If the show wasn't popular before it sure was after the episode released that showed Bianca's date. #WhoDoesBiancaLove went viral on Twitter and everyone was offering theories, ranging from valid to complete conspiracy.
Sarge didn't know or care who Bianca loved. Perhaps it was one of Fillmore's hippie friends from the 60s. Luigi, on the other hand, agonized about it for about an hour, interrogating Guido on all the male cars in the mansion. Guido said there were only a couple, most of whom had been there for several years and not one of which Fillmore knew.
Finally, Luigi vowed that he would support the Ferrari's decision and came to park beside Sarge. He was staring deep into the little fire they had lit in the middle of their camp, every now and then shoving a stick onto it.
"We initiate your second plan tonight, no?" Luigi asked, rolling forward a little closer to the flames to enjoy the heat.
"That's right," Sarge nodded. They were waiting for the early hours of the morning before sneaking onto the premises.
Luigi nodded, playing with a small rock in between the treads of his tire.
"Tell me, Sarge," he finally looked at the Jeep inquisitively. "Why do you do this?"
"What do you mean?" Sarge shot the Fiat a strange glance as if he were confused.
"All this…" Luigi lifted a tire up dramatically as he searched for the right word. "Effort. If Fillmore finds himself a beautiful lady, why does this bother you so much?"
"Because it might be another hippie," Sarge shot back defensively. Luigi, seeing right through the lie, said nothing, but fixed Sarge with an unimpressed look. His mouth set itself into an unbelieving line, and Sarge realized he had no choice but to tell the truth.
"If he meets someone he might move away," the Jeep mumbled, shoving a stick onto the fire again.
Luigi sat back, finally happy to get an answer.
"Do not worry about that," the Fiat assured. "He is far too attached to his property and riling you up to consider such a thing."
"Perhaps," Sarge mumbled. "But I've worked too hard to lose anything again."
Sarge had invested years of his life into Radiator Springs. For awhile he thought that he would lose everything due to the interstate, but that was before Lightning had shown up. Despite Luigi's words, Sarge knew there was still a risk of Fillmore moving away… forever. He'd lost too much in his life already. He wasn't going to loose his best friend and worst neighbor as well.
The ladies all woke up that morning by the ringing of a fire alarm. Small tendrils of smoke were drifting from the paint booth attached the mansion. Worried, but still mostly calm, the contestants raced towards the courtyard. Li went first, speeding for all she was worth. Karin brought up the rear, driving slowly and keeping her wits about her.
Li's beautiful white paint was the first to suffer as she plowed into the courtyard… which was covered in three inches of mud. Luigi, Guido, and Sarge had been hard at work during the night, lugging water from the pool and dumping it into the courtyard.
"EWWW!" The New Yorker exclaimed, revving her engine, which resulted in her tires spinning in the mud.
"Watch where you're spraying that!" Everly shouted, watching in dismay as her new paint job got ruined. None too gently, she shoved Li out of the sticky mess.
"A little assistance… please?" Bianca asked. The Ferrari had crashed into the mud with a splat and was struggling to push herself out.
"Don't spin, you'll only get stuck further," Karin commented from the edge. The Opel Rekord didn't like driving fast, and as a result was the only contestant who didn't get stuck in the trap.
"Can someone shut that fire alarm off!" Claire yelled, glaring behind them where the alarm was still blaring.
Trrrriiiiiiiiiiii Triiiiiiiii
The high-pitched sound was giving everybody a headache.
"It's actually nice and cool," Lilith commented as she sludged her way out of the mud, shaking her tires on the cement.
Claire flaired around for a while longer until Everly waded back into the mess and gave her a boost out. Karin bravely went behind Bianca and pushed the Ferrari out of the mess, reversing herself once her fellow contestant was safe.
The fire alarm finally shut off.
"Where's Fillmore?" Lilith asked, looking around miserably. The mud wasn't cool anymore. In the sun it was starting to become hard, crusty, and itchy.
"I thought he'd come once he heard the alarm," Claire agreed.
"Angela probably kept him from coming," Li glared in annoyance.
"Ja, she's a real Fräun Rottenmeier," Karin nodded, shaking the wet mud off her tires.
As if on cue, the Mini Cooper whizzed into the courtyard, screeching to the side to avoid the mud. Behind her were several forklifts, and her wax job for the day was only half-done .
"Alright, nothing to see here!" She exclaimed, but stopped short. "What happened?"
"Zat is what we would all like to know," Karin frowned.
Angela quickly gave orders and the forklifts dispersed over the area to clear up the mess. The ladies were escorted to the car washes so that they could be cleaned while the source of the smoke was investigated. It was discovered to be a small, scented candle that had been lit underneath the smoke alarm. Anyone could have put it there.
Unfortunately there were no security cameras in the hallway but one of the camera vans had managed to tape the mud scene.
"We sending this to the producers?" He asked as Bill watched the footage. The van had managed to film everything until Angela had spotted him and chased him away.
"Yeah," the Chevy grinned. "We'll send them all of it."
Clean, but not completely dry, the contestants were all sitting by the half-empty pool, each one under her own heat lamp. Claire and Lilith were still shivering, but Li was looking around suspiciously.
"Alright," she demanded. "Which one of you did it?"
"Did what?" Everly snapped. As the biggest of the contestants, she was struggling to get the heat from the lamp evenly distributed over her.
"Made the mess," Li continued. "And caused the fire alarm to go off!"
"Are you accusing one of us?" Lilith asked incredulously.
"You see anyone else?" The New Yorker snapped.
"Li, I think that's a little unreasonable…" Karin tried to reason.
"It isn't quite impossible," Bianca mused.
"So which one of you was it?" Li demanded.
"I think it was you!" Claire accusingly pointed a tire. "The guilty party is always the first to bring it up!"
"You wanna say that to my face?" The New Yorker jumped forward, ready for a fight. Everly drove forward, shoving her tire in front of Li and pushing her back.
"Alright, that's enough!" She demanded. "There'll be no fightn'"
"Realistically it would have been Everly," Bianca mused. The truck turned around, completely offended.
"Ja, she's right," Karin nodded. "You are the biggest."
"Honey, you're cruisin' for a bruisin'," the truck warned, driving towards the two foreigners. Her new flower paint job did nothing to make her less intimidating.
The result was Everly threatening the two foreigners as Li and Claire tried to out-shout each other.
"Oh, I wish FIllmore was here," Lilith lamented, curling back towards the heat lamp in an attempt to make herself smaller.
"Ladies! Ladies!"
The contestants snapped silent as a voice came from the mansion. As one they turned around or reversed. Fillmore was there, driving towards them slowly.
"Ladies," he parked in the middle of their half-circle and looked at each of them in disappointment. "I know you're upset, and rightly so. Whoever played this cruel prank on you clearly lacks love in their life."
The contestants calmed down and all looked at each other, feeling just a smidgen of guilt at losing their emotions.
"I know none of you would be so cruel, so heartless," Fillmore turned to each of them. "Accusing each other… that's not how we should go about this. We gotta keep the love. That way the enemy can't win."
Later that night, while rewatching the footage, Angela stared in disbelief as the contestants apologized to each other.
"Did… he just dissuade most of the drama we've had this season?" She asked Bill.
"Yip," the truck answered.
"Unbelievable."
The second rose ceremony went just about as well as the first one. Bianca offered to leave so that Fillmore could spend more time with some of the other contestants. She didn't want to leave the little forklift gardener but Fillmore had promised her he'd introduce them as soon as the competition was finished. Bianca got to take home a real rose (much to Luigi's relief).
Claire's parents had sent a helicopter for her after hearing about the strange accidents at the mansion. The Chevrolet was sad to leave but perked up immediately at the thought of visiting Fillmore in Radiator Springs.
"Bye, Fillmore!" She called out from the helicopter, leaning out and waving a tire enthusiastically.
Luigi shed several tears as Bianca left the mansion but Guido was strangely quiet.
"Pull yourself together, soldier!" Sarge had scolded. Luigi did and Sarge was satisfied. It was time for them to plan. Their mud chaos had caused at least one contestant to leave, although it appeared to Sarge that Fillmore was chasing the ladies away pretty darn well by himself.
Still, the Jeep was worried that things weren't moving fast enough. Only half of the contestants were left and the final rose ceremony wasn't far away. It was time for their attacks to become more personal - more direct. He'd rewatched all the dates he could but didn't learn much as they were mostly Fillmore spouting off nonsense. Very amusing for the average viewer who didn't have the hippie for a permanent neighbour.
Sarge needed ammunition. Little did he know, Fillmore would soon be providing just that.
Fräun Rottenmeier is a play on words that a reader from Switzerland might get. Fräulein Rottenmeier is a strict housekeeper from a Swiss book called Heidi. Faun is a company that makes waste disposal vehicles. Not a very flattering comparison.
