What do you get when you take eight total strangers, drop them off in Miami and tell them they have to complete 10 sports-related tasks in 30 days and get to the base of Mount Rushmore...all with nothing but the clothes on their back and a valid drivers' license? Why, you have ESPN's Beg, Borrow & Deal 2, the sequel to the sport network's first-ever reality series!

For those unfamiliar with the show, I just gave you the general idea. Two teams of four have thirty days to make it from South Beach in Miami, Florida to the base of Mount Rushmore in Rapid City, South Dakota. But they can't just find a Greyhound to bring them straight there on Dutch. They are each given a list of 50 tasks and must perform ten of them en route. Among these tasks are "reward challenges" which, when completed, will earn them either a complete McDonald's meal for everyone on the team OR the use of a Subaru Baja for 12 hours. The Subarus may ALSO be picked up at one of five landmarks: one each in Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, St. Louis and Washington, D.C. Only one task can be done in any one state. The 1-1-12 rule is back in effect, where a team can ask 1 non-monetary favor from any 1 person which must be completed within 12 hours.

Now here's something NEW for BBD2: Elimination. When one team reaches five completed tasks, BOTH teams must eliminate a teammate and run with a replacement for the rest of the race!

Then there's the grand prize: two tickets to ANY four sports championships of their choice. This can be anything from the World Series to the Super Bowl to Wimbledon to the World Cup.

And now, to quote Anne Robinson, let's meet the teams:

RED TEAM
Stacey - Tall, long blond hair, flirt
Doug - anxious surfer-looking dude (the one that was on "Dog Eat Dog" recently)
Greg - Tall, clean-shaven, surely athletic
Kerri - short, black-haired female, a bit on the impatient side

GREEN TEAM
Charles - the lone African-American on the show
Annemarie - short brunette, rather spunky
Kristin - slightly taller brunette, calm, decent-sized..."tracks of land" (wink, wink)
Eric - Mid-20s, handsome man...in fact, a model

Olympic Gold Medallist swimmer, "NBA Inside Stuff" hostess and ex-Nickelodeon game show host Summer Sanders is your host...and she quickly sends the teams off on their month-long trek!

The Red Team immediately puts the task list on the sand and looks over what's so tough about it. Among those they scope:
#5: "Score a goal from center ice of an NHL rink." (The arena the Panthers play in was about 2 hours' drive from South Beach)
#4: "McDonald's Reward: Get a bat from a Major League Baseball All-Star and get a hit during batting practice."
(Pro Player Stadium was closer, but not by all that much)
#2: "Play a set of tennis against either Venus or Serena Williams." (Good luck finding THEM)

Finally, both teams find out something they like:
#17: "Subaru Reward: Three team members must jump off a 10-meter diving platform, and one MUST complete a 'cannonball'"

Well, since 12 hours with a Subaru is on the line (and since it can be done at most any Olympic-sized pool with said platform), both teams decide to try for it. But it hits Annemarie that they don't have a way to get TO a pool with a 10-meter platform. So, the Green Team begs a cabbie to take them where they have to go.

The Red Team asks the locals about nearby high-dive pools. One girl suggests the U. of Miami pool in Coral Gables, but doesn't want to head down there. It hits Greg at this point that they're broke and must start mooching. They ask a guy in a mini-van for a ride there, and he (sort of reluctantly) accepts.

1:20pm, Coral Gables, FL - the Red Team arrives at U of M, feeling nervous. The pool manager suggests jumping off a highway overpass instead of his platform. So they look over the list again and, lo and behold, Stacey finds...

#34: "Swim a 200-meter Individual Medley (50 meters each of butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle) in an Olympic-sized pool (50 meters long) in under four minutes." (BTW, Summer holds the American Record in this event at 2 minutes, 11 seconds)

Unfortunately, Stacie and Doug prove that it is not as easy as they think. Greg, however, remains confident that he can do it. After three legs, he's making good time. But he becomes exhausted doing the freestyle and bails about 20 meters from the finish. Kerri doesn't even try it...and Doug realizes just how hard these tasks are.

Meanwhile, just a few miles north, the cabbie drops the Green Team off at Florida International University in North Miami. One problem: no 10-meter platform at the pool. They, too, discover task #34 and decide to try the under-four-minute I.M. Now the problem is talking security into letting them jump in and give it a go. After calling the super, they are allowed 15 minutes, enough for one person to give it a go. Charles elects himself.

After two legs, he's well ahead of pace at 1:35...but the breaststroke proves to be the killer; it takes two minutes to complete. He swims his hardest freestyle...but ends up six seconds over. Team's bummed all around...and they're certain that no one can pull that off.
2:40, Coral Gables, FL - the Red Team gives up on aquatic-based tasks for the time being. They go down the list again and stumble upon:

#12: "Subaru Reward: Make a lay-up, a free-throw and a 3-pointer in 20 seconds on an NBA court"

Well, the American Airlines Arena is only about 20 minutes away...and Greg JUST HAPPENS to know somebody who knows Miami Heat guard Mike James (riiiiiiiiiiight!). Kerri calls on a borrowed cell phone and shmoozes James into meeting with them. Sure enough, an hour later, James pulls up in a Hummer to help. Problem: the court isn't assembled and the hoops aren't up. So much for that. Stacey is rather ticked. So...on to Plan D:

#41: "Anchor the sportscast of any local television newscast."

The team gets a ride with another set of strangers and headed up to Miramar.

4:40pm, Ft. Lauderdale - The Green Team is right on their backside trying to vacate South Florida. Eric tries to talk his friend, Roman, into driving the team 5 hours to Charles' parent's place in Daytona. Roman agrees.

9:20pm, Miramar - After a "scary" (according to Stacey) ride with a guy named Guy, Red Team arrives at WTVJ studios (why they'd mention an NBC channel, I'll never know) and tries to talk their way into doing a sportscast. But it is sweeps week...AND the night of the NFL Draft. Kerri is so very...over-the-top and demanding about wanting in there. After some serious begging, security agrees to a SMALL piece at the end of the newscast. However, the executive producer 86es the idea. Good news: J.J. from the sports crew gives them a place to stay in Ft. Lauderdale. BETTER news: Joe Rose, sports anchorman and ex-Miami Dolphin, agrees to take them to the International Swimming Hall of Fame in Ft. Lauderdale in the morning!

OK, brief pause to explain the rules for "Run of the House". If a person gives a team the favor of using a house or apartment, they more or less take over the place. Phone, internet, bed, showers, kitchen...EVERYTHING can be utilized by the team! The only downside? Just like all other favors, they can only stay for 12 hours.

So J.J. takes them to his house where all four share a futon on an upstairs room. They're tired and bummed that they have yet to perform a single task even though they tried four times. But they're optimistic for tomorrow.

Meanwhile, many miles north, the Green Team arrives in Palm Coast, Florida, just north of Daytona. Their ultimate destination is Charles' step-dad's place. They get Run of the House but they're so exhausted from the 5-hour ride that they pretty much shower and collapse.

Day 1 ends with both teams tied at nil.

Day 2, 9:03am, Ft. Lauderdale - Nearing the tail-end of J.J.'s "favor", the Red Team wakes up, freshens up, straightens up, thanks J.J. for the Run of the House and feel more optimistic about the days ahead. Rose picks them up (since he lives close by to J.J.'s) and heads for the Swimming Hall of Fame in downtown Ft. Lauderdale. Their goal is to complete task #17: the 10-meter high-dive. Stu Marvin, the manager of the Hall, seems tight with Rose and allows the team to try their task...provided they work their way up (don't want any lawsuits, after all).

It is at the point when they approach the diving array when they realize that the 10-meter platform is equivalent to about 45 feet above the surface of the pool...so it'll be like jumping off a four-story building! They start off the 3-meter platform and they all take the plunge without a problem. They move up to the 5-meter, then the 7.5-meter. When they finally get up the nerve (and the confidence of Marvin) to climb to the 10-meter, it's decided that Kerri would do the cannonball. The team is quite nervous, but huddle up for confidence, knowing they're going to get out of Florida (due to the "one state, one task" rule).

Stacey jumps first just fine. Doug pikes next, followed by Greg just stepping off. Then it was Kerri's turn to cannonball...and she starts to wonder if she'll get hurt doing this. She hesitates...right through commercial. Finally, after much yelling, Kerri leaps, tucks, and crashes butt-first into the pool. Everybody dives in to congratulate her...and she shows off that her ass-cheek is now as red as her bikini.

RED TEAM: 1, GREEN TEAM: 0

Of course, with the passing of the first task comes the naming of the team. After throwing several names out, they decide that the Red Team will become "Team Exodus"...or "Team Ex" for short.

And now comes the FUN part. Team Ex gets the opportunity to call the other team on the Producer's Cell Phone and gloat to them. They opt to do so...and they ESPECIALLY rub it in that they got the Subaru Baja. Now Green Team can scratch off #17 from the list; both teams cannot do the same task.

But just a moment there. Just because Team Ex has the Baja doesn't mean they can make their "exodus" from Florida just yet. They decide to try to bum some cheap super-sized drinks off a guy at a nearby gas station for the trip. They get the drinks, some directions towards Atlanta and awa-a-a-ay they go!

10:20am, Palm Coast, FL - Meanwhile, the as-yet-unnamed Green Team ponder a task from BBD1:

#42: "Get a permanent tattoo (of a sports logo) above the waist at least 3 inches in diameter."

They decide to head north to Jacksonville to get the tattoo. Annmarie is ticked that Eric stalled for four hours to call friends to pick them up and take them to Jacksonville. What Eric was trying to do is arrange a bigger car and fuel stops. This takes all morning before said friend, Geena, finally appears, agreeing to take them all the way to Atlanta. The team gathers up in a truck and heads up I-95 to Jacksonville...and tries to figure out how to get a tattoo parlor to give them free tattoos.

Fortunately, a parlor there is more than willing to give the four free tattoos (I'm guessing in return for free advertising...it's called "Southside Tattoo" for any of you in the JAX area). Kristin thinks about getting her nipples pierced while there. Eric is gerrymandered into going first...and he's worried about how it would affect his modeling career. He gets a Detroit Tigers logo on his right shoulder blade (as if getting a tattoo isn't masochistic enough). Kristin gets an Oklahoma U. logo just above her right butt-cheek...and winces the whole time. Annmarie gets a Texas logo on her lower back...and cries through it. With Charles getting one on his bicep, the task is complete!

GREEN TEAM: 1, TEAM EXODUS: 1

And Green Team becomes..."Team Cake"?! Well,...yeah. "Cake" stands for Charles, Annemarie, Kristin and Eric. Makes sense, right? Anyhow, Team Cake calls Team Ex to tell them about the tattoos.

After getting off the phone, Team Ex goes to cross off #42...only to pretty much tear the Baja apart in search of the task list. Both Stacey and Doug were certain that the game was over before it ever really took off...since they felt that they'd be DQed for losing the map.

3:40pm, Brookside, FL - Team Exodus is still tearing the Baja from limb to limb, looking for the cloth task map they need to complete the game. Everyone starts pointing fingers as to who had it last. Kerri blames herself, thinking she probably left it at a gas station three hours' driving south of there. So, despite the fact that they would probably end up hitching a ride to Atlanta due to the 12-hour rule for using the Baja, they drive back to Ft. Lauderdale and re-trace their steps. They knew it was, essentially, a six-hour penalty; three to return to where they left off and three to return to Brookside.

So, after 3 hours of backtracking, they're back to where they once belonged and they return to the gas station where they mooched the drinks. Sure enough, the attendant had found the map and had kept it for them. Kerri still blames herself...and so does everyone else. She is a key target for "elimination". But a Plan B is concocted. Greg has a friend, Amy, in Orlando who can put them up for the night and, with any luck, provide them with further transportation to Atlanta...even though Team Cake is probably half-way there by now.

9:20pm, Orlando, FL - Team Exodus arrives at Amy's place. They get Run of the House...though, in the 12 hours they had the Baja, they only ended up FOUR hours' drive from where they started from.

10:54pm - Atlanta, GA - Meanwhile, 400 miles north of where Team Exodus is roosting, Team Cake has made a beeline for Atlanta. Specifically, they're headed for Centennial Olympic Park, the centerpiece of the 1996 Olympic Games, to pick up a Subaru of their own for 12 hours. Centennial Olympic Park is one of the five "landmarks" teams can arrive at to pick up a Baja. It doesn't take long for the team to find the park and nab the car for 12 hours. I'm guessing the 12 hours doesn't start until morning, since Geena's friend Jeff has paid for their stay at a hotel for the night. Charles recaps the day, saying that it started off rough when Team Ex called them, but got better when they got the tattoos and evened the score. Eric says they need to keep Team Ex on their heels.

Day 2 ends with the teams tied at one-all...but with Team Cake a LONG way ahead.

Day 3, 10am, Atlanta, GA - Morning shines in the Peach State's capital...and more name dropping starts the day for Team Cake. Seems Charles can hook them up with Ray Farmer, whom he met at Duke University and who works as a scout for the Atlanta Falcons. Why?

#7: "Subaru Reward: Snap and hold a 35-yard field goal for a starting NFL kicker"

Completing this task would give the team TWO Subarus to use to head for North Carolina. So Charles calls Farmer, who agrees to give them a tour of the training complex and, with ANY luck, there might be some players there. So into the Baja they go and off to training camp. Charles warns, however, that Farmer is expecting just HIM...and he MIGHT freak at seeing all four looking to get a kicker to kick a FG for them.

It's a bit of a wait and Eric is getting too impatient. He decided that Farmer said he' meet them by the front GATE, not the front ENTRANCE. He wants to go to where both front and back doors can be watched. The others feel he's far too anxious to complete the task and might try "harassing" players. Eric goes to the middle of the roundabout in front of the building and...well, acts all goofy. He spies a black Hummer leaving...and is almost certain it's their kicker departing. Eric is a target for "elimination".

8:30am, Orlando, FL - Meanwhile, back in time in the Sunshine State, the girls of Team Exodus complain about the cleanliness of Amy's place, with Stacey not DARING to rest her pretty hair of head on the pillow. Thankfully, Doug gave his sweatshirt as a pillowcase. Doug admits an attraction to Stacey (a "budding relationship" is obligatory in every reality series, it seems). Stacey admits to being a flirt...but considers Doug more like a brother. Greg wants the hell out of Florida. That's good, because Amy can get them the hell out. Kerri is STILL kicking herself for leaving the map behind and costing the team valuable time. But all is not lost, since Greg finds a rather interesting task that makes Kerri perk up:

#35: "Have dinner with Mark Cuban, Daniel Snyder or an Aloof Brother on their private jet, house or hotel room."

NAME DROP! The Aloofs, aside from being owners of the Sacramento Kings, are also "family friends" of Kerri! She snags a phone from a nearby diner patron and calls Joe Maloof. She tells him she has to meet with him...but can't say why. For some reason, Joe says to call back in 9 minutes. Kerri has now made up for her blunder...or HAS she?

Nine minutes later, she calls back. Maloof says it'll run them about $61,000 to fly them from Atlanta to Sacramento and back...and Kerri's heart just stopped. He asks, "Is it smart for me to do this?" Kerri can't answer...

Will Kerri talk Maloof into blowing 61 "large" just for dinner? Will Eric stop panicking? Will Doug get ANYTHING since he was on an NBC show just recently? Stay tuned!

July 15, 2003

Previously on BBD2, Team Exodus jumped off a 10-meter platform, then penalized themselves by accident by leaving the task map at a gas station. They are currently in Orlando and Kerri is debating whether it would be wise for family friend and Sacramento Kings' co-owner Joe Aloof to blow $61,000 just to jet the team from Atlanta to Sacramento and meet them for dinner. Meanwhile, Team Cake had been scarred for life (they got tattoos) and anxiously wait (Eric more than the others) at Atlanta Falcons' training camp in the hopes of getting a kicker to boot a field goal for them.

Day 3, 5:58pm, Orlando, FL - Kerri is so very...torn. But, after discussing it with her fellow Team Exodus members, she tells Joe Aloof to haul the plane out to Atlanta...and, when they arrive in Sacramento, he'll understand. All because it's one of the 50 tasks:

#35: "Have dinner with Mark Cuban, Daniel Snyder or a Maloof Brother on their private jet, house or hotel room."

Maloof agrees and the team "gets the hell out of Florida" en route to Atlanta. Suddenly, the bottom drops out: Greg has lost his driver's license, which he feels might hinder his chance of getting on the plane since, after all, airport security is so tight lately. Stacey is not too pleased with her teammates' constant misplacing of important items and considers this as they get closer to "elimination".

3:00, Atlanta, GA - While Team Exodus struggles with the lose of Greg's I.D., Team Cake is waiting - some more patiently than others - at Atlanta Falcons camp for Falcons' scout Ray Farmer, a former classmate of Charles. Their goal:

#7: "Subaru Reward: Snap and hold a 35-yard field goal for a starting NFL kicker (maximum 4 tries) "
All but Eric are calm. Eric is already trying to work up different plans in case Charles' contact fails to show. And it is getting on the team's collective nerve. Annmarie says Eric is a DEFINITE candidate for eliminate, and Charles concurs. Fortunately, for EVERYONE's sake, Farmer shows up. As per the 1-1-12 rule, Charles' favor to ask Farmer is to get Jay Feeley, starting kicker for the Atlanta Falcons, to help with the task. Farmer said it was no problem. After a few calls, Feeley meets the team in the practice dome and informs the team they are lucky he was called in. They explain what Feely has to do and get to work. Charlie will hold for the first attempt...assuming Kristin can snap it right. Unfortunately, she flubs. However, she is CONFIDENT she can do it on the second try and argues the chance to try again. They begrudgingly agree. The snap is all right, Charles' plant is solid, Feeley's kick is up...and it's GOOD!

TEAM CAKE: 2, TEAM EXODUS: 1

Feeley himself calls Team Exodus to let them know that #7 is off the list. After the thank yous, Team Cake hop into the Subaru Baja they just win 12 hours' use of and heads for Durham, North Carolina. As mentioned before, Charles went to school at Duke University and knows quite a few people in the area that might help them with tasks.

7:30pm, en route to Atlanta, GA - Stacey still bemoans the fact that her team is so forgetful. Greg is worried about getting on the plane without I.D., and Kerri thinks the Aloofs have spent all that money for nothing. Fortunately, security said that, since it is a PRIVATE jet, no I.D. is required (guess it's up to the sap that SENT the plane to trust that they're not bringing terrorists or the such). That being resolved, Team Exodus boards the Leer jet and takes off for Sacramento. Doug and Stacey get cozy with each other. Doug takes a wait-and-see attitude, whereas Stacey hopes things don't get "inappropriate".

Some hours later, they touch down at Sacramento, and the team gets nervous that the Aloofs will want to disown Kerri and her family for blowing all this cash on a reality show task. But when Joe and Gavin Aloof meet the team on the runway and get the explanation, they're all smiles and glad to help. So they go aboard the jet and have a decent dinner.

Joe thought that Kerri might have been abducted (which is what Kerri thought he'd think). They end with a small cake with the Kings' logo on it and they say to the camera that Team Cake better take this as a warning: Team Ex ain't dead yet! All Joe has to say at the end is, "You'd better win!"

TEAM EXODUS: 2, TEAM CAKE: 2

11:00pm Durham, NC - Charles takes the team to his old house and asks his old roomie for Run of the House, which they readily agree to. While grateful for lodging, the girls think Eric may be taking the hospitality a bit TOO far, lying on a made bed while very sweaty and stinky.

The teams end Day 3 tied at two.

Day 4, 9:00, Durham, NC - After rest and a breakfast, Charles takes Team Cake to Duke University. Charles walks around like royalty, getting practically anything he wants. While they were enjoying a light lunch, the Producer's Cell Phone rings. It's Team Exodus from Sacramento, informing them that they've tied the score with #35. It's time to get serious, but Eric is again trying to plan ahead for the next task, which makes the girls a bit irked. But they need to work on the task they planned on before they arrived at Duke:

#3: "Make one 3-point shot at Cameron Indoor Stadium and the Dean Dome within one hour; Coach K or Coach Roy Williams MUST be present to see the shot"

Once more, Charles pulls strings to get Duke basketball player Chris Duhon to set everything up. Meanwhile, Team Exodus, after a nice sleep (at location undisclosed), hop back on the Leer jet and head back to Georgia. Kerri is so very...loved now by the team, feeling she's totally made up for losing the map. Greg hopes to re-establish contacts in Atlanta to continue their march. The atmosphere on the ride back is like Team Exodus was a hip-hop troupe traveling in style between gigs. There's music and dancing and Kerri shaking her rump and shouting and having fun and...did I mention Kerri's rump-shaking?

3:10pm, Durham, NC - Meanwhile, back at Duke U., Team Cake gets to Cameron Indoor Stadium...only to find that Coach K is nowhere on the campus. Charles took it extra hard, thinking he let the team down. What's more, when they contact the Dean Dome at U. of North Carolina, Coach Williams is ALSO out of town. Kristin starts to wonder why they didn't find this out before they got there. But Charles, although bummed, does not intend on leaving Duke without doing a task. So, they find a Plan B:

#18: "With a 50-meter head start, all members must beat an Olympic sprinter in a 100-meter dash"

NAME DROP! Charles knows the women's' track coach, and it's 1996 Gold Medallist Kim Miller! They arrange a mini-track meet for the next morning and Charles takes the team to the "pad" of his friend "Deuce", who is now an Oakland Raider. They have the place to themselves, so they relax, shower (particularly Eric) and take a big breather.

8:15pm, Atlanta, GA - As Team Cake chills, Team Ex's plane touches down. A young man named Jack agrees to take them to Alpharetta (which, if I'm not mistaken, was one of the stops of "USA's Cannonball Run 2001") to get Run of the House at the house of the Corrigans, friends of Greg. The Corrigans welcomed them and let them use the house as they wish.

Day 5, 9am - It takes some time for the team to arise...especially to Kerri's chant of "glory, glory, glory", which they've been subjected to every morning. Greg's the only one complaining, though. Stacey and Kerri also get use to some make-up...and Greg shares tips on how to shave one's own back (EWW!). Anyhow, Doug gets in contact with several contacts in the hope of pulling off a rare two-task day. More details later.

11am, Durham, NC - Team Cake gets brought over to Duke by a kicker on the football team. The team prepares to square off against Kim Miller in a 100-meter dash. Kristin is sure that the 50-meter lead will help them win. Annemarie isn't too confident, certain somebody might trip on the grass. Eric is on the fence about it. Then they watch Miller warm up...and most of their confidence fades. Miller's not too sure herself about beating even one of them, but puts her money on outrunning a girl. They get on their marks...the gun goes off! The guys easily make further distance from Miller...AND from the other girls. Fortunately, Annemarie and Kristin cross the finish line with a second to spare. Annemarie had been so scared that Miller was going to catch her at the last second.

TEAM CAKE: 3, TEAM EXODUS: 2

But victory came with a price. Kristin wasn't hydrated enough and felt rather ill afterwards. Eric thinks that, if she can't take care of herself and prepare herself for the physical tasks ahead, it will really clear up who may have to go come "elimination".10am Atlanta, GA - As Team Cake prepped for their successful track meet, Team Exodus heads back into town and towards Phillips Arena. They hope to accomplish the first of two tasks they have set for the day:

#28: "McDonald's Reward: Make a 3-pointer inside an NBA arena (maximum 3 attempts each)" (much like #12, except it's only a 3-pointer, there's no time limit and there's no Subaru to get).

As they get into the city, however, they get the bad news from Team Cake that they've already completed a task. This made things a bit more tense. Things didn't get much better when the front desk turned them down because they didn't have an appointment. Kerri is so very...POed! As security gets aggressive with her, she gives it right back with interest. And, when the team is escorted out of the building, Kerri gets a cell phone and call the Hawks' PR rep to, rather vocally, explain her disgruntlement. That's when Doug comes up with the idea to talk to the STADIUM's PR rep, since it's different from the Hawks'. They talked to the head of marketing, who set things up with Hawks Assistant Director of Media Relations Jon Steinberg and, using this correct approach, they got themselves access to the court. Kerri seems to be riding a roller coaster as far as her teammates are concerned. Though she's done good for them, she's also been a great liability at times. Anyway, they make their way to the Hawks' locker room...where Kerri proceeds to inhale the jockstraps, try out the massage table and scratch out some sort of "game plan" on the whiteboard for Stacey. The girls then do their best cheerleader impersonation.

Kerri is elected to go first. Her first overhead shot catches nothing but air...though Doug comments that it WAS on line. The second shot is underhand and is even worse. At this point, the team has zero-point-nada confidence in Kerri. But, undaunted, she readies herself again. She shoots underhand...and you could hear the "Hallelujah Chorus" go off as she, as Keith Olbermann used to say, "put the biscuit in the basket"! Kerri hopes this made up for her "aggressive behavior".

TEAM EXODUS: 3, TEAM CAKE: 3

3:40pm, Durham, NC - While Kristin recovers from being ill, Team Cake relaxes around Duke's campus. It's no surprise when they get the call from Team Ex. Once Kristin was able to move again, they hop on board an intra-campus bus back to the "pad" to catch a ride to their next destination somewhere in Virginia. But the person that had offered the ride hasn't arrived yet. So they wait...and wait...and wait...and wonder if they'll EVER leave Duke.

Meanwhile, Team Exodus is on their way to Huntsville, Alabama...which is a state Doug thinks no one has thought of on this journey. Their goal is second task of their doubleheader which is already set up for them:

#20: "Make a 25-yard field goal inside an Arena Football stadium (no tee; maximum 1 practice kick and 1 attempt each)"

The team's feeling pretty good about their chances as they roll into Huntsville and make their way to Van Braun Stadium, home of the Tennessee Valley Vipers, a "minor league" for the AFL. When Vipers' General Manager Joe Shroud hears what they intend to do, they say they can try after practice ends. Even after practice, about a dozen of the Vipers hang around and give tips. Finally, the team is ready to try the task. The big factor: an AFL's goalposts are only nine feet apart (as compared to 18 1/2 feet in the NFL).Stacey's practice AND real kick barely get off the ground (the real kick hurts her toe). Kerri's two kicks aren't much better. Greg's practice is low and outside, and his real kick is outside but JUST high enough. Now it's up to Doug, who used to play soccer. His first kick is up...and GOOD! Ah, but that was just practice, much to Kerri's chagrin. Doug needs to hit two in a row, though the average AFL kicker makes about 40% of these FGs. The kick is up...and WIDE RIGHT! There were no shouts of "Norwood", but no doubt Doug sure FELT like him.

4:40pm, Durham, NC - Finally, Duke basketball players Reggie Love and Chris Duhon come down to bring them to Maryland (they won't go to D.C. because they have tests the next day). Charlie says his father will put them up for the night. But, when they arrive five hours later, no one is home. And, when Charlie's dad, Charles Porter, Sr., DOES arrive, he has no idea they were coming and his house isn't set to accept guests. Fortunately, the team is so exhausted from the trip that they're ready to more or less sleep on the hardwood floor.

Will Doug get over his "Norwood"? Will Kristin ever fully recover? Who will be eliminated when the time comes? Stay tuned!

July 22, 2003

Previously on BBD2, Team Exodus give the Aloof brothers a rather expensive dinner and shoots a three-pointer, but Doug chokes on a field-goal attempt in Huntsville, Alabama that would put the team ahead. Meanwhile, Team Cake got Jack Feely to kick a FG for them and beat an Olympic sprinter (with half-a-field head start). They had last arrived at Charlie's father's house in Columbia, Maryland...and Pop wasn't too thrilled. The teams are tied at three tasks apiece nearing the end of...

Day 5, 7:20pm, Huntsville, AL - After the deflating failed kick, Doug was FUMING and trying his best to kick HIMSELF. Greg, on the other foot, knew that all was not lost. They could still do a task in Alabama since this one failed. It was getting late, so maybe they could do something they failed to do in Florida: 
#41: "Anchor the sportscast of any local television newscast."

Art Clarkson, owner of the Tennessee Valley Vipers' AFL team, was tight with the local TV station and agreed to help them with this task. He even drove them to the station...with a stop off at McDonald's to get the free meal for completing #28 earlier in the day in Georgia. Along the way, Kerri tells Doug that he was the only one of the four to have kicked the field goal, even though it was a practice kick.

After grabbing the meal, they make their way to WWAY, the local ABC affiliate, where Mark Marcus, the head sports anchor and director, spoke with them. Marcus wasn't too keen on it being tonight, since it was at this time when University of Alabama football coach Mike Price was under investigation...not a good time for a jovial visit by some reality show contestants. The girls feel there's no way they could get this task done, especially on such short notice.

But the rule for the task never said the sportscast had to be LIVE. Marcus agreed to TAPE a segment and to run it on the morning news program the following day (figuring that their morning news show, like most, are a bit more relaxed and a lot less serious than the late night telecast). It was agreed that Greg should do the segment, being a radio producer, and everyone is relieved. Greg harped on the fact that they needed to have a flawless telecast here...not only because they couldn't try it again if they goofed, but because they SAID they we going to do two tasks this day and, by granny, they were going to DO it to boost their morale! "Good morning. I'm Greg Matzek for ESPN's Beg, Borrow & Deal 2," started the broadcast. The team was floored by how well Greg handled himself, saying the lines without a single hitch.

TEAM EXODUS: 4, TEAM CAKE: 3

Afterwards, they got the Run of the House at a Vipers' player's house...but everyone's mind was now on the forthcoming "elimination". They agree it would be hard to let one of them go after all they've done together. Stacey can't decide on who to take out, Kerri thinks the idea sucks, Greg is counting on the team making the right decision...and Doug thinks Greg is thinking he'll be gone soon.

Day 6, 5:47am, Huntsville, AL - It's an early start for the weary Team Exodus. That's because they're up to watch the morning news broadcast which would make their task complete. Sure enough, Greg's mug is on the tube...and Mark Marcus is on after the taped sportcast essentially telling ESPN to put Greg on "SportsCenter". The team is STOKED...though still groggy. But there's no rest for the weary. They have a ride to Nashville, Tennessee. The PR rep from the Tennessee Titans will hopefully get things set-up for the team's fifth task:

#49: "Take a picture with a Heisman trophy and the player who won it."

Their plan: get the pic with Eddie George, 1995 Heisman winner and current Titans' starting running back.
Hey, wait a second...there ARE two teams in this contest, right? Well, while Team Ex was getting on TV, Team Cake was snoozing at Charles' father's house in Columbia, MD. Everyone (except Charles, of course) is homesick and just plain sick of the tasks. Kristin wanted her mommy every time they failed a task, but was still competent enough to help Eric map out their next move. One thing that concerned them was the "Time Zone Rule", stating that not only can only one task be performed in any one state but a maximum of FIVE tasks can be performed in any one of the four contiguous U.S. time zones. All three tasks Team Cake have done were in the Eastern Zone. Had they thought about this before, they would've headed west out of North Carolina instead of north to D.C. Also, for some reason, these four educated people thought that Mt. Rushmore, their final destination, was in D.C.! Suddenly...*ring ring*...Producer's Cell Phone activates. It's Team Ex, telling them #41 is off the list. Annemarie did NOT want to hear that, but Charles just thinks it'll push them into high gear.

And it does. Kristin is on the horn, feeling that they can get two tasks in quick order since the Maryland/D.C. area has many different sports teams and facilities to work with. Two catch Kristin's eyes:

#9: "Beat a WNBA All-Star in a game of one-on-one (first to 7 baskets wins)"
#25: "Collectively out-kick a starting NFL punter (3 minutes warm-up time max)"

So Kristin tries to contact PR reps from both the NFL's Baltimore Ravens and the WNBA's Washington Mystics to set things up. They are already late for the Ravens' task...and it gets worse when Eric ties up the line to, once again, try to set things up in other states. Afterwards, Kristin gets in touch with the Ravens while Annemarie and Eric try to flag a ride into Baltimore. One woman tries to give them money for a taxi, but they flat-out refuse it. Finally, the woman agrees to bring them to the Ravens' practice facility.

Some time later, the team arrives. Ravens PR coordinator Marisol Renner was happy to accept the team and to help them with their task. Annemarie is amazed that the punter was drafted - "Punters don't get drafted!" she says. Out comes said draftee, Dave Zastudil. When he's told of the task, he said the four of them might be able to do it...though teammates Casey Rabach and Joe Salave'a say Zastudil BETTER be able to out-kick them. Annemarie and Kristin aren't very thrilled with their practice kicks, Kristin actually swearing at how bad she's doing. But they get a bit better, and Charles thinks that, if the girls can get 25 yards each, they might have a chance. They decide on the order: Eric, Kristin, Annemarie and Charles. First, however, is Zastudil. He whacks one (despite a loud distraction by his teammates) 52 yards. Then it was Team Cake's turn. Eric got 39 yards from his punt. Kristin is confident about their chances...and boots in 16 yards. That makes 55 total, which is just enough to win!

TEAM CAKE: 4, TEAM EXODUS: 4

Zastudil is a little embarrassed, but still a good sport. He even calls Team Ex himself to let them know that #25 is done and the game is tied yet again. Stacey is bummed, and Greg says it's time for them to step up and get something done as soon as possible.

3:10pm, Huntsville, AL - It takes Team Ex all day to get out of 'Bama and head towards Tennessee, but they're on their way thanks to Wes of the Vipers. Since elimination is looming very close (the next task completed by either team will trigger it), they reflect privately on the strengths and weaknesses of each other:

Doug: good with people and morale, but not a good winner by any stretch
Greg: great comic relief, but he DID lose his license and his athletic prowess hasn't been shown yet
Kerri: also funny, but that whole "losing the map" thingy still lays heavy, not to mention her attitude
Stacie: not as innocent as she looks, but aggressive or pro-active in the team

While Team Ex ponder this in silence, Team Cake ponders their OWN troop out in the open. Kristin flat out tells Eric that he's too focused on himself and delaying the team trying to line up other tasks when they have tasks to get to right then. Eric thinks Annemarie hasn't be contributing much herself. Charles thinks Eric, despite having SOME contacts, might be more of a threat to him than the girls. It sounds like everyone has made up their mind who to toss. But that's for when they do their next task, which requires a ride (by Charlene, Charles' friend) down to D.C. to play one-on-one with a WNBA player.

4:20pm, Nashville, TN - Team Exodus arrives in Nashville to complete #49: getting the picture with the Heisman trophy and its winner. They discuss this with Robbie Bohren, Titans' Director of Media Relations. Along with #49, Doug mentions another one that they could do if they can't get Eddie George:

#16: "Catch a 35-yard pass from a current or former Hall of Fame quarterback."

Ut-oh. Although George is in town currently, he's heading OUT of town that day. After all, it IS Friday afternoon and everyone's heading out for the weekend. In fact, there's nobody in the locker room. However, Bohren says he'd make some phone calls and see what he can do for them. So the team stays in the lobby and HOPES that Bohren can get George over there briefly. Nobody's sure who they're going to vote off the team...and it makes the wait even worse. Bohren comes out and says that he can drive them up to George's house and hope he's there.

So they get to his house...and wait...and wait...and wait more. As they waited, the painter next door, Dan Zimmerle, drives by and asks what's up. The team begs for a meal from him, and he's happy to oblige in getting them some fast food...although Greg thinks Kerri is so very...pushy when it comes to getting "super sized" meals. Doug mentions that it was that same aggressiveness that nearly cost them a task earlier.
5:40pm, Nashville, TN - Team Ex has been waiting for close to an hour in front of Eddie George's house. Dan returns...with a mess of groceries for the team! Doug is amazed that this simple painter stepped WAY beyond the call for total strangers. Stacie has her faith in humanity reaffirmed by this gesture.
Not only that, but things looked up even more: Eddie George arrived! First greeted by Bohren and given an explanation for the stalking party, George is happy to help them out. Both Doug and Greg feel George's sincerity and kindness in his voice as they walk through his house and towards his trophy room. After the team tests out the weight of the trophy, George asks what they would do to win. Greg says he'd "convert" and become an Ohio State fan (which, as a Michigan fan, I find absolutely blasphemy). George says he won't let him do that and poses with the team holding the trophy.

TEAM EXODUS: 5, TEAM CAKE: 4

George calls Team Cake (who are just arriving in Arlington, it looks like)...claiming to be "David Byner" from University of Hawaii and have helped Team Ex to do #49. Team Exodus thanks George and departs.
But now...the dreaded elimination. Each team member needs to write down a name on a piece of paper and place it in a hat. Each member then draws out of the hat and reads the name. Majority of votes gets the gate...with straws being drawn in case of a tie.

Team Ex goes to a nearby field and considers their votes quietly. Greg is eyeing Kerri for her impatience, Doug is considering Greg for the I.D. losing, Stacey is sure it will be her and Kerri concurs. Doug and Greg don't want to go, Kerri is cool with it if she's voted and Stacie just thinks the whole thing sucks. One by one, they write down their names and drop them in the hat in the middle.

Meanwhile, Team Cake is already writing their votes down. Kristin admits to an unspoken "alliance" with Annemarie, but Annemarie says anyone's fair game. Eric says Annemarie's his target. And Charles doesn't know what ANYONE is thinking. They drop their votes in their own hat.

Annemarie draws a paper saying "Eric". Kristin does likewise. And Eric...draws one that says "Eric". By a 3-1 vote (the fourth being Annemarie), Eric is out of Team Cake...or is it "Team Cak" now? Anyway, Eric says good-bye to the team and the three head off to do their own task.

Back at Team Ex, they approach the hat and draw. Greg's says "Kerri", Kerri's says "Stacey", Doug's says "Kerri" (or, actually, "Carrie")...and Stacey's...says "Kerri". Kerri is so very...off the team. Stacey is upset, but Kerri understands, knowing her losing the map cost them time. She admits that she "f#$%ed up" and deserves to be ousted. All she hopes is that it's not a personal issue that she was booted. Her last aggressive demand to the team? "You guys just win!"

6:29pm, Arlington, VA - There's no rest for Team Cak. They're waiting outside of the gym at the University of Washington, D.C. for the Mystics' practice to end. Charles has been elected to take on the WNBA All-Star. Though Kristin is scouting the girls, Charles is wondering what he's got himself into! Dyani Gordon of Mystics' PR comes out to greet them and gets briefed on their task. The All-Star she's chosen? Chamique Holdsclaw, perhaps the greatest female basketball player in the world! When they meet, Holdsclaw is a little intimidated by Charles' height. But her teammates said that she'd BETTER win.

Holdsclaw's first shot (after some slick moves) was off the mark. Charles showed some moves of his own and got his own shot in. From that point on, the two traded point for point. But then Holdsclaw kicked her game into overdrive and schooled Charles. He never recovered as Holdsclaw beat him 7-5. Kristin and Annemarie commended Charles for his good effort. But the fact remained that Team Cake was not only one PLAYER short but one TASK short of Team Ex. And that did NOT sit with Charles too well. He says that this was a "regroup night" for the team.

Will Charles get over the loss? Will Team Exodus begin to pull away? Who will Eric and Kerri's surprising replacements be? Stay tuned!

July 29, 2003

Previously on BBD2, Team Exodus got on television and had an impromptu photo shoot with Eddie George to put them at 5 tasks complete. Team Cake managed to out-punt an NFL punter to get to 4 tasks, but Charlie flubbed on beating a WNBA All-Star in a one-on-one. With Team Ex reaching 5, the elimination was upon them. Team Exodus chose to get rid of Kerri and Team Cake ditched Eric. After six days on the road, the teams are haggard and worn, wondering who will replace their eliminated teammates.

Day 6, 7:50pm, Nashville, TN - What's left of Team Exodus is making their way to the Opryland Hotel. They don't have a place to sleep tonight, but they feel so much more peaceful now that Kerri is out. Stacey feels sorry to have sent her off, but Doug feels they HAD to do it to keep the sanity of the group alive. Greg agrees, though, that her fearlessness and the way she, eventually, got her way most times, was helpful.
But, for now, to the immediate need. They head for the main desk of the Opryland, hoping to shmooze the clerk into letting them have a room for the night. The clerk is unable to do so; the most she can do is give them an "employee discount rate". All they need is someone to fit the bill. So, the team meanders around the lobby looking for chumps...er, generous people to pay for their room. They come across a group of "young professionals" and help take their picture. This sparks a conversation, which leads to them asking one of them, Lisa by name, to spring for the fee. Lisa, upon hearing their plight, agrees to give them ONE room at the employee rate. Doug is amazed how easily they got the room without Kerri's persistent mannerisms. Greg agrees that they don't need Kerri anymore. Stacey is looking forward to the "new girl" coming to their team in the next day or two.

7:20pm, Arlington, VA - While Team Ex calls it a day, Team Cak...er, Cake is still bumming over Charlie losing to the WNBA All-Star. The girls believe the new player, whenever he or she arrives, will help them immensely to get back in the game. For now, though, Charles' friend picks them up and drives them to just outside Baltimore, where they could get Run of the House at the residence of Kwame, Annemarie's friend. Everyone is exhausted and Stacey, while surfing the internet, says that they MUST get something done the next day to lift the team's spirits.

Day 7, 6:30am, Nashville, TN - Team Exodus awakens at the Opryland. Everyone is looking forward to getting a new teammate. Greg hopes it's someone who cares more about the team's welfare than their looks, Doug thinks it should be able to blend in quickly. Stacey...wants someone like Kerri. Once they get dressed, they look around the hotel...and notice that there seems to be a convention of middle-aged ladies wearing purple clothing and red hats...and Greg is a bit appalled by some of these ladies walking around in such wardrobe.

But, now, it was time to return to work. They had already done a task in Tennessee, so they needed to get to another state and get another task done. One thing they looked at is: 

#19: "One member must box an entire round with a female professional boxer" (The task on ESPN's website says Tanya Harding qualifies...but who wants to sink THAT low, right?)

After some research, they find there are a grand total of TWO pro female boxers in all of Kentucky...and one of them is in Lexington. So, now, the team begs around for a ride to Lexington, hoping that the good mood tourists are in while on vacation will score them a ride. Doug talks to two such guests, Debra and Melissa, about a ride. As it turns out, they have to drive by the city anyway en route to West Virginia, so they'll be happy to bring them that far.

8:30am, Silver Springs, MD - Team Cake awakens at Kwame's house. Their first goal of the day is to get a ride to Washington, D.C. Specifically, their goal is the Capitol Building, where awaits the second of five Subaru Bajas at five different locales across the country. Annemarie's friend, Joe, meets them at the house and gets convinced to take them into D.C. Kristin, while proclaiming how thankful she is since she doesn't have to carry any of Eric's stuff anymore, reviews the plan: get the Subaru, make a bee-line to Cleveland, hopefully get a task done there with the Indians, then get to Chicago...where Stacey says they NEED to be in 3 days. They get to the Capitol, get the Subaru, and make tracks to Cleveland.

2:40pm, Lexington, KY - Team Exodus gets dropped off at Ford's Fitness Center with the hope of talking pro boxer Julia Day and get to throw punches with her for a round. They had contacted Julia earlier at the gym, where she worked, and were told to talk to her manager, Gerald Reed, about accepting this task. Gerald was being inconspicuous when they spot him. Doug approaches him and tells him about the task. The first question out of Gerald's lips is, "What's the benefit for her?" Greg knew at that point that Gerald was very protective about her boxer...and wasn't about to let her risk injury for "fun" without a damn good reason. Gerald even tells the team that Julia didn't really want to do the task with them last he spoke with her. The boys continue to press on, though, saying it would be good for Julia's career (particularly to box on ESPN), but Gerald sees through the B.S. and walks away. The team thinks they're whole reason for coming to Kentucky is down the tubes.

Twenty minutes later, however, the team is talking to Gerald again, this time a bit more genteel. They speak down-to-Earth with him, saying it would really help their cause if they can make this happen. After some thinking, Gerald says he'll talk to Julia and see if she really wants to do it. Some time later, Gerald comes back and says she's willing. The problem is that the gym doesn't have a boxing ring. There's one in a gym up the street, but its owner may not be there. So Gerald says he'll call said owner up and see what happens.
But hold the phone...Team Ex gets word that they'll be receiving their new teammate before they head to the ring, so the team, eager to met "her" (as they say), heads out of the gym and wait...hoping "she" can blend in and see what angle they're taking to win this game.

And Team Exodus' new teammate...is ERIC, formerly from Team Cake! (oh, and who didn't see THAT coming?)

There was Eric, exiled from Team Cake, thinking he was heading back home...before he was told that the race isn't over for him and that he'd be Kerri's replacement. Dang...and they were thinking it was going to be a girl. Doug feels that Eric can blend in just fine, seeing as how he's not shy. Eric is happy to be supported again. Doug knows Eric's a better athlete than Kerri...and pities Team Cake for the disadvantage they've been handed. (See, he already knows who Eric's replacement is...)

So back into the gym the new Team Exodus goes to talk with Gerald and Julia. More good news: Gerald contacted the gym and the owner will let them box. Furthermore, Gerald drives them all over. Doug and Julie warm up for the fight. Julie is a LITTLE worried, but thinks she's in for a good fight. Eric, at first, thinks Doug can take him...but gets worried himself as the warm-ups resume. Doug eggs him on with corny clichés like "putting lipstick on a pig" and other junk from the Rocky films. Finally, it's time for the fight...

In Team Ex's corner, fighting out of San Francisco, California, a former college boxer, Do-o-o-o-o-oug La-a-a-a-andis! And, in Gerald's corner, from the great state of Kentucky, professional boxer, Juli-i-i-i-ie Da-a-a-a-a-a-a-ay! L-l-l-l-l-let's get ready to rumbl-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-le!

Doug is shaking as Julie gets psyched up for this one-round bout. All Doug has to do is not get KOed in three minutes and Team Ex takes a two-task lead. The bell sounds, and the two combatants circled. Julie started throwing jabs to Doug's head...and only THEN does Doug realize she'd fighting for real. He answers with a few shots of his own, but Julie gets him on the run. Julie tries for a knockout jab, but Doug sees it and dodges it. Two minutes into the round, Doug gets nailed in the ear by a blow (but the headgear they both wear prevents his ear from becoming a cauliflower). Julie wails on Doug from there on...until the bell sounds to end the round and the task!

TEAM EXODUS: 6, TEAM CAKE: 4
And, now, a special surprise. Having completed half of the total maximum number of tasks, BOTH teams are treated to a free McDonald's meal! Team Ex gets their "halftime" meal at the local McD and works out their next plan: find a ride and haul to Cincinnati to get hooked up with another task. Doug's friends were able to accommodate them.

Day 7, 8:15, Pittsburgh, PA - And, as you might have guessed, Team Cake's newest team member is KERRI from Team Ex. (So...that makes it "Team Cakk"?) She leaps out of nowhere while the others were having their Mickey D meal...and, as far as Annemarie is concerned, it was no longer a "Happy Meal". She is both shocked and POed at this hyper girl's part of their team. Charlie and Stacey try to talk to her and get the air purified between her and Kerri.

And, now, the WORSE news: Team Ex calls to inform them that task #19 is done and done and that it's a two-task lead now. But Kerri gets on the phone and tells them it's ironic that she performed an "exodus" from her own team! The new team get into the Subaru and head out en route to Cleveland. Charlie is all about accepting Kerri into the team...and, to that end, gets Kristin and Annemarie to tell her that Kerri is so very...NOT welcomed by her. But Kerri understands the unpleasant things said about her. In fact, Kerri didn't particularly care being teammates with Kristin, either. But, hey, they're there now and they have to move on and continue with their trek to Mt. Rushmore. No matter what they feel about each other, they have ground to make up.

Finally, they arrive at Cleveland. Charlie's friend allows them Run of the House...as long as they "keep it clean". As the team settled in for the night, Kerri hopped into the bed with Charlie (Kristin and Annemarie were happy with the floor in the bedroom) and showed off the MASSIVE bruise on her ass and thigh she got from Team Ex's first task. (Remember when she cannonballed off the 10-meter platform?) Kristin can't believe that she'd be voted off the team that she took that bruise for. Kerri jokes about it, though, asking Charlie to smack her OTHER thigh hard so she can have a matching pair. She claims to have liked Charlie from the first day. Meanwhile, Annemarie and Kristin stage their OWN mock PG-13 scene under THEIR blanket. They stay up until past 2am before finally zoning out.

Day 8, 8:20am, Cincinnati, OH - Team Ex had, obviously, made it to "Cin City" and was staying at...someone's house...friend of Doug's, most likely. Eric is glad that his new team has accepted him so readily. The rest of the team is willing to make this work...mainly because they can't eliminate him.
But, anyhow, on to today's task. With the Bengals around for mini-camp, it looks like they might be able to pull off a football-related task:

#45: "McDonald's Reward: Dump Gatorade(TM) on a past or present NFL coach"
Marvin Lewis is the new head coach of the Bengals...so why NOT give him his first official Gatorade(TM) bath? So they get driven by two more of Doug's friends first to Paul Brown Stadium to speak with Jack Brennan, the Bengals' PR Manager. Traditionally, the PR guys have been VERY helpful. A security guard, Aaron, greets the team and agrees to get Brennan. Eric, as always, is eager to get the task over with and get on with the next one, but there's a method to his mania. Eric wants a few players on their side to push Brennan and the coach into letting this task happen, but Doug explained that they must go through PR like always. Greg is already seeing shades of Kerri in Eric.

Out comes Brennan, who gets the task explained to him. The problem is that Coach Lewis is tied up in preparation and practice for at least two hours. However, Brennan says he'll give the message to the coach and see what happens. As Brennan leaves, Greg assures the team that there's no way he'll leave them hanging for two hours if the coach doesn't want to help. Doug thinks it'll take no later than 40 minutes, since the players leave practice around that time . So...they wait. Sure enough, close to an hour later, the players start filing out of the stadium and towards the practice facility...including Coach Lewis. But they don't approach the coach, putting faith in Brennan that he'll pull through for them. Eric has to bite his tongue as he watches the whole team pass by, not wanting to step on any toes.

9:23am, Cleveland, OH - Meanwhile, in the city of Paul Brown's OTHER franchise, Team Cakk...er, Cake awakens...to Kerri's "glory, glory, glory" chant. But that can't deter them. They have a task to do. Kerri stops the first car she sees and asks the lady behind the wheel if she can take the team towards Jacobs Field, home of the Cleveland Native Ame...er, Indians. (Sorry...sometimes PC just comes automatically to me.) The lady agrees, the team hops in and they're on their way. Charlie is impressed at how Kerri's aggressiveness is already paying dividends.

Team Cake has not one, not two, not four, but THREE options for tasks at the ballpark:

#14: "Subaru Reward: Turn a double play with (David) Eckstein, Nomar (Garciaparra), 'A-Rod' (Alex Rodridgez) or (Miguel) Tejada."
#4: "McDonald's Reward: Get a bat from a Major League Baseball All-Star and get a hit during batting practice (max 10 swings)"
#50: "McDonald's Reward: Sell 100 hot dogs at an MLB stadium, and one teammate must eat one for every 10 sold."

When they get to the stadium, they decide to go to the executive offices, hoping they can help get them on the field for either batting practice. Kerri takes control (as always) and get on the phone with Indians' PR at the office. She explains that all they need is to hit one fastball out of the infield and they'll be on their way. The agent on the line says he'd call right back with an answer. And the eventual answer is "no". Had they arrived earlier, maybe. But they can't disrupt these athlete in the middle of their practice.

On to Plan B. Cleveland is hosting the Texas Rangers today, which includes A-Rod. Back on the phone goes Kerri, this time asking for just that, adding that the Subaru will be theirs if they can do it. But, again, the answer is "no". He WANTS to help them, but he just can't allow them on the field during practice. The last chance was #50...and THIS one, the PR group seems all right with them doing, since the timing really doesn't matter in this case. So they head to the second floor and meet up with Charlie Henningsen, GM of Sports Service who runs some of the concession stands at Jacobs Field. The team elects Charlie and his big appetite to sell and eat the hot dogs while Kerri, Kristin and Annemarie corral potential customers to him. So, one by one, they plead with patrons to buy their wieners and get them to their goal. Kerri even tries to goad one guy to buy one for HER. When they hit 54, Charlie devours his first five, buns and all.

By 4:20pm, Charlie sells his 100-dog allotment. Now he just needs to consume five more. However, the FIRST five were coming back to haunt him, particularly the third one he put onions on. The sixth one makes him feel sick from the first bite...and his stomach's already full. But, somehow, he chokes down #7...then #8...then #9...then finally gets #10 down the gullet. Needless to say, Charlie will probably never eat hot dogs again! But it doesn't matter; Team Cake is back in the hunt!

TEAM CAKE: 5, TEAM EXODUS: 6

4:40pm, Cincinnati, OH - Meanwhile, Team Ex finally gets the call from Brennan. Coach Lewis doesn't feel it's right for someone to dump Gatorade(TM) on him unless it's after a Bengals win. This, to say the least, floors the team. Stacey is POed that the coach would be so selfish and that they've wasted time for nothing. What's more, they get the call from Team Cake that they've completed THEIR fifth task, so it's imperative to get back that two-task lead.

But all is not lost! They find a Plan B:

#24: "Get your photo taken on a horse in the winner's circle after a race"

There's a small racetrack not far from the practice facility. Not exactly Churchill Downs, but a horse track is a horse track, of course, of course. So off they go! Eric is glad his new team has a back-up plan, something his OLD team couldn't get the grasp of having.

5:04pm, Cleveland, OH - Meanwhile, back at the Mistake on the Lake, Team Cake (after Charlie forced down some Pepto, I'm sure) starts to worry about where they were going to sleep and how they were going to get to Chicago. They felt "homeless" for the first time in the race.

That's when they ran into Troy, a nightclub manager. He asks the team what's going on and the team explain themselves. Troy then agrees to drive them to his club, which specialized in...ahem..."adult entertainment", shall we say. Annemarie is more blunt, saying that it's a "strip club" and that she is NOT happy. Kerri, however, is so very...uninhibited! She even takes off her pants and climbs the go-go pole on the stage. Kristin wasn't too happy, either, but she sucks it up because of all Charlie has accomplished for the team from the beginning. Annemarie steps into a back room away from the "action", angry that they would be wasting time when they had a race to win. She's ready to just call it quits and go home. She was the only one complaining, though, as the others enjoyed watching the show.

5:22pm, Cincinnati, OH - Meanwhile, back at the Queen City, Doug's friends get them to Riverdowns Racebook. They immediately go to a PR guy at the track and explained the situation. John Engelhardt, head of PR there, said it wouldn't be a problem. Well,...actually, there's ONE problem. See, it's the last race of the day...and it's just starting! The horse will be in the Winner's Circle within a few minutes! They have to get to the Circle before the horse is taken back to the stables and the opportunity is lost for the whole day! So the race in on, both on and off the track!

Will Team Cake be able to deal with Kerri and catch-up? Will Team Ex horse around successfully and deal with Eric's inclusion? Will there be any hope for a BBD3 now that the show's been moved to the graveyard shift? Stay tuned!

August 5, 2003

Previously on BBD2, the teams get their new teammates...which happened to be the ones eliminated from the opposing team. Eric is added to Team Exodus and Kerri to Team Cake. Team Ex took a two-task lead after Doug got the $#|+ beaten out of him by a profession women's boxer, but Team Cake worked their way back when Charlie sold 100 hot dogs at a Cleveland Indians game...then had the stomach (literally) to eat 10. While Team Cake chills at a strip club, Team Ex is racing in Cincinnati to win a horse race against a horse race.

Day 8, 5:22pm, Cincinnati, OH - What the hell did I just say? Team Exodus is at the Riverdowns Racebook horse track. Their hope is to complete a task:

#24: "Get your photo taken with a horse in the Winner's Circle after a race"

But, though John Engelhardt, head of PR there, is happy to help, the last race of the day just started and the team has to run towards the Winner's Circle in the hope that they make it before the last winning horse leaves the Circle. So they sprint to the track and make it to the rail just as the eventual winner, Mr. Cody, runs by. Eric starts getting a bit nervous, since Mr. Cody's owners may not want the team to fuss with the horse. But they make it to the Winner's Circle just as the horse is coming in. But Mr. Cody is NOT the most calm of horses. He looks ready to kick Greg in...somewhere vital. Still, the four lined up, showing the map. The picture is snapped...and Team Ex is back in a two-task lead!

TEAM EXODUS: 7, TEAM CAKE: 5

Greg is not sure how it happened, but he's glad it did. Now it's off to Indianapolis, courtesy of their "chauffeurs", Doug's friends.

7:30pm, Indianapolis, IN - They arrive at the house of Gabriel, a friend of Eric's. They can only get one favor because of the 1-1-12 rule. They decide, instead of getting Run of the House from him as originally planned, they'd make him their chauffeur around Indianapolis the next day. Then they ask him where they can stay...and Gabriel suggests the neighbors across the street. The thing is that Gabriel and said neighbor, Tim, don't know each other that well, which makes this a HUGE favor to be asked. Once Eric explains the situation to Tim, however, he permits them Run of the House. Doug's faith in humanity is once again restored due to the kindness of strangers during this race. As the team relaxes with a thunderstorm creeping in, Greg is anxious to get another task done tomorrow, but grateful for the time to relax after so many miles on the road.

Cleveland, OH - Earlier in the day, while Team Ex was playing horsey, Team Cake is enjoying the sights and sounds of Troy's nightclub. Well,...THREE of them are enjoying and/or tolerating it, anyway. Annemarie is still quite angry. However, she didn't hold a grudge. What kills the whole mood of the team is that Team Ex calls, saying to scratch #24 from the list. They decide to depart and Troy gives them a ride to Toledo. There, they meet with Charles' friend Donnie, and she agrees to take the team to Chicago. The trip was a soggy one (that thunderstorm Team Ex slept through hit there as well), but Charles remains optimistic.
They arrive at the house of Charles' best friend's mother, Sandy, just outside of Chicago. The house is big and beautiful, and it's all theirs for 12 hours. Sandy is very helpful and accommodating, even going as far as to wash their clothes. Everyone is grateful to Sandy, but are so tired they pretty much go right to sleep.
Day eight ends with Team Ex ahead by two.

Day 9, 8:05am, Chicago, IL - Sandy treats Team Cake to a big breakfast of pancake and bacon. Kristin thinks Sandy's much like everyone's mom and that this night and morning was very much like being home again. During breakfast, they get the map out and work out a strategy for the day. It includes:

#21: "Get a picture with one of the nets that got cut down by any of the 4 teams that went to the Final Four in 2003 (those being Kansas, Marquette, Syracuse and Texas)"

Marquette is just a stone's throw away from Chicago up in Wisconsin. They can do that task, then head BACK to Chicago to complete something with the Cubs. Now the BETTER news: Sandy's stepbrother, Bob, has given the team his car to use for the day. So they head out the door, into the car and off to Wisconsin.
When they get close to Milwaukee, though, they hit a toll booth. This is a problem, since the team is not allowed to handle money at any time. Normally, people who don't pay tolls get tickets...and any criminal act would disqualify them from the race. So they get up to the toll booth and one of the girls says that their luggage was lost at the airport, including all their money. The operator seems sympathetic and lets them go. Charlie is happy that the girls handled the situation, using their "charms", as it were. Kerri agrees that having a 3-to-1 female ratio will help them get more done. They do a trick again at ANOTHER toll booth (what the hell they're doing on a toll road is beyond me) and Kerri's performance gets them by again, claiming all their money went for gas. (You sure they changed the name from 'Beg, Borrow and B.S.'? Looks like B.S.ing is in full swing here.)

9:05am, Indianapolis, IN - While Team Cake starts on the road to Marquette, Team Exodus awaken refreshed and certain that they can get a task done in the city, since it has many, many sports opportunities. They consider:

#9: "Beat a WNBA All-Star in a game of one-on-one (first to 7 baskets wins)"
#12: "Subaru Reward: Make a lay-up, a free-throw and a 3-pointer in 20 seconds on an NBA court with an NBA player keeping time"

Between the NBA Pacers and the WNBA Fever, they should have no trouble getting a task. So they get driven by Gabriel to downtown Indianapolis and Conseco Fieldhouse, home of the Pacers and Fever. They speak to the Guest Relations desk clerk, who called the PR manager about the tasks. While waiting, who should walk by but Isiah Thomas, former basketball great and coach of the Pacers? After handshakes, the team explains about task #12. But Isiah can't seem to help, since he doesn't know if any of the players are in town. He wishes them well, though, as he heads off.

Out comes David Benner, PR guy for the Pacers. Doug explains task #12...but Benner says it's not likely at all, since the Pacers had just been beaten in the NBA playoffs and are feeling rather angry with themselves. So Doug tosses Plan B at Benner: task #9. The Fever is, in fact, practicing inside and Benner says he'll talk to the FEVER's PR guy and hopefully something can happen. A short time later, Benner comes back with Kevin Messenger, aforementioned PR guy. When HE gets the spin about task #9, he says he MIGHT be able to swing it...but the team has to wait until practice concludes around 2pm. The team says they'll wait...and so they do.

12:42pm, Milwaukee, WI - Team Cake arrives at Marquette University. They make their way to the athletics building and talk to Barb Kellaher, Coordinator of Marquette Men's Basketball about the task. Kellaher says that the net is usually in the head coach's office...and that no coaches are around at this time. Charles is very pessimistic, thinking they drove all this way for nothing.

However, Kellaher agrees to call Bill Cords, the university's Athletic Director. When he's explained of the task, he says he'd try to find a piece of the net in the building. Now they need a starting player to take the picture with since the head coach is unavailable. Kellaher calls starting forward Scott Merritt, who was just en route AWAY from Marquette. Kellaher asks him to make a U-turn and take the quick picture. He consents, which sends the team into throes of joy. Even better: Cords returns with one string from the net cut down when Marquette made the Final Four. Merritt shows up and shakes hands with everyone. They finagle someone passing by to use their camera, get in position, hold up the strand of the net and...CLICK!

TEAM CAKE: 6, TEAM EXODUS 7

Kerri is so very...hyped that it took a mere 25 minutes to get the task done. They call Team Ex to let them know that #21 is off limits. And Team Ex is not too happy...especially Greg who lives within walking distance of Marquette. "Damn it, those are MY peeps," he says. "They're supposed to take care of ME, not them!" Stacey notes that Team Cake always seems to call at the worst possible moment for Team Ex. So, after a begged-for small meal, the Team waits around so more, hoping Messenger will come back and let them try out the one-on-one. Close to 3pm, Messenger arrives...and says it's probably not going to happen since the Fever is still in intense practice. Stacey suggests that he just bring them to the players so that they can explain it to them up-front. Messenger leaves to try and work this out while the team is feeling bummed. Stacey feels like the odd man...er, woman out amid the team, and Greg understands.

Finally, Messenger waves Team Exodus to the elevators to bring them to where the Fever finished practicing. They talk to some of the Fever team members and head coach Nell Fortner and explain the task. Natalie Williams agrees to go one-on-one with Greg in the task that Charles failed recently. The game is tight all the way, with Williams and Greg trading points. Greg is very aggressive on defense since Williams is tired from practice. Soon, however, it's 6-6. Greg misses a shot...then strips the ball from Williams...then misses another...then gets shoved by Williams back towards the net, allowing her to score the deciding point. Team Ex loses 7-6.

The team is POed big time. Doug contracts Tourettes Syndrome and swears about wasting a day in Indiana. Now they have to go into the Meet & Compete up only by one.

Oh, yeah...remember when Kristin said they HAD to be in Chicago by Day 10? Well, there's a reason to that. On Day 10, both teams are to meet IN Chicago for a head-to-head challenge called Meet & Compete. More on that later.

Everyone is upset...particularly Stacey, who feels he's on a team of guys who like to hear themselves talk. The team decides to get out of Indiana and make their way to Chicago with Gabriel's help. They may not get a task done before Day 10, but they need to regroup.

3:10pm, en route to Chicago, IL - While Team Ex was getting slam dunked, Team Cake makes its way to Lake Forest, Illinois, where the Chicago Bears train. Their goal:

#16: "Catch a 35-yard pass from a current or former Hall of Fame or All-Pro quarterback (3 tries max, all members must catch and must wear a helmet)"

So they get to the camp and get a cell phone from a security guard to call Bears PR man Scott Hagel. Once the task is explained, Hagel explains that nobody's around town today. However, he agrees to meet with them and see about setting something up. He wanted to see about getting Jim McMahon (Bears QB in '85) or Chris Chandler (current Bears' QB), since they're the only two in-state. The team says they'll call tomorrow morning to see what happens.

But the team is not about to sit and wait. The day is still relatively young, so they head for Wrigley Field in downtown Chicago. If Da Bears can't help, perhaps the Cubbies could. Specifically, they hope to accomplish:
#46: "Lead 'Take Me Out To The Ballgame' at a Cubs home game"

The Cubs are hosting the Brewers today. But the Cubs' PR will NOT be hosting Team Cake at all. In several phone calls before they arrived at the stadium, the firm refused to meet with them, saying over the phone that it isn't going to happen. The team decides to go to the stadium anyway and see about talking to them face-to-face. As they stand around, Kristin and Kerri talk rather vocally about how things are falling apart on them. They so much want to tie the score before the Meet & Compete tomorrow. Kerri is mad that they don't have a back-up plan. And Annemarie...she sits quietly, enduring the tirade, thinking it couldn't possibly get worse.

And where's Charles, you ask? Making things worse! He parked Bob's car at a 7-Eleven nearby the ballpark briefly (apparently under a sign warning about dire consequences for parking there). Two minutes later, after telling the team where he was, he returns...to find the back left tire has been "booted", meaning it has a lock on it and cannot move. This upsets the team to no end, since it'll take $100 or so to un-boot the tire before it gets towed.

Ah, but it's darkest before dawn. Across the street from the 7-Eleven is a bar called "Hi-Tops". Charles thinks this would be a good place to beg for the money. The manager is more than happy to help them out. In fact, he goes several extra miles, allowing them to eat, drink and relax at the bar while things are worked out. The team parties hardy at the bar, and a page allows them to her place to take Run of the House before the Meet & Compete. So get a free taxi ride to her place and are feeling very confident about the head-to-head. Charles says it firmly: "We...will...not...lose!"

10:54, Chicago, IL - While Team Cake is in a festive mood, Team Exodus is not so festive as THEY arrive in Chi-Town. Eric's buddy Clay is asked if they can stay at his apartment for the night. But it's actually Clay's GIRLFRIEND's apartment, and they needed to get up early. Besides she wasn't feeling well. Eric calls said girlfriend to confirm this. Team Ex is S.O.L. and out on the street. Doug is angry that they've accomplished nothing today...and that now they're this close to sleeping on the sidewalk for the night.

Finally, Doug calls a friend of his in Deerfield, close to the Chicago's training facility. Eric feels the Meet & Compete will be a physical challenge and they need to rest up to beat Team Cake. Doug's friends says it's OK to stay with him...as long as he's up there real soon. Doug calls his brother's girlfriend to arrange a ride to Deerfield. They get to the house, the boys very optimistic...while Stacey feels that Team Cake has the chance to catch up and take the game from them.

Nine days have passed and Exodus leads Cake 7-6.

Day 10, 8:09am, Chicago, IL - Team Cake arises and readies themselves for the Meet & Compete. The girls get showers and make-up. Kristin feels Kerri is a LITTLE nervous about meeting her old teammates. Kerri is only concerned that Team Ex has a 3-1 guy ratio and, if the competition is physical, her team is screwed.
Team Exodus awakens around the same time. Greg notes that Stacey feels a bit "smothered" by Doug during this race. He's been insisting she sleep next to or closest to him. Stacey says they seemed similar at the start but that feeling has already waned. Both Eric and Greg feel this has got to end, for the sake of the team if nothing else.

Both teams arrive at the Chicago Bulls training facility just outside Chicago. Host Summer Sanders greets the teams and introduces them to Jay Williams, guard on the Bulls. They explain that this is not an official task...but it DOES offer a double reward: the use of a Subaru Baja for 12 hours AND a free meal at McDonalds! The sport is basketball and the event is the best two-out-of-three tasks:
1) Free-throw shooting contest (first team to 10 baskets wins)
2) A mass game of P.I.G. (which is like H.O.R.S.E.) with Williams likewise playing along
3) Blind Man's Bluff (playing basketball blindfolded (if necessary)
First came the free- throw contest. Greg and Charles, the two that failed to defeat WNBA players, decide to avenge themselves. The other team members surround the key at either side of the court to pass the balls to their shooters. At the signal, they started shooting. Summer counts for Team Ex while Jay counts for Team Cake. It's close all the way, but Greg makes the final crucial shot to win 10-9 and take a one-nil lead in events. Charles is angry as anything and hopes they can even the score at P.I.G.

For those who never played H.O.R.S.E. or P.I.G., one player does a basketball shot. If the ball goes in, the other player(s) have to make the same shot or earn a letter (starting with H or P, depending on the game). If the ball does NOT go in and the other player (or one of the other players) MAKES the shot, the first player gets a letter. If a player gets to HORSE or PIG, s/he is out. Last one standing wins.

All eight players AND Jay Williams played. Kristin, Kerri and Doug were the earliest to be eliminated. Stacey gets excited to make Charles get a "P". Eric and Annemarie bail as well leaving, in order of shooting, Williams, Greg, Stacey and Charles. Stacey exploits a weak point in the court and knocks Charles out. She goes on to beat Greg and even Williams. She wins the P.I.G. contest and seals the victory for Team Ex! Summer immediately brought them to their Baja, where they tossed their stuf in and made tracks to return to the game.

Team Cake, on the other hand, is left stranded and angry. They want to get back to Wrigley Field, but they don't have a ride. But Jay Williams is a friend of Charles from their Duke days (not to mention he loves BBD and wants to be a bigger part of it), so he offers them his limo to get to the north side of Chicago. So they head for the home of the Cubs and hope for better luck than last time.

12:22pm, outside Chicago, IL - Meanwhile, Team Ex has a plan...the SAME plan Team Cake had yesterday. They take their Subaru and head up to Lake Forest in order to complete task #16: catching the 35-yard pass from a Hall-of-Famer or All-Pro QB. Scott Hagel looks amazed to find ANOTHER group of four at the Bears' doorstep asking him for help with a task. Again, he says that nobody's around to help. But THIS time, he gives them a cell phone to call Chris Chandler, All-Pro QB for the Bears. Stacey explains the task to Chandler, and the QB says he'll be there in about an hour. So, rather that lollygag around, the team heads to the nearest McDonald's to enjoy their free meal for winning the Meet & Compete.

An hour later, they return to the facility and meet up with Chandler (and his two daughter) at the Walter Payton Center to complete the task. First thing, however, is to make sure everyone can CATCH a 35-yard pass, even if it's not from Chandler. Stacey had the toughest time at first...but then she ran off a string of completions that made them confident enough to start the task. Stacey was designated first...and she thinks it's so they don't have the weakest person last to disappoint the team. So Stacey dons the helmet, goes into the end zone and waits for Chandler to toss it from the 35-yard line. The first pass goes over Stacey's head and through her outstretched arms. The second is more on target, but she can't hold on to it and even falls back on her...pride. She has one more shot or the task is failed. Doug thinks a tactical error was made in letting Stacey go first. Chandler tosses...and Stacey "shoestring catch"es it...but it slips out of her hands. Doug thinks it's a touchdown...but, after further review, the ESPN officials watching declared it an incomplete pass...and the task is failed.

Ah, well. The team seems to like Chicago enough and are more comfy with their lead that they ask Chandler to come back tomorrow so they can try again (guess there's no rule stating you can't try a task more than once). Chandler is happy to return at 10am tomorrow and help...and even says she'll give Stacey a helmet with a different face mask so she can see better. The team thanks Chandler and departs, bloodied but unbowed.

Will Team Exodus get the task done? Will Team Cake beat them to it? Can Kerri and Kristin share a team without driving each other CRAZY?! Stay tuned!

August 12, 2003

Previously on BBD2, Team Exodus managed to get a picture with a horse but nothing more, losing a game against a women's basketball player and failing to catch a 35-yard pass from Chicago Bears' QB Chris Chandler. However, they have an appointment for the next day to try again. They DID win the Meet & Compete challenge in Chicago against Team Cake, who is LIKEWISE having troubles. Team Cake's troubles were in finding tasks to DO, not just attempting them...although they DID get a picture with Marquette's Final Four net to keep it a one-task game. As Team Ex departs the Bears' training camp, Team Cake is heading back to Wrigley Field to try and get SOMETHING done...

Day 10, 4:20pm, Lake Forest, IL - Team Exodus departs the Walter Payton Center, a little put off that they could follow through on a task:

#16: "Catch a 35-yard pass from a current or former Hall of Fame or All-Pro quarterback (3 tries max, all members must catch and must wear a helmet)"

However, Chris Chandler sets a time with them tomorrow to try it again. They still had some time left to use the Subaru Baja they won 12 hours' use of for winning the Meet & Compete earlier in the day, so the plan is to head up to Milwaukee (Greg's hometown), find a place to stay, get a car from Greg's friend and come back tomorrow morning to try again.

4:40pm, Chicago, IL - Meanwhile, the defeated Team Cake has taken a limo (provided by Chicago Bulls' star Jay Williams) back to Wrigley Field, where they hope to try a baseball-related task. But the PR guys are just as tightwad as yesterday. Despite all the ranting and raving by Kerri and Kristin, the chances of them getting onto the field or into a broadcast booth or ANYWHERE in Wrigley Field without buying a ticket were slim and none...and "slim" just hopped on the "El". Charles mentions that the girls were ready to strip to get inside the stadium (Chuck, didn't you have ENOUGH of strippers a few days ago?). Their last ditch effort was to hang by the players' entrance to beg the players to let them in. Kerri says she needs her "t*ttie shirt" to convince the players. She rolls up her own shirt and even asks Annemarie to borrow some socks to...accentuate things.

Finally, they leave. Kristin is angry that Wrigley is "like Fort Knox" to them: there was no way they could get in. Tired, hungry and exhausted, the team schleps over the local tavern, the Cubby Bear, to beg for a meal. The owner seems to understand and puts them up with some food and drink. While waiting for the grub, the team discuss other tasks to do. One resurfaced from Day 1:

#34: "Swim a 200-meter Individual Medley (50 meters each of butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle) in an Olympic-sized pool (50 meters long) in under four minutes."

Remember when Charles couldn't hack the breaststroke? Well, they consider trying again. The nearest place they can think of to do it is Northwestern University (NCAA championship pools qualify, as long as it's 50 meters in length), but they need to get there. One of the servers manages to talk the boss into letting him leave early so that he can help with that.

The server drives them the relatively short distance to Northwestern, where the team goes to the Aquatics Center and explain to the front desk about their task. The man at the desk says he can't approve of them diving into the pool, but he goes to search for swimming coaches to GET the approval. Not very long afterwards, he returns with the bad news: neither men's nor women's head coaches are there and the one coach that IS at the pool can't let them in.

So, upon failing that, they check back with Scott Hagel, PR guy for the Bears (you'd think he'd be getting angry at being bothered by these eight people time and again). Hagel lets Team Cake in on a little surprise: Team Exodus left a few hours before after FAILING the task and that Chandler would be there. Hagel then acts democratically: he says whosoever gets to the facility first tomorrow gets first crack at completing the task. Charles insists that they get there even if they have to wake at the crack of dawn. So the server drives them back to Chicago to stay with "friends of a friend of a friend of a friend" of Charles', Josh and Darren. They get Run of the House over their apartment, but all they do is eat a little and catch some sleep. It's going to be a LONG day tomorrow.

8:4pm, Milwaukee, WI - While Team Cake collapses, Team Ex arrives in the Beer Capital of the U.S., and Greg shows them around the town. First order is to get to Mike's place, Mike being a friend of Greg's. Once they get there, next up is a drink, paid for by another friend of Greg's. According to him, they HAVE to drink some beer because "if you leave this state without having a beer, they send you a ticket in the mail."
So they knock on Mike's door, and Kerri, in her usual tact, says to him, "I was wondering if I could sleep with you tonight?" Mike, after a good laugh, invites them in and give them Run of the House. There's also a connection here. Remember Amy from Orlando, the one the team spent the night they losing the map with? Well, Mike is Amy's brother! Nepotism's a wonderful thing, ain't it? Anyway, after dropping off their bags, the team, Mike and a few other friends of Greg's head out for a couple of drinks. During the night, Stacey goes WILD, hopping up onto the bar (at Doug's insistence) and dancing all around, shaking what her momma gave her. Eric even shows off the Detroit Tigers tattoo he got with Team Cake to finish their first task over a week ago.

After a while, they head back to Mike's and sleep it off. Day 10 ends without change; it's still 7-to-6, Team Ex in the lead.

Day 11, 6:03am, Chicago, IL - After seeing yet another shot of sunrise on Lake Michigan (most likely the same one from the last episode), we see that Team Cake pretty much wakes up at the crack of dawn as promised (Charles said he'd be going home otherwise). They get a car from another friend of Charles' and head up to Lake Forest to get to the Bears' training camp before Team Ex arrives. Fortunately, they are well ahead of their rivals (and Charles can cancel his flight plans).

7:43am, Milwaukee, WI - Confident they have plenty of time, Team Ex sleeps in a little longer (allowing the beer to get through their system). After some breakfast, another of Greg's multiple friends in the area allows him use of his car for the day. So they drive back down to Lake Forest to try the last task again. At this point, I'm thoroughly convinced that there's only ONE road between Milwaukee and Chicago and it's that damned toll road that Team Cake had problems with in the last episode. That's because Team Ex is also on this road...and must likewise B.S. the toll collectors to let them pass since they have no cash. Fortunately, they get through without any hitches.

Back at Lake Forest, Charles is happy to be in the Walter Payton Center, since "Sweetness" was one of his idols. Chandler is a little surprised to see four totally different people show up, but a deal's a deal, so he lets the team practice first. It's at this point, around 10am or so, that Team Ex arrives...and Doug's Tourettes Syndrome returns when they find out it's "first come first serve". But most of the pressure is on Stacey, since her failure yesterday caused this to happen.

So Team Cake practices with Charles tossing and the girls catching...or TRYING to catch. Their success rate is less than admirable. Even Chandler has his doubts. Annemarie is having the worst time of them all. After a while, they decide to give it a shot. It is decided that Charles should go, followed by Kristin and Annemarie. Charles catches his first pass without a problem. Chandler then says he'll go to a softer throw for the girls. Kristin, with the helmet pretty much over her eyes, catches the very first pass...and there was much rejoicing (Yea-yea). Then it's Annemarie's turn (she didn't go last because they didn't want her to feel insignificant). The first pass slips through her fingers, but Chandler feels it's because the helmet's way too loose. After getting some padding, she tries again...and she CATCHES it! And there was MUCH rejoicing (YEA-YEA!) They think they're getting the hell out of Illinois...but they almost forgot about Kerri. No worries, though, since Kerri is so very...successful! Now CHARLES gets the Tourettes Syndrome, but in joy as they tie the game up!

TEAM CAKE: 7, TEAM EXODUS: 7

And now, for the "worst waste of ESPN's money" moment. Annemarie CALLS Team Ex on the Producer's Cell Phone to let them know that task #16 is off limits. Team Ex is RIGHT OUTSIDE THE BUILDING! Is it too much to WALK out the door and tell them face-to-face?!?!? Cell phone minutes cost MONEY, y'know!
10:49am - Anyway, Team Ex is upset that THEIR task was pretty much taken away from them. Stacey feels the worst of it, embarrassed that three girls did what she couldn't. However, the team has a Plan B in case they failed the task. So they head back to downtown Chicago for an ice-related task:

#5: "Score a goal from center ice of an NHL rink; only one chance each; no goalie (MUST wear skates)"

Now, it doesn't say it has to be the game rink, so they make their way to the Blackhawks' training facility, the Edge Ice Arena (geez, even PRACTICE rinks are being commercialized!), confident they can pull this off. But, uh,...let's just say that Tammy Kirkolis, the rink's manager, must've went to the same school of diplomacy as those at Wrigley Field. First she says there are people already on the ice, then she wonders who will be responsible if someone slips and falls. There's no open ice until about 10:30pm, so the team decides to wait. After watching some younger hockey players practice, the word comes down that Kirkolis has finally relented (though she tried her damnedest to discourage them) and will allow them on the ice.

Stacey is the most concerned about this, still agonizing over missing the pass yesterday. She's not all that confident in her abilities anymore, wondering why she has to be the only girl on a team of athletic guys. To set her mind at ease, she's elected to go first. She sets her skates, aims the stick and shoves the puck...but it goes wide left of the open goal. She tosses her stick down in anger at herself. Eric is next, gets the puck dead center and slaps it. The team thinks it's in but, in the words of Rick Eisen, it HITS DA POST! Greg attempts next...and he's never played hockey in his life. He lines up, winds up, he shoots...and he SCORES! (*bullhorn goes off*) Greg, assisted by Eric and Stacey, scores the go-ahead task for Team Exodus!

TEAM EXODUS: 8, TEAM CAKE: 7

12:22pm, Lake Forest, IL - While Team Ex gets the "puck" out of Chicago, Team Cake needs a way to get out of the state (guess the friend's car can't leave the state). So a security guard gives them a ride to the train station where they beg a visiting Brit to give them tickets to Chicago. While they dine on free cheese samplers at a nearby wine shop, they get the call from Team Ex about task #5 being iced. They're bummed, but they feel they can catch up once they get to St. Louis, their for-now-ultimate destination.

After arriving in downtown Chi-Town, the team head for Union Station and talk to the Amtrak dealer there. The cost for four tickets to St. Louis? $119. No way the can get ONE person to give that much scratch. So, while Charles stays at the counter, the girls run around the station begging for a few dollars here and there from different people. Since the team can't touch any money, those donating have to go to the counter and drop the money off in front of Charles (who tries to talk the counter girls into getting them free rides in a "chicken car" or something like that). They have only an hour to get all they need...and they do it with plenty of time to spare. The plan is simple: get to St. Louis, meet with contacts to get lodging and transportation for Day 12 (there's a Subaru at a landmark in St. Louis waiting for the first team to arrive there to take for 12 hours), do a task in St. Louis, drive I-70 to Kansas City, do ANOTHER task...and get to 9 tasks done HOPEFULLY before Team Ex does.

Kristin calls the train ride the best part of the trip. They are fed, they have bathrooms, coffee, soda, no stress, no need to beg for gas money...and the view isn't too shabby either. Even the passengers were friendly. One "frat boy", as Kerri calls him, offers his cell phone for Kerri to call her uncle and set up lodging for the team. All in all, it's a very relaxing couple of hours.

4:20pm, en route to Milwaukee, WI - Once again, Team Ex is on that same toll road, happy to have got the lead back. Their goal now is to get back to Milwaukee and do ANOTHER task. However, the same trick doesn't work to get them through the toll booth. The operator just can't believe that four people (five if you count the cameraman) are in a car without a penny to their name. He lets them go...but warns them that if they don't get off at the next exit and stop at the State Troopers office, they WILL be ticketed. But time is of the essence to the team, so they defy the order and drive straight to Milwaukee. Their destination: the Milwaukee Bucks training facility. Their goal:

#11: "Make 8 out of 10 free throws on a NBA court; one attempt each per player (NBA player MUST be there to act as scorekeeper)"

They talk to Dan Smychek, Associate PR Director for the Bucks. Greg explains the task...and Smychek says they're in luck, since rookie Dan Gadzuric is downstairs on the practice court. They head down there, explain the task to Gadzuric, and get ready to try to get to 9. They get five practice shots each...but none of them do very well with them. Finally, it's time to put up or shut up.

Stacey is, once again, elected to go first. After not catching a pass and not scoring a hockey goal, Stacey was VERY unconfident with her basketball skills. But she makes her first shot. The next two, however, are bricks...meaning Stacey needs to be perfect for the last seven shots. Calmly, she gets the next one in...and the next...and the next. The confidence builds in her. Soon, she's 7 for 9, meaning the last shot would decide it. She shoots...SHE SCORES! She admits that her mother taught her most of what she knows about basketball.

TEAM EXODUS: 9, TEAM CAKE: 7

Next stop is Greg's parents' house. They've had no contact with Greg for the past 10 days, so it was a bit of a shock for them to hear from him and ask them for a favor. Still, Russ and Barbara Matzek welcome the team in as if they were extended family. The favor Greg wants isn't for Run of the House, though. It's for the use of Russ' car to drive across Wisconsin and towards Minneapolis. It takes most of the remains of the day to make it to Milwaukee, but they arrive at the residence of yet ANOTHER friend of Greg's from college, a man called "House". Well, House has houseguests for the night, though they have to leave early in the morning.

9:20pm, St. Louis, MO - Meanwhile, as Team Ex drives to the Twin Cities, Team Cake arrives in St. Louis. They NEED to get to Chesterfield, about 40 miles away. Another "frat boy" named Jeff offers them a ride to Chesterfield. They arrive at the home of Kerri's Uncle Larry, her mother's brother. Charles is impressed at how "down home" Larry is...and how much MORE "down home" Kerri becomes since arriving there. In fact, Kerri is so very...artistic, showing everyone how she plays piano. This is a softer side of the hyper Kerri...and Annemarie and Kristin, who initially didn't want her on their team, are happy to see this side of her. As the team readies to sleep, Charles insists that he WILL swim the four-minute Individual Medley before getting to Mt. Rushmore!

Day 11 ends with Team Ex in a two-task lead. Day 12, 9:23am, Minneapolis, MN - Guess they didn't have to leave THAT early...either that or they overslept. Either way, Team Exodus rises and shines, raring to go. The plan is simple. They have just one task to go before they can head to the finish line at Mt. Rushmore. So they need to 1) complete a task and 2) get transportation to South Dakota, about 10 hours' drive away. Fortunately, there is SOMETHING they can do in Minneapolis that can cover BOTH. It's something they COULDN'T do in Miami eleven days prior:

#12: "Subaru Reward: Make a lay-up, a free-throw and a 3-pointer in 20 seconds on an NBA court (Current NBA player must be there to act as timekeeper)"

First things first, though. House's girlfriend Joleene gives them a ride to the Target Center in downtown Minneapolis to make this happen with the Timberwolves. Doug explains that if they complete this task, they're pretty much guaranteed a victory. They get their 10th task done, they get the Baja for 12 hours, they drive for 10, they get to the finish line, they win the game!

So into downtown and past the Metrodome they go. They arrive at the Target Center, home of the NBA's Timberwolves and the WNBA's Lynx. They talk to Kent Wipf, Director of Communications for the T-Wolves and explain to them how #12 equals 10 for those 4. Wipf isn't sure. Much like the Pacers, the Wolves had recently been bounced from the NBA Playoffs, so the chances of them being in the mood to play timekeeper were fairly slim. Still, Wipf says he'll see what can be done...so, once again, Team Ex waits. A little past noon, he says he found somebody to help them and leads them to the floor of the building.

The floor is set up in Minnesota Lynx colors and logos. The team meet T-Wolves' Center Loren Woods. Woods is glad to help. Uh,...one problem, though: the task specifically says it has to be an NBA court, not a WNBA court (the 3-point arc is closer on a WNBA court, in case you were wondering). Since the Target Center had the WNBA court down, they suggest to Woods to head for their practice facility with an NBA 3-point line to do the task. As they walk over there, they talk about how tall Woods is (7'1", just like Yao Ming and Wilt Chamberlain).

So they make it to the practice court (all decked in Wolves logos and colors) and get ready to do the task that will conceivably win them the game and all those championship sports tickets. They warm up their 3-point shots are were doing great, including Doug (much to Stacey's surprise). Even Stacey heaves a "trey". First one up for the task is Doug...but he misses his first...LAY-UP! He gets it in, then bricks his first free throw. He nails the second, but he only has three seconds to get the 3-pointer. He shoots...and bricks. Stacey is next, and all have confidence in her, including herself. She aces the lay-up, but three tries at the free-throw line were unsuccessful. Next is Eric. Lay-up is good...but HE bricks three free throws as well. Greg is their last hope. Lay-up...good. First free throw...good. 15 seconds to make a "trey". First attempt...no good. He chases down the ball and tries it from the side of the arc. He shoots...and everything is moving like slow motion...oh, wait, it is...it's called editing. The ball sails towards the hoop...and BANGS off the rim! *BZZZZZZ!* Time's up...task is failed...no road trips to South Dakota tonight.

Although bummed that they couldn't pull it off, the team remains optimistic. After all, they're up by two tasks and, though they don't know it yet, they are FAR closer to Mt. Rushmore than Team Cake. The only thing is that they can't try the task again today and, even worse, they don't have transportation. Not only are they short of the goal, but they're stranded in Minneapolis.

Will Team Exodus get their last task done before Team Cake can catch up? Will Team Cake be ABLE to catch up in distance even if they catch up in tasks? Will next week bring a close to reality shows on ESPN? Stay tuned!

August 19, 2003
 
Previously on BBD2, Team Cake snuck in and each caught a 35-yard pass from Chris Chandler...the task Team Exodus had set up for that day. But Team Ex got even the best way possible: by shooting a hockey goal from the center line and by Stacey shooting 8 out of 10 free throws to give the team a two-task lead. They were a three-point shot in Minneapolis from having the game all wrapped up...but they couldn't convert. While they're stranded, Team Cake, having crashed in Kerri's uncle's house outside St. Louis , is about to get moving on their OWN plan.

Day 12, 7:43am, St. Louis, MO - As Team Exodus snoozes before their eventual loss in Minneapolis, Team Cake rises and shines at "Uncle Larry"'s place. They use the last of their 12-hour Run of the House by calling up everyone and their mother's auntie's cousin to try and set up a task for them. They know they're now down 9-7, but they're confident that they can pull off the "I-70 task double-header" as planned. Unfortunately, nobody they call is very cooperative...EXCEPT for the St. Louis Rams. What the team has in mind is a task Team Ex couldn't pull off in Cincinnati :

#45: "McDonald's Reward: Dump Gatorade(TM) on a past or present NFL coach"

With a tentative appointment set up for them, the next order of business is transportation. They have no ride and it's raining. But they know where a ride is waiting for them. A Subaru Baja is waiting to be used for 12 hours by the first team to get to the Gateway Arch, the large steel monument that signifies St. Louis as the "Gateway to the West". So, after begging a taxi ride by a lady in a nearby church, Team Cake makes it to the Subaru, toss their bags in and haul over to the Rams' practice facility. They have no idea if their appointment will even happen; they just show up and hope for the best.

Fortunately, Head of Rams' Media Relations Duane Lewis says he can help. They actually have TWO choices as to whom to dump Gatorade(TM) on: current head coach Mike Martz and offensive line coach Jim Hanifan...who just so happened to had been the head coach for the St. Louis-then-Phoenix-now-Arizona Cardinals. It's Hanifan that shows up first. Upon hearing the task, he says that, since the team "seem like really fun kids", he'll do it. Lewis is a bit shocked at that.

So out the five of them go with a large cooler-bucket of Gatorade(TM) to an outdoor practice field. Hanifan says he's still not sure WHY he's doing this...but he's ready to do it. The team heft up the bucket and the coach is doused from shoulder to shin in orange liquid. Kerri is so very...excited and jumping for joy...but Hanifan just wants out of his wet clothes and into a cold shower. Kristin even feels sorry they did it...but the fact is they did it!

TEAM CAKE: 8, TEAM EXODUS: 9

The team calls Team Ex to inform them that #45 is doused and that the lead is down to one. After a quick meal at McD's, they hop on I-70 and head for Kansas City . This is a little trickier, since the K.C. Royals technically play their games in Missouri and, due to the "one state, one task" rule, they need to convince a Royal to drive with them into Kansas to complete their ninth task. At least, that's the plan, anyway.
12:22pm, Minneapolis, MN - After blowing their own task, Team Ex did NOT want to hear that Team Cake is slowly creeping up on them. Doug knows how bummed Greg must feel having missed that last 3-pointer (Doug missed a field goal before), but says they can't let this bring them down. Everyone agrees they need to find a task to do in the Twin Cities, even if it DOESN'T give them a Subaru. One of the more unusual tasks catches their eye:

#40: "McDonald's Reward: Play any Governor in a game of Twister(TM) in his/her office and win" (Ask me what Twister(TM) has to do with sports...I dunno...)

There are a lot of problems with this task. For one, they don't even have a game. For two, it's not exactly that easy to set up. Stacey, despite not liking the idea, thinks it's the best option they have left. Greg, however, tries to convince the rest of the team to, instead, try something with the Minnesota Twins. Stacey thinks the best they can do is go to the Governor's office and set up a time to do a task in case the Twins thing falls through. So they beg a ride from Wayne McFarland, a musician, to St. Paul and, after hogging to the ESPN cameras, agrees. He even makes a sort of "Beg, Borrow & Deal" reggae song off the top of his head which everyone applauds...except Greg who hides his face.

They get to the government building (asking McFarland to wait for them) and head to the office of the Honorable Tim Pawlenty, Governor of Minnesota ever since Jesse Ventura left office last year. His press secretary, Leslie Kupchella, isn't sure he CAN play since he has bad knees. Best he can do is be the "spinner" (y'know, spin the dial and say "Right foot on red" or whatever), but the task says the Governor must play. The team continued to push for this to happen (I'm sure Kerri would be proud of them), but Kupchella keeps saying that he most likely can't.

2:40pm - Finally, after a long wait and a lot of talking among the PR guys, Kupchella comes out and green-lights the game...but there's still ONE little problem: they don't have a game with them. They decide they can MAKE one if they have to. So, with the help of a security guard who is an "expert" at the game, they put together a makeshift Twister(TM) board out of 24 sheets of paper colored in each of the four colors. The Governor's Aide is close-by, talking to second-grade students on a field trip, and the team explains what they're doing (though not that it's part of the show). Eric is stunned; he's certain that no one would EVER agree to do this...but here they were, ready to play and, hopefully, wrap things up.

In comes His Honor, shaking hands (like politicians do on reflex, I'm sure) and gets explained again what was explained to him earlier by his PR firm. Sure enough, he's willing to help them. The rule of the task is that one team member is the "spinner" while the others play the Governor. If the Governor falls before all three of the others do, the task is complete.

To spare the readers of the monotony that I'm sure some of them found in my World Poker Tour Championship recap, I won't go into a spin-by-spin account. Suffice it to say that the first time a hand was "spun", the Governor planted it...and instantly slipped. Just like that, the game was over, the team had won...and they were just a drive to Mt. Rushmore away from victory!

TEAM EXODUS: 10! TEAM CAKE: 8

OK...so Team Ex doesn't have to do any more tasks. But one final problem remains: how the heck to get to South Dakota ? The final task got them dinner at McDonald's, but not the Subaru they really needed. So now comes the hardest begging task of all: getting someone to drive them to the foot of Mt. Rushmore so they can earn their championship tickets. McFarland is out of the question. They head to a nearby bar and ask the employees for a ride, even if it's just part of the way. They didn't bite, but they DID offer some appetizers to bide them over until they find a McDonald's (assuming they remember that they got the reward).

4:20pm , en route to Kansas City , MO - Team Cake is heading towards what they hope is their ninth task. The plan is to talk a Royals' pitcher to cross the state line into Kansas and then help them with...

#32: "Dressed in full catcher's gear, warm up an MLB All-Star or Cy Young-winning pitcher; catch a pitch of at least 85 MPH" (The Cy Young award is the award for the best pitcher of the year in each league, awarded after the World Series)

If they can't find such a pitcher, they need to find a baseball field in Kansas and try something they couldn't do in Cleveland :

#4: "McDonald's Reward: Get a bat from a Major League Baseball All-Star and get a hit during batting practice (max 10 swings)"

Either way, it's going to be very tricky, since they've had zero contact with the Royals beforehand. Kristin doesn't sound very optimistic, saying that they are in the wrong part of the country right now.  But, wait...it gets worse. As they drive away, they hear a tornado watch on the radio. That turns into a warning...then into a touching down. The team has to stop and pull over until the tornado dissipates. They decide that, since they can't get through this foul weather, the best thing to do is to stop at a truck stop in Sweet Springs (about 60 miles from K.C.) and wait out the storm. They might lose the use of the Subaru, but at least they'll be safe.

4:40pm, Minneapolis, MN - While Team Cake prevent themselves from taking a one-way trip to Oz (and I don't mean Australia), Team Exodus is still in sunny Minnesota wondering how they were going to travel the 600 miles to Rapid City, SD and the finish line of this cross-country game. They decide that getting to Sioux Falls , SD would be fine for the night and they can get the rest of the way on Day 13. Greg calls his Uncle Bob to see if he can take him on the 6-hour trip. Sure enough, Uncle Bob meets them in front of the Target Center and, after a little brown-nosing by Greg, gets them the ride they need. The ride is "flawless", as Greg says, and they arrive just as the rains come. They do NOT wish to sleep outside tonight, so the team goes to a nearby Days Inn and Stacey is let loose on Corey Hart, the motel's night manager (and, no, NOT the same one who sang "Sunglasses At Night" and "Never Surrender"). Hart falls to Stacey's charms (and the team's pitiful looks) and puts the team and Uncle Bob up for the night, free of charge.

9:42pm , Sweet Springs , MO - At a nearby motel, Team Cake gets word that the tornadoes might just tear through the city. The local sheriff takes the team to a safe house in a church. There, although they have no way out, they have a great time with Kerri playing music and Charles singing to the crowd. They may lose the game, but they're having fun.

Day 13, 8:20am, Sioux Falls, SD - With Team Cake forced to wait out the storm while stuck at eight tasks done and Team Ex a mere 350 miles away from victory, it's pretty much all over but the driving. The team enjoys a continental breakfast, including waffles and coffee. Everyone is in a great mood as they leave. But there's still the one daunting task of begging for a ride to Mt. Rushmore . For once, none of the team members have any contacts to call upon, so they truly have to beg for a cross-state ride. One guy at a gas station says he's heading back towards Minneapolis , which just wouldn't do at all. And with the team looking rather unkempt, no one wanted anything to do with them. Greg even tries to talk to a huge metal buffalo outside a restaurant into taking them to Rapid City . To be stopped dead in their tracks so close to victory...it was hard for Team Ex to take.

9:23am, Sweet Springs , MO - Meanwhile, Team Cake awakens to the devastation that the tornadoes have produced. Small towns have been leveled. But they are still alive. And what's more, since they haven't anything from Team Ex, they are still in the hunt. Due to the bad weather, they still had time left to use their Subaru...so they hope they could get to K.C, and get the task done before they became stranded.
They manage to get to Kaufmann Stadium in K.C. Now it's a matter of convincing a pitcher to come with them into Kansas and pitch balls at them in full catcher's regalia. They manage to run into Mike Sweeney, the Royals' star first baseman, and ask him for help. Charles even shows off the Royals' tattoo he got way back on Day 2 and this gets Sweeney to be even more willing to help. He tells them that they can talk to the pitchers during batting practice around 1pm and that they can enter by talking to Aaron Babcock, Royals' Director of Media Relations. And Babcock drops the anvil on them. The Royals have NO current All-Star pitchers and NO pitchers who have won the Cy Young. They have a RETIRED pitcher who was in the All-Star Game long ago, but it's not likely he'll accept. He goes to check on that.

But, wait! Isn't that Mike Hargrove, Manager for the Baltimore Orioles, the Royals' opponent today, at the front entrance? Hargrove asks what's going on and the team pitches the pitcher task to him. Certainly the ORIOLES have at least ONE All-Star pitcher or Cy Young winner on their squad. Then they tell Hargrove that they can't do it at the stadium and must go across the state line to do this task...and that almost shuts the door. Still, after a little explanation and a lot of pleading on the girls' parts, Hargrove says to hang tight and he'll see what can be done.

A short time later, out comes Babcock, saying he can help. The pitcher he's drummed up is Jeff Montgomery, the all-time saves leader for the Royals. Best of all, he LIVES across the state line in Kansas . Therefore, all they need is to borrow some catcher's equipment for Charlie to wear and they'll be all set. Oh, wait...the Subaru time is up. So Kerri and Annemarie go to find them a ride to Montgomery 's house. They run into Dustin, a Royals fan. When they explain that all he needs to do is drive them about 20 minutes away, wait a short while, then drive them back, Dustin agrees. Charles is very confident now. He has the equipment, they have the ride and they're VERY close to completing task number nine for them...unaware that their foes are close to the finish line.
They get to Montgomery 's house and the All-Star is explained the task. Montgomery is happy to help them. They put down a home plate, get a catcher's mitt from him and warm him up. Kerri is given a speed gun to measure the speed of Montgomery 's pitches and gets behind the bushes behind Charles. If Charles can hold on to a ball going 85 miles per hour or faster, the task is over. But the first few pitches barely break 70MPH. Slowly, he works his way into the 80s. Charles is excellent, catching every pitch thrown. Finally, the righty pitches...Charles catches...and Kerri reads "86"!

TEAM CAKE: 9, TEAM EXODUS: 10

Now the better news: Dustin decides to forgo the Royals game and take them all the way to Mt. Rushmore if he can (the 1-1-12 rule is still in effect so Dustin can only drive them for 12 total hours). Dustin doesn't mind...when else is he going to have the chance to escort three "hot chicks" around? But the team STILL has one more task to do before they get there. The only states between them are Nebraska and Iowa , so finding something to do MIGHT prove difficult.

2:15pm, Sioux Falls, SD - All morning Team Ex has tried to get a ride to Mt. Rushmore...and all morning they've been rejected. Greg says that, since this isn't "big city land", they need to be more passive and easy-going in their attempts to get a ride. Oh, yeah, and Team Cake just called to say they've finished #32 and are now one task and 700 miles from taking the game out of their hands like they took the 35-yard-pass task out of their hands two days ago. They need a ride...and they need it IMMEDIATELY.

So they head back to Cody' Tavern (the restaurant with the buffalo outside)...and they run into Jenny, a waitress there. She says, "My brother is SERIOUSLY thinking about taking you all the way." They go inside to take to said brother, Dennis. They put on "serious desperate" faces. And Dennis agrees. So they pile into Dennis' truck and head off on I-90. Greg isn't jumping for joy just yet. They don't know where Team Cake is and, for all they know, they could be getting their tenth and final task done as they were yakking with Jenny and Dennis. Until they crossed the finish line before Team Cake, the team is still hoping to make it.
Meanwhile, although Dustin is a God-send to Team Cake...his truck isn't. It only gets about 12 miles to the gallon and Dustin, like the team, has no money on him for gas. So they have to beg the people for money for gas and snacks. Once again, since the team can't touch money, Dustin has to gather the money. A minor league baseball team comes by and, seeing the three girls, immediately come to their aid. They give them more than enough to get back on the road. Charles did nothing the whole time except watch "his girls" work. They better think about what they can do; they have 290 miles between them and Mt. Rushmore at this point.

And DOWN the stretch they come! Team Ex is STILL unsettled by where Team Cake may be. They even look out the windows all the time to make sure that the guys in the truck beside them aren’t the opposing team. Doug's main concern is what time the park closes, but Dennis gets them there with plenty of daylight to spare. They start getting excited, having traveled (as Doug estimated) 2,178 miles without a penny to their name.

They finally arrive at the monument. They take their time walking up...though Stacey REALLY wants to run, just in case Charles, Kristin, Kerri and Annemarie come sprinting from behind them. As they make their way to the final reward, they each reflect on what they've done:

To Doug, dealing with unknown was the hardest part. They needed to be flexible and just get tasks done wherever possible.

Eric learned lessons on the trip, especially when Team Cake booted him out.

Stacey greatly remembers the jet ride to Sacramento and, even more, getting a task done all by herself.

And Greg summed it up: "The sense of accomplishment is completely rewarding, completely humbling...and just fantastic."

Meanwhile, somewhere in South Dakota , Team Cake is given the bad news. Kristin finds it hard to say good-bye to three people she's been with every waking and sleeping moment for two weeks. Annemarie feels proud to have survived this trip. Kerri is so very...happy for the friendships she's made throughout the trip. And Charles says the game proved who your friends are (and it's safe to say that Charles had the BULK of them).

All right, enough of this mush! Team Exodus - Doug, Greg, Stacey & Eric - make it to the foot of Mt. Rushmore . They dove off a 10-meter platform in FL, had dinner with the Maloofs in CA, made a 3-pointer in GA, anchored a sportscast in AL, took a picture with the Heisman in TN, boxed a woman in KY, took a photo with a winning horse in OH, won the Meet & Compete in Chicago, shot a half-ice goal in IL, hit 8 out of 10 free throws in WI and beat a sitting Governor in a game of Twister(TM) in MN. They did it all in 13 days since being deposited in South Beach, Miami, FL and have traveled the over 2,000 miles to the foot of the Black Hills...all to win two tickets to any four sports championships they want.

Summer Sanders is there to greet them...and to officially declare them the winners of Beg, Borrow & Deal 2!
And, with that...the series ends...not with a bang but a very tiny whimper.

Will either team ever forget this race? Will ESPN ever make a third edition? Will "Playmakers" do with dramatic series what failed with game shows and reality series: hold an audience for ESPN outside of "SportsCenter"? Don't bother staying tuned, 'cause I'm OUTTA here!