Road Rules 11, Episode 4: The Return of Boot Camp

Personal romance dramas were cast aside for the most part this week on Road Rules as the group simply tried to survive The Citadel.

In the preview, we see Kendal showing the rest of the group a picture of her dad, who died two years ago. Of course we had never seen this before (thanks, MTV) but it proved to be a major part of the episode anyway. We also hear from Sarah, who is still worried she will be the first to be voted off.

The group gets their clue that they will be going to The Citadel for their next mission. Eric and Rachel start screaming like they were just named the two finalists in Survivor. (That's a little cross-reality show reference there, heh.) Rachel says she has dreamed of going to The Citadel since it's one of the top military academies. Once again, Sarah puts everything in perspective for us. "Why would you want to go there?"

Then we go back to Kendal, who is just bound and determined to find my soft side during this episode. Kendal's dad divorced her mom when she was little. He went missing for about six months and then was found dead in a car, an apparent suicide. Kendal has a ring her dad gave her mom that says "Eternal Love," although she and her mom never have really discussed the situation. Kendal's dad was in the Army, so she feels a special bond with this mission.

Kendal and Rachel go for their morning run, or walk, or whatever that is, and talk about Sarah. Rachel is having major issues with the girl. "She drives me nuts," Rachel says. Both girls feel let down by Sarah's lack of athletic ability.

"If we fail the next mission, Sarah's out," Rachel says.

The gang pulls up to The Citadel and Rachel is mesmerized by what she sees.

"The gates open up and let you in like a castle," she says.

Yeah. And kinda like the gates of Hell too.

Their mission is to be a freshman knob for two days. Basically, to take orders from The Citadel cadets and be all they can be. Their commander actually tells them not to smile. Good thing Jessie from Tough Enough 2 isn't on this trip.

Shane, we learn, spent time in college in his Reserve Officer Training Corps, or ROT-C, as we liked to call it where I went to school. Hey, you lay in bed after returning from a concert in the wee hours of the morning and listen to half a dozen freaks chanting outside your dorm room at 5 a.m. and you'd give them bad names too. Between that and the BEEP BEEP BEEP of the garbage truck... mother of God. Anyway, since Shane has all this insight into the military, he also has the biggest attitude about it, which is going to cause the group problems later. The group has to survive two days of training and only receive 100 demerits or less to participate in the bulldog challenge and complete the mission. All six Road Rulers must complete the mission.

After the rules are calmly explained to the group, they get jumped by about a dozen cadets screaming orders in their ears. Shane laughs through the whole experience.

"I was just thinking, which one was I going to hit first," Darrell says. Hee.

Despite Darrell's thoughts of violence, the group worries about Shane's attitude about the mission.

The six are then ushered to their barracks where they are ordered to change clothes and remove all their jewelry. This is almost too traumatic for Kendal, who has to remove her father's ring, which until now never has come off.

They then participate in a run with the other cadets. Sarah is in the middle of the pack and panting and looking like she's about to drop dead.

Shane is given 10 demerits.

Kendal is freaking out. The whole experience is bringing back memories of her dad and she doesn't have her ring.

Shane is given some more demerits.

"This is hell," Kendal says. Ahhh NOW you figured out what those gates were about.

Day Two dawns at 6 a.m. and begins with an inspection from the Colonel. I tried to keep track, I think the group got about nine demerits just from the inspection.

The demerits are totaled and the group just barely makes it to the bulldog challenge with 98 demerits.

That night Sarah and the other girls are being escorted around the grounds in their bathrobes (umm OK) when Sarah falls flat on her butt. She gets up, keeps walking and then falls again. This time, something's wrong.

"I was stunned at first then I realized something was seriously wrong with my leg," she said.

The next morning the group has to go to the doctor to see if Sarah's cleared to compete. In the meantime, Shane and Eric talk about carrying her through the mission if they had to. Yeah. That wouldn't create any hard feelings. Sarah tells the blue-shirted bossman that the doctor told her she shouldn't compete because something's wrong with her hip. I say “something” because she mumbled it. I'm pretty sure that's a demerit.

The rules are changed to allow the group to compete as a five-some but Shane is still ticked. "She could have stepped up. She missed her chance to be a part of the group."

Our cast finds out that the reward this time is a trip to Cancun – if they can complete the obstacle course in less than three hours. "That's all the incentive I need," Kendal says.

The group takes off through the obstacle course. It's raining. They're swimming through a stream and crawling around in the mud and doing all kinds of things that make me happy I'm sitting on the couch with a bowl of ice cream. Kendal is refusing help, believing her father is getting her through the mission. Eric is impressed with her effort.

They make it through the course in an hour and 59 minutes. The Citadel people seem impressed. Sarah is waiting at the finish line and looks happy that she's not cold, wet and tired like her Winnie mates.

Darrell admits that even though he was ready to hit someone, he's happy to have had the experience. Eric says the five have been brought closer together. Kendal says she thinks her dad would be proud of her.

Rachel and Kendal have a change of heart about Sarah since the beginning of the mission, since they saw first hand how hard she was trying before she did whatever she did to her hip. At the obligatory club visit after the mission, the guys are ragging on Sarah since she's up and walking. The girls jump to her defense, saying Sarah said several times during the mission that she was giving it her best. Shane still isn't convinced. "I'd like her to show something that says we can count on her for the future," he says. Chill out ROT-C dude, you sound like my boss.

Next week: The gang is in Atlanta and has to learn a step routine for a show. "This is a lot harder than it looks," Shane says. No kidding, white man.

Jennifer Shrader is a reporter at a community newspaper in rural North Carolina who is waiting to be discovered.

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