American Grit (2016–…): Season 1, Episode 8 - Barricade the Bunker - full transcript

Previously on American Grit...

The teams got a rude awakening.

It is time to wake up!

And they had their
navigation skills tested.

That way.

We're screwed.

Her team's behind us.

We're just scared more.
Let's run.

But in the end, it was team Noah

who once again came
out the victors.

Boom! They just
will not be denied.



Back at base camp, Cam
went behind enemy lines.

Oh.

KJoy, Tony and Mario
faced the Circus,

but the burden was too heavy.

That's it, I quit.

KJoy's chances of winning
$250,000 disappeared.

- Go!
- Tonight...

Let's go!

Forget this rah, rah, rah,
we got a good attitude.

I'm tired of getting beat.

The battle continues both
on and off the field.

She's playing you.

Haze is playing a PSYOPs on him,

psychological warfare.



And the stakes have
never been higher.

Fighting with
everything he's got.

Without Tony, Team
Tee goes bye-bye.

But a surprise visit could
change the competition.

Who will be the next
contestant to give up,

ring out, and go home.

♪ Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh ♪

♪ Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh ♪

♪ Whoa-oh-oh ♪

♪ All alone now ♪

♪ We in the fire ♪

♪ Gonna burn it down ♪

♪ Get out alive ♪

It's over!

♪ Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh ♪

Before I send you
back to base camp,

I have a special added
announcement today.

As we near the finals,
every victory is crucial.

And the stakes of
your next Evolution

will reflect that
more than ever.

When you head back to
base camp tonight,

you'll get a better perspective
of what I'm talking about.

From Evolution to Evolution,

you don't know what to expect.

So I'm on pins and
needles right now.

♪ ♪

I told you! I told you!

What is this?

I told you.

The winners of the
next Evolution

will get a visit from
their loved ones.

Oh, snap!

We got to win. We got to win.

As this competition progresses,

it's wearing on them.

It's similar to us
being in the military.

When you're deployed,

you're missing all the
luxuries of home,

and everyone that
you left behind.

Is that your dad?

Look, she's gonna cry.

I didn't get to see
my dad when I left,

'cause he was traveling.

So I haven't seen him
for, like, three months.

My dad has always been there,

and it's hard, sometimes,
to get through

without him being here.

We have to win this Evolution.

Who else we got?

My pops.

And he's military too.

101st Airborne, same as Noah.

My dad supports
everything that I do.

He is a minister
as well as I am.

He's the pastor of a church.

But, you know, we're
getting towards

the home stretch, and
if seeing family

is icing on top of the cake,

but the cake is always

make it, all of us,
to the final Circus.

Lumberjack?

Yeah, my girlfriend
with the baby.

Aww!

Baby's down in here.

When I left, my
girlfriend was pregnant

and not showing, and
she's showing now,

so I'd love to see that.

I don't know if it's gonna
be a little lumberjack

or a little lumberjill,
but I'm super excited.

I can't wait to be a father.

Motivation's up.

It's on!

Hip-hopping again.

♪ ♪

- Good morning, everybody.
- Good morning!

Ah, so many reasons
to be excited today.

The winner of today's Evolution

is not only safe
from the Circus,

but will get a visit from home.

And just like our U.S. military

on overseas deployment,

after a while, you get
to miss your family.

Noah.

When you're on a deployment,

you... you miss them so much,

but then you have to
constantly remind yourself

that you're doing
a job for them,

and that's kind of
what motivates you

to keep going on day to day.

- Tee?
- For me, it was my daughter.

Missing the holidays,
missing Thanksgiving,

Christmas, her birthday.

Goldie, we've talked
about your family.

- What would that mean to you?
- Oh, man.

It would be some
fuel to the fire.

It would be the last bit

of oomph that I need
to get through this.

You guys know what's
at stake today.

Let's find out how to get there.

Which brings us to
today's Evolution.

One of the most basic
and important tasks

for infantry in the U.S.
military is fortification.

Today's Evolution is called
Barricade the Bunker,

and it goes like this.

Inside each of these bunkers

is a very valuable set of flags.

Your goal is to protect
your flag at all costs.

Here's how it'll work.

Each Cadre will pick
one team member

who will have 30 minutes
to barricade the bunker.

As you can see, each
team has been given

the same basic
materials to do it.

Strategy is up to you guys.

When that 30 minutes is
over, the Cadre will select

another team member whose
mission is simple.

Break into an opposing
team's bunker

and retrieve your flag.

First team to do this
wins the Evolution.

Win the Evolution,
safe from the Circus.

Safe from the Circus,
you don't ring out.

And you get the bonus
of seeing your family.

In Team Tee's case,
Tony will be doing

both the barricading
and the breaching.

Tee, how do you feel about Tony

competing as a team of one?

We're the Marine Corps,
so our slogan is

"The Few, the Proud."

We just happen to be
the fewest today.

That's okay.

This will be contained mayhem.

Cadre, get with your
team, form a game plan.

As an infantry soldier

on a deployment,
living with the locals

and the enemy that you
didn't know who it was,

it was life or death to
make sure that we had

our living spaces
fortified completely.

You're gonna fortify it.

You're gonna break down
whichever one we end up doing.

With Mark's strength,

the whole strategy is we
want to tie this thing up

with as many knots as possible.

With the amount of
hand strength he has,

it's gonna be really
difficult to get undone.

If they can't get
those knots undone,

they can't get in.

- I got you building.
- All right.

- I got you breaching.
- Okay.

- So, uh, I think...
- What's the best way to...

The first thing is
the actual handle.

They have to actually use
that handle to get through.

That's the first thing
we have to secure.

Second thing, I think we should
build layers of a process

they actually have
to get through.

And we got plenty of material

to actually layer that up.

You're gonna build.
You're gonna destroy.

When it comes to building,
we're gonna start close,

and then, you know,
work our way out.

The thing that we're
gonna try and achieve

is just design as many

problem sets for the
person coming in as we can

and make those as intricate
or as complex as we can.

- Just utilize the rigs.
- Okay.

And it should be
like a spider web.

- So we want to go...
- An intricate spider web.

- Intricate spider web, okay.
- So no one can get through.

- Yep.
- Chicago style.

You barricade your home,
nobody's getting in.

We're both from
Chicago, so we know

in order to keep people from
breaking into your house,

you got to create layers.

Same thing in the Marine Corps.

You secure your belongings.

Gear adrift is gear amiss.

All right, then,
when you breach...

It's all about breaking through.

Already know, it's all
about breaking through.

Chicago style.

- We got this.
- All right.

- Strategy is over.
- We got this.

Competitors take
your starting marks.

We're playing for two
really important things

at this point in the game.

One, immunity from going
into that Circus.

Part two is getting
to see your family.

Haze in particular, I feel
like has this just very,

very deep connection, and kind
of respect with her father.

He's a marine.

To be honest, I want her to win

just so I can shake
that Devil Dog's hand

and tell him what a great
daughter he raised.

Prepare to barricade
your bunker.

Let's go, Haze.

Three, two, one, go!

The teams all have
the same material

to choose from, including
chains, ropes,

fencing, wood and
various fasteners.

Cam doing his best Tom
Brady over there.

Looking pretty good.

- I don't like it.
- Yep.

Turn the other way.

Securing the doorknob
was our first strategy.

I mean, if I was in a house,

doing like a sniper hut
or something like that,

I'd make sure that the...
The door was secured.

There you go, nice.

Just make it tight,
just make it tight.

So far, the basis of
everybody's strategy

has been chains
and chicken wire.

- Crisscross. This way.

- Crisscross?
- Yep.

Just like you did, but
opposite direction.

Tony developing some sort of

Houdini-type stunt.

Me being by myself puts
a lot more pressure

on me to make everything
just as perfect as possible.

If I do make a mistake,

it might cost me a
little bit more,

because everybody else
has three or two heads

thinking for them... I have one.

20 minutes remain.

Needs a little bit more.

Quick, quick, quick,
quick, quick.

Team Nick has secured
the doorknob,

but seems to be struggling
with the fencing.

Can you just push
it through there,

and then lock it on the other
side with another lock?

Team Rorke already has
some fencing secured,

as does Team Noah.

Big lumberjack.

Mark, no stranger to
timber, doing what he can

to use his specialties
to his advantages.

And sitting it on top there,
just like it's a ledge.

My strategy was weaving
boards in and all that.

It creates pressure
on everything.

I would just tie as
many knots as you can.

Use that hand strength.

It's so tight in some areas,

you can't get in
there to undo them.

20 minutes gone by.

Ten minutes remain.

But you don't need
it to be tight.

It just needs to be a place
that they have to undo.

- Get the slack in there.
- Yep.

- Pull it tight.
- All right.

Nick advising Cam,

who at points, seems
to be a bit shaky.

We need a lot more mesh.

- Come on, Cam.
- Got it, got it, got it.

I think when it comes to

making something intricate,

and under a time constraint,

it might bother
him a little bit.

Cam, don't worry about that.

I'm just trying to
tie it in a knot.

- You can't knot chains.
- It's not gonna work.

Jim, stop.

Two minutes remaining!

Two minute warning!

♪ ♪

Two minutes remaining.

Two minute warning.

They want in your
house, make them work.

Check out the lumberjack,
pulling those knots so tight

his hands are bleeding.

Looks like he's putting
together a grill.

He just looks like he's in
his element over there.

Anchor point, right here.

The goal here is to
build a solid bunker

so that the opposing team
cannot break through it.

Not only safety from the Circus,

but a visit from a loved one
hanging in the balance here.

We're gonna see our
families today, guys.

The point that we
really emphasize was

creating spots where intricate
work would need to be done,

time-consuming work.

You guys start looking at
just ways of other place

we can fill things in,

cause any place there's
a single point,

I want it locked again.

One minute remaining.

This is the one minute warning.

We have to keep the
tension tight.

A day off here could
be crucial for Tony.

Come on Cam, faster, yeah,
go back to that anchor.

Half a minute! 30 seconds!

30 seconds left!

You need to make your
bunker impenetrable

to see your family and
stay safe from the Circus.

- Come on, Cam - Hang on.

Knot, hurry, fast.

Four, three, two, one...

Stop what you're doing.

- Good job.
- Away from the bunkers.

I think we've got
the ugliest one.

Okay, teams, now
it's time to breach.

Dang, look at Tony's.

His looks like he's waiting
for the zombie apocalypse.

That's what I'm talking about.
That's what I'm talking about.

Safety from the Circus,

and a family visit at stake.

Let the demolition begin.

Jim, Tony, Mario, Clare,

you are now standing in front of

the bunker that you have
been chosen to breach.

You will each have
only a pair of pliers

to help you get in that bunker

and retrieve your team's flag.

First to the flagpole
wins this Evolution,

avoids the Circus,

and earns a visit with
loved ones for the team.

- Competitors at the ready.
- Chicken coop is easy.

Three, two, one, go!

Get in there, baby.
Get in there.

Get in there, baby.

You're a cop, come on, get
in there, get in there,

get in there.

- Pull that.
- Right there, there we go.

Pull that. Jim, pull that off.

Pull that off.

Jim working through

the labyrinth set up by
Haze for Team Rorke.

You got little points right
here that we'll get undone.

Mario buried in
knots over there.

Forget about the
chain after that.

Get the rope.

Tony, ripping away chains,
ripping away rope.

Clare, the same.

Your body, you don't think
you could squeeze your body

through that top corner?

The goal is to get inside.

Mario, first to go
for the pliers.

Ha, ha, he has to use pliers.

Pull on this too.

Obviously has his
work cut out for him.

Mark did a heck of a job
fortifying that bunker.

First you got to
get this one knot.

Mario, you got this. I feel it.

I feel it right now.

We attack this first knot

on the lower left-hand corner,

and this is tied
by the lumberjack,

which is 250 pounds of man.

There's a lot of
tension on this knot.

Work the... work the...
Work the thing

with your hands too.

- Come on, Jim.
- You have to do it.

Jim taking the
gargantuan approach.

Jim, come in.

- You got this lock, right.
- Jim is inside the fencing.

Here we go, Jim.

He has the door open.

Is it enough to get through?

Is it enough to get through?

The key to their design

was the chain around
the doorknob.

Haze had it so tight,
there was no slack.

It's the little twisty thing.

It was really intricate,

but my fingers aren't
really working too well.

Undo that, undo that.

- Right here, baby.
- Right there.

Tee encouraging Tony,

fighting to keep his team
alive in this competition.

And right now, a doorknob
is the only thing standing

between Jim and victory.

Once you get that slack, you
just go to the next one.

That's enough slack for you.

Tee had me do it. Got
the rope out the way.

As I start pulling more rope,
the chicken coop got loose.

That gave me the entryway
to get up in there.

Unhook it. Get them gloves off.

Only one team can win this.

And Clare, still
removing material.

Okay, this chain, I need to know

where this chain goes.

Undo this one, this'll take
this chain out of the way.

What's that?

Tony did a really,
really amazing job.

Everything I undid,

there was something behind it.

Pull that out, pull it.

It just was like, layers
and layers of stuff.

Right here.

Jim is at the door.

Here we go, Jim.

Does Jim have enough room?

Come on, get that slack,
it's the slack, Jim.

-It's the slack.

When you get dumped

with adrenaline, fine
motor skills are gone.

- It's up against this.
- Where's the slat?

Where's the slat coming from?

All right, now, pull, pull.

Do big pull, big pull, big
pull, big pull, big pull.

Pull, pull, pull,
pull, pull, pull.

Pull again!

Tony's squeezing his way in.

Doing some amateur
locksmith work over there.

Open the door. Open
the door, baby.

Tony has the door open.
Can he get through?

Get in there!

-Mario, Mario, don't... look.

Team Rorke has their door open!

Mario, trying to worm
himself through.

Jim's still mere inches away,

but it's Tony who's
found a way through.

Get the flag! Let's go!

Let's go! Let's go!

And now Mario is in!

Hold on one second!

Tony fighting with
everything he's got,

fighting for a team
of one to get himself

a well-deserved day off!

Go! Here! Boom!

- Whoa!
- We have a winner!

Tony ahead of Mario

by mere seconds.

That's what I'm talking about!

Oh, my God.

Thought we had it.

Whoo!

Good job.

Tony, proudly raise your flag.

You have won the Evolution.

Here we go.

Whoo!

That's that Chicago
style right there!

Now that's Chicago style.

Right there.

We're safe from the Circus,
safe from ringing out.

Team Tee is still intact.

We hanging by a strand,

but we're still in there.

We live to fight another day,

and I couldn't be
happier right now.

- Good job, good job.
- That's the one I wanted.

We're experiencing what other
teams have experienced

time and time again.

So it's a building
moment for us.

This is the second time
we've been knocked down,

and we can come back again.

My barricade

wasn't the best thing
in the world, you know,

I'm not the sharpest
tool in the shed.

- He wormed his way in.
- Wormed it in, yeah.

Sorry, guys.

Aw, man, now I'm not
gonna see my dad.

- Never saw?
- Never saw.

The hardest thing right now is
not punching Cam in his fat face

for not fortifying
his bunker better.

The reward was not
just avoiding Circus.

The reward was family time.

Like, I... I hurt thinking
I'm not gonna see my dad.

Tony, "the Few, the
Proud," indeed.

You get yourself a visit
from your family,

and you are safe
from the Circus.

Tee, at the beginning,
you said that marines

were "the Few, the Proud."

Have any advice for the
Army they just defeated?

I mean, Army stands for

"Ain't ready to
be a marine yet."

So we took this.

We showed them today.

Indeed, you did.

And now it is decision time.

Nick, Rorke, Noah,

you will choose a member of
your team to face the Circus.

Team Noah, your second
taste of defeat.

We will see you guys
at the sentencing.

We're so close to the finals,

and I want the team
to be three strong.

But then there's
always that risk

that something could happen.

Stop. Stop.

- Holy smokes.
- Uh.

Like ten seconds after
the Evolution I was mad.

God.

- Furious...
- At Cam?

- Were you mad at Cam?
- No, not at Cam.

The game is over.

Wipe that slate clean.

But I'm still gonna
punch Cam in his face.

He could have got, like,
two more knots in there.

Two more knots,

and we would have had that.

Haze does have true
feelings for Cam.

I don't know how deep
they run, or whatever,

but we really have
to focus on ourself,

and what we can do
better as a team

to win an Evolution.

It would have been nice.

But when business has to be
taken care of out there,

it was gonna be us three.

But we wouldn't be sitting here,

thinking about, like,
"Oh, yeah, you know,

at least Team Noah's
going to Circus."

We'd be here going,
"My dad's coming."

And it just infuriates me.

What's up? What's up?

You got a second?

- Yeah.
- All right,

I need to blindfold you, though.

Oh!

- I... I'm gonna regret this.
- All right?

The person in the house
who wanted to see

their loved one the
most was Haze.

We're going to my room.

Blue Team was so close
to winning today,

so I'm here to cheer Haze up.

- All right?
- Okay.

Take off your blindfold.

Ta-da!

Cam, what is this?

- We got champagne.
- Oh, my God.

I guess, in a way,
it was my apology

for building such a
crappy barricade.

Aww.

Usually all my dates are
in the back seat of cars

for, like, 15 minutes, though.

This is... This is
something different.

Oh, my God.

Wow.

Cam and haze are having
their little date.

They're adorable.

Last endurance challenge.

And I got to frickin' spin, too?

Seems like everyone's
just trying

to stay positive, you know.

Everyone knows
what's ahead of us,

and everyone's got to kind
of stay relaxed and happy.

- Give me the gold medal!
- That was a five!

That was a five.

That was a five.

There's a good possibility
that you and I

might have to go to
Circus together.

You know, 50/50 chance,
and then somebody

from team Noah.

So, I mean, somebody
has to go home

at the end of the day.

I think it's gonna be Team Noah.

All right, I can cheer to that.

I can cheers to that.

I kind of blamed him for being

the reason why my
dad's not here.

And that was selfish of me.

What a sweet guy.

Like, this is a
great first date.

This is probably one of
the best first dates

I've ever been on.

Come here.

Uh-oh.

♪ ♪

On deployments, especially
the invasion of Iraq,

we would constantly
do this rucking,

just putting on a
pack, and just walk.

The advantage to us
doing this out here

is we don't have to be
tactical and quiet.

It is extremely difficult
to choose between

Mark, David and Clare
to send to the Circus.

I could send somebody,
and they go home

and miss out on something

in the end that could
greatly improve

their lives for them
and their families.

Whoever goes to the
Circus, go into it like

its your last day here,
'cause it could be.

I'm gonna do my best to
make the best decision

for the team, and the four of us

will be at the next Evolution.

- All right?
- Let's do it.

I have a feeling
Nick will pick me.

So... you know what I mean?

Hi.

Bye.

Ridiculous.

I think that Cam doesn't
know it's a game.

He's so young. He's only 21.

And I think Haze is
playing a PSYOPs on him,

psychological warfare.

I mean, do you want to send
home the girl you like?

If you had to go
up against Haze,

my fear is...

Distraction.

Distraction, her getting
into your head.

Yeah, she's told me, she's like,

"Well, like, you know, I act
like it's a competition,"

but, like, yeah, she goes,

"I'd be really distracted if I
went to Circus against you."

That's a game.
That's a game, dude.

That's a game. That's a game.

She's got a strong mind.

- That's a game.
- She's playing you.

Listen to Jim. She's
playing you, yeah.

I don't think going up
against Haze in the Circus

would be a distraction,

but I think it would
be hard to focus.

When I get the phone call,
or the page that say

give them the Black
Hawks or the Chinooks.

We're about to fly
and hit a target,

I get cold, I don't talk...

- Game time.
- Yeah, that's my...

No, I get you.

Everything's on the
line right now.

I don't want to end up
in Tony's position.

- Nope.
- We have to win.

You know, honestly,

that's what I dig
about this place.

It is a competition, but
every time I walk in

to see you guys, I feel like

I'm walking into the
bar from Cheers.

Seriously, you guys make
me feel so welcome.

As you guys know, there's a
very special reward today.

Tony, come on up here.

For winning the Evolution,
Tony earned himself

a visit from a family member,

and I wanted you all here
to welcome his visitor.

To the victor goes the spoils.

I hope you enjoy your time.

Cena opens the door,

but wicked smart, I know
that's not Tony's sister.

Tony, to the victor
goes the spoils.

I hope you enjoy your time.

Come on in, man.

- Oh, honey.
- Oh, my God.

She hasn't seen her father
in, like, four months,

so I've been blessed to
get safe from the Circus,

so share the blessing,
and I'm giving her

the family visit instead.

You're the man!

You're the man, dude. Yeah.

- You're a class act.
- Surprise!

Plus, he's a marine too.

I'm representing Marine
Corps, so I'm happy.

Nice to meet you, brother.

- Thank you so much.
- No problem.

- No problem.
- Oh, man.

- How you doing, gunny?
- All right, how you doing?

Tony is so selfless.

I feel like I have better
than I deserve today.

For someone to struggle
as much as Tony has,

finally make it to victory lane,

and then openly give
away his reward,

I think is, uh, not
only outstanding,

but is absolutely everything
that we represent.

Thank you, Tony.

Making my father proud is my
main motivation to excel.

Like, for my dad to come
here and see that I'm one

of the final nine?

With these athletes?

Like, that has just

lit a fire under my ass,

and I am just... I'm gonna go

as hard as I can these
next final Evolutions.

So when I was in the Marines,

I was taking my
Marine Corps career

in a different direction,

and I went to a career
planner, I'm like,

"I think I want to
be a Navy SEAL."

- You know.
- Yep.

And so when I saw how
cool those guys were,

I'd be like, "I
will ring that bell

on the first day."

Isn't it so funny, though?

'Cause he told me, he's like,

"I hope that they don't get
anything cold for you."

Well, you... you've
done your part,

and, uh, it's been a treat.

- All right, sir.
- It's a pleasure to meet you.

Yes, sir, and you too.

- Take care.
- Isn't he so cool?

- He is so cool.
- I know!

You're just surrounded by cool.

How often is it like this?

Uh, every day. - Well, I bet.

I mean, the challenges
themselves are so...

Mentally, physically,
emotionally

just taxing,

and then you throw

cold, wet on top of it

and you lose focus

of the task at hand.

I'm incredibly proud of Haze.

She's always been
that person that's...

Was never willing to quit.

I like to think that she
gets that trait from me,

but she's a tough kid.

She's always gonna
come out on top.

Just keep on...

Keep on doing what you're doing,

and that's gonna be enough.

Thanks, Dad.

A rather unfamiliar backdrop
for our selection process.

The elements and
weather at the Circus

has been deemed extreme.

Those chosen to face the Circus,

regardless of tomorrow's
elements, will run.

Because indeed, this Circus

is extremely important.

One person will give up.

One person will ring out.

One person will go
home, but for the two

that survive, since
they will be exempt

from next week's Circus,
they get the golden ticket

into the finals
of American Grit.

Nick, who have you chosen
to face the Circus?

Tough decision for me,

reminds me of that little space

in between a fired rifle
and a shoulder pocket.

Anything in between that area,
once the rifle is fired,

it kind of gets
smushed, so I'm kind of

in between that little
space, that gap.

But at the end of that
rifle comes out a bullet,

and it, you know, destroys
anything in its path.

Sending my bullet, Cam.

Cam, you've been chosen
to face the Circus.

- Thank you.
- Anytime.

Bring it home.

With a smile on your face.
Anything to add?

I think every circus
needs a clown,

and today, it's C-A-M.

That's me.

Rorke, please.

One of the things
that was interesting

about yesterday's Evolution

was that two people
got to compete,

and one sat out.

But I think the person
that didn't get to work

is ready to get in
there and do it.

So I'm gonna pick Goldie.

Goldie, you've been chosen
to face The Circus.

That leads me to Noah.

You've only been to the
Circus once before.

And ended up losing
a team member.

A very difficult
decision on your hands.

This decision was
extremely difficult.

It kept me up all night.

We're really close to the
end of this competition.

I want to see my three
be the winners.

All three of them bring
something to the table.

And if somebody goes home,

that's something that we'd lose.

Whoever goes in and finishes

is guaranteed a chance
to win $250,000,

but then, on the flip side,

one of these three
could never even get

that opportunity.

Who are you sending
to the the Circus?

Mark.

Throwing big Mark in there.

This will be his first time
competing in the Circus.

Noah, please explain your
decision making process.

I've watched his hands bleed.

The man does not
know how to quit.

The Circus is demanding.

The Circus is also
unpredictable.

There are no guarantees.

There are no automatics

in this process.

The unpredictable curveball
of this Circus is...

You will face The Circus
without your Cadre.

You will rely on your team.

You will decide who
would you like

by your side at the platform
acting as your Cadre.

The reason we've been so
successful in the Circus

is the fact that we do
have the best Cadre

standing there right beside
us doing the whole thing.

I don't even want to think
about not having him there.

And make no mistake about it,

tomorrow's Circus will
indeed be extreme.

You know, I'm deciding
who I'm gonna

let go on the platform with me.

Having you down there
and Cam competing

could be a big advantage.

I mean, my focus
would be on you.

- Right.
- But his focus might not.

- Right.
- Okay?

I think it may be a
slight distraction.

I definitely think
it's a great strategy.

It is your lover boy.

Oh, at the end of the day
this is all about winning.

- Sound good to me.
- Let's do this.

I been actually waiting to talk

to you for quite some time.

What's making you tick
through this whole thing?

Well, lots of things. I
mean, my main drive...

I mean, any competition
in life is my family.

Everything is
family-based for me.

I have an identical
twin brother...

- Get out of town. Awesome.
- Yeah.

So you got two of these.

Two big lumbersquatch looking
dudes with chainsaws.

Lumbersquatch, yeah, exactly.

Awesome, man. Awesome.

Speaking of family, you got a...

A family of your own on the way?

I can't wait. It's
my first baby.

Yup.

I don't even know how to feel.

It's amazing.

This is your first time
running the Circus,

and you'll have to run
it without your Cadre.

Is there any added
stress without Noah?

I suppose... yeah, that's in...

the mind of everyone here
doing the Circus today,

but, to be honest with you,

I can't let that block my focus.

I'm gonna have my team there, and
he's gonna still be with me,

I mean, in spirit and in heart.

I don't think there is anything
that could crack you guys.

You guys just...
you have a plan,

you stick to it.

I hope you keep it up, man.

Thank you.

We have Cam who's
been in there once

and Goldie, this'll
be her third time.

They just know what it's like

to have their back
against the wall.

Mark has only experienced
the Circus as a spectator.

He's never failed
when he's challenged,

but the Circus is
always unpredictable,

and he's facing it
for the first time

without Noah by his side.

And that in itself could
be the difference maker.

What do you feel about, um...

your stand-in?

I'm gonna put a name in the hat,

and then you... One
of you guys can pick.

I'd rather have both
you guys down there.

Is that a man bag?

No, this is my girlfriend's bag.

All sorts of secrets.
It's green.

At least it's the right color.

You don't think I can rock this?

♪ ♪

The Circus begins to evolve

as we steamroll towards the
finals of this competition.

Today competitors do
not have the faith

of their Cadre behind them.

They have the faith
of their teammates.

Whatever this Circus is,

I just hope that it
plays in Cam's favor.

This is one of those
situations where you bet

everything on black and
hope for the best.

Some of you, Circus veterans.

Some of you have
worked very hard

to make sure that this is
only your first Circus.

I feel really confident,

but you got this
giant man in Mark,

and you got this small,
fiery girl in Goldie,

and then there's me.

So it's a very weird
mix right now.

Now let's get down to business.

As with every Circus, one
person will give up.

One person will ring out.
One person will go home.

Today, as usual, The
Circus will begin

with the punishing
Obstacle Course.

When you arrive on the
endurance platform,

you'll see sets of stilts

that are held together
by links of chain.

When your endurance test starts,

you will mount
yourself on the lowest

set of footrests on the stilts.

On my signal, you will
move up to the second

smaller footholds, and
when I tell you to,

you will climb to the highest,
thinnest set of footholds

and stay there until
one of you fall.

These stilts are dynamic.

They will move, and
they will wobble,

and so will you.

Let's talk about the advantages.

Third competitor to arrive
has no advantage whatsoever.

Their test begins immediately.

The second competitor to arrive
will get a much needed rest

before starting the
endurance portion.

And the competitor
who arrives first

will enjoy an even longer rest
before starting their test.

The first competitor to fall
will ring out and go home.

This is only the second time

I've had to send
anybody to the Circus,

and it's all or nothing.

Mark could be guaranteed
a spot in the finals,

but then, also,
he could go home.

That's it.

He's come this far, and all
of a sudden it's over.

Make your way to
the starting line.

- Goldie!
- Let's go, Goldie!

I'll see you down there, girl.
We gonna crush it!

Teamwork!

I do think Goldie feels
like she needs me.

So, uh, I guess going
in, if I'd known that

it may have impacted my decision

on who I'd want to send so
when I put her in there,

I feel a level of anxiety,
and I've seen her each time

with real fear on her face.

Take a second.

Put this entire journey
in perspective.

All we ask is all you got.

Competitors at the ready.

Three, two, one, go!

- You got this, Goldie!
- Let's go, Goldie!

There you go, Kim!

You got this, Mark! Do it!

Get up a little faster, Cam!

I figured Cam would be fast.

I didn't figure
Mark would be fast.

Fear the lumbersquatch.

And Circus rookie
Mark first to the top

of the cargo net.

Let's see if he's pushing
too hard too early.

Cam up and over.

- You're doing good, Goldie!
- There you go, Goldie!

- He always has that pace.
- Go your pace.

Mark crossing the A-frame.
Cam not far behind.

You're right with him!

- There you go.
- You got this, Goldie!

Good girl!

Goldie, as always,

conserving energy.

Mark approaching the
giant's ladder.

Man, that kid is moving
at a brisk pace.

He seems to be
extending his lead

little by little over Cam.

Whoo-hoo!

Go, Mark!

There you go, Goldie!
Nice and easy!

Mark was like lightning
through that thing.

♪ ♪

And look at the big man!

- Off to a bit of a lead.
- Awesome job!

Yeah!

Cam seems to be slowing down.

You got to wonder if
he's thinking ahead

to that endurance platform.

Goldie just now
beginning to climb

the giant's ladder.

Mark looking a little unsteady

at the start of
that Burma bridge.

Not a lot of room
for those big feet.

You can catch him, Cam!

- Good job, Mark!
- He's right there, Cam.

- You can catch him!
- Step right up!

It is close. It is close.

Roll it, Cam, roll away!

Cam now hesitating on
that Burma bridge.

Good job, Mark!

- Whoo!
- Good job! Good job!

♪ ♪

Stretch it up, Cam!

Mark's still going full-speed

as he approaches the
final cargo net.

♪ ♪

I hate this ladder!

Whoa!

Whoa! My goodness!

What?

SportsCenter, prepare yourself.

That was the best
thing I've ever seen!

- There you go!
- That was awesome!

He is the first on the
endurance platform

with a human cannonball!

Awesome, man.

You go, Goldie!

- Whoo, Goldie!
- There she is!

She has her own method
of coming down this too.

It's not quite like yours, Mark.

Doing good, Goldie.
Slow and steady.

Hands dry and warm?

Yeah, trying.

Doing good, Goldie.

Goldie's arrived. Let's get
the Endurance started.

All right, make your
way to the platform.

Goldie's strategy is for
me to be on the platform

as distraction for Cam.

Up and on we go.

Cam and I have a
great connection,

but when we get on the
battlefield, it is a war,

and he is the enemy.

Goldie clearly in her zone.

We've seen this before in
the Endurance challenge.

Cam, your rest period
advantage is over.

Step up.

This game could be over soon.

Bring it back. Bring it back.

Hold tight and get a good
grip on it with those feet.

Ten seconds until
Marc has to start.

Looking good, Goldie.

All right, get those
feet up there.

Three, two, one. Mount.

Get your core tight.

Cam, Marc, Goldie, all up.

Goldie, you've been
up for two minutes.

You have the best position.

I like where your arms are.
They're not above your head.

A ticket to the finals
for those who survive.

Just envision that, man.

Slow everything down.

Slow, deep breaths.

On my signal,

you will all ascend to the
next set of footrests.

That's a thinner
footrest coming up.

Slow, deep breaths.

Three, two, one. Step up.

Everything floored.

Good job.

Grip... grip tight. Grip tight.

Slow, deliberate.

Doing good, Goldie.

Toughest one out here, Goldie.

You make it through this,
you're in to the money round.

Don't leave anything in the
tank on this one, guys.

Don't leave anything
in the tank.

Rorke is proud of you.
Mario is proud of you.

Goldie still
absolutely motionless.

One minute until you
rise to the top.

You all know those are thinner,

and you all know the
posts can move,

so you all know what
you're up against.

This is gonna be a big
problem for somebody.

He's not gonna last.

Feet are too big.

Three, two, one.

Step up.

You got this, girl.

There you go. That's it.

Use your body. Use your body.

Good. Perfect.

Good job. Excellent.

One foot.

Solid. Solid feet.

Good grip, good grip.

Well, that makes me
a very happy man.

Now we're gonna push all
of you to your limits.

Every muscle in your body is
gonna be telling you to quit.

Come on, dude. Grip tight
if you're gonna move.

Little while longer.

Cam, you're moving
a bit over there.

I just want to make
sure you're all right.

I'm good.

Good job, Goldie.

Don't look at them.
Take care of yourself.

Whatever's bothering
you, man, throw it away.

You all now realize we don't
give anything away here.

You earn everything you got.

Mark readjusting himself.

Keep your core tight.
Keep your core tight.

Not much room up there
for those big feet.

All right, Cam, you're
constant shaking,

I'm just gonna think
that you're cold.

Goldie, hell of a job.

Goldie, you are like a statue.

All right, try and relax.

Help me, Jim.

- Is it your ankle?
- Yep.

If you get on a heel,
would it help?

Do not let go at any cost.

A little repositioning going on.

Who wants to stay?

Who wants to go?

You will go to the
finals if you make it.

There you go. Find a good place.

Easy, come on. Come on.

- Oh, JIM: You got it.

Keep giving. Don't let it go.

You're okay. You're okay.

Your body hurts, ignore it.

You want to drop, don't.

- Change position.
- $1/4 million on the line.

Trip to the finals.
Help your team.

Ah...

Wow, this is it, huh?

I thought everything
was going well,

and then, you know, my legs
just started to lock up.

You did it, man. You did
all you could, man.

I tried switching
positions and everything,

but that little peg, I just...

there's only so much you can do.

Jim, I'm so sorry.

No, man. You did all you could.

Do I feel bad that our
mind game worked on him?

No.

Just sucks that
it had to be Cam.

- Sorry.
- It happens.

Hey, chin up.

Do I think that's the last kiss?

I don't know.

I would prefer it not to be.

I don't know what the future
holds, but, you know,

I think I'll still be
in contact with Haze.

- Goldie!
- Get over here!

Three strong!

She's like a puma!

You've done a great job.

I think you've grown up,
and you've taken certainly

a giant step towards
becoming a man.

Thank you. I appreciate that.

And now, it's time to ring out.

All right.

It's weird when it
all hits you at once

and you have to say good-bye.

Sucks I'm not gonna make
it to final Circus,

but I'm leaving with
no regrets here.

You now know what
feeling tested is like.

If you can apply that to
the rest of your journey,

you're gonna make it real far,

and that's from a guy
who's been there.

Thank you.

Next time, on the
two-hour season finale...

This is gonna be fun.

The teams are in for
shocking surprises.

And the grueling competition

pushes some contestants
over the edge.

We're gonna burn them down.

Before ending with the
biggest, baddest Circus

the teams have ever seen.

Black out or win. There's
no other option.

Don't you drop that rope,
you son of a bitch!

Which team will win the
grand prize and prove

that they have American Grit?