Top Gear (US) s01e09 Episode Script
America's Toughest Trucks
Now on "Top Gear" We swap pavement for pain Head to alaska to find america's toughest truck.
Adam, do you see how big that mountain is in front of you? I think I'm gonna need bigger tires.
I think you're gonna need a better truck.
Welcome to a very special episode of "Top Gear.
" I'm Adam Ferrara.
That's Tanner Foust.
And this is Rutledge Wood.
Today is all about the pickup truck.
In 2009, americans alone bought 4.
9 million trucks, like this F150.
The F-series ford has been the top-selling vehicle in this country for 28 years in a row.
Now, there's a lot of rivalries in trucks, so we decided to answer the question that's consumed the nation for years What is america's toughest truck? To find a definitive answer, the producers told us to go online, spend no more than $3,000, and buy a truck that would then be put through a series of challenges.
Here's the catch.
It had to have at least 150,000 miles, and we had to buy it sight-unseen.
And we met our trucks for the first time in an equally challenging environment Alaska.
The last wild frontier.
Two and a half times the size of texas.
It's pretty wild and apparently has lots of animals that can trample and eat you.
We bought our trucks online.
They looked okay in the photos, but we had no idea if they'd actually be any good.
All we knew was that one of them would be crowned america's toughest truck.
But between now and then lay the alaskan wilderness and a slew of challenges.
We had no idea what was in store for us, only that we'd meet our trucks for the first time in the forest just north of anchorage.
Did you know alaska is one of the only few states where you can see all three types of bears? That's great.
It's not the bears, I think, that you got to be worried about.
- It's the moose.
Did you hear that? What was that? There's three times as many people killed by moose as bears.
What are you wearing? This is for the bears.
This is bear spray.
This'll knock a grizzly down, like bear pepper spray.
And these are bear bells.
- Bear bells.
- They hate this.
Salsa? Oh, my god.
Is it a bear? No, it's a Dodge.
Oh, yeah! Oh, it's even bigger than I thought! Wood: I'd picked a '97 Dodge ram with an extended cab and a 5.
7-liter magnum V-8.
I was gonna power across alaska in style and comfort.
It's a lot newer than any of the other ones.
How'd you get this for 3 grand? I found it on craigslist.
It had to have 150,000 miles.
That's all our criteria said, so And how much is on this? 159,000.
If there's any endurance factor, then the Dodge is hosed.
Tanner, do you see this? I can fit my entire head.
- That's how much suspension travel I got.
- That's impressive.
I think my favorite part about this is your head is now a unit of measurement.
Is this yours, Tanner? Oh, it's adorable.
Was "smurf" the color description? Foust: My choice was a 1983 chevy c/k stepside.
Lightweight, diesel, 165 horses The perfect bush truck.
Foust: Gentlemen, take a look under the hood.
This is the best part.
While you guys are choking on trying to find gasoline, - I will be a torque monster with my diesel.
- You got a diesel? You got a diesel? You got a diesel with a carburetor.
That's a 350.
- You got robbed.
- Oh, no! Wood: If you're lucky, it's a 4-volt main, but that is not a diesel.
It's a small setback.
It's a 350, small-block.
One of the most popular engines ever sold in america.
- Not what I was hoping for, but Were you hoping for a man's truck like this? Adam, I wasn't gonna say anything, but this is the worst decision you have ever made.
Are you kidding me? Look.
It's a Ford, baby.
Ferrara: For me, it could only be a 220-horsepower Ford f250.
This beast was made in 1976, when men were men and trucks were trucks, and I was 9.
This is like the Ford of death.
Check out the seats.
Wow, that is semitruck leather right there.
This is seats from a lincoln.
- Electric.
- Wow.
This is gonna be the roughest ride probably of your life.
That's why I got the seats.
I thought of everything.
This is a Ford, my friend.
This is the best-selling pickup in the world.
While each truck had its downside, failure was not an option.
Because stalking behind us all the way was a '93 Toyota pickup, a jihadi favorite.
It's known around the rest of the world as a hilux.
Now, the rules were simple.
If your truck failed, you had to finish the search for america's toughest truck in an import.
You would be a national disgrace.
I don't know if anybody's in a really great situation right now, but I think by far I've got the best ride out of the terrain.
Yeah, if you want to pick up guys in nome.
Foust: To find out how roadworthy our trucks were, the producers gave us our first challenge A braking test.
We needed to get up to 30 miles an hour and then jam on the brakes at a marker point 30 feet from the lake.
If our trucks didn't stop, we would be beaver bait.
Let's go.
- Are you scared? - I'm looking for my out.
Wow, it's got some power.
Oh, that thing is coming.
That thing is coming.
How is that possible that that thing can stop? Wood: Adam's stopping distance was 5 feet from the water's edge.
Tanner and his chevy smurfside were up next.
"A night attack comes from a predatory bear.
" Uh-oh.
Oh, god, here we go.
This is gonna be close.
Oh, man.
Oh, man.
He's flying.
He is flying.
Ah.
Wow! It stops.
- Yeah.
Okay.
- Safe.
Foust: My truck stopped 2 feet from the water, which meant Adam was in the lead.
I think you're up there, texas ranger.
Hope you got some Chuck Norris in that Dodge.
Here we go.
Rutledge definitely had an unfair advantage with his '97 ram.
So we decided to level the playing field a bit by cheating, and we moved his braking point closer to the water.
Don't worry about a thing.
His head floats.
- Get it up there.
- Here we go.
- Get it up there.
- There it is.
Oh.
Just a little too far.
You had it! Where was I supposed to brake? - No, you're good.
- You're fine.
There you go.
Keep coming.
That is really weird.
I don't know how something like that could happen.
You guys went 30.
30.
I was over 30.
Foust: 3-0.
That sucks.
I think you lost that one.
You'll be fine.
Don't worry about it.
I'd shake it off and focus on the next one.
Remarkably, Adam's 1,000-year-old Ford-zilla won the first challenge.
But now it was time for the next one.
All right, gentlemen, the moment we have been waiting for.
"Alaska is home to the most brutal environment in america, "where trucks routinely meet their fate in rivers, forests, "crevasses and ice, as well as on the road.
"You're now in healy, alaska, "where Christopher McCandless famously went into the wild and died, by the way, actually.
" - He died? - Yeah, he did.
"To test the road-worthiness of your trucks, your next challenge is to drive 100 miles to fairbanks.
" Okay.
Let's go.
Do you really know how the guy died or no? Wood: He didn't have a bear bell.
You don't know.
Okay.
Wood: This road-trip challenge would test our vehicles' endurance, and it also gave us the perfect chance to get to know what we'd bought.
Foust: Getting her up to speed for the first time.
Getting a little shake through the steering wheel.
I've got a good 25 degrees of actual play in the wheel.
Fan belt is squealing away, and we're going 46 miles an hour.
This old chevy, I mean, it's got 238,000 miles.
That's a load.
Rutledge has got a truck that either a high-school football captain would drive or maybe Chuck Norris.
Can you hear the tires? Whaaaaaaa.
I got a set of 37-inch mud terrains.
That's huge.
I think that may be why I had a little bit of trouble stopping.
Now, the tough thing for Dodges, they haven't always done really well with their truck sales.
In '93, they sold less than 100,000 trucks.
So that's when they decided to totally redo it, launched a completely new ram for '94.
The highest number of trucks Dodge ever sold 1996, and this was one of those 400,000.
Adam's truck was built before I was born.
I am driving a 1976 Ford F250, and I'm yelling because it's very noisy.
The paint job is falling apart.
And the power steering There's no power steering.
I should have been a little bit more suspicious when I saw the ad for this truck.
The picture was taken way far away.
And he said, "will trade for mountain bike.
" I figured out your color, Tanner.
It's blurple.
Just wait till the sun comes out.
You'll see the blue.
Adam's truck is it's what the unabomber would drive.
Wood: A lot like when we went to detroit, I haven't seen many foreign cars up here Except for one toyota truck.
I do not want to drive a toyota.
At this point in our country's automotive history, I want an american truck to prevail.
More importantly, I want my american truck to prevail.
Foust: We headed north on a ribbon of asphalt, separating us from epic emptiness.
To the west Siberia.
To the east A vast nothingness that some call canada.
Once you get beyond the trees and you can see a little bit of distance under the clouds.
It is god's country.
It's not conquered by man, certainly not by vehicles at all.
After four hours, we made it to a gas stop.
Things were going good, but something was just bothering me.
Hold on.
Rutledge's truck looks way too new, doesn't it? Oh! Oh! Get him, Adam.
Get him, Adam.
Oh! Oh, come on! Foust: That's what you get for buying a '97, Rutledge.
- Why would you do that? - That looks much better.
Why did you get your ugly purple on my beautiful black truck? To me, it looks like you've had a severe front impact, and I have a little door ding.
Your lifted-ass truck I would have taken it in the bumper, but instead it had to take it in the corner of the hood.
Yep.
So you prefer to take it in the bumper? Wood: We finally made the outskirts of fairbanks and completed the second challenge unscathed.
Then we were told that from now on, we would be in the wild.
Tonight would be our last hotel.
So our next challenge was to convert our trucks into bush-ready campers overnight.
If we didn't, the bears would be feasting on us.
Foust: Coming up, we prepare to go into the wild with our modified trucks.
What in the sam hill were you thinking? Having successfully completed the first highway challenge, we'd spent the night in fairbanks, converting our trucks into campers.
Last night, the producers were gracious enough to give us all of about six hours' notice that we'd be camping in our trucks in the alaskan wilderness for days.
So, of course, we decided to make a few minor modifications.
Foust: I'd created my camper shell in the shape of a giant spoiler.
It would keep me warm and dry while enhancing the already stellar performance of the chevy stepside.
The chevy stepside it was all about rugged simplicity A bed, sleeping bag, coffee, of course.
And this thing, this is on there.
We're gonna be off-roading through hell.
I admit the paint fumes may have gotten to me a little bit in the spoilers.
I don't know what they're for.
Maybe they'll scare the bears away.
But if you're gonna go out into alaska with a truck and keep it tough, this is the way to do it.
Oh, my god.
Really? Did you have to kill a beaver for that? Rutledge wood, what in the sam hill were you thinking? It's a log cabin.
I wanted to bring a little piece of home with me, so I wanted to be comfortable.
This is my porch.
Hang out here.
Come on in.
Hold on.
I'd like to wipe my feet on the welcome mat.
Wow.
If you want to have a seat on my front porch you know, every good southern man likes to sit on the front porch.
But look.
I've got a mini bar.
I've got a stove, complete with a stove exhaust.
Oh, and look at this.
This way, I'm really one with the animals.
My Daniel Boone hat here.
Your bed is about 5 feet long.
You don't think I can fit in this bed? I couldn't fit in that bed.
Why don't you move? I'll show you.
You ready? Voilà ! This is the life in here, Tanner.
This is an entry point for bears, - for termites, mosquitos.
- No, this is where my feet go.
This is where I'm gonna sleep.
Oh, Rutledge.
Listen, what don't I have? Sanity, protection from the elements, some sort of structural rigidity.
Look at this thing is this is bad.
I only had a few hours.
I thought you'd be a little bit more impressed.
I thought you would have put your attention to, like, survival a little bit instead of your dream cabin.
Oh, my gosh! Adam.
How are you, fellas? I am at a loss.
Wood: The truck got worse.
- What do you mean it got worse? - It wasn't possible, but you did it.
- Is this a cage? - Yes.
This is to protect me from bears Bears and those killer moose we were talking about before.
So, paranoia got to you.
Not paranoia.
Safety.
You're gonna use a picture of a lion, and you've painted your truck blaze orange.
Safety from hunters, right? This picture will scare away the visual creatures.
Does it ring like a bell? Wait.
Let me show you what else I got.
Go stand by the lion.
I'm not sure what to expect here.
Huh? Really? A speaker phone with a lion noise on it? It's brilliant! You know bears I mean, they have huge paws.
They can just get in and just Adam, I think you're a nice guy.
I do.
I think you're awesome.
But you are freaking crazy.
- Is this your escape hatch? - Yes.
I thought he was just pretending.
You're really scared of bears.
- You're not? - No.
I've got whiskey and guns and a log cabin.
Foust: You guys are aware that this is the wettest alaskan summer in history.
What are you gonna do if it rains? Wood: With our trucks prepared for life in the wilderness, we set off for our next challenge, which would start 80 miles away.
Back on the highway, it was becoming clear that we might not have thought through our modifications properly.
Ferra: Tanner, how much downforce are you getting in the blurple chevy? I think I could drive upside-down right now.
Are you getting a good draft off of it back there, nascar? Wood: I'm finding I am just slightly less aerodynamic than I was yesterday in this monster.
I feel like I'm being chased by the jamboree bears.
Adam, when you're done mowing all those lawns, will you have a chance to go out in the woods with Tanner and I? Everybody that pulls up to you, Rutledge, pauses to see if they dare pull up alongside you.
It's hilarious.
Tanner, I think you just need to hope you don't find any skateboarding bears.
Adam, do you see how big that mountain is in front of you? Holy Wow.
They are all around, three sides.
I think I'm gonna need bigger tires.
Think you're gonna need a better truck.
We arrived at the start of the next challenge.
We had to drive to the top of somewhere called fish creek, which was a 20-mile automotive proving ground built by mother nature.
The extreme inclines, drop-offs, potholes, and water hazards would be a test for any brand-new truck, let alone our weathered pickups.
Whoa.
Hey, guys, looks like we got a water crossing.
Got a what? How deep does it look? I don't think there's any other way to go but across.
You guys good? All right, let's go.
Yeah, buddy.
Oh, he's stuck.
Uh, fellas? Foust: Things weren't looking good for the lion king.
Oh Did the engine die, or did you stall it? No, I think the engine died.
It's coming up, like, kind of into this thing.
It's coming in.
Why don't you come on out? You guys need a life raft? Wood: The river was flowing hard enough to sweep an average truck away.
Luckily, the Ford weighed close to three average trucks.
I know this.
Currently, that lion is not scaring anyone.
You have the tow strap? You want me to just throw it? Why don't you drive it over? Okay.
I can do that.
Yeah, baby.
Dig, dig.
That's what I'm talking about! Hook this to that.
You ready? You look great up there.
You trying to get me in the water? No, no, no! If Adam fell into the icy waters, he could die, which would hold Tanner and me up.
Foust: It's good.
Put it on there.
All right, get back in your truck there, kemosabe.
Oh, Chuck Norris will be happy to pull you out.
Okay, Rutledge, go ahead.
And, Adam, turn left as hard as you can.
Turn left, Adam.
Left, left.
Left.
Keep going, Rutledge.
Keep going, Rutledge.
Keep going, Rutledge.
Keep going, Rutledge.
Yeah! Okay, good.
It's like taking care of a 3-year-old.
Chuck Norris saved you.
Thank you, texas ranger.
It lives! Foust: We only helped Adam out of the water because, frankly, we didn't want to pollute the river.
I have no idea how that truck started after being underwater for that long.
Risen from the dead.
Ferrara: My Ford was indestructible.
It deserved a name that could tell the world it could take anything and keep going keith richards.
It's only rock 'n' roll, but I like it! Wood: With the water obstacles completed, we headed up to the top of the ridge.
But an ordinary hill-climbing task this was not.
This was more like hell on earth.
To our left, a drop of 1,000 feet awaited the careless driver.
Foust: Wow.
And if somehow you survive the fall, the ice and gravel below was full of deadly sinkholes that could swallow small offic buildings without a trace.
Oh, my gosh.
Look off to your left.
I'm not looking.
I'm not looking.
That is straight down.
All right, don't go too far right, Adam.
Oh, I don't like heights! Ferrara: On a trail like this, it is vital to have power steering, good brakes, transmission in perfect working order, and great visibility.
And I had none of these things.
Whoa! Foust: Our trucks had made it, but our nerves were fried.
But the day was far from over.
Oh Now it was time to put our trucks through a skid pad, Alaskan-style.
Uh-oh.
Ow.
Everybody okay? That was my bad.
It got wetter and muddier.
Oh, yeah, there's a nice little sippy hole.
Chuck Norris paved the way until he met bruce lee.
Oh, my gosh.
that was awesome.
Holy crap.
I might need a little help.
Wood: With my Dodge stuck and in need of assistance, Tanner did the decent thing Maybe I can go around you on the left side.
Is there room? And tried to overtake me and leave me for dead.
I don't think I'd do that anymore.
You're gonna roll over.
Foust: Oh, crap.
I'm stuck.
So you're both stuck? Tanner and I were down for the count.
Lucky for us, Adam's ego took over, and he wanted to prove that his orange Ford could do something right.
All right, Rutledge, that's you.
Come on back.
Foust: If Adam failed, we would all be more than screwed.
A little help, Rutledge.
The nearest help was 60 miles away.
Here you go.
"Chuck Norris" my ass.
Okay, stop there, Adam.
Stop there, Adam.
Rut, stop.
I'm gonna try to hit your truck and sail on through.
Now, if you bounce off my truck, you could flip it.
You know that, right? Rutledge, do not hit my truck.
If you hit it, that thing is gonna flip for sure.
Is your radio working, Rutledge? You copy that, rut? Do not hit the blue truck.
Oh, more! Yes! As we head further into the alaskan wilderness, Rutledge decides to remodel.
Wood: We were halfway up an alaskan ridge, and our trucks were stuck.
Embarrassingly, I had to be pulled out of the mud by Adam's 30-year-old gun-range target.
But Tanner was still stuck.
Foust: Do not hit the blue truck.
Just don't hit it.
It's gonna flip.
And I'm gonna be bear meat.
This is gonna be awesome.
To the left.
To the left.
Adam may have bailed me out Your cage is strong, right? But I tried talking him out of helping Tanner.
Guys, this is, like, two-on-two, full-court press stupid.
That thing's like a rubber band.
When you get it really tight, pchew! - All right, let's do this thing.
- Okay.
I'm just gonna watch from my porch.
It's not you guys.
It's me.
Oh, my gosh.
All right, you ready? I'm gonna go.
Yeah! Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo! Ha ha! Aah! Foust: Incredibly, we all manage to make it to the top of fish creek, Which is reputed to be one of the best views in all of alaska.
My back hurts.
My arms are 20 feet long.
Feel like I've been getting hit in the ass by a 2x4 for like six days straight.
With a good fire going, we did what all guys do in alaska around a fire Now it's a party.
Talk truck.
Driving a pickup truck through alaska has to be one of the ultimate things you can do with four wheels.
The three of us are really representing American truck lovers with the chevy, the Ford, and then the ultimate Dodge, so - "The ultimate Dodge"? - Yeah.
I don't see that badge anywhere.
All right, fellas.
We're gonna have a big day tomorrow.
I think we should all get some sleep.
It's blue sky right there.
It's 11:30 at night.
- What?! - Yeah.
I'm going to bed.
See you guys.
Okay.
Hop in there.
- You're totally in there.
- All right, thank you.
You've got it, man.
See you in the morning.
Good night, Adam.
Night, Rutledge.
Good night, Tanner.
Got it.
Night.
Good night, bears.
Not funny.
Wood: We were two days into the quest to find america's toughest truck.
All three of our vehicles were still working, but behind us stalked a predator The Toyota pickup we'd have to drive if one of our trucks died.
None of us wanted that shame.
To test the brute strength of our trucks, we had to drive up a river valley until we got to a glacier 140 square miles of moving ice.
Our challenge was to touch that ice with our trucks.
I got to say, I'm actually impressed with the chevy.
- It is it's stout.
- You think? Yeah, it makes some noise, complains a little bit, but she's reliable.
My truck is loud, but the whining of your belts is deafening.
Yeah, the belts are bad.
You know what? Actually, that reminds me here.
- What's that? Knock it off! Oh, that's way that is way too close! I'm trying to go to the bathroom! Immature.
Foust: We were now up against an almost vertical climb over large, muddy boulders.
If all of the trails to the glacier were gonna be this tough, we were in big trouble.
I got to be 100% honest.
I'm surprised any of these are making it through this.
How's it going up there, rut? Wood: I have blown my left-front shock.
Wow, you've led us into some nasty stuff.
Ferrara: This truck drove on a cliff, went through a river eventually.
This can take anything.
Oh! Wood: When you're driving this sort of terrain, it's vital to keep control of your vehicle by maintaining forward momentum and all four wheels on the ground at all times.
Or you can do it like Adam.
Ferrara: Uh-oh.
That didn't sound good, fellas.
Oh, my gosh.
Yeah, uh, I didn't stop on purpose.
I think I might have snapped the driveshaft.
- What did it sound like? - Well, "wchew! Wchew! Wchew!" - Nothing.
- And so now you don't have any gear or - No.
Not one gear whatsoever.
- How's it sitting right there? Rocks.
It kind of sounds like the truck might be dead.
Sounds like a toyota might be in your future.
Hey, we'll see you back at camp.
Okay.
Good luck with that.
Ferrara: So Keith Richards was dead, the great orange warrior defeated by the overwhelming forces of nature and quite a big rock.
Foust: Adam was the first to fall on his sword.
I'd like us to all have a moment of silence for keith richards.
With Adam's Ford out of the running, it was down to Dodge versus Chevy.
Oh oh! Whoa! [ laughing .]
Yeah! Wood: Come on! Rutledge's Dodge was a monster.
Oh, this is awesome! It might have been 10 years younger than my chevy, but it was twice as heavy and an accident waiting to happen.
Holy Go, baby, go! You lost your house, rut! Oh! Oh! Oh, no! Oh, no! My house! No! Did you hit my house?! Rut, I got no other way out of here.
I think you're gonna have to just back all the way down.
I got to get through it.
I sleep in there! No! Whoo-hoo! Oh! Oh, no! That is real unfortunate that had to happen.
It's all part of wheeling, my friend.
I'm sorry.
Wood: You're gonna have to pick that up.
- Let me get your pillow for you.
- Welcome, jackass.
Wood: We now had plenty of firewood, thanks to Tanner and his stupid chevy turdside.
Perfect.
Scoot back a touch.
Let's camp.
I need to get my crapper.
How bad do you have to go? Not bad enough to do it that close to the fire.
Foust: Coming up, in the final race to the glacier, Rutledge gets distracted.
Did write "I love sheep" on there? No.
A distant trail deep in the alaskan wilderness, my Ford F250 became the first casualty in the search for america's toughest truck.
I was now a national disgrace in the Toyota of shame.
Foust: Only two trucks were left in the game, and it all had come down to one final challenge.
We had to drive our battered vehicles further into the wilderness to the mighty knik glacier.
But reaching the glacier wasn't enough.
To complete the challenge, we had to actually drive on it.
But there was no trail here.
We would have to pick our way through the endless river channels And quicksand that could swallow us whole.
Many trucks have attempted this route and never returned.
Roll up the window before bashing through the water.
Oh.
Oh! Oh, I can't see anything.
Yeah! For some reason, I'm covered in mud because the top of my door won't seal! From here, it was a race through virgin territory.
There were no more roads.
There were no more rules.
Just one perfectly proportioned chevy stepside against a supersized, lumbering Dodge.
I can't see.
Your hood is just bouncing every time you hit anything.
This was fast and furious, alaskan-style.
Holy holy Oh! Oh, you lost your back.
- Oh! Wood: The race was on.
But chuck was starting to feel the heat.
He was built for comfort, not for speed.
And the pace was taking its toll.
Oh, boys, I have bad news.
What's up, buddy? I think big Dodge go boom.
You got a dead ram? Baa.
Baa.
Let's take a look.
Oh, that could do it.
You got a sideways battery.
Let's get out of here! Chuck was back, stronger than ever Kind of.
Boys, the Dodge is hurting.
She is knocking and way down on power.
Wow, that does not sound good, rut.
Keep digging.
Keep digging, Chuck.
There's the glacier right there.
That's what I'm talking about.
I can't believe it.
I can see the glacier.
Come on, chuck.
Dig.
Come on.
Come on.
Stay with me.
Stay with me.
Is that as fast as it'll go? For the record, this is foot to the floor.
How about you stop pushing me? I'm trying to give you a push.
I thought you said you had no power.
Oh! Then he died again.
Come on, baby.
Come on.
I think Chuck Norris is gonna be buried at sea.
Come on, chuck.
Come on.
Are you kidding me? And again.
That's it.
And again.
Uh, I think that's it.
I'm not even getting out of my truck this time.
We've done this five, six times already.
Then finally, whatever fight Chuck had left, started steaming out of the hood.
Lot more underhood smoke this time.
- Here we go.
Oh, look at that smoke.
- Is it time to push it off the trail? - Yeah, I think this is it for Chuck.
- This is his final resting place.
- So long, Chuck.
Death of a giant.
But we knew it was inevitable.
Hey, genius, I'm on a tree.
Did you write "I love sheep" on there? No.
If you guys don't mind, I just need a minute with chuck alone.
Of course.
Take your time.
Chuck, you were a fighter.
And up till that very last minute, I believed in you.
Chuck, I don't love sheep.
And I know you don't, either.
Kick ass out here, whatever you're gonna do, in the Alaskan wilderness.
Amen.
Coming up, it's Toyota versus Chevy.
But will anyone be able to walk when it's over? Geez! Foust: The battle to crown america's toughest truck had claimed two casualties.
Adam's Ford had been vanquished by a medium-size rock, and Rutledge's Dodge was killed by an exotic mix of earth and water known as mud.
Only the Chevy remained, so obviously I had taken the title.
Technically, you're just in the lead.
We are not at the glacier yet, and that's what the deal is.
That was our mission.
We had to get to the glacier and drive on it.
So you drive carefully, my friend, 'cause if you don't make it, you don't win.
So, who's driving the Toyota? I got to drive it? It's the rules.
The cycle of shame continues.
Well, we're behind you if you need anything.
I mean, not metaphorically, but physically, we'll be behind you.
Unfortunately, they were right.
I did have to make it onto the ice to win.
And then it dawned on me.
I was representing every american truck with my little blurple chevy.
If I didn't make it to victory and the Toyota did, an import would be crowned america's toughest truck.
And I couldn't let that happen.
I wouldn't let that happen.
This quickly became a matter of national pride.
Let's get to the ice.
Whoa! Geez! Rutledge, you guys feel it getting colder out? Yeah, that must mean we're getting close.
- Tanner, we made it.
- Yeah! Look at that wall of ice right there.
Unbelievable.
The most insane terrain I've ever seen.
Let me out of this thing.
God, it's beautiful.
One of the most epic things I've ever seen.
And you know what? With these gorgeous blue glaciers, um, I think your blue truck looks nice.
Yeah.
It's a nice blue truck.
You called it a blue truck.
Yeah.
That was very touching.
- Yeah.
- You earned it.
We've proven that Chevy is the toughest truck.
No, no, no.
We've proven that Chevy made it this far.
I don't know if you can see, Tanner.
The glacier is right over there.
And we are right over here.
Annoyingly, again, they were right.
Between the chevy and the ice field was a deep river and a lake full of icebergs.
There was no way through.
But because these icebergs are from that glacier, I think it should count.
If you can get your truck to an iceberg, you win.
So if I can get it out to an iceberg, it's done.
- Yep.
- We're gonna do this.
Like a rock, my friend.
So, where are we going? You think this is gonna work? I don't know.
It looks like the icebergs are closer to the edge over here.
This is probably the dumbest idea we've ever had.
- Who knows how cold that water is? - Or how deep it is.
Well, that's interesting.
- He's coming down backwards.
- I wouldn't have thought of that.
How's that gonna work? - Any part of the truck, right? - Yep.
Good luck.
There you go.
You can do it.
Oh! You touched it! That counts! Yeah! That counts! - What are you doing? - I'm getting on the ice! I get it.
That's what the stepside's for.
I think I'll call this iceberg It's floating away.
Floating away.
It's floating away.
- You might want to get back on the truck.
- Get back in the truck.
All right, I'm getting back in the truck.
That hey, you won.
That is america's toughest truck.
Let's go take some showers.
- That's a good idea.
- I meant separate showers.
Go big.
Yeah! He got it out! Goodbye, alaska.
I'm going home.
Adam, do you see how big that mountain is in front of you? I think I'm gonna need bigger tires.
I think you're gonna need a better truck.
Welcome to a very special episode of "Top Gear.
" I'm Adam Ferrara.
That's Tanner Foust.
And this is Rutledge Wood.
Today is all about the pickup truck.
In 2009, americans alone bought 4.
9 million trucks, like this F150.
The F-series ford has been the top-selling vehicle in this country for 28 years in a row.
Now, there's a lot of rivalries in trucks, so we decided to answer the question that's consumed the nation for years What is america's toughest truck? To find a definitive answer, the producers told us to go online, spend no more than $3,000, and buy a truck that would then be put through a series of challenges.
Here's the catch.
It had to have at least 150,000 miles, and we had to buy it sight-unseen.
And we met our trucks for the first time in an equally challenging environment Alaska.
The last wild frontier.
Two and a half times the size of texas.
It's pretty wild and apparently has lots of animals that can trample and eat you.
We bought our trucks online.
They looked okay in the photos, but we had no idea if they'd actually be any good.
All we knew was that one of them would be crowned america's toughest truck.
But between now and then lay the alaskan wilderness and a slew of challenges.
We had no idea what was in store for us, only that we'd meet our trucks for the first time in the forest just north of anchorage.
Did you know alaska is one of the only few states where you can see all three types of bears? That's great.
It's not the bears, I think, that you got to be worried about.
- It's the moose.
Did you hear that? What was that? There's three times as many people killed by moose as bears.
What are you wearing? This is for the bears.
This is bear spray.
This'll knock a grizzly down, like bear pepper spray.
And these are bear bells.
- Bear bells.
- They hate this.
Salsa? Oh, my god.
Is it a bear? No, it's a Dodge.
Oh, yeah! Oh, it's even bigger than I thought! Wood: I'd picked a '97 Dodge ram with an extended cab and a 5.
7-liter magnum V-8.
I was gonna power across alaska in style and comfort.
It's a lot newer than any of the other ones.
How'd you get this for 3 grand? I found it on craigslist.
It had to have 150,000 miles.
That's all our criteria said, so And how much is on this? 159,000.
If there's any endurance factor, then the Dodge is hosed.
Tanner, do you see this? I can fit my entire head.
- That's how much suspension travel I got.
- That's impressive.
I think my favorite part about this is your head is now a unit of measurement.
Is this yours, Tanner? Oh, it's adorable.
Was "smurf" the color description? Foust: My choice was a 1983 chevy c/k stepside.
Lightweight, diesel, 165 horses The perfect bush truck.
Foust: Gentlemen, take a look under the hood.
This is the best part.
While you guys are choking on trying to find gasoline, - I will be a torque monster with my diesel.
- You got a diesel? You got a diesel? You got a diesel with a carburetor.
That's a 350.
- You got robbed.
- Oh, no! Wood: If you're lucky, it's a 4-volt main, but that is not a diesel.
It's a small setback.
It's a 350, small-block.
One of the most popular engines ever sold in america.
- Not what I was hoping for, but Were you hoping for a man's truck like this? Adam, I wasn't gonna say anything, but this is the worst decision you have ever made.
Are you kidding me? Look.
It's a Ford, baby.
Ferrara: For me, it could only be a 220-horsepower Ford f250.
This beast was made in 1976, when men were men and trucks were trucks, and I was 9.
This is like the Ford of death.
Check out the seats.
Wow, that is semitruck leather right there.
This is seats from a lincoln.
- Electric.
- Wow.
This is gonna be the roughest ride probably of your life.
That's why I got the seats.
I thought of everything.
This is a Ford, my friend.
This is the best-selling pickup in the world.
While each truck had its downside, failure was not an option.
Because stalking behind us all the way was a '93 Toyota pickup, a jihadi favorite.
It's known around the rest of the world as a hilux.
Now, the rules were simple.
If your truck failed, you had to finish the search for america's toughest truck in an import.
You would be a national disgrace.
I don't know if anybody's in a really great situation right now, but I think by far I've got the best ride out of the terrain.
Yeah, if you want to pick up guys in nome.
Foust: To find out how roadworthy our trucks were, the producers gave us our first challenge A braking test.
We needed to get up to 30 miles an hour and then jam on the brakes at a marker point 30 feet from the lake.
If our trucks didn't stop, we would be beaver bait.
Let's go.
- Are you scared? - I'm looking for my out.
Wow, it's got some power.
Oh, that thing is coming.
That thing is coming.
How is that possible that that thing can stop? Wood: Adam's stopping distance was 5 feet from the water's edge.
Tanner and his chevy smurfside were up next.
"A night attack comes from a predatory bear.
" Uh-oh.
Oh, god, here we go.
This is gonna be close.
Oh, man.
Oh, man.
He's flying.
He is flying.
Ah.
Wow! It stops.
- Yeah.
Okay.
- Safe.
Foust: My truck stopped 2 feet from the water, which meant Adam was in the lead.
I think you're up there, texas ranger.
Hope you got some Chuck Norris in that Dodge.
Here we go.
Rutledge definitely had an unfair advantage with his '97 ram.
So we decided to level the playing field a bit by cheating, and we moved his braking point closer to the water.
Don't worry about a thing.
His head floats.
- Get it up there.
- Here we go.
- Get it up there.
- There it is.
Oh.
Just a little too far.
You had it! Where was I supposed to brake? - No, you're good.
- You're fine.
There you go.
Keep coming.
That is really weird.
I don't know how something like that could happen.
You guys went 30.
30.
I was over 30.
Foust: 3-0.
That sucks.
I think you lost that one.
You'll be fine.
Don't worry about it.
I'd shake it off and focus on the next one.
Remarkably, Adam's 1,000-year-old Ford-zilla won the first challenge.
But now it was time for the next one.
All right, gentlemen, the moment we have been waiting for.
"Alaska is home to the most brutal environment in america, "where trucks routinely meet their fate in rivers, forests, "crevasses and ice, as well as on the road.
"You're now in healy, alaska, "where Christopher McCandless famously went into the wild and died, by the way, actually.
" - He died? - Yeah, he did.
"To test the road-worthiness of your trucks, your next challenge is to drive 100 miles to fairbanks.
" Okay.
Let's go.
Do you really know how the guy died or no? Wood: He didn't have a bear bell.
You don't know.
Okay.
Wood: This road-trip challenge would test our vehicles' endurance, and it also gave us the perfect chance to get to know what we'd bought.
Foust: Getting her up to speed for the first time.
Getting a little shake through the steering wheel.
I've got a good 25 degrees of actual play in the wheel.
Fan belt is squealing away, and we're going 46 miles an hour.
This old chevy, I mean, it's got 238,000 miles.
That's a load.
Rutledge has got a truck that either a high-school football captain would drive or maybe Chuck Norris.
Can you hear the tires? Whaaaaaaa.
I got a set of 37-inch mud terrains.
That's huge.
I think that may be why I had a little bit of trouble stopping.
Now, the tough thing for Dodges, they haven't always done really well with their truck sales.
In '93, they sold less than 100,000 trucks.
So that's when they decided to totally redo it, launched a completely new ram for '94.
The highest number of trucks Dodge ever sold 1996, and this was one of those 400,000.
Adam's truck was built before I was born.
I am driving a 1976 Ford F250, and I'm yelling because it's very noisy.
The paint job is falling apart.
And the power steering There's no power steering.
I should have been a little bit more suspicious when I saw the ad for this truck.
The picture was taken way far away.
And he said, "will trade for mountain bike.
" I figured out your color, Tanner.
It's blurple.
Just wait till the sun comes out.
You'll see the blue.
Adam's truck is it's what the unabomber would drive.
Wood: A lot like when we went to detroit, I haven't seen many foreign cars up here Except for one toyota truck.
I do not want to drive a toyota.
At this point in our country's automotive history, I want an american truck to prevail.
More importantly, I want my american truck to prevail.
Foust: We headed north on a ribbon of asphalt, separating us from epic emptiness.
To the west Siberia.
To the east A vast nothingness that some call canada.
Once you get beyond the trees and you can see a little bit of distance under the clouds.
It is god's country.
It's not conquered by man, certainly not by vehicles at all.
After four hours, we made it to a gas stop.
Things were going good, but something was just bothering me.
Hold on.
Rutledge's truck looks way too new, doesn't it? Oh! Oh! Get him, Adam.
Get him, Adam.
Oh! Oh, come on! Foust: That's what you get for buying a '97, Rutledge.
- Why would you do that? - That looks much better.
Why did you get your ugly purple on my beautiful black truck? To me, it looks like you've had a severe front impact, and I have a little door ding.
Your lifted-ass truck I would have taken it in the bumper, but instead it had to take it in the corner of the hood.
Yep.
So you prefer to take it in the bumper? Wood: We finally made the outskirts of fairbanks and completed the second challenge unscathed.
Then we were told that from now on, we would be in the wild.
Tonight would be our last hotel.
So our next challenge was to convert our trucks into bush-ready campers overnight.
If we didn't, the bears would be feasting on us.
Foust: Coming up, we prepare to go into the wild with our modified trucks.
What in the sam hill were you thinking? Having successfully completed the first highway challenge, we'd spent the night in fairbanks, converting our trucks into campers.
Last night, the producers were gracious enough to give us all of about six hours' notice that we'd be camping in our trucks in the alaskan wilderness for days.
So, of course, we decided to make a few minor modifications.
Foust: I'd created my camper shell in the shape of a giant spoiler.
It would keep me warm and dry while enhancing the already stellar performance of the chevy stepside.
The chevy stepside it was all about rugged simplicity A bed, sleeping bag, coffee, of course.
And this thing, this is on there.
We're gonna be off-roading through hell.
I admit the paint fumes may have gotten to me a little bit in the spoilers.
I don't know what they're for.
Maybe they'll scare the bears away.
But if you're gonna go out into alaska with a truck and keep it tough, this is the way to do it.
Oh, my god.
Really? Did you have to kill a beaver for that? Rutledge wood, what in the sam hill were you thinking? It's a log cabin.
I wanted to bring a little piece of home with me, so I wanted to be comfortable.
This is my porch.
Hang out here.
Come on in.
Hold on.
I'd like to wipe my feet on the welcome mat.
Wow.
If you want to have a seat on my front porch you know, every good southern man likes to sit on the front porch.
But look.
I've got a mini bar.
I've got a stove, complete with a stove exhaust.
Oh, and look at this.
This way, I'm really one with the animals.
My Daniel Boone hat here.
Your bed is about 5 feet long.
You don't think I can fit in this bed? I couldn't fit in that bed.
Why don't you move? I'll show you.
You ready? Voilà ! This is the life in here, Tanner.
This is an entry point for bears, - for termites, mosquitos.
- No, this is where my feet go.
This is where I'm gonna sleep.
Oh, Rutledge.
Listen, what don't I have? Sanity, protection from the elements, some sort of structural rigidity.
Look at this thing is this is bad.
I only had a few hours.
I thought you'd be a little bit more impressed.
I thought you would have put your attention to, like, survival a little bit instead of your dream cabin.
Oh, my gosh! Adam.
How are you, fellas? I am at a loss.
Wood: The truck got worse.
- What do you mean it got worse? - It wasn't possible, but you did it.
- Is this a cage? - Yes.
This is to protect me from bears Bears and those killer moose we were talking about before.
So, paranoia got to you.
Not paranoia.
Safety.
You're gonna use a picture of a lion, and you've painted your truck blaze orange.
Safety from hunters, right? This picture will scare away the visual creatures.
Does it ring like a bell? Wait.
Let me show you what else I got.
Go stand by the lion.
I'm not sure what to expect here.
Huh? Really? A speaker phone with a lion noise on it? It's brilliant! You know bears I mean, they have huge paws.
They can just get in and just Adam, I think you're a nice guy.
I do.
I think you're awesome.
But you are freaking crazy.
- Is this your escape hatch? - Yes.
I thought he was just pretending.
You're really scared of bears.
- You're not? - No.
I've got whiskey and guns and a log cabin.
Foust: You guys are aware that this is the wettest alaskan summer in history.
What are you gonna do if it rains? Wood: With our trucks prepared for life in the wilderness, we set off for our next challenge, which would start 80 miles away.
Back on the highway, it was becoming clear that we might not have thought through our modifications properly.
Ferra: Tanner, how much downforce are you getting in the blurple chevy? I think I could drive upside-down right now.
Are you getting a good draft off of it back there, nascar? Wood: I'm finding I am just slightly less aerodynamic than I was yesterday in this monster.
I feel like I'm being chased by the jamboree bears.
Adam, when you're done mowing all those lawns, will you have a chance to go out in the woods with Tanner and I? Everybody that pulls up to you, Rutledge, pauses to see if they dare pull up alongside you.
It's hilarious.
Tanner, I think you just need to hope you don't find any skateboarding bears.
Adam, do you see how big that mountain is in front of you? Holy Wow.
They are all around, three sides.
I think I'm gonna need bigger tires.
Think you're gonna need a better truck.
We arrived at the start of the next challenge.
We had to drive to the top of somewhere called fish creek, which was a 20-mile automotive proving ground built by mother nature.
The extreme inclines, drop-offs, potholes, and water hazards would be a test for any brand-new truck, let alone our weathered pickups.
Whoa.
Hey, guys, looks like we got a water crossing.
Got a what? How deep does it look? I don't think there's any other way to go but across.
You guys good? All right, let's go.
Yeah, buddy.
Oh, he's stuck.
Uh, fellas? Foust: Things weren't looking good for the lion king.
Oh Did the engine die, or did you stall it? No, I think the engine died.
It's coming up, like, kind of into this thing.
It's coming in.
Why don't you come on out? You guys need a life raft? Wood: The river was flowing hard enough to sweep an average truck away.
Luckily, the Ford weighed close to three average trucks.
I know this.
Currently, that lion is not scaring anyone.
You have the tow strap? You want me to just throw it? Why don't you drive it over? Okay.
I can do that.
Yeah, baby.
Dig, dig.
That's what I'm talking about! Hook this to that.
You ready? You look great up there.
You trying to get me in the water? No, no, no! If Adam fell into the icy waters, he could die, which would hold Tanner and me up.
Foust: It's good.
Put it on there.
All right, get back in your truck there, kemosabe.
Oh, Chuck Norris will be happy to pull you out.
Okay, Rutledge, go ahead.
And, Adam, turn left as hard as you can.
Turn left, Adam.
Left, left.
Left.
Keep going, Rutledge.
Keep going, Rutledge.
Keep going, Rutledge.
Keep going, Rutledge.
Yeah! Okay, good.
It's like taking care of a 3-year-old.
Chuck Norris saved you.
Thank you, texas ranger.
It lives! Foust: We only helped Adam out of the water because, frankly, we didn't want to pollute the river.
I have no idea how that truck started after being underwater for that long.
Risen from the dead.
Ferrara: My Ford was indestructible.
It deserved a name that could tell the world it could take anything and keep going keith richards.
It's only rock 'n' roll, but I like it! Wood: With the water obstacles completed, we headed up to the top of the ridge.
But an ordinary hill-climbing task this was not.
This was more like hell on earth.
To our left, a drop of 1,000 feet awaited the careless driver.
Foust: Wow.
And if somehow you survive the fall, the ice and gravel below was full of deadly sinkholes that could swallow small offic buildings without a trace.
Oh, my gosh.
Look off to your left.
I'm not looking.
I'm not looking.
That is straight down.
All right, don't go too far right, Adam.
Oh, I don't like heights! Ferrara: On a trail like this, it is vital to have power steering, good brakes, transmission in perfect working order, and great visibility.
And I had none of these things.
Whoa! Foust: Our trucks had made it, but our nerves were fried.
But the day was far from over.
Oh Now it was time to put our trucks through a skid pad, Alaskan-style.
Uh-oh.
Ow.
Everybody okay? That was my bad.
It got wetter and muddier.
Oh, yeah, there's a nice little sippy hole.
Chuck Norris paved the way until he met bruce lee.
Oh, my gosh.
that was awesome.
Holy crap.
I might need a little help.
Wood: With my Dodge stuck and in need of assistance, Tanner did the decent thing Maybe I can go around you on the left side.
Is there room? And tried to overtake me and leave me for dead.
I don't think I'd do that anymore.
You're gonna roll over.
Foust: Oh, crap.
I'm stuck.
So you're both stuck? Tanner and I were down for the count.
Lucky for us, Adam's ego took over, and he wanted to prove that his orange Ford could do something right.
All right, Rutledge, that's you.
Come on back.
Foust: If Adam failed, we would all be more than screwed.
A little help, Rutledge.
The nearest help was 60 miles away.
Here you go.
"Chuck Norris" my ass.
Okay, stop there, Adam.
Stop there, Adam.
Rut, stop.
I'm gonna try to hit your truck and sail on through.
Now, if you bounce off my truck, you could flip it.
You know that, right? Rutledge, do not hit my truck.
If you hit it, that thing is gonna flip for sure.
Is your radio working, Rutledge? You copy that, rut? Do not hit the blue truck.
Oh, more! Yes! As we head further into the alaskan wilderness, Rutledge decides to remodel.
Wood: We were halfway up an alaskan ridge, and our trucks were stuck.
Embarrassingly, I had to be pulled out of the mud by Adam's 30-year-old gun-range target.
But Tanner was still stuck.
Foust: Do not hit the blue truck.
Just don't hit it.
It's gonna flip.
And I'm gonna be bear meat.
This is gonna be awesome.
To the left.
To the left.
Adam may have bailed me out Your cage is strong, right? But I tried talking him out of helping Tanner.
Guys, this is, like, two-on-two, full-court press stupid.
That thing's like a rubber band.
When you get it really tight, pchew! - All right, let's do this thing.
- Okay.
I'm just gonna watch from my porch.
It's not you guys.
It's me.
Oh, my gosh.
All right, you ready? I'm gonna go.
Yeah! Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo! Ha ha! Aah! Foust: Incredibly, we all manage to make it to the top of fish creek, Which is reputed to be one of the best views in all of alaska.
My back hurts.
My arms are 20 feet long.
Feel like I've been getting hit in the ass by a 2x4 for like six days straight.
With a good fire going, we did what all guys do in alaska around a fire Now it's a party.
Talk truck.
Driving a pickup truck through alaska has to be one of the ultimate things you can do with four wheels.
The three of us are really representing American truck lovers with the chevy, the Ford, and then the ultimate Dodge, so - "The ultimate Dodge"? - Yeah.
I don't see that badge anywhere.
All right, fellas.
We're gonna have a big day tomorrow.
I think we should all get some sleep.
It's blue sky right there.
It's 11:30 at night.
- What?! - Yeah.
I'm going to bed.
See you guys.
Okay.
Hop in there.
- You're totally in there.
- All right, thank you.
You've got it, man.
See you in the morning.
Good night, Adam.
Night, Rutledge.
Good night, Tanner.
Got it.
Night.
Good night, bears.
Not funny.
Wood: We were two days into the quest to find america's toughest truck.
All three of our vehicles were still working, but behind us stalked a predator The Toyota pickup we'd have to drive if one of our trucks died.
None of us wanted that shame.
To test the brute strength of our trucks, we had to drive up a river valley until we got to a glacier 140 square miles of moving ice.
Our challenge was to touch that ice with our trucks.
I got to say, I'm actually impressed with the chevy.
- It is it's stout.
- You think? Yeah, it makes some noise, complains a little bit, but she's reliable.
My truck is loud, but the whining of your belts is deafening.
Yeah, the belts are bad.
You know what? Actually, that reminds me here.
- What's that? Knock it off! Oh, that's way that is way too close! I'm trying to go to the bathroom! Immature.
Foust: We were now up against an almost vertical climb over large, muddy boulders.
If all of the trails to the glacier were gonna be this tough, we were in big trouble.
I got to be 100% honest.
I'm surprised any of these are making it through this.
How's it going up there, rut? Wood: I have blown my left-front shock.
Wow, you've led us into some nasty stuff.
Ferrara: This truck drove on a cliff, went through a river eventually.
This can take anything.
Oh! Wood: When you're driving this sort of terrain, it's vital to keep control of your vehicle by maintaining forward momentum and all four wheels on the ground at all times.
Or you can do it like Adam.
Ferrara: Uh-oh.
That didn't sound good, fellas.
Oh, my gosh.
Yeah, uh, I didn't stop on purpose.
I think I might have snapped the driveshaft.
- What did it sound like? - Well, "wchew! Wchew! Wchew!" - Nothing.
- And so now you don't have any gear or - No.
Not one gear whatsoever.
- How's it sitting right there? Rocks.
It kind of sounds like the truck might be dead.
Sounds like a toyota might be in your future.
Hey, we'll see you back at camp.
Okay.
Good luck with that.
Ferrara: So Keith Richards was dead, the great orange warrior defeated by the overwhelming forces of nature and quite a big rock.
Foust: Adam was the first to fall on his sword.
I'd like us to all have a moment of silence for keith richards.
With Adam's Ford out of the running, it was down to Dodge versus Chevy.
Oh oh! Whoa! [ laughing .]
Yeah! Wood: Come on! Rutledge's Dodge was a monster.
Oh, this is awesome! It might have been 10 years younger than my chevy, but it was twice as heavy and an accident waiting to happen.
Holy Go, baby, go! You lost your house, rut! Oh! Oh! Oh, no! Oh, no! My house! No! Did you hit my house?! Rut, I got no other way out of here.
I think you're gonna have to just back all the way down.
I got to get through it.
I sleep in there! No! Whoo-hoo! Oh! Oh, no! That is real unfortunate that had to happen.
It's all part of wheeling, my friend.
I'm sorry.
Wood: You're gonna have to pick that up.
- Let me get your pillow for you.
- Welcome, jackass.
Wood: We now had plenty of firewood, thanks to Tanner and his stupid chevy turdside.
Perfect.
Scoot back a touch.
Let's camp.
I need to get my crapper.
How bad do you have to go? Not bad enough to do it that close to the fire.
Foust: Coming up, in the final race to the glacier, Rutledge gets distracted.
Did write "I love sheep" on there? No.
A distant trail deep in the alaskan wilderness, my Ford F250 became the first casualty in the search for america's toughest truck.
I was now a national disgrace in the Toyota of shame.
Foust: Only two trucks were left in the game, and it all had come down to one final challenge.
We had to drive our battered vehicles further into the wilderness to the mighty knik glacier.
But reaching the glacier wasn't enough.
To complete the challenge, we had to actually drive on it.
But there was no trail here.
We would have to pick our way through the endless river channels And quicksand that could swallow us whole.
Many trucks have attempted this route and never returned.
Roll up the window before bashing through the water.
Oh.
Oh! Oh, I can't see anything.
Yeah! For some reason, I'm covered in mud because the top of my door won't seal! From here, it was a race through virgin territory.
There were no more roads.
There were no more rules.
Just one perfectly proportioned chevy stepside against a supersized, lumbering Dodge.
I can't see.
Your hood is just bouncing every time you hit anything.
This was fast and furious, alaskan-style.
Holy holy Oh! Oh, you lost your back.
- Oh! Wood: The race was on.
But chuck was starting to feel the heat.
He was built for comfort, not for speed.
And the pace was taking its toll.
Oh, boys, I have bad news.
What's up, buddy? I think big Dodge go boom.
You got a dead ram? Baa.
Baa.
Let's take a look.
Oh, that could do it.
You got a sideways battery.
Let's get out of here! Chuck was back, stronger than ever Kind of.
Boys, the Dodge is hurting.
She is knocking and way down on power.
Wow, that does not sound good, rut.
Keep digging.
Keep digging, Chuck.
There's the glacier right there.
That's what I'm talking about.
I can't believe it.
I can see the glacier.
Come on, chuck.
Dig.
Come on.
Come on.
Stay with me.
Stay with me.
Is that as fast as it'll go? For the record, this is foot to the floor.
How about you stop pushing me? I'm trying to give you a push.
I thought you said you had no power.
Oh! Then he died again.
Come on, baby.
Come on.
I think Chuck Norris is gonna be buried at sea.
Come on, chuck.
Come on.
Are you kidding me? And again.
That's it.
And again.
Uh, I think that's it.
I'm not even getting out of my truck this time.
We've done this five, six times already.
Then finally, whatever fight Chuck had left, started steaming out of the hood.
Lot more underhood smoke this time.
- Here we go.
Oh, look at that smoke.
- Is it time to push it off the trail? - Yeah, I think this is it for Chuck.
- This is his final resting place.
- So long, Chuck.
Death of a giant.
But we knew it was inevitable.
Hey, genius, I'm on a tree.
Did you write "I love sheep" on there? No.
If you guys don't mind, I just need a minute with chuck alone.
Of course.
Take your time.
Chuck, you were a fighter.
And up till that very last minute, I believed in you.
Chuck, I don't love sheep.
And I know you don't, either.
Kick ass out here, whatever you're gonna do, in the Alaskan wilderness.
Amen.
Coming up, it's Toyota versus Chevy.
But will anyone be able to walk when it's over? Geez! Foust: The battle to crown america's toughest truck had claimed two casualties.
Adam's Ford had been vanquished by a medium-size rock, and Rutledge's Dodge was killed by an exotic mix of earth and water known as mud.
Only the Chevy remained, so obviously I had taken the title.
Technically, you're just in the lead.
We are not at the glacier yet, and that's what the deal is.
That was our mission.
We had to get to the glacier and drive on it.
So you drive carefully, my friend, 'cause if you don't make it, you don't win.
So, who's driving the Toyota? I got to drive it? It's the rules.
The cycle of shame continues.
Well, we're behind you if you need anything.
I mean, not metaphorically, but physically, we'll be behind you.
Unfortunately, they were right.
I did have to make it onto the ice to win.
And then it dawned on me.
I was representing every american truck with my little blurple chevy.
If I didn't make it to victory and the Toyota did, an import would be crowned america's toughest truck.
And I couldn't let that happen.
I wouldn't let that happen.
This quickly became a matter of national pride.
Let's get to the ice.
Whoa! Geez! Rutledge, you guys feel it getting colder out? Yeah, that must mean we're getting close.
- Tanner, we made it.
- Yeah! Look at that wall of ice right there.
Unbelievable.
The most insane terrain I've ever seen.
Let me out of this thing.
God, it's beautiful.
One of the most epic things I've ever seen.
And you know what? With these gorgeous blue glaciers, um, I think your blue truck looks nice.
Yeah.
It's a nice blue truck.
You called it a blue truck.
Yeah.
That was very touching.
- Yeah.
- You earned it.
We've proven that Chevy is the toughest truck.
No, no, no.
We've proven that Chevy made it this far.
I don't know if you can see, Tanner.
The glacier is right over there.
And we are right over here.
Annoyingly, again, they were right.
Between the chevy and the ice field was a deep river and a lake full of icebergs.
There was no way through.
But because these icebergs are from that glacier, I think it should count.
If you can get your truck to an iceberg, you win.
So if I can get it out to an iceberg, it's done.
- Yep.
- We're gonna do this.
Like a rock, my friend.
So, where are we going? You think this is gonna work? I don't know.
It looks like the icebergs are closer to the edge over here.
This is probably the dumbest idea we've ever had.
- Who knows how cold that water is? - Or how deep it is.
Well, that's interesting.
- He's coming down backwards.
- I wouldn't have thought of that.
How's that gonna work? - Any part of the truck, right? - Yep.
Good luck.
There you go.
You can do it.
Oh! You touched it! That counts! Yeah! That counts! - What are you doing? - I'm getting on the ice! I get it.
That's what the stepside's for.
I think I'll call this iceberg It's floating away.
Floating away.
It's floating away.
- You might want to get back on the truck.
- Get back in the truck.
All right, I'm getting back in the truck.
That hey, you won.
That is america's toughest truck.
Let's go take some showers.
- That's a good idea.
- I meant separate showers.
Go big.
Yeah! He got it out! Goodbye, alaska.
I'm going home.