♪♪ Colin: Welcome to Survivalists, the adventure show where families face nature's most extreme challenges together.

I'm your host, Colin O'Brady.

♪♪ I'm a 10-time world record holder, best-selling author, and professional explorer.

Top of the world!

My passion for the outdoors helped me overcome the biggest challenges in my own life.

[groan] And with the support of my family, I have learned that the impossible is possible.

And now each week, I will be using those life lessons to help mentor two families, each here with their own deeply personal reasons, as they push themselves physically... - [scream] Colin: ...mentally... - [emotionally] I can't do it.

[sob] Colin: ...and emotionally.

They'll go on a three-day adventure of a lifetime... Woman: Let's go, Survivalists!

- Yes, girl!

Colin: ...where they'll compete for a $10,000 cash prize.

[cheering] But their real reward comes when they begin to see loved ones in a new light, rebuild relationships, and find new strength as a family.

Man: It's really enabled us to come together as a family.

Colin: This week, the Armes family from Lake Isabella, California... Man 2: This is 100% a team effort.

I need my team; I need my family.

Colin: ...will take on the Hill family from Circle Pines, Minnesota.

Man: I learned more about my family than I would have ever thought imaginable.

Colin: Who will be the first to raise their family's flag... - Mission Impossible!

Man 2: Dig deep, dig deep!

Colin: ...and be this week's Survivalists?

[bird calls] ♪♪ Family: We're the Hills, and we're from Minnesota!

Woman 1: We are super high energy, always on the go... - Causing trouble.

- ...causing trouble.

My family is competitive.

Man 3: It's just basically win or just know the options just to win.

Family: We're the Armes family from Lake Isabella, California.

- Oh, we say California, too?

- [chuckle] I would say we're pretty awesome.

Ranked 1 to 10, we're probably around an 11.

Girl: I'm ready.

Let's get this game on.

Man 2: Woo!

Colin: Oh, wow.

We got a lot of energy from both these families!

♪♪ Welcome, families, to Survivalists!

[cheering] You know, before we dive in to this adventure, what do I need to know about the Hill family?

- Came down here from Minnesota.

We're definitely excited for it, complete weather change.

- You ever seen mountains like this before?

- Oh yeah, in my textbooks all the time!

[laughing] Colin: Does it feel a little bit different to see it up close?

- Yeah, it completely does.

Growing up in South Florida, I'm really, like, a city girl.

- Have you ever been camping in your guys' life?

- Um, yes.

Once.

- Really?

Thomas: Um, kind of.

Colin: You've kind of been camping once.

- We pitched a tent.

At an RV resort that had bathrooms and showers and pools.

- Glamping.

Thomas: It might not even have been glamping.

I mean, we were at a hotel, essentially, in a tent.

- That's so sad.

- [sobbing] Colin: How would you sum up your objective for being out here?

- We moved to Minnesota from Florida, like, three years ago.

And during that time, we've really separated as a family.

We used to be, like, you know, in like flint, and just like, really close as a family.

Coming to Minnesota, the family separation has kinda happened a lot.

- Normally, like, when I was younger and stuff, I would be with them all the time and stuff.

But since I, like, got in my teenage years, I've been, like, drifting off, so this might, like, bring me back together.

- There's a lot of strong personalities in our family.

When we moved to Minnesota, life did get a little hectic, and there is more clashing.

Thomas: We do have a lot of differences and a lot of challenges and a lot of things that come up in reference to arguments and fights.

For myself, I'll be working at how to communicate with my family more effectively.

I mean, we're gonna be camping in a tent; we're gonna be reliant on each other as a team.

And it's really gonna force us together, I think.

- This is definitely gonna be a nice way to see how we work together: who compromises, who, you know, will take a step back.

- You know, I will say this right now.

Coming together as a family, there's gonna be hard moments; there's gonna be challenges out there when you're tired, you're cold, you're hungry.

But when you can figure out how to work together, it's a beautiful thing at the end of this experience.

- Yeah.

We're gonna show up and put our best foot forward.

- I'd love for one of you guys to tell me about the family flag and what it stands for.

Jeanine: Our family flag has a cross in the middle to represent our spiritual foundation.

We do have six individuals in our family.

We have two kids that are at home, so there's six different peaks, and Jaden is in yellow.

And that does represent the unity that me and him had prior to us creating this family, that me and Jaden was a family before.

Thomas is not Jaden's biological father.

But he has stepped in and has raised Jaden from the age of 4.

Jaden: He basically is my dad because he's been there for, like, my ups and downs and a lot.

Everything I've been through, he's, like, been right there.

♪♪ - Okay, Armes family, how are you guys doin'?

- We're doing good.

- Good!

- Maybe a little nervous.

- What are you most nervous about, being out here?

Alex: Probably just us working together.

Most of the time, we don't really all agree.

- Is there anyone in particular in the family that you kind of seem like you disagree the most with?

- Um... [all chuckling] My dad is pretty impatient.

- He can't tolerate a lot of things pretty easily.

- He does have a short fuse and he just wants things done his way, and he doesn't really like when other people mess up, I guess.

- I'm a very controlling person.

And um, I have a very short fuse.

And so when things don't go my way, I seem to get a little upset about it, so I wanna see if we can come out here, you know.

Once things start gettin' tough, if I can kinda control that temper a little bit, keep everyone a little bit happy, and I think it'll make for a little more enjoyable experience.

My family has recently let me know that I have a short fuse and a, uh, bit of a temper problem when things don't go my way.

I wanna get a handle on my short fuse because mostly it doesn't come out with other people, you know.

It's mostly my family.

When we go places, I want us always to be able to enjoy it and not when we get somewhere, get home and they're saying, "Oh yeah, good time, but my dad freaked out," so.

Well, you know, I want to make it to where they enjoy it, so when they're older, they wanna come back and see me when-- when they have grandkids.

Oh, you don't want to go to mean, old Grandpa's house, so yeah.

- I hope he learns to have a little more patience with us, give us a little more time to give answers, 'cause sometimes he wants everything right now, right away.

- Well, a lot of being successful in this adventure is about making decisions, but making decisions under stressful environments, so it'll be interesting to see how that plays out.

- I hope he realizes that he, he can calm down a little.

- I'd love it if one of you could tell me about your flag.

Anna: We have the mountains.

We really enjoy being up in the mountains.

We're surrounded by 'em; it's our home.

And then, we're kind of out of balance right now.

So it's the three of us- -me, Max, and Alex-- up at the top, and there's Paul down here.

Uh, we need to get in balance with him a little more and have him see eye to eye with us.

- I love that.

Well, it's so great to meet both of you families.

This is just the beginning.

You'll be going on a challenging 3-day, 19-mile journey through a maze of vastly different landscapes.

Day One, you'll travel 11 miles, rafting down the giant river and racing up canals on your way to camp for the night.

Day Two, you'll travel six miles on foot through a long, winding riverbed, weaving around red rocks and water to a 40-foot rappel before reaching camp.

Day Three, you'll traverse two miles of narrow ridgelines and unstable, loose rock to make it to the finish line, where you'll need to raise your family's flag.

There is, of course, a prize at the finish line.

You guys want to know what we're playing for?

Paul: Yes, whoo!

Julien: Yeah!

- All right, well, the winner of this competition is taking home $10,000 cash.

All: Oh!

Colin: $10,000 cash, that's right.

- Woo!

First place, that's what I want.

Somethin' comes with it, awesome.

But yeah, I'm more about the winnin' thing.

- [nervous chuckling] I'm nervous about that.

- Before I send you out in the wild, you're gonna get a chance to go to the General Store to shop for essential items that you're gonna need to survive your multi-day expedition.

However, I'm only gonna give you 90 seconds each family.

To gain even more time, I've set up a series of survival challenges.

Each one of the challenges, if your family wins, you'll earn an additional 30 seconds in the General Store.

First up is the Water Challenge.

All right?

[dramatic music] Families, welcome to the Water Challenge.

[cheering] [clapping] The human body can really only survive about three days without water.

So being able to locate that in the wild, very important.

The way the Water Challenge is gonna work is two participants from each family are gonna grab these buckets, run down to the river, fill 'em up, and run back up, filling up your barrel.

Once there's enough water in the wooden barrels, you open your spigot.

Whoever can fill up their glass bottle first wins this challenge and 30 seconds additional time for their family in the General Store.

Which two members of each family is it gonna be?

Paul: You guys, fill it up!

Colin: All right, the younger generation taking it on!

Max: Yeah.

- All right, on my go.

Three, two, one, go!

Jeanine: Come on, come on!

Colin: All right!

Off they go!

Thomas: So we decided to have Jaden and Julien take up the Water Challenge.

With Jaden's sports background, he's gonna be able to kick butt the entire time.

- Let's go, Alex, let's go, let's go!

Colin: Jaden and Max are both pushing the pace, wow!

Jeanine: Go, go!

Paul: So one of the main reasons we want to do this competition is Max.

He's about to be an adult and he's gotta kinda come into his own.

But I think he's just a little scared to mess up.

Any time something goes wrong, I definitely let him know, "Hey, you're messing up on this."

If he could figure out how to take control and I could figure out the attitude, it might help him come into his own.

Jeanine: Let's go!

- Keep going, keep going.

[splashing] - Energy, energy, high energy, get there!

In this adventure, I am not so much of the doer.

Julien, if you're gonna take one bucket and go slow, let's make sure no water spills.

I'm the strategist.

Um, that's my role.

Is your spigot open?

Open your spigot.

Colin: I think that's a little bit of pain behind those smiles right there.

- Let's go!

Jeanine: All right, Jaden, pick up.

Colin: Oh!

The water's coming out for the Armes!

- Max, go get more!

Thomas: There you go, Jade, run!

Run, Jade!

Colin: The water's coming out for the Armes!

Jaden's trying to catch up!

The Armes' bottle is about halfway full!

That might put them over the edge!

[splashing] They're trying to get that last drop; you gotta get it filled all the way up!

Armes family wins the challenge!

[cheering] Congratulations!

Anna: Good job, guys!

Jeanine: I think losing is a opportunity to learn and to go back to the drawing board and reevaluate, for us to work more on communication.

Anna: Good job, guys!

- We went out there and it makes me feel really good because it shows the other team that we're not messing around.

- All right, after the Water Challenge, the Armes are up 1-0.

The next challenge is the Animal Tracks.

All right?

[clapping] ♪♪ Families.

Welcome to the Animal Tracks challenge.

- All right, whoo!

- All right!

- It's very important to know what animals and wildlife are around you.

If there's a predator nearby, you definitely want to know that for your survival.

The way the Animal Tracks challenge works is over here, I've got placards that are gonna show animals.

You're gonna have to match that animal to the tracks in front of you.

If you can identify the correct track, you get a point for that round.

The first person to 3 points wins 30 extra seconds for their family in the General Store.

Who's it gonna be for each family?

Alex: Mom.

Julien: Get up, dad.

Colin: All right, come on up, Thomas and Anna!

Paul: She's studied it.

She's a kindergarten teacher.

And she should know them all 'cause we have most of these animals around our house.

Colin: First animal.

♪♪ Raccoon.

Thomas: We're already competing against a mountain family.

You know, obviously she's looking at tracks all the time.

I'm like, whoo, you know, I stand no chance here, but I'm gonna give it my all; I'll do what I can and try to make it happen.

♪♪ - Correct, correct.

You both got it right.

Anna: Those are easy ones.

Colin: Second one.

Elk.

Thomas: They picked up the second one and I was a little unsure as far as the animal, so I, I went to grab a card, and at that point I'm like, no, I can't do that.

I gotta pick up the other one.

- You switched at the last minute.

Correct, you both got it.

Julien: [laughing] Jeanine: [indistinct] Colin: It's all tied up, 2-2.

Whoever gets the next one right, if the other one's wrong, wins this challenge.

So the stakes are high now.

Anna: [chuckling] - Here we go, the rabbit.

Anna: I have two tracks: one that, it's got this big blob almost, and the other one has, like, two little prints and then somethin' long at the end.

So I'm like, okay, that looks like a rabbit 'cause they have long back legs, you know, two little paws in the front, so I'm good.

That's what I'm going with.

♪♪ Colin: You guys have different choices.

Whoever has it correct is gonna win this.

Max: Oh my... Colin: We were looking for the rabbit's long hind foot, so... Anna, I'm sorry.

Thomas, you win the challenge!

Thomas: Yes!

Colin: Hill family wins the Animal Tracks challenge!

- We have a pet rabbit, so.

[laughing] So yeah, it was kinda-- kinda disappointing.

Julien: Yes!

[laughing] 'Ay, 'ay, 'ay.

Jeanine: All the strategies that I've been building, and looking at everyone, I'm like, "Ah, you're a weak link."

And he just showed up and is like, "I got us a W. Here's your additional 30 seconds."

And I'm like, you know what?

Maybe I might let him talk a little more during the strategy meetings.

- All right, with the score 1-1, we're going on to our final challenge: the Knot Tying challenge.

Paul: All right.

Jeanine: All right.

♪♪ - Families, welcome to the Knot Tying challenge.

[cheering] Julien: We got this.

- Yeah!

I like that enthusiasm.

So in this challenge, I'm gonna show you how to tie essential survival knots.

One participant from each family is gonna race and see how fast they can tie each knot.

How it's gonna work is I'm gonna demonstrate a knot first.

Then it'll be your turn.

Whoever gets it tied first wins a point for their family.

Whoever wins two out of three, wins 30 seconds extra time for their family in the General Store.

The first knot that I'm gonna tie is the bowline knot, commonly used for boating.

I'm seeing an eye roll from Jeanine.

- [laughing] Sorry.

Colin: Maybe not her best.

- I am horrible at knot tying, but I've been practicing these knots like crazy.

- The way this one's tied, right hand over left, create a loop, here, working end up through the hole, back around, pulls through.

Bowline knot.

On my go.

Three, two, one, bowline knot.

Jaden: Come on, Mom.

♪♪ Jeanine: [whispered] Oh no, it's this way.

And then you put this.

Jaden: Come on, Mom.

Julien: Come on, Mom, you got this.

Colin: Jeanine's not looking super confident.

See if Paul maybe got something?

Test it, inspect it.

That is a bowline knot.

Congratulations!

Julien: [audible sigh] - It's okay, we got this, we got this.

Colin: It's all right.

Jeanine: I miserably failed.

So maybe a boat is not in my future!

[laughing] - Moving on to the second knot, which is the clove hitch.

One loop, second loop, back over, hitch knot has to go through something, carabiner's through, pull it tight.

Clove hitch.

'Kay, on my go.

Three, two, one, go.

Paul is doing it the way he practiced, which is tying it through, not the way that I demonstrated, which is totally fine.

Hold it up.

That is not a clove hitch.

- Oh, come on, Mom.

Julien: Mom, come on, Mom!

- Ah, wait, I got it.

I messed it up.

Julien: Mom!

- Oh, no, no, I forgot.

I always do this; I make the mistake all the time.

- Mom, let's go.

- You gotta cross over it.

[emphatically] Yes-uh!

One time through.

- Uh, no, that's not a clove hitch.

Jeanine: Okay, not a clove hitch.

Julien: Mom, do it without it.

Do it without it.

Jeanine: I don't know how to do it without it.

That's the whole problem.

- Uh, some knots she knows perfectly, just, she got the ones that she doesn't know.

Anna: Come on, Pa.

You got this.

Paul: I didn't learn that.

- Both teams are having a little bit of trouble with the clove hitch.

Paul: No, I did it around a pole.

- You kinda got it.

- Yeah, you got it!

No.

Colin: Oh, now Paul has gone to, uh, using his daughter's wrist to tie the clove hitch.

Paul: I think I was sweaty on every part of my body.

Uh, I went in pure panic mode, so yeah, I was freaking out.

- Give me the thing, give me the thing!

Open it, how do you open that thing?

Anna: [laughing] Get it off her wrist!

Colin: All right.

Julien: Tie it!

- Ah, it untied!

Colin: Okay.

Jeanine: Okay, I think I saved it.

Oh gosh, okay, no.

Colin: It's got to be tied to something.

♪♪ Yep, Paul, you've got the clove hitch!

Well done!

Victory.

Armes family, you've won the Knot Tying challenge.

Well done!

[cheering] - You practiced for, like, two weeks, Mom.

- You know what?

Jaden: She was clowning on us when we did the Water Challenge and we lost, so now it's my time to clown her about this rope challenge.

- Great job on the Knot Tying challenge and all the survival challenges.

Let's go to the General Store.

Come on!

♪♪ Welcome to the General Store.

Max: All right.

[clapping] Colin: As you can see behind me, there's everything you need to survive a multi-day expedition.

But, I'm not gonna give you a lot of time to go shopping.

Each family only started with 90 seconds, however, as you know, you've earned yourself a little bit of extra time based on the survival challenges.

The Armes family, winning two of the three challenges, have an additional 60 seconds inside the General Store.

And the Hill family, you have an additional 30 seconds, bringing your time up to two minutes.

You can grab whatever you want inside the store.

However, this is a harsh environment where temperatures can quickly drop below freezing.

To help you survive the hike as well as the cold nights, there's a few things you absolutely have to take with you.

These are the essential items.

You'll need sleeping bags, sleeping pads for necessary insulation, a tent, water filtration system, flint and steel, and a GPS.

If you forget any of these items, I'm gonna have to give you a 30-minute time penalty.

When I call time, if it is not in your trough in front of you, it is not coming with you, but everything that does end up in the trough, you have to take with you.

Armes family, you guys are on my first go, Hills, you're gonna have to wait 30 seconds, but you're on my second go.

Three, two, one, go.

Paul: [grunts] Colin: The Armes family's off.

All right!

Paul: So not only do I wanna win this, I wanna get my attitude at bay, 'cause this is gonna help me longer in life with the kids and everything, and so, you know, I gotta keep my family as a unit, so I'm gonna be aware of my short fuse and attitude big time.

Colin: Three, two, one, go!

The Hills are in, the Hills are in, go!

Both families are in!

Jaden: Where's the GPS at?

Jeanine: Plates!

- There's no burners, Mom!

Jeanine: All right, don't worry about the burner, find the GPS!

So we're in the General Store; where's the GPS?

- Mom, I can't find the GPS!

In the back of my ear, Jaden's like, "I can't find the GPS, I can't find the GPS!"

Jaden: There's no GPS anywhere!

Thomas: And for me to break away from my focus in the bags, it was really hard, I got, like, almost, like, extra frustrated 'cause I'm like, oh man, I gotta grab these things quick.

Max: Mom, what else do I need?

I have jackets.

Jeanine: Got GPS!

Alex: Mom got GPS!

Max: Uh, yeah, I got beanies.

Thomas: You got flint and steel?

- Yeah, grab a knife.

- Four, three, two, one, stop!

That's time, that's time.

Woo-hoo-hoo!

Julien: Oh!

Colin: Wow!

Let's first make sure you've got the essential items to make sure if there's any time penalties or not.

So, sleeping bags.

Three... Thomas: Four.

Colin: Four sleeping bags, well done.

Four sleeping pads.

Got a nice four-man tent, you guys will be good and cozy in that.

Water filtration system and four water bottles.

Flint and steel, startin' a fire out there, and last, but not least, you guys have the GPS.

Congratulations, you got all the essential items.

Thomas: Jeanine struggled a lot with finding the GPS, and that was the one job that we gave to Jaden, he couldn't get it, so then Jeanine had to step away from what she was doin'.

Probably wouldn't have found it had we not had the extra 30 seconds.

Colin: Okay, essential items list.

Let's start with sleeping bags.

Max: Three.

Colin: We got four sleeping bags.

Sleeping pads... Max: Three.

Colin: Four sleeping pads.

Well done.

Tents, looks like we got two two-person tents.

We got the water filtration system, flint and steel, GPS, last but not least.

That's a pretty important one unless you wanna get lost out there.

Max: I don't know where it is, but it is.

Anna: I know we got it, though.

Colin: Uh oh, where is it?

Alex: Oh my gosh.

- I know I grabbed the GPS, but the GPS is gone, so now I'm in panic mode because we can't find it.

So where did it go?

Anna: Oh, Paul.

Colin: Where is the GPS?

Alex: Check it out.

[suspenseful music] Paul: Right there.

Anna: Oh!

Colin: Whoa!

You got-- Paul, needle in a haystack, huh?

Paul: Yeah.

[laughs] Colin: Well, that is good news for you guys.

It was, in fact, here.

It was just hidden under the jackets, I guess.

I was seein' the way your wife was lookin' over at you, and I was imagining how they say you have a bit of a short fuse.

If it were a reverse, it'd have been, uh, maybe your wife or one of your kids who had maybe misplaced the GPS, what do you think your dad's reaction to that would have been?

Anna: Oh gosh.

Alex: He would go... Anna: It wouldn't have been good.

Max: He probably would've been throwin' everything.

Paul: You ever seen when the H-- when Banner turns into the Hulk?

[roar] Yeah.

Anna: That would've happened.

Paul: Just a mini Hulk.

Colin: I'm glad we avoided that, I'm glad we avoided that.

Both families did a great job, there's no time penalties headin' into tomorrow, which means you guys will be squarin' off head-to-head at the start line, so here's my advice: pack your stuff up right now, get a very good night's sleep tonight, 'cause I'm gonna meet you at the trailhead at sunrise to begin the expedition.

See you there at the start line.

Families: All right.

♪♪ [insect sounds] [serene music] Paul: I know this is gonna be a challenging experience that's gonna test my patience, and, we definitely gotta be able to work on this to make all-around outings, you know, a little more happy.

Anna: Pleasurable, enjoyable?

Max: Yeah.

I think my dad being, like, self-aware and trying to overcome it is pretty, like, major, I guess, because if he does, it'll be really fun.

Thomas: This trip is forcing us together, so I think it's an opportunity to really rekindle the relationship that we once had.

Jeanine: One of the strengths that we have is the fact that we have weaknesses, and we're honest about them, and we know that we're going to be leaning on each other a lot to work as a team.

♪♪ Colin: All right, families.

Welcome to the start line for your three-day expedition.

This is Day One.

The Armes and the Hills will travel 11 of their 19-mile journey.

They'll paddle downstream, navigating past overgrown banks and through rushing rapids.

Then they'll leave the boats behind and continue on foot to camp.

Jeanine, what's going on inside your head?

Jeanine: The factors of the unknown, being out of my element, having to control my emotions.

Thomas: I'm nervous too, but I gotta pretend to maintain my cool.

My biggest fear would be, you know, one of us giving up.

You know, I don't, I don't wanna hit something where we hit an obstacle that's too hard and then we can't get each other motivated enough as a family to keep goin'.

Colin: So Paul, I know one of the things you identified early on is kind of tryin' to keep your temper a little bit in check, that short fuse.

How do you think that's gonna play out over the next few days when things inevitably are gonna get hard.

- Well, it's definitely gonna test me out here, so I'm excited to, to kind of take it head on, and I hope I get challenged so I can work on this whole attitude thing so I can make this trip a little more exciting, 'cause if the Hulk comes out... we're gonna have a bummer.

[laughs] Colin: All right, here's how the game is played.

I have this canister.

Inside, you've got GPS coordinates.

You plug that into your GPS, it'll get you to your next checkpoint.

You'll race from checkpoint to checkpoint all the way to the finish line over the next three days.

On my go.

Three, two, one, go!

Paul: Okay, open, open, open, open!

Anna: Go.

Thomas: "Welcome to Survivalists."

Paul: "Today, begin a journey to work--" Jeanine: "Learn, and grow with your family."

Go.

All right, let's go.

Come on, come on, come on, go!

Colin: All right, the race is on!

To reach the first checkpoint, families must race nearly one mile through the cactus-encrusted rocky desert.

Max: It looks like we're supposed to go a little bit more left, but I think the, the road wraps around there.

Paul: Max, does it swing left?

Alex: Max, where do we go?

Max: Uh, we're like, dead on.

Julien: Catch up, let's catch up!

Jeanine: We should be caught up to Jules, he's settin' the pace.

Max: Yeah, we're on the spot right here.

Oh, found it!

Anna: Hurry!

Paul: "See the river and paddle you must, for the next stop is fueled by trust."

Julien: Mom, do you got it?

Thomas: Where you at, where you at?

Jeanine: Julien, I'll read it, you guys.

Jaden: All right, river.

Colin: The families need to now raft nine grueling miles through the icy river to reach the next checkpoint.

Max: Go, go, go!

Paul: They were right on our tails after that first little stretch, and see the water, and this is our chance.

I've been a raft guide for 15 years.

I'm pumped.

Anna: Hurry up.

Max: We're fine, Alex.

Anna: No, we're not.

They're right there.

Alex: We're turned around, too.

Jaden: Go, go.

Thomas: First task was to get into a raft, and I've never done rafting myself, you know, I've canoed before, and I've kayaked, but I've never touched a raft.

Paul: Let's go.

Alex: Behind.

Anna: Hurry, hurry, hurry!

They're coming, you guys.

Thomas: [grunts] Are you in, Jay?

Okay.

Jaden: Let's go!

Jeanine: I'm going as fast as I can!

Paul: Forward, forward.

Anna: We're trying to get our life jackets on as fast as we could.

You know, I couldn't get mine buckled, Alex couldn't get hers.

He was startin' to be, like, [hissing inhale] "Come on, you guys, let's go!"

Paul: Don't worry about it, you're not falling out.

Paddle.

You know, you're either paddlin' or you're not paddlin' and you're not helping me, so, you know, you guys gotta kinda dial in a little bit unless you want the Hulk to come out, and I throw you in the water, and you gotta swim the rest of the way, so.

Forward.

Max: Finally.

Thomas: We're gonna paddle at the same time.

Ready?

Jaden: Three, two, one, go.

Thomas: Go.

Up, down.

Julien: Mom!

Thomas: Me being the only one that's ever been in any sort of boat, my family's kinda lookin' to me to lead that.

Jeanine: I'm doing my best!

Thomas: You-- you're, you're wasting energy, go together.

It's been unsuccessful, I'm gettin' really frustrated with it.

'Kay, can I show you really quick?

Jeanine: Yeah, go ahead, Thomas.

Thomas: Are you watching?

Jeanine: Thomas, don't-- Thomas: I'm asking you!

Jeanine: I'm turning your way, I'm looking at you.

Thomas: Okay, watch.

I feel like I'm providing extremely clear direction, but it's like any feedback I give to Jeanine, there's a lot of pushback.

All you need to do is dig, push.

Dig and push to keep the boat going straight.

Jeanine: It's too early to break.

We're gonna get this together and we're gonna learn, and we're gonna figure this out.

You know what?

I already told you-- Thomas: No, not you know what, just please, hear me out.

Jeanine: I am hearing you out, and I told you where-- Thomas: You're not, every time I say something, you get upset, and you start yellin' at me about correcting you.

Jeanine: I'm not yelling at you, Thomas.

Thomas: Do you see... Jaden: My mom and my dad think really differently, so my dad will say something, and my mom won't understand it, so it's just miscommunication, basically is what's goin' on.

Jeanine: You don't need to try to teach me at this point in time.

Thomas: Stop paddling.

Stop paddling for a second.

Jeanine: You need to get us through this!

- I'm going to, so listen, please!

Jeanine: "Paddle Jeanine, paddle Jeanine--" Thomas: 'Kay, stop paddling, Jeanine.

- "Stop paddling, Jeanine," I can take those commands.

Thomas: I can't babysit your task.

- Okay, you don't need to babysit me.

- I can't babysit you.

Jeanine: Thomas said, "Well, I'm not here to babysit you," and it just kinda just put me in a complete funk.

I couldn't do anything because I was so enraged.

Thomas, just get off the idea.

I'm gonna figure it out.

I'll figure it out.

Thomas: Yes, you will.

- Yes, I will.

[dramatic chord] Paul: Keep goin', guys.

Dig deep.

Bein' a raft guide for 15 years, you kinda learn how to motivate people, get 'em to push themselves.

Just keep goin', forward paddle.

Alex: It feels heavier to paddle now.

Paul: And when people start getting tired, they don't want to paddle anymore, so you gotta keep 'em motivated and keep 'em pumped up.

Dig deep!

Dig deep!

Okay, stop.

Look, when we paddle, paddle like this.

Straight up, look at me!

- I know.

Paul: Oh, he knows, never mind, I forgot.

Forward!

Max: My dad is usually right in some things, but I want him to realize that we're right, too.

Paul: Max, you need to paddle twice, you're stopping.

- I mean, it might be a different way, but we'll find the right way instead of him just kinda yelling and everything.

Paul: Use those arms, Armes family!

Alex: Okay, it says arriving.

Anna: We're arriving, we're there?

Alex: Arriving at 001.

Max: Yeah, so bring it in.

- Oh, hey.

"You've finally made it through your water test.

Time to finish strong and finally rest."

Colin: Moving from boat to land, the families will travel the last mile by foot along the muddy riverbed to camp.

Thomas: Keep, yep, keep in sync with your brother.

I know it's hard to do.

Jaden: It's good, we just gotta get used to it.

I feel like our family is, like, losing our distance against the other team.

I think we could make up some time, and if we just change what we're doin' now, we could probably catch up, maybe even get ahead.

Thomas: We're actually movin' now, we're definitely workin' together.

Julien, stay in sync.

It's amazing how much better it is when we're movin' together, guys.

Julien: I see the boat!

- I was excited to get land.

I mean, at least I get another chance at tryin' to get us bein' able to work together.

There we go, go.

We gotta go find the clue now.

- "You made it through your water test, time to finish strong and finally rest."

Thomas: Go, let's go, let's go, let's go!

[breathing heavily] Paul: Anna?

Anna: Yeah?

Paul: 'Kay?

Anna: Yep.

Paul: All right, then.

I guess I'm doin' the pace, huh?

Anna: Yeah, Paul, what happened to me in front?

Paul: You walk slow.

Anna: Oh my gosh!

Paul is pushing me more than having the people behind me.

That's how he is.

[laughs] Paul: Come on, Anna!

Look how fast you're walking!

My family's heard this for years, so, I imagine they're pretty over it.

I think we need to push the pace a little bit.

I thought we were bros.

Max: I think my dad will have to, like, figure out how to step back instead of just, you know, barging in and doing everything.

Paul: Come on, guys, keep pushing!

Anna: I wonder if the Hill family's even at the end of those rafts yet.

Thomas: Hey, there's one positive note, guys.

We're off the water.

Jeanine: We're walkin'.

Thomas: Little more individual.

Can't mess up walkin', right?

Jeanine: Yep.

You can mess it up if you can't follow the GPS though.

I mean... Thomas: You wanna take the GPS?

Jeanine: I'm just saying.

See, this is why I glamp, 'cause it requires me to use no knowledge and to require no trust because then I won't be told that I need a babysitter.

Thomas: Are you still, are still sittin' on that?

Jeanine: I am super sour about that comment.

Thomas: Please, Jeanine.

Jaden: I thought it was gonna be me and Dad arguing like this and you would have to stop it.

Anna: Oh.

Paul: Tally ho.

Anna: There's our flag!

[triumphant music] Max: Keep goin', Dad.

Anna: [indistinct] Paul: Good job, guys.

Max: I actually broke a sweat.

♪♪ Anna: What's it say?

- "Congratulations for winning Day One.

Now watch the message and enjoy your reward."

Colin: [on phone] Congratulations, you're the first to arrive.

Anna: Woohoo.

Colin: Well done.

As a reward for being here first, I've left you supplies to prepare a hot meal.

Enjoy, and get ready for tomorrow.

Alex: Hamburgers.

Paul: All right, hamburgers!

- Let's go, guys!

Jaden: Let's go.

Thomas: Flags.

[pensive piano music] Julien: Congratulations for finishing Day One.

Thomas: Set up camp.

[sighs] ♪♪ Paul: We did really good on the water.

Our raft guide was straight amazing.

Anna: Uh-huh.

Even though he's trying to work on it, at times, he does lose his temper, and I see him just letting it go.

Alex: You yell a lot.

Anna: Yeah, you were yelling a lot.

It was kind of annoying.

Alex: You kinda got crazy at the start with our life vests.

- Three hundred yards to buckle your life jacket, what'd you expect?

Anna: They weren't buckling!

Max: [laughs] - I'll be sure to be quiet next time.

Anna: Rafting, it just seemed stressful.

Paul: Yeah.

Anna: It might be through gritted teeth, but he's trying to make it better than before.

Paul: Small steps.

Thomas: Jay, how you feelin'?

Jaden: Pretty tired.

Thomas: Pretty tired?

Colin: A hard day on the river can be an exhausting experience, made even more difficult by a breakdown in communication like the Hills suffered today.

Jeanine: I had to extend trust unto you, and you're like, "Well, Jeanine, I'm not a babysitter."

It was-- So, the first time, I was like, super vulnerable, and I said, "I don't know what I'm doing."

I knew these tasks were going to be difficult, but I was willing to learn, I was willing to try, I was willing to not give up, and I find myself being very angry because I'm not being heard.

If we keep on communicating the way that we're communicating and people are not willing to compromise or listen, we're not gonna be able to perform any better.

Thomas: You know, I've gotta, I think I'm gonna start with just tryin' to hear Jeanine out.

We've got a lot to work on.

Anna: [laughs] Alex: Whatever.

Anna: It was nice getting hamburgers as a reward.

Alex: Yeah.

Anna: Did not expect that.

Alex: Good food.

Paul: See what happens when you guys listen to me.

[laughter] Anna: Right.

Max: Day Two will be a long day, I bet.

Paul: Fuel for the champions.

Anna: [laughing] Fuel for the champions.

♪♪ Jeanine: So it is Day Two.

Look outside, it's really, really pretty.

[yawns] Julien.

Julien: Yes.

Jeanine: How did you sleep?

- I slept horrible.

Jeanine: We were like, super duper, duper, duper behind yesterday, but we're just gonna keep going and not stop.

Colin: Sore from yesterday's row, the Hills know that if they hope to make up the 43-minute deficit, something has to change.

Thomas: You know, Jeanine and I both talked, realized there was a massive communication breakdown between the two of us.

The breakdown of communication kinda impacts the, the amount of trust that we have in each other.

- Everyone needs to understand, me and your dad have horrible communication skills.

We have recognized that as a weakness.

Thomas: If we're not communicating, there's gonna be trust issues in the relationship, and it can definitely, I mean, break down the entire household.

Jeanine: If we're gonna close this gap, the way we're gonna close it is working together, being consistent, being mindful of each other's energy levels.

So we all understand?

Thomas: Mm-hm.

- Do you understand?

Thomas: Yeah.

- Okay.

- It's morning time, and it's very cold out here.

That's nice, Dad packin' up.

I feel excited because we get a head start, so, I'm ready.

See you later.

Paul: I'm expectin' they've got us hikin' towards these mountains, so, we'll look forward to it.

Workin' on my attitude today because this is 100% a team effort.

You know, I can't get down the river by myself, I'm not gonna be able to hike and do all these things by myself.

I need my team, I need my family.

Mostly kinda started hearin' my family tell me, like, "You know, Dad, you're kind of a jerk, and, you get these attitudes."

It was kinda difficult.

One foot in front of the other the whole time.

Anna: We've made Paul a little more aware of how we feel when he loses his temper.

Moving forward, I feel like he's definitely accepted it, and he's trying to work on it.

Paul: One, two, three!

All: Armes!

Paul: Good job, you guys are loud.

All right, guys, here's our clue.

"Good morning on Day Two, how do you feel?"

Let the canyons surround you, it's about to get real."

Colin: This is Day Two.

The families will travel six miles, following the dry riverbed through slot canyons and up to a 40-foot high ledge, where each person needs to rappel down or face a penalty.

Paul: How we doin', Max?

Max: It seems like the GPS is just keepin' us in the creek.

Anna: We're just following the creek, Paul.

Paul: [singing] ♪ Followin' the creek, followin' the creek, ♪ ♪ followin' the creek, creek, creek, creek!

♪ Max: That's copyright.

Paul: [singing] ♪ Soul crusher, soul crusher!

♪ - "Good morning to Day Two."

- Yesterday, we were really off to a rocky start.

This morning, I woke up, and I was like, you know, everything you experience happens for a reason, and, I'm here with my family.

We can do this.

Thomas: All right, your mom's settin' pace.

Julien: Just remember, stay in the river.

Thomas: Jeanine, don't overexert yourself.

Jeanine: I'm walkin'.

I know how to walk.

Julien: Whoa, whoa, whoa!

Thomas: You all right, Jules?

Julien: Yeah.

Thomas: Brush it off, brush it off.

Anna: Good.

Paul: The caboose is feelin' gooood!

I think we need to push the pace a little bit so the Hills don't catch us.

Max: Yeah, I think so, too.

Paul: They're probably runnin'.

Anna: I think I like the pace we've been keeping.

Paul: Today I want them to kinda, you know-- Anna: Take the lead.

Paul: Take the lead.

All right, let's pick up the pace a little bit.

A little more quicker walk.

Max: Come on, pick it up, guys.

Paul: All right.

The caboose has gotta follow the engine.

So I'm more in the back pushing, motivating, and I definitely want Max to step up, 'cause he's gonna have to do this by himself, too, so.

Max: We're goin' the right way, we have about a mile left.

Anna: Mile left, fellas.

Max: Looks like we're just goin' straight up the creekbed.

Paul: Mile left.

Max: Mile left, Alex, come on, push it!

Paul: Forward ho!

Jeanine: You guys, come on!

Thomas: You guys, stay along the rocks.

It's thick mud over here.

- You're stopping, you just stopped.

Thomas: That's 'cause we gotta wait for the kids.

Yesterday, Jeanine was extremely, extremely upset with the whole babysitter comment.

You know, and we went to bed just, kinda at, at heads with one another.

I wanna apologize for the whole babysitter comment.

I was frustrated because of the fact I didn't know what the heck I was doin'.

Jeanine: I think that I was overly frustrated, and, actually, and because of your role in my life, that comment really stung, but I appreciate your apology.

It's nice to hear Thomas apologizing.

That really was reassuring.

It did give me hope that we have a chance.

[laughs] Can I get some water?

Thomas: Absolutely.

Got it, Jules?

Nice jump, bud.

Good leap.

Watch out for the horse poop!

Could be cow poop.

Jaden: Ew.

Max: All right, it looks like, it looks like we're goin' up.

Alex: Oh gosh.

[chuckles] Anna: Get ready.

Alex: "Here's a choice you'll have to make.

The rope or road, which way do you take?"

Anna: The rope or road?

Paul: Oh geez.

Colin: Families now must decide: take the quick way down, descending the frightening 40-foot cliff, or choose to hike the long way around, losing valuable time in the process?

Anna: Rope or road?

Max: I say rope.

Anna: Oh.

Oh, there's the rope, Alex.

Alex: Oh gosh.

I hate heights.

I hate them.

Anna: It's okay, Alex.

It's gonna be fun.

It's gonna be fun.

- I'm not happy about this.

Anna: You go on rollercoasters, okay?

It's okay.

Paul: I want them to, to keep the pace.

Takin' off of our time.

They are not ready to kinda, you know, like, push themselves farther than they realize they can.

Anna: You can do it!

Paul: If they start gettin' all, "Oh, I wanna quit," that's where I need to work on my attitude, figure out a way to control that anger.

I think it's gonna be like this: you're gonna be scared, scared, scared, scared, scared.

Oh, this isn't as bad as I thought!

Oh, oh.

Anna: And then you'll be okay.

Paul: And then you're gonna be on the ground.

I need to know, maybe they're not as perfect at everything as I think they should be on maybe some things.

We gotta tough it out together, kid.

Max: Yeah.

Anna: Yeah, we can do it.

Paul: We got these heights.

It's still gonna work if, if I don't yell at 'em and all that stuff, and let 'em use, do their thing.

Alex: It might help me conquer my fear, so, I'm nervous still, but I might not be once we get down.

Anna: Yes?

No?

Alex: So I guess down I go.

It's very scary to look at.

[suspenseful music] Oh!

Ow.

I'm going to die.

[shakily] Yeah.

But when I'm doing it, it's not that scary.

Oh!

Paul: For the first time in my life, I was able to watch Alex do something that gave me confidence to do something, so, I mean, that was, that was it right there.

Alex: Oh, I made it down!

Paul: All right!

Anna: [laughs] - Oh.

Anna: Yeah, if Alex can do it, we can do it, totally.

Thomas: No, no, we're here.

We're literally here.

Julien: I see it!

Jeanine: Oh.

Julien: "Here's the choice you have to make: which one do you take?"

Jeanine: The helmets are over there.

The road is down there.

Thomas: If we go back the other way, it's gonna be so much longer.

Julien: Uh-huh.

Thomas: If we go straight down here, we jump right on the path.

We can close the time guys, come on.

Jeanine: Come on.

[hopeful music] Alex: You got this, Dad!

You're fine.

Paul: You just have to kinda trust the rope, and as soon as you fall back, you just, "I'm not gonna die, this is awesome, I love it!"

Alex: See, you're almost halfway down!

Paul: I would do that a thousand more times, that's awesome.

OW!

- [laugh] Alex: You did it, Dad!

Paul: Imma need hug after, there we go.

Alex: My back break!

Once you get over the top part, it's not that bad.

- Okay.

Alex: You got thi-- dang, Mom!

Anna: Oh, geez.

Whew.

Uh-huh.

You sure you're okay?

Alex: Yeah.

Anna: Oh.

You did it, though!

Was it a little fun?

Alex: Yeah.

Anna: Yes!

Come on, Max!

Alex: You got this.

I don't think he needs encouragement for this.

Max: Oh!

[laughter] Julien: Who's goin' first?

Jeanine: You know what?

Let Mom do it.

Let's go.

Colin: Choosing to rappel, the Hills must all make the 40-foot descent or face the penalty.

Jeanine: [gasps] Look, I'm still okay, I got scared!

I'm still okay.

Okay, go down, Jeanine.

Oh!

Okay, down, Jeanine.

Don't look down, look at the cliffs.

Mission Impossible!

[epic music] Thomas: Julien, put your hand up if you're a little scared.

Both of 'em?

Jeanine: I was scared, but then when I started understanding the rope and the system, it was fun.

Thomas: Julien, come on back with me, bud.

Jeanine: [distant] Do not look down.

Thomas: Come on, Jules.

Julien: I'm scared.

Thomas: Hey, we got this.

Julien: [whimpers] Thomas: This is me and you.

Jeanine: Julien is one of the team members that I'm concerned about right now.

Jaden: You're letting your fear take over you.

Julien: I don't care.

Thomas: I don't want Julien to be crippled by his fears as he grows up.

Julien: [sharp inhale] I want my mom!

Thomas: And I want him to be confident because fear is not something that's supposed to be there to inhibit.

We're gonna rule the world, let's go!

Julien: [sobs] I'm scared!

[sobs] Thomas: No, I'm, I'm scared, buddy.

I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm freaked out beyond belief, but you know what?

Julien, you got this, bud, you got this!

You're there.

Jeanine: Julien was all ready to go, and, right when he recognized that, that initial decline?

It feels like you're free-falling.

- Come on!

Julien: I tried!

- No, Julien, you did not try, you just walked three feet.

You're not gonna know how it is until you try it, come on.

Julien: Don't care!

Jaden: Julien, trust me!

Julien: Mm-mm.

- I'm tryin' to help him, but I don't think any words or motivation could help, 'cause either he goes down or he doesn't.

- I don't care, I just wanna walk down with you.

Jaden: It made me feel like he quit and he didn't even try.

I don't think he was just motivated at all to jump off.

Jeanine: We still are on the clock, and we need someone else to get down.

Colin: While the Hills brothers take the long path down, the Armes advance through the winding, muddy slot canyon to camp.

Paul: Go left, see the easier spot.

Alex: I'm going.

My feet hurt, my back hurts.

I'm just tired.

Paul: You know, we've gone through all this, and, and push yourselves.

Nice to know the reward is right there, it's, you can almost taste it.

Max: Flag, flag.

Oh, flag.

Flag!

Anna: I'm really proud of them.

Come on, go Alex, go Alex, go!

Paul pushed us along, but he didn't go in the front.

Sometimes he'll just take over and go, so it was nice.

Max: The flag.

Anna: What's it say?

Max: Oh my goodness.

Paul: So it's good to keep myself in the back, keep pushin' 'em along and let them lead the charge.

- "Congratulations, you have made it "through Day Two, hopefully without a hitch.

Now head to camp with your tents to pitch."

Paul: All right.

Alex: [sighs] Paul: Good job, guys, good job.

Alex: We made it.

Max: We did it.

Anna: Today was a good day.

Paul: Good job, guys.

[soft music] ♪♪ Julien: "Congratulations, you've made it through Day Two."

Thomas: Good job.

Good job.

- You guys, can we please perk up morale?

Anna: I think it's neat because we've never gone backpacking like this before, this is our first, like, actual excursion.

- But now I'm gonna drag you guys on overnight backpacking trips.

- Yeah, now you're in trouble 'cause we know you can do it.

Paul: Now you get to get to go to Mount Langley.

Alex: It's fun 'cause we're with family, you know?

And I'm just, like, proud of us, 'cause we're-- Paul: I'm happy, we're doin' good.

Alex: Yeah, as a family unit.

Anna: I think this experience has helped my family learn to enjoy camping.

Alex: I also know Dad hasn't really gone off that much, I guess.

He hasn't turned into Hulk.

- No, I let Max take the reins so I didn't have to get upset.

- So, we just need to take Dad camping all the time, and he'll never get angry.

- Or just not mess up.

Anna: Or not mess up.

Paul: [laughs] Colin: The Hills had a lot of obstacles to overcome today, and although Julien's choice will set them back, it's up to them if they will continue to progress, or let this setback send them home early.

Jeanine: I don't wanna go back with this tension, and we can't move forward.

Like, yesterday, me and your dad had tension, and we dealt with it.

Thomas: Jaden, what's on your mind, and what do you want to tell your brother?

Jaden: That he quits too easily.

That's your problem.

Stuff gets hard, and you just quit.

Thomas: Okay, your brother says you quit too easily.

Julien: Okay.

Thomas: Explain to me what happened today.

- I got scared, boo.

Thomas: You got scared.

- You rappelling off the rock didn't break us.

We feel defeated because honestly, Julien, you let your team down, and you didn't, you didn't stand up with your family.

But we will repair this.

Jaden, can you find a space for a little grace to say, "Okay, you quit, I understand that, "but I still love you 'cause you're my brother, and I can move forward?"

Jaden: I still love him, but I'm just not gonna let him off the hook for quitting.

I hold my brother to a really high expectation because I don't want to see my brother thinkin' that, "Oh, I just quit, so I can quit almost anything," so I got really frustrated with him.

- There's another day.

We, we can figure out something to push through.

Jaden, you're going into adulthood.

Is it a possibility for you to actually see where he's coming from?

Jaden: Uh, yeah, I still love my little brother a lot, like, I love him, uh, by a fault, but, um, I'm still gonna give him that hard love, you know, talk to him like one of my football coaches talk to me.

Jeanine: Last night, me and your dad got through some things.

Tonight, Jaden and you need to get through some things, and we're gonna have to get through them, okay?

We're gonna recover 'cause we're not going into this with a broken relationship tomorrow.

We got a whole night, 12 hours.

Can I get a "okay"?

Julien: Okay.

- Can I get a "okay"?

Jaden: Okay.

Jeanine: Thank you.

[guitar chord] [crickets chirping] [optimistic music] Colin: It's been a difficult journey for both the Hills and the Armes, but the only way they're gonna make it to the end is to work together as a family.

Jaden: Look at all that scenery.

This is really nice scenery, you know, get to take it all in and stuff.

- I think I'm gonna put these socks on.

Oof!

I think I'm not gonna put these socks on.

Jaden: We've been having a lot of ups and downs, but it's been helping us with communication 'cause we all think differently, so we all just have to like, you know, just give each other some time.

Thomas: The whole adventure has really kind of opened our eyes to different things that have enabled us to start workin' on, from a family standpoint, things that we weren't even aware of before, you know, we spent some time together and really just kinda opened up to one another and saw our vulnerabilities, our weaknesses.

You know, it's really enabled us to come together as a family, and, it's, it's, it's what we're workin' on right now.

Jaden: Yesterday, I got really frustrated with my brother when he quit, but after a while, I started thinkin', I was like, well, if it was me at age 10, I probably wouldn't have done that, I probably would've been in the same shoes he was.

So you kinda have to give him, like, a break.

Win or lose the competition, I'm gettin' closer to my homeboy right here.

So, you know, take it day by day, and I'll see y'all on the next one.

Anna: [trilling tongue] How do you feel?

- I don't know, I haven't gotten up yet, so I don't know how I feel.

Anna: Max, how 'bout you?

Max: [grunts] Anna: You didn't get good sleep?

- [grunts] Alex: I got good sleep.

[chuckles] Paul: All right, let's go, Day Three, guys, let's do this!

Max: All right.

Paul: "Good morning.

It's Day Three, you're going up beyond the trees."

Anna: Oh gosh.

Max: Great.

Alex: Stay away from the water.

I don't wanna get wet.

Paul: Forward ho!

Colin: This is Day Three.

The families must travel two miles of the most treacherous terrain they've experienced yet, down a razor-thin spine with steep drop-offs on either side, and then gaining and losing elevation through unstable rock on their way to the finish line, where they'll have to raise their flag and complete the course.

Anna: There's a log up ahead you could balance across.

What, are you really going to cross it?

Max: Yep.

Anna: Oh my gosh.

I'm gonna fall.

Max: No you won't.

Anna: Okay, maybe not.

Max: It's not too hard.

Anna: A little further?

Max: Yeah.

Anna: Oh, look, a berry.

Another berry.

See, I wonder what those are.

Alex: Huh?

Anna: III'm not gonna eat it, but I wonder.

- You're going up beyond the trees.

Jeanine: Okay.

Up beyond the trees.

Jog, Julien.

Light, steady pace, steady pace.

Thomas: Julien, you set the pace, bud.

♪♪ Paul: There's a rope right there.

Alex: Huh?

Max: Where?

Paul: Bright, green rope.

Max: Oh.

Anna: You got it, Alex?

Just lean forward.

Max: Ho, gosh!

Oh, this is gettin' steep.

Alex: [grunts] Paul: Goin' on a trip like this, it's cool to see the kids kinda just keep goin' and enjoying it more, and I realized I'm kind of in control of their happiness on a lot of these trips.

Alex: Oh my gosh, my legs hurt so bad.

Paul: It was upsetting, 'cause I want them to have fun, but you know, I want to be able to rein in my attitude, and even if I even raise my voice a little bit, I realized when that stopped... Strong work, sir, strong work.

...their smilin' never stopped.

That was my coming to on this, you know, it was awesome for me.

Anna: Come on, Paul.

Max: Come on, Dad.

Alex: You got this.

Anna: Get up here, let's... keep movin'.

Paul: All right.

Looks like this'd be the spine.

Oh, wow.

Anna: Whoa.

Look where we're at.

Paul: I know.

Anna: It's pretty cool up here.

So we're on the spine.

As you can see, it's literally a spine.

Fall down that way, fall down that way.

It's pretty fun up here.

It's really beautiful, actually.

Paul: See, that's where I think me workin' on our attitude definitely helps, 'cause now we get to do stuff like this together.

Alex: And enjoy it.

Paul: And enjoy it.

Anna: Yep.

Paul: That's why I'm most appreciative of this whole week, just bein' able to figure out my attitude with you guys, and, and learnin' how to make everyone, keep everyone happy, and... Max: Mm-hm.

Paul: ...that was the biggest draw I took from all this, was to find out that I do have faults, and me being able to fix 'em was, that means more to me on this than anything, knowin' we're gonna become a tighter unit because of all this, that's amazing.

- Mm-hm.

Anna: Over the past few days, I've seen Paul really working to keep that temper in check.

He's working really hard to do all that he can to be supportive.

Paul: I think it's important, Max, that you have to help me on this, you have to let me know.

Alex, same thing.

All you do is get yelled at because of soccer, so... Alex: [chuckles] Paul: If I'm takin' too far, just like, "Dad, be my dad, not my coach."

- Yeah.

Paul: Okay.

Anna: That's what it needs to be.

- But I love you guys, thank you.

Anna: Love you too!

[kissing sound] Anna: He's done a really good job.

I'm, I'm proud of him.

Max: I'm on top of the world.

- Now we gotta go up.

Jeanine: Go, go, climb up.

Thomas: Keep goin'.

Jeanine: Julien, hold on!

Thomas: Julien, hold the rope, let's go!

Jeanine: Hold the rope.

Thomas: Climb.

Just keep goin', Jules, I know you're tired, let's go!

Jeanine: I am, too.

Go, Jule.

Thomas: You know, coming here as a family, I learned more about each one of my family members than I ever would've thought imaginable.

Dig in!

Jeanine: This is the hard part.

Thomas: Just the, the rigors of the outdoors... Do it right there.

...the challenges that we had to face as a family to overcome... Jeanine, you got this, babe.

You got this.

...it definitely gave us the opportunity to come together as a family unit.

Jeanine: [breathing heavily] Thomas: Good job, guys.

Julien: Oh gosh, look how tall we were.

This is beautiful.

Jeanine: I think this view, even being behind, this moment right here, part of this whole trip thing, was us solidifying family.

Thomas: You know, I've learned more than I feel I could've in, in any other situation.

Jeanine: Let's go finish this race.

♪♪ Colin: All right, Armes family, you're almost there!

Come on, come on!

Last push.

Paul: Almost there.

Colin: Last little push.

Anna: Lead us to victory, Max.

Colin: Last little push!

Max: Oh my gosh.

Colin: Come on in.

Paul: No.

Colin: Armes family, you've made it to the finish line area, but you're not across the finish line yet.

You gotta get your flag in the air if you wanna win Survivalists.

Anna: Okay, let's build the pole.

Paul: Yep, yep.

You know, I kinda started to realize, like, some things we were working on throughout this week, seems like it was all coming together.

- Try it with this one, Max.

Maybe that's the base.

Paul: Yeah, you keep buildin', I'll keep digging.

And everyone was kinda happy, and everyone was in a go-lucky mood.

Colin: Last little bit for the Armes, get 'em across the finish line.

There we go.

Paul: We're a tight-knit unit right now, like, we're dialed in.

Max: All right, lift.

Paul: We're kickin' butt.

Colin: Flag's in there.

Anna: That's really tall.

Colin: Armes family, you are the winners of Survivalists.

Paul: YES!

Good job.

Colin: You are the winners, well done, well done.

Paul: Good job, guys.

Colin: Anna, for you, I see a big smile on your face.

How you feelin' in this moment, knowing your family just won Survivalists?

- I'm really, really proud of everybody.

We all worked together, we pushed through it.

Colin: Paul, something that you marked as something you wanna be aware of is reflecting on a short fuse.

- In my mind, I always thought, you know, perfect dad, and never really had an attitude, and then once you start hearing from them, like, it was kinda, you know, soul-crushing in a way.

It was upsetting just being able to realize that I wasn't the dad I thought.

You know, it was awesome to be able to have a chance to be that dad and, and work on that attitude.

Max: This whole time, he was like, supportive of everyone, and even if he did start to, like, get mad or something like that, he's, he's like, "Okay, I'm just gonna like, calm down real quick."

- Knowing I had to tame it, realizing I can tame it, this was a huge thing for me.

I mean, it was awesome for sure.

Colin: What I hear in that is understanding it's a two-way street, communication.

You might be frustrated, but you can express yourself in a way and get feedback, actually be open to some constructive criticism at times, and we can kind of problem-solve this together rather than being adversarial in that moment.

Paul: Right, yeah.

Anna: Exactly.

- It was awesome.

Colin: I did of course tell you there would be this reward, which is $10,000.

You guys won Survivalists, congratulations, open it up.

Paul: Winning, that was kinda, cherry on top of all this.

Make it rain!

[laughter] To add $10,000 on top of, like, getting to bond with the family and figure out my, my faults and stuff, yeah, it was just incredible.

[flapping] ♪♪ Colin: Good job, man, good job!

- [sighs exhaustedly] Colin: Family's right behind.

[laughs] Good job, man, good job.

Love seein' Jaden help his mom.

All right, here we are at the finish line.

You got one last challenge.

If you can get this flag flyin' high, you guys have completed Survivalists.

Thomas: Last one.

Jeanine: On this adventure, I felt like we learned so much more because now we know how to go back into the real world... Colin: There it is, puttin' it in, last step here.

Jeanine: ...so that we can be better parents, better kids, and just better people all around.

Colin: Hill family, congratulations, you've finished Survivalists.

Thomas: Come here.

Come here, come here.

Good job, guys.

I feel a little bummed out that we didn't win, but at the end of the day, without this adventure, there would've been no way that I brought my family together in the way that we did.

Colin: You finished Survivalists.

I know there was some times when it probably felt like you weren't gonna do it, but here you are as a cohesive family at the end of this experience, talk to me about that.

- We came in this broken, we bonded and mended things on the journey.

We learned that, as a family unit, we need to communicate well, encourage each other while we're weak, and be that backbone that we need to be for one another, and that's just gonna make us stronger for the next time.

Jaden: Like, in tough situations, we gotta be there for each other, no matter what we go through, so, hopefully we can take that back home.

- You know, maybe you didn't come first place, but everything you just described to me there is, you know, a thousand times more valuable than just being victorious in this, and like you said, comin' in broken and coming out of this cohesive, together.

Congratulations, you guys did it.

I'm so incredibly proud of you guys.

Well done.

Thomas: Good job, guys.

♪♪