Monday, June 3, 2024

Race to Survive: New Zealand Episode 3 Recap: A Rocky Start to Race 2

Bronsen Iverson and Ryan Stewart kneeling together on Race to Survive: New Zealand.
Photo Credit: Daniel Allen/USA Network via Getty Images

We are officially in the thick of things on Race to Survive: New Zealand. Last week, we saw our first team eliminated when the Rhode Islanders, Emilio and Heather, were the last to make it to the End Crate on Race 1. They fought hard, and the rest of the teams cheered them on as they crossed the finish line. This week, it’s time for a brand-new race.

On Race to Survive: New Zealand Episode 3, “Grit Trumps Calories,” the eight remaining teams embarked on Race 2. While some racers sprinted through the course with ease, a severe lack of calories started to catch up to some other folks on the course. By the end of the episode, one team was forced to throw in the towel.

Cold, wet, and miserable at Survival Camp

Paulina Pena standing in front of a fire on Race to Survive: New Zealand
Photo Credit: Tim Williams/USA Network

Episode 3 of Race to Survive started at Survival Camp, where the eight remaining teams sat around looking pitiful. It was rainy and cold. Plus, some of the teams were literally starving after the exhausting first race.

The Oil Riggers and the Brooklyn Climbers skipped the food caches in Race 1, so they were running off zero calories in a race where they burn up to 6000 calories a day. That’s not a good combination. At one point, Stef and Mikhail tried to barter with the Smokejumpers to get food. It didn’t work. Meanwhile, Kennedy was licking fungus off a tree to try to get a calorie or two. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Even the teams that did get food caches were running low on fuel. The Cool Moms said they were running off of a few almonds and a piece of beef jerky. At this point, no one was having a good time, so they were legitimately excited to see a helicopter show up with a crate to kick off the second race. They were ready to get moving again because anything beats sitting in a cold tent.

Race 2, Day 1

Bronsen Iverson and Ryan Stewart sitting together on Race to Survive: New Zealand
Photo Credit: Daniel Allen/USA Network

The racers got their hands on the map for Race 2: Maungakaura. It started with an uphill sprint, followed by a treacherous alpine marsh. Then, they have to locate a dropdown point to descend to a mandatory checkpoint and an optional food cache detour. After hitting the first checkpoint, their next task is ascending a mountain, only to turn around and go right back down the other side of it.

For Race 2, there’s also an important caveat: if another team taps out before making it to the finish line, you’re not guaranteed a pass to Survival Camp. This is a change from Season 1, and it adds more pressure on the racers to get to the finish line quickly. They also have to get there in one piece.

When the race started, the Hunters immediately took a lead over the rest of the teams. They started running up that hill like Kate Bush, but the New Zealand heat started to catch up to Bronsen. He had to take a breather, sip some water, and regroup. After eating nothing but bacon in Race 1, shivering in Survival Camp, and then running uphill in the sun, it’s understandable why he didn’t feel good.

Since the Hunters got derailed, that opened up the opportunity for the River Guides and the Smokejumpers to gain a lead. It’s just like the first race, where these three teams started the race leaps and bounds ahead of everyone else. We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, but at this point, it won’t be too surprising to see one of these teams win the whole thing.

A supergroup forms on the racecourse

Paulina Pena and Creighton Baird on Race to Survive: New Zealand
Photo Credit: Daniel Allen/USA Network

During Race 2, Day 1, the Cool Moms, the Ultramarathoners, and the Divorcees all found themselves kind of neck and neck with each other on the course. The Moms admitted that they were kind of just following whoever was in front of them, so that way they didn’t have to think too much about navigating. They’re all going to the same finish line anyway.

Meanwhile, the Ultramarathoners weren’t feeling that strategy They didn’t want anyone riding off their coattails, so they intentionally let Rhandi and Ashley pass them up. That cleared the way for the ladies to catch up to the Divorcees, and thus, a supergroup was formed.

Ex-lovers Paulina and Creighton agreed to work with Rhandi and Ashley as they pressed forward. They called it a “navigation committee.” Strength in numbers, right? Wrong. The supergroup walked right past the drop point to get to the mandatory checkpoint and the all-important food cache. By the end of Race 2, Day 1, they realized they would have to start the next day by backtracking to the checkpoint.

To eat, or not to eat

Nikola Milutinovic and Kennedy Taylor in Race to Survice: New Zealand
Photo Credit: Daniel Allen/USA Network

At the mandatory checkpoint, the racers had their first food cache decision. They could climb across rocks down a stream to get food or continue venturing towards the Race 2 finish line. The only caveat was that the racers needed 30 minutes left on the race clock before starting the food cache challenge.

Oil Riggers Nik and Kennedy were on their ninth day of no food, so they were really banking on getting to that food cache. On Race 2, Day 1, they got to the checkpoint with 20 minutes left on the clock, so the rules stated that they couldn’t push forward to the food. Had they gotten there ten minutes sooner, they could have put an end to their starvation. Instead, they had to camp out next to the challenge and wait for Day 2 to start. That’s torture.

When morning came around, Kennedy went after the food cache first thing and they finally got to eat, after nearly ten days of no food. It couldn’t come soon enough — Nik’s clothes hardly fit him anymore. Plus, there’s no way they could have made it much longer with zero calories. Our bodies just don’t work like that.

Meanwhile, the “navigation committee” eventually showed up at the food cache as Nik and Kennedy celebrated their first meal of the race. The Oil Riggers were shocked to learn that they were ahead of so many other teams. The moms showed up and celebrated getting their food rations with a chant, “Grit trumps calories!”

A costly slip-up

Steffen Jean-Pierre and Mikhail Marti on Race to Survive: New Zealand looking at a map
Photo Credit: Tim Williams/USA Network

Elsewhere on the course, the Brooklyn Climbers were struggling in every way imaginable. They hadn’t eaten, so compared to the rest of the teams, it looked like they were moving across the course at a snail’s pace. Priority number one was making it to the first food cache.

Race 2, Day 1 came and went with no food cache. On Day 2, they started trekking towards the food cache when Mikhail slipped and fell into some rocks. He told Steffen that he might have hurt his knee and “heard a crack” when he fell.

Mikhail got up from the fall and tried to hobble his way to the food cache. But, it didn’t take long to realize that wasn’t going to be possible in the long term. The narrator said they were moving at a “glacial” pace, and that was putting it lightly.

With Mikhail injured and their stomachs empty, the Brooklyn Climbers told the producers that they were ready to quit the race. They threw in the towel after not eating for ten days and racing through 50 miles of rugged, New Zealand terrain. You can’t blame them — it’s not like you can race with an injury like that.

After a producer commended the Brooklyn Climbers for a job well done, a helicopter came and swooped them up to take them back to safety. As the helicopter whizzed over the racecourse, the rest of the teams pushed forward to try to finish Race 2 and avoid elimination. There’s still a lot more course for them to conquer.

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

TELL US – WHAT WERE YOUR THOUGHTS ON RACE TO SURVIVE: NEW ZEALAND EPISODE 3? WHO DO YOU THINK WILL FINISH RACE 2 FIRST? WERE YOU SURPRISED TO SEE THE BROOKLYN CLIMBERS QUIT THE COMPETITION?

The post Race to Survive: New Zealand Episode 3 Recap: A Rocky Start to Race 2 appeared first on Reality Tea.



from Reality Tea https://www.realitytea.com/2024/06/03/race-to-survive-new-zealand-episode-3-recap-grit-trumps-calories/

Below Deck Mediterranean Season 9, Premiere Recap: Do You Know the Way to Find Rosé?

Photo Credit: Fred Jagueneau/Bravo via Getty Images

Welcome to the Below Deck Mediterranean Season 9 premiere! In this week’s episode, called “My Big Fat Greek Yacht Emergency,” a brand new crew led by Captain Sandy has less than a day to whip the messy Mustique into shape before the first charter guests arrive. A “massive provisioning f*ckup” means no wine, prosecco, or champagne is delivered. And when the guests want a late-night snack, Elena decides to wake the chef to cook for them. Here are some of the highlights from Below Deck Mediterranean Season 9, Episode 1.

A prosecco problem

Photo Credit: Fred Jagueneau/Bravo

Once the crew has settled in, it’s right to work. The first charter guests are due in less than 24 hours, and the boat’s a freaking mess. Sadly, Aesha’s interior crew is one person short because one of the crew cabins has a leak. Until that leak is fixed, there’s nowhere for another stew to sleep. Sandy hopes to get it fixed sometime during the season, but for now, Aesha will just have to do her best with two stews.

After provisions are delivered, Aesha realizes she didn’t get any wine, prosecco, or champagne. “Where the f*ck is my rosé?”

She calls the provisioner, who says it will be delivered tomorrow. It had better be early, cause there’s a charter boarding at noon.

The next morning, Aesha texts and asks when she can expect the rest of her supplies. The provisioner messages back, “Sorry about the delay. We ran into some issues. Hoping to have your order there by 11:45.” Yikes! That’s cutting it close.

Luckily, Aesha located one bottle of champagne in the crew mess, but that won’t last long. What a sh*t show!

When the guests arrive, they get one glass of champagne apiece. But then Aesha explains, “Full Disclosure. We have had a massive provisioning f*ckup. So that’s the last of the champagne ’cause none arrived.”

“Stop!” says one unbelieving guest. These people paid a ton of cash for their two-day trip. I’d be unhappy, too.

“Is there rosé?” asks another guest hopefully.

“No, it didn’t arrive,” Aesha apologizes. “I can make cocktails. I’ve been on the phone to them all morning. It’s coming as soon as possible.”

Sandy steps in

Photo Credit: Bravo Media

Out of desperation, Aesha goes to Sandy for help. The captain texts the provisioner, “This is Sandy from the Mustique. We’re missing wine from our order? Can we get this delivered immediately?!”

She gets a response back, “We will send some alcohol immediately as a small order. The rest will arrive with the larger provision order coming later.”

Eventually, a truck arrives with some champagne but not much else. “No rosé, no red wine,” Aesha laments.

At the same time, Sandy gets a text, “We unfortunately were not able to source rosé/wine on short notice, but we were able to send champagne, and more will come later.”

Sandy texts back, “This is unacceptable.”

Seriously? A yacht provisioner who doesn’t have a stock of rosé and red wine on hand? That’s crazy. According to mythology, the Greek god Dionysus is the one who invented wine. You would think they’d be able to lay their hands on some red wine in Greece.

Finally, the provisioner calls and says he can bring the wine to them around 7:30 via water taxi, as they should be at anchor by then. At least that should be in time for dinner.

The provisioner procrastinates

Photo Credit: Fred Jagueneau/Bravo

As the guests prepare for dinner, Aesha makes another call to the provisioner. It’s 8:00 pm, and their supplies still haven’t been delivered.

“Unfortunately, your items were delivered to the wrong water taxi,” he tells her. “But I have everything now, and it’s coming to you in an hour.” Wow. Who are these guys? So unprofessional!

“Who’s been in charge of this?” Aesha asks in frustration. “Tell them that they f*cking suck!”

But then she adds, “I appreciate you trying to rectify it for me.” I don’t know if I could be so nice under the same circumstances.

In the kitchen, Chef Jono gets the message that provisions won’t be arriving until 9:00. His dinner is scheduled for 9:00 pm, and the guests are expecting surf and turf, but he doesn’t have any lobster. He flips through his recipe notebook and decides he can do crab.

Just as the guests are asking if the other wines have arrived, Sandy gets a text from the provisioner: “A water taxi is inbound with your provisions. They will arrive in under 10 minutes.” Hooray!

At the table, the guests love the ceviche Jono prepared. “Half of the provisions didn’t arrive,” says one, “but it’s exactly what we wanted.” They all agree that the chef is good.

When the supplies finally arrive, Sandy realizes, “There’s no red wine. Oh, hell no!”

“Considering how badly this provision company messed up,” Sandy continues, “we’re gonna have to make some changes after this charter.”

Even though they’re annoyed at having no wine to go with dinner, the guests are impressed with Chef Jono. “You’ve got yourself a good chef,” they say.

“He’s so calm!” Aesha says in a confessional. “I’m crying in the dining room, and he’s just, like, ‘Namaste.’”

Bri’s the new Barbie

Photo Credit: Fred Jagueneau/Bravo

Bri says she always had a maid growing up. Now working in housekeeping, she realizes she “definitely didn’t respect her as I should have.” She’s having a hard time figuring out how to steam the guests’ clothes. Is Bri the BDM Barbie Pasqual?

She spends all afternoon fussing with the iron, but when they’re ready to dress for dinner, only one guest seems to have any clothes. They’re really nice about it, even though they’re rightfully annoyed. Aesha jumps in to help her.

Bri’s also struggling in the cabins. She spent all afternoon steaming clothes in the laundry room and then was sloppy with the guest cabins. Elena tells her not to worry. It’s the first day, and they’ll do some training together.

“Bri says that she’s worked on boats before,” Elena interviews. “Questionable. Sorry, you can’t have dead weight ’cause we’re already giving 110% as it is.” Didn’t Bri say in a confessional that she’s never finished a season on a boat? That might explain it.

A cheesy situation

Photo Credit: Fred Jagueneau/Bravo

After sending Bri off to bed, Aesha texts the provisioner one more time. “My red wine was not delivered,” she says. “I need it to come in the morning. This is not acceptable.”

As she’s helping Elena at the bar, the provisioner responds, “Apologies. Looks like we forgot the wine and reposado. Will get it to you by 11:00 am.” I’m not gonna hold my breath.

Aesha leaves Elena at 11:35 to go to bed since she has to be up early for breakfast. When Elena carries up a pitcher of margaritas, someone else asks for a mojito. Also, they want late-night munchies: grilled cheese, mac and cheese, and nachos. It’s 12:30, and she’s all alone in service. This is where she should have drawn the line and said, “I’ll bring you some chips.”

Elena’s overwhelmed and decides to wake Cheffie, who just went to bed. When she tiptoes into his cabin and whispers that the guests want food, he says, “I don’t think so.”

The guests wonder where the food and mojitos are. Elena finally explains that she’s the only one up and doing the best she can. After running around in circles, she decides to try to wake the chef again.

“Jono’s selfish behavior is making me look me look bad,” she says.

Again, she tries to get Chef to come make grilled cheese, but he responds, “I’m not doing anything. I haven’t slept enough.”

In an interview, he says, “Bitch, are you stupid? This is not going to be good for you.” Oh honey no, this isn’t going to be good for you.

Below Deck Mediterranean airs Mondays at 9/8c on Bravo.

TELL US – WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE BELOW DECK MED SEASON 9 PREMIERE? DO YOU THINK ELENA SHOULD HAVE JUST TOLD THE GUESTS THE KITCHEN WAS CLOSED?

The post Below Deck Mediterranean Season 9, Premiere Recap: Do You Know the Way to Find Rosé? appeared first on Reality Tea.



from Reality Tea https://www.realitytea.com/2024/06/03/below-deck-mediterranean-season-9-premiere-recap-my-big-fat-greek-yacht-emergency/

How 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After? Season 8 Has Failed

Photo Credit: TLC via YouTube

90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After? Season 8 had potential, but it has unfortunately dropped the ball. With a record-breaking nine couples, this season could’ve offered many interesting storylines. Unfortunately, many of the couples instead fell flat, after dealing with the same repetitive drama. Four duos in particular made Season 8 difficult to watch, and it doesn’t seem like it will get better anytime soon.

The way Big Ed has treated Liz this season is unacceptable

Ed Brown and Liz Woods have always had a tumultuous relationship. Despite their problematic history, it’s been harder than ever to watch them on Season 8.

After a fight about taco pasta, Ed and Liz had a huge fight that ultimately led to their break-up. Ed canceled the wedding without consulting Liz first, which infuriated her even more. It was difficult to watch Liz beg Ed to stay with her after he had treated her poorly on many occasions. Despite putting her all into their relationship, Liz was not able to make it work with Ed.

Arguably, the worst of Ed’s behavior was when he told Liz’s mother that she should’ve raised her better. This showed that Ed has no limits, and will truly say anything to hurt someone. Ed acted incredibly disrespectfully as Liz and her mom moved her things out, which was frustrating to see. Hopefully, this will be the last we see of Big Ed, as his bad behavior onscreen has gone on for far too long.

Rob and Sophie’s drama is getting old

Rob Warne and Sophie Sierra have also had a frustrating storyline this season. Sophie first opened up about Rob’s online cheating during the couple’s time on 90 Day Fiancé Season 10. Rob had chatted with several women online, but Sophie decided to go forward with marrying him nonetheless.

The couple has been dealing with the same problems during Season 8, which has made things way too repetitive. Sophie discovered that Rob had been talking to more women than she realized, which caused her to briefly move out. To his credit, Rob has been taking steps to regain Sophie’s trust, although she has not been very receptive to them.

Both Rob and Sophie have contributed to their relationship’s problems, which don’t seem to be getting solved. It’s annoying to watch them go in circles every episode, just to end up in the same place.

Gino and Jasmine’s story is also repetitive

At this point, Gino Palazzolo and Jasmine Pineda have been on too many consecutive seasons. Gino and Jasmine aren’t bringing any fresh drama, and they are getting as boring as ever to watch.

The big issue for Gino and Jasmine in Season 8 has been their conflicting views on children. Gino is eager to have a baby with Jasmine, but she isn’t sure that she feels ready. Jasmine, on the other hand, is more concerned with bringing her two sons to the United States. Unfortunately, Gino made some errors on their paperwork, which delayed the process.

Gino and Jasmine have always been frustrating to watch, but they are just plain old boring at this point. They are not a fan-favorite couple, so it doesn’t make sense to keep bringing them back season after season.

Loren’s mommy makeover storyline is a waste of time

The biggest snooze fest of the season is Loren Brovarnik and her mommy makeover storyline. Loren and her husband Alexei Brovarnik were not introduced until later in the season, and their segments are lacking.

Loren and Alexei’s entire storyline revolves around Loren’s mommy makeover. While it is great that Loren wants to feel comfortable in her own skin, this isn’t exactly Happily Ever After-worthy. The spinoff typically features couples with intriguing or dramatic things going on in their lives, which makes it so fun. Loren, on the other hand, isn’t doing anything interesting at all.

The other frustrating thing about this storyline is that it revolves entirely around Loren. Alexei is always just kind of there, and seems like he is in a supporting role rather than a main one. Loren and Alexei aren’t adding anything to Season 8, and with eight other couples, it doesn’t make sense why they were necessary.

90 Day Fiancé can be streamed on Hulu.

TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK OF HAPPILY EVER AFTER? SEASON 8 SO FAR? WHICH COUPLE IS THE MOST FRUSTRATING TO WATCH?

The post How 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After? Season 8 Has Failed appeared first on Reality Tea.



from Reality Tea https://www.realitytea.com/2024/06/03/how-90-day-fiance-happily-ever-after-season-8-failed/