Ten teams of two ordinary Americans join survival expert Bear Grylls on journeys traversing New Zealand’s treacherous and diverse terrain while competing for $500,000

Helicoptered into dangerous alpine terrain, the contestants must climb to the top of a jagged cliff Meanwhile, tempers flare between mother and daughter, and with little food, some contestants are running out of steam

Bear drops the contestants off in the middle of a bay where they must swim to shore and, in their haste, a team is left behind Once on the shore, they must navigate waterfalls, where an injury takes the group by storm

The contestants are taken by a door-less helicopter to the base of a raging waterfall, instructed to ascend on the most grueling journey to date Hunger sets in, and teams rely on Bear for the strength to continue

Amidst a torrential downpour, the contestants must cross a rope suspended one hundred feet above a deep gorge The extreme height, and harsh camping conditions, test the teams

With low morale at camp, the teams must work together to safely rappel down a dangerous cliff, and face their coldest night thus far