit: Tim Williams/USA Network

The unique thing about Race to Survive is how much team dynamics influence the gameplay. Some teams bring sheer physical prowess while others bring outdoorsmanship. Regardless of what they bring to the race, they’re all just humans trying to survive, and the way they interact with their teammates has an impact on the outcome of the game. In Episode 2, those unique team dynamics became more and more clear.

For instance, the River Guides were in lock-step with each other throughout the entire episode. They’re besties, and when they had a chance to strategize their way down the river, they did so effortlessly and gained a huge lead.

The Hunters, Ryan, and Bronsen, also seem to be working together effortlessly. Part of that is probably because Bronsen has a deep responsibility to not disappoint his father-in-law. There’s a marriage on the line, for crying out loud!

Bickering on the racecourse

Heather and Emilio on Race to Survive: New Zealand carrying a raft
Photo Credit: Tim Williams/USA Network

The Divorcees, Paulina, and Creighton, were clearly having a hard time in Race 1 because they couldn’t agree on anything. Paulina tried to attribute it to the fact that she’s more “emotional” and he’s more “logical.” Opposites attract, but she said their relationship took that concept too far. You can see just how much it’s impacting their adventure on RTS.

For example, Creighton wanted a food crate, but Paulina didn’t. Creighton wanted to forage for some goose eggs. Paulina didn’t. But, what’s hilarious to watch as a viewer is that they’re both right sometimes, and they complement each other on the course. This week, Creighton was right about the goose eggs, and they ended up having a huge helping of scrambled eggs for dinner.

Heather and Emilio, the Rhode Island “gym rats,” also have a unique dynamic that has been revealed by the pressure of the race. The two workout buddies bicker like siblings, but somehow, that seems to help them move faster down the course. At one point in the episode, Heather struggles with the idea of jumping off a cliff into some mysterious waters. You can’t blame her for not wanting to jump off a cliff. That’s called having common sense. Still, Emilio was at the bottom of the cliff cheering on his “psycho sister.”

Heather eventually jumped, and we learned that this whole race had a much bigger meaning for her. She revealed that her doctors discovered early stages of breast cancer, so she had to undergo multiple surgeries. She added a whole new element of “survival” to Race to Survive.

The perks of finishing first

Spencer "Corry" Jones and Oliver Dev posing in their cast pictures for Race to Survive: New Zealand
Photo Credit: Patrik Giardino/USA Network

At the end of Race 1, Day 2, three teams made it to Survival Camp: The River Guides, The Hunters, and The Smokejumpers. In this race, finishing first meant getting your hands on some much-needed perks to make Survival Camp a little bit less horrible. They had the option to choose between a hammock, a fishing kit, three pounds of bacon, or a firestarting kit. Decisions, decisions.

The River Guides got there first, and they took a moment to decide which perk to choose. Bacon would give them instant gratification, but they settled with the fishing set, hoping it would help them secure food for the long haul. They’re always thinking strategy.

The Hunters made it to Survival Camp in second place and of course, they chose the bacon as their perk. That seemed very on-brand for them and honestly, have you ever seen someone that excited about bacon? You could see the joy in their eyes as they crisped it up at their campsite and you could almost smell it through the screen.

Then, the Smokejumpers made it to the camp just right after the Hunters, and they were so bummed that they missed out on their chance for bacon. Begrudgingly, they took the hammock. They just had to lay there while the aroma of crispy bacon taunted their noses.

Race 1, Day 3

Steffen Jean-Pierre and Mikhail Martin on Race to Survive New Zealand
Photo Credit: Tim Williams/USA Network

On the final day of Race 1, the remaining six teams made their push to the finish line. Some of them had empty stomachs, while others were feeling homesick, like Jeff the Ultramarathoner who teared up talking about his daughters at home cheering him on.

Kennedy from the Oil Rigger team also had a vulnerable moment on Day 3 where she opened up about her relationship with her mom, or lack thereof. However, she didn’t want to cry on camera because she didn’t want to come off as a “sissy bitch,” so we’ll move past that scene too!

Elsewhere on the course, the Divorcees managed to bicker their way to the finish line, full of their goose eggs. At Survival Camp, they ended up getting stuck with the firestarter kit, which they weren’t too thrilled about. They said it was “huge and heavy.” plus, they already had one. Obviously, bacon would have been better. It would have gone perfectly with those goose eggs.

The Cool Moms, Rhandi and Ashley also made it to Survival Camp on Day 3. They missed out on getting perks from the End Crate, but they didn’t care. They were proud of themselves for finishing and after setting up camp, Ashley took a few seconds to apply a fresh set of eyelashes. Sometimes, it’s the little things.

Kennedy and Nik, the Canadian Oilriggers struggled their way to Survival Camp in seventh place. They tumbled down the rapids and then thought that carrying their boat around the river would be easier. That it ended up being ten times harder. Although they were physically exhausted, they were in good spirits when they finally made it to Survival Camp. Nik celebrated their finish by snacking on a honeybee. According to him, you just rip the stinger out, and it tastes like honey! Please don’t do this, we need the bees to be our friends.

A fight to the finish

Heather from Race to Survive: New Zealand climbing up the side of a rock
Photo Credit: Tim Williams/USA Network

At the end of Day 3, it came down to The Rhode Islanders and the Brooklyn Climbers battling to stay in the game. They were both trucking it down the river in 8th and 9th place, and it genuinely seemed like it could go in any direction.

The Brooklyn Climbers had the lead, but they were also running on an empty stomach. They didn’t get any food caches throughout the entire race, so they were basically starving. On the other hand, The Rhode Islanders had strength on their side, with their food cache calories fueling their fight down the river.

As they paddled for their lives, the Rhode Islanders could see the Brooklynites ahead of them. They were so close to catching up to them, and their spirits never wavered. But, the Brooklynites got to the End Crate first.

Emilio and Heather from Rhode Island showed up in ninth place, so they were the first team eliminated on Race to Survive: New Zealand. However, it didn’t feel like a defeat. All of the other teams rallied around them, and they celebrated the fact that they made it to the finish line of such an intense race.

“We didn’t give up. We didn’t stop once,” Heather said before hugging Emilio.

After a brief, teary celebration with the other racers, a helicopter descended on the racecourse and took Heather and Emilo back to civilization. Meanwhile, the rest of the racers prepped for Race 2, with all of them still in the running for the $500,000 grand prize.

Here’s a quick look at how everyone finished Race 1.

  1. The River Guides, Oliver, and Corry
  2. The Hunters, Bronsen, and Ryan
  3. The Smokejumpers, Ethan and Tyrie
  4. The Divorcees, Creighton, and Paulina
  5. The Ultramarathoners, Jeff, and Coree
  6. The Cool Moms, Rhandi, and Ashley
  7. The Oil Riggers, Nik, and Kennedy
  8. The Brooklyn Climbers, Mikhail, and Steffen
  9. ELIMINATED — The Rhode Islanders, Emilio, and Heather

Race to Survive: New Zealand continues on USA Network, Monday nights at 11/10c.

TELL US – WHAT WERE YOUR THOUGHTS ON RACE TO SURVIVE: NEW ZEALAND EPISODE 2? IF YOU CAME IN FIRST, WOULD YOU CHOOSE THE FISHING KIT, HAMMOCK, FIRE STARTER, OR BACON AS YOUR PRIZE? WERE YOU SURPRISED TO SEE THE RHODE ISLAND TEAM GO HOME FIRST?

The post Race to Survive: New Zealand Episode 2 Recap: Bacon, Eggs, and Tears appeared first on Reality Tea.



from Reality Tea https://www.realitytea.com/2024/05/27/race-to-survive-new-zealand-episode-2-recap-packrafts-portages-and-pain/

Below Deck Season 11 Finale Recap: Barbie Goes Ballistic

Photo Credit: Fred Jagueneau/Bravo via Getty Images

Welcome back to the Below Deck Season 11 Finale. In this week’s episode, titled “End of the Line,” Ben apologizes to Captain Kerry for disrespecting him. At the final crew dinner, Kyle once again lets Willie Stillie out, which pisses Barbie off. Ben and Sunny wonder if there’s a future for them off the boat, while an offhand remark infuriates Barbie to the point that she packs her bags, leaves the boat, and checks into a hotel. Here are some of the highlights from the Below Deck Season 11 Finale.

Ben regrets his behavior

Captain Kerry is angry that Ben and Kyle blatantly disregarded his cabin inspection. Their cabin was a mess, and Kerry is not a happy captain. It’s the height of disrespect.

Like an angry parent speaking to his children, Kerry tells Kyle and Ben, “Go down, get your room sorted out. If you don’t, there’s gonna be consequences.” Uh oh. Somebody’s gonna get grounded.

It takes them “five or ten minutes” to straighten out their cabin, and the Captain clears them. But he’s still annoyed.

Ben says in a confessional that he’s never been in this much “hot water” in yachting before. He justifies himself by saying he’s just “too busy working” to clean his cabin.

“It’s the last thing on my mind,” he says. “I could probably have done it, but I didn’t really give a sh*t.” Nice, Ben. He didn’t do it ’cause he didn’t want to.

But the next morning, Ben wakes up and has second thoughts about the way he treated Captain Kerry. “After sleeping on it, I feel like I need to apologize to Captain Kerry,” he interviews. “At the end of the day, would I run a vessel differently? Probably, but he’s the captain, and it’s the right thing to do.”

So Ben goes to the cockpit and offers the captain an apology while admitting he was wrong. But Kerry’s not ready to let it go so easily.

“Look,” he says, “if someone can’t follow my orders when things are easy, what’s gonna happen when there’s a fire in front of you, and I tell you to get a hose and fight it? … But I appreciate you coming up and talking to me. That means a lot, and I hope it’s a learning experience for you.”

The final tip meeting

Captain Kerry Titheradge for Below Deck Season 11
Photo Credit: Fred Jagueneau/Bravo

After the guests say goodbye, Kerry takes a moment to address the crew. “Guys, six weeks, huh?” he says. “You exceeded my expectations, the guest expectations. You did amazing … I’ve really never seen a team work together so well.”

The final tip is $20,000, $1538 each. Not huge, but decent. Captain says the total for the season is $208,750. Not bad for six weeks’ work.

While everyone else is getting ready for the last crew night out, Kyle calls his mother. “You might have a visit from a lady,” he tells her. “In all seriousness, I actually feel like I fell in love.”

His mom is very pleased to hear this and says his friend is welcome. In a confessional, Kyle admits, “I’ve not brought many girls home to meet my mother. My relationships don’t tend to last … [But] I think I’m in love with Barbie.”

Kyle goes for a swim

Their last dinner is at Annandale Waterfall. It’s gorgeous. Fraser starts talking about taking a little skinny dip in the falls after dinner. Kyle, who’s already pretty drunk, says, “I’ll do it right now.”

He walks toward the water, pulling down his pants as he goes. “Kyle, Kyle, Kyle!” Barbie calls after him. “We had a conversation. What the f*ck are you doing?” Barbie’s embarrassed that Kyle’s naked.

“I’m going in the water,” he responds. She throws her hands up and walks away from him.

After dinner, Kyle does go for a swim au naturale while the other guys are in their underwear. Barbie’s instantly over it. “I’m a f*cking class act, and I’m not gonna date somebody who’s not,” she tells Sunny.

Sadly, Barbie’s who she is, and Kyle’s who he is. They’re just not compatible in the long term. Barbie tries to talk to Kyle. Not a good time for a chat, Barbie. He probably won’t even remember anything you say. Plus you just can’t reason with a drunk person. But they both end up admitting that they love each other and seal it with a kiss.

Yachties in love

Ben tells Sunny, “I’d like to see where this goes ‘cause I do like you a lot.” He seems to fall in love easily. Isn’t that the same thing he said to Camille last season?

“We really have a lovely relationship,” Sunny says. Really, Sunny? “Lovely?” How old are you?

“I think it’s going the right way,” he continues. “I’d love to take you on a date.”

“We shall,” Sunny answers. I think Sunny thinks she’s a Disney princess. She’s speaking rather formally.

But in her head, she’s still wary. “I’m such a hopeless romantic,” she interviews. She hopes they have a future together, but I think they’ll last until Ben’s next charter when he meets another pretty yachtie. Yacht life is just not conducive to a long-term relationship.

Barbie blows up

In the car on the way back to the boat, Xandi casually says that if she’d been the boss, “I think we all know Barbie would have been gone. If you would have been my stew, I would have let you go. You had a bad attitude, but you adapted.”

Why would you even say that, Xandi? That’s just kind of mean. Barbie doesn’t take it well and goes on the offensive against Xandi, despite everyone begging her to shut up. This is just alcohol-fueled nonsense. Everybody’s drunk and arguing about nothing.

Even though she started this stupid argument, Xandi ends up hyperventilating in tears, begging to be let out of the car.

Meanwhile, when they get back to the boat, Barbie totally loses her sh*t and starts screaming at everyone that she’s done. She locks Kyle out of her cabin for “not backing [her] up” in the car and starts packing. Well, okay then. Everybody goes home tomorrow anyway.

Though Xandi started the fight, maybe this is a good thing for Kyle to see just how batsh*t crazy Barbie is after all. He may be in love with her, but the girl is super volatile when she’s triggered.

So Barbie actually packs up all her stuff, calls a taxi, has Kyle carry her bags out (even though she’s done with him), and leaves. Wow. That was crazy.

The next morning, Kyle tells Ben that he got a message from Barbie saying she never wants to see him again. Sadly, Kyle admits he’s glad she’s gone. “I’ve never been on such an emotional roller-coaster in my life, and I do feel like she took me for a ride,” he says.

Time to say goodbye

Photo Credit: @belowdeckbravo via Instagram

This is the part that always makes me sad. After watching all of their friendships form, they have to go their separate ways. As the song says, “You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.”

Though they had their ups and downs this season, Fraser and Kerry have a lot of respect for each other. Fraser would “undoubtedly” work with Kerry again and admires his leadership. Likewise, Kerry thinks Fraser is the best Chief Stew he’s ever worked with – after his girlfriend, of course.

It’s been a great season. See you next week for Below Deck Mediterranean!

Below Deck Season 11 is now streaming on Peacock.

TELL US – WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE BELOW DECK SEASON 11 FINALE? DID YOU THINK BARBIE’S BLOWUP WAS OVER THE TOP? 

The post Below Deck Season 11 Finale Recap: Barbie Goes Ballistic appeared first on Reality Tea.



from Reality Tea https://www.realitytea.com/2024/05/27/below-deck-season-11-finale-recap-end-of-the-line/

Lisa Barlow Makes Anya Taylor-Joy Blush With Surprise Video Message

Photo Credit: Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images

Anya Taylor-Joy has collected a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award for her work as an actress. From film to television, Anya’s everywhere. That said, when it comes to the reality television genre, she’s still got the time, which obviously, we love. As for who Anya loves the most, Lisa Barlow’s up there, which, sames.

To be fair, Anya loves everything about the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City franchise. So what happens when you cross a Lisa with an Anya in real life? A whole lot of blushing and happiness, that’s what.

Anya’s just like us

While promoting her new movie Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, the Today Show hosts asked Anya about her love for reality television. “Here’s the sitch,” Anya began, looking directly at Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager.

“So this is the situation. I never understood reality TV. I wanted to and a lot of people find a lot of comfort in it. Someone showed me the [RHOSLC] season finale and I was like, ‘I need to know what possessed all of these people to behave in this way,’” Anya quips.

She then started watching this series from Season 1, and is now “so in.” Due to this, the hosts tell Anya that they’ve got a little surprise for her. On the screen, Lisa’s face pops up, as Anya dissolves into fits of glee.

“Heeeey Anya. I’ve heard you love our show. We love you so much,” Lisa says. “Thanks so much for watching baby gorgeous,” the Real Housewives star ends.

“Shut up! I’m so dead. I’m not okay,” Anya gasps, adding “My team back there is going to lose [it].” When asked next if Lisa is Anya’s favorite cast member, she replies “I can’t pick.” Anya then turns to the camera, telling this cast to “Get back to filming. You got me completely blushing.

Previous seasons of RHOSLC are available to stream now on Peacock. 

TELL US – WHAT DID YOU THINK OF LISA’S SURPRISE VIDEO FOR ANYA?

The post Lisa Barlow Makes Anya Taylor-Joy Blush With Surprise Video Message appeared first on Reality Tea.



from Reality Tea https://www.realitytea.com/2024/05/27/lisa-barlow-makes-anya-taylor-joy-blush-with-video-message-rhoslc/