This is an episode summary I wrote for a different section on the site:

Mission 5: Holey Canoe
This was one of the least fun missions. We lost “mud and balls”, but it was still fun. We’d lost too many teammates, and this mission was critical.

Down by the Water

  • The drive to the lake took over an hour. I remember it well because I spent twenty minutes of it explaining chastity. In the beginning, the whole van was ragging on me, but by the end, I think they understood where I was coming from.
  • We listened to the John Mayer CD in absolute silence. It was a beautiful ride with beautiful music. It took away the stress of uncertainty.
  • When we go the lake, it took almost 45 minutes before we got the water. The production folks were still getting the shots ready.
  • There were so many times when we’d get to the challenge and we’d have to wait.
  • When Johnny was giving us the rules of the game, it was hard for us to take him seriously because the camera was right in his face. It was a moment in un-reality.
  • The boat in the background over Johnny’s shoulder was a camera boat.
  • Everyone was afraid to take leadership on this mission because that set you up for failure. As a leader, you had a one in two chance of looking good, or bad. But when you are one out of twelve-loser or winner-you are safe to stay.
  • Several people mentioned they had experience, and we decided Norm would be in the back, and I’d be in the front.
  • I had to plug the Boy Scouts. I am a proud Eagle Scout.
  • Before we got started, we had ten minutes to practice. No one would take leadership, so I led the group on how to turn around once we got to the bouys.
  • ;You cannot steer a boat from the front. You can say nothing and do nothing, it is only damage control. Norm didn’t rudder well and we went zig zag.
  • ;Elka and Coral wanted me out. From the moment we got in the boat, they knew they wouldn’t support me.
  • There was a little camera on the front of the boat staring up at me. Apparently, the something didn’t work because they didn’t use any of that footage.
  • The whole ride people were yelling trying to sabotage my leadership. Blaming me is foolish and unreal. You cannot steer a boat from the front. But, by blaming me, I go the Gauntlet, and everyone else stays. Take down the easy target.
  • We got the buoy and it was a disaster. Everyone was yelling and nobody was listening. I tried to take a vote, but…it was a mess, an absolute mess.
  • The walk up the bank was intense.
  • NoMoHo.org is on my blue shirt. I stayed up late the night before I left for the show, I spray-painted shirts and watched Gladiator. You’ll also see PornDestroysWomen.org
  • Johnny’s hat is the silhouette of a skier catching air. Johnny sent a box over the house and the cast looted it. You’ll see a lot of shirts that say “ski, ski, ski.”
  • The long drive home was not fun.
  • We were losing missions because everyone was voting out of fear. We were losing because we were not communicating either.

Back at the Ranch:

  • You see footage of the golf course that went in front of out house. One night some kids ran up to Adam, scared to death. They were scared to death because some guy with a flashlight was chasing them around on the course. They were playing night golf. I walked the kids back to the hotel. I found out both of them were Catholic, and we went to the same church in Telluride.
  • When you see the two Road Rules gals walking down the road, that is the road that goes up to the hotel and the Gauntlet. Up at the curve is a trail that goes off. I would always walk that trail and pray.
  • I couldn’t believe they showed Mike and I standing in the kitchen talking. We had that conversation the next day. It fit in nicely to this episodes plot, so it made for a good show. By the way, this is one of the longest unedited sentences they’ve ever put on the show.
  • Norm proposed we hand our T-shirts and posters on the wall to promote ourselves. The Life Teen shirt that says “Bayside High” on the wall.
  • That vote was intense. Coral didn’t like the idea of leaving, and the emotions were high.
  • Elka votes for me, because she and Coral decided that before. Neither of them liked me there because I’d voted for each of them.
  • Not once did I get revenge for someone voting for me.
  • I felt bad for Coral and Mike. This had been brewing for a while, and it came out sloppy. But I meant what I said, if a relationship can’t overcome a silly show, then what is that relationship based on?
  • You’ll see a production assistant in the shot while Coral, Irulan, and Alton are outside talking. He didn’t know he was in the shot because the cameraman was shooting through the upstairs window.
  • Nathan gave comic relief by wearing that wig to the Gauntlet. My mom called me on the phone and asked if that was Puck.
  • You’ll notice black tape over the Adidas logo on her hoody. They need permission before they show a product, so they usually just make you not wear it, or tape it up.
  • While the girls are hanging upside down, you can see people over the fence watching the Gauntlet. This was at a resort, and there were always people snooping around. They had a guard at the Gauntlet around the clock.
  • On one shot you can see hotel windows on the third or fourth floor. These people had camcorders and recorded us a couple times.
  • They hung there for a while, maybe 15 minutes.
  • PornDestroysWomen.org. Good shot.
  • We were very happy Coral won. You always root for your team. But it’s a weird situation. You are cheering for people you just decided you were ready to risk losing.
  • It’s hard to just watch a show like this as entertainement, because these are my friends who were going through real emotions. Coral and I did not get along, but that doesn’t mean I like to watch her feel bad. I respect Mike, and it’s not good to see what he had to go through either.