Last week, the families made their way to Branson, Missouri, where they took part in a most unique talent show. The Pollards were crowned King of the Road as they headed to Carthage, where the bottom three families competed to watch the premiere of "Aliens in the Attic". And by the way, no one was eliminated, so the journey down the road continues...

CARTHAGE, MO
66 Drive-In Theatre

"Today, you're aiming your RV toward the Kansas border, your third state!"

INDEPENDENCE, KANSAS
The Little House on the Prairie

This is the birthplace of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her Little House on the Prairie.

Trivia: the state song of Kansas is "Home on the Range".

Also notable... Amie Pollard confuses "Little House on the Prairie" and "The Waltons". Meanwhile, Sil and Amy diSalvatore notice a familiar sight to native Kansans... Tornadoes.

Once the families arrive at their destination, we find out how hard life was for the families there in the past thanks to some re-enactors. Had a great time, but we gotta roll...

"Next you'll head for the Red Buffalo Ranch in Sedan, Kansas for a good ol' fashioned Kansas cookout. Giddyup, pardners!" Turns out Lenny Faverey once stayed at a ranch in Louisiana... almost got married there, too.

Meanwhile, the diSalvatore family are running out of gas. Sil doesn't think they're in that much danger. Until he reads "LOW FUEL" on the dash. Woops.

The Ricos stay on the journey and look in bewilderment about... weathervanes on roofs.

SEDAN, KANSAS
Red Buffalo Ranch

The families meet Reno, fire, and meat. Reno instructs them on how to make a great burger. First, you grab 3/4 pound of meat. Then you talk it down the ledge until they accept it. Then you throw it on the grill... and wait.... and wait... and keep waiting, because it's time for...

KING OF THE ROAD CHALLENGE: Burger Time

Each dad will make a batch of burgers for the rest of the families to eat and rate. Dress and make the burgers however you like, be it with cheddar, ketchup, mustard, hummus, or artichoke hearts. The best burger will win a Weber Summit grill and the honor of being named "King of the Road." The three WORST burgers will compete in the End of the Road Challenge.

Bad news for Sil diSalvatore, who hasn't cooked in his LIFE. He's just going to cook a hamburger. The GOOD news is that he's not the one with the big problem... Ricardo Rico is, who uses all five pounds of meat in five minutes of grilling. Can't happen.

The burgers...

A: The Meaty Montgomery
B: Silvio's Bronx Burger (diSalvatore)
C: McRico Bacon Parmesan ... Raw patty.
D: The Bar-B-Coote Burger
E: Faverey's Savory Special
F: The Pollard Patty

Now to taste and judge. The bottom three families... the diSalvatores (which had "No flavor" but was "delicious"), the Ricos ("not quite done"), and the Favereys ("Bad"). But the winning burger, with a score of 45 out of 60... the COOTES! Two out of three wins in a row for the Chicago family.

Meanwhile, the Pollards and the Montgomerys are safe for the week. The Favereys are feeling down as are the diSalvatores, but we look forward to the End of the Road challenge.

During the day, Sil decides to clean their home away from home. "It's time for my family to be proud of me."

Next up... 

TALLGRASS, OKLAHOMA
Tallgrass Prairie Preserve

Waiting for them here... Buffalo. Lots and lots of buffalo. If you've never had buffalo... you don't know what you're missing. If you're looking forward to seeing some buffalo, you're not going to be disappointed.

If you're also a fan of what the buffalo think of this series... you're ALSO not going to be disappointed, as the families step on their calling cards.

Now for lunch at Applebee's. *cha-ching!* We notice that the Pollards, diSalvatores & Rico are at one table, and the Favereys, Montgomerys, and Cootes are at another. Schism, much?

All of the families get Applebee's gift cards. *cha-ching!*

"Howdy, y'all! You hear about how everything's bigger in Texas? Well, it's true, especially the size of the actual state. Today's journey will take you to the big beautiful state of Texas."

AMARILLO, TEXAS
Big Texan Steak Ranch

It should be noted that Ashley Faverey has a sprained finger. Medical looked at it, and she should be fine. Meanwhile, Amie is hoping that the diSalvatores and the Ricos survive, because how bad would it be for the Ricos to be eliminated on their home turf... as for the diSalvatores... they're more anxious than nervous.

END OF THE ROAD CHALLENGE: Everything's Bigger

They say everything's bigger in Texas, and everything's going to be bigger in this challenge, as you try to stuff everything Texas related... into an outline of the state of Texas... including yourselves. The fastest times will move on, but the slowest... will have reached the end of the road.

Ricos are going first. The props are... a spur, an oil derrick, a poker chip, a horseshoes, a pair of longhorns, a cactus, a star, a barrel, a hat, a can of baked beans, a belt buckle, a buffalo skull, cowboy boots, a bottle of BBQ sauce, and the head of George W. And we have an injury on the field. Ricardo tweaked his ankle. But they clock in at a time of 4:20.

The Favereys are next. They forget one prop. That gives them a time of 3:49. They're safe.

So it's either going to be the Ricos or the diSalvatores. All of the families are on pins and needles. The final time... 2:46! They're safe...

Unfortunately, the Ricos have reached the end of the road... and the end of the vacation. Regardless of the outcome, the Ricos have already made friends and did some really good stuff. Whoever goes all the way to the end ... it's just icing on the cake.

Next week, dig in, aim high, and get out of mom's way.

To view this episode in its entirety, go to www.nbc.com/roadtrip.