0:00:02 > 0:00:09'Now on Top Gear: we set out on an epic journey through the most hostile environment in the country.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12'Death Valley.' My motor blew up.
0:00:12 > 0:00:17- 'To find America's strongest off-roader.'- Are you OK?
0:00:35 > 0:00:37Welcome to Top Gear.
0:00:37 > 0:00:42If you're going to be out in the middle of nowhere and had 5,000
0:00:42 > 0:00:46to buy the most rugged 4x4 you could, what would you buy?
0:00:49 > 0:00:55I heard it right here - a Jeep. That is absolutely it. It's been the standard since the '40s.
0:00:55 > 0:01:02OK, you chose a Jeep. Rutledge and I chose differently, but who chose best? Let's find out.
0:01:04 > 0:01:12This is the Mojave Desert. 25,000 square miles of snakes, sand, salt and rocks.
0:01:14 > 0:01:21One of the harshest environments on Earth and the ideal place to find America's strongest off-roader.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23This doesn't look good at all.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27Look how flat the lake bed is. This is awesome.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30It's just nothing!
0:01:30 > 0:01:34'We had each bought a 4x4 online for under 5,000.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40'And apparently they were out here waiting for us.
0:01:40 > 0:01:41'Somewhere.'
0:01:43 > 0:01:45Looks like we're stopping.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47Here?!
0:01:47 > 0:01:50I think this is it.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07- This is it? - Where the hell are we?
0:02:07 > 0:02:12- Where are the cars?- I don't know. - Here, look over here.
0:02:13 > 0:02:18- That's us?- It's gotta be them. - How far is that?!
0:02:22 > 0:02:26- Gentlemen, prepare to be jealous. - Who got the Jeep?- Me!
0:02:26 > 0:02:29- You are Daisy Duke!- Oh, stop it!
0:02:29 > 0:02:33If you're going off-road and only have 5,000 bucks, go with a Jeep.
0:02:33 > 0:02:39I'd gone for a 1983 CJ7 Renegade, the ultimate rock crawler,
0:02:39 > 0:02:46and a design so good it's barely changed since the first Jeep back in the '40s.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49- You have to have AC on here. - That's one thing it didn't have.
0:02:49 > 0:02:54- We are in the desert! - It's a dry heat.
0:02:54 > 0:03:01- You're going to get blown away. Death Valley with no doors?! - The Craigslist ad left out the door.
0:03:01 > 0:03:06- What did you get? - I bought a '94 Ford Bronco XLT.
0:03:06 > 0:03:13Back in the '60s, Broncos dominated off-road racing. A big 351 V8 under the hood, this baby has the power
0:03:13 > 0:03:15to destroy the others.
0:03:15 > 0:03:21Doesn't it worry you that for the same money I get an '83 Jeep and this is 11 years newer
0:03:21 > 0:03:28- for the same value?- I should worry that some idiot took you? No, it doesn't worry me at all.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32- What year is it?- '94. - What else happened in '94?
0:03:32 > 0:03:40- I know. The OJ chase in a Ford Bronco. I know it's good at slow speeds.- You bought an OJ Bronco!
0:03:40 > 0:03:45- Yes, I did, baby. Know what else it's got? Air conditioning. - Oh, boy.- No way.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49You guys need to see a real truck.
0:03:49 > 0:03:54'Nothing can beat this 1989 Chevrolet K5 Blazer.
0:03:54 > 0:04:00'This 350 V8 is bulletproof and had to be. The military bought 70,000 of these,
0:04:00 > 0:04:04'making them Army-tough. Perfect for the challenge ahead.'
0:04:04 > 0:04:08If I learned anything from Alaska, Chevys rule off-road.
0:04:08 > 0:04:15- And it doesn't matter what they look like.- The Chevy in Alaska was something of a phenomenon,
0:04:15 > 0:04:19- but it was lightweight. That was key.- This is lighter, smaller.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23- This is a tank. - A short, ugly suburban.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26It's everything I need. You know what it does have?
0:04:26 > 0:04:32- Air conditioning. - You guys and your air conditioning! - Cos you're gonna die.- Hold it.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35- This is the challenge.- Go ahead.
0:04:35 > 0:04:40OK. "To find out which of you has America's toughest off-roader,
0:04:40 > 0:04:43"you'll travel 400 miles to Vegas."
0:04:43 > 0:04:47- Vegas, baby! - Vegas! Now we're talking!
0:04:47 > 0:04:52"To properly test your vehicles, at no point during the first 350 miles
0:04:52 > 0:04:56- "can your tyres touch asphalt." - Wait a minute.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59- 350 miles off-road?- You heard it. - To get to Vegas?
0:04:59 > 0:05:06"Your first challenge is a speed test. To see which of your vehicles is fastest, you have a drag race.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10"The winner gets first choice of items at the finish."
0:05:10 > 0:05:16- Aren't you glad you've got your bikini top? - That was sort of funny.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18Thank you.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22'Two miles across the dry lake bed were three trailers,
0:05:22 > 0:05:27'our accommodations for the next 400 miles. The drag winner got first choice.'
0:05:27 > 0:05:34Here we go. My only concern is I don't want to hit a rut, a rut in the lake bed, at speed
0:05:34 > 0:05:37then flip over. That would be bad.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39Three! Two! One!
0:05:39 > 0:05:41Go!
0:05:43 > 0:05:45No-o-o!
0:05:45 > 0:05:48Oh, come on! Already?!
0:05:48 > 0:05:52Ha! There we go! There we go!
0:05:52 > 0:05:55So long, fellas!
0:05:55 > 0:05:58Come on, come on, come on!
0:05:58 > 0:06:06'The V8 was giving my Bronco an untouchable lead. What was OJ thinking? Just put the hammer down!'
0:06:06 > 0:06:07No!
0:06:08 > 0:06:11How's your bikini top now?
0:06:11 > 0:06:14I'm losing Tanner in the dust.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18Oh, I can't see! It's like Days of Thunder!
0:06:18 > 0:06:20Come on, baby! Come on!
0:06:20 > 0:06:22I'm winning!
0:06:23 > 0:06:25Ha ha!
0:06:27 > 0:06:30- OK, so you get to go first. - Yes, I do.
0:06:30 > 0:06:36'I may have won, but I know as much about trailers as Rutledge knows about salads.
0:06:36 > 0:06:42'I had to choose wisely because these trailers were going to be our homes.'
0:06:42 > 0:06:50- The Barbie dream trailer. Aerodynamic, but ugly.- The pink teardrop. Classic American trailer.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52Wow!
0:06:52 > 0:06:54Look in there.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56Oh, crap.
0:06:56 > 0:07:01- Does this go up?- It's a pop-up. I see these at NASCAR tracks.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05- It's a gamble. If it doesn't go up, you're...- Stuck.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08- What is this?- An off-road trailer.
0:07:09 > 0:07:14- Tyres.- It appears they're all... - Crap. All right, fellas.
0:07:14 > 0:07:20After careful consideration, I think I'll take the pop-up.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24- The pop-up?!- 'Since I came in second, I had the next choice.'
0:07:24 > 0:07:29I'll never pull this up the hill. Looks heavy, but I gotta take it.
0:07:29 > 0:07:34- Really? I get the pink teardrop? - Yeah.- Yeah.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38- There's no way I could fit in there. - That's half the fun.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47Let's go!
0:07:51 > 0:07:55Our epic journey would start here in the heart of the Mojave Desert.
0:07:55 > 0:08:00We'd head across Death Valley to Mount Charleston
0:08:00 > 0:08:04and then back on pavement for the final journey to Vegas.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08Our 4x4s would have to overcome extreme terrain,
0:08:08 > 0:08:15from perilous rocky passes to great seas of sand dunes. Then there was Death Valley,
0:08:15 > 0:08:21home to the second-highest recorded temperature on Earth - 134 degrees.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24This would be Vegas the hard way.
0:08:26 > 0:08:32We were up and running. The next challenge was to make it to the ghost town of Ballarat,
0:08:32 > 0:08:37100 miles away. This gave us the chance to get to know our trucks and trailers.
0:08:37 > 0:08:42Everything about this Jeep is made for off-roading. The suspension...
0:08:42 > 0:08:49I mean, it's not good at speed going over bumps, but rock crawling, for articulation,
0:08:49 > 0:08:55the wheel base, all that kind of stuff. Perfect. Even the engine design.
0:08:55 > 0:09:01The inline six is just an unstoppable force.
0:09:01 > 0:09:06I always wanted a K5 Blazer because you knew it would be tough.
0:09:06 > 0:09:12I think this is the best off-roader because it doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles.
0:09:12 > 0:09:17It's a strong 4x4 with a strong V8 in it.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21I didn't say fast, I said strong.
0:09:21 > 0:09:28This car rides great for a '94 with 219,000 miles on it.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32Power everything. And it works. Power windows.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34Look at that. Power door locks.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36Power mirrors.
0:09:36 > 0:09:41A big 351, which destroyed them in the drag race.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45And air conditioning. You need that in DEATH Valley.
0:09:55 > 0:10:00Adam made a conservative choice on picking the pop-up.
0:10:00 > 0:10:05It weighs less than Tanner's trailer, but it still weighs a ton.
0:10:05 > 0:10:12Tanner made a bad choice. That off-road one has ground clearance, but I bet it weighs 1,500lbs.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16It's all steel. Why did you pick that?!
0:10:16 > 0:10:21My trailer's more off-roadworthy than the Jeep! But it is heavy as can be.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40'Three hours later, we arrived at Ballarat and set up camp.
0:10:40 > 0:10:46- 'Our first night in the wilderness with our new trailers.' - Tanner!- Yeah?
0:10:46 > 0:10:52- Damn this thing! - You need some help? - Just a bit of weight on the nose.
0:10:54 > 0:11:00- What...?!- Thank you! No! - This trailer weighs nothing!- Stop!
0:11:00 > 0:11:05- You see these rocks he's got on here?- Guys, not again! Come on!
0:11:05 > 0:11:11- Come on.- Guys... - Where are we taking him?- Guys! Seriously, just take me back.
0:11:11 > 0:11:16- Please just take me back! - That's good.
0:11:16 > 0:11:21- 'My trailer had problems, but at least it didn't require assembly.' - There it is.
0:11:21 > 0:11:27Hey, fellas, I think the three of us have to lift this up at once.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30Hold it, hold it! Get it right!
0:11:30 > 0:11:37'I'd clearly chosen the best trailer. The other two would be lucky to get halfway to Vegas.'
0:11:37 > 0:11:40- Are you OK?!- Yeah.- Are you OK?
0:11:40 > 0:11:43Hold on...
0:11:43 > 0:11:46Fellas, in the morning, Death Valley.
0:11:46 > 0:11:51- Night, guys. - Sleep tight in the pimple.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56Oh, sh...! Oh, really?!
0:11:56 > 0:11:58You all right?
0:11:58 > 0:12:00What the hell?!
0:12:08 > 0:12:10Oww!
0:12:10 > 0:12:14Rise and shine, fellas. You up yet?
0:12:14 > 0:12:21In the morning to pick up some supplies we went to the shopping district of downtown Ballarat.
0:12:21 > 0:12:26Population: three. One of the shacks appeared to be a general store.
0:12:26 > 0:12:31It was soon apparent that this wasn't your average store.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34- Morning, sir. How are you? - Oh, pretty good.
0:12:34 > 0:12:41- We need to head over those mountains. What do you have in the way of food?- Some cans over here.
0:12:41 > 0:12:47- OK.- And then I've got some stuff in there.- Do you have any meat? - Yeah, I've got some meat.
0:12:47 > 0:12:53- I got some burro meat.- Burro? - Yeah, better take that with you.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55Wow.
0:12:55 > 0:13:01'We cleared out the store of food and water, but we had a problem - none of us had a stove to cook on.
0:13:01 > 0:13:08'So we had to improvise. I took the beans, Adam the vegetables and Rut prepared the burro meat.'
0:13:08 > 0:13:10That is fresh.
0:13:12 > 0:13:19- This is so not the first time that you've done this.- Gently place it over the intake manifold.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22On there correctly.
0:13:22 > 0:13:27I think we are all set there. What time do you guys want to eat?
0:13:34 > 0:13:38'With dinner in the oven, we set out for the next stage.
0:13:41 > 0:13:46'Our 4x4s faced a dangerous, rough and rocky 30-mile mountain pass
0:13:46 > 0:13:51'that would take us down into Death Valley.'
0:13:53 > 0:13:59As long as it's smooth road like this, it shouldn't be a problem,
0:13:59 > 0:14:03but if it gets really rough, this Jeep will be brutal.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08Look at this.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10Oh, no.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14This doesn't look good.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17Oh, man. This looks scary.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20'Steep canyons towered above us.'
0:14:20 > 0:14:25- Holy crap! - 'This was a different type of off-roading altogether.'
0:14:27 > 0:14:33Hold on, guys. There's a tricky bit up here. This looks nasty.
0:14:33 > 0:14:37'The rocks were wet with snow melt from the peaks above.
0:14:37 > 0:14:42'With limited grip, the trailer becomes basically an anchor.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46'This was our first true test and I needed a guinea pig.
0:14:46 > 0:14:54- 'An over-confident New Yorker was first in line.'- If OJ can get over on 12 jurors, he can do this.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56- Am I clear to go?- Yeah, go.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07Come on! Get on up! There you go. Get up, baby!
0:15:11 > 0:15:13Damn!
0:15:13 > 0:15:17- You might want to back up a little. - ..That hurt.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22This is more fun than you could possibly imagine to watch.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34Come on! Get on up there! There you go!
0:15:34 > 0:15:37- Ho!- Let's go!
0:15:42 > 0:15:45Oh! Was that the rear end?
0:15:47 > 0:15:53Listen, fellas, I have always yielded to your automotive knowledge and skill. I'm no genius,
0:15:53 > 0:16:00- but I don't think that's supposed to happen. - That is how you break a rear end.
0:16:00 > 0:16:06'Now it was time for my Jeep Renegade to show the other guys how it's done.'
0:16:07 > 0:16:09- You guys good?- Go ahead!
0:16:15 > 0:16:17He's got the gear!
0:16:18 > 0:16:20Come on, come on!
0:16:21 > 0:16:26- There it is. - There you go. That's a mess.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30- Oh, my gosh! - He's gonna do it!- No way.
0:16:30 > 0:16:34Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!
0:16:34 > 0:16:39- Daisy Duke did it. - What the hell?!
0:16:39 > 0:16:43How was that physically possible? No way. Unbelievable.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46Jeep rules. What can I say?
0:16:46 > 0:16:49It's the Blazer's time to shine.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51This is it.
0:16:53 > 0:17:00I know it's going to beat the Bronco since the Bronco died. I'm going to dig in and let it fight.
0:17:00 > 0:17:05- And then slowly accelerate... - Go, go, go, go, go, go!
0:17:06 > 0:17:12- I'm gonna need a winch. - So you're basically saying, "OK, my truck fails."
0:17:12 > 0:17:16- I'm still working, so technically I beat the Bronco.- No, you haven't!
0:17:16 > 0:17:21- I got up. Eventually. - Second place is first loser.
0:17:21 > 0:17:25I can do it. This is it. This is the one.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31All right, give me everything you've got. Let's go. Here it is.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35Here it is! Go, go, go, go, go, go!
0:17:35 > 0:17:37Go!
0:17:38 > 0:17:40Yes!
0:17:40 > 0:17:42Yes!
0:17:42 > 0:17:44Yes!
0:17:47 > 0:17:49Look at the trailer!
0:17:50 > 0:17:53Totally fine!
0:17:53 > 0:17:58This took a long time. The ones with four wheels should hit the road.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02- That'd be... - Uh, me and you.- And me.- Yeah.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04- OK.- Um...
0:18:04 > 0:18:06Yeah, we'll see you, Adam.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11- "I think I'm gonna need a winch." - Watch out for coyotes.
0:18:17 > 0:18:18BEEP
0:18:18 > 0:18:23You don't think we should feel bad about leaving Adam in the canyon?
0:18:24 > 0:18:27No. It's done.
0:18:30 > 0:18:35'With Adam out of the picture, it was Jeep versus Blazer.
0:18:35 > 0:18:43'As we climbed higher into the mountains, we passed ancient mines haunted by men chasing their dreams.
0:18:43 > 0:18:49'And abandoned cars rusting back into the earth they came from. This was no place to get stuck.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52'This was a place for a real 4x4.
0:18:54 > 0:19:00'My Jeep was leading the way. Nothing could stop this off-road monster.'
0:19:00 > 0:19:02Whoa! Big drop.
0:19:03 > 0:19:04Ow!
0:19:04 > 0:19:07Oh! Uh!
0:19:07 > 0:19:11OK, here's the ground clearance test.
0:19:11 > 0:19:12Whoa!
0:19:12 > 0:19:15My God, this thing is so awesome!
0:19:17 > 0:19:19Mother...!
0:19:20 > 0:19:22That is painful.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24Wow!
0:19:24 > 0:19:26Holy sh...!
0:19:28 > 0:19:33- Do I even still have a trailer back there?- Whoa!
0:19:33 > 0:19:34Yes!
0:19:36 > 0:19:39Whoa! Holy sh...!
0:19:39 > 0:19:41Hello.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44Oh, that's steep!
0:19:44 > 0:19:49I am constantly amazed by this Jeep.
0:19:49 > 0:19:55'We were getting to the top when my chances of victory suddenly improved.'
0:19:55 > 0:19:59I think my motor just blew up. Did you hear that?
0:19:59 > 0:20:02Yeah. What was that?
0:20:02 > 0:20:09- It sounded like a gun went off. - I thought a gun did go off. - OK, my Jeep just stopped.
0:20:16 > 0:20:21- This is unfortunate. - It pulled the plug out, didn't it?
0:20:22 > 0:20:27Oh, if dinner shorted something in my Jeep, I'm gonna be pissed.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29I didn't want that stuff in there.
0:20:32 > 0:20:38- I'm not sure what's funny. - I can't believe that happened!
0:20:38 > 0:20:44Oh, shoot. The can did burst, yes, and fused the wires to the top of the can.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46Oh, God. Oh...
0:20:46 > 0:20:51'It was really tragic to see the Jeep in this condition.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55'I wanted to do everything I could to help.' Oh, gosh! That's hot!
0:20:55 > 0:21:03That's hot. At least it's pretty good at cooking. Do you have anything I could try this with?
0:21:07 > 0:21:10Mm! Your Jeep is delicious.
0:21:10 > 0:21:15Is this your first time cooking and driving?
0:21:18 > 0:21:24- I bet Adam can make a mean pasta sauce. Cos he's Italian. - Yeah, I got that.
0:21:24 > 0:21:31'My wiring was screwed. Luckily, I could hot wire myself out of listening to Rutledge's small talk.'
0:21:31 > 0:21:33- And... - ENGINE STARTS
0:21:33 > 0:21:35..start.
0:21:44 > 0:21:49By nightfall, the Jeep and the Blazer had made it 30 miles up and over the pass.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53In the morning, we would drive down below sea level to Death Valley.
0:21:53 > 0:21:58Now it was time to eat with what remained from Rutledge's engine cooking experiment.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03Oh, oh, oh, I got it, I got it!
0:22:03 > 0:22:07- I don't think you can eat that if it's burnt.- It'll be fine.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10Oh, my gosh, that does not look good
0:22:10 > 0:22:13Is it supposed to look like artichoke heart?
0:22:13 > 0:22:15It kind of looks like a turd.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18It smells a lot like engine oil.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22Waft it, waft it. TANNER COUGHS
0:22:22 > 0:22:28- That's not right. - What other options do we have here, dude?- Where are the vegetables?
0:22:28 > 0:22:32They're on the Bronco, aren't they? Adam was in charge of the vegetables
0:22:32 > 0:22:37- He's probably dining right now. - Having some carrots, potatoes, zucchini.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40- And look at us.- Eating ass!
0:22:40 > 0:22:42I'll go if you will.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44God, it's terrible.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51- I don't think I'm going to eat this. - Me neither.- That was gross.
0:22:53 > 0:22:57'We had camped high in the hills above Death Valley.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02'But as the sun rose and began cooking the valley below,
0:23:02 > 0:23:06'a low rumbling drowned out Rutledge's snoring.'
0:23:10 > 0:23:12Morning, fellas!
0:23:12 > 0:23:15Where's the big girl?
0:23:15 > 0:23:17I thought it was an earthquake.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21- Where did you come from? - The canyon where you left me to die.
0:23:21 > 0:23:25- Look at this! - LAUGHTER
0:23:25 > 0:23:29- No way!- Perfect. - What did you do?
0:23:29 > 0:23:33- The tyre was falling off, so you put...- It's a support to keep it in.
0:23:33 > 0:23:38- It was broke and now it's not.- You don't have four-wheel drive any more
0:23:38 > 0:23:42I got two-wheel drive or front-wheel drive. It's rare. Let's go!
0:23:42 > 0:23:45I could use some coffee and a pair of pants.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49I could use a time machine to get this image out of my mind.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57You know how tough this Ford is? Even I can't kill it.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01Snapped an axle, patched it back together, keep going.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05This Blazer is the best four by four in America.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08K5 Blazer!
0:24:08 > 0:24:14I don't know how Rutledge can say his car's done super well. He didn't want to climb that rock.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17He wanted to winch up the rock face.
0:24:17 > 0:24:22Adam and I had to talk him into driving his Blazer up the rock face.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25He should get some points off for that.
0:24:27 > 0:24:33'Today, our challenge was to take our trucks 70 miles across Death Valley to the Nevada state line.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36'And our moods weren't improving.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38'We couldn't agree on anything -
0:24:38 > 0:24:43'who had the best four by four, who was winning, even directions.'
0:24:43 > 0:24:45Which way do we go now?
0:24:46 > 0:24:51- That's not a good omen, is it? - No, that's like the bird of death.
0:24:51 > 0:24:58- Let's take it as a sign. The crow is on that side. It equals death. Let's go that way.- I like your thinking.
0:24:58 > 0:25:03You know what's great about this trip? We came out here to find America's best four by four.
0:25:03 > 0:25:08- Right.- Would you say that Adam's truck still qualifies?- Not at all.
0:25:08 > 0:25:14- It's still going. It's the best off-road vehicle.- That's two-wheel drive.- It's still kicking your ass.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18Nothing has kicked the Blazer's ass. I picked the best-looking vehicle...
0:25:18 > 0:25:22'Rutledge would not shut up about his Blazer.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24'It was time to bring him down a notch.'
0:25:24 > 0:25:30This has no place being here, but mine only has front-wheel drive and I'm still keeping up.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36Hey, Rut, so you really can't feel that trailer back there, huh?
0:25:36 > 0:25:39Not at all. It's like a feather.
0:25:40 > 0:25:45Can you drive over the edge of the road here like I'm doing right now?
0:25:45 > 0:25:47Oh, yeah, let me try.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52Yeah, no problem at all.
0:25:52 > 0:25:58Can you swing the trailer back and forth? That's the nice thing about a heavy trailer. I can drift it.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00All right, here, I'll try.
0:26:05 > 0:26:06Oh!
0:26:06 > 0:26:08Oh, no!
0:26:08 > 0:26:11ADAM AND TANNER LAUGH
0:26:16 > 0:26:17Oh, no!
0:26:17 > 0:26:21Oh, look at that! That can't be good.
0:26:22 > 0:26:26'My pink teardrop was shattered and I was now trailer-less.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30'But something just didn't add up.'
0:26:30 > 0:26:32- Hey, Tanner.- Yeah, Rut?
0:26:32 > 0:26:35You didn't mess with my trailer at all, right?
0:26:35 > 0:26:40I'm thinking you guys are really jealous because you had a lot of problems with the Jeep
0:26:40 > 0:26:46and the axle on the Bronco and the Blazer has been perfect the whole time.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49So I'm thinking maybe someone sabotaged me.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53- MIMICS RADIO INTERFERENCE: - That's...uh...microphone...uh...
0:26:53 > 0:26:57..on my radio. I don't know if you can...eh...er...
0:26:57 > 0:26:59'My plan had worked
0:26:59 > 0:27:04'and only my Jeep and trailer made it all the way through Death Valley unscathed,
0:27:04 > 0:27:08'followed by two homeless guys with bad vehicle choices.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14'But my triumph was short-lived
0:27:14 > 0:27:18'because the route ahead was blocked by massive sand dunes.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22'If we couldn't find a way through them, our mission would be over.'
0:27:22 > 0:27:26- Gentlemen, it's time to buckle up for this.- Good idea.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30Oh, my gosh. They're huge!
0:27:30 > 0:27:35It's like driving in a giant litter box. They're ten storeys tall at least.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38- Just drive over it!- Oh, Adam...
0:27:42 > 0:27:46I have an aggressive driving style and I see no reason to stop now,
0:27:46 > 0:27:50so hammer down and straight up the hill!
0:27:50 > 0:27:52Come on, wheel, hang on!
0:27:53 > 0:27:56- Here we go. - ENGINE REVS
0:27:57 > 0:27:59Damn it.
0:28:01 > 0:28:07'While Adam was wasting his time, I found a route through the sand dunes and took off on my own.
0:28:07 > 0:28:12'Sure enough, like two lost sheep, the other two followed.'
0:28:12 > 0:28:13Whoa!
0:28:17 > 0:28:18Whoa!
0:28:18 > 0:28:19Holy...
0:28:19 > 0:28:21That was fun!
0:28:23 > 0:28:26Oh, man, this keeps going!
0:28:26 > 0:28:31'This was perfect four by four territory, or two by four if you're Adam.'
0:28:39 > 0:28:44- Yeah!- Go, go, go! Come on, come on, come on! Yeah, good girl!
0:28:44 > 0:28:48Keep it going. Come on, baby, come on! It's all downhill from here.
0:28:48 > 0:28:50- Adam, you look stuck.- Damn!
0:28:50 > 0:28:53LAUGHTER
0:28:53 > 0:28:58A lot of people find it hard to get stuck that quickly, but not Adam.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01Give me a push from behind and I'll roll right down.
0:29:01 > 0:29:07- 'I wasn't going to help the Bronco, so we took off and left Adam to work it out himself.'- Come on! Damn!
0:29:07 > 0:29:11Where do we go now? There's another one.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15- Woo-hoo!- Holy...
0:29:15 > 0:29:17Yeah!
0:29:18 > 0:29:21I was wrong, Blazer. You do still have some suspension.
0:29:21 > 0:29:24Wow, this is cool here.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29This is the coolest trip ever.
0:29:32 > 0:29:39'An hour later, Adam caught up to us in his battered Bronco and we made our way to the Nevada state line.
0:29:39 > 0:29:44'We had crossed the worst of the wilderness and were only 50 miles from pavement.
0:29:47 > 0:29:49'The Bronco was on its last leg,
0:29:49 > 0:29:52'but my Chevy was holding tough.
0:29:52 > 0:29:56'Adam and I spent the night in our trucks tossing and turning
0:29:56 > 0:29:59'while Tanner slept peacefully in his trailer,
0:29:59 > 0:30:03'but we knew in the morning the worst would be behind us.
0:30:03 > 0:30:07'But as the sun rose, we faced another obstacle - asphalt.'
0:30:09 > 0:30:11We can't touch the road.
0:30:14 > 0:30:17I'll have to see if there's a way round this road.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22'We looked for an hour, but all roads led to dead ends.
0:30:22 > 0:30:26'To make it to the finish, we'd have to get creative.'
0:30:27 > 0:30:34- I don't know if there's any way around this one.- I don't think there is.- Vegas is straight that way.
0:30:34 > 0:30:39'To succeed, our tyres could not touch asphalt until we reached Mount Charleston.'
0:30:39 > 0:30:44- I got a plan.- All right. 'Tanner was eager to show off his higher education.'
0:30:44 > 0:30:47What in the world is your plan?
0:30:47 > 0:30:50Going through the dunes kind of inspired me.
0:30:50 > 0:30:57The Pharaohs, when they were doing their work, they used this ingenious system of rollers.
0:30:57 > 0:31:03- You'll roll your truck over this system?- There's lots of junk lying around here. It's all gold.
0:31:03 > 0:31:05There's no way in hell that'll work.
0:31:05 > 0:31:10You guys with your lack of vision, your Ford Bronco and your Blazer...
0:31:10 > 0:31:12Failure!
0:31:14 > 0:31:19I measured the wheel base with the shadow and went fingertips to wrist...
0:31:19 > 0:31:21All right, I think we're ready.
0:31:21 > 0:31:25- Looks like you're doing a DUI test. - Just lean your head back.
0:31:25 > 0:31:31'With Vegas only 100 miles away, I hated to leave my trailer and risk it,
0:31:31 > 0:31:33'but there was no other way.'
0:31:35 > 0:31:41I have no idea if this is going to work, but it's the only shot I can take here.
0:31:44 > 0:31:47A show-off with four wheels!
0:31:57 > 0:32:03- OK, I might need a little help getting off the ground. - You're not going to push it now?
0:32:05 > 0:32:09- Give me some help. - Holy crap! That is unbelievable.
0:32:12 > 0:32:16- No way! This is working! - Hold on. Push.- Oh, yeah...
0:32:16 > 0:32:21'Just like the ancient Pharaohs, I enlisted the common man to do my work.'
0:32:21 > 0:32:23- Keep it coming!- Yeah, we'll push(!)
0:32:23 > 0:32:28I'm pulling hard. One, two, three, push!
0:32:29 > 0:32:31Push! Go, go!
0:32:31 > 0:32:33It's working. OK, push!
0:32:35 > 0:32:38In neutral. Gentlemen...
0:32:38 > 0:32:43- Hot damn!- Witness the sweet vision of victory.
0:32:43 > 0:32:45Yeah!
0:32:45 > 0:32:46I'm across!
0:32:46 > 0:32:51'Adam's plan was about as subtle as you'd expect from a New Yorker.'
0:32:51 > 0:32:55I'll take the Bronco, go up this ridge here and flip it on its side,
0:32:55 > 0:32:58then I'll take the winch and pull it right across.
0:33:00 > 0:33:03- You're going to winch it across? - Yeah.
0:33:03 > 0:33:05How's that going to work?
0:33:05 > 0:33:11Here we go. I know this will scratch the paint, but this is tough enough to take it.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14Dear Lord! Please don't let this kill him!
0:33:14 > 0:33:18They can't do this in a Jeep or a Chevy. This is a Bronco.
0:33:18 > 0:33:20- Oh, he's going fast.- That's it.
0:33:20 > 0:33:23Slow it down, slow it down.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! - That's not good.
0:33:26 > 0:33:28Easy, killer! Whoa!
0:33:28 > 0:33:31Whoa, whoa, whoa! Stop!
0:33:31 > 0:33:34There we go, almost there.
0:33:36 > 0:33:38Are you OK?
0:33:38 > 0:33:41How are you doing? Come on out of there.
0:33:41 > 0:33:45- Are you OK? - Yeah. I didn't count on that.
0:33:45 > 0:33:46See?
0:33:46 > 0:33:49I told you it could take it.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52That's true. Do you have the controller for your winch?
0:33:57 > 0:34:02- You could have just borrowed mine, but this is much better. - Are you OK in there?- Yeah.
0:34:02 > 0:34:06Right, before I get out, do we need anything else?
0:34:06 > 0:34:10'As far as I was concerned, I was still following the rules.
0:34:10 > 0:34:14'We were told our tyres couldn't touch pavement.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17'It didn't say anything about using the side of the truck.'
0:34:17 > 0:34:20- See that?- So smooth.- Nice and easy.
0:34:20 > 0:34:23- Oh, look at that!- Yeah, that's it.
0:34:23 > 0:34:24Yeah...
0:34:25 > 0:34:26Huh?
0:34:26 > 0:34:31That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen.
0:34:31 > 0:34:32Perfect!
0:34:32 > 0:34:35Oh, that ChapStick's hot!
0:34:39 > 0:34:41Ohhh!
0:34:41 > 0:34:42Yes!
0:34:42 > 0:34:45- This is just cosmetic. - Just cosmetic?- Just cosmetic.
0:34:45 > 0:34:48- This'll be fine.- Oh, my God!
0:34:48 > 0:34:54- You've ruined it.- It's not ruined. You put in a piece of glass, paint this up, it's fine.
0:34:54 > 0:35:00- This is America's most ruined formerly four by four, now two by four.- Look how tough this is!
0:35:00 > 0:35:04- It looks so sad. - It's Ford tough, baby. Come on!
0:35:04 > 0:35:09'Just when I thought I'd seen the worst idea, it was Rutledge's turn.'
0:35:09 > 0:35:14Good. I could use a hand. I've found three pieces of carpet and I've attached them together.
0:35:14 > 0:35:21I need help lifting the last piece, I'll attach it like a big tank track and drive on over to the other side.
0:35:21 > 0:35:25Excuse me, Patton, have you thought about how you're going to see?
0:35:26 > 0:35:28Oh!
0:35:29 > 0:35:34- Ready?- Yeah. I got it now. It was just a tiny glitch I wasn't thinking about.
0:35:34 > 0:35:40- All right, Blazer, you haven't let m down yet.- Patton, let the tank run! - Don't let me down now.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44Mr Big Hammer, Big Hammer, go!
0:35:44 > 0:35:47How... No way is that working.
0:35:47 > 0:35:49It's work... There you go. Wait.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52- Don't get in front of me. - You'll touch right there.
0:35:52 > 0:35:58What?! There's no way this is working. You're about to touch again.
0:35:58 > 0:36:04- Oh, dear, I lost my hat! Am I across? I can't tell.- No, you're not across yet. Keep going.
0:36:04 > 0:36:07Full throttle! Turn right!
0:36:09 > 0:36:11Wow, I made it!
0:36:11 > 0:36:13You've got to be kidding me!
0:36:13 > 0:36:15I told you it would work!
0:36:15 > 0:36:17LAUGHTER
0:36:17 > 0:36:20Who's the best four by four in the country?
0:36:20 > 0:36:22An '89 Blazer, that's who!
0:36:24 > 0:36:28'Somehow, their two ridiculous ideas worked and we were off.'
0:36:28 > 0:36:31Good God, Adam, you've got some smok coming through there!
0:36:31 > 0:36:37'Adam's great plan left engine oil in all the wrong places, but somehow the Bronco was still working.'
0:36:37 > 0:36:40I can't see anything behind!
0:36:42 > 0:36:49'From here, using dirt roads and berms along the pavement, it was an easy trek to Mount Charleston
0:36:49 > 0:36:53'where we'd finally be allowed back on pavement for our next challenge.'
0:36:56 > 0:37:00'By dawn, we had made it up the trail to Mount Charleston,
0:37:00 > 0:37:05'a snowy peak towering nearly 12,000 feet above Las Vegas.
0:37:05 > 0:37:09'We were allowed back on asphalt, ready for our last challenge.'
0:37:09 > 0:37:15"Gentlemen, from now on, you can drive on paved roads, but it won't be easy.
0:37:15 > 0:37:19"Your final destination - Trump International Hotel, Las Vegas."
0:37:19 > 0:37:24- Yeah.- Nice!- "You each have three gallons of gas to make it there.
0:37:24 > 0:37:29"It is 52 miles away and the first to Trump Tower gets the presidential suite."
0:37:29 > 0:37:32- Presidential suite? - Presidents stay there!
0:37:32 > 0:37:38The Blazer gets 14 miles a gallon. That's 42 miles, so we're going to be ten miles short.
0:37:38 > 0:37:43- And you all won't do any better. - The good news? It's downhill.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46- I got an idea. - Me too. Let's mount up.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49This'll work, this'll work.
0:37:49 > 0:37:51Seriously, it's downhill.
0:37:51 > 0:37:56'I knew the key to getting good gas mileage was smart driving technique.
0:37:56 > 0:38:00'As for the other two, God only knows what they'd come up with.'
0:38:05 > 0:38:08Those guys have completely trashed their trucks.
0:38:08 > 0:38:13- What in the hell have you done to your truck? - I've removed the excess weight.
0:38:13 > 0:38:18- You've removed the excess truck. - Yeah. It weighs nothing now.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21- You just want it to look like a Jeep.- I don't.
0:38:21 > 0:38:24- You've also got worse aerodynamics.- Way worse.
0:38:24 > 0:38:31- You've got a giant playhouse on your truck.- It's a boat tail.- Looks like an RV for homeless people.
0:38:31 > 0:38:38'Modelled after the back of a boat, my Blazer would cut through the wind like, well, a boat through water.'
0:38:38 > 0:38:44Look at this. I've got my safety flag for one. Look at this. It's so aerodynamic.
0:38:44 > 0:38:48You've added 300 pounds of duct tape! I had a nap. Ready for the drive?
0:38:48 > 0:38:53- You didn't do anything?- You've done nothing?- It's good the way it sits.
0:38:53 > 0:38:55Wow, this is not going to work!
0:38:56 > 0:39:00All right, fellas, first one there - the presidential suite!
0:39:00 > 0:39:02- Are you ready?- Yeah.- Go!
0:39:04 > 0:39:08- Where's he going? - Later! I got another plan.
0:39:08 > 0:39:11'We were off to a screaming start.'
0:39:11 > 0:39:13Whee!
0:39:13 > 0:39:17'I decided to use the Jeep for what it's best at - off-roading.'
0:39:21 > 0:39:26There's no way Adam's going to get to Vegas in that piece of crap.
0:39:26 > 0:39:29He'll blow a tyre, an engine, something.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32Hell, he might roll it.
0:39:34 > 0:39:37He came down the mountain?
0:39:37 > 0:39:41Tanner will drive too fast and run out of gas too quick,
0:39:41 > 0:39:44then me and the boat-tail Blazer come sailing through!
0:39:44 > 0:39:48We got a big downhill, fellas. See ya!
0:39:52 > 0:39:58'Adam rode his brakes, afraid that too much friction on his axle repair job would cause his tyre to blow
0:39:58 > 0:40:01'while we let gravity save gas.'
0:40:03 > 0:40:05Yeah, it's like a roller-coaster!
0:40:05 > 0:40:08Ohh! Can you go any faster?
0:40:08 > 0:40:13- The boat-tail's officially drafting! - Adam, can you still hear us?
0:40:15 > 0:40:18I just lost my hat!
0:40:18 > 0:40:23'20 minutes later, we had reached the bottom of the mountain.'
0:40:23 > 0:40:26- LOUD BANG - There it goes.
0:40:26 > 0:40:28Come on.
0:40:28 > 0:40:34'My tyre was shredded and to save weight, I had dumped the spare.'
0:40:34 > 0:40:36Oh, God!
0:40:36 > 0:40:40'The Bronco gave me everything it had, but OJ was finished.'
0:40:40 > 0:40:43I'm going to go back and get my hat!
0:40:45 > 0:40:49'With Adam's Bronco out again, it was back to Jeep versus Blazer.
0:40:49 > 0:40:53'My gas tank was almost empty, but then...' There it is.
0:40:53 > 0:40:56There's Vegas!
0:40:59 > 0:41:05'With 15 miles to the Trump Casino, I knew all I had to do to win was wait for Tanner and the Jeep
0:41:05 > 0:41:07'to get bored with hyper-miling.'
0:41:07 > 0:41:13- Why are you going at 40mph? This is killing me.- I went 400 miles off road. I won't lose the challenge now
0:41:13 > 0:41:16- The Blazer will win. - I'm out of here!
0:41:17 > 0:41:21- See ya!- All right, I hope you don't run out of gas!
0:41:23 > 0:41:25We're going for it now!
0:41:25 > 0:41:31This little Jeep is doing awesome, 65 miles an hour, humming along!
0:41:32 > 0:41:35You know, it's just like Tanner to take off.
0:41:35 > 0:41:37It's tortoise and the hare.
0:41:37 > 0:41:45Cars always get better gas mileage at slow speeds, so I think 45 is a good speed to run for this.
0:41:45 > 0:41:49This hyper-miling stuff is lame.
0:41:49 > 0:41:51Lame, lame, lame.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54- LOUD BANG - Uh-oh!
0:41:54 > 0:41:57The car's dying, the car's dying.
0:41:57 > 0:42:00Oh, I see it, I see the Trump!
0:42:00 > 0:42:04How did the needle get pegged so low, so fast?
0:42:04 > 0:42:09'Now on the Strip and only two miles away, I still had to conserve fuel.
0:42:12 > 0:42:16'Meanwhile Tanner's aggressive driving had cost him.'
0:42:16 > 0:42:18ENGINE SPLUTTERS
0:42:18 > 0:42:22What are those guys handing out? Are those trading cards?
0:42:22 > 0:42:26Easy on the throttle. Feather it, feather it.
0:42:26 > 0:42:28I can see it right there.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31That's it. We're ditching it.
0:42:31 > 0:42:33Oh, oh, it is spluttering.
0:42:34 > 0:42:36One more light. That's all I need.
0:42:37 > 0:42:39Oh, there it is!
0:42:40 > 0:42:43I'm at the drop-off.
0:42:43 > 0:42:46I made it, I made it, I made it, I made it!
0:42:46 > 0:42:48Hey, take care of this thing.
0:42:48 > 0:42:54- Last time I was here, somebody put a boat tail on it.- I'll take care of it.- Thank you. You're a good man.
0:42:58 > 0:43:00CHEERING That's right, that's right.
0:43:00 > 0:43:04Give it up for the Blazer, America's most awesome four by four!
0:43:04 > 0:43:07CHEERING
0:43:08 > 0:43:14It's not about "awesome". It's about "tough". That Bronco is still going after that beating.
0:43:14 > 0:43:16That thing is going nowhere.
0:43:16 > 0:43:21It was fast, it was like a red rocket flying through the air,
0:43:21 > 0:43:25but the Jeep towed the heaviest trailer through the desert.
0:43:25 > 0:43:29- It's the toughest.- It's allergic to beans, but it's pretty tough.
0:43:29 > 0:43:33Neither of them made it to the Trump Tower in Vegas
0:43:33 > 0:43:36which is what the challenge was. The Blazer did.
0:43:36 > 0:43:39End of story. I win. Thanks for watching!
0:43:39 > 0:43:41CHEERING