The Great American Road Trip: Dead Opossums, Bison Poo And Silvio's An Idiot
Recap by RTVC Staff Writer Logan Huffman
July 24, 2009
Previously on ‘The Great American Road Trip’, the families continued their adventure, heading to Branson, Missouri, where they had to perform a skit in front of famous judges. The Cootes, the Pollards, and the Ricos ended up in the top three, with the Pollards winning the challenge.
Despite the Favereys, the DiSalvatores, and the Montgomerys being in the bottom three, a twist in the game meant their would be no elimination this week. Instead, the top three families competed for a trip to Hollywood, and the Cootes won the trip, extending their challenge wins in the process. Who will be eliminated next?
The episode begins back in Carthage, Missouri, as Dee Faverey tells us that last night was exciting, as no tears were shed and no family went home, but someone has to go, and she doesn’t want it to be them. The families get their RVs ready to hit the road again. Amie Pollard reads that they are headed for their third state, Kansas. Silvio DiSalvatore says that Italians don’t go to Kansas because they have falling houses that land on people.
Reno explains that the families are headed to Independence, Kansas, where Laura Ingalls is from and where Little House on the Prairie originated. Ricky Rico asks who Laura Ingalls is, and Ricardo explains that she was a little girl in the 1800s, and it was about her family.
The families continue driving towards Kansas, as Anslie tells her dad to continue following Route 66 as it zig-zags a little. When she asks him what she just said, he says he has no clue.
The families begin singing Kansas’ state anthem ‘Home on the Range’. Amy DiSalvatore sings first, and she is honestly one of the worst singers I have ever heard. I think William Hung may be better. The Ricos sing the song, but when Keith Coote prepares to sing, no one else on his RV responds.
In the Pollard RV, Anslie asks her mom about the Little House on the Prairie, asking if it’s a farm thing. Amie asks Anslie if she’s ever heard anybody turn off the lights at night and say, “Good night, John Boy!”. She adds that’s what they used to say on Little House on the Prairie. I am laughing hysterically. We all know that wasn’t from Little House on the Prairie. It was from ‘The Waltons’. I know that, and I never watched either show!
Amie asks Ron if someone on Little House on the Prairie was named John Boy. Ron says no, and Anslie starts laughing. Ron tells her that John Boy was on ‘The Waltons’. Amie says, “Well, ‘The Waltons’ was a lot like ‘Little House on the Prairie’, wasn’t it?” She gets no response. I think we all know why.
The families finally cross the Kansas state line, as Jennifer Coote says that she thinks there were 200 tornados last year. Cassidy asks what if a tornado just sucked up a house. Meanwhile, Silvio is enjoying the scenery of houses which appear to have been hit by tornados. Amy tells him to make a left, but he’s too busy looking at the house. She yells when he almost hits a mailbox, but he claims to have seen it. Silvio tells Amy that she is making him violently ill. I think Silvio makes most of America feel violently ill.
On the Rico bus, Erica says that Laura Ingalls got a job when she was fifteen to help her family. Ricardo says that she was a good girl, and Erica asks their daughter Danielle what she has done. She looks sleepy and disinterested, as she tells us that they have it way easier than the settlers. Danielle says that she’s done so much, she can’t even think right now. Erica asks her for examples, but she doesn’t have any.
Over in the Faverey RV, Dee says that she is so excited to see the house, which will allow her to really see the person. Her daughter is confused now, and asks if the Ingalls family is still alive. Dee says no, because it happened in the 1800s. Things finally click for Ashley as she sadly realizes that the Ingalls are dead. I don’t even know what to say.
Silvio always wanted to see Kansas and he’s finally there, as he adds that he always wondered about a prairie from the song ‘God Bless America’, and he is finally getting to see one.
The Pollards arrive first, as Amie tells us that she doesn’t think Aaron and Anslie would survive on the prairie. Amie tells her kids to pay close attention as each of the settlers are pulling their weight, as we see one cooking. Aaron tells his mom that she needs to pay attention, as she doesn’t cook. Amie tells us that her kids are spoiled rotten, as we see her offer to go out and kill a opossum with the settlers. Amie tells us that the Little House on the Prairie was more detailed than she expected, but she stops her thought as she hears a gunshot, and tells us that someone just killed another opossum.
Amy DiSalvatore is unfortunately still singing ‘Home on the Range’ as her family arrives at the house, as one of the settlers learns they are from New York. He notes that he’s been reading about the Brooklyn Bridge they are building in the paper, but Silvio quickly says that they don’t go to Brooklyn; they’re from the Bronx.
Blake is grossed out by the fact they are cooking raccoon soup, and says that he’s never seen a raccoon during the daytime, as they are usually in garbage cans in New York, and he adds that he really has never seen a raccoon on someone’s head. The one settler dug a well all by himself, and he wants Silvio’s help in digging an outhouse. The kids tell him that Amy does everything, as Silvio says that he needs to tell Mr. Ingalls to teach his wife to dig the well.
The families are now headed for the Red Buffalo Ranch in Sedan, Kansas. Dee Faverey reads that they will be staying there over night, as Lenny reveals that he stayed at a farm in Louisiana once…with the family of the girl he almost married! Dee doesn’t want to hear about his exes. He says that he didn’t want to get stuck on a farm milking cows and doing hay stuff.
Amy and Silvio begin arguing, as Amy notes that the RV says low fuel, but Silvio just calls her a liar and refuses to look, saying that they will crash it he looks down. He also says that if they run out of fuel, he will put the RV in neutral, and she can get out and push it. He is an obnoxious ass.
He goes on about how Amy has to obsess over something, so she has chosen to obsess over fuel now. He’s an idiot. She sees a gas sign, but he won’t stop, instead telling her to jump out and get it. Mason sides with his mom and tells his dad to push the RV if they run out of gas. Amy says that no matter whether they run out of gas or not, he will blame her. Silvio finally looks and sees the low fuel warning, and tells Amy that they need to get gas. Oh my God. I can’t take it.
The Ricos are enjoying the sights and scenery of Kansas, as Ricardo tells us that his family’s goal is to just keep on trucking and going at the rate they’ve been going; they just don’t want to end up in the bottom three, and he thinks they’ve been doing good so far.
The families arrive at the ranch and are welcomed by Reno. Reno tells them that they will be having a cookout later, as he begins demonstrating on a grill how he cooks a burger.
Reno explains that this is the families’ next challenge. The dads will have 30 minutes to cook up a batch of burgers and dress them, and then the families will taste the burgers and judge them in a blind taste test. The top rated family will win a Weber grill, while the bottom three families will compete in the End of the Road Challenge, where the loser of the challenge will be eliminated.
Blake asks Reno if his dad has to cook a burger, as Silvio chimes in that he has never cooked in his life. What attractive qualities did Amy find in him? Blake thinks he could do a better job, telling us that he isn’t sure if his dad knows how to turn on a grill, and suggests that they can dress their mom up as their dad and rush her on. That would be one scary looking man-woman person!
Reno says that every dad has to cook, as Amy tells Silvio not to over spice the burger, and not to overcook it. Apparently, Silvio doesn’t know what a cooked burger looks like, as Amy further explains to leave it a little pink inside. Silvio says that it was his dream to come to Kansas and see a prairie, but his nightmare to come to Kansas and cook a burger.
Reno begins the clock, and the dads start cooking. Lenny is confident he will be the King of the Barbecue. Silvio says that everything was a blur, as he’s never looked at a spice in his life. I really want to know what he knows how to do. He grabs some balsamic vinegar, which he doesn’t know what it is but knows he’s had before, all of the while eating an apple he found on the table. Silvio says that he isn’t going to use any cheese or special toppings; he’s just going to cook a hamburger and not let his family down.
Lenny’s strategy is to do more than one thing at a time, and he wants to have the pride in being in the top three. Keith isn’t worried, as he knows he is pretty good on the grill, and he’s confident that he’ll come out on top. Ricardo is going to put lots of love in there, along with some bacon and parmesan. Ricardo adds that the good thing about hamburgers is that it’s hard to mess them up.
Darius says that he does know what he’s doing when it comes to cooking, and he knows he will take first place. He says that the only dad that could give him a challenge is Ron. Ron’s burger is a blend of onion powder, garlic powder, Italian dressing, and a little bit of mustard. He adds that he has never had any complaints about his burger.
Silvio decides to make himself a burger with his extra time, as Lenny decides to change his strategy and make the burger less complicated, as the kids’ votes could decide things, and you don’t want them to think it’s yucky.
With only five minutes left, the dads rush to finish up. Ricardo knows he messed up, as he used all five pounds of the meat and made the burgers really big, adding that he underestimated how long they would take to cook. The dads finish up as time runs out. Darius Jr. hopes his family doesn’t end up in the bottom three.
It’s time for the families to taste each burger. Ricardo is worried, as he knows the meat wasn’t done, and he just hopes he did well enough to not be in the bottom three. Blake is more nervous about throwing up then actually losing the challenge.
The first burger belongs to Darius Montgomery. Alecia doesn’t like her husband’s burger, telling us that she hopes the first one wasn’t her husband’s, as it had less seasoning than the rest.
Silvio’s burger is second. Ricky loves the burger, but his mom Erica thinks it tasted like lighter fluid. Dylan doesn’t think that it has much of a taste, and Blake says that he and his mom really like the burger, so he’d be really surprised if his dad made it.
Ricardo’s burger is third. No one seems to be eating it, as Aaron says that it was completely raw.
Keith’s burger is up fourth. Jennifer tells us that the pressure is on for her family to figure out which burger is Keith’s. She says that one of the buns was really burnt, and she thinks that may have been a signal.
Lenny’s burger is up fifth. He says that everyone has taste buds and everyone likes burgers no matter how they are cooked, and he predicts that it will be his day. Anslie says “Eww!” at Lenny’s burger, while Dee spits it out, saying that it was dry and had no flavor.
Ron’s burger is up last. Ron says that winning can make jealousy set in, and he wants to beat the Cootes. He says that he didn’t know what the result would be, but he felt confident in what he was doing. Dee really likes the burger, but Jake doesn’t like it. Amy complains that she needs a Zantac.
The families finish scoring the burgers, and it’s time for the results. The DiSalvatores have the lowest score, as Silvio tells us that he and his family liked his burger, and he then says, “Together we stand, united we fall.” I have a headache.
The second lowest scoring burger was the Ricos, but Blake tells them that it was original. Ricardo thanks him for his comment.
The last family to end up in the bottom three is the Favereys, as Dee seems frustrated that they are in the bottom three for the third time in a row. She optimistically says that they are going to do it.
The winning burger belongs to the Coote Family, who are excited for another victory. The Pollards looks frustrated, as Amy tells us that everyone is sick of the Cootes winning all of the King of the Road challenges. The Pollards and Montgomerys are safe this week.
The Cootes return to their RV, where Keith claims his King of the Road crown. Keith tells us that he isn’t really surprised that he won the challenge, so good for them. Jennifer says that she knows everyone hates them, but she doesn’t care.
Amie tells us that true winners have some sort of humility and class, but the Cootes are showing none of that, as she adds that they are walking around and saying that they’ve got this; she thinks that the smartest thing to do is to keep your mouth shut.
Lenny is down on himself about losing, but Dee says that it is alright. Lenny tells us that the Favereys are on a losing streak. Silvio is down too, and he just hopes that one of the other families goes home instead.
The next morning, Silvio does something nice for his family. He cleans up the RV so the burden on his family will be lighter and the trip will be less stressful. Silvio adds that you don’t see him with a mop, but this is all about his family, and he doesn’t care what people will say when he goes back. I can totally respect that. Silvio adds that he’s stepping up so his family is proud of him. Amy is excited that Silvio is in a great mood and is helping more.
The families set out for their next location, the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in Oklahoma. The Rico family reach the preserve first, and Ricky is so excited to see the bison. Ron tells Amie to catch one since she said she wanted to. Amie says that she’ll do it. Ron jokes that if she wants to catch one, she could just throw a rope around her mom’s neck. Amie threatens to knock him out. I love ‘Yo Momma’s a Buffalo’ jokes.
As Amie gets out to take a photo, Anslie is grossed out when she steps in bison poo. Amy tries to get a family picture, but Mason steps in poo as well. And the bottoms of his shoes are literally covered.
Darius and his family are amazes at the sight of the buffalo, as Darius reveals that he told his wife that he really wanted to see some bison. The Favereys spot a baby bison, and Dee and Ashley keep going on about its cuteness. Ron asks Amie how she’d like to have a bison head on her wall, and he adds that he’s heard the meat is pretty good.
The families leave the preserves and are all hungry, so they all meet at Applebee’s to have lunch. The always whiny Ashley complains that she is unhappy because she was woken up on such short notice.
Amie is excited to be at Applebee’s, saying that it feels like they’re getting a taste of home. Alecia tells the waitress that there are 24 in their party, and they are all seated. Dee says that everyone was so friendly when they begin their road trip, but now things are dividing, and three families stay together, and the other three families stay together.
Amie tells us that it is kind of the Pollard, DiSalvatores, and the Ricos, against the Favereys, the Montgomerys, and the Cootes. Applebee’s gives all of the families gift cards, and then dessert is served.
Later, some of the kids are playing, as Ricky tells us that he is really enjoying this trip, because he always wanted a brother, and always wanted a boy to hang out with. Ricky adds that even though Aaron is 9 years ahead of him (he counts it on his fingers, which is cute), they are best buddies. He continues by saying that he isn’t sure if Aaron has the mind of a four year old, or if he’s just really mature, but he thinks he is really mature. Ricky knows that they could go home after the End of the Road challenge, but he wants to try really hard, because he really wants to stay on the road trip.
The families are headed for Amarillo, Texas now, where they will compete in their End of the Road challenge at the Big Texas Steakhouse. The Ricos are preparing for the challenge, as Silvio vows to get his family out of the situation he got them into. Lenny is worried about Ashley, because she’s sprained her thumb. However, she still thinks she can do the challenge. She doesn’t want ice for her finger, though. She orders her mom to make her a sandwich and get her some water instead.
As they cross the Texas state line, Amie notes that the Ricos are from Texas, and it would be horrible for them to be eliminated in their home state. They don’t want the Ricos or DiSalvatores to go, as Anslie wears purple for the DiSalvatores, but has nothing blue to wear for the Ricos. Amie has it covered, though, as she is wearing blue and purple. Amie says that she will be the loudest and biggest cheerleader for the Ricos and DiSalvatores. She tells her family as they make a supportive t-shirt that there should be no ugliness afterwards regardless of who wins or loses.
The DiSalvatores are anxious, as Blake says that he is just anxious about the outcome and not the challenge. Amy hopes they advance to the next round.
Reno welcomes the three families once they arrive at the steakhouse in Amarillo, famous for its 72-ounce steak. Ricardo knows they have a strong team that will give their all, so he’s not really worried. Reno makes sure Ashley’s hand is okay, and Dee says that she was getting really nervous and stressed, but she reassures herself that they aren’t going home today.
For the challenge, the families must transport a number of large objects from one pen into another, setting all of the objects on top of a giant replica of Texas. They must fit on the Texas replica as well. Whichever family completes this the slowest will be eliminated.
The Ricos are first. Erica notes how big the objects are compared to how little the replica of Texas is. She adds that it may be harder for them since Ricky is smaller than the other kids. Reno starts their clock. Ricardo follows their strategy of getting some of the things over, and then for him to begin stacking items while the rest of his family brings the other things over.
As he is running back to get more items, Ricardo slips and twists his ankle on a hay bale. He curses in pain, and the Pollards look visibly stressed at his injury. Ricardo continues, but is limping. The things that Ricardo has already stacked fall over, and Erica quickly works to restack them. They finish with a time of 4:20. Ricardo’s ankle is pretty swollen. He tells us that he didn’t think it was as bad as it actually is when it happened, but he never thought of stopping.
The Favereys are next, and Lenny is freaked out about going into another End of the Road challenge. Reno starts the clock. As the Cootes cheer them on, Jennifer tells us that she doesn’t care which of the other families go, but she really wants the Favereys to stay, as she likes their family. One of the items is hollow, so Dylan and Lenny slide it over top of another item. Ricardo beats himself up for not thinking of that. Danielle thinks the Favereys are going to beat them.
The Favereys finish, but a set of bull horns are laying on the ground out of sight. When they spot them, Ashley quickly grabs them and jumps back on the Texas replica.
The Favereys complete the challenge in 3:49, which means that they are safe. They cheer in excitement, and so do the Cootes. Amie Pollard looks pissed, but I think she is pissed at the Cootes’ actions more than the challenge result. Dee tells us that she is so proud of Ashley seeing the bull horns, because if she hadn’t seen them, they probably would have been eliminated.
The Cootes congratulate the Favereys and go on and on about how great they did in the challenge. Dee tells Amie that it’s okay, and that she knows what’s going on. Amie tells her not to push it. Dee says that she just wants to be friends. Alecia hugs Dee, as Amie tells us that when Dee came by and hugged her, it kind of felt like she was taunting her. She adds that one of her closest family friends was going home, and she had had all she could take, and it kind of came out.
The DiSalvatores are up last, as Ricky tells his family that they have to stay. Erica just tells him to stop. Reno starts the clock. The DiSalvatores are moving very fast, as Dee tells us that their speed made her worry for the Ricos, as if one family had to go home, she was hoping it would be the DiSalvatores.
Of course, as they near completing the challenge, the DiSalvatores yell at each other. Erica is nervous to watch as they all try to get on the platform. The DiSalvatores finish, and Ricardo tells his family that they gave it their all.
The DiSalvatores time was 2:46, which means that their vacation will continue. Erica comforts a crying Danielle, as Reno tells them that their vacation is over. Blake was happy that his family had the fastest time, but was sad that the Ricos were eliminated, as that was the last thing he wanted.
Everyone gives the Ricos a round of applause. Reno says that they hung in there, injuries and all, and fought to the end. Ricardo is a little choked up, but says that regardless of the outcome, they won, as they have seven new families as friends. He adds that they got to load up in an RV and do some really cool things as a family, and for the family that goes to the end, it’s just icing on the cake, as they’ve all already won.
With Reno telling them they’ve reached the end of the road, Silvio hugs Erica, as she tells us that they have taken away lifelong friends from this experience. As Aaron holds Ricky and hugs him, Ricky says that his favorite part of the trip is his best friend Aaron, and he is sad to leave him. He adds that he really hopes Aaron makes it to the end, because he really deserves it. And with that, this episode ends!
I hate that the Ricos got eliminated. They were one of my favorites. I was really hoping for a DiSalvatore elimination. However, when it came down to it, despite all of their screaming, they performed well, and that’s what counts. And while I don’t like him, Silvio does seem to be making progress, which is good. See you guys next week!
Logan is a North Carolina native whose hobbies include a passion for reality shows, hiking, and Mocha Frappucinos. He can be contacted at Logan@RealityTVCalendar.com.
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