The Daily Bongo
Endurance: Tehachapi
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Endurance: High Sierras Endurance: Fiji Who's Who in Endurance
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Blue Amelia and Shea Eliminated in 10th episode |
Green
Jeszie and Isaac Eliminated in 12th episode |
Grey Julie and John Eliminated in 4th episode |
Orange Kylie and Michael Eliminated in 8th episode |
Purple Daniela and Jonathan Eliminated in the Finale |
Red Erika and Franke Endurance Champions |
Yellow Callie and Chris Eliminated in 6th episode |
September 2005
On October 1, the new season of Endurance will start. The show will be set in the Tehachapi Mountains which is a mountain range in southern California.Saturday, October 1, 2005 -- Early Afternoon
The first episode of Endurance: Tehachapi was on today. The show started with a few clips from the previous seasons. JD Roth has set this Endurance in the Tehachapi Mountains in California. The show is set in a small lake area four thousand feet above sea level. Twenty kids set out on the mission in two huge open wagons. We get introduced to the kids. Julie, 14, from New Hampshire says that his isn't a popularity contest, it is an endurance contest. Jessie, 15, from Boston says that she's spunky. Brooke, 14, from Naples, FL, says that she doesn't look athletic, but she is and is going to try very hard and will endure and win. Chris, 12, from Atlanta says he won't be ordinary Chris but the amazing Chris. The kids look more mature every year. when you compare the kids to the ones that were in the first Endurance which was just four years ago, you would think that the age range was more mature, even though it is the same.JD welcomes the kids to Endurance. As is usual with the game there are no tvs, cell phones or computers. The kids will sleep in cabins with cold water, beds made out of wood and no electricity. There are 13 pyramid pieces: Courage, Trust, Commitment, Luck, Strength, Perseverance, Heart, Knowledge, Leadership, Ingenuity, Teamwork, and the newest piece, Friendship. They added that because they have found in the past shows that making good friendships has been the key component in making it far in the game. JD is quite the showman. He tells the kids that usually at this point in the game, he says that six of them will be leaving by the end of the day, but this time it's different. Everyone smiles and applauds. JD then says, half of you will be gone by the end of the day. Everyone gapes in shock.
It was just a joke though. It seems that no one will be eliminated. Everyone gets to spend at least one night together. The Right to Stay competition will be the next day and then six of the kids will be sent home (three boys and three girls). The kids check out the cabins with the hard wood bunkbeds. It seems that it was very hot in the cabins, and everyone ran out to swin. The lake was disgusting though because there was alot of algae in the lake. Kylie is incredibly nervous and still hopes to be there in the end. As all the kids say, they are going to be really sad to leave now because they had the night together. Nicholas says that he thinks it will be a game of mind over matter. Meanwhile Kendall doesn't think she can do it. Julie thinks Keith and Tucker as the two strongest guys in the game. Amelia, Brooke and Julie seem to have formed a bond, and the three hang out all the time. Kendall said that some of the guys were talking and they want the threesome to stay because they are "hot". Actually all the girls are really cute. what happened to normal looking girls? Amelia is supernervous because she isn't sporty. It seems that Amelia is a cheerleader. It's now time for the competition. It seems that Michael is the smallest guy, and Chris is the youngest at 12. Chris says that he has the same Endurance as everyone else. Mike agrees.
The competition. Each has to grab onto a bar above their heads. They will then be dragged out over the water. The first three girls and the first three guys to drop into the water are eliminated. Daniela says that she is a huge Endurance fan and wants to stay in the game. The girls get dragged out into the middle of the frame that holds the apparratus to the middle. Brittnay is the first to go. Kendall is the second to let go. Brooke was the third to fall. Daniela said that she kept on thinking that she would not let go. Brittany said that she wasn't a physical girl and her fingers were slipping. Kendall said that she was disappointed in herself and she was trying to jump and get back on and she just feel. Brooke was sad, but she said that she tried her hardest. Franke is nervous because he doesn't know if he is equal to the task. Isaac just wants the competition to get started. The guys are dragged out next and are left hanging while we go to commercial.
One minute has passed and all the guys are still hanging. Nick fell first, and he looked like a big guy who could hang for awhile. Two minutes are now past. Tucker was the second to go down. That's funny because everyone thought that Tucker was one of the strongest. Keith was the third to fall. All the rest have made it. Mike, the smallest guy, is psyched to have made it. Nick said that he had issues with his hands and slipped. Tucker said that he is disappointed. Keith said that he could feel his hands slipping. It seems that the three had been planning to form an alliance and they are the first out. Tucker said to not over estimate yourself and underestimate the others because that gets you into trouble. The picking of partners will be done the next day which will be next week's show.
Saturday, October 8, 2005 -- Late Afternoon
The second episode of Endurance: Tehachapi was on today. Today's show is the partner selection episode. and is called Power Play. The episode starts with JD Roth calling out the kids out of the cabin in the morning. It's time for the team pairing. Shea speaks up first and says that he wants Amelia, and she agrees. JD tells them that because they spoke up they get to be the first Endurance team. Amelia lets Shea choose and they are the Blue team. The rest of them have to compete, and the winner of the challenge will get to pick the teams. Jeszie had said that she didn't want to go with Franke to JD, and now she is afraid that someone will put her with Franke. Michael said that he would like to be with Daniela. Isaac said that he would Jeszie. Franke wants Erika. So everyone is being friends and hugging which Chris says should be stopped because the teams should have conflict. Chris said that he would do anything to win and thinks that's the way to go.The kids show up for the competition. Each player has to hold a log above their heads as long as they can. The last person holding the log above his or her head wins and gets the power to decide the partners. Everyone gets into position. Callie is the first out. The kids have to hold the log up against a board and are only allowed to use one hand. Daniela is out. Franke is the first guy out. Michael loses his log and is out. Julie and Jon go down at the same time. Chris is the youngest and looks like he is not having problems. Jeszie is out. Erika is the only girl with Isaac, John and Chris. John is now out. It is down to three. Erika just went down. It is down to Isaac and Chris. Isaac was talking too much and lost his grip. Julie is afraid that Chris will screw up the partners because he isn't afraid of what others think, and wants to win. Chris picks Callie because she is athletic, smart and a great friend. They pick Yellow. Chris now gets to pick who will be the Red team and will do it with Callie. The guy for the Red team is Franke. The girl is Erika. Franke is happy about that because Erika is a strong girl. Purple is next. The guy is Jonathan, and the girl is Daniela. Daniela is really mad about it because that isn't what was previously planned. Daniela wanted to be with Michael. The guy for Grey is John. chris puts Julie on John's team. Michael is on Orange, and he gets Kylie. Isaac and Jeszie are the Green team. It seems that the only team that isn't happy is Daniela and Jonathan. Chris was originally planning on mixing things up, but then decided he didn't want enemies. So Daniela goes into the cabin, and just stares at Chris without saying anything. Then Michael comes in and hugs Daniela. It seems that Chris did not know that Daniela had an emotional tie to Mike. So we find out that Mike was Daniela's first pick and love might be in the air. Shea is talking about making it to the final two. Isaac and Jeszie start talking and she says that she does not like Julie. Isaac asks who she will send to the Temple, and Jeszie says that she can handle Amelia because she is a little cheerleader.
All the kids go to meet with JD. It is time to hand out pyramid pieces. Blue picks Courage. Yellow team picks Trust. Chris says that they both think Trust is good for a relationship. Red takes Heart. Purple takes Perseverance. Grey takes Commitment. Julie says that it is because you have to be committed to be successful. Orange takes Knowledge. Green is left with Leadership. The grand prize will be a trip to Costa Rica for an eight day expedition in the rain forest. The next day will bring the first test as a team.
Sunday, October 16, 2005 -- Morning
I didn't get a chance to watch Endurance: Tehachapi, but watched the recorded show this morning. The episode for this week is called Blocked. This week's episode is the first Endurance mission. Julie comments on how it feels like they are so close to winning, but yet so far. Chris says that it's a complement that everyone thinks that the Yellow team is the team to beat and the one to send home first. Shea says that Amelia is social, smart and athletic. Michael says that he and Kylie are getting along okay. Kylie said that she and Michael didn't know each other prior to being made into a team. Franke said that he and Erika are going to see what they can do. Erika is one of the strongest girls so he thinks they will be a strong team. Everyone is scheming to get rid of Yellow because the team is strong, and Chris is the youngest and immature. Everyone appears to be making alliances with everyone. Daniela admits that everyone appears to be in an alliance with everyone else to the point where it is confusing to everyone. Shea says that he is ready to go and pumped up. Shea says that he thinks that he and John of the Grey team will go far.It is now time for the competition. JD asks Daniela if she worked out her differences with getting the wrong partner. Jon, her partner, says that he knows Daniela is a tough competitor and they will win. The winner today gets the Teamwork pyramid piece and will get the Samadhi which can be given to another team to handicap that team. Today's mission. They have to grab team colored blocks. They have to hold them between each other in vertical stack by pressing them against each other. As they race down the course, they have to pick up additional team colored blocks to add to the stack. If they drop the blocks, they have to restack them before they continue on. The first team to place all the blocks in the team colored tray wins. the teams start out. Green has the lead. John from Grey threw the block at Julie and hit her in the head. Then Grey took the lead. The secret I think is to have the fastest person facing forward to keep the pressure against the person who is slower. Battle is between Green and Grey. Green got it stacked in their tray first, and they won. Isaac said that their secret was just to keep pushing harder and harder. As Jeszie says, everyone is afraid of what she and Isaac will do.
Amelia said that the mission looked easy, but it was hard to actually do. Jonathan thought that his team did poorly. Julie said that it really stunk because Grey thought they were going to win. Isaac said that he and Jeszie figured out that it was just pressing against it other. Julie is afraid that the Grey team looked strong and that others will see them as a threat. John is not happy with finishing in second place. John says that if Green gives the Samadhi to him, the game is on. Isaac said that it is not necesarily down to deciding between Blue and Grey. Amelia doesn't think that Jeszie likes her. Amelia thinks that Jeszie will talk Isaac into whatever she wants. Jeszie seems to be an ace manipulator. Isaac said that they should give it to Yellow, but Jeszie says no. Jeszie says that Grey and Blue are the ones to target. Isaac wants to know if they should give it to Red so there isn't a problem. Isaac said that he told John that they would not give Grey the Samadhi, that John had told Isaac that Jeszie would want to give them the Samadhi and Isaac told him no. Jeszie said that you can't do that with girls. They just make their decisions and go with it. Jeszie says that she has been telling everyone they won't get the Samadhi because she plans on backstabbing everyone. Isaac says why, and Jeszie says because she wants to win.
The kids meet on the top of the Tehachapi mountains. Michael is asked who is in charge of the team, and he says Jeszie. JD says that Isaac seems like a nice guy who can't be controlled. Isaac said that there is no controlling because they couldn't have won the mission without teamwork. Julie is asked about the friendship between Grey and Blue, and it seems that they have a strong friendship (aka alliance) and that they have each others backs. It is now time to give out the Samadhi. Jeszie said that the Blue team is really strong, Isaac said that Yellow team could be a strong threat. Grey team got the Samadhi. Inside is four sandbags. In the next Temple mission, they will have four sandbags. Julie said that alot of teams are against the Grey and Blue team. Shea said that he will have to work extra hard to keep Grey from going to Temple. Jeszie says that Grey and Blue have to go. She just doesn't know how the other teams feel.
Sunday, October 23, 2005 -- Morning
I didn't get a chance to watch Endurance: Tehachapi yesterday, but watched this morning. The episode was titled Raft Pull. This episode has the first Temple mission. Issac is talking with others about the Temple mission, it seems that Blue, Grey and Green are possible targets. Julie from the Grey team has accepted that they are target, and that they are going to have to work that much harder since they have the Samadhi. It seems that Blue won't send Grey to Temple, but everyone else will. John thinks they are a strong team, and will do what they have to do so Grey wins. It's time for the mission. Each team starts on the color triangle. They have to start at a triangle with their team color right in front of their raft. They have 30 seconds to put sandbags in front of whichever team raft they want. Each team will then have to load the sandbags they have been given. They will have to pull themselves with a rope across the lake, grab a team colored flag, and come back across the lake. The first team back wins the mission. Everyone starts running around and seems to be targeting Grey and Blue. Grey and Blue are the two teams with the most sandbags. It seems that having their alliance exposed so early may have cost them.The teams now get to load their rafts. Orange, Purple, and Yellow are off, then Green and Red. The only teams still loading rafts is Blue and Grey. And they still have to pull themselves across the lake. Purple is in the lead. Purple and Yellow are both heading back. It looks like a dash been Purple and Red, and Purple just got their flag in ahead of Red. Purple gets to picks who goes to the Temple of Fate. Everyone is congratulating Purple. As Daniela said, everyone underestimated Purple and gave them two bags. It seems that everyone started to target Blue and Grey early. Shane from Blue tried to pile up the Yellow team, and when Chris saw that, he yelled out "Get Blue". So that explains why Blue had the most bags. Blue was just starting out and everyone else was headed back. John is sure that he is going to go. As Dnaiela says, you don't know who will go. She is playing the power game and wants everyone to come and beg for the opportunity to stay in the game.
JD mentions that it was less than a week that Daniela was unhappy with her partner, but now she is happy with her partner. Purple has chosen strong teams to go to the Temple. They have decided on Grey and Blue. Each team that gets sent away gets to choose who gets their pyramid pieces with a good-bye note. The Blue and Grey teams hug everyone. Julie is upset about going to the Temple. As she said, it is only less than a week, but you get attached to people when you have nothing else. Amelia said that she didn't think it would happen. People tell you they are their friends, but they aren't. Shea said that he wished that they had more than just Grey in the alliance because only having the two of them really set them up as targets. John said that he will take away the wilderness from the experience. Both teams seem to be taking it well.
Blue and Grey are making the trek to the Temple of Fate. They are met there by JD, and the view from the Temple is beautiful. The game is the same: the three cauldrons of fire, wood and water. The team that picks the dominant element and has two wins will go back. For the frist game, Blue picks water and Grey picks fire. Blue wins. In the second game, Blue picks fire and Grey picks water. The games are tied. Whoever wins the next round will go back. Blue picks wood and Grey picks Water. Grey team is eliminated. John and Julie are really upset and sad, and both teams hug each other good-bye. Blue heads back to the camp. There is supposed to be a surprise that no one expects.
Saturday, November 26, 2005 -- Evening
Endurance: Tehachapi is finally back with new episodes. Today's was titled Drop Out. The show starts with JD Roth back at the camp with the kids the next morning after the first elimination. Green is in the lead with two pyramid pieces. Amelia reads the message from the eliminated Grey team which starts with a part from JUlie which says that she has gotten close to everyone in the past week and loves everyone. John says that it was great to get to know everyone and says that everyone is like family. Grey team leaves the Commitment piece to the Blue team. The team that wins today's challenge gets the power to decide how the game will change. Jonathan says that everyone thinks the Blue team is strong especially since they now have two pieces. It seems that everyone has been after Blue and the concensus is that Blue should be worried. Amelia says that everyone just wants to get rid of Blue because Blue and Grey were so strong and Blue is the only team left now. Shea confirms with Franke that the two teams targetted next will be Blue and Orange.Everyone is now headed to the challenge. It is a hot day, well over 100 degrees. The mission: there are bars over the water. They have to put their feet on one end and hands on the other. The person who holds himself up out of the water the longest will have the opportunity to divide the teams into two super teams with three teams each who will compete in the Temple mission tomorrow. The winner also gets the discipline piece. Only one member of the team has to be remaining in order for the team to win. Michael (from the Orange) is the first person in the water. Daniela (from Purple) is second in the water. Orange team is out when Kylie falls. Jeszie (from Green) just fell too. Four minutes pass. Amelia (from Blue) is down now. Blue is out when Shea falls in. Callie (from Yellow) falls next after eight minutes. Franke (from Red) is done. Erika is the only girl left. While Issac is stretching, he falls and eliminates Green. 14 minutes have gone by, and it's Yellow, Purple and Red.
Erika is talking herself into staying and how it is just like surfing, and just keeps on talking. She tells Jonathan to shut up when he tells her to stop talking to herself. Chris tries to shake off Erika. 28 minutes have passed. Jonathan fell and now Purple is out. Chris fell out too and Yellow is out. Erika the girl, outlasts them all, and Red wins. She has a celebration with Franke in the water who runs out to congratulate her. Chris is really upset when he is in the cabin because he got second place. chris thinks that he fell because he didn't have his mind set correctly. Issac admitted that he lost his concentration and that's why he fell. It seems Chris was really down after staying there for 30 minutes and then losing to a girl. Erika said that she is really happy to have won a piece. Franke and Erika are talking about who they will pick. Franke does this act where he pretends to read Erika's mind and says they will pick Green and Yellow. Franke said that he doesn't want Jon and Daniela to be mad at them. Everyone knows that it will be Blue and Orange that will be sent to the Temple next. Erika admits that the ideal superteam will be Yellow, Purple and Red.
It is now time to hear how Red is going to form the super teams. Blue, Green and Red are the ones with two pieces. JD comments that Blue has never won a competition so he asks why Blue is such a target. Jeszie says that they have to get rid of Blue because Blue will target Green and Yellow, but it appears that Chris and Issac have told Shea that Blue is safe and Shea gave Green and Yellow that same process. JD says that the Red team is like the comic relief because Franke is such a comedian, but that Erika changed that by being so strong. Erika says that she thinks that Red has what it takes to make it through and to handle retribution. Erika said that the strategy was to pick the teams that she was best friends. Erika says that the teams are also the strongest. Franke says that Green and Yellow and Red will form one team. The other team will be Purple, Blue and Orange. It will be one of the toughest Temple missions yet. Erika says she's really confident in their superteam. Michael of Orange is not too confident. Jonathan said that he is playing to win, and says that he will always try his best. That's why he has sore muscles and two blisters.
Saturday, December 3, 2005 -- Early Afternoon
Another new episode of Endurance: Tehachapi. This one is titled Super Stumped. Shea is nervous because he is afraid that the other superteam is going to be stronger and that Blue might be in trouble. Meanwhile Isaac and Chris on the other team are talking about how they both want to be in charge. Abit of foreshadowing? JD Roth said that the perception is that Green, Red and Yellow are the strong teams while Blue, Purple and Orange are weak. Michael said that was true, but they were going to work on that. It seems that Purple has an alliance with the other teams. Jonathan from the Purple team says that he understand that he may need to go up to the Temple, but if the other Super Team loses, he says that he will let Blue and Orange decide because he wouldn't want a hand in sending one of his friends up to Temple. The mission? A row of stumps are going across the lake. The teammates have to use planks to build a bridge from stump to stump. If any team member falls into the water, they have to wait for that team member to climb back up on the stump to join them before they can continue. When they reach the other side, they have to grab their flag and race back across the bridge to win. All six have to get to one side and then get back. The race starts out very tied. Isaac and Shea are the leaders of their respective teams. The Red, Green and Yellow super team get stuck when one of their planks get stuck and won't come up.Meanwhile, Orange, Purple and Blue are going well, and they have a major advantage. They are on their way back and the Green, Yellow and Red are behind. Blue, Orange and Purple make it back first. The issue is that the stronger teams just couldn't work together well. Kylie said it was incredible because they finally won something. The problem was that the Green, Yellow and Red team put one plank on top of another and then couldn't lift the second plank out after it was crossed. It was a major blunder as Franke admitted. Michael says to Green and Yellow are the stronger teams. Jonathan said that he wanted Red and then just somebody else. They are very conflicted about whether to send Green or Yellow because the teams all do seem to be close. Chris realizes that there is a question about Yellow or Green, but Franke knows that Red is definitely going to be sent. Franke said that he can't lose though because he's not done there yet.
The teams meet with JD, and JD says that the unthinkable happened and that he doesn't think that anyone expected this to be the case of the weaker super team winning. The decision now has to be made. JD has Jonathan tell them which two teams are going. The teams that are being sent Red and Yellow. The girls on all three teams seem more upset and Jeszie is crying the most. Jonathan says that he hopes to see Chris back. Chris tells Jonathan that nothing changes and they are still tight. Callie says that it's hard because you become so dependant on each other and you grow to like each other so much that it's hard. Erika says that they think that if Red comes back, they have a really good chance to win. Erika says you can't take your home life for granted. Chris says he wants to stay very badly. Franke says it's a lose-lose situation because either he is out of the game, or one of his friends is.
Red and Yellow are headed to the Temple of Fate. Only one team will return. Yellow chooses water and Red chooses wood. Red wins the first match. Yellow picks wood and Red picks water. It's the exact opposite so now Yellow wins. Each now has won a round. Time for the final tiebreaking round. Yellow picks water and Red picks wood. Red goes back, and Yellow is out. Chris thanks JD for everything and extends the thanks to everyone. He is a very mature young man (the youngest in the game). Red heads back to their friends. Everyone is outside waiting, and everyone starts screaming and hugging Red.
Sunday, January 22, 2006 -- Morning
Finally a new episode of Endurance: Tehachapi. This episode is titled Waterworks. Franke admits taht when he comes back from Temple he is both happy and sad because he is there, but Chris isn't. All the guys are admitting that it is starting to get harder on deciding who to send. They all believe that Mike from the Orange team is flip flopping too much on his alliance so it seems he is being targetted. JD Roth tells the teams that the Yellow team took it hard, especially Callie who didn't want to leave. Jeszie reads the letter from the Yellow team. Callie especially appreciates her friendship with Jeszie. Chris and Callie decide to leave their Trust piece with the Red team. Issac is shocked that it didn't go to Purple or Green, but he is okay with Red getting it. JD tells everyone the game is going to change again. He tells them that the team that comes in last place will definitely be going to Temple the next day.The teams are now ready for the competition. The Luck piece and the Samadhi are up for grabs in today's mission. In today's mission, each team is going to be armed with a piece of canvas. They have to use it to collect water from the lake. They have to take the water as fast as they can to their team colored barrel. As soon as the barrel is filled, it will shoot water into the air so they know they are done. Green got the water in first, but Orange dropped their canvas and had to restart. It looks like Green and Blue are in first place. The teams are getting covered in mud. Green is leading because they get really large amounts of water in their canvas. Red is starting to catch up however with Green and Blue. It seems like it is going to be Purple or Orange for last place. Green won so they get the Luck piece and the Samadhi, but the race is still on. Red is in second place. Blue is done also. It is now down to Orange and Purple, and Orange comes in fourth. That means that Purple will definitely be going to Temple in the next episode. They are told there is one way out. If they win tomorrow's Temple mission, they will not go to Temple. It's not over for Purple, but can they win after coming in last?
Franke said that the mission today was messy, tiring and hard. Jonathan blamed the loss on Daniela because she was trying to push the water in, and they wound up losing half of their water each time. Kylie said that she had a huge sigh of relief after not losing. Jonathan is glad that there is still a chance. Amelia comforts Daniela who is very sad and tells Daniela that she came in first before so it's not impossible. Shea and Issac are talking about giving Red the Samadhi because they are strong and they want Purple to have a chance to win the competition. It seems that Red realizes that they have to make an alliance with Blue and Green and Erika realizes that no one trusts Mikie. Jeszie tells Erika that the plan is to give the Samadhi to Red so that everyone else can conspire to give Purple a chance to win so that Purple can send Blue and Orange to the Temple. Erika realizes that it is messed up because Red gets the Samadhi. As Erika says, if they get the Samadhi, Red will try to win. Erika says to give it to Blue to handicap them and that Red will help Purple win. Issac, Jeszie, and Daniela are talking about the plot, and Daniela says that Purple will remember who helped them out. Issac realizes that the decision on the Samadhi will be a hard one.
The teams meet on the island to discuss the events of the day. JD reminds them that they started out with 20 and are now down to 10. They are halfway there, but there is still a far didstance to go. Issac admits that he will do whatever he can to help Purple out and to give another team a disadvantage and an advantage to Purple. Issac says that the final Temple mission will be between him and Purple. I don't know how that will go down with the others or if Issac really does mean that. Michael is asked about the other teams' perception of him. He says that at the begining he had an alliance with Blue and Grey. Then Michael wanted to switch to the other alliance, but that because he did that, others think that he is rat. Jeszie agreed that Michael is right that the others think that he is a rat because if someone is your friend, you should stay friends with them. Kylie feels that Michael dragged her down with him because Michael didn't talk to her at all about this stuff and he was her partner. Jeszie admits that this is a really hard decision for her, but that Green will be giving the Samadhi to the Red team. Franke says sarcastically that he would have never seen it coming. There are ten feet of rope in the Samadhi which means they will have a ten foot disadvantage. Jonathan says that winning tomorrow will be amazing. Erika says that if they don't win, they will go to Temple, so now they are adamant about winning. Franke says that when Green says they are going with Purple to the end that means the other teams mean nothing and Green just wants them out of the way. Franke said that he can't let that happen.
Sunday, January 29, 2006 -- Morning
Another new episode of Endurance: Tehachapi was on this weekend. This episode is titled Fireball. Jonathan said that this Temple Mission is going to be one of the most difficult for him because it is one that he has to win or he will be guaranteed to go to Temple. Michael comments that he has heard that Green and Blue are going to throw the game so Purple can win so he and Kylie have an underground alliance to get rid of Purple and Green. Franke repeat the comments that Jeszie made about going all the way with Purple and how he thought that Red and Green were friends, but that he guesses that is wrong. After Temple, JD Roth reminds me that it will be down to the final four. The Mission today? Well, it seems that Daniela is one of the biggest fans of Endurance. There was a contest to find out what was the fans' favorite competition on Endurance. It was Fireball. This was the competition in season two. One member of the team would be on the beach/land while the other is placed on a raft in the water. The land member would have to use a sling shot to fire a ball out to the raft. When a team caught a ball, they could eliminate another team from the competition. The last team standing won. The balls in this version look abit bigger than those used in season two. Red Team has a 10 foot disadvantage, and the Red platform is 10 feet further away. Orange and Green catch their balls. Green takes out Blue team. Orange now has to choose between Purple and Red. Which team will they choose?Orange chooses to eliminate Purple. That means that Purple is going to Temple based on the very first shot. Daniela said that she felt like crying when she heard that. Green catches their second shot and they eliminate Orange. Only Green and Red are left. Green catches their shot and so does Red. So they have to do it again. Green catches the ball yet again. Jeszie is good at catching. Erika misses the ball for Red and the game is over. Amelia comforts Daniela. Michael comments how everyone is happy that Green caught the ball because Michael is a rat. Michael says that he is a great overall kid and good looking and he is not a rat. I think that Michael suffers from short man syndrome. Kylie said that the girls feel sorry for her because Michael is dragging her team down and Kylie is going to have to suffer because of Michael on the chopping block. Jeszie then says Isaac is trying to keep Blue safe, and Jeszie wants to keep Red safe. We then see Jeszie and Isaac arguing. Isaac wants to keep Blue and Jeszie sees this as a chance to get rid of them. Both say that they are sticking to their guns. Isaac wants to send up Orange and Jeszie wants to send up Blue. So Isaac says that they will be camping out in the confessional until Jeszie changes her mind.
JD is with the teams discussing who will go up to Temple. JD said that 24 hours ago, Purple was one of the teams in charge and now they are going up to the Temple of Fate. Green has decided on the team that is going up to the Temple. It is Orange. One of the teams will be gone by the end of the day. Jonathan thinks he played the game very well, and that he had friends and gave it all in all the games. Jonathan did the best he could. Isaac said that Jonathan and Daniela are his best friends in the game and he will be bummed out if they don't come back. Daniela is glad that she had Jonathan as a partner because he really changed her. Michael learned that you should stick with your "true" (or in his case his first set) of friends. Michael admitted that he thought it was a game and he wanted to win and wanted to go with the stronger alliance. Kylie said that she doesn't take it personally that the other teams want Purple back. She says that she understands it, but wishes that they wanted Orange back too.
Orange and Purple are making their way to the Temple. As JD said, Purple is facing the team that sent them to the Temple by eliminating Purple from Fireball. So this is an Endurance first. In the first game, Purple picks water and Orange picks fire. Purple has one win. Jonathan whispers to Daniela that he is thinking strategy. Purple picks fire and Orange picks wood. Purple wins and Orange is eliminated. Purple gets to go back to camp. Everyone is happy to see Purple back.
Sunday, February 5, 2006 -- Morning
The ninth episode of Endurance: Tehachapi is titled Hang 5. We are now down to the final four teams. All four met with JD Roth the morning after the Temple visit. Erika from the Red team reads the note. Orange congratulates PUrple and Orange leaves its Knowledge piece to Red. Red now has the lead with four pyramid pieces. Today there is another mission with a pyramid piece and Samadhi up for grabs. Erika said that it is cool to be in the lead, and even though they got their pieces from other teams, it makes Red a target. Back with the others, it seems that Amelia and Isaac are hanging out alot. Daniela says that she doesn't know if they are friends or if something else is going on. Isaac and Amelia both say they don't have a crush. Both admit that they can just talk about anything with each other, and that's why they enjoy each other's company. Jeszie thinks that Amelia is taking Isaac's focus away from the game, and that she has to do something to get rid of Amelia.It is now time for the competition. For today's Endurance mission, the Strength piece is on the block. This is going to be a strength competition. A huge square, skeletal building is in water with moving blocks on the top. One member of the team will hold onto a bar and be suspended over the water while the other member of the team sits on top and moves the partner across the water. The goal is to transport five team colored triangles across the water. The person on the top moves with his legs. I say his because the boys are all moving while the girls hang. Red is having real issues in moving. I think that Erika should have been the person pushing because she is so strong. Green is leading. They already have three pieces. Blue is second with two pieces. Green is back with their fourth piece and Red is still on number two. Red is really lagging behind the others. Green is now working on getting their fifth piece. Jeszie holds on and Green wins the challenge. Green is now in a tie with Red for first place with four pieces. Green has now won four challenges in a row. Isaac comments in his confessional that everyone may be looking at the Endurance champion.
Erika admits that Franke and the contraption didn't work very well because Franke doesn't have very strong legs. Jonathan admitted that he was only second best because Purple had four pieces. Jeszie says that Isaac wants to take Purple to the end and Jeszie wants to take Red. Jeszie wants to send Blue. Isaac admits that he is most scared of Shea because Blue would send Green to the Temple. Isaac asks Shea who he would send to the Temple, and Shea says Red and someone else. That means that it would definitely be Green in Isaac's eyes. Jeszie and Isaac start talking about who to give the Samadhi to. Isaac wants to give it to Red because Red is so strong. Jeszie said that it is all individuality because Franke just blew the mission for Erika because he is so weak. Jeszie wants to know why Isaac won't give the Samadhi to Blue, especially Amelia. Jeszie said that she doesn't get it because when it was Grey and Blue, Isaac wanted to give it to both of them. Now the story seems to have changed and it must be due to Amelia. Amelia and Shea are listening in to the conversation, and she says to Shea that she doesn't want the Samadhi. Meanwhile Jeszie and Isaac are arguing openly about the Samadhi. Isaac claims that Jeszie is putting words into his mouth. Jeszie says that Purple and Red are equal. Isaac takes it that Jeszie wants to send Purple. Isaac yells that Erika is a beast and the strongest, and that Red is stronger than Purple. Jeszie says that is not the case because Red hasn't won anything except the one piece that Erika won on her own. Both Isaac and Jeszie are screaming at each other, and Jeszie askd Isaac to talk about it calmly to which he claims that Jeszie is the yeller. Meanwhile, when alone with the camera, Isaac said that he will not give in to Jeszie this time. In the same situation, Jeszie says that it is either going to her way or the highway for Isaac. Who will get the Samadhi?
The teams are now walking to the island to discuss the Samadhi. Green team is still arguing on the way to the island as everyone follows them. JD said that it is an unbelieveable sight to him, seeing the team that is going to give the Samadhi openly arguing with each other on the way up to the island. It is split because neither of them wants to agree. Jeszie asks which team Isaac doesn't want to give the Samadhi. He turns it around on her, and Jeszie admits that she doesn't want to give it to Red. Isaac said that he doesn't want to give it to Purple or Blue. Meanwhile Amelia is very upset. She says that she thinks that the conflict would be reduced if Green would just give the Samadhi to Blue because then the conflict would stop. Amelia is crying. Then Jeszie starts crying because Erika whispers to Jeszie to just give the Samadhi to Red to stop people from crying. Jeszie says that she is just trying to play the game the way she thinks it should go, and that Isaac is doing the same, but they disagree on the best thing to do. As Jeszie says, they are just hurting everyone around them. JD says that it's a tough decision to make, but one that they have to make. JD says that he is going to ask Green team as a unit. Jeszie hands it to Isaac, and Isaac gives it to Red team. What is in the Samadhi? The Red team is going to have a 60 second disadvantage in the competition. Jeszie says in the confessional that it is a really hard decsision because she has been friends with Erika from the very beginning. Jeszie said she feels like a backstabber because Erika got the Samadhi and it doesn't feel good. On a preview for the next episode, it looks like the teams have to solve a mental puzzle, and that might be something that Franke is good at. Unfortunately, he is going to have to wait for a minute before starting the competition.
Sunday, February 12, 2006 -- Late Afternoon
The tenth episode of Endurance: Tehachapi is titled Cubed. The four teams will be reduced to three after this episode. Jonathan wants to win the Temple mission today, and thinks that Purple could be sent today. Daniela thinks that it is going to be a puzzle. Erika is hoping that it won't be a puzzle, but thinks that Franke would be at a disadvantage in physical. Jeszie and Erika had an agreement that Red wouldn't get the Samadhi and that Red would win the Temple mission. Then Red would get to decide who went to Temple. With Red at a 60 second disadvantage, however, all bets are off. The teams are now ready for the competition and as they gather, JD Roth comments that everyone seems over the emotional upset of the previous day. He singles out Jeszie saying that she didn't seem the type of person to get so upset in front of other people. The challenge today is a puzzle. Franke looks excited. Each team is going to have six pieces of puzzle and will have to assemble the puzzle into a cube. Red has to wait for 60 seconds after the start to join the competition. Franke says that it is an "agonizing minute, Sir" as he watches the other teams. Purple team got it in under a minute so the Red team didn't even get a chance to get into the game. The producers thought it would take five to 10 minutes, and Purple just whizzed through. Daniela said that all the pieces fit together so easily. Daniela says that Purple team rocks.Everyone gathers around Purple and comment on how quick they won. Franke cries on Shea's shoulder. Jonathan amazed himself more than anyone. Franke was upset because they didn't get a chance to even get into the game. Daniela is so happy to be in the final three. Jonathan said that it is going to be tough to send two of his friends to the Temple. Franke tells that Jonathan and Daniela would make a good team. Franke doesn't bother Jonathan about sending him to the Temple because Franke has accepted that he will be going to the Temple. Shea says that he will be disappointed if he goes home tonight because he hasn't won a competition yet. Franke tells Jonathan that they all know who will be going to Temple, and Jonathan replies that they must all know except him. Isaac said that he would be really upset if Green got sent to the Temple because he has had Jonathan's back from the very beginning. Jonathan and Daniela are talking and he says that Red and Blue will be sent to the Temple. Daniela asks if he's sure. Jonathan replies that he is 100% sure. Daniela said that Green is so strong. Daniela tries to talk Jonathan into sending Red and Green because Green is so strong and has so many pyramid pieces. Jonathan said that ideally the finally two teams should be him and Green. Daniela said that it's not as if Green has really helped them. Daniela said that she would rather have Blue around because Blue is not as strong as the others. Daniela is hoping that she can change Jonathan's mind because she would rather go against Blue than Green.
JD said that Purple did great in winning in 51 seconds. JD points out the deer that are walking right by the groups cabins. JD said that it is sad that with all that beauty around that two teams will be going to Temple and one of them will not be returning. Jonathan said that it is tough to pick anyone to go. Jonathan said that Green team will not be going and it will be Red and Blue. Franke said that he had a good run and that he is okay with going home. He saw it coming. Blue doesn't like that he is going to Temple for the second time. Franke said that if he comes back, he will give it a run and make it to the final two. Amelia said that is she leaves she is going to miss the friends. She said that she has learned from Erika to keep a smile on your face no matter what, and she learned from Daniela to be nice to everybody even if they are mean to you, and from Jeszie to speak your mind and be outgoing. Jeszie and Erika cry. Off go Red and Blue. Franke said "If I'm not back in two hours, I've been eliminated." Erika hopes that Red's luck hasn't run out and that they will be back. Shea said that they made it to Endurance and made it to the final four. Amelia has alot of faith that they will come back. Franke said that he wasn't feeling lucky the last time he went to Temple. He says that if he does go home, he will go home with no regrets.
The teams have arrived at the Temple. JD tells both teams that they have alot to be proud of for making it so far. In the first game, Blue chooses Fire and Red chooses Water. Red team wins the first game. In the second game, Blue chooses Water and Red chooses Fire. Blue wins the second game. Things are tied and the teams go to a tie-breaker. Whoever wins goes back to the cabins. Franke wishes Shea best of luck. In the third game, Blue chooses Wood and Red chooses Fire. Red team is still in the game. Amelia is crying. Franke takes his hat off in honor of the Blue team. Red team gets to head back to the cabins. Jeszie is very happy to see Erika and they run to hug. Everyone else joins in.
Saturday, February 25, 2006 -- Morning
The eleventh episode of Endurance: Tehachapi is titled Create Your Own Game. Based on the past few seasons, when it is down to the final three teams, the teams get to create their own game based on things that were used in the previous games they played. JD Roth arrives at the cabin and calls out the three teams. Right now, Green and Red are tied with four pieces each. Purple, on the other hand, only has one piece. Blue team left behind their two pieces and a note that Jeszie reads. Shea said that it was great getting to know everyone. Amelia writes that they will be leaving their two pieces to Green which puts them into the lead with six pieces. JD then tells them that all three teams have to work together to create the game that has rules and scoring that they all agree on. The piece that is up for grabs is Ingenuity and of course, the dreaded Samadhi. Jonathan doesn't want to do anything crazy, but Isaac does. Jeszie suggests an obstacle course so everyone can do multiple things that would play up to each others strengths. All of them are throwing out ideas and brainstorming.The teams have a game. Daniela tells JD the rules of the game. The team members have their inner legs tied together by the ankle. They have to take on ball and throw it at a set of five boxes that are stacked on a drum can. All five balls have to be knocked down at the same time. If they aren't, they have to be restacked before the next throw. When the boxes are knocked down, they go to the next section where they have to hold three boxes length-wise together as they walk through an obstabcle course of ropes. At the end is a cylinder with a stripe around the center. The boxes then have to be stacked on the cylinder, and the team has to walk back through all the obstacles balancing the three boxes on the cylinder. They are only able to hold the cylinder below the center stripe. If the boxes fall, they have to stop and restack them. The first to get to the team colored triangle at the start of the course wins. JD informs them all that every Samadhi competition has been won by the Green team, and that every team except for Red that got the Samadhi has been sent home. The teams line up and start. Daniela throws first for Purple and knocks down the stack. Red and Green have to restack. Purple starts out through the obstacle course. Red and Green knock down their pieces, and Red and Green are after them. Red is running and is almost tied with Purple. It is now a race of a balancing act. Red and Purple are going back and forth with walking and spilling their pieces. Red was almost able to take the lead when they drop the boxes. Green almost caught up but had a spill. Then everyone spills. Red team took the lead, but had a spill. Purple takes the lead, Red spills again, and Purple makes it to the end to win. This is the first time that someone other than Green has the Samadhi, and Purple also has two pieces. Franke goes over to congratulate Purple by saying "well, well, well, look who's on a hot streak." Daniela reminds everyone that they need pieces.
Back at the cabins, Daniela is happy to have a piece. Jonathan thought they were going to win as soon as Daniela knocked the boxes down on the first try, but the other teams caught up so it was close. Isaac admits that he and Jeszie weren't communicating together as a team in this competition, and that was their downfall. Erika said that Red was slowing catching up with Purple, and Daniela admits that Red and Purple were going back and forth. Jonathan is really excited that they won, and admits that it is going to be a tough decision on whether to give it to Red or Green. In the boys' cabin, Jonathan, Isaac, and Franke are talking about the Samadhi. Jonathan says that he doesn't know who to give it to. Jonathan thinks that the friendship with Isaac was great, and made being there so much fun. It is what kept both of them in the game because it was either Green or Purple who won all the missions except for the one won by Red. They weren't in danger because they won. Isaac tells Jonathan that he understands if he gets the Samadhi and he won't be mad. Jonathan said that he doesn't want Isaac to hate him. Isaac tells Jonathan that he would give it to Purple if Green won because Purple is stronger than Red. As Isaac tells Franke, no offense, but Red only won one mission. Franke acknowledges that sadly. Besides, as Isaac said, it's not that Jonathan can save him because whoever doesn't win goes to Temple. Back in the girls' cabin, Jeszie and Erika are chatting. Jeszie tells Erika she has nothing to worry about. She hopes that the Samadhi is nothing awful like the one that Red got because Green would like to be able to win with the Samadhi. Jeszie is thinking that it is obvious that Green will get it, unless Purple is dumb and stupid. Jeszie whispers to Erika that Purple still thinks they are in the alliance until the final two. Erika says that it would be stupid to give it to Red because then it is saying that Purple wants to go against the strongest team. Jeszie shushes Erika and shortly after that Daniela pops her head through the window. Erika thinks that it would be terrible for Purple to give the Samadhi to Red because if they want to win, they should give it to Green. Jonathan is sitting out on the obstacle course later and asks Daniela to come over to talk to him. As Franke and Isaac watch from a distance, Jonathan and Daniela discuss who should get the Samadhi. Daniela said that the Samadhi should go to Green because they are strong. Jonathan thinks Red is strong, but Daniela says Green is stronger. Daniela reminds everyone that since there are only three teams left it is every man for himself because if you don't win you are going to Temple, and there's nothing anyone else can do to save the other team. Jonathan doesn't think that the game is as important as the friendships that he made and he worries that giving the Samadhi to Green will affect their friendship. Daniela walks away and leaves Jonathan to think it over.
It is now time to meet on the Island. JD said that it has been fun to watch the teams compete this year. JD asks Daniela as the biggest Endurance fan how it would feel to walk down the street and be recognized as the Endurance champ. She said that it would make her very happy and would feel awesome. Purple really needed to win today, and they did. JD reminds everyone that Jonathan and Isaac have been very tight throughout the competition. Daniela said that since it is down to three teams, alliances can't help. The smartest decision would be to target the strongest team. JD reminds Red that they have been up there two times already. Erika admits that they need to win because it would be the third time they go to Temple. JD says that no team in the history of Endurance has gone to Temple three times and come back. This could be the first time though. Isaac said that he is not nervous about the Samadhi because it is down to the final three and there's no foul in giving it to the strongest team. JD said that the Samadhi could be a guarantee that one team will go to Temple. Jonathan said that the decision is on the strongest team and whoever he gives it to, they will all still be friends. Jonathan gives it to Green. Jonathan puts the Samadhi on the ground and Jeszie and Isaac leap and fight over getting the Samadhi. JD comments that Green team seems to be in a good mood for someone with the Samadhi who may go to the Temple, and Isaac said that the only way to possibly win would be to remain in a good mood. Isaac said that if they believe they can do it, they can win anything. Inside the Samait is two 10 pound pieces. Jonathan said that he has to make sure he wins by handicapping the strongest. Franke said that Red has to win because they may not come back based on the history of teams going three times to the Temple. Jeszie says that since Green hasn't had the Samadhi, they don't know what to expect.
From the highlights of the next show, it looks like the three teams are hanging over the water. So it will be a strength competition to see which team can dangle over the water the longest. Who will win?
Saturday, March 4, 2006 -- Evening
The final three teams compete on episode 12 of Endurance: Tehachapi. This episode is titled Circle of Trust. The show starts with Isaac and Jonathan talking about what the Temple mission might be today. Franke is obsessing over how no team has gone three times and come back three times. Isaac tells Daniela that she should have given the Samadhi to Red so Green and Purple would have been the final two. The part that is missed is that Purple giving the Samadhi to Red wouldn't have guaranteed Purple a win as much as giving it to Green would. JD Roth meets with the final three teams to discuss the mission for today. A huge square frame is in the lake. Each of the teams will have to hold on to a bar over the lake, and whoever holds on the longest for his or her team will win it for the team. Jeszie and Isaac will each have an extra 10 pound weight strapped onto them. The kids was strapped to the larger silver frame which is tugging them away from the smaller frame to which they are grabbing. Nine minutes and Franke is telling Erika that he doesn't know how much longer he can hang on. Franke lets go after 10 minutes. Surprisingly, Isaac lets go from the Green team. Erika is making it look easy. Jeszie let go and Green is going to Temple for the first time. It is down to Purple and Red. 13 minutes have passed.Erika is looking strong. I hope that she can make it. Jonathan lets go. It is now down to Erika and Daniela. Daniela is telling Jon that he hands hurt, and Jon tells her to take one for the team. 20 minutes have now passed. Erika is trying to shake the frame, and Daniela is just complaining about how much it hurts. 25 minutes. Daniela is close to tears and is saying she can't let go. She says that she's sorry, and lets go. Erika did it. She is the master of strength, both physical and mental. Purple and Green will battle it out at the Temple of Faith. As soon as I saw that it was a strength competition, I thought that Erika would stand the best chance, and I have to admit they are my personal favorite because of Franke's sense of humor, and Erika's ability to compete one on one with the guys in physical competitions. Daniela is crying because she is going to Temple. Jeszie said that it was the worst witht he 10 pounds. Jonathan said that Daniela did a great job because she held on longer than Jonathan. Isaac is sad because he is going to Temple with Jon so that means there will not be a final two of Purple and Green. Jonathan said that it is going to be a sad night because one of them is going to lose. He didn't think it was going to happen to them.
The boys are gathered together by the swing. Franke said that he is going to miss the others. Jonathan said that he is going to miss the nights at the camp because they could see the stars and the shooting stars and he is going to miss that. Jonathan said that it's ridiculous that Franke made it to the final two. As Franke tells them, he's in the final two, he might as well win. He later says in a confessional that he is one step away from winning Endurance and that it is due to Erika. Franke never thought that he would get this far. Daniela said that she wants to come back really bad. She is really sad as she packs her bags with Jeszie. The three teams have a group hug, and then Green and Purple leave as Franke wishes both teams luck. Jonathan said that he learned that friendship is one of the most important things in life. Jeszie said that she learned to enjoy life while you have it and not to take things for granted. Daniela learned to not underestimate people because she had underestimated Jon. She also learned to believe in herself and that she can push herself. Isaac doesn't want to give up now because it is the last night. As he said, both Green and Purple did everything to win this. The teams are at the Temple of Fate. It is now time for the first game. Green picks water and Purple picked water. Green has one win. Both take a long time to make the decision on what to pick.
Purple team has to win. The selections are shown. Purple picked wood and Green picked water. The games are now tied. That means that the next game will decide it. Both are debating and agonizing over the selection. Both teams picked fire. So they have to go again. Purple picked wood and Green picked water. Purple is going to compete in the final. Jeszie and Isaac are both crying as Daniela and Jonathan look on with sympathy. As JD said it has been amazing to see how Green dominated the entire time, and JD said that Jeszie has grown to show more of her emotional side. Franke gives Daniela and Jonathan a big hug and tells them that he doesn't believe it. Next week is another repeat episode, and the final episode will be shown on March 25 at 7:00 p.m ET on Discovery Kids.
Saturday, March 25, 2006 -- Evening
The Endurance: Tehachapi was on tonight. The one hour special was broken up into two parts. The first part of the finale is titled Spin Fly. The only bad thing is that the Finale is on Discovery Kids even though the show has been shown on NBC every Saturday morning. The finale starts at the camp the morning after Green was eliminated. They join JD Roth on the stairs in front of the cabin. JD reminds them that one of them will be the Endurance champs. Erika gets to read the letter that Green left behind. The letter says that Endurance changed their lifes in many different ways with the partnership and friendship that they had with Red and Purple. JD stresses the part where Isaac and Jeszie say "all four of you have proved to us that if you look beyond the wants of yourself, you can accomplish absolutely anything you put your mind down to." JD thinks that says alot about what the Green team was able to do. Erika said that when you live out with the others you find that you take alot for granted in your real life and that you have to rely on strangers that become lifelong friends. The Green team's six pieces and the Friendship piece are now up for grabs. Red currently has four pieces and Purple has two pieces. All 13 pieces have to be won to win the game. JD points to five poles that each have colors to represent the teams that have left the game. JD is going to give Erika, Franke, Daniela, and Jonathan time to decorate the poles in honor of the other teams. Those five poles are going to remain in the Tehachapi Mountains after the final four leave. Jonathan said that the goal of Purple is to win all seven pieces. Daniela admits that she wants to leave as the Endurance champ, even though she will be happy with getting to the final.The four are now decorating the poles in memory of the five teams that left. Jonathan put a colored feather on top of each pole. Jonathan is calling Franke on his sloppiness and the fact that Franke couldn't write on anyone's pole. Daniela said that they decorated all the poles with the names of the players and then tried to come up with something special that was between them. For the Blue team, they put Georgia on it in honor of their southerness. Franke knew that Shea was going to be hilarious and says that he really misses him. They forget to put Amelia's name on the pole until Jonathan notices it and then puts the name on the pole in smaller letters. Franke put Tenacious on Yellow's pole because Chris always yelled that out. Erika said that for Chris being only 12 and just out of sixth grade that he was amazingly strong. Callie just looked like she was built to be strong. Jonathan tried to write wow on the Green pole because that was what Isaac said all the way. JOnathan just wrote it as "wo." Jonathan said that it is very quite without Isaac and Jeszie because they were both very vocal and noisy. Clips of Jeszie and Isaac are shown with them yelling at each other. Jonathan realizes that to beat out five other teams was a great accomplishment. Daniela thinks that Purple proved everyone wrong who thought that Purple was the weakest team when all the teams were there. Franke said that everyone saw Red as a threat, and thought that he let Erika do alot of the work. Jonathan thinks that it is very important for them to win some of the pieces to make it possible for them to win in the final Temple mission.
It is now time for the final challenge. The rules: each player is harnessed to opposite ends of spinning beams. One player will start on the platform and must run as fast as they can to gain momentum to spin their partner in a circle. As you go around, the players have to grab sandbags and drop them onto of the pyramid pieces in seven boxes below them. The first team to drop a bag on a pyramid piece gets to keep the piece. The game starts. Erika is running first for the Red team and Jonathan runs first for the Purple. Purple gets a bag first. Purple gets a bag in on the Leadership piece, and then Red gets the Trust piece. Red then gets Courage. The teams are missing alot. Purple gets Friendship. Purple then gets Strength. Jonathan has been the one getting the pieces. Purple then gets the Commitment piece. Only one piece is up for grabs. Red gets the final piece which is Teamwork. Red gets three pieces to have a grand total of seven pieces. Purple won four pieces to bring their grand total to six. It will be a close finale. Franke says it was exhilarating but painful.
The four kids are back at the camp, and Franke and Jonathan race to get onto the swing. They stand and swing together. Franke said that he never saw a game like that one before. Jonathan said that it was hard to run with the harness because while you were running you were also being pulled up off the ground. He said you really have to give it your all. Franke said that if you have lousy aim like he did, it was very hard to get the sack into the box and took several throws. Erika was proud of Franke because got the last piece. Franke felt proud because he got two pieces while Erika was only able to get one. Franke said that Erika told him that it was all him in the game. Franke said that Erika helped, but he did good. Franke admits that he did better than he thought. Erika reminds everyone that Franke got the last one. Franke admits that it is pretty close as they go into the final mission. He says that he doesn't want to get cocky and then wind up losing. Daniela tells Jonathan that she is scared because they are so close to winning. Jonathan said that it is so close that they can definitely win. Daniela wishes that Blue gave them their pieces, and Jonathan said that it doesn't matter because they are down by one piece.
The second part of the finale starts with the four meeting with JD near the lake. JD reminds them of telling them at the start that two of them were Endurance champs. JD says that for the Red team, their route to the finale was the number two. They won two missions, got two Samadhis and went to the Temple twice. JD says that the competitions that Red won were competitions that were won based on Erika's strength and winning the competition on her own with her strongest competition coming from Daniela in the final Temple mission. JD said that Purple was the underdog and one of the smallest teams in size. Daniela admitted that at first she wanted Michael as a partner, but that now she is glad that she had Jonathan as a partner. The final four get their Endurance gift. This time it is a log that was taken from the cabin and it has Tehachapi carved on it with the colors of all the teams. This way, they can take a piece of the cabin with them. As JD said, it's not about how strong you are but about convincing yourself that you can do anything. The attributes from the 13 pieces are what you need to win the game and to get along in life. It is now time to hand out the little pyramid pieces that will be used in the final game. Purple has Leadership, Friendship, Strength, Commitment, Ingenuity, and Perseverance. Red has Courage, Teamwork, Luck, Knowledge, Trust, Discipline, and Heart. They have only a couple of hours before they leave the Tehachapi Mountains forever.
Franke and Erika are sitting on the tree swing together. Erika asks Franke what he is going to miss most. Franke said that he will miss the food, the people, and the swing. Franke admits that he is going to miss a ton of things and he just had so much fun there. Erika said that the lake and the scenery were just so beautiful and untouched. She said that she is going to miss that, and realizing that she will never be coming back makes her realize that she wants to find and visit other untouched places just as beautiful as this. Jonathan asks Daniela if she is nervous for Temple. She says yes, but Jonathan says that he isn't. As he says, win or lose he had a great time and will never forget it. Daniela said that the best thing about being there was getting Jonathan as a partner. He always tried his best and she learned alot from him. Daniela said that she feels sad and is sure that she is going to cry win or lose because she has been there for so long and is going to miss everything. Jonathan said that he won't cry, but he will miss the place so much. Jonathan is saying that he can never forget the friends that he made and that it is an experience that he will never forget and it will change his life. Erika is so excited. The four of them are leaving after being there for three weeks. Franke said that he is not nervous, but that he wants to do his best for Erika's sake because she really wants to win. Erika admits that she is really anxious and she doesn't know what will happen, but she wants it to be a good outcome. Jonathan said that they are usually the underdog just like tonight and hopes to win. Daniela said that she thinks it would be so cool for the others to see them if they win because no one thought that she and Jonathan would get this far. They are now at the Temple. The game is that silver pyramids appear on the table. The goal is to figure out which silver pyramid has a gold pyramid underneath it. The team with the fewest pieces goes first and can put down as many pieces they want as long as they leave one space open for their opponent. The second team has to fill in all open spaces on the board after the first team lays out however many pieces they want. The team with all 13 pieces wins. The game starts with three pyramids on the table. Purple goes first. They put two down on both ends. Red gets the middle. Purple has the gold pyramid. There are now four silver pyramids and Red gets to go first. Erika says to put two pieces done. They take the two middle pyramids. Red wins the pieces. Red now has eight pieces and Purple has five. There are now five silver pyramids. Purple puts down three pieces. Red wins and then now have 11 pieces and Purple is down to two. There are now six silver pyramids. Daniela says to put them both down. Daniela picks one spot and Jonathan picks the other. It is now down to Purple's Discipline piece.
Purple picks the gold pyramid. They now have six pieces again and Red is back to seven. There are now seven silver pyramids and Purple team goes first. They put down four pieces. Red has to fill out the rest. Red gets the gold pyramid again and they have 11 pieces again. Purple is down to two. There are now eight silver pyramids on the table. Jonathan puts out the first piece and then Daniela puts out the second. Jonathan reminds her that it is just a guess--no one knows where it is. Red fills out the other six spots. Red has the gold pyramid. They win and are Endurance champs. Daniela is crying and Jonathan looks sad. Erika is beaming. They get to go to Costa Rica to spend time in the Rainforest. It sounds like a wonderful experience. Erika said that they had the most ups and downs, and conflicting personalities, and still managed to win. Franke said that they overcame all this stuff and Franke credits Erika for the win. Erika said that she is so proud of Franke.