The eight teams head to the Arctic Circle to play ring toss with narwhals and to build an igloo. Someone has confidence issues with the initial challenge, further aggravated by another who tries to make them lose, but the confidence of their partner allows their team to continue their winning streak. Meanwhile, one who has become tired of a partner ends up making a shocking move that hurts both of them, throwing them from leading to last place in a non-elimination round.
Plot
Devin reaches yet another next stage of heartbreak: depression.
The teams must fly via Cessna to the Arctic Circle to find their next challenge. While the Surfer Dudes are excited about being in the lead, the Haters play the blame game with one another, over their placement in the previous episode. Meanwhile, Carrie deals with Devin entering the next stage of heartbreak, depression. The first plane lands in the Arctic Circle, where the teams must now compete in a Botch or Watch, which involves finding rings in the snow and tossing them to the narwhals. If a team manages to get one of the rings onto the horn of the narwhal, they can move onto the next challenge.
Stephanie gets agitated after Ryan fails to ring the narwhal on his first try. He, however, makes up for this by ringing one on his second go. Geoff struggles to find a ring, which prompts Brody to give him a few words of encouragement. As the former attempts the ring toss, the other teams arrive and begin their search. The first of this group to finish are the Goths, due to one of the narwhals coming in close proximity to Ennui. Elsewhere on the snowy tundra, the Ice Dancers taunt Geoff after seeing his performance in the challenge. By doing this, they manage to demotivate him. Meanwhile, the Haters arrive at the location of their next tip. Stephanie suggests that they wait for the next team so that they can use the boomerang, this being their last opportunity to do so. Ryan disagrees, which causes the two to bicker. During their argument, the Goths arrive unnoticed and take the lead. The next challenge is an All-In which involves extracting blocks of snow from the ground and assembling an igloo with them. To pass this leg, the teams must get the approval of a local.
Stephanie gets fed up with Ryan and uses the boomerang on him, much to his shock. Don arrives and confirms that there is no rule against a team boomeranging themselves. He allows it and informs Stephanie that she will have to do the Botch or Watch this time. She confidently accepts this condition. The Ice Dancers' plan to sabotage the Surfers backfires as Geoff and Brody share an emotional moment, during which the former unintentionally rings a narwhal. The Haters pass the Ice Dancers on their way back, which causes Josee to become impressed with the Goths (as she assumes that they are the ones that used the boomerang on the Daters). As the Daters and Cadets struggle to move on from the ring toss (due to Sanders and Stephanie being unable to ring a narwhal), the other teams start building their igloos. While driving a snow mobile to their next destination, Geoff promises Brody that he will take them back up to first place. This optimism is, however, short-lived as a baby seal that he ringed appears in front of them, causing him to swerve and drive off a ledge. As the Goths have trouble handling the delicate snow, Ennui suggests that they pile it up and hollow it out. Once the Surfers arrive, the Ice Dancers see another opportunity to play mind games with them. Josee tricks Geoff into believing that Brody is upset with him due to the snowmobile incident. He attempts to make up for lost time by placing the blocks of snow at a quickened pace. This makes the structure unstable and results in their igloo falling apart, much to his dismay. Elsewhere, MacArthur celebrates Sanders ringing a narwhal. Unfortunately, her jumping causes the ice the Police Cadets are standing on to break away, leaving them stranded in the water. Devin offers an alliance to the Goths, which surprises Carrie. To her relief, they decline due to a dislike for Carrie's quirky and optimistic personality.
After the Cadets make it to the chill zone, Don announces it was a non-elimination round.
The Surfers console one another about their performance and assemble the igloo with a more relaxed state of mind. This angers the Ice Dancers, as it is the complete opposite of what they intended. After numerous tries, Stephanie finally manages to ring a narwhal and takes a snowmobile to the next challenge, leaving Ryan to run after her. While stuck on the ice, MacArthur tries to convince Sanders that they have to swim in the sub-zero temperature waters and urges her to go first. It does not come to this, however, as a narwhal begins pushing them forward. The Ice Dancers and Surfer Dudes get the approval of the eskimo and race to the finish. The Surfers are the first team to reach the Chill Zone, causing Brody to cry tears of happiness. He brings his best friend and Don in for a hug, which the host tries to break away from. They reveal that they now know of the Ice Dancers' tactics, but vow to play the game fairly. Don announces that the Ice Dancers have come in second and tells them that they should be happy with their performance. Josee channels her anger (over losing to the Surfers) into destroying the host's snowman. This causes Don to despair. As more teams finish assembling their igloos and check in at the Chill Zone, the race is on between the Cadets and Daters. MacArthur is confident that their ability to work as a team will give the Cadets the upper hand in the challenge. To speed things up, Don allows the teams to drive snowmobiles to the Chill Zone. Both teams crash into a wall of snow and end up in a giant snowball. The Cadets are the first to escape from it and secure seventh place. This puts the Daters in last place but Don reveals that it is a non-elimination round, much to their relief. The two reconcile but this peace between them does not last long, as Ryan storms off in anger before the camera cuts.
Cast
| Voice actor | Role(s) |
|---|---|
| Terry McGurrin | Don |
| Scott McCord | Brody/Jacques/Owen |
| Kristin Fairlie | Carrie |
| Stacey DePass | Crimson/Emma |
| Jeff Geddis | Devin |
| Carter Hayden | Ennui/Noah |
| Dan Petronijevic | Geoff |
| Julie Lemieux | Josee |
| Stephanie Anne Mills | Kitty |
| Evany Rosen | MacArthur |
| Joseph Motiki | Ryan |
| Nicole Stamp | Sanders |
| Nicki Burke | Stephanie |
Leaderboard
First Place • Racing • Eliminated • Last placer on a non-elimination episode
Returns to the competition • Season winner • Season 2nd place
Trivia
General
- This is the second time the Daters have been spared by a non-elimination leg.
- Interestingly, the Surfer Dudes came in first place in both episodes this occurs in.
- Those who compete in the botch are Geoff, Ryan, Carrie, Ennui, Sanders, Josee, Emma, Owen, and Stephanie.
- This is the first episode in The Ridonculous Race, in which all competitors have lines.
Continuity
- The Eskimo from Haute Camp-ture and Celebrity Manhunt's Total Drama Action Reunion Special appears in this episode.
- Ennui still has a special connection with animals, first shown in Down and Outback.
References
- The title is a reference to the Lord of the Rings franchise.
- The reference to a living snowman living at the Arctic Circle with Santa Claus refers to the interpretation of Frosty the Snowman from the 1969 Rankin-Bass Christmas special.
Goofs
- Brody says two teams are ahead of him and Geoff, even though there are actually three: Daters, Goths, and the Reality TV Pros.
- The sleeves on Geoff's jacket disappear after he tosses a ring on a baby seal.
- Ryan's leggings disappear after Stephanie fails to throw her first ring.
- After Josee ruins the snowman "Chilly Billy", the top hat that the snowman was wearing appears tattered, but when Don screams at the sky over the snowman's destruction, the top hat is intact.
- When the Police Cadets and Daters arrive at the chill zone, the top hat appears tattered again.
Gallery
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