You know Victor and Orla and Christian and Anna. Ian and Cassidy and Mack and Jackie. On Beni! On Heather! On Jonathan and Margarita! Tommy and Candice now dash away dash away all! But do you recall, the most famous OCR couple of all?
Well, Hunter, the reigning champion of season 5 and Ana (where was Corinna?) are about to find out that answer. This was a mixed partner showdown with two bracket challenges. Like the last two shows, there was only two rounds and two Pits. The prize is $50,000.
The Monster was the first challenge. In tag team fashion, the girls started first by dragging a huge log across a canal. The men then carried two big ass barrels in an all-out sprint. Then together they ascended a rope wall.
First up, Hunter/Ana versus Tommy/Candice. So right away we found out whether the Sheriff went home or stayed in the game. Ana finished first and Hunter loaded up the barrel. Candice had a technical error with getting the rope into the pull slot. This gave Hunter plenty of time to pull Ana up the wall. They finished first.
Next up was Orla/Victor versus Christian/Anna. Orla led the charge while Anna missed the rope grab and fell behind on the log drag. Orla finished first and tagged Victor. He saddled the first barrel and took off. That lead was all it took as Victor pulled Orla to the top of the wall.
Beni/Heather took on Jonathan/Margarita next. This time the girls were neck and neck. They started pulling at the same time but Heather finished first and Beni took off with the barrels. These were big 55-gallon steel barrels with one-inch chain link straps. The guys loaded them on their backs like backpacks, then took off on a full sprint – twice.
Beni took up the rope and Heather spidered up the wall first. So far, the first three matchups left one couple in the dust. Technical errors, brute force, and a whole lot of maniacal heart made the difference.
Mack/Jackie and Ian/Cassidy took the last marks. The girls hit the water and pulled themselves along the wall at the same time. Out of the canal, Cassidy got the early lead doing all her pulling standing up. No body weight advantage. Massive power. Ian was already into his second barrel by the time Mack took off. But he took off hard and caught up – but not enough. Cassidy hit the bell and that put the last couple down the road.
Before the Pit the teams went to a Block Party. This was like a giant wheelbarrow race. Massive, heavy blocks on wheels. Beni/Heather went up against Orla/Victor. The sprinted to the boxes, took up the handles, and started the wheelbarrows down the line. Then they had to turn it around and return. Victor and Orla really struggled to get across the line and turn the beast. But Beni and Heather just had too much of a lead. They got to the Pit, the countdown started, and Victor and Orla had just started the return trip. They were counted out by the clock. Heather and Beni were first to go to the Skullbuster. And they did not have to wrestle. Orla felt the heavy wheelbarrow was just out of her wheelhouse.
Hunter/Ana faced off against Ian/Cassidy. The teamwork of both sides was perfect. They crossed the first line, made the turn and both teams made it across the line with Hunter/Ana just barely ahead to enter the Pit first.
Now this Pit was decided by who crossed the finish line first. So Hunter and Ana decided that the girls would enter the Pit to fight it out for the right to move on to the Skullbuster. The ladies were very cautious but finally hit the dirt. Ana tended to stay in control. She kept working Cassidy’s leg. Then she switched to a shoulder roll before going back to work on the leg and putting it out.
Cassidy gave kudos to Ana for clearly beating her. But man what a dig against Hunter when she said, “He doesn’t deserve to win.”
The Skullbuster was tag team style. So once again these champions got to face the toughest obstacle course on Earth. Beni and Heather went first with Beni starting the race. He took up the log and ran the quarter mile with 75 pounds on his back, promising to put Hunter the poodle back in his cage. He executed well up to the Frame but his breathing was very fast and shallow. Turnstile slowed him down. He finished Landing Pads and tagged Heather to wrap up the course. She grabbed the sandbag and ran through the canal, up Burn Out, where she missed the second leap, then Heartbreak Hill. She power-hiked up, turned, and slid down most of the way. She flipped the ribs then hesitated before climbing the rope. Finally she locked in and rung the bell.
Ana started the next race with a yoke carry. This strategy surprised me because all season long I’ve said the race is won or lost on this first quarter-mile killer. It’s Hunter’s specialty. But Ana did really well and Hunter cheered her on through her portion. She was very quick in her entrance and exit on each obstacle. She slowed just a bit at the Landing Pads but survived with strong breathing. She tagged Hunter and he was off screaming like a maniac. He only had to do half a course so I did not expect this to be any problem for him. But he too missed the second grab on Burn Out. He scrambled up the hill on all fours. He zig-zagged down and then flipped the ribs like they were hot off the grill. He locked in the rope and rang the bell.
With $50,000 on the line, Beni and Heather finished in 7:14 which was incredibly fast for this season. Hunter and Ana finished in 5:50, beating Hunter’s solo time of the season. Ana got the split of $25K while Hunter’s total was now $190,000 since taking over as king of the Broken Skull Ranch two seasons ago. Indeed he is the undisputed greatest OCR athlete on this turf and he has beaten all the rest in every OCR game. Great job to the best team to ever set foot on the Ranch, Ana and Hunter.