We got started not too early, but still early, 9:00. Knowing that I wasn’t competing, I decided to go for a run. I was told about a lake that was about a mile or so away and was about 3 miles around. However, again, the maps weren’t great. (We’ll need to work on that, Norway!) Knowing the issues I had in Oslo, I got started following the map, but was much more aware of my surroundings this time, so I could get myself back, if the map wasn’t helpful. Well, the maps weren’t helpful, and soon, I was just making my own trail up. Somehow, as I was just making a decision to turn back, I ended up running into the lake. I made my way around it and headed back to the hotel. It was about 5 miles in total and about the furthest I’ve ever run in one run! Goes to show how focused I am on winning this show!
After showering and breakfast, we were off for another day
of filming. We ended up driving under a
fjord and arriving at the island Bru.
(Funny note. Every time we drive
in a tunnel, Austin tells everyone “Don’t be a (starts with b and rhymes with stitch)”, then challenges them to
hold their breath for the length of the tunnel.
Made for a fun time during our long drives, but suffice it to say, he,
nor anyone else, was able to do it for this tunnel!)
After some waiting around, we were introduced to our next competition. Both teams would have to 1) grab 8 large salmon from a holding tank with their bare hands, 2) run them to a cleaning station, 3) hit them in the head with a hammer-like object, 4) cut their gills to bleed them out, 5) put them in a “bleed out” water tank for three minutes, 6) slice them open to gut them, 7) put them on ice in one of two boxes, and 8) run those boxes to a large truck. The team to finish first wins and is safe from the elimination challenge! The only catch to all of this was that it was extremely rainy, windy and cold! It sucks and would not make this challenge any easier!
 |
| The Power Rangers! Dana, Johnathan, Jessica and Austin rocking their rain gear and messing around while waiting for our next shoot. |
After some waiting around, we were introduced to our next competition. Both teams would have to 1) grab 8 large salmon from a holding tank with their bare hands, 2) run them to a cleaning station, 3) hit them in the head with a hammer-like object, 4) cut their gills to bleed them out, 5) put them in a “bleed out” water tank for three minutes, 6) slice them open to gut them, 7) put them on ice in one of two boxes, and 8) run those boxes to a large truck. The team to finish first wins and is safe from the elimination challenge! The only catch to all of this was that it was extremely rainy, windy and cold! It sucks and would not make this challenge any easier!
We did our opening shot with Henriette and some interviews,
then broke for lunch. Due to where we
were, we just did our lunch back on the bus, so we could get warm. However, it wasn’t long before we were back
out in the cold. After some further
instructions and getting dressed in fisherman outfits, the game was on. Again, I would stand on the side and watch it
all unfold. Our team, the Red Team,
would get a 10 second head start and a closer tank, due to our win
yesterday. Henriette got us going and
off they went!
 |
| Members of the Blue Team, ready to kill some fish! |
We all assumed that grabbing the fish would be the hardest
part of the competition, but we were all wrong.
Both teams were able to get the fish out pretty quickly and get them to
the cleaning station, where it was complete chaos! There was only one “hammer” for each team, so
there were people waiting on it, all while their fish is flopping around in
their arms and on the table. It even got
to the point where we noticed Johnathan, who couldn’t wait for the hammer, punching
his fish in the head with his bare hand!
Very funny!
 |
| Ready for another day of cheering! |
Seeing that I have to find some way to help out, my job was
to count the fish that had been brought to the table. As soon as we had 8, I screamed to stop
grabbing fish and finishing the “bleeding” portion of the challenge. Soon, all 8 fish were knocked out, cut in the
gills and in the bleed-out tank. It
looked as though we had just increased our 10 second head start to 30
seconds. We were rolling!
The three minutes that it took for them to bleed out seemed
to take forever, but we were given the go and they started grabbing fish from
the blood-filled tank. A couple of the
team members would grab the fish from the tank, pass them to two members that
would gut them, and pass them to the final member, who would fill the boxes,
with the initial two members helping out with that, as soon as all 8 were out
of the tank.
We packed our two boxes up, then CJ ran them over to the
truck! Our team exploded in celebration
and Henriette screamed, “Congratulations Red Team!” We were safe from elimination……or so we
thought!
The Blue Team immediately starts screaming, “No, we did!”
and we look over to see that Austin had already placed his two boxes on his
truck and was walking away when CJ put ours up. It was quickly confirmed by a
producer that the Blue Team did in fact finish first! It was such a chaotic and confusing scene
that the Blue Team wasn’t sure if they had won or not, so didn’t celebrate
because Henriette didn’t acknowledge them getting to the truck! In the meantime, Henriette saw our cheering
and just assumed we had won. Oops!
Obviously, we were pretty upset. In fact, I thought Dana was going to lose
it! He seemed really upset and ready to
blow, which was not helped at all when the producers asked us to film the end
again, so the TV audience could have a less confusing finish. What a crazy turn of events! We went from complete enthusiasm to
devastation, as the Red Team would be going to the elimination challenge.
We followed everything up with move interviews and "pick ups" (reshooting/acting out different footage from the competition to get additional angles), which really sucked at this point. Everyone was freezing, soaked and smelled of fish! They let us change, which I ended up giving most of my clothes to everyone else, since I was nowhere near as bad as they were. Still, we were all having a hard time getting warm.
 |
| A shot of cast members doing "Pick-Ups", which is where we shoot different sequences after the actual competition, so that they can edit the footage together, to get different angles. |
After interviews, we went back to the hotel and had some
showers. While everyone was showering, I
went and bought another translation book.
(Need to keep working at this language thing!) Once everyone was clean, we went out for
dinner, this time with the whole crew.
It was another great dinner!
Definitely, the biggest surprise of this experience so far was how many
times we would be taken out for really nice dinners in really nice restaurants!
After dinner, we went back to the hotel for more
information. After we were done with
information, seven of us went out for a drink.
Jessica and Mary Caryl stayed back to go to sleep, which is what they
usually do. Dana and Tara stayed back to
do whatever it is they do. That’s
definitely the elephant in the room!
What’s up with Dana and Tara?!
Even the crew is starting to ask.
(Remember, Tara is married!)
Okay, time for bed.
Word!
Day 18 Over!
(Expand the "Blog Archive" to the right to find additional entries.)
C.J. looking more and more like a
true Norwegian....or maybe just a fisherman!
Dana and Alf with "the coconut". Tomorrow's
journal entry gives the details on this interesting story.
The coolest bottle opener ever!
Alf and Dana posing prior to the competition.
Another shot of the Power Rangers (minus Dana).
(Expand the "Blog Archive" to the right to find additional entries.)
No comments:
Post a Comment