As if Race to Survive: New Zealand wasn’t already challenging enough, Paulina Peña and Creighton Baird entered the competition with an extra layer of mess. The two were freshly divorced and in the process of going their separate ways. When they got the call to compete for a $500,000 prize, the exes put aside their differences for one final hurrah.
For most people, adventuring 150 miles through the New Zealand wilderness with your ex sounds like a nightmare. Obviously, it wasn’t a walk in the park for Creighton and Paulina either, but they ultimately finished the competition in second place. It wasn’t easy, and neither is reliving it. Reality Tea caught up with the adventure exes to talk about where they stand today and their rocky road to the Race to Survive finish line.
The road to the runner-up
Throughout the six courses on Race to Survive, Creighton and Paulina managed to keep their heads above water. They kept up with the pack, staved off injuries, and earned their spot in each Survival Camp. However, the dynamics of the race got flipped upside down after Race 4 when the Hunters and the River Guides left the competition. Suddenly, the clear frontrunners were out of the picture, and the Divorcees were left with mixed emotions.
“It was definitely a whirlwind and shock because two of the top teams went out on the same race,” Paulina remembered. “For me, it was hard it was sad. and not something I wanted to happen.”
On one hand, they were sad to see their competitors go, but at the same time, they were suddenly a step closer to the grand prize. The mixed emotions weighed on both of them at Survival Camp that night.
“You really felt them gone at the next survival camp. It was so much more quiet. Ryan and Bronsen left in the middle of a race. They didn’t get to say goodbye to any of us,” Creighton explained. “That’s always hard because you grow so close to them.”
During the final race, Creighton and Paulina kept their foot on the gas the entire time. They didn’t feel phased by the Smokejumpers’ intimidating track record. We know how one wrong move in this race can change everything. They went into Race 6 giving 110% with a determination to cross the finish line, no matter what.
“I wanted to get to the end no matter what,” Paulina said before explaining how an unaired injury impacted her in the final race.
“I was struggling with an injury. My knee was pretty messed up in that last race. I was moving a lot slower,” she revealed.
Although the Smokejumpers crossed the finish line first, Paulina and Creighton remained determined to make it to the end. They wanted to give it their all to earn second place, and they knew the Oil Riggers were right on their tail.
“There was never a chance that Paulina and I would not finish that race,” Creighton confirmed
Reliving the divorce isn’t easy
At the end of the race, the Divorcees opened up about how their experience on the show gave them some much-needed closure in their relationship. However, now that the show is airing, it’s reopening old wounds.
“It’s been a lot harder for me to watch back than I expected it to be, and a lot more emotional,” Paulina admitted.
She continued, “For me, it’s like I have these two different experiences. One of them is what I lived in the actual race and kind of what I’m reliving now through the edit and trying to navigate all of that.”
“It’s interesting,” Creighton added. “This is the third time that we’ve gone through these feelings. It happened the first time we got divorced. You go through the feelings the second time on the show. Then you go through them the third time when it’s released.”
Although they’re reliving the pain of their divorce with each episode, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Both Paulina and Creighton are doing well in their personal and professional lives and feel confident about their individual futures. Of course, the $500,000 would have been nice, but they’re thriving either way.
Creighton said, “I’m living my best life out here in Utah. I’m excited about where my professional career is headed.”
Paulina added, “I’m very excited to see where life takes me, and at the moment, I’m very happy with where life is and how things are going. I’m glad I had this experience and can still have this connection with Creighton.”
Trading hedgehogs for hamburgers
A conversation with the Divorcees wouldn’t be complete without touching on their incredible hunting successes on the show. It might have been a little hard to stomach for some viewers, but it was an important element to their survival. We all remember when Creighton managed to kill a whole squad of hedgehogs. Our burning question: what exactly did that taste like? Apparently, not so good.
“I have lots of experience in different hedgehog cooking methods,” Creighton explained. “You can grill it, roast it on a spit, render it in eel fat, and sprinkle sea salt on it.”
His final verdict: “There’s no way to make hedgehog taste good in the bush. It’s just not a good meat.”
Paulina added, “It tastes like chewy, fishy chicken.”
It wasn’t all bad though. Creighton said the two “redeeming qualities” were the heart and the liver. From there, the rest of the animal served as eel bait.
Ultimately, those survival skills got them to the end of the competition, but after eating all of those delicacies, they came back to civilization with an appetite for familiar foods. They hit up a McDonald’s drive-thru and ordered burgers, fries, chicken nuggets, the whole thing.
“It was crazy,” Creighton reminisced.
“He ripped that bag out of my hand so fast,” Paulina said with a laugh.
The next few hours consisted of large pizzas and hot showers in the hotel. That seems like a well-deserved celebration after crossing 150 miles of rugged terrain and beating seven other teams.
“I took like a three-hour shower. I had not felt hot water in 40 days and had been so cold,” Paulina recalled.
Meanwhile, Creighton said he ate “half a large pizza” while sitting in the shower. One slicer after another, he kept slamming them back until it made him sick. Honestly, you can’t blame him.
“I was sick for three days,” he recalled. “Our bodies didn’t know how to process what we went through.”
Race to Survive: New Zealand is streaming on Peacock.
TELL US – WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE DIVORCEES FINISHING IN SECOND PLACE WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THEIR PERFORMANCE THIS SEASON?
