A/N – Here we go, ladies and gentlemen! The third and final part of Mongolia! Which team is going to win? And which team is going to bite the dust? It's time to find out!

Jaunt 3 – Mongolia – Part 3

(Super Group #7 – The Daters, The Big Brother Participants, & The Fashion Bloggers)

"Behold!" Tom announced as he emerged from one of the Nomad tents, sporting a stylish take on nomad attire. "Not only am I dressed to herd sheep! But I have discovered a look that makes me look amazing doing so!"

It was as he said. He now sported an outfit that would almost remind one of a ninja with the exception of some details to the outfit. He wore a special brand of leather boots that were insulated with feathers and a pair of stylized, black trousers. But the trousers could only be seen up to the knees as Tom was now brandishing a very unique light blue and gold rode with a black belt at the waistline. And to top it off, he sported a light-blue headband that had its ends hanging over the front of his left shoulder.

Moments later, Jen emerged from an adjacent tent wearing a traditional Mongolian deel [1] that went down just past her knees. This one was a darker shade of blue with golden roses spread out along the traditional garment. Like Tom, she had a golden belt that matched her deel wrapped around her waist

"This shade of blue matches the eternal blue sky that Mongolia is known for," Jen explained as she posed for the camera. "Not only is it the latest in nomad style, but the silk material makes this dress feel nimble, ergo making it easier for me to maneuver around in an open field. Perfect for herding a flock of sheep."

"Oh! And machine washable! Don't forget that!" Tom added.

As Tom and Jen posed, some of the nomads within the encampment observed the fashion models as they showed off their fashionable nomad attire. This earned applause from some of the nomads as they admired their taste in clothing that reflected their culture.

"That's great and all!" Stephanie angrily called from the field, trying to drag one of the sheep by its hind legs toward their team's gate. "But you standing there isn't going to herd these sheep any faster! So if you two would be so kind as to get out here and help us some time today, that would be great!"

Tom and Jen turned toward the fields and saw that Stephanie had just lost her sheep and fell into a pile of mud As she picked herself off the ground, she hollered in anger.

"Oh... yeah. There's a challenge we've got to finish, isn't there," Jen winced as she watched Stephanie kick at the mud frustratedly.

"Come on, girl! Let's not keep them waiting any longer!"

"Agreed!"

Jen and Tom bolted toward the field as fast as they could and did their best to try and herd some of the fierce Mongolian sheep toward their gate.

WORLD MAP CONFESSIONAL – (The Daters – Ryan and Stephanie)

Stephanie – And people ask all the time how we were able to pass The Fashion Bloggers last year in Transylvania. (Getting angrier) Well, maybe if they would stop focusing on what they're wearing during all the hours of the day and focused more on competing, they would have been able to beat us last year! But they didn't! And that's why they lost! (Getting even angrier) NOW we have to work with them to finish this challenge! And they're STILL obsessing over what they're wearing!

Ryan – (Nervously placing his hands on her shoulders) Deep breaths, honey. Deep breaths now. Remember what the health coach said about high blood pressure affecting your performance.

(Stephanie, who had been gritting her teeth, begins to take deep breaths as instructed. After a few breaths, she appears calmer)

Ryan – (Taking his hands off her shoulders) Better?

Stephanie – (Wiping her forehead) Whew! Yeah. Better.

END

Stephanie continued pulling at the hind legs of the sheep as Tom and Jen began to chase a sheep of their own. The Fashion Bloggers ran past Ry-Ry, who was trying to sneak up on one of the sheep. However, the sight of Jen in her traditional deel caused him to tense up and squeak in an attempt to catch his breath. As he continued squeaking, he fiddled in his backpack for his brown, paper bag once more. As Ry-Ry began breathing into the bag, DJ ran past him as fast as he could, screaming as a group of angry sheep had given chase to the gentle giant.

While struggling with her sheep, Stephanie watched as Tom and Jen apprehensively approached one sheep, Ry-Ry hyperventilated into his bag, and DJ ran from the violent sheep.

"Ugh!" she angrily scoffed. "This is ridiculous! Am I the only one with the capability to handle these little monsters on this team?!"

Just then, the sheep she had been wrestling with gave one last ferocious kick with its hind legs. It was with just enough force to send Stephanie flying backward and into a nearby mud puddle.

SPLASH!

"ARGH!" Stephanie screamed as the sheep laughed at her while running away.

But Stephanie wasn't about to give up. She jumped right back to her feet, brushed the mud off her forehead, and angrily gritted her teeth as she charged at the sheep once more.

From the distance, Ry-Ry, Tom, and Jen watched as Stephanie pounced on the sheep and began to punch at it mercilessly. Each time she landed a blow on it, The Fashion bloggers and the law student winced. Eventually, the sheep chasing DJ stopped for a moment and flinched every time she landed another blow on the sheep. As did DJ, who stopped running once he heard Stephanie hollering at the sheep.

FIELD CONFESSIONAL – (The Big Brother Participants – Ry-Ry and DJ)

Ry-Ry – I'm not very familiar with the laws over here in Mongolia, but do you think she's in violation of any animal humanity laws?

DJ – Normally, I would say 'yes'. But given the nature of these sheep, I think the mindset is 'pummel or be pummeled'.

(Just then, an angry 'BA-A-A-A-A-A!' could be heard off-screen, causing DJ and Ry-Ry to look toward the direction of the noise. Their eyes grow wide as the camera begins to shake. With screams of terror, they both run off-scre with a group of angry sheep charging onto the camera toward the two)

END

Stephanie, now looking terrible after being covered in mud and banged up, dragged her unconscious sheep toward her team's pasture and threw it over the fence.

"There," she tiredly puffed. "That's one... only ninety-nine more to... wait, what?"

As she looked up at her team's counter, it was already at forty-four. With her sheep, it was gone up to forty-five. A mere two seconds later, it went up by one again.

"What?! But... how-"

Stephanie glanced back at the gate and saw Ryan standing there, petting an unusually calm, happy, and cuddly Mongolian sheep. He threw something in the gate and the sheep happily went inside, marking their team's total forty-seven.

"Ryan?!" Stephanie called over, amazed by how easy Ryan made this difficult challenge look.

"Hey there, beautiful," Ryan replied back with his most charming smile. But it disappeared when he saw how messed up she looked. "Woah! What happened to you?"

"Never mind that?!" Stephanie retorted. "How are you doing that?! I can't even get one of these little monsters to look at me friendly let alone lead one over here so calmly and without dragging it!"

"Oh, it's not that hard," Ryan casually answered her as he cleaned some dirt out of his fingernail. "You've just got to have a little patience and a calm demeanor... oh! And these oats we won back in Japan help a lot too."

Ryan smiled as he held up the now half full leather bag of oats they had gotten from their mystery box back in Japan.

Stephanie gasped. "Of course! The oats! Ryan, you are amazing!" She reached up and kissed her giant boyfriend happily on the cheek... but then immediately smacked him as hard as she could afterward, knocking the bodybuilder off balance. "Why didn't you give me some earlier?!" she demanded.

"I-I was going to," Ryan replied, rubbing his now sore cheek. "But I wanted to test it out to see if it would work first. I tried it on one sheep. But the moment it started following me, more and more got a whiff of the oats. Next thing I know, I've got about forty of these guys following me back to our gate. I didn't want to let them get away, so I thought I should get them inside first."

Stephanie opened her mouth to retort. It was hard to argue with that logic. But she was still steamed just the same. "So you watched me get kicked down in the mud and didn't think to hurry up to race out and help me?!"

Ryan flinched as Stephanie continued to holler at him. He wanted to explain his reasoning further, but he quickly remembered his training back home when it came to dealing with an angry Stephanie. He cleared his throat and stood up straight with his arms behind his back.

"Yes, Stephanie," he began. "You are correct. That was very insensitive of me and I shouldn't have done that."

Again, Stephanie was rendered speechless. She opened her mouth, but couldn't find any words. She stammered and scoffed for a few seconds as Ryan calmly and satisfyingly watched her struggle.

"Wait... I... You... OOOH!" she finally seethed. "You know I hate it when you do that!" Stephanie took a deep breath as she glared up at Ryan. But looking into his confident, casual eyes, she felt her anger almost instantly disappear. "...but is it wrong to say that I love the fact I hate it when you do that?" she sweetly asked as she caressed his cheek.

"Not at all, babe," Ryan replied as he kissed her cheek.

"Good... glad we got that sorted out," Stephanie sighed. "Now quickly! Give me some of those oats!"

Ryan reached into the bag and gave her a handful of the oats. She then ran back into the field to lure more sheep toward the gate. Ryan called over The Fashion Bloggers and The Big Brother Participants and handed each team some oats as well.

(Super Group #9 – The Best Friends, The Roommates, Mother/Daughter)

"Cease! Desist! You are violating the order of the food chain!"

Aaron cried out in terror as one of the sheep was chasing him throughout the fields, biting at his legs. Nearby, Carrie and Devin worked together to try and direct some of the sheep toward their pasture. However, Devin found it somewhat hard to do with Taylor standing right by him, not being much help.

"So, Devin," Taylor batted her eyes at Devin while she twirled her hair, "how did a handsome guy like you lose a girl to a tennis instructor?"

Devin didn't answer. He was too focused on the sheep in front of him. He made a stance and rose his arms, ready to pounce on the unsuspecting creature.

"Cause, you know," Taylor continued, "if that had been me you were dating, I wouldn't have ever dreamed of leaving you for a tennis instructor. I mean, she must have been, like, incredibly stupid of partially blind to let a stud like you get away."

Still, Devin didn't pay her any attention. He continued to sneak up on the sheep. Taylor noticed that he was ignoring her, which irritated her. She wasn't used to being ignored.

She loudly cleared her throat as she tried to get his attention. "As I said, she must have been quite the idiot if she thought it was a good idea to dump a handsome guy like you! If you ask me, whoever she left you for could have only been a downgrade compared to-"

"BAAA-A-A-A-AAAAA!"

Devin had made an effort to grab the sheep, but the moment he grabbed onto it, the sheep turned around and made an attempt to bite at Devin's hand. Devin yelped as he narrowly escaped being bitten. But the moment he saw the sheep pawing at the ground and snorting, he began to slowly back up from the threatening sight. However, the sheep wasn't about to let him off that easily. With a snort, the sheep charged at Devin.

Devin quickly side-stepped the sheep as it ran right by. Unfortunately for Taylor, she was directly in the line of fire the moment Devin moved. The sheep had no time to stop as it butted Taylor, sending the spoiled, rich teen flying through the air screaming in terror. Devin winced as she landed with a THUD and a SPLASH.

"UGH! EWWW!"

Taylor screamed in disgust as she pushed herself up from the shallow pile of mud she landed in. Her white clothes were soaking wet and were stained a disgusting color of brown. Her hair was smothered in mud and her face was covered in it.

"Oh... oh, dear. Are you okay?"

Taylor looked up and saw a hand extending out to help her. The hand belonged to Carrie, who looked down at Taylor appearing concerned for her well being.

"Ugh! I'm fine!" Taylor snapped, almost swatting Carrie's hand away as she stood up from the mud. "But look at my clothes! They're ruined!"

Carrie brought a hand to her lower lip as she watched Taylor aggressively try to brush the mud off her clothing.

"Um... maybe you should take a break," Carrie suggested. "If you want you can change out of those clothes and-"

"Oh, sure! Great idea!" Taylor scoffed. "Let me get right on that with the change of clothes that I don't have!"

Taylor didn't give Carrie a chance to respond as she stormed off toward their team's gate. Carrie just watched with concern as Taylor stomped off.

WORLD MAP CONFESSIONAL – (Best Friends – Devin and Carrie)

Carrie – Working with Taylor and Kelly was... certainly a new experience to say the least. We never interacted with each other at all last year... but if I have to be honest, I'm sort of glad that we didn't.

Devin – (Seemingly confused) Why are we talking about Taylor and Kelly again? What happened exactly?

END

Elsewhere, Greg was working with Kelly as he carried two sheep. One under each arm. He didn't care that they were biting vigorously at his side and almost ripping some of the skin off his body in the process. In his mind, there was no better way to impress a 'milf' than to show off his strength without expressing any form of pain in the process.

"Uh... doesn't that hurt?" Kelly asked worriedly as she watched the two sheep continue to tug at Greg's flesh on his sides.

"Nah, of course not," Greg answered, trying his best to hide the excruciating pain he was feeling. "I'm used to having crazy animals biting at me. I can't tell you the number of crazy dogs I've had to fight off after some crazy broad sicks one on me. Especially the rottweilers. Those things will try to eat your face if you try to flirt with their masters. Speaking from experience."

"Oh my!" Kelly gasped as she brought a hand under her chin. "How on earth do you not have any scars?!"

"One thing doctors have said about me that amazes them. My body has this unnatural ability to heal itself quickly," Greg explained. "But enough about these sheep trying to break the laws of nature. I'm more interested in you... er, that is, learning about you," he quickly corrected himself.

Thankfully, Kelly hadn't caught on to what Greg's intentions were. She just shrugged casually and smiled, always delighted in sharing her story with other people who were interested.

"Okay," she replied. "What would you like to know?"

"You and your husband... how long you been married?"

"Hmm... well... I had Taylor two years into our marriage and she's almost seventeen, so... nineteen years coming up in a couple of months."

"Oh, I see... and how have those nineteen years been?"

"Oh... I suppose I can't complain too much," Kelly admitted.

"Too much? Whatever do you mean?" Greg asked as innocently as possible while placing the two sheep into their group's pasture, making their grand total twelve.

"Oh, don't get me wrong," Kelly explained as the two made their way back into the field of sheep. "My husband is a wonderful provider for our family. He always makes sure me and Taylor have everything we want. And with his bank account, that's not too hard for him to pull off."

"Oh, do tell," Greg said as he casually picked up two more sheep, ignoring the teeth sinking into his sides once again.

"However," Kelly suddenly appeared somewhat depressed as she reflected on her marriage. "Sometimes I can't help but feel as though it's getting harder and harder to please him as the years go on."

"What? Like in the bedroom?"

"Excuse you?!" Kelly was now quite agitated with the well-built roommate.

Thankfully, Greg was a quick thinker. "Uh, I mean like keeping the bedroom clean! And the bathroom! The house altogether! You know, like he doesn't appreciate the work you put into being a homeowner?"

"Oh! I see what you mean," Kelly chuckled.

Greg mentally wiped the sweat from his forehead. He had averted a crisis. 'Thankfully this broad isn't too bright,' he thought to himself.

"No, nothing like that," Kelly explained. "Our housekeeper does an amazing job at keeping our mansion spotless. But... that is a part of what's been concerning me lately."

"Is that so?" Greg placed the two sheep into their pasture once again, bringing their total to twenty-one. "Care to talk about it? My roommate says sometimes the best way to get to the solution of something that's on your mind is to talk about it with someone."

"Aw, well that's very kind of you to listen to me," Kelly sweetly replied.

'I can't believe I'm saying this crap,' Greg disgustedly thought to himself as he and Kelly walked back into the field. 'But what's more... I can't believe this crap is working.' He put on his best fake smile.

"Well, our housemaid is a young, lovely little thing who's trying to work her way through college. I liked her because she had an impressive resume of cleaning other people's houses and good references. But my husband... well, let's just say I think he wanted to hire her for other reasons."

"What, did he cheat on ya with her or something?" Greg asked, this time genuinely concerned for the forty-one year old as two more sheep he was carrying bit into his side.

"Oh, goodness, no," Kelly assured him. "See, there's no way on earth I would ever allow that to happen. You see- are you sure that isn't hurting you?"

"I'm fine," Greg lied as he ripped the two sheep off of him and placed them into the pasture. "Anyways, do go on."

Kelly didn't seem convinced by Greg's answer. Especially since she could see how red his skin was through the holes at the sides of his shirt where the sheep had been biting him. But as long as he insisted, that was all she needed to hear.

"As I said," she continued, "I can't let him get the idea of being with another woman. Especially some young, attractive college girl. Truth be told, I'm not getting any younger and it's getting harder to compete with these college girls these days. Hence why I spend so much time at the beauty parlors getting my hair dyed the perfect shade of blonde. From liposuction to facelifts, I've had to work hard to keep my husband's attention these past few years. But... it's getting harder and harder to do with each passing year."

For once, Greg hadn't said a word. He was genuinely listening to Kelly as she told her story to him. Even when he was ripping the sheep from his side and placing them into the pasture, he didn't make a sound.

"But, I suppose all that work's paid off so far," Kelly chuckled as she and Greg went back into the fields. "After all, I'm still with my husband. In fact... I'm the last one who still is."

"Last one? What do you mean by that?" Greg asked.

"All my husband's friends he's had ever since I've known him," she explained. "Every time I went to one of his parties, at least one of them had ditched their wives for a younger, more attractive girls," she explained. "I've... I've lost all of my girlfriends these past eight years. At the last party I went to, I was the only housewife there that was in her forties. All the other ones were in their early to mid-twenties. I think one of them was even nineteen. Huh. Talk about feeling out of place."

Kelly then took a deep breath and sighed sadly. "It's just... I'm not so sure how much longer I'm going to be able to meet his standards, you know?"

Greg kept quiet as Kelly finished her story. Seeing the frustration and hurt on her face made him feel somewhat bad for her. Even the two sheep he was carrying had some tears forming in their eyes as they bit into Greg's side.

FIELD CONFESSIONAL – (Greg of The Roommates)

Greg – (Seeming down) Wow... That story... I can't believe it... (After a couple of moments of seeming upset, he suddenly appears to be very excited) That jackass is going to dump her eventually! Yes! Once that moron throws her to the curve, I can move in on that cougar! I won't say no to an older woman! The way I see it, women are like wine! They get finer with age! And bonus! Once she divorces that moron, she'll get half of his fortune and I'll never have to work again! Oh, my future is looking bright!

Greg - (Singing as he walks off-screen) Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah! Zip-A-Dee-Ay! I'm gonna seduce a rich milf today! Plenty of money heading my way! Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah! Zip-A-Dee-Ay!

END

(Super Group #5 – The Outdoor Survivalists, The Goths, and The Larpers)

"How joyous this occasion is!" Leonard celebrated as he threw some confetti into the air. "It would seem that the fates have brought us together once more! No matter how hard one tries to defy it, destiny catches up sooner or later. And now, it has brought us to this moment! The day when our teams shall become as one to work toward the common goal! Let us celebrate this occasion with the traditional song of jovial tides!"

Tammy happily pulled out her seashell and began to play an upbeat, but out of tune melody as Leonard once again threw some confetti into the air. The shredded paper rained down and landed on the wigs of the emotionless Crimson and Ennui. Before the confetti could continue to rain down on them, they sighed, annoyed by their teammates, and walked away.

"Wait!" Leonard called after them. "You cannot run from destiny! Fate has put us together! Surely you won't try and defy fate itself!"

The Goths didn't answer. The only noise that came from The Goths was Loki, who had emerged from Ennui's shirt to spit out some confetti that had gotten in there. He angrily growled back at The Larpers and drew his paw across his throat before pointing back at Leonard. This caused the wizard to wince.

WORLD MAP CONFESSIONAL – (The Goths – Crimson, Ennui, and Loki)

Ennui – People ask us all the time why we didn't take up The Larpers on their offer of an alliance last year.

Crimson – (Picking a piece of pink confetti out of her wig) This is why.

(Loki spits out another piece of confetti, looking highly irritated while doing so.)

END

Jamie and Jason, who were covered in sweat and mud, had managed to round up fourteen sheep and had gotten them into their team's pasture. As Jason closed the gate, their digital counter shot up to fourteen.

"There!" Jamie exclaimed as she leaned back against the fence in exhaustion. "Finally got the little monsters in there!"

"I really wish that they would let us ride horses for this part of the challenge," Jason huffed as he wiped off his forehead. "Maybe then we wouldn't have to worry about whether they're herbivores or carnivores. Though I'd guess the latter given the fact one of them just tried to bite my face off."

"And my hair," Jamie pouted, looking back at her unusually long ponytail. There was a bite mark just at the end of it by her waistline. She glanced into the pasture and saw one of the sheep spitting out the missing hair in disgust. "Well, it serves you right, you beasts!" she snapped at said sheep.

The sound of sheep growling nearby caught the attention of the two lovers. They turned back toward the field and to their horror, Crimson and Ennui had been surrounded by another group of mean-looking sheep. But despite their snarling and snorting (and even some of them displaying sharp teeth), Crimson and Ennui didn't even appear phased or scared. Even when the sheep began to close in on them, no expression of fear overcame their faces.

The couple could only watch as they held their breaths. Even though they wanted to help, there would be no way they could reach The Goths in time. And besides, there was no telling what the sheep may do to them if they tried to interfere.

The sheep continued to growl threateningly at Crimson and Ennui as they closed in on the two. But still, The Goths remained unfazed. For as dangerous as they knew these sheep could be, they knew deep down that they had something that was far more dangerous than anything the Mongolian sheep could do to them. And now was the time to reveal it.

Ennui opened his vest a little, which allowed the menacing Loki to pop up. The moment the rabbit saw the vicious sheep advancing upon his masters, he knew what he had to do. Loki hopped out of Ennui's shirt and landed between The Goths and the fluffy pack of ferociousness, glaring viciously at the sheep and growling back at them.

At first, the sheep were somewhat confused at the tiny creature's willingness to stand between the pale humans. But despite how menacing he appeared, it was still only one of him against about twenty-five of them. They saw no need to back down. They growled at the Gothic critter just as threateningly as they had Crimson and Ennui. That proved to be a mistake.

Loki, seeing that they weren't getting the message, opened his mouth and let out one of the most terrifying roars anyone had ever heard. It sounded as if a lion and a bear's roars were somehow combined into one. The roar itself was so loud and so intense, that it created a sound-wave that almost blew the wool off the sheep. In between roars, Loki would snarl and show off his razor-sharp teeth to the Mongolian sheep to emphasize that despite his size, he was not one to be trifled with.

Loki finished his roar. He looked around at the sheep that had surrounded him and his masters. Every single one of these sheep was frozen in terror. Their hooves were shaking badly and their eyes had become wide while their pupils had shrunk.

Seconds later, every sheep that had surrounded The Goths turned around and fled in terror. Seeking refuge, they ran directly for the pen nearby, where a shocked Jamie and Jason stood. Neither one could move at first as they tried to process what had just happened.

Jason was the first to come to his senses. "Quick! Open the gate!" he called to Jamie, snapping her out of her thoughts in the process. The two quickly opened their group's gate just as the sheep ran into their pasture. Once the last one was in, they quickly closed it. Both glanced up at the digital counter, which now read thirty-nine.

Crimson and Ennui had just joined Jamie and Jason as their group's digital counter finished tallying up their new total.

"Wow... that was awesome," Ennui nonchalantly said in his low, monotonic voice. "Well done, Loki." The tall Goth then patted Loki's head right between his long ears. Loki just folded his paws confidently as he glanced over at the pen. The twenty-five sheep he had scared into the pen were huddled up and shuddering at the sight of him. Without warning, Loki jerked his head toward the sheep again, which caused them to shriek in fright and huddle closer. Loki laughed at his accomplishment and satisfyingly turned his back to the sheep before submerging back into Ennui's shirt.

WORLD MAP CONFESSIONAL – (The Outdoor Survivalists – Jamie and Jason)

Jason – There was once a time when Jamie and I were discussing the possibility of building some rabbit cages to catch some wild hares. We thought that would be easier than having Jamie go out and try to hunt down the speed demons.

Jamie – But... after seeing what Crimson and Ennui's rabbit could do... I don't think we're going to be pursuing that goal any time in the near future.

END

(Super Group #3 – The Soccer Stars, The Sisters, and The Adversity Twins)

"AUGH!"

"ACHOO! ACHOO! ACHOO!"

Jay and Mickey ran as fast as their frail legs could carry them. They had tried to jump one of the sheep, but the sheep simply shook them off its wool body as though they were mere flies. Then, along with some of its friends, began to angrily chase them down.

Kitty and Emma hadn't gotten their one sheep to move at all. Emma pushed as hard as she could and Kitty pulled as hard as she could, but the sheep was determined to stay right where it was.

"Ugh! This is getting us nowhere!" Emma huffed in frustration.

"Nowhere but the showers once we're finished," Kitty grumbled as she wiped some mud and sweat off her face. "Speaking of showers, if we don't find out a working strategy soon, we may be hitting them sooner or later."

"Nuh-uh! No way!" Emma retorted. "I said we were going to win this year, and I meant it! No stupid sheep is going to keep me from paying for law school!"

At that moment, an excited Milo popped his head out of Emma's backpack. He leaned over toward Emma and excitedly licked her cheek. In an instant, Emma's narrow, fierce-looking eyes shot wide open with love and admiration. With a smile, she scooped Milo out of her backpack and began to tickle his belly as he cradled him in her arms.

"And besides," she spoke to Milo as though he were a baby, "We're going to need a wittle extra money to spend on goodies for you, aren't we? Oh, yes we are! Oh, yes we are! Oh-"

"Emma!" Kitty hollered, snapping Emma out of her trance.

"Uh... yeah," Emma quietly answered. "I know, focus." She then turned to the golden retriever puppy in her arms. "Okay, little fella. Back in my backpack you-"

But she didn't get a chance to finish her sentence. Milo jerked his head toward the sheep that Emma and Kitty had been struggling with. Curious what the creature was, he excitedly leaped out of Emma's arms and hopped over to the sheep.

"Milo! No!" Emma gasped in horror. She went to scoop up the puppy, but she froze when the Mongolian sheep looked up and was staring Milo directly in his adorable eyes. Kitty and Emma immediately froze in terror. They didn't dare make any sudden moves for fear that the sheep might strike the defenseless puppy. Kitty bit her lower lip anxiously. Emma's pupils had shrunken and her face had gone white.

Milo, on the other hand, didn't seem too worried about the situation. He just yipped happily at the sheep. The sheep, on the other hand, wasn't too thrilled about having its meal interrupted. He growled at the puppy as if to warn it to back off. But Milo, being young, innocent, and naive, disregarded this threat and happily licked the sheep's face. Immediately, the sheep shot its head straight up, shocked and confused by what had just happened.

"Milo... Milo!" Emma quietly, yet frantically called to the puppy. "Here. Come here, boy! Get away from the crazy sheep!"

"Go, Milo," Kitty quietly begged the puppy, biting her nails worriedly. "Go, now!"

But Milo didn't move. Instead, he hopped over to the sheep's front leg and began to nuzzle lovingly against it, confusing and shocking the sheep even more. Despite how thrown off the sheep was, it did find that the puppy's affectionate cuddling was quite nice. A smile slowly crept on the sheep's face and its fierce eyes softened considerably. It lowered its head and began to affectionately lick the top of Milo's head as though he were its own lamb.

While Milo continued happily yipping, Emma and Kitty look across to one another from the front and back of the sheep. They were both equally stunned by what was happening. Then, Emma had an idea.

She slowly knelt down so that her hands were touching the ground. She quietly whistled to Milo.

"Milo... here, baby," she called to him. "Come on, Milo. Come to mommy!"

Milo, hearing his owner's voice, excitedly turned toward Emma. With a yip, he began to hop toward her. As expected, the sheep followed Milo with a great, goofy smile as it continued to stare lovingly at the pup.

"Yes! It's working!" Emma quietly cheered as she slowly backed up. As expected, Milo continued to give chase. As did the sheep. "Come on, Milo!" she continued to call. "Follow mommy! Let's go, baby!"

Emma slowly stood up and backed slowly toward their team's pasture. Milo continued to follow her, who in turn was followed by the sheep. As Emma backed up toward their pasture, she noticed that the further along they went, the more they seemed to draw the attention of nearby Mongolian sheep. Milo's excited barking had caught their attention and they curiously made their way over to see what was causing the noise. And the moment they saw the adorable puppy, they too instantly were entranced by his adorableness and fell in line to follow after Milo.

"Whoo! Go Emma and Milo!" Kitty cheered as she watched Emma lead the puppy, who in turn led the sheep.

At their pasture, Brandon approached it carrying a sheep of his own. Grunting and fighting with the creature as it bit and kicked him, he finally dropped the ferocious creature on the other side of the fence. Their digital counter went up by one, making their new total twelve.

"Whoo!" Brandon cheered. "Twelve sheep all by myself! I hate to brag, but I'm on a roll!"

"That's it, Milo. Follow, mommy! Good boy!"

Brandon heard Emma approaching their fence. His jaw dropped at the sight of what was directly behind her. Not only was it her new puppy, but directly behind the puppy was about fifty or so sheep being led by the said puppy.

"I... uh... that is... I... huh," was all Brandon could muster.

Emma motioned for Brandon to open their team's gate, to which the soccer star did. Emma walked into the pasture with Milo excitedly right behind her and the herd of sheep lovingly behind Milo. Once the last one was in, she quickly scooped up Milo and jogged over toward the gate. Once she was out, Brandon quickly closed it, trapping their sheep inside.

Their digital counter quickly shot up to seventy-two. Once again, Brandon's jaw dropped in shock.

"Good boy," Emma patted Milo's head. "Oh, you're going to be our wittle MVP today, aren't you? Oh, yes you are! Yes, you are!"

As Brandon watched Emma coddle the puppy, he suddenly heard a low, painful groaning coming from just behind him. He turned around and right on the other side of the fence was Micah, his face pale green and looking terrible.

"I don't care what anyone says," Micah moaned. "Eating grass is not the same thing as eating raw spinach... ugh..."

The goalie's mouth suddenly puffed as a disgusting, wet sound could be heard filling them up. Micah turned his head and Brandon winced as Micah violently threw up the grass.

FIELD CONFESSIONAL – (Brandon of The Soccer Stars)

Brandon – (rubbing the back of his head) Well... that happened, I guess. I got shown up by a puppy and my partner is sick as a dog. (He chuckles) I wonder what Amie will think of this when I tell her.

END

(Super Group #8 – The Twin Sisters, The Stepbrothers, and The Military Cadets)

"Come on, you maggots! Move your feet! Hustle out there!" Emily hollered out to the field.

"Uh... is it really okay for the guys to be out there risking their well-being like this while we stand here waiting for them?" Sammy anxiously asked as she watched Brick, Chet, and Lorenzo carry out the same strategy Emily had come up with when she and Brick were with Super Group #1.

"I don't care," Amy retorted. "As long as it isn't me out there risking my life."

Emily and Sammy both gave Amy a disapproving look. But the meaner of the twins didn't seem to mind at all.

"ARGH!"

A high-pitched scream of terror and agony echoed across the fields. The three girls looked out into the field where it came from. About a football field's length away, Chet and Lorenzo were being trampled by the sheep they attempted to lead back to the pasture. They weren't nearly as fast as Brick was and the Mongolian sheep were able to catch up with them easily. The girls winced each time a sheep jumped up and down on Chet's back or volleyed Lorenzo through the air with another headbutt.

FIELD CONFESSIONAL – (Amy of The Twin Sisters)

Amy – Like I said... better them than me.

END

"Brick!" Emily called out. "Your fellow soldiers are in trouble! Quick! Get over there and help them!"

"But what about the sheep on my tail?!" Brick panicked.

"Forget them for now! Just focus on Chet and Lorenzo! Remember our motto!"

Brick's worried looked disappeared as Emily called to him and was replaced with a more confident and determined look. "Right! No man gets left behind!" he hollered back as he saluted his superior.

Brick suddenly made a sharp turn to the right and ran as fast as he could toward The Stepbrothers, whose cries of pain and agony could still be heard throughout the field. The sheep that were chasing Brick hadn't counted on him making such a sharp turn and as the front sheep dug their feet into the earth to stop, the sheep behind them crashed into them and soon there was a small pile-up of angry sheep.

While they tried to sort themselves out, Brick had managed to make it over toward where Chet and Lorenzo were still being brutalized by the beastly sheep. Though he was exhausted, he knew what he had to do.

"Hey! You!" Brick called out to the thirty-some sheep that were pulverizing Chet and Lorenzo. The sheep turned toward Brick. "Yeah! You! All of you! Your mamas are so ugly they received trick or treats over the telephone! Not to mention your mama's smell so bad, their stench made an onion cry!" He concluded his taunts by blowing a raspberry at the sheep.

The sheep, being foul-tempered already, were piercing their now flaming red eyes at the human. For it was a well-known fact that sheep were very sensitive about their mothers and did not appreciate anyone talking bad about them. Steam blew from their nostrils as they snorted at the army cadet while showing their razor-sharp teeth. The sheep that had been stomping all over Chet stepped off his beaten body and those that had been volleying Lorenzo through the air let his bruised body fall to the ground (in which he landed with a hard thud and groaned in agony afterward)

Brick then felt the ground tremble under him. He heard a great noise from behind him and turned around to see that the sheep that had been following him were now sorted out and were angrily running to catch up to him. Just then the sheep that had been beating up The Stepbrothers began to charge at him too.

"Oh, man!" Brick gulped. Without a moment hesitation, he turned tail and ran for his group's pasture as quickly as he could. Now with well over fifty sheep chasing him.

"Run, Brick! Run!" Emily called out to her partner, worried for his well being.

"Bring them over here! And don't screw up!" Amy hollered.

Sammy, however, didn't say a word. In fact, as she watched Brick running from the angry mob of sheep, she didn't see the same panicked, scared Brick that her sister and Emily were seeing. For some strange reason, the sheep behind him began to disappear one by one. And the blue skies of Mongolia were turning pinker and pinker with each passing second. Shortly after the sky turned pink, the brownish grass that the sheep had been grazing on turned into a bright shade of green and red roses began to pop up from the fields. That was soon followed by some strange, yet beautiful music that sounded as if it were being played by an orchestra of violins. Brick then seemed to smile at her with what appeared to be perfect, sparkling, white teeth.

Sammy's mouth dropped as she watched Brick run toward her. Her eyes seemed to beam as she watched this brave man approach her.

"...Sammy..." Brick called to her, not losing his dashing smile. He winked at her as his teeth sparkled. Sammy felt her face become bright red. She bit her lower lip as she shyly turned away from this mysteriously handsome man that she was just noticing for the first time.

"...Sammy..." he called again, in a dream-like voice.

Sammy giggled shyly and slowly turned back toward Brick, hoping he wouldn't see her flush, red face. "Y-Yes Brick?" she quietly asked.

"...Move out of the way..." he called again.

This statement confused Sammy and seemed to bring her back to her senses. "Huh?"

"MOVE!"

The world returned to normal for Sammy and she could see a now horrified Brick running right up to her with the angry mob of sheep right behind him. Sammy shrieked in horror. She hadn't realized that she was still standing in front of her team's gate. Now there was no time for her to move out of the way.

Brick, seeing this, did only what he was trained to do in this situation: save her. He didn't even top running as he quickly, yet gracefully, scooped Sammy up into his arms and ran, carrying her bridal style as the sheep followed him into the pasture.

"Brick! Quick! Get out of there!" Emily ordered.

Brick didn't need to be told twice. He made another sharp turn, which caused the sheep to pile up among themselves yet again. The entire time, he had not let go of Sammy. In fact, he had not looked at her once (mostly out of fear of the angry sheep chasing him). For if he did, he would have noticed Sammy's eyes gazing at him with awe and wonder yet again.

For Sammy, the sky was pink once more and she could hear the orchestra of violins playing again. Though Brick appeared quite scared to everyone else as he ran, he appeared to be very dashing to her. Once again, she felt her face turning bright red as this man carried her in his strong, well-toned arms that she was just now noticing (and enjoying the feel of so much that she didn't notice herself leaning into them more and more as she was carried).

"...Sammy...." Brick called to her in that dream-like voice from earlier.

Again, Sammy tried to hide her blush from him. "Y-Yes, Brick?" she timidly asked.

"Are you all right, ma'am?"

Sammy snapped out of her gaze and realized that she was now standing upright, staring Brick in the face. The world returned to normal once more. She turned around and saw that Emily had just closed the gate to their pasture, with their digital counter now reading sixty-four.

"Excellent work, soldier!" Emily called over to him. "Your heroic tactics not only saved three people, but you managed to score sixty-four sheep in one go! I'm proud of you!"

Brick stood up straight and saluted his superior. "Thank you, ma'am!"

Sammy felt her knees getting weaker and weaker the more she stared at Brick. She let out a very faint giggle that thankfully no one heard.

"Ugh! Nice going, Samey!" came a shrieking voice, snapping her out of her thoughts again. She saw Amy marching up to her, looking quite cross. "I mean, I knew you were stupid! But I didn't think you were that stupid! Who in their own right mind just stands there when there's a whole bunch of crazy sheep charging right at them!"

"Uh... Well... I mean..." Sammy stumbled to answer her sister. Even she didn't know what had happened. She saw Brick running toward her, but then that was all she could see. Even she couldn't explain why the rest of the world seemed to change and disappear after that. But the more she thought about it, the more those thoughts came back to her. As she reflected on the amazing visual that was this Brick, her eyes began to become very dream-like again and a goofy smile had come across her face.

Amy watched in confusion as her sister began to smile while staring off into space.

"Hello?! Earth to Samey! Are you with us?!"

Sammy gasped and jerked as Amy called to her. She saw Amy glaring at her and very timidly rubber her left shoulder, embarrassed.

"Ugh! Typical Samey!" Amy scoffed. "Absent-minded, stupid, Samey! Is it any wonder everyone thinks you're the inferior twin back home?"

"All right, enough you two!" Emily ordered as she marched up to the twins. "This is no time to be bickering! We've still got thirty-six more sheep to get! And there are teams ahead of us! Now let's get back to it! Chet!? Lorenzo?! Where are those two maggots?!"

On cue, Chet and Lorenzo arrived at their team's gate. They were a terrifying sight to behold. Both were covered in mud and bruised all over. Both of Chet's eyes were black and blue and Lorenzo appeared to be missing some teeth.

"Present," both weakly replied before collapsing at Emily's feet.

Amy scoffed and rolled her eyes. Sammy, on the other hand, knelt down to check on The Stepbrothers. What she didn't anticipate was Brick to kneel down beside her to check on them as well. As he examined their bodies for broken bones, Sammy found her face turning bright red as the world seemed to disappear once again with the exception of Brick.

FIELD CONFESSIONAL – (Sammy of The Twin Sisters)

Sammy – Ugh! What is happening to me! One minute I'm competing in a race for ten million dollars! The next thing I know everything around me just disappears except for Brick! I don't know why! But since he saved Chet and Lorenzo, all I can see is this brave, daring... handsome... strong... (she smiles as she dreamily looks off into space for a few seconds... but she quickly shakes it off). Gah! There it is again! What is this?!

(The Stepbrothers – Chet and Lorenzo)

(Both are still beat up and are barely able to stand)

Chet – Aw, man! Who would have thought that sheep could be so violent?

Lorenzo- Yeah, these Mongolian sheep are tough... but even after the pummeling I just took, look at me! I'm still standing! (He folds his arms confidently) I'll bet you anything Sammy took notice of that!

Chet – Ugh! In your dreams! I had ten sheep jumping on me and I'm still standing! She noticed me!

Lorenzo – Nuh uh!

Chet – Yeah huh!

(Chet and Lorenzo go to pounce on each other, but as they go to do so, they groan in pain.)

Lorenzo – (Holding his back) Ugh... let's hash this out later when we're feeling better.

Chet – (Holding his head) Agreed.

END

(Host Don)

"As the sound of music can be heard playing for some of the members of Super Group #8," Don spoke while making Chef hold his shot of Brick and Sammy as long as possible, "all the other teams continue to battle it out with the Mongolian Sheep to be the first group to finish before they move on to the next challenge!"

"Uh... Don?"

"Yes, Chef?"

"Not to question your artistic vision in hosting and directing... but exactly how long do I have to hold this shot of Brick and Sammy? It's getting kind of weird now."

"Shush!" Don ordered Chef. "Just a little longer. These are the first moments of what could be a beautiful romance. Don't you think a beautiful moment like this should be captured and shared with the rest of the world? How else do you think Total Drama World Tour won countless Emmy Awards?"

Chef shook his head and turned his camera back to Brick and Sammy. Brick was helping Sammy back to her feet, not noticing the twin blushing and shyly glancing at the ground.

"Man, this feels creepy," Chef grumbled. "At least with Cody and Bridgette I didn't have to follow them around and record them as they fell in love. [2] Why couldn't I just stay at the Chill Zone and help Ted set up?"

(Chill Zone)

At the Chill Zone, which was located upon the snowy mountains, Ted was lounging in a beach chair next to the swimming pool. The tiger was sporting sunglasses and sipping on a tropical drink. Once air could be heard coming through the straw, the tiger smacked his lips and sat up from the chair. How the water in the pool hadn't frozen from the cold air, not even the producers of the show knew.

'Chair... check! Pool... check! Tropical juice... yum... that's a check!' he happily growled. 'Now on to test the barbecue grill! …. I hope there's going to be cheeseburgers!'

Super Group #11 – The Rockers, The Cosplayers, and The Surfers)

Elsewhere in the fields, Sabrina and Calleigh were pulling at a sheep that had planted its hooves firmly into the ground. It would not budge. Behind them, Brody and Geoff were running from a group of sheep that they had made angry. Rock flew through the air after being headbutted by one of the sheep. Spud, on the other hand, wasn't doing much of anything except stare at one of the sheep.

FIELD CONFESSIONAL – (Rock of The Rockers)

Rock – So there I was trying to grab the sheep. I was like, 'C'mere, good sheep. Nice, sheepy,'. But the sheep was like, 'GRR! BAAAAHHH!'. And then it hit me like 'BAM!'. And I went 'WHHHEEEOOOOSH!' through the air and landed like 'PUUUOOOISH!' in this pile of mud and I went 'EWW! GROSS!'. (He takes a deep breath). Yeah, those are the words I would choose to describe the chain of events that took place moments ago.

END

(Super Group # 10 – The Reality Pros, The Vegans, and The Tennis Rivals)

Owen and Noah, in spite of their personal problems, managed to work well together. Noah had devised a plan to lure the sheep toward him and Owen. Then, when the ferocious sheep were close enough, Owen would turn around and fart. His hideous odor diffused amongst the sheep that were close by and the stench was so awful that it rendered them unconscious within a matter of seconds. This would allow The Tennis Rivals and The Vegans to come in and carry them gently toward their pasture. The tactic was working slowly, but efficiently for them as they were already up to fifty-seven sheep.

"I'm just thankful Noah was able to give us these clothespins to pinch our noses," Pete whispered to Gerry.

"Wait until we're a little further away!" Gerry snapped. "I don't want that foul odor to get in my mouth!"

"Come on, Laurie," Miles pleaded with her somber partner. "Think of it this way: with all our options that were available to us... this is probably the most humane way to transport them... I mean, the fact that these poor creatures are in the custody of these brutish Mongolian people is a travesty and they should be free to roam the fields, but..."

Miles's voice trailed off when she noticed Laurie's mood didn't improve from her little speech. In fact, Laurie hadn't paid any attention at all. Her forlorn gaze was solely fixated on the unconscious sheep they were carrying as memories of what she had done last year came flooding back. It was all she could do to hold back the tears.

(Super Group #6 – The Farmers, The Tough Grannies, Father/Son)

Dwayne and Junior were each struggling to pull along a sheep, which was too stubborn to move.

Just then, their attention was soon diverted when they heard some yelling and hooting nearby. To their amazement, Cindy was happily wrestling one of the sheep, which was trying to bite and kick at her. But the eighty-year-old Cindy was in complete control and almost seemed to be enjoying herself as she wrapped her legs around the hind leg of the sheep and applied a leg lock.

"Good job, Cindy!" Anna called over. "Show that sheep why you've got a shot at the MMA World Heavyweight Title next month!"

"That belt is going to look great around my waist!" Cindy exclaimed as she hoisted the defeated sheep over her shoulders. "Especially with that purse I bought last month! Pure alligator skin! Poor sucker didn't stand a chance! BWA HA HAAAA!"

Don stepped back into the shot as Cindy made her way toward her group's pasture carrying the sheep.

"While some groups find themselves struggling, there are plenty of other teams that aren't finding this challenge difficult at all."

WORLD MAP CONFESSIONAL – (The Farmers – Dale and Timmy)

(Timmy is feeding his baby chicks and Dale is adding some sugar to his cup of tea. The two stop what they are doing when they realize they are being recorded)

Timmy – (Raising an eyebrow) What? What'd ya cut to us for? (He pauses a couple of seconds) Oh... Oh, I get it. Ya cut to us right after Don said that some teams had no trouble because you assumed we were among those teams on account we're farmers, right?

Dale- (sighs disappointingly as he sips his tea) Rather disappointing that we're being portrayed only as such, wouldn't you say Timothy?

Timmy – (He appears offended) I'll say. I'm an agricultural farmer and don't handle livestock! But that's not all there is to me! I just so happen to be pursuing an online degree in ministries!

Dale – And I myself am a cattle farmer with no experience handling sheep whatsoever. But more so, I am an individual who enjoys his occasional trip to Shakespearean theatrical performances.

Timmy – To quote my partner here, 'quite'! We're more than just stereotypical farmers! We're unique characters and not just some stereotype!

(Tim continues to glare at the camera while stroking his baby chicks while Dale nonchalantly stirs his tea. Seconds later, Tim sighs sadly)

Timmy – (Sadly) We were the first group to finish the challenge and Dale and I rounded up the most sheep. And not just among those in our group, but out of all the other teams competing today. Ninety-five sheep to be exact.

Dale – I would feel like celebrating more if this didn't continue to depict us as merely farmers instead of individuals.

Timmy – (Sighing) In your words, partner, 'rather'.

END

"See, I told you there was nothing to worry about, son," Dwayne happily said as the Mongolian gave him the next travel tip. "We had the farmers in our group. There was nothing to worry about."

Timmy had overheard Dwayne's words to his son and sighed sadly as he accepted their next travel tip.

"Bah!" Cindy huffed. "I could have matched their number if that one sheep hadn't butted me in the rear! Nasty, cheap shot fuzzballs!"

"Never mind that, dearie!" Anna retorted. "Listen to this!" She adjusted her glasses and ready the travel tip aloud. "Teams must travel by horseback through the Taven Bogd Mountains!"

(Host Don)

Don stood in front of a pack of horses that were already saddled up and ready for riding.

"Mongolians take a lot of pride in their horseback riding abilities. Said to be among some of the finest horses in the world, teams must ride these majestic creatures through the glacier-covered Taven Bogd Mountains! Teams must ride until they reach this Don Box, located within the Altai Taven Bogd National Park, where another Mongolian encampment and their next Don Box awaits them!"

(Nomad Encampment)

"Well, what are we waiting for? Christmas?" Cindy excitedly hollered. "Let's boogie!"

The Tough Grannies, The Farmers, and Father/Son ran over to the group of horses. Cindy and Anna were able to leapfrog onto their horses from behind with no trouble at all. Timmy and Dale were disgusted by how naturally mounting a horse came to them. Dwayne insisted on Junior wearing a helmet before getting on his horse, but Junior brushed him off and climbed aboard his horse. Dwayne followed suit and went to get on his horse, but his foot got twisted and he fell off and landed hard on the ground. Unfortunately for him, this startled the horse greatly and it bolted off toward the mountains, dragging the helpless Dwayne behind, who was screaming in horror while being dragged.

"Hang on, dad!" Junior worriedly hollered after his dad. Then, with a click of his tongue, his horse took off in an attempt to catch up to Dwayne.

"Oh dear," Timmy winced as he watched Dwayne's body whip helplessly around while being dragged by the stallion. "Should we go help 'im?

"Nah!" Anna answered. "From the looks of his body, an afternoon of being bounced around off of rocks and ice will do him good!"

"Good?! How do ya figure that?!" Timmy questioned.

"Body conditioning!" Cindy replied. "You know the old saying: no pain, no gain! We didn't get up to eighty years old without enduring some pain in our lives, ya know! Take me for example! I became a professional wrestling woman's champion by learning how to endure physical beatings beyond normal human comprehension! Watch this!"

The thicker granny reached for a nearby rock that was about the size of her fist. Then, without warning, she smashed the rock against her head, crumbling it into little pieces to the shock and horror of Timmy and Dale. However, Cindy seemed unaffected by the act and stood proudly before The Farmers with her hands on her hips.

"My personal trainer says a few more weeks of doing that and my head will be able to break through a diamond! Nothing or no one will be able to crack this head open by then!" Cindy exclaimed.

"Well... no one except maybe Humphrey Bogart in his dashing black tuxedo and that red tie we love so much," Anna swooned.

"Ooof!" Cindy replied, fanning herself. "Careful what you're thinking there, dearie! Or those glaciers will start to melt! BWA HA HAAAA! Ride 'em, cowgirl! Come on, now! Giddup!"

Cindy and Anna slapped their horse's behinds and the two went galloping off toward the mountains, leaving behind a couple of confused farmers.

"Well... that happened I reckon," Timmy said as he watched The Tough Grannies ride off.

"Quite surreal to say the least," Dale nonchalantly agreed as he took a sip of tea. "Might I suggest we get going before other teams finish?"

"Good idea, pardner," Timmy agreed. The farmers then raced off toward the mountains.

Super Group #1 – (The Police Cadets, The Ice Dancers, and The Reality Rivals)

"Guy! Father/Son, The Tough Grannies, and The Farmers just finished!" Sanders called out to her group! We need to hurry or we can kiss first place goodbye!"

"Augh! Darn it all!" MacArthur grunted. "Why didn't we think to join the group with The Farmers in it?! Of course they would be good at herding sheep!"

"Never mind that!" Leshawna snapped as she pointed out toward the field. "Here they come!"

After The Military Cadets swapped with The Police Cadets, Leshawna and Josse filled MacArthur and Sanders in on the strategy that Emily had taught them and were showing them how it was done. Jacques and Tyler were once more fleeing for their lives as they led another group of crazed Mongolian sheep toward their pasture.

"Gangway!" Tyler cried out.

"Quickly! Open ze gate!" Jacques pleaded with the girls as he and Tyler approached them.

As instructed, Josse, Leshawna, and The Ice Dancers quickly opened their pasture's gate and stepped aside just in time as Tyler and Jacques ran inside with the crazed sheep biting at their ankles. To make matters worse for the two, they were running directly toward all the other sheep that were already in the pasture. They had very little time to react as they began to charge towards them. Thankfully their instincts and their will to live kicked in and they were able to make a hard right turn at the last second, which caused both groups of sheep to collide with one another. This stunned the sheep just long enough for both Tyler and Jacques to safely make it out of the pasture. Leshawna closed the gate, locking the sheep in.

"And that's how we roll!" Leshawna taunted the sheep.

"Yeah!" Tyler panted as he tried to catch his breath. "We... we showed you! ….oh, man! I need a drink!"

"Great job, you two!" MacArthur complimented the boys as she slapped Tyler on the back. (Unbeknown to her, she slapped him a little too hard and knocked the poor jock off his feet). She then turned to The Ice Dancers. "I've got to say, that's a great strategy you guys came up with. I'm even more shocked you were the two who came up with it."

"Well... actually-" the tired Jacques was suddenly elbowed by Josse before he could tell MacArthur that they hadn't come up with the idea.

"Yes! Yes, it was!" Josse replied through her fake smile.

This earned suspicious glances from Sanders. But ultimately decided it wasn't important. "Regardless, now we know what to do! You two boys can take five and let MacArthur and I go out there to bring in more sheep."

"Can do!" MacArthur confidently puffed her chest out and pounded it at the same time. "Those sheep are about to be introduced to the big show! So how many more of these crazy sheep do me and Sanders have to get?"

MacArthur waited for an answer, but none came. When she opened her eyes, she found both The Reality Rivals and The Ice Dancers glaring at her. Before she could ask what they were so irked about, the four of them bitterly pointed toward their team's scoreboard, which now read one hundred.

"Oh! Well, what do you know? We're already done," MacArthur nonchalantly shrugged.

Sanders, however, was more aware as to why the other two teams seemed a little bitter toward them. She just sheepishly grinned at them.

WORLD MAP CONFESSIONAL – (The Police Cadets – Sanders and MacArthur)

Sanders – Sheesh. Talk about looks that could kill.

MacArthur – Ah, let them. Not our fault we got that advantage. Like I said: don't hate the player: hate the game! (She flexes) Another way to look at it is that those sheep should count their blessings we didn't have to get involved in this challenge! Those sheep and these glutes?! No contest!

END

"Ride horseback through the Taven Bogd Mountains to the park to find the next Don Box!" Leshawna read aloud.

"All right then! Let's hustle! We can still catch the first group if we hurry!" MacArthur shouted excitedly.

The three teams raced for the horses, mounted them, and began their ride through the mountains.

(Super Group #2 – The Geniuses, The SJW's, and The Business Tycoons)

"I'm just saying you could be putting in a little more effort," Donald huffed as he and Lauren closed the pasture, bringing their groups' total to sixty-one. "My daughter and I are the only ones to have rounded up any sheep on our team."

"Ugh, that is so typical of older, white men," Rachel snapped, placing her hands on her hips. "You think you can just tell women what to do any time you don't like the way we're doing something! I for one don't appreciate your mansplaining!"

"Then maybe you should stop standing around complaining about everything and start doing something for a change," Donald snapped, wiping some mud off his business jacket. "For cryin' out loud, my daughter has put in more work than you and she's doing it in high heels!"

He pointed over to Laurenr, who was wiping some mud off her skirt and trying to kick off some of the mud off her high heels.

FIELD CONFESSIONAL – Lauren of The Business Tycoons

Lauren – (Wiping some mud off her red overcoat) In hindsight, Don had a good point back on day one when he told us that this probably wasn't the best attire for this competition. (She then clenches her fists determinedly) But no way I'm about to let that hold us back from winning this race! It'd make my employees think less of me as their boss.

END

"Ugh! This is an example of the patriarchy trying to belittle women to make themselves feel like the dominant ones in society!" Rachel continued to complain. "Maybe instead of you constantly taking advantage of your white male privilege, you should refrain from your privilege as a man and allow women to continue to strive toward creating a world where we are on the same playing field as you are!"

Donald just stared blankly at the blue-haired college junior. "Okay, I have absolutely no idea what you just said, but right now I could not care less," he spoke. "Look! If you don't like what I'm saying, then stop standing around complaining and actually get moving! At least try and make an effort like your partner over there is!"

He pointed over toward Amie, who was desperately trying to pull a sheep toward their team gate. She was soaked from head to toe in mud. She had been dragged around by the sheep. She had bite marks and bruise marks from being kicked by said sheep. But regardless, she continued to try to bring the sheep to their gate.

"She may not be the best sheepherder ever born, but you have to admire that 'never give up' attitude she has," Donald complimented as he watched her inch the sheep closer and closer to the gate.

"THAT one?! What do you mean THAT one?!" Rachel snapped.

Again, a confused Donald quirked an eyebrow as he turned toward Rachel. "Uh... it's just an expression," he replied.

"It's an expression created by the nuclear patriarchy of society to make women feel less human and more like objects to be owned by men!" Rachel angrily retorted. "By saying that, you just took away her identity as a woman and as a human being! Ugh, that is so typical of you older white men! Check your privilege and get with the times!"

"Huh?! What are you-"

"And how dare you stare at my partner like that you pervert!" Rachel continued.

"What?! I wasn't-"

"And stop interrupting me! Not only do you talk about her like she's some workhorse, but you drool over her like she's some piece of meat! Wow, you're a disgusting, perverted, old white man! What is it with you guys trying to seduce younger women into hooking up with you?! You don't want us to be independent and forge a new path for a more progressive world where women and men are finally equal?!"

Donald didn't say a word. The blue-haired SJW's comments were so ludicrous that he wondered if she was a hired actor brought onto the show just to say ridiculous things in order to get a reaction from the other contestants. 'There is no way this is real,' he thought to himself. 'There is no way this young woman actually believes the garbage that is spewing out of her mouth.' His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his daughter's voice.

"Oh, will you shut up?!" Lauren growled as she stomped over toward Rachel.

"Excuse you?!" Rachel snapped her head toward Lauren.

"Newsflash, you spoiled bitch! You are not the ideal role model for the future of women you think you are! If anything, you're just an annoying, whiny bitch who refuses to grow up!"

Rachel clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. "What did you just say to me?!" she demanded.

"Think about it!" Lauren continued, ignoring her question. "In all that time you just took to lecture and belittle my dad, you could have gone over there and helped your partner get that sheep into the pasture!" Lauren huffed as she aggressively poked Rachel's shoulder. "If you care so much about helping women, why aren't you going over there and helping your own partner who needs help?!"

Rachel opened her mouth to retort, but no words came out as she realized the business tycoon had a point. Rachel looked over at Amie, who still hadn't given up trying to get her sheep to the fence despite having made little to no progress.

"Heh. You know," Lauren mockingly chuckled, "for someone who wants to prove that women are just as capable as men, you sure stand around while doing and saying a whole lot of nothing!"

Lauren then flipped her brownish-red hair at Rachel and made her way over to help Amie get her stubborn sheep into the pasture.

WORLD MAP CONFESSIONAL – (The Business Tycoons – Lauren and Donald)

Lauren – I'm surprised you let her talk to you like that, dad. Hopefully, the employees never see this episode or else they may think you're beginning to soften up. Or worse, our competitors may see it as a sign of weakness and look to take advantage and put us out of business.

Donald – Oh, it wasn't that I was letting her do it because I couldn't handle it. (He scratches his head) It's just... where in the world did she ever pick up that nonsense? I mean, did you hear the things she was saying?! What in the world are they teaching in colleges these days? [3]

END

"Here, hon. Try this instead." Lauren joined Amie and got behind her sheep.

"Oh... thanks," Amie puffed she wiped some of the mud off her forehead. As she pulled, Lauren pushed. The sheep was easier to move despite its constant growling and snarling as the two girls pushed it.

"Normally, it's easier to get a sheep to move if you don't stand in front of it and pull," she explained. "I know they say 'sheep like to be led', but sometimes, leading sheep to their destination needs to be done from behind. That way they can actually see their destination."

"...huh... that's actually kind of deep," Amie remarked.

"My dad taught me that one," she explained. "Watch. Go to the gate and open it for me."

Amie did as instructed. She let go of her sheep and made her way to the gate of her team's pasture, which wasn't too far from where she was. She opened it and stepped aside for the sheep to see what was inside. Once she did, the sheep could see another sheep grazing on the grass that was much greener than the yellowish stuff he had been chewing on. With a wag of its ears, it trotted into the pasture. Once inside, Amie closed the gate and their team's counter went up by one.

"Wow... I'm impressed," Amie complimented Lauren. "And what's more: you didn't even get a speck of mud on you that time."

"Well, past experiences on a farm certainly helped, dearie," Lauren replied as Amie rejoined her. "But goodness, you're a fright. We should clean you up before your clothes stain!"

"No, it's all right," Amie assured her. "Besides, we've still got more sheep to get, so it would be kind of pointless to do so at this time... but wow! You make it look so easy!" Amie said as she and Lauren walked back out into the fields where Donald was attempting to round up some more sheep.

"Again, experience, dearie. But I must say, I'm more impressed with you."

"Huh? Me?"

"That sheep dragged you through the mud; t kicked you; it bit you; it refused to move for you; yet in spite of all that, you refused to give up until the job was done."

"Ah... well, that's nothing much," Amie replied, blushing somewhat.

"No, it is something," Lauren assured her. "Whenever I look to promote one of my employees to the head of a department, that's one of the qualities I always look for first. That 'never give up' attitude is rarer today than ever before and you've still got it."

Amie didn't say anything. She just smiled as Lauren complimented her.

"I just wish your partner had the same attitude as you did," Lauren continued, sounding a little upset.

"Huh? Rachel? What do you mean?"

"She's always quick to make excuses and such," Lauren explained. "Blaming others for her shortcomings and such. There's always something going on that's keeping her from accomplishing something. She's just a whiner."

"But... But Rachel's my college mentor," Amie replied somewhat defensively. "She took me under her wing during my first few days at college when I didn't know anyone. She looked out for me."

"Oh, I'm sure she did," Lauren replied somewhat sarcastically. "But if she's such a good partner... then where was she just a few minutes ago when you needed help?"

Amie opened her mouth, but struggled to find any words. The more she thought about it, she realized that Lauren had asked an excellent question: where was Rachel when she needed help?

"Um... well... she was... watching the gate. Yeah! That's what she was doing?"

"A gate that was locked shut?" Lauren raised en eyebrow.

Amie could see that she wasn't convinced. Maybe that was because Amie herself wasn't convinced by her answer either.

"You know, you're here saying you need her," Lauren continued. "But the way I see it... you're the one she needs."

Amie didn't say anything in response. She just rubbed her shoulder as she looked back toward her team's gate. As Lauren said, Rachel was still standing there. Though she couldn't hear what she was muttering to herself, Amie could tell that she was complaining about something.

Lauren glanced back at Amie out of the corner of her eye and saw her looking back at her partner with a look of uncertainly. The brownish-red beauty smirked as she saw this.

FIELD CONFESSIONAL – (Lauren of The Business Tycoons)

Lauren – It's one of the oldest tricks in the world of business. To get an opposing business to crumble, you must first sew seeds of doubt among the executives at the top. Once you've poisoned those minds, it's only a matter of time before the entire empire comes crumbling down. (She brushes her dark-red hair aside confidently. When the camera doesn't cut, she looks back at the camera) What? It's not like I was lying. I meant every word I said to Amie and I truly believe Rachel is a useless individual that will lead Amie to ruin. I simply told Amie the way I see it because I actually like her. (She smiles evilly) ...but if getting her away from that poisonous creature can also lead a team to their demise in this contest... (she chuckles) … they say you can't have your cake and eat it too... but whoever said that obviously never met me.

END

Lauren's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden high-pitched screeching sound that echoed through the air. The noise was so intense and loud that it caused Lauren and Amie to cover their ears and rendered the two motionless. Nearby Donald also had to cover his ears.

Before anyone could ask what was going on, a group of sheep was running as fast as they could toward their gate. And not far behind the sheep were Mary and Ellody blowing into some whistles they had made out of reeds they had found in the field. They ran after the sheep while blowing into the reed whistles while plugging their own ears with some clay they had found among the mud.

"Quick! Open the gate now!" Mary called over to Rachel.

Rachel, who had been covering her ears from the noise, happened to look up and see the sheep coming right for her and their team's gate. Though she hadn't heard Mary's order, she knew what to do. She quickly swung her team's gate open and stepped aside. As planned, the sheep ran inside the gate. Mary and Ellody continued to blow into their reed whistles until the last one was inside. Once it was, they raced for the gate and quickly shut it (Rachel had covered her ears once more as the high pitched sound had rendered her unable to move).

Once it was shut, the team's digital counter climbed until it reached their team's new total of one hundred sheep.

FIELD CONFESSIONAL – (The Geniuses – Mary and Ellody)

Mary – (Holding up her reed whistle) It's a well-known fact that animals can't stand high frequencies of sound. Knowing this, we found these reeds and whittled away at them with some sharp rocks we found the fields to make these whistles.

Ellody – It took a little longer than anticipated because we had never used sharp rocks to carve anything before. But thankfully the formula for creating a flute-like device out of reeds could be reduced to a mathematical formula that was once used in Ancient Greece that created some of the first musical instruments ever.

Mary – With that formula, we created whistles that were high pitched enough that even these flesh-eating sheep didn't stand a chance when we blew into them. (She snorts as she chuckles). I wonder if this is what the first intellectual neanderthals felt like back during humanity's first days.

Ellody – If so, then I dare say that calling someone a neanderthal these days could almost be considered a compliment.

Mary – (She snorts while laughing again) You told another joke.

Ellody – (chuckling) I did, didn't I?

END

(Super Group #4 – The Bouncers, The Superheroes, and Team EVIL)

After Super Group #4 had redeemed their advantages for the twenty sheep in their pen, they struggled to get any more sheep. Marcus and Devon weren't having too much trouble, but even they could only carry a max of three sheep each at one time.

"This is getting ridiculous!" Marcus growled after another sheep escaped from his grasp. "Except those twenty sheep those morons got with their advantages, we're the only ones that have been able to round up any sheep!"

"Oh, my brother testify!?"

"I don't know what the hell they're doing!" Marcus grumbled. "But if they're smart, they'll get their asses in gear before I go over there and kick their asses into gear! We've got nine teams ahead of us as is!"

"Oh my brother! Testify!"

Devon pointed over toward the Mongolian, who was now handing The Daters, The Big Brother Participants, and The Fashion Bloggers their next travel tips.

Marcus uttered something inappropriate before trying to round up more sheep.

Elroy continued to struggle greatly being much smaller and slower than anyone else in the group. The sheep merely laughed at any attempt Elroy made at capturing one and thought he was so pathetic that he wasn't even worth their time to trample. Quinton wasn't having any better luck than his partner. If anything, he was having worse luck. For all his efforts of rounding up the sheep were met by the sheep butting and kicking him through the air. Each time they did so he landed hard on the muddy ground.

"Doggone it!" Quinton growled. "And I had my outfit dry cleaned only yesterday! How can I sell any shots of me in Mongolia to my fans if I'm all covered in mud?!"

(Super Group #5 – The Outdoor Survivalists, The Goths, and The Larpers)

Loki was easily the MVP of Super Group #5. Their group total was currently at sixty-two. However, Loki was currently refusing to come out for the time being. The Outdoor Survivalists and The Larpers approached The Goths when they saw their strategy had stopped working.

"What's wrong with him?" Jason asked frustratedly. "We've got twelve other teams ahead of us right now!"

"Is he okay?" Jamie asked Ennui, who was now placing Loki's forehead against his own in an effort to psychically connect with the rabbit.

After thirty seconds of this, Ennui pulled his head away from Loki's. "He's saying he's hungry and won't do any more work unless we feed him something," he explained.

"All right, then," Jamie confidently stated. "Can do. Anyone got a carrot on them?"

"Loki doesn't eat carrots," Crimson explained in her usual monotone. "He'll only eat heads of cabbage that were plucked from the deepest layer of the underworld in which Hades rules over."

Loki nodded his head in agreement, despite the concerned looks from The Outdoor Survivalists.

"Well... that's a problem, isn't it?" Jamie sighed.

"Fear not, my fellow teammates!" Leonard confidently boasted. "For the great and powerful wizard has a solution to our dilemma!" He reached into his robe and pulled out his wizard staff. "Quick, Tammy! Your ocarina! If you play a song that boosts my magical abilities, I shall conjure up a spell powerful enough to hypnotize the rest of the sheep we need to finish this challenge before any other groups do!"

"You got it!" Tammy excitedly replied as she grabbed her seashell. "Manipulation Magic Boost!" she cried out. She then placed her lips around the shell and began to play a soothing melody.

Leonard raised his staff to the air, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. He then blurted out a spell. "SHUMEEP! CUMOME! NUMOW!" He rose his staff as high as it could go, focusing all of his mental energy on the spell he was casting.

Ennui and Crimson rolled their eyes as they watched Tammy and Leonard attempt to conjure up their spell. Loki, who had popped his head up from beneath Ennui's shirt, also watched The Larpers as they focused on their magic spell. No one saw it, but Loki brought one of his paws up to the side of his head and made a circular motion near his temple while whistling a 'cuckoo' sound effect.

WORLD MAP CONFESSIONAL – (The Outdoor Survivalists – Jamie and Jason)

Jamie – Well, we can't blame them for taking affirmative action in the scenario we were in.

Jason – (Scratching his forehead) I'm still trying to wrap my mind around what happened next. I mean... it' couldn't have been actual magic that brought that about... could it?

END

Not too far from where Super Group #5 was watching Tammy and Leonard, Max was quietly approaching one of the sheep.

"Aha! I've got you now, vermin!" he exclaimed as he grabbed hold of the sheep around its body.

The sheep just rolled its eyes as it elt Elory grab hold and stomped in the pile of mud it was standing next to, spraying mud and other contents on the ground all over Max and soaking him in the cold, smelly mud.

"EWW!" Max cried out in horror, as he released the sheep in disgust and began frantically wiping the mud off his face. "You vile creature!" Max cursed the sheep as it walked away from him. "I just dry cleaned this outfit yesterday! If I have to keep having to clean it, I'm going to have to start dipping into my babysitting savings! Then how am I supposed to conquer the world?!"

What Max didn't notice that not too far behind him, where Leonard and Tammy were still trying to conjure their spell, was a familiar, yet unusual glow coming from Leonard's right pocket on his robe. Neither The Goths, The Outdoor Survivalists, nor even The Larpers noticed it either.

But he didn't have a chance to notice that. For it was at that exact moment when Max saw a tiny lamb nearby. An innocent, sweet-looking lamb that was minding its own business as it grazed in the fields. Completely bliss to Max's presence.

'Excellent!' Max excitedly thought as he rubbed his hands together.

FIELD CONFESSIONAL – (Max of Team EVIL)

Max – Not only was this an excellent opportunity for me to add another sheep to our grand total, but it was also an excellent opportunity for me to establish myself as the evilestcontestant on this show! After all, who else would attempt to capture a helpless little lamb beside one so diabolical and evil as myself?!

END

Max quietly crept up on the unaware lamb as it continued to graze. Compared to all the other sheep in the field, this one was so tiny and helpless. Max almost squealed at the thought of how evil this was going to make him look.

Once he was close enough, he reached down and quickly snatched up the lamb in his arms with the utmost of ease. As expected, the lamb bellowed in terror as he had been captured.

"BWA HA HA!" Max laughed his most evil of laughs (which was still in much need of improvement). "Cry all you want, little feeble creature! No one here is going to be able to help you now!"

Oh, how he was wrong. The moment those words left his mouth, he suddenly heard the most intense growling he had ever heard in his entire life. He looked up and found himself surrounded by at least one hundred or more furious sheep. Each one snarling and showing their razor-sharp teeth at the purple-haired contestant.

"Oh... right," Max gulped. "Your ginormous family. Somehow in the midst of my excitement, I completely forgot about them."

Almost all the sheep suddenly let out a deafening roar at the same time. Max could have sworn he even heard some of them barking at him. How sheep were capable of doing this was the last thing on his mind. With a scream of terror, he dropped the little lamb as the sheep began to pounce on him one by one. As the sheep bit and stomped him, Max hastily crawled through the hoard of angry sheep desperate to escape what seemed to be an untimely demise. Thankfully he managed to find a small opening and pulled himself out from underneath one of the sheep as it stomped on his back. Ignoring the great pain he was in, he jumped to his feet and fled as fast as his legs could carry him. His screaming however alerted the sheep and the herd quickly turned about and gave chase.

"HEEEEEELP!" Max cried out in terror. He could feel the sheep biting at his heels as he ran. But he didn't dare turn around to see how close they were. "HELP! MINION! SAVE ME!"

Max found Zachariah close by and sprinted toward his partner in hopes of finding sanctuary behind the tall, lanky man. At first glance, the sheep didn't see any threat with the lone man so they continued to charge at their target. And if this man wanted to try and get in their way, then he would suffer the same fate. But oh, how wrong they were.

Upon hearing Max's cries of terror, Zachariah slowly turned around and gazed at his partner and the stampeding sheep hastily approaching him. One look into Zachariah's yellowish-red eyes and his expressionless, pale face was all it took for the sheep to be overcome with terror. Each one skidded to a halt mere inches away from the man that the shorter one was now cowering behind. As Zachariah stared blankly at the sheep, thunder rolled in the background as lightning flashed across the sky.

The sheep bleated with horror before they turned heel and raced away from the terrifying figure of a man. Wanting to get as far away from him as possible, they sought out sanctuary in the one place they felt he couldn't get to them: in their pastures. They scattered in different directions and headed for the pastures that were closest to them.

Leonard continued to focus on his 'spell' as Tammy played her flute, unaware of the awkward looks they were getting from their teammates. However, they were interrupted when they felt the ground beneath them begin to shake vigorously. Jamie almost lost her footing and held onto Jason for support, who also had to focus on his balance so he didn't fall. Crimson and Ennui didn't look it, but they too were concerned. Loki, who had hopped out of Ennui's jacket, lost his footing and fell to the ground. The three teams and rabbit turned around.

"W-W-What is this?!" Jamie cried out, not letting go of her grasp of Jason's left arm.

"W-Whatever it is, it can't be good!" Jason replied, bracing himself so he didn't fall.

"Look!" A terrified Tammy pointed out toward the fields.

The others looked toward where Tammy was pointing. To their horror, they saw a massive horde of frightened sheep was charging right at them.

"Stampede," Crimson said in her monotone.

"Run for your life," Ennui added, also in his monotone.

The three teams then turned tail and ran from the oncoming sheep as fast as they could. But because of the shaking ground, Crimson and Loki lost their footing and fell. Ennui noticed this and stopped running He turned around to see the sheep closing in on his girlfriend and pet quickly. But they were too far apart. He only had time to help one of them. He had to decide.

After quickly deliberating his options, he ran toward Loki and threw his body over the rabbit. Once Loki was safely sheltered under his body, he braced himself for the impact of the stampede as it overtook him, Crimson, and Loki.

"RUN, ELROY! RUN!"

Close by, Quinton and Elroy had also heard the commotion and began to run as some of the stampeding sheep were charging right for them.

"Superhero rule #683 – A wise hero picks his battles and knows when to retreat! And I say this is the time to retreat!"

"You don't have to tell me twice, Elroy! Now RUN!"

Marcus and Devon didn't notice the stampede until it was too late. Fortunately for them, they were big and strong enough that they could withstand the oncoming herd of sheep. They planted their feet into the earth and pushed the sheep aside as they ran past them. And any who were foolish enough to try and run them over was met with a swift uppercut to the jaw that knocked them senseless.

"That'll teach ya ta try to run me over!" Marcus shouted as he punched his third sheep.

"Oh, my brother! Testify!" Devon cried out as he threw another sheep over his head.

"Emma! Run!"

"Milo?! Milo! Where are you, boy?!"

Kitty was trying to pull Emma along as the sheep began to charge at them. But Emma had lost sight of Milo while trying to lure some more sheep and was now frantically looking for her baby boy. But they ran out of time as the sheep were a mere ten yards from where they were standing and closing in fast. They had no choice but to run.

Elsewhere, Mickey and Jay could be heard screaming in terror as they became caught in the stampede.

"Sammy..."

"Yeah, Brick?"

Sammy's face was flush pink and her eyes lit up as Brick spoke to her. All she saw was a world of pink and Brick in the middle of it all, smiling and speaking softly to her.

"Run."

"Hmm?"

"RUN!"

Sammy snapped out of her dream state. She screamed when she saw the oncoming stampede of terrified sheep making their way directly toward her.

Brick didn't waste any time. He quickly scooped up Sammy and carried her as he ran from the stampede as fast as he could.

Emily and Amy were right behind their partners and were also running from the sheep. Chet and Lorenzo had begun to run too, but unfortunately, they were still beaten from earlier and couldn't run as fast as it hurt to do so. The stampede caught up to them and trampled to stepbrothers as they fled from the menacing figure of the pale, lanky man.

"Dudes... I'm not the only one seeing this, right?"

Spud scratched his head as the stampede approached them.

"RUN!"

Calleigh grabbed hold of Spud and dragged him along as they ran from the sheep. Sabrina Rock, Brody, and Geoff screamed in terror as they ran after Calleigh and a still confused Spud who wasn't screaming at all.

"Devin?! Devin! Where are you?!" Carrie cried out as she ran for her life.

"We don't have time to look for him right now!" Aaron called over to her as he ran alongside her. "Just run!"

"Carrie! Where are you?!"

Devin frantically called out for Carrie, who was nowhere close to him.

"Ack! Devin! Save me!" Taylor threw her arms around Devin's arm, hoping he would become her knight and carry her off to safety. Unfortunately for her, Devin was too concerned about finding Carrie in the midst of this crisis that he wasn't even aware that she was grabbing hold of him. Nor was he aware of what he was doing when he pushed her off him into a nearby mud puddle and ran off to find Carrie while escaping from the oncoming stampede.

"Ugh!" Taylor was disgusted by the mud that was now all over her white outfit. "Excuse me! Rude much?!" she angrily called after Devin. But she was so focused on her ruined clothes that she forgot about the oncoming stampede for a minute. It was only when she heard their terrified bleating that she remembered the danger. She cried out in horror before the sheep trampled her.

"Run, Laurie! Run!"

Miles pulled Laurie along. Although the taller vegan had been in a state of depression, those feelings were suddenly overcome with terror as the sheep were gaining on them. Laurie began to wonder if this was the ultimate karma for her after eating the sheep's head back in Iceland last year. But the sudden cries coming from Pete and Gerry as they were trampled interrupted her thoughts and she focused solely on surviving the stampede.

All over the meadows of the encampment was chaos. In their attempt to escape the sheep, most of the contestants weren't fast enough. One by one, they were pulled under as the sheep continued to run toward their pastures. They didn't even have to wait for them to open up. Most sheep broke through the gates and ran for the furthest corners of the pastures.

From the sides, Don and Chef watched in silence as this scene before them unfolded.

Don then quickly turned to Chef, who hadn't stopped recording. "We here at the Ridonculous Race would like to remind the viewers back home that each contestant signed a waiver that freed the network from being held responsible for any and all injuries that may befall them during their time competing on the show."

"...boy, where have I heard that one before?" Chef grumbled.

WORLD MAP CONFESSIONAL – (Tammy and Leonard)

Leonard – Boy... maybe we should be more careful about the spells we choose to cast.

Tammy – I warned you! Didn't I warn you?! Some of those spells may have been created by those that practice the dark arts!

Leonard – How was I supposed to know those dark wizards used sheep in all their evil plans?!

(Team EVIL – Max and Zachariah)

Max – BWA HAHA! Those simple-minded sheep knew not of what they were getting into when they dared to challenge Team EVIL! Once they saw the error of their ways and recognized the danger they were in, they knew it was best to get as far away from us as possible! Isn't that right, minion?

Zachariah – (He's staring off-camera as his pupils seem to be swirling) Did you see them, mother? The way they ran from me? Soon, they will all fear your name in such a way...

Max – You know, minion. It's nice to think of your mother and all. But try to lay off a little bit. Otherwise, people will see you as a mama's boy. And evil cannot be seen as a mama's boy.

END

(Taven Bogd National Park)

"GWAAAHAHAHAHAAAA!"

Dwayne screamed until his horse came to a stop at the entrance of the National Park located at the top of the mountain. For a moment, all Dwayne could do was groan as his body ached from all the rocks and tree stumps he had bounced off of while being helplessly dragged throughout the mountains.

Junior soon rode up to the entrance on his horse. He hopped off his horse and raced over to his father.

"Dad! Are you all right?" he asked.

"Oh, just fine, sport," Dwayne lied as he pulled himself to his feet, ignoring the cracking sounds his bones were making. "Just fine. You know your old man's a lot tougher than he looks."

"I already found that out last year," Junior replied. "It's not every dad who can hang onto a charging rhino and walk away after being hurled through the air by a mechanical bull."

Dwayne puffed his chest and smiled as his son praised him. It may have been a small thing to others. But to Dwayne, his son praising him sounded more beautiful than a well-written symphony. But his time to appreciate his son's words was short-lived. A sudden stinging and heavy force slapped him across the back and knocked him to the ground violently.

"Mighty impressive, sonny!" Cindy complimented Dwayne. "It isn't every man that can jump right up to his feet after being whipped across the rocky and icy terrains of a mountain for an hour like you just were!"

"Okay... that one hurt..." Dwayne moaned as he lay motionless face down on the ground.

"Ah, stand up, boy! You're tripping over your own two feet! Can't exactly call yourself the man of the house if you keep falling, now can you?" Cindy reached down and yanked Dwayne back to his feet.

"Enough flirting with the young man!" Anna lectured. "The other teams will be here soon! Besides, what would your husband say if he caught you hitting on a younger man? One married to another woman no less?!"

"Well, if I know him, he'd probably say 'What on earth took you so long? I've been waiting for you to leave me for the past sixty years!'. BWA HA HAAAAA!"

"Yeah, you're probably right," Anna chuckled. "But just the same, we need to get going! Them young whippersnappers ain't got the patience to let us old folks beat them!"

"Yeah? Well, I haven't got the patience to wait around for them to try, either. So I'd say that makes us even! BWA HA HAAAAA! Let's boogie!"

The Tough Grannies turned around and bolted for the Don Box just at the entrance of the park. But in their excitement, they didn't see the still dazed Dwayne trying to regain his balance right behind them. Junior winced as they accidentally trampled over his poor father, knocking him face down on the ground again. Thankfully, Cindy had realized what she had done and turned back to the groaning Dwayne, who lay motionless on the ground.

"Ah, for cryin' out loud! You're down again!" She yanked Dwayne back onto his feet once more. "You gotta learn how to stand on your own two feet, sonny! After all, I'm not going to be around forever to help you up whenever you fall." Cindy winked at Dwayne and ran off to catch up with Anna.

"Yeah... thank goodness for that," Dwayne groaned, still in a daze. Junior helped lead his father over to the Don Box just as Timmy and Dale arrived. The Farmers hopped off their horses and raced over to The Don Box.

Anna was the first to receive a travel tip for her team. Junior then pressed the button on The Don Box to get his team's clue with Dale pressing it after him.

"It's an 'All In'," Anna read aloud. "Both team members must work together to construct a traditional Mongolian hut called a 'yurt'.

(Host Don)

"A 'yurt' is a traditional Mongolian portable tent that the nomads construct whenever they relocate to a new encampment," Don informed the viewing audience as he stood in front of a fully constructed yurt. "Teams must work together to build the frame of the yurt with these bamboo poles and then cover them with these felts. After this Mongolian judge... approves..."

Don's voice trailed off as he looked at the judge. To his surprise, it was the exact same behemoth of a Mongolian nomad that had given the team's their airad and handed them their travel tips after rounding up the sheep. Like before, he stood there with the same scowl on his face he had ever since they arrived in Mongolia.

"What the- but- I mean- HOW?! Just..."

The Mongolian didn't say a word. Instead, he just cricked his neck as Don stared in astonishment.

"...you know what? Never mind, I don't really want to know nor do I care enough to have you snort in my hair again."

The Mongolian cricked his neck the other way. The crack was so loud Don felt a little squeamish when he heard it. He quickly recomposed himself before turning back to the camera.

"As I was saying; after the judge approves each tent, teams are free to check-in at The Chill Zone, which is located right next to where this encampment will be set up. The last team to finish... will be eliminated."

(Taven Bogd National Park)

"Disclaimer," Junior continued to read. "This Don Box is the last chance for anyone who has a boomerang to use it... Woah! There are boomerangs out there this jaunt?!"

"I wouldn't worry too much," Timmy assured the fourteen-year old. "It says here that boomerangs can only be used on teams that haven't begun building their yurts."

"Then I say we stop wasting time and get a move on!" Cindy exclaimed as she and Anna ran for one of the piles of yurt supplies.

"Rather," Dale agreed as he and Timmy followed them.

"Come on, dad! We've got to get started!" Junior encouraged his father, who was finally coming out of his dazed state. But he had yet to completely come out of it.

As they ran for their yurts, The Ice Dancers, The Police Cadets, and The Reality Rivals rode in the national park. They were only a mere couple of feet apart from one another and each of them had intense looks on their faces. The previous challenge was over. Now it was every team for themselves.

"Hustle!" MacArthur encouraged Sanders as they both hopped off their horses.

"Quickly Jacques!" Josse demanded, still holding her smile for the camera.

"Come on!" Leshawna cried out as she almost dragged Tyler over to The Don Box.

All three teams reached The Don Box at the same time. MacArthur, Josse, and Leshawna pushed at one another to be the first one to get their team's clue. From a safer distance, Tyler, Jacques, and Sanders cheered their partners on.

"One side, bronze medalist!" MacArthur teased Josse. "This clue is ours!"

"How dare you?!" Josse growled, losing her smile. "Well, you'll soon be eating those words! This time, gold is going to be ours!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Leshawna retorted, pushing both Josse and MacArthur aside at once. However, the two didn't stay down for very long. Before Leshawna could press the button, they were both back on their feet and pushing against Leshawna in an effort to get their travel tips first.

"Go, Leshawna! Go!" Tyler cheered.

"You've got zis, Josse! Show zose ozer two why you're an Olympian!"

"Oh, get real dude!" Tyler scoffed. "Leshawna's gonna show you why we're the team to beat this year!

"Oh please! You and your big-booty partner don't stand a chance against pure athletes like us!"

"Hey! I'm a pure athlete!" Tyler snapped, sounding offended.

"Oh, you'll have to forgive me," Jacques chuckled. "I was referring to real athletes! Not wannabes like you!"

"Hey! That tears it!" Tyler rose his fists. "You take that back, or I'll mess you up!

Sanders just watched as Tyler and Jacques continued to argue. She then turned back to the Don Box, where all three girls were still pushing against one another to be the first one to get a tip.

FIELD CONFESSIONAL – (Sanders of The Police Cadets)

(Everyone else is still fighting in the background)

Sanders – They do realize that none of us will take first place this time unless we get those travel tips, right?

END

(Nomad Encampment)

"Ooohhh... goodness gracious..." Aaron moaned as he regained consciousness.

Aaron was one of the many unfortunate contestants that had been caught in the stampede of Mongolian sheep. The last thing he remembered was running for his life alongside Carrie, who was desperate to find Devin in the midst of the madness. But neither Carrie nor Aaron was fast enough to outrun the sheep. In an attempt to keep at least one of them from being trampled, Aaron pushed Carrie aside at the last second and out of the path of the sheep just as he was overtaken.

Now here he was, face down in the ground and feeling very sore. He groaned as he attempted to push himself off of the ground. However, he found this difficult to do for some reason. The more he came to as he struggled to stand, the more he began to realize that something was on top of him that was keeping from being able to get to his feet. Or even on his hands and knees for that matter.

'What in the blazes?!' he grumbled to himself as he fell back onto the ground. 'Gah! Curse these small, frail arms of mine! Maybe it wouldn't have been a bad idea to go with Greg to the gym a couple of times before this contest started... because whatever it is that's on me... or is it 'whoever'?! Did... did someone land on top of me?'

Aaron was now fully conscious. It was as he thought: judging from the feel of it, the 'something' on top of him was a 'someone'. In fact, that someone had begun to stir as well and he could feel the person begin to move around.

"While I have empathy towards the fact that you've just been run over by a herd of mad sheep, I am quite ready to get up now," Aaron muttered irritatedly as he lay trapped under the person. "So the quicker you can roll off me, the more I would appreciate it, if you don't mind."

The person could only moan in response while continuing to stir. The moment Aaron heard the moan person moaning, he immediately felt his body tense up and his face turn bright red.

'Oh... oh my,' he gulped. The moaning sounded feminine. Quite feminine indeed. 'This somebody... it's a woman, isn't it?! I'm trapped underneath a woman! But... wait... what are these two soft things on the back of my head?! … oh, my... are these her-"

Before Aaron could finish asking himself that question, the person on top of him finally rolled off his body and landed next to him on the ground.

"Ugh... sorry about that," the girl groaned as she shifted around. "One minute I'm running for my life and the next thing I know I'm being dragged along by a horde of insane sheep."

Aaron glanced over in the direction of the girl that had been knocked out on top of him. His breath almost left his body entirely when he found himself staring into the bright blue eyes of the beautiful, blonde cosplayer Sabrina.

"Heh... trampled by sheep," Sabrina chuckled. "I never thought that would be something that happened to me in my life. Are you all... right...?"

Sabrina turned her head toward the person she had landed on was all right. When she saw a small trickle of blood coming out of Aaron's nose, she gasped in horror and almost jumped to her feet.

"Oh no! Oh no!" she panicked. "I am so sorry!" she apologized. "You're not too badly hurt, are you?"

Aaron couldn't say anything. His voice was all but gone as he looked up at what was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his entire life. True he had seen Sabrina among the other contestants before. But for some reason, this was the first time that he actually was able to look directly into her eyes... and what amazing eyes they were. They had taken his breath away.

When Aaron didn't asnwer her, Sabrina gasped in horror. "Oh, crap! I broke him! I landed on him and I broke him in the process! Crap! Crap! Crap! I just incapacitated someone! Calleigh's gonna kill me if we get disqualified for this!" She turned and began to call out to no one in particular. "I swear it was an accident!" she yelled out worriedly. "I didn't mean to break him like this! I wasn't even awake for it! Please don't pull us from the race because of it!"

"Oh... no, no! I assure you, I'm all right," Aaron finally spoke. The sight of the worried Sabrina helped him find his voice. "A little banged up... but I think I'm perfectly capable of continuing on. … that is... once I get feeling back in my legs..."

Others had heard Sabrina's cries for help and came over to see what was the matter. The Surfers, who were a little banged up themselves, were relieved when they saw Sabrina was okay. Sabrina frantically pointed to the ground where Aaron lay and begged them to help him up. Geoff and Brody were more than happy to and they pulled Aaron to his feet soon after.

"Dude... wicked nose bleed," Brody pointed out to Aaron. "Did one of those sheep step on your face or something?"

"Dude... not cool, sheep!" Geoff yelled over toward a small group of sheep nearby. "Stepping on another dude's nose like that!? Totally lame!"

"Totally, dudes," Brody agreed.

Aaron didn't dare tell them that his nose bleed wasn't the result of a sheep stepping on his face. They seemed too sincere in their attempts to stick up for him he just didn't have the heart. Not to mention he was too nervous about what they might think of him if he told them the truth.

"Oh, you poor thing!" Sabrina panicked as she cupped Aaron's face in her hands and began to look him over. "Please don't be angry with me," she pleaded. "I swear I didn't mean to-"

"Please! I assure you! I am fine!" Aaron pleaded as he pulled himself free of The Surfer's grasp of him as well as Sabrina's hands (worried his nose might bleed again as a result). "But what about you?" he asked Sabrina. "I mean, you must have taken a good number of steps on the back for me."

"You know... now that you mention it, I do feel it in my back and neck a little," Sabrina admitted, cricking her neck. "But I'll manage." She then chuckled. "I guess it's a good thing I followed my fitness routine and built a little more upper body muscle."

"Indeed," Aaron agreed, reflecting on the feeling of her chest on the back of his head fondly.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Sabrina asked Aaron, noticing his face turning flush red again. "You seem... oh dear! Your nose again!"

"I'm fine!" Aaron assured her as he quickly pinched his nose. He changed his thoughts to avoid another nosebleed.

"There you are!"

Calleigh, Rock, and Spud rejoined The Surfers and Sabrina. Calleigh and Spud were okay. Rock appeared a little banged up, but okay overall. Devin, Carrie, and Greg also came over and were immediately checking on Aaron.

"Are you okay?" Calleigh worriedly asked Sabrina.

"Yeah, babe. I'm fine," Sabrina assured her.

"Good... but don't call me babe."

"What about you, Aaron?" Devin worriedly asked Aaron.

"I'll survive," Aaron assured him. "But we-" Aaron's voice trailed off when he noticed how badly Greg looked. His body was bruised, his clothes were a complete mess, and he even appeared to be missing a couple of teeth. "Sweet Mother Teresa! What happened to you?!" he exclaimed.

"I dunno," Greg muttered. "All I remember was I was in the middle of putting the moves on that hot mama. You know, getting ready for inevitable events to come in the future. When all of a sudden, the freaking earth starts to shake like the hips of an Egyptian belly dancer! Before I have time to realize what was happening, I find myself being dragged under by a group of sheep! In the process, each one that ran over me was kind enough to step on my back, my arms, my legs, my head, and my 'unmentionables' we'll call them. But none were so kind as to knock me out for the process! About twenty minutes later, the stomping, the biting, and who knows what else they did to me finally stopped! Then as I pulled myself to my feet while ignoring the cracking and the snapping of what I can only assume was the last of my bones that weren't broken before this, I came to the undeniable conclusion that this contest is really starting to piss me off!"

No one said a word once the fuming Greg finished his rant. His raging temperament had them all feeling uneasy about daring to ask him any questions. All except for...

"...but, like, you're okay, right?" Spud asked.

Greg didn't say a word. He just glared at The Surfers in disbelief.

"I'm going to take a guess and say that your parents are brother and sister," he angrily retorted.

"Regardless, it looks like we're all going to walk away from this," Carrie interrupted. "That's what's important."

"Yeah," Devin agreed. He turned back to Aaron. "By the way, thanks for looking out for Carrie," he said while gently patting him on the back. "She told me what you did for her."

Carrie then approached Aaron and gently hugged him so as to not to hurt him. "You saved my butt back there!" she said appreciatively. "I just wish I could have done something more to help you. When I saw you get dragged under, I was so scared for you!"

"Yeah! Little dude's frail, but brave," Geoff agreed, slapping Aaron on the back harder than he meant to. He didn't notice Aaron wincing afterward.

" 'Cha!" Brody added. "Lucky for him Sabrina landed on top of him! She probably saved his life back there."

Greg's eye's widened when he heard this. He looked over at Aaron, who shrugged helplessly when he saw his partner looking at him. He then glanced over at Sabrina, who was chuckling and rubbing the back of her head as Geoff and Brody complimented her 'heroic actions'.

He couldn't explain why, but Greg suddenly felt some tears forming in his eyes. They weren't tears of sadness. But tears of pride. He imagined this is how a father would feel if he had a great sense of pride in his son.

FIELD CONFESSIONAL – (Greg of The Roommates)

Greg – (wiping a tear from his eye) I- I never thought this day would come to be honest. But here it is! My little buddy, whom I had little confidence in before this... he now knows the touch of a beautiful woman. He now knows what it's like to have a beautiful woman on top of him. I'm... (he slightly sobs) I'm just so damn proud of him right now...

END

All the teams began to organize themselves after the chaos of the stampede. Most of the sheep had taken sanctuary in the team's gates and were huddled together in the furthest corners, still shivering after their encounter with the ghastly Zachariah. The aftermath of the stampede was one mostly of confusion.

As a result, many of the teams now had the required number of sheep that were needed to finish the challenge.

"Now that we know everyone is all right," Don announced, "the following Super Groups have finished the contest and are now eligible to continue on in the race:

Super Group 3 – The Soccer Stars, The Sisters, The Adversity Twins
Super Group 5 – The Outdoor Survivalists, The Goths, and The Larpers
Super Group 9 – The Best Friends, The Roommates, Mother/Daughter
Super Group 10 – The Reality Pros, The Vegans, The Tennis Rivals

WORLD MAP CONFESSIONAL - (The Reality Rivals – Owen and Noah)

(Owen appears to be fine. Noah, however, appears to be a complete mess)

Owen – Boy, that sure was scary. But on the bright side, we finished the challenge! (He chuckles as he nudges Noah with his elbow). I'll bet you didn't know that I could run that fast, huh?

Noah – Well, I sure do now. Especially since you ran over me first before the sheep could. Thankfully you stepped on my head in the process so I was unconscious for the actual stampede.

(Owen's eyes widen and his pupil's shrink upon this revelation)

Owen – Oooooooh... (he nervously taps his fingers together) Soooooo... are you-

Noah – Yes I'm still mad at you.

Owen - (Looking disappointed) Awww...

(The Soccer Stars – Brandon and Micah)

(Micah is still green in the face)

Brandon – Boy, I'm glad I stayed back by the gates to help Micah. Had I gone out there to try and get more sheep, I might have been trampled.

Micah – (Weakly) See? My getting sick off the grass kept you from getting run over. There's always a positive side to everything.

(His cheeks suddenly puff in disgust and he runs off camera. Seconds later, the sound of him vomiting can he heard)

(Mother/Daughter – Kelly and Taylor)

Kelly – One minute, I'm working with Greg... who seemed to be trying to impress me for some reason by trying to carry four sheep at one time. The next thing I know I'm running for my life while a flock of berserk sheep is charging right at me! Poor Greg, though. He couldn't drop his sheep fast enough and got caught in the stampede. (She chuckles) But hey! We finished the challenge at least, so...(She glances over at Taylor) Oh, honey. Your clothes. What happened?

Taylor – (Folding her arms) Let's just say my prince charming isn't catching on as quickly as I was hoping he would.

(The Bouncers – Marcus and Devon)

Devon – (Stomping his feet angrily) OH! MY! BROTHER! TESTIFY!

Marcus – Tell me about it! The freak of nature scared all those sheep and he couldn't have even scared some of them toward our own gate! (He punches his fist and huffs in frustration. Seconds later, he then snickers confidently) Fortunately, me and my brother from another mother here knocked out enough sheep that we'll be done soon enough.

Devon – (Evilly chuckling while cracking his fists) Oh, my brother, testify!

END

The twelve teams that had finished the challenge were now approaching the horses. All except for Emma and Kitty. For Emma was still frantically looking around for her puppy.

"Milo?! Milo!" She cried out frantically. She grabbed hold of Kitty's shirt and yanked her sister so close their noses were touching. "Kitty! Where is he?!" she hysterically asked.

"Just stay calm, Emma," Kitty calmly assured her older sister as she pushed herself away from her face. "He's got to be around here somewhere."

"But I haven't seen him! I mean, one minute he's right behind me, and the next minute he's gone! Then before I know what's going on, all those sheep... Kitty! What... what if..."

Emma hadn't let go of her sister. Tears began to form in her eyes as she began to fear the worst for Milo.

"Oh, I knew I shouldn't have let him out of my backpack!" She hung her head and sobbed. "I knew he was too little! But I did it anyway! Oh, gosh! I'm such an idiot! And now because of my stupidity, Milo's-"

"ACHOO! ACHOO! ACHOO!"

Emma's head suddenly jolted upright when she heard a familiar sound of frantic sneezing. She turned around and approaching her was a beaten Mickey being supported by his equally beaten brother. Both of them were quite a frightening sight. They could barely walk they had been trampled do badly. But they had managed to push themselves through another act of adversity. What's more, Mickey somehow found the strength to hold up Milo as far away from him as possible as he sneezed uncontrollably.

"ACHOO! ACHOO! He- ACHOO! He came back to me," he weakly said as he approached Emma.

"He came up to us just before the stampede," Jay explained while trying his best to stay on his feet. "We didn't have time to get away and got pulled down, but Mickey managed to hold this little guy up just high enough that he didn't get trampled... can't say the same for us though. But- OW!"

The Adversity Twins yelped in pain as Emma pulled both of them in for the tightest hug they had ever gotten in their entire lives. She didn't notice their cries of pain as she gratefully squeezed the twins.

"Oh, my gosh! Thank you two so much! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Emma continued to thank the twins nonstop until Kitty, who noticed the great deal of pain she was unintentionally inflicting on the twins, pulled her sister away from them.

Emma then quickly scooped up Milo from Mickey's arms and cuddles the puppy every so tightly. "Oh, my sweet wittle boy! You scared mommy! Yes, you did! Yes, you did! Don't you ever do that to mommy again! No, you don't! Oh, no you don't! Mommy will be very angry with you if you ever do that again! Oh, yes she will! Oh, yes she will! Oh, but I'm just gwad my wittle man is okay! Yes, you are! Oh, yes you are!"

Emma continued to spoil Milo as she held him close to her. Kitty just rolled her eyes and chuckled. For now, she would let Emma have this time with the golden retriever. She turned to Mickey and smiled at the twin, who was now able to breathe normally again after taking a breath of his inhaler.

"You know," he moaned, "sometimes overcoming adversity can be really, really painful. I-"

Before Mickey could say anything else, Kitty had walked up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. He felt his pupils shrink and his face turn bright red.

"It can also lead to some nice rewards," Kitty replied with a wink. She then rejoined her sister, leaving a speechless Mickey behind.

WOLRD MAP CONFESSIONAL – (The Adversity Twins – Mickey and Jay)

(Both twins are still banged up)

Mickey – Did you see that, Jay? She kissed me on the cheek! You think... you think she might be coming around?

Jay – Focus, Mickey! I know you like her, but don't forget what they did to you last year! (He rubs his shoulder and appears anxious) I know you want me to forgive them and move on... but I just don't trust them. Not yet anyways. I... I think I need a little more time before I'm sure I we can trust them again.

Mickey - (Rubbing his cheek and blushing) Speak for yourself.

END

"Oh, wook at you! You're just a handsome fella, aren't you? Yes, you are! Oh, yes you are!"

"Okay, Emma. I know you're happy Milo's alive and not hurt. But we really should focus on the challenge now. You can baby the puppy after we've finished," Kitty said as she approached Emma.

"What are you talking about?" Emma asked. "I've got Milo in my backpack already." To show her, she turned around and pointed to her backpack, where Milo's head was sticking out. The puppy yipped happily when he saw Kitty.

"Huh? But, weren't you just-"

"My goodness, you're a strong one too, aren't you? Oh, yes you are! Oh, yes you are!"

Kitty and Emma gave each other confused looks as they heard someone speaking in a coddling tone nearby. The Sisters glanced over to where the voice was coming from. It was coming from the pack of horses that were tied up by the brutish Mongolian, who was handing the teams that were finished their next travel tips. Among the horses, their eyes fell upon an auburn-haired girl as she excitedly petted the nostril of the beautiful horse.

"Oh, goodness! You're well taken care of, aren't you?!" Jamie cooed as she continued to nuzzle the magnificent horse. The horse neighed in appreciation as he gently rubbed his forehead against Jamie's in return.

"Come on, honey," Jason laughed as he joined his girlfriend with a horse of his own and a travel tip in hand. "We can admire the horses all we want after this challenge is over."

"Aw, but I want to admire him now," Jamie pouted as she threw her arms around the horse's neck and stroked his mane. "I might not get another chance to appreciate such a handsome stallion as this one. No, I might not. No, I might not."

Emma and Kitty continued to watch as Jason had to convince Jamie to finally stop cuddling with the horse so they could get going.

"Sheesh... someone obsesses over animals a bit much, don't they?" Emma scoffed.

She didn't see Kitty raise an eyebrow at this statement. Not did she hear her mutter, "Pot, meet kettle," under her breath. They quickly ran over toward the Mongolian to receive their travel tip.

Right behind them, Ennui approached the area. He was a little beaten up from the sheep, but he managed okay. He held Loki close, who was visibly shaken after almost being trampled by the sheep.

"There, there, little one," Ennui comforted the rabbit in his usual monotone as he petted him. "You're safe now."

Crimson rejoined Ennui with their travel tip. She too was quite roughed up from the stampede. But like her boyfriend, she was all right.

"Let's go," she spoke in her signature monotone.

Ennui glanced over at Crimson. To anyone else, her facial expression was no different from when the race started or any other time they were racing last season. However, Ennui saw something different.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing," Crimson assured him.

"But... you seem so upset about something."

"I said it's nothing," Crimson replied, her tone not changing.

"Okay, then," Ennui retorted, also in his usual tone. "There's no need to raise your voice at me then."

"I'm not raising my voice at you. This is raising my voice at you. You'll know when I'm raising my voice at you." During her lecture, her tone still hadn't changed.

"Okay... something's obviously upsetting you," Ennui responded. "Why can't you just tell me?"

"Just drop it and let's get going. We're going to be eliminated if we just stand here bickering all day."

Crimson turned her hair at Ennui and went over to the horses, leaving behind Ennui. Ennui sighed as he tucked Loki back into his vest and followed after Crimson.

Close by, Owen and Noah had watched the entire exchange take place.

"Oh dear," Owen gasped as he held a hand to his mouth and shuddered. "That was pretty intense. Do you think they'll be able to come back from that?"

"Come back from what?" Noah asked. To him, all he saw was The Goths having a conversation in the usual uninterested tone they were known for.

"Oh man, this is tragic," Owen pouted as he followed Noah toward the horses. "First there's me and my little buddy... and now one of the power couples are fighting!" Owen fell to his knees and raised his hands toward the sky in despair. "Oh, fate! Why must you be so cruel?!"

"Just come on, will you?!" Noah called over irritatedly.

"Oh, right! Coming, little buddy!" Owen jumped to his feet and ran to catch up to Noah.

(Host Don)

The teams that had finished the challenge had hopped onto their horses and were now racing toward the Taven Bogd Mountains. That is, except for The Vegans. Miles and a still somber Laurie had decided to walk their horses through the mountains instead.

WORLD MAP CONFESSIONAL – (The Vegans – Laurie and Miles)

Miles – These majestic creatures are too beautiful to have a human riding them. Therefore we decided that instead of doing so, it would be better for us to walk alongside them as equals. And besides, by doing so, we may get back into the good graces of our Animal Rights Group back home. Doesn't that sound nice, Laurie?

(Laurie sighs and shrugs her shoulders)

Miles – (Shrugging) Well... it's better than a depressing sigh. I think this is progress!

END

"As the twelve teams that managed to get lucky and finish the challenge on account of crazed stampeding sheep ride off to their next challenge, there are still three Super Groups that have yet to finish the challenge!" Don announced. "They are:

Super Group 4 – The Superheroes; The Bouncers, and Team EVIL (20 Sheep)
Super Group 8 – The Twin Sisters, The Stepbrothers, The Military Cadets (0 Sheep)
Super Group 11 – The Surfers, The Cosplayers, The Rockers (0 Sheep)

Let's tune in and watch them for now because let's be honest. This is probably the last time we're going to see one of these teams compete in this year's race."

"I resent that!" Quinton called over from the fields.

This caught Don's attention and caused him to look out toward the fields. He grimaced at the sight of the superhero, who appeared to have gotten more banged up and bruised than most others who were caught in the stampede. Many of his teeth had gone missing and his body was covered with bumps and bruises. Despite seeming out of it, Quinton, while staggering around, refused to fall to the ground.

"Although he may have been beaten like an egg that's about to be scrambled... our brave, fearless hero Quinton, Master Of All-Stars, is undeterred and refuses to fall to the ground!" Quinton narrated as he approached Don. Unfortunately, his proclamation didn't come true as the purple-cloaked eighteen-year old's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he collapsed at Don's feet.

"Yeesh..." Don shuddered. "I've seen roadkill that looked better than this guy."

Seconds later, Elroy raced over toward Don with his first-aid bag and knelt down at his partner's side.

"Elroy, I have to ask," Don pointed out. "How is it Quinton here was mercilessly run down by the stampede yet you're here completely unscathed? I mean, he looks to be in the best shape of his life. While you're ... how do I say this? ...'Rolly-polly.' No offense."

"None taken," Elroy assured the host as he pulled out some gaws from his kit. "While Quinton suggested that we try and outrun the sheep, I grabbed my grappling hook from my backpack and shot it up into the highest branches of one of the tallest trees that were out in the field. Before I could be run over, I pulled myself up into the tree. Unfortunately for Quinton here, he didn't seem to want to do that."

"A... true hero isn't afraid to take on something like a horde of sheep!" Quinton gasped as Elroy held some smelling salts underneath his nose.

"True, but Super Hero Rule #201- A wise hero knows that his greatest advantage comes from having the high ground," Elroy recited.

"Point taken..." Quinton groaned. "But nevertheless, I rebuke your argument with Super Hero Rule #2!"

Quinton slowly climbed back to his feet and, in spite of all the pain he was in, he struck a heroic pose, much to the delight and admiration of his sidekick Elroy who joined in posing with Quinton. The Superheroes then recited the second rule together:

"A superhero isn't defined by how many times he or she is knocked down, but the number of times he or she gets back up!"

"And I, Quinton, Master Of All Stars, refuse to stay down! Ever!"

"Impressive," Don acknowledged the costumed teenager. "So I take it this means you're not throwing in the towel to your injuries yet?"

"NEVER!" Quinton barked. "I shall persevere!"

Elroy, who was moved by Quinton's determination, applauded him and wiped a tear from his own eye. "That's my partner," he proudly proclaimed. "He's going to become one of the greatest superheroes of all time."

"That's 'every day hero', Elroy," Quinton reminded his sidekick.

"Yeah, great!" A thunderously angry voice boomed, causing the Superheroes and even Don to jump a little. That voice belonged to Marcus, who was carrying four unconscious sheep. One sheep under each arm and one over each shoulder. "Now stop the stupid monologue and get out here to help us! We've only got ten more sheep to get in our pasture and we've got about thirty sheep out here me and Devon knocked out! So hurry up and grab one so we can get going!"

"Oh, my brother! Testify!" Devon called over. He too was carrying four sheep the same way Marcus was.

And close behind him was Max, who struggled to carry his one unconscious sheep over his shoulders as Zachariah followed him, staring off into the distance and not paying any attention to Max.

"You know, minion," Max grumbled. "You could help me carry this infernal beast!"

FIELD CONFESSIONAL – (Quinton of The Superheroes)

Quinton – I tell you, some people just don't appreciate the fine art that goes into creating a meaningful monologue. (He sighs in frustration) Truly it is a lost art.

END

Elsewhere, Sammy was leading along with a group of sheep that had been traumatized for some reason. They didn't even bother to resist Sammy as she gently led them along.

'Wow, I don't know what got into these sheep,' Sammy shivered when she saw the look of pure fear in their eyes. 'But I'm just glad Brick was there to save me... Brick with his graceful, swift, strong arms that scooped me up and held me close to his solid, wide-'

"Come on, Samey! Hurry up!" Amy barked, snapping Sammy out of her thoughts. "Most of the other teams have already finished! Why can't you be useful for once?!"

"For once?!" Sammy stopped leading the now frightened sheep and pointed a finger at Amy. "You're one to talk! I was the one that saved you from getting on the wrong train back in Japan, remember?!'

"Yeah, yeah! I know already! Gosh, that's so typical of you! Always looking for praise! Stop living in the past for once and just do something right!"

Sammy bit her lower lip and glared at Amy. She couldn't understand why her sister was still treating her like this. 'What...what the heck?!' she muttered to herself through gritted teeth. She could feel tears forming in her eyes. But they weren't tears of sadness as much as they were tears of anger and frustration. She squeezed her hands and began to feel her body tense up.

FIELD CONFESSIONAL – (Sammy of The Twin Sisters)

Sammy – (She still looks greatly frustrated) I... don't get it. After everything that happened back on Pahkitew Island... after mom and dad made us come onto this show together in order to get along... after I've pulled my weight for this team and after all my efforts to try and make it work... Why?! (She wipes a tear from her eye). Why does Amy hate me so much?!

END

"Come on! Hurry it up!" came the stern voice of Emily that interrupted Sammy's thoughts. "Those are the last sheep we need! Let's go!"

"Yeah! Move it, Samey!" Amy snapped.

"I'm talking to you too!" Emily barked back at Amy. "Now hustle!"

Sammy brought the last sheep their group needed to make one hundred. She somberly followed after her sister and the other two teams toward the horses. Lorenzo and Chet, despite being greatly injured from the challenge, somehow found the strength to climb onto their horses and ride off toward the mountains. Fortunately for them, they had some experience with horseback riding during their time in Transylvania last year so they were able to ride their horses with relative ease. Brick and Emily had a little trouble but finally managed to get their horses moving. As did Amy and a still upset Sammy.

"Don't fall behind!" Amy barked at her sister as she rode ahead.

Sammy didn't say a word. She just grumbled as she raced after her.

That left the last Super Group. The final three teams that had arrived at the challenge. The three teams that had been running near the rear of the race almost the entire way: Super Group 11 aka 'The Rockin' Cosplayin', Surfin' Dudes and Dudettes'.

"Dudes! We're in last place!" Geoff exclaimed.

"Don't panic, dude!" Brody replied, grabbing hold of Geoff in an attempt to reassure him. However, anyone could tell he was just as worried by the look on his face. "We've still got a chance! We've still got time! All we've got to do is work together!"

"Y-You're right, dude," Geoff gulped, trying to compose himself. He took a couple of deep breaths and closed his eyes for a few seconds. "Okay, then. We've had our five seconds, dude," he calmly said once he opened his eyes. "Now we need to focus on what we need to get done. So... how many sheep ran into our pasture?"

The Surfers looked toward their gate to see Spud standing there tossing in one of the sheep. The moment the sheep landed in the gate, their team's digital counter revealed their new grand total... one.

Geoff and Brody couldn't maintain their stress any longer. Both let out a horrifying shriek of terror when they saw how many sheep they had.

Calleigh and Sabrina were also horrified when they saw that they only had one sheep in their pasture.

"You mean... out of all those sheep that charged at us... all those sheep that trampled me... not one went into our pasture?!" Sabrina exclaimed. She pulled on her pigtails as the panic began to take over. Soon, the panic changed to anger as Sabrina screamed in rage. "I GOT TRAMPLED BY A HORDE OF INSANE, WILD, VIOLENT SHEEP... FOR NOTHING?!" She stomped her feet and continued to shout as rage continued to flood through her veins.

Calleigh, who was normally the one to be yelling in frustration, just stared at her team's counter. She could feel all hope of her and Sabrina having a chance of winning the race vanishing. Slowly, she fell to her knees as despair began to take over.

"...no... it... this can't be," she whispered. "After everything I've given up to be here... my lousy job... all my plans for the summer... it's going to be for nothing..." She felt a tear forming in her eyes. "All that hard work... my dreams of winning the money to pursue a career as a professional cosplayer... gone... down the drain... why? …. why does it have to be this way?!" Like her partner, she began to feel frustration building up inside her. She pounded the ground as she gritted her teeth and closed her eyes tightly. "No! No! No!" she cried out. "I tried! I tried so hard! But every time I do, something just goes wrong! Why?! Why can't something just go our way for once?! Why can't-"

"Hey, guys... I didn't get kicked in the head during the stampede, did I?" Spud called over to the others.

"Not that I saw," Rock answered as he joined his partner. "Why?"

Spud casually pointed toward the sheep he had just dropped into their pasture. "Maybe it's the wasabi from yesterday finally kicking in, but that sheep's got the wildest tattoo I've ever seen on its side."

Rock looked down at the sheep to see what Spud was talking about. It was just as the heavy rocker had said: there was a tattoo of two Rs on both sides of the sheep.

"Huh... wonder what that stands for?" Rock asked.

"Maybe it's your nickname," Spud suggested, scratching his head. "'Rockin' Rock!'"

"Or maybe it stands for 'Rock and Roll'!" Rock excitedly guessed while strumming an air guitar and making guitar sound effects.

The Surfers somberly joined The Rockers in looking at the tattooed sheep. "Or maybe it stands for our current mood," Brody moped.

"'Cha... 'Really Rotten'," Geoff mumbled.

Brody then gasped in horror. "Wait! 'Really Rotten?!' You don't think this sheep is a member of those bad guys in that Laff-A-Lympics show, do you?!" [4]

"None of you are correct," Don announced as he and Chef drove up to them in a production jeep. "It actually stands for 'Ridonculous Race'," he explained. "Congratulations Team RCS! You've just found the official secret sheep of this challenge! Therefore, you guys are all finished with today's challenges and Chef here will take you directly to The Chill Zone.

From the fields, Sabrina and Calleigh's ears perked up suddenly as Don announced this. They looked at one another in shock. Then without missing another beat, they sprinted over toward their pasture. It was as Don said: there in their pasture was the only sheep they had managed to round up for the challenge. And it was the secret sheep.

Both girls squealed with joy and excitement as they raced over to Spud and threw their arms around him at the same time.

"SPUD! I LOVE YOU!" Calleigh squealed happily as she squeezed him as tightly as she could. She and Sabrina then kissed him on each cheek in appreciation. During this, Spud just stood there, confused by what was happening.

(WORLD MAP CONFESSIONAL – (The Surfers – Geoff and Brody)

Brody – I totally knew that teaming with The Rockers and The Cosplayers would be a great idea!

Geoff – 'Cha! And what's more! Now all three of us get to stay in the race!

Brody – Totally! 'The Rockin', Cosplayin', Surfin', Dudes and Dudettes' live to see another day!

(Geoff and Brody fist bump)

Geoff and Brody – Boom!

END

(Taven Bogd National Park)

"Now, son. Pay close attention to how this is done," Dwayne happily said to Junior. "Because your old man isn't going to be around forever to show you how to set up a tent. And someday, you're going to have a son of your own and you'll have to pass this information down to him."

"Who says I'm going to take my son camping?" Junior asked as he passed his dad some bamboo.

"What?! But- what do you mean you won't take your son camping?!" Dwayne was appalled. "One of the greatest joys in a father's life is the chance to take his son camping in the woods! Why, don't you remember this past summer?! How much fun we had when we took our annual camping trip into the mountains back home?"

"Oh, I remember," Junior bitterly replied.

WORLD MAP CONFESSIONAL – (Father/Son – Dwayne and Junior)

Junior – It rained nonstop for seven days. We couldn't even keep our campfire going.

Dwayne – Well, then it was a good thing I knew how to set up the tents then, wasn't it? I'll bet you were grateful to at least be dry. I know your mother was.

Junior – I don't know about that. I heard her say some words that I had to look up when we got back home.

Dwayne – (pointing his finger at Junior and speaking sternly) I thought I told you to forget you ever heard those words!

END

Dwayne took the time to make sure Junior saw how to correctly set up the huts. Meanwhile, the other five teams were working hastily to finish up their huts. First place was on the line.

"Faster, Jacques!" Josse snapped as she reached for the felts on the ground.

Leshawna reached for another bamboo stick. However, she hadn't been paying attention to her surroundings and failed to notice that as she swung around, she had smacked Tyler on the back of his head, knocking the poor jock to the ground.

MacArthur growled as her bamboo sticks collapsed once more. Sanders was taking her time and reading the instructions.

Timmy and Dale had all their bamboo beams set up and were now trying to sort out the felt for the walls of their team's yurt.

Anna and Cindy were also making progress with their yurts and were now wrapping their structure with the furs and other felts they had been given.

"It's going to be a close finish," Don announced as he stood at the entrance to The Chill Zone. "One of these six teams could be the first team to check into The Chill Zone! But they'll have to be quick because the next three teams have just arrived!"

The Geniuses, The SJW's and The Business Tycoons rode up to the entrance of the park, jumped off their horses, and raced for The Don Box.

"By the way," Don continued, turning back to the camera. "You may be wondering how I got up here from the Nomad Encampment so quickly. Well, my new Mongolian friend here showed me his secret technique to fast traveling and volunteered to transport be back and forth between both locations."

The Mongolian entered the frame and wrapped his huge arm around Don's back and pulled him in for a tight squeeze all while maintaining his scowl.

"...However," Don gasped, "He made me take a secret Mongolian oath to not disclose any information behind this technique to the viewing audience under traditional Mongolian penalties... which I also cannot disclose because this is a family-friendly show."

The Mongolian snorted in agreement. Careful to aim the steam from his nose away from his new friend's hair.

"Thanks for that," Don meekly muttered as he pulled himself away from the giant nomad.

As the three newcomer teams began to work on their yurts, the first six teams continued to struggle with setting theirs up. The Ice Dancers and The Reality Rivals had made very little progress. The Police Cadets hadn't made any progress whatsoever. And The Farmers and Tough Grannies yurts had collapsed to the ground.

"Doggone it," Timmy grumbled.

"Rather," Dale dryly agreed as he poured himself a cup of tea.

"Bah!" Anna growled. "That's what we get for using the cheap stuff!"

"Funny... those were my exact words about my husband on our wedding day. BWA HA HAAAA! Now no more mumbling, dearie! Let's get back to it!"

The SJW's, The Business Tycoons, and The Geniuses squealed in delight. They had a chance to take first place. But they didn't have a lot of time to celebrate. For at that exact moment, The Daters, The Big Brother Participants, and The Fashion Bloggers were approaching the entrance to the park.

"All these teams are neck and neck," Don narrated as he watched the teams struggle to reconstruct their yurts. "It's anyone's race! There's no telling who's going to take home the win today! It could be any one of these-"

"Done!"

Don turned back toward the part and saw a proud Dwayne standing in front of what appeared to be a perfectly constructed yurt.

"Like I said. It pays to know how to build a tent," he chuckled as he puffed his chest with pride.

The Mongolian approached the yurt and examined it carefully. Dwayne and Junior held their breath as he examined it. The other teams had stopped what they were doing and were also watching the inspection. After two intense minutes of no one breathing... The Mongolian gave Dwayne and Junior's yurt a thumbs up.

"Yeah!" Junior happily shouted.

"Gah!" Josse angrily yelled as she threw her bamboo pole onto the ground.

"Aw, you gotta be kidding me," MacArthur grumbled. Sanders didn't say anything and continued to read the instructions.

"And with that, Father/Son is the first team to reach The Chill Zone!" Don announced and Dwayne and Junior stepped onto the Carpet of Completion!

"All right!" Junior continued to celebrate! "Our very first first-place finish!"

"I know, right?!" Dwayne boasted, brushing some dust off his chest. "Your old man can be pretty impressive when he wants to be."

"Yes, he can," Don agreed. "But he can also be a rule-breaker at times."

"Oh, don't I know it? I admit, sometimes it's hard to be humble, but... wait, what?!" Dwayne's eyes shot open with shock.

"Dwayne, you were supposed to ride your horse through the Taven Bogd mountains," Don explained. "However, you were dragged by your horse the entire way."

Dwayne's mouth dropped as Don delivered this news to him. "But... but... Oh, COME ON!" he protested. "It wasn't my fault! I mounted the horse and fell off! I couldn't make him stop!"

Don folded his arms, seemingly uninterested in what Dwayne had to say.

"Ugh... I knew it was too good to be true," Junior sighed.

"Well... don't give up just yet," Don continued as he patted Junior's head. "You'll both be glad to hear that me and the judges did take what Dwayne said into consideration. So despite the fact that Dwayne did not ride the horse as the rules clearly, there was no malice in his actions."

Dwayne's face lit up when he heard this. "Well, all right!" he cheered. "So we're in first after all?!"

"As long as nobody else finishes their yurts in the next ten minutes," Don answered. "Given the circumstances of this situation, I and the network have decided that you'll only be given a ten-minute penalty."

Ten minutes appeared on the digital clock.

"Aww,' Dwayne groaned. "And here I thought we finally won for a change."

"Come on, dad. It's not over yet!" Junior encouraged his father. "None of the other teams have even come close to finishing their huts. We could still win this!"

"I... I suppose," Dwayne sighed. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens I guess."

The other eleven teams had heard the news. With a ten minute window open for them, they hurried to assemble their yurts.

"Come on, DJ!" Ry-Ry cried out as he handed the gentle giant another stick of bamboo. "We've got a chance to win now!"

DJ didn't say anything as he tried to make sense of the instructions. Seeing his older guardian struggling, he reached for the instructions and read them as quickly as possible. As he did so, he explained to DJ what he had to do.

Leshawna excitedly reached down and grabbed two more bamboo poles. As she lifted them up, she once again unknowingly struck Tyler directly across the forehead as she turned to run back toward her team's hut. Tyler gave a goofy smile as his eyes rolled to the back of his head before he collapsed to the ground.

"Hurry, Ryan!" Stephanie snapped as she threw more sticks of bamboo at her boyfriend.

"OW! Stephanie! Slow down!" Ryan pleaded with his girlfriend. "We're not going to win if you knock me out!"

"Don't get knocked out then!" Stephanie retorted.

Right as she said those words, she froze in place as a horrified look came across her face. Realizing how aggressive she was becoming, she meekly peeked over her shoulder toward her boyfriend. As expected, he was giving her a disapproving look.

"Uh... heh, heh... sorry, babe," she quietly apologized.

Nearby, Tom and Jen were almost finished constructing the skeleton of the yurt. As Tom was tying the last bamboo poles together, Jen was studying the felts that were given to them.

"Ugh!" she scoffed. "This shade of green with this shade of white?! No! Absolutely not!"

Tom turned his attention toward his partner. "Uh, Jen?" he spoke, "You know I'm never one to ignore inappropriate color schemes. But is that really important right now? We're a few moments away from our chance of taking out first-ever first place in our Ridonculous Race career and-"

Jen held up the felts that they were given so Tom could see. And the moment he did, he gasped in horror as he dropped the poles he was holding. It was just as she had told him. That shade of green did not go with that shade of white at all.

"Oh! OMG!" Tom grimaced. "No! This is totally unacceptable! We cannot possibly build a hut out of these colors! It would be a disservice to the nomad culture!"

"Agreed," Jen spoke as she rose to her feet. "But how can we fix this?" After a few seconds of thinking, she snapped her fingers as a thought came to her. She quickly reached for her backpack and began to dig around in search of some items.

Elsewhere, MacArthur cursed as her bamboo sticks collapsed once more. "GRR! These bamboo sticks have got to be broken or something!" she growled as she threw her hat to the ground. "I mean, how else could they not be standing?!"

"Maybe it's because you're trying to tie the wrong poles together," Sanders suggested.

"Wrong poles? What are you talking about?!" MacArthur asked while picking up her hat and dusting it off.

"You've got to tie these two poles together like so," Sanders explained as she grabbed two specific poles from the pile of bamboo. She then took the rope from MacArthur's hand and began to tie them together. Once tied together, Sanders grabbed a set of stakes and stomped them into the ground. Once it was deep enough, she tied the other end of the rope to the stake. Once it was secured, she leaned both bamboo poles up and placed them in their proper location.

"Whew!" Sanders wiped some sweat from her forehead. "That should hold now," she said as she stood back and admired her work.

MacArthur was aghast at how easy Sanders made that look. "Okay! How did you do that?!" she demanded. "I struggled with these poles for twenty minutes! How did you figure it out?!"

"Um... it's called 'reading the instructions,'" Sanders answered as she held up a piece of paper with directions on how to set up the yurt.

MacArthur was rendered speechless as she stared at the instructions. However, as usual, her sense of pride wouldn't allow her to admit her shortcomings.

"Well... I mean... Sure, I guess... if you want to do it the easy way," she bitterly said as she turned her back to Sanders and folded her arms.

"Why wouldn't you want to do it the easy way?" Sanders asked.

As the teams raced to finish, another wave of teams was approaching the entrance to the park and racing toward The Don Box.

"All In," Brandon read.

"Teams must work together to build a yurt," Jason read.

"Disclaimer – This is the last chance for anyone with a boomerang to use it on another team... WOAH!" Owen gasped. "There are boomerangs this round?!"

"Then let's not waste any more time! Get to the yurts before someone boomerangs us!" Pete exclaimed as he and Gerry sprinted toward the pile of supplies.

The newcomers raced for the pile of supplies as fast as they could and began to assemble their yurts. As more of the traditional huts began to finally take shape, Dwayne and Junior began to sweat profusely. They still had two left in their penalty.

"Come on... come on..." Junior pleaded.

"Done!" three voices yelled in unison.

Sanders, Leshawna, and Josse were waving toward the Mongolian nomad frantically. He walked over toward the three yurts. The Mongolian came up to The Reality Rival's yurt first and examined it. Leshawna anxiously clenched her fists and held them up under her chin as he looked it over.

Just as the nomad was coming around the front to inspect the last section of the yurt, Tyler began to regain consciousness.

"Huh? … are we camping?" he groaned as he began to stand up. But the jock was still dizzy from being knocked across the forehead. As he got his feet under him and attempted to stand, he lost his balance and stumbled backward right into his team's yurt. The jock cried out as he stumbled into the poles and crashed to the ground, knocking the yurt down in the process.

"NO!" Time seemed to slow down for Leshawna as she watched her yurt fall in on itself and bury Tyler in the process. She turned to the nomad, who narrowed his eyes disapprovingly at her. "Aw, come on!" she begged. "You were about to give us the okay! Just let us pass! Please?!"

The nomad gave her a thumbs down. Leshawna groaned.

(FIELD CONFESSIONAL – Leshawna of The Reality Rivals)

(Tyler is still wrestling to get himself out of the felts and tarp of the hut)

Leshawna – (She looks upset and her arms are crossed across her chest.) Don't take this the wrong way, y'all. I think the world of Tyler... but I wish I had Harold here with me instead. (she sighs) Baby, why did you have to pick these two months to go on tour with The Drama Brothers?

Tyler – (Trying to stand while wrapped up in the tarp) Hey! Who turned out the lights!? (He loses his footing again and collapses)

END

The nomad had moved on to The Ice Dancers and The Police Cadets. Their yurts were located right next to one another so the gigantic Mongolian was able to observe both of them at the same time. Jacques and Josse gulped nervously as his team's yurt was examined. Sanders and MacArthur, on the other hand, appeared very confident and calm.

"Hey, what have we got to be worried about?" MacArthur said as she turned to the camera. "We followed the instructions after all." She didn't see Sanders roll her eyes in response to this.

After a few more seconds of inspecting, the nomad gave two thumbs up. One for each team.

"Yes! We've got it!" Josse cheered. "Hurry Jacques! The gold is ours!" She and Jacques then ran for The Chill Zone.

"Like heck it is!" MacArthur angrily retorted. She and Sanders then sprinted after The Ice Dancers.

The two teams ran as fast as they could toward the Carpet of Completion. One second, The Ice Dancers were ahead. Then the Police Cadets would pull ahead the next second. Meanwhile, Father/Son sweated as the two teams approached.

"Father/Son," Don announced. "Your penalty ends in ten...

nine...

eight...

seven...

six...

five...

four...

three...

two...

one...

….PENALTY OVER!"

At that exact moment, Father/Son, The Police Cadets, and The Ice Dancers all dove for at The Carpet of Completion at the same time.

"YES! We did it, son!" Dwayne cheered. "First place!"

"Like heck you did! We're in first!" MacArthur argued.

"Oh ho, I don't think so!" Josse objected. "We've won the gold! For thie first time this year, the gold belongs to us!"

"Well... actually-" Don tried to intervene, but neither Dwayne, MacArthur, or Josse were willing to listen.

"Ha! Are you blind?!" MacArthur poked Josse. "We were miles ahead of you! As per the norm!"

"Get real!" Josse shoved MacArthur. "My toe was ahead of yours by at least a centimeter! We're in first place!"

"I'll remind you both that my son and I were right here!" Dwayne interrupted. "The moment our penalty ended, we were right on top of the carpet! And-"

"AW, SHUT UP!" both MacArthur and Josse snapped at Dwayne.

"ALL OF YOU! QUIET!" Don's voice boomed. That did the trick as the three contestants ceased their bickering instantly. They and their partners turned their attention toward the host. Once he saw he had their attention, Don held a fist to his mouth and cleared his throat.

"Please, Don," Josse begged of the host. "Please tell us we didn't finish in third place again."

"Yes!" Jacques agreed, holding his hands together. "I don't zink I can handle one more bronze medal!"

"Okay. First of all," Don turned toward The Ice Dancers, "there is no bronze medal. In fact, there is no gold medal for that matter. So stop asking for one. Second, you'll be happy to hear that you didn't finish in third place this time."

Jacques and Josse's eyes lit up with excitement. The gold was in their grasp. The Police Cadets and Father/Son winced when they heard this.

"In fact, I'm happy to announce that we have a three-way tie for first place!"

The three teams didn't say anything. They just looked at one another as the news sank in.

"Huh... well, I suppose that's better than nothing," Dwayne finally said. "After all, a first place is still a first place even if we have to share it with two other teams. What the heck! I'll take it!"

"I won't!" Josse snapped. "I refuse to share first place with this loud police wannabe and a team that wasn't even a threat last year!"

"Hey! You take that back!" Dwayne retorted.

"Woah! Calm down, you two," Don interjected. "Don't get too excited. I never said it was a tie between you three."

"What?!" MacArthur and Jacques exclaimed at the same time.

Don motioned toward The Chill Zone. On his cue, The Surfers, The Cosplayers, and The Rockers joined him.

"You see," Don explained to them. "While you all were working on building your yurts, 'Team RCS' had secured the sheep with the Ridonculous Race symbol on it during the last challenge and earned the right to come straight to The Chill Zone. So the three-way tie for first place goes to The Surfers, The Cosplayers, and The Rockers."

"Right on!" Geoff cheered as he pumped his fists in the air.

"'Cha! 'Rockin', Cosplayin', Surfin' Dudes and Dudettes' are back in the race, dudes!" Brody cheered as he fist-bumped Geoff.

"Rock and Roll!" Rock cheered. He played his air guitar as Spud held up a boombox to play some AC/DC.

"Whoo! Come on, babe! Victory poses! we finally get a chance to use them!" Sabrina cheered as she struck a pose and gave the peace sign with her fingers.. [5]

For once, Calleigh didn't care that Sabrina had called her babe. She was too excited about taking first place that she joined Sabrina with her own victory pose: she grabbed hold of a nearby bamboo stick, twirled it above her head, and then placed it behind her back as she placed a hand on her hip. [6]

WORLD MAP CONFESSIONAL – (The Rockers – Rock and Spud)

Rock – It feels great to be in first place! But it's even better when we get to share it with two awesome dudes like Geoff and Brody. And sharing it with two babes like Sabrina and Calleigh makes it even more awesome! Right, Spud? (He glances over at Spud) Uh... Spud?

(Spud's face is bright red and he has a great smile on his face. He reaches up and gently strokes each side of his cheek)

Spud – Woah... dude, I don't think I'll ever wash these cheeks again.

Rock – (He chuckles as he turns back to the camera) I'm telling you, Spud. When this race is over, we've got to get you to a doctor about your reaction time. It.. It just doesn't seem healthy, you know?.

END

"Ugh! Zis is unbelievable!" Jacques shouted. "We had zis jaunt won! I must protest! Us losing because of some ridiculous 'fast-forward' stipulation is unacceptable!"

"But it's okay if it benefits you?" Sanders questioned the temperamental Ice Dancer.

"Huh?! What are you talking about?!" Jacques demanded.

"Last year," Sanders reminded him. "Us and The Daters took first place in Vietnam because of that fish with the Ridonculous Race symbol, remember?"

"Who cares about zen?!" Jacques retorted. "Zis is now! And we lost our first place finish because of it!"

"Actually, even if Team RCS didn't make it here before you, you still wouldn't have finished in first place," Don informed Jacques.

"What?! Why?!"

"I've just been handed the results of your placements," Don informed them as he held up a piece of paper that had just been handed to him by Chef. "According to the replay, here are your placements:

4th – Father/Son
5th – The Police Cadets
6th – The Ice Dancers.

WORLD MAP CONFESSIONAL – (The Ice Dancers – Jacques and Josse)

Jacques – Sixth place! How could we have fallen so?!

Josse – I know I've complained about winning bronze in the past... but sixth place?! A bronze medal is at least something! At least some people out there remember who won the bronze medal! But who in their own right minds remembers the team that finished in sixth place?! Who, I ask you?! WHO?!

(Father/Son)

Dwayne – (Sighing) Well, we go from a first place finish to being penalized into fourth place again... sorry, little buddy.

Junior – Hey, look at it this way, dad. At least we finished ahead of The Ice Dancers.

Dwayne – (He perks up a little) Hey, that's right! We beat arguable the most dominant team last year! Heh, heh. Whadaya know? This could be a sign of great things to come!

(The Police Cadets – MacArthur and Sanders)

MacArthur – (Shrugging) Okay, so it's not a first place finish. But it doesn't matter. The only first place finish that matters is the last one! (She punches her hand) And that's the one we've got our eyes set on.

Sanders – But any day we finish ahead of The Ice Dancers is a victory in our book.

MacArthur – Oh, absolutely.

END

(Taven Bogd National Park)

"I was here first, you fiend!"

"Nay! I was here first, you fool!"

"No, I was!"

"No! I was!"

Quinton and Max were pushing against one another as they attempted to get to The Don Box. Once more, Elroy and Zachariah stayed back as their partners feuded.

"Will youse two knuckleheads knock it off and just get your damn tips already before I knock youse into next week?!" Marcus bellowed as he approached The Don Box.

The Bouncer's booming voice ceased the teenager's bickering and Quinton agreed to let Max get his travel tip first.

"Hmph... I don't need to be greedy like you," Quinton grumbled as Max pressed the button on The Don Box.

"All In, minion!" Max read aloud. "We must build a Mongolian hut!"

"Ha! Perfect!" Quinton exclaimed as he retrieved his travel tip. "I have plenty of experience in building homes for people! Prepare to eat my heroic dust, you swine!"

WORLD MAP CONFESSIONAL – (The Superheroes – Quinton and Elroy)

Elroy – This past summer, Quinton and I volunteered our time to Habitat for Humanity and donated our time and efforts to build homes in communities where many people were in need of better living conditions. Superhero Rule #32 – A hero always looks to donate whatever and whenever possible to those in need.

Quinton – Indeed, Elroy! And I, Quinton, Master of All Stars, was more than happy to donate his heroic time to help construct suitable living conditions for those in need. (He turns to the camera) And if you go to our online store and enter the code 'HabitatForHumanity' (all one word) at checkout, you'll receive a twenty-five percent discount on all my merchandise!

END

"Wait a minute... look at this, Quinton," Elroy pointed to the travel tip. "It says here that there's a 'boomerang' in play this jaunt!"

"Oh, is that all. Fear not, Elroy, for... wait, what?!" Quinton's heroic tone quickly changed to a worried tone. He quickly snatched the tip from Elroy's hand and reread it.

"... 'this is the last chance for anyone with a boomerang to use it on any teams that have not yet begun constructing their yurts.'"

Max nervously pulled out his travel tip again too. "'Any team that gets boomeranged must go back to the meadows and round up another one hundred sheep. This time, they must do so by themselves.'"

"Ohohoooo... is that so?" came a very evil sounding voice.

Max froze in fear. He did not like the tone in this voice at all.

Quinton slowly turned his head from the travel tip toward the sound of the menacing voice. 'No... it can't be,' he quivered as he turned his head. 'There's no way our luck is this bad. The team that possesses the dreaded boomerang couldn't possibly be-'. He never finished that thought as he saw the owner of that voice waving a travel tip that had the boomerang symbol on it right in his face.

"Oh... youse have no idea how much I am going to enjoy this," Marcus evilly laughed as he encroached on Quinton and Max.

"Oh, dear," Quinton gulped as he slowly backed away from the thick bouncer. He nervously chuckled as Marcus continued to encroach in his personal space. "C-Come now, let's not make any decisions we'll regret later on. After all, you could need my services later on in the race."

"Oh, I don't think that's going to be the case," Marcus growled as he continued to back Quinton and Max against a tree.

"Oh, my brother... testify..." Devon evilly chuckled as he joined his partner in cornering the two teenagers.

"C-Come now, gentlemen," Max pleaded. "Why would you want to do this to me?!"

"Simple. Youse pissed me off today," Marcus replied, continuing to taunt Quinton as he waved the boomerang in front of his face.

"W-Well... I suppose that's a good enough reason," Quinton nervously chuckled.

"The only problem is... I've got two teams that pissed me off today and only one boomerang," Marcus said. "The question is... which one of youse gets the short end of the stick?"

"HIM!" Quinton and Max immediately pointed at the other.

Marcus just laughed maliciously. Deep down, he almost felt bad about having so much fun at the expense of these two. He hadn't forgotten how annoying they had been all day long either. But right now, in this moment, he was savoring the looks of terror on their faces. He chuckled as he watched Max and Quinton squirm before him.

"Oh... I simply cannot decide, Devon," Marcus said to his partner. "What do you think?"

"Oh, my brother. Testify."

"Heh... good idea..." Marcus turned back to the two cornered teens. He then menacingly held the boomerang under Quinton's nose and whispered, "...eenie..."

He then held the tip under Max's nose. "...meenie..."

Back to Quinton. "...miney..."

Back to Max. "...moe..."

"...catch..."

"... a tiger..."

"... by..."

"... his toe..."

Quinton gulped.

Max began to shake.

"...if..."

"...he hollers..."

"... let him go..."

"... my mother..."

"Huh... would you look at this. Someone's already used their boomerang."

Marcus lifted his head from the two terrified teenagers when he heard Elroy speak. He looked over his shoulder to where the stout superhero stood. In front of Elroy was a billboard that had the word 'BOOMERANG' written in large letters at the top. Beneath the word were two spots. And one of them had a picture occupying it. And it was a picture of...

"What the... What the?! WHAT IN THE HELL IS THIS?!"

Marcus ran over toward the billboard. He pushed Elroy out of the way as he looked at the picture that was pinned on it. He had to make sure he was seeing things correctly. Unfortunately for him, he was. The first spot on the billboard was occupied by a picture of The Bouncers.

"ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!" Marcus continued to holler. "US?! SOMEONE DARED BOOMERANG US?! WHO IN THE ABSOLUTE DEEPEST LAYER OF HELL IS STUPID ENOUGH TO BOOMERANG US?!"

The teams that were working on their yurts could hear Marcus's intense shouts of pure rage coming from the entrance of the parl. Among them, one team looked at one another and tried their best to hold in their giggles.

"I told you he would flip his lid," Jason laughed.

"Well, it serves him right for pushing us back at the airport, doesn't it?" Jamie chuckled as she grabbed their teams felt and began to wrap it around the yurt's structured bamboo.

"WHOEVER YOUSE ARE, YOUSE ARE DEAD! YOUSE HEAR ME?! D-E-D! DEAD!"

"Oh, my brother! Testify!" Devon grabbed hold of Marcus and shook him a little to calm him down. "Oh, my brother! Testify!"

Marcus seethed a little longer before he began to take deep breaths to calm down.

"Oh my brother! Testify!" Devon continued to say in what seemed to be an attempt to reason with his partner.

"Ugh... yeah, you're right, Devon," Marcus whispered. He put a hand to his head as the red disappeared from his face. He had a slight headache from the yelling and he felt dizzy. "Yelling ain't gonna fix anything."

Devon patted Marcus's back. "Oh, my brother. Testify."

"Yeah... you're right," Marcus said. "We've still got our boomerang yet... and I know two teams that I can't wait to use it on."

Devon chuckled menacingly. "Oh... my brother, testify."

"Now then... where did we leave- … hey! What the... WHERE'D THEY GO?!"

The Superheroes and Team EVIL were nowhere to be seen. Marcus and Devon looked all around. But there was no trace of them anywhere.

"Yoo-hoo! Mr. I-Have-Anger-Issues!"

The Bouncers looked within the national park where two voices had called to them in unison. There they saw Quinton and Max with their yurt supplies and happily waving.

"We've begun the next challenge already, you fools!" Max taunted.

"Which means we're immune from the boomerang!" Quinton added.

Quinton and Max, ever so eager to gloat at the two men that had belittled them all day, turned their back to The Bouncers, bent over, and continued to add insult to injury as they shook their behinds at them.

"Nah-Na-Ne-Nah-Nah!" they taunted together as they continued to shake their backsides.

Now it was Devon's face that was turning a scary shade of red.

"...OH, MY BROTHER! TESTIFY!" Devon then punched a hole through a nearby tree. After he pulled his hand from the tree, he stood there seething and rubbing his fist that had struck the tree.

FIELD CONFESSIONAL – (Quinton of The Superheroes and Max of Team EVIL)

(Max and Zachariah are laughing)

Max – Did you see the looks on their faces?!

Quinton – Oh, my goodness! That was priceless!

(Quinton and Max continue to laugh for a few more seconds before they suddenly stop and realize who it is they are laughing with.)

Quinton – (Clearing his throat) Well... I suppose we should get back to the challenge.

Max – (Turning his back to Quinton and folding his arms) Agreed.

END

As The Bouncers continued cursing their misfortune, the final three teams rode up to the entrance to the park. The Military Cadets led the teams with Emily in front and Brick riding close behind. The Twin Sisters rode in behind them with Amy in front, not paying any attention to Sammy. And behind them were Chet and Lorenzo. Despite their bruised up bodies, they managed to stay on their horses throughout the entire ride through the mountains.

"Guess our time riding horses last year really paid off," Lorenzo called over to Chet.

Chet, however, hadn't heard him. He had already climbed off his horse and had approached Sammy's stallion and held out a hand to her.

"Milady," he said as smoothly as he could.

Sammy, who was still a little flustered from before, looked down at Chet and saw the thicker of the stepbrothers offering to help her down.

"Oh... well, thank you," she said appreciatively and accepted his hand as she dismounted.

Just as Sammy's feet touched the ground, Chet was quickly pushed away from Sammy by Lorenzo. Sammy yelped a little at Lorenzo's sudden appearance.

"Right this way, ma'am," he politely gestured toward The Don Box and offered her his arm to escort her over.

"Uh... gee. Thanks?" she replied, somewhat hesitantly accepting his offer to escort her as she allowed him to take her hand.

But just as she placed her hand into his, it was immediately ripped out as Lorenzo was suddenly pulled away from her, causing her to yelp again.

Lorenzo landed hard on the ground with Chet pinning him down.

"Back off, man!" Chet growled. "I was there first! I get to escort Sammy to The Don Box!"

"No way, dude!" Lorenzo retorted, pulling at Chet's hair. "She wants a real man to escort her! Not a boy!"

"You're the boy!" Chet replied, pushing Lorenzo's head into the dirt.

"No! YOU are!" Lorenzo reached his arms up and caught Chet in a headlock. He then shifted his body and pulled his heavier stepbrother off of him and onto the ground.

The Stepbrothers continued to argue as they rolled around in the dirt in their battle to escort the fair Sammy to The Don Box. From the sidelines, Sammy worriedly bit her lower lip as she watched the two wrestle around.

"Oh, brother," Emily rolled her eyes as she watched the two fight.

During their squabble, The Stepbrothers didn't see where they were rolling. As they rolled around, they suddenly felt themselves come to a sudden stop as they hit something strong and sturdy. Confused, they looked up to see what they had hit. They were shocked that the object was actually the thick, strong legs of Marcus, who was now glaring down at them. But The Stepbrothers were oblivious to his anger as their only concern was winning the right to escort Sammy.

"Uh, do you mind getting out of our way?!" Chet snapped at the thick bouncer.

"Yeah! This is a battle for the heart a great girl! So kindly step aside so we can continue our battle!"

Marcus's face turned beet red. It was bad enough that he and Devon and been boomeranged by some other mysterious team (which he made a mental note to find out who it was so he could personally 'thank' them). Not only had he been bested by two teenagers he considered to be complete, utter morons. But now these two punks had the nerve to bump into him and not even apologize. That was the straw that broke the camel's back.

He held up his travel tip and pointed it down at The Stepbrothers. "BOOMERANG!" he yelled.

"Wait... what?" Lorenzo's eyes went wide.

At that moment, Chef approached the billboard and pinned a picture of The Stepbrothers in the second vacant spot. Chet and Lorenzo's jaws dropped in horror.

"Hey!" Chet looked back up at Marcus. "What'd you boomerang us for?!"

"Cause youse pissed me off!" Marcus snapped. "Now get the hell out of my way before I throw youse down the mountain trail!"

Marcus almost stomped on The Stepbrothers as he and Devon made their way back to their horses. With Marcus cursing under his breath and Devon muttering 'oh my brother testify' in such a matter that everyone was convinced he too was swearing, The Bouncers rode back down the mountain trail to the nomad encampment.

WORLD MAP CONFESSIONAL – (The Stepbrothers – Chet and Lorenzo)

Lorenzo – Way to go, stupid! Now we've got to herd one hundred sheep again! By ourselves now! Why couldn't you just let me escort Sammy?

Chet – Um, because she doesn't want to be seen with a loser like you!

Lorenzo – I am not a loser!

Chet – Well, compared to me, you are!

Lorenzo – Okay, then! Let's find out who the loser is! Whoever herds the most sheep is the loser! The winner gets to escort Sammy throughout the rest of the race.

Chet – Deal! I hope you're prepared to lose!

Lorenzo – Actually, I'm prepared to win!

END

The Stepbrothers approached Sammy and politely bowed their heads to her.

"Fret not, milady," Lorenzo said. "For we must depart for now"

"Keep your faith, madam," Chet added. "We will overcome this challenge and return to you."

Sammy nervously rubbed her shoulder as The Stepbrothers addressed her. She wasn't sure how to address this situation.

"Um... okay, then," she finally said. "Good luck."

"Ha! Hear that?!" Chet suddenly snapped upright and pointed at Lorenzo. "She wished me luck!"

"You wish!" Lorenzo retorted, jabbing a finger in Chet's chest. "That was for me!"

"Oh, just get out of the way!" Amy snapped as she pushed her way past The Stepbrothers and aggressively grabbed onto Sammy's wrist. She yanked her sister violently through Chet and Lorenzo and dragged her toward The Don Box.

"Ow! Amy! Stop it!" Sammy retorted as she tried to pull her arm away from her sister.

"Oh, shut up!" Amy snapped. "Just keep up!"

"Amy! Stop! Please! You're hurting me!" Sammy pleaded. She gritted her teeth as she desperately tried to pull her wrist free.

"Well, stop dragging you feet then!" Amy barked. "If you keep up, it won't hurt as much! Maybe then you'll finally be useful and-"

Just then, Amy suddenly felt a strong grip on her hand that was pulling on her sister's. That grip then aggressively yanked Amy's hand off of Sammy's wrist and kept a firm grip on it. Amy whipped her head to see who had dared grab her. But she was soon humbled when she found herself staring into the intense, cold eyes of Emily.

"If you ever grab her like that again!" she growled.

As Emily confronted Amy, Sammy winced as she rubbed her wrist. She looked down to see a small bruise start to form where Amy had grabbed her.

"Here, let me take a look."

Sammy then felt a gentle hand grab hers. That gentle hand belonged to Emily's partner Brick. But this time, Sammy did not blush She did not feel any butteflies. All she could feel was the pain in her wrist. But she did her best to hold back her tears. The last thing she wanted was for Brick to see her cry.

"It's going to bruise, unfortunately," Brick told her as he rubbed an ointment on her wrist. "But it should heal sooner than later."

"Um... er... t-thank you," Sammy said, trying to hide her pain from him.

"Ugh, whatever!" Amy finally growled as she yanked her hand away from Emily's. "Come on, Sammy! I don't feel like coming in last today!"

Sammy flinched as Amy snapped at her again. Brick sensed Sammy's intimidation of her sister. He shot a disapproving glare at Amy, who was making her way toward The Don Box. He then turned back to Sammy, who had begun sniffling a little. She continued to keep her face turned away from Brick. But he could tell what she was Brick did what he was always taught to do: help those in need.

"Come on, ma'am," he gently said to her as he offered her his arm. "Allow me to take you over there."

Sammy slowly turned toward Brick. She had managed to control her feelings enough to keep the tears from flowing. When she saw the military cadet smile at her, she slightly blushed. She allowed him to led her over to The Don Box. Emily walked in from of them to keep the distance between her and Amy.

Chet and Lorenzo, who had been watching the scene in horror, looked over at one another.

"Dude... we've got to make it back in time," Lorenzo said to Chet.

"Agreed," Chet said. "We've got to make sure we're around to protect Sammy from the mole-twin!"

"Come on then! Let's go!"

Chet and Lorenzo raced for their horses, mounted them as fast as they could, and raced back toward the nomad encampment.

(Carpet of Completion)

"7th – The Business Tycoons!
8th – The Geniuses!
9th – The Soccer Stars!"

"It really wasn't as difficult as most other teams make it out to be," Mary proudly said to Brandon. "But then again, Mary and I spent a lot of time reading about all the different countries in the world. Thankfully we spent some time reading about Mongolia. And one of the books gave us complete instructions on how to build a yurt. So this challenge was relatively easy for us."

"That's cool," Brandon complimented the pale genius as he supported Micah over his shoulder. "I didn't have much trouble either. I went to a trade school for carpentry. If I can build a house, a tent-styled hut comes like second nature to me.

"Most impressive," Ellody complimented the soccer star.

"And The SJW's take 10th place, rounding off the top ten!" Don announced.

Rachel just strutted past Don, The Soccer Stars, and The Geniuses into The Chill Zone. She grumbled something under her breath about the previous challenge being fixed to benefit only the men in the competition that Brandon heard.

"I don't understand it," Amie admitted to Brandon as she watched Rachel make her way toward the beverage stand (which was being operated by Chef's pet tiger to her surprise). How is setting up a hut that gives men an advantage?"

"I honestly don't have a clue," Brandon admitted as he scratched his curly, auburn hair. "During one of my internships as a carpenter, I worked with a lot of women. Heck, some of them were better workers than some of the guys there. And they wondered why they were promoted to project managers."

Amie chuckled as she placed her hands on her hips. "You mean that you 'evil men' had to take orders from a woman? Oh, dear! However did you manage?" she teased.

"I don't know," Brandon chuckled as he playfully held up his hands in defense. "I think my brain was about to explode when I heard that a woman was going to be paid more than I was."

Amie and Brandon shared a laugh at this.

"So then... Mr. Bad Man Brandon," Amie continued to tease. "Care to share what you've experienced with this whole gender equality thing we're exploring?"

"I suppose I am... that is, if you're willing to listen to an 'evil man that only wants to keep women down'," Brandon replied in a deep tone that mocked a chauvinistic man while waving a finger at Amie.

The two continued to laugh as they made their way into The Chill Zone. Brandon was so interested in sharing his findings with Amie that he had completely forgotten about his sick partner.

Mary and Ellody leaned down and helped the seven-foot Micah to his feet. Each held onto one of his sides as they helped him into The Chill Zone.

"We may have an elixir that can help accelerate your recovery rate," Ellody assured Micah.

Micah could only groan in response. He had no idea what they had just said, but he did understand the term 'recovery', so he weakly smiled at the two ladies and nodded his head.

Back among the yurts, Leshawna called over the Mongolian once more. Tyler, who had recovered from being knocked over, stood surely in front of their yurt. He was so confident that he relaxed himself by leaning against the yurt. But he had leaned against the one spot that happened to be the weakest spot on their yurt and once more, the hut collapsed as Tyler yelped while falling into the felts and tarps.

Before the Mongolian could reach them, Leshawna groaned and motioned for the nomad to forget about it. The gigantic man simply shrugged in response and went over to see another team that had called him.

(Nomad Encampment)

The Bouncers had arrived back at the nomad encampment. They didn't waste any time as they hopped off their horses and raced toward the meadows filled with the violent Mongolian sheep once more. Not too far behind them, Chet and Lorenzo rode back to the encampment as well.

"Let's do it!" Chet cheered.

"For Sammy!" Lorenzo added.

"STEPBROTHERS! WE'RE THE STEPBROTHERS!" they sang in unison as they raced for the meadows.

(Carpet of Completion)

Don was announcing more placements.

"11th – The Tough Grannies
12th – The Daters
13th – The Farmers
14th – The Roommates
15th – The Tennis Rivals

WORLD MAP CONFESSIONAL – (The Tennis Rivals – Pete and Gerry)

Gerry – I have to admit, it feels good to have finished near the front half of the pack this time.

Pete – (Holding up a hammer)Well, it certainly didn't hurt that the other teams had to use steaks and ropes to hold their bamboo together while we were allowed to use our bucket of tools.

Gerry – Sometimes, I welcome an advantage.

Pete – What are you talking about? Your entire career was built on advantages.

Gerry – Yeah! Of my superior tennis skills!

Pete – I thought it was taking advantage of all that money you got from the sponsors to buy the top of the line tennis gear.

Gerry – Well, you'll have to excuse me if they saw something in me that they didn't see in you.

Pete – Yeah. They saw a charity case.

(Pete begins to laugh, but Gerry appears stunned by this statement. He then angrily folds his arms and glared at Pete, who slowly stops laughing when he notices this)

Pete – (Nervously) Eh... line crossed?

Gerry – Line crossed.

END

Don continued to call out placements as more teams checked in.

"16th – The Outdoor Survivalists
17th – The Big Brother Participants
18th – The Goths
19th – The Larpers!"

"Huzzah!" Leonard cheered. "We all made it into the top twenty! This calls for a festival to celebrate! Tammy! Break out the confetti!"

Tammy happily threw more pink confetti into the air, which rained down on The Big Brother Participants, The Outdoor Survivalists, and The Goths. Jamie and Jason picked the confetti out of their hair. The Goths just stood there with their usual facial expressions. Loki, on the other hand, emerged from Ennui's vest with a paw full of confetti and he threw it to the ground. He then turned toward The Larpers and growled threateningly at them.

DJ brushed some confetti off his shirt. He turned to Ry-Ry, who was covered in the pink papers. But the fourteen-year-old didn't seem to notice as his gaze was fixated on Jamie as she picked some of the tiny papers out of her long, auburn hair.

As Jamie brushed the last of the confetti off, she felt someone staring at her. She glanced over her shoulder and noticed the law student staring longingly at her.

"Uh... Ry-Ry, hon? You're staring at me again," she pointed out.

That snapped Ry-Ry out of his trance. As it dawned upon him what he was doing, he yelped and quickly looked away from Jamie.

"I-I'm so sorry!" he quickly apologized.

"The Fashion Bloggers take 20th!" Don announced as Tom and Jen stepped onto the Carpet of Completion. "However, I would like to point out that they probably would have finished in the top ten had they not taken extra time to paint the tarp and felt for their yurt."

"A small sacrifice, Don," Tom assured the host. "There was no way we were going to let these nomads live in a hut that was decorated with such disgusting shades of green."

"Oh, totes no," Jen agreed. "Instead of the ugly green we were given, we decided to give the yurt a beautiful shades of blue to reflect the country's reputation of being the land of endless blue skies. We then added a special gloss to give a glow the white tarp to mix with the blue to give the impression of clouds in our blue sky."

Jen motioned toward their yurt. Indeed, it was the most appealing yurt of all. The gigantic nomad judge stood beside it and admired its beauty. He then turned back toward The Fashion Bloggers and, for the first time, gave a heartwarming smile as he showed his approval with a golf clap.

"Well, there aren't any bonus points for style," Don said. "But nevertheless, I can't deny the beauty of that yurt. In fact, we may seek out your approval of this design to try and sell some official Ridonculous Race yurt merchandise to the fans if you're interested."

"Thanks, Don. However, our artistic images are not for sale," Tom informed the host. "It is something that must be shared with the world for free."

The Outdoor Survivalists, The Larpers, and DJ applauded The Fashion Bloggers as well. Ry-Ry, however, wasn't looking at the yurt His eyes became fixated on Jen as she described the yurt they had built. Once again, his face turned bright red and a silly grin came across his face.

The Goths, again, remained emotionless as they looked at the yurt.

"It's so beautiful," Ennui admitted in his monotone. "The colors... they would normally make me sick to my stomach. But for some reason, even I can see the beauty in their design."

Crimson didn't say a word. Ennui noticed this and he turned toward her.

"Okay, you can't keep it from me forever," he said. "I can see it all over your face. What's bothering you?"

"I'm not ready to talk about it yet," Crimson replied. She then turned her back and entered The Chill Zone.

Jamie had overheard some of The Goths conversation. Although she had a hard time reading their emotionless faces, she could sense something was wrong. She walked up to Ennui.

"Um... everything okay?" she asked.

Ennui just sighed. "I've never seen her this upset with me before," Ennui explained to Jamie.

Jamie quirked an eyebrow as she looked over toward Crimson as she made her way toward the tike bar. 'Upset?', she thought to herself. 'All the while I've come to know The Goths, they haven't expressed emotion even once. How... wait, is that a tiger mixing fruit smoothies?... focus, Jamie. Focus.'

"Well... maybe she's just tired," Jamie suggested. "Maybe all she needs is a small nap and a smoothie. Then she'll feel better."

"I don't think that's it," Ennui replied. Again, his tone hadn't changed. "This is different. I don't know what it is, but I sense that it has something to do with me... I mean, look at the way she's looking at me right now."

Jamie glanced over at Crimson, who was looking at the taller Gothic teenager. Again, all she could see was her usual emotionless expression as she stared at Ennui. Crimson then turned back toward the tiki bar as Ted passed her a blackberry smoothie.

"Can't you see it in her eyes?" he asked Jamie. "She's furious at me right now. I've never seen her this angry at me. In fact... I'm kind of worried that we may not come back from this one..."

Ennui sighed as he entered The Chill Zone. Loki reassuringly patted Ennui's hands in an attempt to comfort his master.

Jamie just scratched her head as she watched Ennui walk away. She didn't understand it, but she became worried about Ennui.

"Come on, little buddy. Let's go."

Jamie's thoughts were interrupted when she saw DJ leading Ry-Ry into The Chill Zone. Ry-Ry was rapidly breathing into his signature paper bag again. Jen soon joined Jamie's side as she watched The Big Brother Participants enter The Chill Zone.

"What's up with the kid?" she asked. "All I asked him was why his face seemed so red and he started hyperventilating. In fact, he's been doing that a lot lately... whenever I'm around it seems." She gasped and held a hand to her mouth. "You don't think he's allergic to any of my perfume, do you?"

Jamie chuckled. She then invited Jen to join her in a couple of smoothies as she explained it to her.

(Taven Bogd National Park)

"Come on, Samey!" Amy snapped as she tossed some rope at her sister. "Tie that bamboo together! We've got to hurry! Now move it!"

Sammy had to drop her bamboo sticks to catch the rope tossed at her so that it didn't land on her head. She also had to sidestep the bamboo as it fell to avoid being struck on the head. "Amy! Watch it!" Sammy snapped. "I wasn't ready!"

"That's because you're slow and pathetic!" Amy barked. "Now stop complaining and get a move on!"

Close by, Brick and Emily were just finishing up their yurt. But the sound of Amy shouting and belittling her sister caught their attention again and once more they found themselves watching the horrific displays of Amy.

Again, Amy barked at her sister to move faster as she tossed a wooden stake at her. Sammy yelped as she narrowly avoided the sharp end of the stake striking her.

"That's it," Emily angrily huffed as she finished tying the last rope to the last stake of her yurt "That's all I can stand, I can stand anymore."

She stood up and brushed herself off. Brick was about to call for the judge, but Emily intervened before he could. "Soldier! Fall in!" she ordered. Brick dropped his supplies and stood at attention. "We've accomplished our mission here, soldier!" she began. "But now we're going to deviate a little and go the extra mile. Our new mission is to assist Sammy of The Twin Sister in the construction of their team's yurt! During this time, we will make sure that Amy does not do anything else to try and harm her! Do you understand the mission?"

"Ma'am! Yes ma'am!"

"Good! Now move out!"

Brick saluted Emily as he marched over toward The Twin Sister's disaster of a yurt skeleton with Emily close behind.

"Allow me, ma'am," Brick said to Sammy as he took the heavy bamboo poles from her.

Again, Sammy's breath left her as Brick stood in front of her and offered his assistance. She could feel her face become warm again as her cheeks blushed. She just smiled appreciatively as Brick began to assemble the poles.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" Amy demanded. "This is our yurt! Stick with your own!"

"Yeah, that's not going to happen," Emily retorted as she approached Amy and snatched the rope from her. "Brick and I are staying right here until your yurt is finished."

"Uh... not that I don't appreciate it," Sammy spoke up. "But... is that allowed? I mean, won't we get penalized?"

Amy snapped her head toward Don, who had been watching the argument. He placed a finger to his earpiece as a small voice crackled through it. When the voice stopped speaking, he turned back to The Twin Sisters. "The rules don't say teams can't help other teams," he informed them. "You just can't let them do all of it for you."

Emily grinned triumphantly as she faced Amy. "There you have it." She then shoved a bamboo pole into her arms. "Now take this over to Brick!"

Amy, though shocked someone was finally brave enough to stand up to her, wasn't about to back down. "And why should I listen to you?!" she demanded.

"Simple," Emily became a little more aggressive. "If you don't contribute, you'll be penalized as Don just explained. Also because while I am a soldier, I am also Latina. And you don't want to make a Latina soldier angry! And the quickest way to make this Latina soldier angry is to disobey an order! Especially from this Latina soldier!"

By now, Emily was nose to nose with Amy, who was now quite intimidated by Emily. She didn't dare argue with her and raced over toward Brick and Sammy, who were working together to tie the bamboo poles together.

At Mother/Daughter's yurt, Taylor had been paying close attention to what Don had just said. This gave her an idea. She turned to The Best Friend's yurt, which was nearing completion. She looked back at her team's yurt, which was pitiful in comparison. This gave her an idea. She quickly fixed her hair and turned back toward Carrie and Devin.

"Hey, Devin," she called to him somewhat flirtatiously. "Did you hear what Don just said? Teams are allowed to help other teams. It would be, like, really sweet of you if you could come over and help mom and me with our hut here. What do you say?"

Devin didn't reply. He was finishing tying down the last rope to the stake as Carrie called for the judge. The Mongolian approached their yurt and examined it carefully. Seconds later, he gave them a thumbs up.

"Whoo-hoo!" Carrie cheered.

"Great job, honey!" Devin cheered. "Let's go!"

The Best Friends then ran toward The Carpet of Completion. They stepped on it together to finish the challenge.

"Best Friends take 21st place!" Don announced

Taylor's jaw dropped. With her full attention on being ignored, she didn't notice Kelly losing her grip on a bamboo pole. The pole dropped right on Taylor's foot and she cried out in pain.

"Oops... sorry, honey," Kelly nervously chuckled.

(Nomad Encampment)

The Bouncers, who were still in a bad mood, were making quick work of gathering up the one hundred sheep they needed to complete the challenge for the second time. The reason being was that any time a sheep tried to charge them they simply landed a right hook across the sheep's jaw and knocked it out. Leaving them vulnerable to be dragged to the pastures.

Chet and Lorenzo were having a lot more trouble. Any time they grabbed onto one of the sheep, they found themselves flying through the air after being kicked or headbutted by the sheep.

"Ow!" Chet cringed as he landed for the eighth time. But he couldn't give up. Sammy was waiting for him and there was no way he could leave her alone with her sinister sister

Lorenzo had the same thoughts. They had yet to collect a single sheep, but the thought of Amy snatching up Sammy the way she did still haunted him. He refused to leave her alone with Amy in this competition. He crawled back to his feet and charged at the sheep again. Unfortunately, this was a fruitless effort as the sheep kicked him again and sent him flying through the air.

(Carpet of Completion)

"22nd – The Sisters!
23rd – The Reality Pros!
24th – The Adversity Twins!"

Noah happily hugged Emma. "Back together at least," he said as he kissed her cheek. "I'm only sorry you had so much trouble with the yurt and blew your lead. But-"

"Hey! Careful of the backpack!" Emma snapped as she frantically pushed Noah away.

"Hey! What the heck?!" Noah was aghast. "We haven't been together all day and this is the greeting I get?!"

Emma hadn't been paying attention. She had pulled off her backpack and was worriedly digging through it. Moments later, she pulled out Milo and frantically checked him over to see if he had been squished. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Milo was okay and began to cuddle him immediately.

"Oh, my pwecious boy," she cooed as Milo licked her face. "Did daddy almost squish you? Well, we won't wet him do that, will we? No, we won't! Oh, no we won't!"

As Noah watched Emma nuzzle up with the puppy, his jaw dropped in surprise."What the- Emma? Where did you get that puppy?!"

Emma didn't reply as she continued to baby the excited Milo while carrying him into The Chill Zone. Kitty tapped Noah's shoulder and motioned over toward Mickey, who was sneezing intensely again from being within six feet of dog hair.

WORLD MAP CONFESSIONAL – (The Reality Pros – Noah and Owen)

Noah – Unbelievable! I'm away from Emma for one day and she goes and has a baby! What's worse is that it's not even mine.

Owen – What baby? I didn't see a baby? All I saw was a cute, little puppy. (He gasps excitedly) Oh! You think Emma will let me hold it?! Or pet it?! Or better yet! Maybe she'll let me feed it! (He chuckles) I know I'm getting hungry.

END

Laurie and Miles stepped onto the Carpet of Completion next.

"Ladies," Don greeted The Vegans. "You've finished the challenge. But you walked the horses through the mountains instead of riding them as instructed. Therefore, you've earned a twenty-minute penalty!"

Laurie didn't react. She didn't say anything. She just sighed.

"Relax, Laurie," Miles comforted her partner. "It's okay. It doesn't matter. Even if we lose today, we get to go home with our heads held high because we stuck to our morals. That's what's most important, right?

Laurie didn't respond. She just sat on the ground as she waited for their penalty to end. Miles sighed in defeat as she joined her partner on the ground.

"Wow, even I'm beginning to feel sorry for Laurie," Don said. "And that's coming from the guy she assaulted last year. You know it's bad when- AH!"

Don turned about-face and found himself staring into the lifeless, red and yellow eyes of Zachariah. Lightning flashed as the pale man stared at the host.

"Oh, crap! That's horrifying!" Don winced as he quickly backed away from Zachariah. Standing next to him were Max and The Superheroes. Max and Quinton were pushing against one another.

"I was here first!" Quinton growled.

"Nay I say! I was!"

"I'll settle this!" Don interrupted, his voice still shaking. "Superheroes and Team EVIL tie for 25th! Now get out of here before this guy gives me a heart attack!"

Zachariah didn't say a word. He just slowly walked into The Chill Zone. His walk reminded Don of a zombie as his toes were pointed toward the sides at an almost perfect ninety-degree angle. Don grimaced at the sight of the unnatural walk. He was so fixated on it that he didn't hear Quinton and Max continue to argue as they stormed off into The Chill Zone. Elroy followed at a distance.

(Nomad Encampment)

"There! One hundred exactly!" Marcus hollered as he tossed the last unconscious sheep into the pasture. "Now let's get back to the park! We've got some teams to confront!"

"Oh, my brother! Testify!" Devon agreed as he followed Marcus back to the horses.

Chet and Lorenzo still had yet to get one sheep into their pasture. But no matter how many times they were knocked down, they pulled themselves back up. They had to. For Sammy. They would continue to fight for her.

(Carpet of Completion)

"The Military Cadets and The Twin Sisters tie for 27th!" Don announced.

Amy just scoffed as she stormed off into The Chill Zone. Emily and Brick had stayed with Sammy as Brick offered her his arm to escort her in. Sammy, while still feeling miserable on account of her sister's actions, smiled and accepted his offer.

"And we've got five teams left!" Don announced. "Two teams have yet to finish their yurts! Two are fighting to come back from being boomeranged! And one is still waiting out a twenty-minute penalty! Which one of these teams will be going home?!

The camera cut to Tyler and Leshawna, who were tying down the last stakes of their yurt. But as Tyler tugged on his rope, he pulled a little too hard and pulled his side of the yurt down. Leshawna, trying her best to not lose her temper, squeezed her hand so hard that the spare stake she was holding onto snapped in half.

Taylor and Kelly were trying to make sense of the directions. They had their skeleton assembled, but they were trying to figure out where the felts go.

Marcus and Devon rode as fast as they could through the mountains to get back to the park.

Miles and Laurie nervously watched the penalty clock, which had twelve minutes left on it.

Back at the nomad encampment, Lorenzo and Chet were pinned down by a sheep each that was biting and stomping on them.

Just as The Reality Rivals finished their yurt (Leshawna had made Tyler sit in 'time out' while she fixed his side of the hut), The Bouncers arrived at the entrance to the park. Tyler and Leshawna quickly raced for The Carpet of Completion.

"29Th – The Reality Rivals!"

Devon and Marcus raced for the pile of supplies and quickly began to build their yurt,

The Vegans looked up at the penalty clock again. Only eight minutes left, but only three teams remained.

Chet and Lorenzo were butted through the air once more, but they refused to give up.

Finally, after a great struggle, Kelly and Taylor managed to finish their hut. They slowly walked toward Don, too exhausted to run.

30Th – Mother/Daughter!"

Marcus and Devon were making quick work of their hut. They tossed the bamboo poles to one another and caught them effortlessly. As Devon tied them together, Marcus unraveled the tarp and sorted out all the felts into organized piles.

Five minutes remained on the penalty clock. Miles and Laurie eyes The Bouncers worriedly as they watched them assemble their yurt.

A sheep stomped on Chet's head while another bit Lorenzo's leg as the two lay almost motionless on the ground. But they refused to give up. Sammy was counting on them.

"Who's is going to be?! Don asked the viewing audience watching through the camera. "That penalty clock for The Vegans is ticking down ever so slowly while The Bouncers are constructing their yurt ever so quickly! On top of that, The Stepbrothers 'never give up' attitude could serve them well. It's anyone's race at this point!"

Thirty seconds remained on the penalty clock. Miles nervously bit her nails as Marcus called over the gigantic Mongolian to judge their hut.

Chet had gotten back to his feet. With the last of his strength, he managed to grapple one of the violent sheep and dragged it over to the pasture. Lorenzo, banged and bruised, had gotten hold of the back legs of another sheep and was dragging it toward their pasture.

The Mongolian gave The Bouncers the thumbs up.

"Run, Devon!"

"Oh, my brother! Testify!"

Marcus and Devon sprinted for the Carpet of Completion as the penalty clock counted down from

"Ten...

Nine...

Eight...

Seven...

Six...

Five... It's gonna be close!" Don dramatically said.

"Four...

Three...

Two...

One...

PENALTY OVER!"

Miles and Lauren pounced for the carpet and landed on it a mere two seconds before The Bouncers stepped on it.

Don turned to the camera and simply shrugged. "Okay, so I lied. It wasn't close at all. But hey, at least I made it sound close, right? Anyway, Vegans take 31st! Bouncers take 32nd."

WORLD MAP CONFESSIONAL – (The Bouncers – Marcus and Devon)

Marcus – I'll be the first to admit it. That boomerang we got saved out asses. But mark my words (He points to the viewing audience) This will be the last time we finish at the bottom of the barrel! We will bounce back! We will win this race! We will donate our winning to every single anti-bullying campaign out there! We will find out who tried to screw us today. And they... will... pay! (He lowers his voice) That's not a threat. That's not even a promise... that's a spoiler.

Devon – Oh, my brother! Testify!

END

With a mighty heave, Chet and Lorenzo used the last of their strength to close the gate to their pasture. Their counter read 'two'.

"All right," Lorenzo panted. "Two down, ninety-eight to go. Come on, bro! Sammy's waiting for us!"

"That won't be necessary, gentlemen," Don said as he approached The Stepbrothers.

"Don?!" Chet seemed surprised. "How did you get here so quickly?"

The Mongolian judge from all three challenges joined Don as he addressed The Stepbrothers.

"This gentleman helped me," he said. "And that's all I can say about that as I am bound by their law to not reveal that tactic. But back to the topic at hand. I'm sorry to inform you both that all the other teams have checked into The Chill Zone. You've been eliminated from the race."

"Aw, man!" Chet hung his head in disappointment.

"Bummer," Lorenzo mumbled.

"On the bright side," Don continued. "Our Mongolian friend here has offered to take you both home via his secret method of transportation! And let me tell you, it's a once in a lifetime experience. You'll just have to sign an agreement with him before he does though."

The Mongolian approached The Stepbrothers with scroll and pen. As they read the agreement, Don turned to the camera.

"And that's another jaunt in the books! The race has only begun and already there's a lot of emotions in the air! Friendships! Betrayals! Love! Hate! Passion! Anger! Revenge! Charity! There are even some new emotions we've discovered through this journey! And I"m sure we'll discover even more next time as we journey to THE CONGO RAINFOREST!

Until then, we'll see you next time here on... THE ULTIMATE RIDONCULOUS RACE!"

FINAL CONFESSIONAL - (The Stepbrothers - Chet and Lorenzo)

Chet - How do we feel about getting eliminated so early?! It sucks, that's how it feels!

Lorenzo - But on the other hand, it was pretty cool to see some new places. I just hope I never have to look at another sheep again for as long as I live.

Chet - The worst part is having to say goodbye to Sammy.

Lorenzo - I know! I can't beleive her sister treats her like that! Sorry we won't be around to protect you, Samm! But stay strong! We're rooting for you! Not just to win the whole thing! But in your battle to conquer your mean sister!

Chet - Farewell, Sammy. Though we must part, we will see each other again. (He sadly sighs) Man... Just when we were really starting to hit it off.

Lorenzo - By 'we', you mean me and Sammy, right?

Chet - No! I meant me and Sammy!

Lorenzo - Ha! In your dreams! Sammy likes me more!

Chet - Does not!

Lorenzo - (Pushing Lorenzo) Does too!

(Chet tackles Lorenzo and the two stumble off-camera. The sound of them fighting can be heard as objects began to fly around. Soon, the fighting ceases. Seconds later, the gigantic Mongolian man is seen carrying Chet and Lorenzo across the set toward their ride home... which I am afraid we cannot disclose what that method as we have signed an agreement to not reveal that information to the readers)

END

A/N – 81 pages! That's how many pages this chapter is. Sorry this one took a little longer, but from the length, you can see why. In addition, I'm sure you all are aware of the COVID-19 pandemic that's going on. Well, long story short, my area had a major breakout and is almost in the red at the time of this posting. As a result, many people at my job have had to quarantine and I've picked up extra shifts. (I'm in the middle of a seventy-hour work week as I write this... yikes). Hope that explains it. Thanks for being patient and stay safe and healthy everyone!

RESULTS -

1st - The Surfers/The Cosplayers/The Rockers.
4th – Father/Son
5th – The Police Cadets
6th – The Ice Dancers
7th – The Business Tycoons!
8th – The Geniuses!
9th – The Soccer Stars!
10th – The SJW's
11th – The Tough Grannies
12th – The Daters
13th – The Farmers
14th – The Roommates
15th – The Tennis Rivals
16th – The Outdoor Survivalists
17th – The Big Brother Participants
18th – The Goths
19th – The Larpers
20th – The Fashion Bloggers
21st – The Best Friends
22nd – The Sisters
23rd – The Reality Pros
24th – The Adversity Twins
25th – The Superheroes/Team EVIL
27th – The Military Cadets/The Twin Sisters
29th – The Reality Rivals
30th – Mother/Daughter
31st – The Vegans
32nd – The Bouncers
33rd – The Stepbrothers (Eliminated)

PLACEMENTS -

36th – The Internet Critics
35th – The Opposites
34th – The Medical Students
33rd – The Stepbrothers

FOOTNOTES

[1] Jen's outfit for herding sheep is called a 'deel'. So no, it is not 'deal' misspelled. In fact, if you Google search it, odds are you will find a dark blue one with threads of gold mixed in it. If you do, this is the outfit that Jen is wearing for the challenge.

[2] Some of you may be wondering why Chef is reminiscing on Cody and Bridgette in Total Drama World Tour. For those that haven't read it, this story takes place in the same universe as another story I wrote called "A Codette World Tour". If you want to learn more about it, feel free to go check it out.

[3] It may just be me, but Donald questioning what's going on in college these days are my exact questions. I've noticed a lot of my friends that went to college seem to come back as if they've been brainwashed or something. Am I the only one?

[4] The Really Rottens are a team in Scooby-Doo's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics, one of the most fun shows I remember watching growing up. In fact, alongside The Amazing Race, it's one of the shows I draw inspiration from when plotting out this story.

[5] Sabrina's victory pose is the same victory pose as Panther's from Persona 5.

[6] Calleigh's victory pose is the same as Cloud Strife's from Final Fantasy VII.