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The race is on. After a punishing first season that saw teams trek across the Alaskan wilderness, USA Network is heading to New Zealand for season 2 of the competition reality series Race to Survive. 

Race to Survive: New Zealand will follow teams of contestants as they navigate harsh terrain in a quest to take home a $500,000 prize. Winning won’t be easy. Cast members will have to endure challenging conditions and tough competition as they speed toward the finish line. 

“This is a pass or fail evolution,” one contestant says in the trailer for the new season (via YouTube). “You either make it or you don’t. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other.”

“It’s not a race to survive,” another observes. “It’s being able to survive the race.” 

‘Race to Survive: New Zealand’ premieres May 20 

Race to Survive: New Zealand premieres Monday, May 20 at 11 p.m. ET/PT on USA Network with a super-sized 75-minute episode.

In the second season of the survival series, cast members will rely on a mix of endurance racing, survival skills, and intuition as they navigate 150 miles of harsh terrain. They’ll travel through ancient caves, climb mountains, and paddle through racing rapids as they fight to beat out the competition. Along the way, they’ll have to forage or hunt for all their food and source all their own water. On each leg of the journey, the last team to get to the finish line will be eliminated. 

The high-stakes competition has attracted some serious athletes, including mountain climbers, smoke jumpers, ultramarathoners, and white water rafting experts. But the chance to take home half-a-million dollars might encourage some people to cut corners. In the trailer, one team learns they’ve been disqualified from the competition after breaking a rule. 

‘Race to Survive: New Zealand cast 

Composite image of three portraits of contestant teams from 'Race to Survive: New Zealand'
[L-R] Creighton Baird and Paulina Peña; Donald “Jeff” Watterson Jr. + Coree Woltering; Emilio Navarro and Heather Sischo from ‘Race to Survive: New Zealand’ | NBCUniversal
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Nine teams of two will compete in Race to Survive: New Zealand. They are: 

  • Fierce endurance athletes and mothers Rhandi Orme, 40, from Kaysville, Utah, and Ashley Paulson, 42, from St. George, Utah. 
  • Mikhail Martin, 33, and Steffen Jean-Pierre, 35, who are climbing kings from New York.
  • Salt Lake City pair Creighton Baird, 34, and Paulina Peña, 31, who got the call about competing on Race to Survive four days after their divorce.  
  • Ryan Stewart, 43, from Lehi, Utah, and his son-in-law Bronsen Iverson, 20, from Hurricane, Utah.
  • Oliver Dev, 29, and Spencer “Corry” Jones, 26, who are white water river guides from Jackson, Wyo.
  • A pair of ultramarathoning friends, Donald “Jeff” Watterson Jr., 46, from Newcastle, Ind., and Coree Woltering, 33, from Chattanooga, Tenn.
  • Elite airborne firefighters Ethan Greenberg, 32, from Boston, and Tyrie Mann Merrill, 28, from Reno. 
  • Emilio Navarro, 56, and Heather Sischo, 42, who are racers from Rhode Island. 
  • Nikola “Nik” Milutinovic, 37, and Kennedy Taylor, 26, oil rig workers from Alberta, Canada.

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