Who's in danger of going home ahead of Race to Survive: New Zealand episode 5?

RACE TO SURVIVE: NEW ZEALAND -- "Packrafts, Portages and Pain" Episode 202 -- Pictured: (l-r) Ashley Paulson, Rhandi Ohrme -- (Photo by: Tim Williams/USA Network)
RACE TO SURVIVE: NEW ZEALAND -- "Packrafts, Portages and Pain" Episode 202 -- Pictured: (l-r) Ashley Paulson, Rhandi Ohrme -- (Photo by: Tim Williams/USA Network) /
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The competition is getting stiff on Race to Survive: New Zealand! While no one went home in episode 4, "Eels, Heels, and Deals," it was a close call. The contestants had been warned that a team self-eliminating--like Steffen and Mikhail did--didn't automatically mean that the pair that came last during the leg would be safe from elimination. This time, the 7th place team wasn't sent home but the choices they made during the race, and an injury, have put them in a precarious position. Here are the rankings at a glance:

  • 1st - Oliver Dev and Spencer "Corry" Jones
  • 2nd - Ethan Greenberg and Tyrie Mann Merrill
  • 3rd - Ryan Stewart and Bronsen Iverson
  • 4th - Paulina Pena and Creighton Baird
  • 5th - Coree Woltering and Daniel "Jeff" Watterson
  • 6th - Nikola "Nik" Milutinovic and Kennedy Taylor
  • 7th - Rhandi Ohrme and Ashley Paulson

Oliver and Corry have continued to blaze a trail on Race to Survive: New Zealand. The pair are quick on their feet and have been able to navigate the country's rocky terrain without having to sacrifice treks to necessary food caches for sustenance. Holding strong with them are Ethan and Tyrie who are hoping that as they get deeper into the competition and the survivalist portion kicks into high gear they'll be able to overtake them.

The smoke jumpers made their first deal in this episode but it didn't stay confidential like they'd hoped. Coming in second place, they didn't get the steak and kamura that Oliver and Corry were able to snag from the end crate, but they did get an eel fishing kit. With it, they were able to catch a whopper and set themselves up well.

Seeing this, Paulina and Creighton negotiated a deal. Originally, they were willing to give up the two chairs they got from the crate but Ethan and Tyrie weren't interested in comfortable seating, they wanted half their jerky stores in exchange for use of the kit and a split of the next eel catch as long as they gutted the eel themselves. They'd agreed to keep the deal quiet but as soon as Creighton was asked, he ended up telling the rest of the teams without thinking about it. This let the rest of them know that the alliance/deal element of the game had started and they needed to keep that in mind.

Ryan and Bronsen remain in the Top 3 but the second leg of the race took its toll. The former fell pretty hard while traversing the rocks and has been dealing with knee pain ever since. They got a possum trap from the crate but so far haven't been able to catch one.

Coree and Jeff were overtaken by Paulina and Creighton who pushed to regain ground after a wrong turn before the first food cache and then initially following the pair of friends when they chose to go low and then up instead of following the high ridge to the second food cache. Realizing that would expend more energy, the exes backtracked 90 minutes and still managed to pass their competition because their legs weren't as tired.

The two teams bringing up the rear--Nik & Kennedy and Rhandi & Ashley--were in a race against each other. But the former pair were still able to stop at the second food cache and stock up on needed sustenance. The latter skipped the cache and braved the dangerous terrain in the woods. In the process, Ashley injured her ankle which slowed them down immensely. After taking ibuprofen she was in better shape but they still came in last.

Ashley's ankle could become a game changing, and potentially race ending, issue in episode 5, "Deep, Dark, Holes." Not only are the teams continuing to rough it--hopefully with more food if they were able to hunt and forage at survival camp--but they'll also be going spelunking. Any team dealing with injuries and/or severe hunger pains will be put at an extreme disadvantage which means the endurance athletes have a lot to overcome.

Race to Survive: New Zealand airs Mondays at 11 p.m. ET on USA Network. Stay tuned to Hidden Remote for more news and coverage.

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