Disclaimer: See prologue

"Last time on the Ridonculous Race, there are plenty of fish in the sea, but not as ugly as the ones we saw last time. Devin's eye trouble gave his team a real disadvantage that actually worked out for them in the most grotesque way possible. While there was a Zip-It Ticket up for grabs, no one got it, and everyone had to head underground. Sadly, we had to say goodbye to the Best Friends, who are apparently now Daters. They're probably a better match-up than the show's first Daters. Who will get cut this week? Let's find out right here on… the Ridonculous Race!"

Don walked on-screen and said, "Welcome back to Vietnam, yesterday's Chill Zone and today's starting line. Only five teams remain," he held up five fingers as a visual aid, and then stepped aside. "For winning yesterday's leg, the Ice Dancers have first go at the Don Box." The Ice Dancers jogged up to the Don Box when Don mentioned them, posing with their arms up and their usual, creepy, fake smiles.

(Location confessional- Starting Line in front of ruins)

"If we get a chance to eliminate the Sisters or the Rockers," Jacques opened the confessional saying, "we'll take it."

"We'll gladly take a chance to eliminate the Fashion Bloggers too," Josee added. She clasped her hands together, and cradled her cheek against them. "Poor them, their alliance partners were eliminated yesterday. So sad. How will they ever complete the next leg without them?"

Jacques held up a finger to interject, "Of course, we believe they will self-destruct themselves so they are not high on the priority list."

"And if we get a chance to eliminate the Surfers? We'll make it look like an accident. Oopsies," Josee finished, smirking darkly.

"They have been too close to the Police Cadets for too long. We consider them a possible threat."

(Confessional- Speaking of Surfer Dudes)

The two boys chugged down a can of soda each, and the moment they removed the cans from their lips, Brody let out a moderately loud burp. Immediately after, Geoff full-on belched at an ever louder volume. When he was finished, the two boys looked at each other before breaking down into laughter.

(End confessional)

Jacques pressed down on the Don Box's button, and retrieved a tip, followed by the Sisters and the Rockers. Rock read out loud, "Catch a flight to Siberia."

The Siberian flag appeared as a background while a slideshow of the country's features were shown in tandem with Don's explanation.

"Siberia, this massive province of Russia is home to the Siberian tiger, Siberian husky, and probably anything else prefaced with the word Siberian." Video footage showed a Sasquatchinakwa-like creature with white fur, possibly a yeti, walking across a field of ice before inevitably falling through and into cold water. Don was then shown in a parka, walking on the sidewalk of an airport. "Teams will travel to this Russian airport, and find this Don Box to retrieve their next tip."

Emma raised her hand, and called for a taxi. Other panels showed a taxi stopping, a taxi door closing, and a taxi cruising off down the road.

"We can't fall behind," Emma declared, "I suggest we make an alliance. If there's anyone in this race that doesn't deserve to win, it's the Ice Dancers."

"Totally agree with you there," Kitty said, "so who do we align with?" A smile appeared on her face, "maybe the Rockers or the Fashion Bloggers?"

Emma shook her head, "Absolutely not. The Rockers are slow. You saw how they constantly placed in the bottom three teams in the first half of the race, and the Fashion Bloggers are too weak and too distracted trying to make sure they don't get their clothes dirty. Besides, both teams are caught up in relationship drama. We're too far in the race for that to be allowed to affect our gameplay."

Kitty raised an eyebrow, "So, what you're saying is we should align with the Surfer Dudes?"

Emma shrugged. "Hey, they're strong, and they don't have relationships to worry about. Geoff's got a girlfriend that's not here, and Brody doesn't have anyone. They'll be able to focus." After she finished, she turned to look out the window and see if she could spot the airport. Kitty rolled her eyes, and looked out her own window, watching the scenery.

In another taxi sat Tom and Jen.

"I can't believe that Carrie and Devin are gone. It's so weird not having them here," Jen admitted.

"Truth," Tom agreed while looking out the window before glancing at his partner, "but hey, we're still here, and the Rockers too. You still have a chance with Rock."

"Yeah, that's true," Jen conceded. After a few moments, she glanced at her partner. "You're okay with me liking Rock, right?"

Tom put a hand to his chest. "Trust, I have no problems with you liking another guy. We're just best friends and partners. Even if you like another guy, I promise that won't cause issues between us."

Jen smiled at him. "Okay, just wanted to make sure if you were okay with all this."

Tires squealed as the taxis arrived at the airport, and the teams burst out of their vehicles, running into the building.

"Let's go!" "Move it!"

"Is the gate still open? If we don't get on before it closes, the next flight won't be for another eight hours," Emma noted as the three teams ran onto their plane.

Josee smiled brightly as she mentioned, "if the other teams miss it, they'll be gone for sure!"

Rock glared at Josee. "Not really what some of us want, ya know!"

The three teams got their seats when the plane's intercom turned on. "Welcome uuuuuuuuhhhh aboard everyone uuuuuhhhh," the pilot droned out to Josee's ire.

The Fashion Bloggers and the Surfer Dudes arrived at the airport, and hurried inside, purchasing their tickets and making their way to the gate.

"We're going to be uuuuuhhhh closing the cabin doors uuuuuuhhhh any second uuuuuhhhh now for the taking off."

Josee clenched her eyes shut, and shouted, "Just close the doors already!"

As if the pilot had heard Josee, the door slammed shut, and Josee sighed in relief. Her relief was brief because as soon as she let out her breath, the Fashion Bloggers and the Surfer Dudes came past, jogging to their seats.

"Woohoo, we made it!" Geoff and Brody cheered.

"That was too close." Jen commented.

Everyone turned their heads as Josee let out a whine.

"All the teams are off, some happier than others," Don narrated as the indicated plane the teams were on flew on the world map.

(Location confessional- Ice Dancers' seats)

Josee hunkered down in her seat, scowling while Jacques read a magazine beside her. "Now we're all on the same flight, and it's all because of that pilot!"

Jacques glanced up from his magazine to look at her, and smirked, "Why? Just because he uuuuuhhhh talked uuuuhhhh-"

Annoyed with the joke before Jacques was even halfway through, Josee reached up and socked him in the face.

"Owww…"

(End confessional)

Geoff frowned at Brody while sitting in their seats. "Oh dude, I can't believe we're going to Siberia." He shuddered. "I've got bad feelings about that place."

Brody blinked in realization. "Oh yeah, I remember now. Didn't Bridgette get stuck there by some old lady?"

"Her name was Blaineley, and yeah, she did," Geoff confirmed. In a surprising act from Geoff, he actually sported an angry look on his face.

(Solo confessional- Geoff)

"Most of the time, I'm a cool dude," Geoff told the camera seriously while standing in the aisle, "I go with the flow. But what she did to Bridge, I can never forget or forgive. Bridge was stuck in a blizzard, and could've died. She's like my whole world, and I don't know what my life would be like without her in it. Miss you so much, babe!" He pointed to the camera.

(End confessional)

The plane landed, and all the teams hustled out of the airport in one big group.

Emma grabbed a tip, and her eyes bulged out upon reading it, "Whoa, we have to ice yacht to the Kora Bore hole-"

"-in our swimsuits." Tom continued.

"Yes! I look magnifique in my swimsuit." Jacques boasted, causing Josee to roll her eyes.

"What's an ice yacht?" Spud asked.

The scene flashed forward to Don walking up to some changing stalls, and next to the stalls were yachts with skis underneath sitting on a frozen lake. "Each team must take one of these ice yachts, and sail due north while wearing swimsuits. That's how the Russians used to sports to show how tough they were. Ow!" While explaining how the Russians did sports, Don was shown in an ice yacht in his speedo, and he posed with his arms until his yacht crashed into a giant rock. A flash transitioned to him back in his clothes at a drill next to a large, deep hole in the ground. "Teams will find their next tip here at the Kora Bore, where there are oddly no soft drinks for sale. This is also where teams will get their regular clothes back. Can I get a cream soda?" He finished, talking to the Don Box, and holding an ice pack to his head.

Jen raised a hand, and called out, "Taxi!"

Multiple taxis stopped, and all five teams got in one. The taxis raced to the teams' next destination, and all arrived at the same time. The teams rushed to the stalls, each team claiming one of the available five. Teams threw off their clothes, and changed into their swimwear.

Geoff and Brody, having the least amount of clothes to take off and the easiest, were the first team to get fully changed and claim an ice yacht. They set sail with Geoff at the controls, and Brody watching ahead like a captain at sea.

The first team members of the remaining four were changed, and their teeth chattered as they waited in the cold, Siberian air in their swimwear for their partners.

Rock stood next to the stall on the far end in his swim shorts, and demanded, "Come on, Spud! It's freezing out here, and the Surfer Dudes have already left!"

"Dude, it's not that bad," Spud replied calmly as he stepped out of the stall in his own shorts. After a moment, his pupils shrank, and he quickly crossed his arms. "Okay, now I feel it."

Without warning, Josee quickly came up behind Spud and shoved him with one arm. Spud screamed, and crashed somewhere off-screen. Rock glanced at Spud, and then turned his attention to Josee, giving her the stink eye.

"Sorry about that, it's slippery out here." She apologized with an unsympathetic tone, and walked away.

(Confessional- Josee in a swimsuit is still evil)

Josee and Jacques sat in the confessional booth in their regular clothes.

Josee smirked as she proclaimed, "Saw the Rockers, saw where they were standing, just took the opportunity while I had it. A little nudge into last place will help them."

Jacques giggled, and gave an evil grin to the camera. "I love it when you talk evil."

(End confessional)

"Spud, come on, dude! You've got to get up!" Rock attempted to pull his partner to his feet, but Spud's tongue was stuck to a metal trash can, and the trash can's weight prevented Spud from getting up.

"Uhm, dudth, I thinth my tung is stuth." Spud tried to say, attempting to separate his tongue from the metal object.

Meanwhile, the other teams got their yachts out on the ice, and were racing across to the hole. Geoff and Brody were in the lead, followed by the Sisters.

"Just because they're our most desirable alliance partners, doesn't mean we can't try and pass them." Emma told her sister, attempting to pass them.

While the two teams glided across the ice, they passed the yeti fishing in a hole carved through the ice, and the Surfer Dudes' mast accidentally caught the yeti's fishing hook. The yeti, still holding onto his fishing rod, got dragged along.

Brody looked back, and pointed him out to Geoff. "Hey dude, look! That yeti guy's frozen water-skiing."

The yeti howled in fright at his unexpected situation. He was so terrified that he didn't see the incoming rock in his path, and his big feet merely flew right up and off of it. The action made him lose grip of his fishing rod, and he was sent flying through the air. The next thing anyone knew, he was clinging to the top of the Sisters' mast.

The Sisters looked up, and then at each other.

Emma held a hand out to Kitty and asked, "You want to take this one?"

(Confessional- who wants to ice yacht with a yeti?)

Kitty smiled as she explained to the camera, "Turns out that the yeti was actually really nice," she held up her phone, "and I got his username so we can play games online together!"

Emma peered at her sister skeptically. "Do I even want to know how a yeti has a game system, or Internet service?"

(End confessional)

"Thanks a lot!" Kitty waved to the yeti as he gave the Sisters' yacht a push, and he returned the wave once his hands were free.

Back at the beginning end of the lake, Jacques stood in a yacht while Josee was kneeling down and doing something in it. He frowned concernedly at his partner. "Josee, what are you doing?"

Josee put a finger to his lips, and shushed him. "Let's just say the Rockers can't catch a break." She held up a screw, and smirked evilly.

"I don't get it." Jacques furrowed his brow in confusion.

At that, Josee scowled at him. "I think you have a screw loose. Come on, let's get another boat."

"Hey," Jen called them out, surprising them with the fact that she and Tom were standing right next to their yacht. "What do you think you're doing?"

"It's none of your business," Josee snapped, shoving the screw into Jen's hands and walking to another yacht. "Let's go, Jacques!" Jacques followed.

Back near the stalls, Rock hollered at the Ice Dancers indignantly, "Hey! You can't just shove Spud into a garbage can like this, and take off!"

On a yacht, Josee and Jacques were already on their way. Jacques smiled at his partner. "Did you hear something?"

"No, I did not." Josee replied happily.

"Get back here! Augh! I hope you get a penalty!" Rock shouted, and got to helping Spud to his feet.

Still at the remaining two yachts, Tom and Jen exchanged a look.

"We should help them. If they do go home today, it shouldn't because of something like that." Tom decided, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder at them.

Jen nodded, "Totally. Here," she handed the screw to Tom, "you try and get this back in where it's supposed to go. I'll help Rock get Spud."

"You just want to be near Rock while he's shirtless," Tom teased.

"Okay, maybe that's part of the reason." Jen giggled, and then went to help Rock and Spud.

The Surfer Dudes and the Sisters competed for first.

"Um, dude, I don't think they want us to pass them." Brody mentioned to Geoff.

On the Sisters' yacht, Emma remarked, "We are not going to let them pass us."

(Confessional- Not ice, Emma. Get it?)

"Why don't we ask them about the alliance? I mean, it is just the four of us right now." Kitty reasoned.

Emma held up a finger matter-of-factly. "First of all, we can't get distracted while steering an ice yacht. Second, while we're on that thing, we pretty much have to yell to each other, and that is not a good idea. The Ice Dancers might overhear, and then we'll be their biggest targets."

Kitty put her hands on her hips. "Aren't we already their biggest targets? You did fight with Josee a lot yesterday."

"Are you saying that our position is my fault?" Emma remarked.

(End confessional)

Geoff's teeth chattered, and he wrapped his free arm around his body. "Okay, I know I could stand being in the cold shirtless while we were at the Arctic Circle, but I'm getting kinda chilly here, bro. I really should've taken Bridgette up on that wetsuit."

"Maybe it's just the wind, dude. Wind can be harsh." Brody pointed out.

Geoff shrugged. "Could be."

Back at the changing station, Tom finished putting the screw in where Josee had took it out.

"Done!" He called out, and stood up. He looked back at Rock, Jen, and Spud, and threw them an odd look. "What are you doing?"

"We don't have water," Jen grunted as she and Rock helped Spud lift the heavy trash can into a yacht, "we don't have time to get some either, so Spud's just going to have to carry this with him."

"We better hurry too," Rock glanced out at the frozen lake, "The Ice Dancers are over halfway across, and the other teams are almost across completely."

Kitty stood up, and pointed at something. "There's the hole! Brake!"

Emma pulled the lever in their yacht back, but it wouldn't budge. "Help me, it's frozen!" Kitty hurried over to her sister, and helped throw the lever in reverse. To their dismay, their yacht kept sliding forward.

"We're going to fall in!" Kitty panicked, and the Sisters screamed as their yacht slid closer and closer to the hole. It slowed down to a complete stop, and halted just as the front tip dipped into the hole. Once the yacht stopped, Kitty felt safe enough to cheer. "Woohoo! First place, and we're not frozen to death!"

The Sisters quickly got changed, and put on headsets and clothes similar to the ones from when the teams were at the Arctic Circle. They pressed the button on the Don Box, and Kitty read the tip. "Who's ready to go deep? Uh oh." Her and her sister's eyebrows shot up.

The scene switched to Don, who walked over to the hole from the other side. "After losing the race to the moon," the host began to explain, "Russia decided to try and win a race to the middle of the Earth. They stopped drilling at the seven mile mark when they realized no one else was even going to try. Today, one team member will have to lower their harnessed partner down to the bottom, and find a ball before they are cranked all the way back up by their partner. Once they're back up, it's a foot race to the Chill Zone, located at this Russian steam bath. The last team to arrive with a ball in hand may be eliminated. I hope the teams take their time because I look forward to a rejuvenating caviar body scrub." Don wore a modest towel in the steam bath, and was approached by a man with a broom and a bucket full of caviar.

Geoff, still slightly chilly, and Brody relaxed as they glided along the ice.

"Dude, this is the smoothest ride I think we've ever been on." Geoff said to Brody.

Brody agreed, "Totally, who knew ice was, like, so smooth." He accentuated his point by making a hand motion of a smooth slide.

As the boys relaxed, they barely noticed Josee and Jacques passing them.

"Yes! Second place!" Jacques cheered, actually reacting positively to second place for once.

"And the Rockers will come in last, and be eliminated," Josee added smugly, "I bet they're just in a panic right now."

In the Rockers' yacht, Rock sat in front while Spud sat at the controls with the trash can between them and his tongue still stuck to it. Rock looked ahead at the other teams.

"This garbage can is slowing us down; we gotta get that thing unstuck, man!" Rock declared, and turned to Spud. He gathered up some spit, and spat it out onto Spud's tongue. The moisture landed right next to where Spud's tongue was stuck, and the moisture allowed it to separate. Spud pulled his tongue off, and per usual for Spud, didn't even react to the pain. "Awesome! It worked!"

"It did? Cool, let's dump this thing then!" Spud grinned, and grabbed the can. Without a second thought, he threw it out of the yacht.

Unfortunately for somebody, the trash can fell right on top of the yeti, who had gone back to fishing. The moment the can landed over his head, the hairy creature dropped his rod, and began to flail his arms and roar.

At the hole, Kitty was harnessed up, and she was pretty hesitant about what she was about to do.

"Seven miles down?" She griped. "Okay… will there still be air?"

Emma shrugged, "No idea. I want a job someday so I'm studying law, not science."

As soon as she finished her sentence, the Ice Dancers leaped onto the scene in their clothes, along with the headset and underclothes that Emma and Kitty were also wearing. They blew kisses to the cameras.

"Ugh, quit it with that move already." Kitty complained to them.

"Yeah, we get it. You're Ice Dancers." Emma quipped, cranking her sister down into the hole.

"Newsflash, no one cares." Kitty finished as her sister lowered her down.

(Confessional- Ice Dancers just got told)

Jacques and Josee smirked evilly in the confessional booth.

Josee stated, "I'm going to make sure she doesn't come out of that hole."

"Good," Jacques said.

(End confessional)

Jacques held a harness in his hands, and attempted to reason with his partner.

He arched an eyebrow as he held out the harness to Josee, "You know you need to put this on."

Josee gasped at him, "but you know I don't do well in tight spaces."

"But cranking requires upper body strength," Jacques argued, "you would never get me back to the top."

"But-"

"If you get claustrophobic, I promise to pull you back up," he told her seriously.

A short time later, Jacques was at the crank, and Josee was in the harness. Jacques began to lower her down, but she quickly called out, "Pull me back up!" He did as she asked, and jerked her back up to the starting position. Josee inhaled, and then gave her partner a smile. "I'm sorry, that was silly. Go." Jacques began to crank again. "Back up! Back up!" She was instantly pulled back up, and began to pant. "Okay, I can do this. Go!" Josee began her descent again.

(Solo confessional- Jacques)

Jacques continued to crank as he made his confessional, smiling the whole time.

"You know, at least all this cranking her up and down is keeping me warm-"

"Pull me back up! Pull me back up!" Josee screamed, and he started to crank her back up with a concerned look of panic on his face.

(End confessional)

Down in the hole, Kitty's boots touched solid ground.

Kitty shined her helmet around the cavern, and some creatures hiding in the darkness retreated from the light. Not noticing anything, Kitty smiled. "Oh, Emma, it's nice and warm down here."

"Well, not up here." Her sister retorted through their headsets, "So find a ball."

The younger sister glanced around, and quickly found one of the red balls placed around the cavern. She went over, and picked it up. "I found one! Lift me up!" She started to lift off the ground, and make her way back up through the tunnel.

"The Sisters secure their first place position while three of our teams are still making their way across the ice," Don narrated.

Geoff and Brody finally were within range of their destination. Brody pointed it out to his partner. "There's the hole! Hit the brake, dude!"

Geoff shot a pointer finger at his friend. "You got it." He took the comment too literally, and accidentally hit the brake, snapping it in half. "Uh oh…"

The Surfer Dudes embraced each other, and began to scream in terror.

At the hole, Jacques continued to crank when he heard a crash. He looked up, and saw that the Surfer Dudes had crashed into his and Josee's changing stall. The male Ice Dancer gasped, "My bathing suit!" Abandoning his post, he ran off.

"Jacques!" Josee screeched as she plummeted down the hole.

Swiftly, Jacques returned in moments, grabbing the handle of the crank to stop it from allowing Josee to fall anymore while his other hand held his speedo. "Oops," he squeaked under his breath.

Josee noticed that she had stopped falling, and exhaled in relief. "I'm okay," she cried out in happiness, but only for a moment before she started to panic, "No, I'm not! Pull me up!" Struggling to get back to the surface, she flailed her arms in hopes of it doing something.

"Wait, wait, mon petit chou! The Surfer Dudes have just arrived, and Kitty's on her way back up," Jacques informed her, "you need to focus. Breathe, and now imagine doing something you love."

The female Ice Dancer did as her partner advised, and calmed down enough to spot a light below her gradually getting brighter and brighter, giving her an idea. She smirked as she asked her partner, "You know what I love?"

"Dancing like the wind across the ice?" Jacques' voice crackled over the headset.

"No, messing with other teams! Lower me down!" Confident, she started to descend again.

Back in their regular clothes, Geoff and Brody attempted to figure out who should go down and who should crank.

"I should crank; you steered us. You deserve a break, dude." Brody told Geoff.

"Nah, I'll be fine," Geoff assured him, "maybe cranking will keep me warm?"

A smile appeared on Brody's face immediately afterwards. "Ooh, I've got an idea. Let's flip your hat for it. Top up, I crank, and bottom up, you crank!"

Geoff grinned at his partner. "Great idea, bro!" Taking off his hat, Geoff tossed it in the air with a flick of his wrist. The two boys watched as the hat floated back down to their feet. The top was up. "Top, you crank!"

"Wicked! Hook up that harness!"

(Location confessional- next to the hole)

"Brody's got tons of great ideas!" Geoff stated while standing off to the side of what would be Brody's cranking station. "This one time when we were kids, we wanted to know if a kid could fit into a kangaroo's pouch like in cartoons. The next time we went to the zoo, Brody snuck into the kangaroo exhibit, and crawled right into a kangaroo's pouch. He managed to last one whole minute in it before the kangaroo threw him out. Brody's still banned from the zoo after that, but hey, at least we know a kid can fit into the pouch of a kangaroo."

(End confessional)

At some point down the line, Josee and Kitty met up.

"Hey, are the balls in plain sight, or are they hard to find?" Josee asked in a seemingly innocent way. Kitty, however, remained skeptical due to past experiences with her.

"What are you-?" Kitty tried to ask, but was caught off-guard by Josee punching out her headlight and stealing her ball. "Ah!"

Josee gave her a smirk as she commanded, "Up, Jacques, up!" She was quickly reeled upward.

Kitty shook her gloved fist at the female Ice Dancer. "Get back here! That's not fair!"

"Newsflash- no one cares!" Josee retorted, throwing Kitty's earlier phrase right back in her face.

Up on the surface, Emma heard her sister through her headset. "Our ball! Josee took our ball!"

As if right on cue, Josee hopped out of the hole, and Emma glared at her, momentarily letting go of the crank holding her sister up. "Cheaters," she spat, "you guys are filthy cheaters!"

(Confessional- Not cool of Ice Dancers, nope)

Josee put her face in her hands, and fake cried, "Boohoo. I'm gonna cry right into my bag of one million dollars."

"You know, she was saying cheaters, but all I could hear was winners." Jacques interjected, smiling widely.

(Confessional- Sisters are right to be angry)

"The second best thing to winning would be watching the Ice Dancers get eliminated," Kitty noted in the confessional booth when the confessional switched teams.

"And if we can assist with that in any way, we will." Emma agreed.

(End confessional)

Since they had no ball, the Sisters were forced to make a second go into the hole. On the way back down, Kitty told her sister, "She smashed my light. I can't see anything."

"You'll just have to feel around until you find one," Emma declared, "we still have a chance, Kit. The Fashion Bloggers and the Rockers aren't even here yet." Her news made Kitty crack a smile.

"Like taking candy from a baby you hate," Josee commented while throwing off her headlamp.

Emma's positivity diminished at the remark, and she returned to glaring at the Ice Dancers. "Someday, you'll get what you deserve," she snapped.

"If you mean victory, then that day is today." Josee then walked off with Jacques and the ball smugly.

"Emma, I'm at the bottom." Kitty radioed in.

Emma immediately let go of the crank, and began to rub at her arms. "Good, my arms are killing me."

Kitty was on her hands and knees, crawling around and feeling for a ball. "Okay, feeling around, but it's super spooky, and I'm getting a little freaked out down here." She said uneasily.

The Ice Dancers leaped onto the Carpet of Completion, and looked around.

"Don?" Jacques called out.

"Hi, guys," Don walked in while still wearing nothing but the towel, "bad news for you, because you didn't go to the bottom of the Bore hole to collect the ball as the tip instructed, you're getting a thirty minute penalty." The timer put thirty minutes on the clock.

"Seriously? That is so unfair!" Josee complained.

"Considering you're terrible people who've gotten more penalties than all the other teams combined, I think you're getting off quite easy. Over there, please." He gestured to one of the steam bath benches.

The Ice Dancers took their seats, and Jacques remarked, "You know, I'm not worried. We'll still be in first place when the penalty is up."

Josee bobbed her head in agreement, "True."

"And since when is a thirty minute steam bath a penalty?" Jacques finished right as he and Josee leaned back to relax.

Rock and Spud continued to slide across the ice.

"Aw," Rock griped, "if we don't speed this thing up, we're definitely toast. Show over, man!" He raised his arms in despair.

Spud raised a finger to interject. "I think I have an idea. You have your lighter on you?"

Rock looked at his partner in confusion. "Uh, yeah? I brought it in case we needed to keep warm." He reached into a pocket on his swim shorts, and pulled out the small, silver case.

"Give it here." Spud motioned for him to hand it over. Rock gave it to him, and he stood up with it in hand. "You might want to hang onto something." He flipped the lid open, ignited a spark, and bent over. He positioned the lighter in front of his butt, and farted on command.

The reaction was instant. The background music vamped up, and the Rockers sped forward. Rock's jaw dropped at how fast they were going, and Spud kept on farting.

Tom and Jen were moving along at their own pace when the Rockers whizzed by them, causing their mouths to gape open in shock.

"There's the hole!" Rock pointed forward. "You can stop!"

Spud stopped farting, and lowered the lighter, turning it off. He smiled as Rock pushed the lever into brake mode. "Told you it'd work."

Rock looked over his shoulder, and panicked.

"We're not going to slow down in time! We're going to have to abandon yacht! Watch out!" He hollered, causing the racers at the cranking station to gasp. Rock grabbed Spud's arm, and yelled, "Jump!" Right as the yacht left the ice and zoomed across ground, the Rockers jumped off, landing right next to the hole. The yacht crashed off-screen.

After a moment of looking at the yacht in silence, Spud broke it with one of his delayed reactions. "Whoohoo! What a trip!" He shouted excitedly, pumping both fists in the air.

"Whoa." Brody and Emma both breathed softly.

The Fashion Bloggers pulled up moments afterward.

"Is everybody okay?" Tom asked.

Geoff and Kitty searched around the cavern, and Kitty eventually stood up to face Geoff.

"Geoff, I know we're on different teams, but could you help me?"

"Sure, dudette, I'd be happy to."

"Oh, thank goodness." Kitty sighed in relief. "See, I found a ball earlier, and I was on my way back up when Josee met me halfway, and she stole my ball and-"

Geoff held up a hand to stop her from speaking further. "Say no more. Hm, there's gotta be a couple around here somewhere." He shined his headlamp around, and found a ball on a nearby ledge. "There's one." He snatched it from its place, and walked over to hand it to her. "There you go, now you can head back up."

"Thanks so much," Kitty smiled, "I definitely owe you one. Emma, I've got a ball. Pull me up."

"Roger!" Emma's voice crackled over the headset, and Kitty began to ascend.

"Good luck!" Kitty told Geoff.

"Thanks," Geoff started to look around again, "now where's another ball?"

Up on the surface, Rock worked on fastening a harness around his torso while explaining to Spud, "You have more muscle than I do. You lower me down. Don't pull me back up until I have a ball. Got it?"

"Sure, sounds easy." Spud shrugged.

A few feet over, Jen was wrinkling her nose in disgust. "Ugh, harnesses are not my style, but I guess it's the only way to get down there."

"Looks like it." Tom nodded.

Kitty came up out of the hole, and cheered, "Alright!"

Down in the hole, Geoff continued to search. "Ball, ball, ball." He muttered to himself.

At the steam bath, there were ten seconds left on the clock, and the Ice Dancers were still enjoying themselves. They heard rapid footsteps, and opened their eyes to see Emma and Kitty dashing past their seats to the carpet.

"Sisters, first place," Don announced, "and just five seconds before the Ice Dancers' penalty ends. I guess cheating doesn't pay."

"You're right, Don." Emma smiled at her sister and Don before she and Kitty smirked at the Ice Dancers. "Cheating doesn't pay. At all."

In their seats, the Ice Dancers fumed silently even as the buzzer indicated their penalty was over.

(Confessional- Satisfying?)

Emma and Kitty smiled at each other in the confessional booth.

"That felt so good. That'll teach them to mess with us," Emma said.

"I hear that. Victory selfie!" Kitty took out her phone, and the Sisters leaned together, Kitty's phone clicking as a flash went off.

(End confessional)

The Sisters gladly left the Carpet of Completion, and the Ice Dancers took their place.

"Ice Dancers, second place!" Don declared, and then they walked away.

"Need- to throw- something," Josee stated, her eye twitching.

Meanwhile, back at the challenge site, Rock and Jen descended into the hole.

"So, uh, I guess it's just us down here." Rock stated, making small conversation.

"Not quite, I think Geoff's down here too." Jen replied, looking downward.

"Not for long!" Geoff's voice rang out. To the surprise of both, Geoff came up rapidly with a red ball in hand. "Later, dudes!"

Jen blushed at Geoff's quick intrusion and exit, and giggled sheepishly. "Okay, maybe now it's just us."

Up at the surface, Spud, Tom, and Brody grunted as they cranked the levers that lowered their teammates down into the hole.

"Have you noticed- something going on- between our teammates?" Tom asked between thrusts.

"Yeah, I know- about them- but Rock said- not to say- anything." Spud answered in the same fashion.

"Augh! Spud!" Rock's voice shouted exasperatedly over his headset. "You're not telling Tom about the thing, are you?"

"No, I didn't- say anything- yet."

"Okay, good, make sure you keep it that way. The thing is something I have to reveal myself. Don't say anything, dude."

"I won't- Just relax- and say something- when you're ready." Spud replied.

Geoff finally emerged from the hole, and whooped, "Yahoo! Let's jet, bro!"

(Location confessional- near the hole)

Spud, without his headset on, stood off to the side of the hole, making it unclear if he was doing the confessional while the challenge was going on, or if he was doing it later.

"Rock should stop treating his thing about Jen like it's some big secret. He could easily tell her how he feels like right now. They're the only two people down at the bottom of this hole." Spud pointed out, pointing at the hole for emphasis. He looked at the hole, and then peered down into it. "Just how far down does this thing go? All the way to China?"

(End confessional)

Rock and Jen entered the cavern, and touched the floor.

"Okay, Spud, I'm at the bottom. You can stop." Rock told his partner.

"I'm at the bottom too, Tom. Take a rest. I'll find us a ball." Jen informed.

"Well, make it quick. It's probably totes creepy down there." Tom responded.

Jen looked around, her headlamp lighting up the area she focused on. "Totes creepy is right. I think I hear some kind of rats."

"Which side of the cave do you want to check?" Rock questioned her.

Jen hummed in thought, and pointed past Rock. "I'll look over there."

"I'll look over there then." Rock gestured past her, and they passed each other.

At the steam bath, Geoff and Brody arrived with their ball in hand.

"Third place to the Surfer Dudes!" Don exclaimed.

"Third out of five, not bad." Brody smiled at Geoff, and they did their signature fist bump.

Don watched them jog past him, and turned to the camera. "It's down to our final two teams, and the race for not last is heating up. At least, I hope so."

"I've been down here for ten minutes, and I still haven't found a ball. Spud, it's getting so awkward down here!" Rock hissed into his headset while searching for a ball.

"If it's getting awkward, maybe that's a sign that you should say something." Spud advised.

"I don't know. You think so? Jen's different from the girls we went to high school with. I don't want to mess this up." Rock whispered, glancing over his shoulder at Jen, who was still looking for a ball.

"Dude, this is the perfect time to tell her. It's just you and her down there. No one else is watching. Make your move." Spud reiterated, and Rock's face became thoughtful.

On the other side of the cave, Jen was doing the same thing as Rock. "What if he's not into me like I am to him? What if I'm not his type?" She posed her questions to Tom.

"You can do this, Jen. It's just you and him down there. No one else is watching. Make your move." Tom urged her. Jen bit her lip, and peered over her shoulder. Unknown to her, Rock was looking her way and quickly turned his head around when he noticed her head moving in his direction. Jen turned away, and inhaled a breath.

Rock exhaled a breath. He got up, and turned around.

Jen got up, and turned around.

Both opened their mouths, and said, "Rock/Jen, there's something I need to tell you. Tell me? Hahahaha!" They both laughed.

The laughter faded, and Rock rubbed the back of his neck embarrassingly. "You go first. Ladies first, and all that."

"Sure, what I wanted to tell you was… I like you. I really like you." Jen admitted.

Rock's eyebrows shot up. "You do?"

"Yeah, I like you a lot, and I wanted to know if you were interested in me. Are you?"

"Um, yeah!" Rock answered, as if her question was obvious, which it was, and smiled wide. "Jen, you have no idea how long I've been wanting to tell you. I've been waiting for the right moment for like ever!"

"Really?"

"Really. I was just so nervous that you weren't into guys like me. I mean, I live in my parents' basement, my band doesn't have a record deal yet, and if you haven't noticed, I can be a bit loud. But, a friend told me that stuff like that doesn't matter to you." Rock rambled.

"I heard something like that." Jen smirked. "I think we have the same friend, and for the record, it's true. Stuff like you just told me doesn't matter, as long as you're nice, funny, and cute."

"Oh! Good to know." He smiled at her. "I don't know if our friend told you, but I think you're cute, smart, and awesome."

"Aw, stop." Jen blushed, waving her hand at him.

Rock took a step forward. "I will, but not yet. Jen, I know we're in a race and everything, but maybe after this race is over. Would you, maybe, want to go out?"

Jen stared at him in surprise. Rock gazed at her, waiting for an answer, and she gazed back.

Up on the surface, both Spud and Tom anticipated the answer, Tom possibly sweating anxiously.

Jen stared at him for another moment before nodding. "I'd like that."

"Yes!" Rock pumped his fist. "She said yes!" He wrapped his arms around her, and hugged, swinging her around.

"Rock, put me down!" She giggled.

Tom squealed. "She said yes!"

"High five?" Spud held up a hand.

"Yes!" Tom grinned at him, and eagerly slapped it.

Spud cheered, "Victory riff!" He lowered his hands, and started to play an air guitar in celebration.

Rock put Jen down, and he looked her in the eye with confidence. "Let's find those balls."

They split up, and quickly found two balls. Rock found his wedged behind a boulder, and Jen found hers on a short ledge.

"Pull me up!" They told their partners simultaneously, and their partners obeyed.

A flash forward had all four of them running through the Siberian landscape.

Don tapped his foot patiently.

The quartet's feet left footprints in the snow behind them.

Don fiddled with the towel around his waist.

Jen shared a glance with Tom then Rock, and after sharing a gaze with Jen, Rock shared a look with Spud.

Don looked off-screen expectantly.

…

…

…

Both teams arrived on the carpet at the exact same time.

"Ooh, both teams arrived at the exact same time!" Don noted. "That's going to make this elimination tough." He raised a knowing eyebrow at them, causing both teams to panic. Looking at the four with that expression, Don broke it a few seconds later. "Just kidding. This leg was a non-elimination round. Both teams get to stay." The four broke into cheers, and the Fashion Bloggers shared a hug while the Rockers did a victory riff. Don turned away from them, and focused on the camera. "An exciting leg this was. Will the next leg be just as exciting, or even more so? Find out next time on… the Ridonculous Race!"

Current Rankings:

1st: Emma and Kitty- Sisters

2nd: Josee and Jacques- Ice Dancers

3rd: Geoff and Brody- Surfer Dudes

4th: Tom and Jen- Fashion Bloggers

4th: Rock and Spud- Rockers

Eliminated:

6th: Carrie and Devin- Best Friends

7th: Crimson and Ennui- Goths

8th: Sanders and MacArthur- Police Cadets

9th: Chet and Lorenzo- Stepbrothers

10th: Noah and Owen- Reality TV Pros

11th: Dwayne and Junior- Father & Son

12th: Kelly and Taylor- Mother & Daughter

13th: Mickey and Jay- Adversity Twins

14th: Stephanie and Ryan- Daters

15th: Laurie and Miles- Vegans

16th: Ellody and Mary- Geniuses

17th: Gerry and Pete- Tennis Rivals

18th: Leonard and Tammy- LARPers

And so Rock and Jen have officially gotten together. But unlike Carrie and Devin, getting together doesn't mean the end for their run in the race. There is still plot ahead. And since I don't like to give the Ice Dancers opportunities to gloat, they lost this round to the Sisters. Really, they shouldn't have won this leg in canon. That steam bath should've been reward enough.

This is, unfortunately, the furthest I've gotten in writing this story. The India episode has been half-complete for the last couple years. I honestly don't know if I'll get back to it. It is nice to know that people are still interested in it, and thank you very much to Piecesxoxo for being my 100th review on this story. It's a such a wonderful milestone to reach for any story I write.

Review in the box below, and tell me what you think of the chapter. Reviews are awesome!