Chapter 48 Greenroom
Greenroom
As it always has, the finale starts with the final four, which means Yumi and I get to publicly cringe our way through our elimination episode.
They’ve gathered all the teams in a long greenroom. Everyone’s here, except Clyde and Cora, who apparently refused to come—which I guess means they didn’t win. What a shame. I, for one, am utterly devastated.
Couches and overstuffed armchairs line one wall, facing two large TVs. One screen plays a currently muted livestream of the studio audience as the other rolls The Adventureverse’s opening credits. We all dah-dah-DAH-da-na-na along with the iconic instrumentals, then the theme song fades out.
This is the moment I spent the entire season wanting to see: the recap of the final four teams’ journeys. I love it every year, but this time it’s extra special, because this time, I get to watch myself fall in love with my best friend.
“Nine teams, eight countries, thousands of miles,” JSP’s voice announces, “and it all comes down to one of the most impressive final fours we’ve ever seen on The Adventureverse. Let’s take a look at the journey that got them here.”
Yumi taps my shoulder excitedly when our faces appear on the screen. She’s perched on the arm of my chair, her body half-draped across the high back. A chill goes down my spine, both at her touch and at an anticipation so intense that it makes my hair stand on end.
“NFL teammates, KC Carter and Gabriel Damascus’s journey started long before The Adventureverse.
” Dramatic music, a fade in on a black-and-white clip of the moment that ended KC’s football career.
At this point, I’ve seen that “highlight” too many times to count.
KC goes down in a tackle, his leg bending at an unnatural angle that makes me wince and look away every time.
He lies on the ground, eerily still, surrounded by his teammates, until Gabriel pushes through the crowd, forcing everyone back.
He leans over KC, his face stricken with pure fear.
The video gives way to montages of KC lying in a hospital bed, Gabriel always at his side like a bodyguard.
It shows KC giving the camera a thumbs-up after his amputation, him learning to walk with his new prosthetic, him and Gabriel getting married in an outdoor ceremony with KC standing on his own.
I can’t imagine how it feels to have your worst moment trotted out for drama at every possible opportunity, but they seem to be used to it. When the wedding picture comes up, KC points at his husband on the screen and screams, “Hot!” The whole room laughs.
“As the purple team, they faced different challenges,” JSP continues, as a series of clips play—KC comforting Gabriel during turbulence, KC carrying an entire animal carcass in Buenos Aires’s COOK challenge, Gabriel shutting his eyes as bugs rained down on him in Portugal, drone shots of them breezing through the via ferrata.
“Despite being navigationally challenged”—multiple shots of them arguing over maps, backseat driving, and realizing they’d driven in the wrong direction—“KC and Gabriel have finished in the top three in every Adventure except one, and they come into the finale with two first-place finishes under their belt. Can the former football stars overcome the last set of obstacles, or will they fumble at the wrong time?”
We clap for Team Football, and Bee and Logan’s pictures fade in.
“Boo! Hiss!” Yumi jokes from behind me.
Bee throws her head back in a laugh, flipping Yumi off from the love seat she and Logan are sitting on. Her dress, a glittery forest green number, shimmers with every move she makes.
“Homeless shelter manager Bee and social media embroidery sensation Logan have their eyes on the prize, and they don’t care what stands in their way.”
That was my first real shock when we got home from the show.
I had just assumed Bee and Logan were models because of their striking good looks and general attitude, but no.
Bee manages a homeless shelter and volunteers at a safe injection site.
Logan embroiders intricate scenes from video games.
His work is museum worthy and sells for thousands of dollars to art collectors worldwide.
One of the most talked-about confessionals of the season pops up.
In it, Bee is casually nibbling at a cheese stick on the dock in Buenos Aires.
“Everyone would do anything to win…except be mean. Except be hated. They’re too afraid to lose followers on socials.
” She fakes a pout, crossing her legs and looking the audience directly in the eye.
“Not me. I don’t know you. I don’t care about what you think about me, and I never will. ”
Instantly iconic.
“Bee and Logan narrowly avoided getting sent home, coming in last place in Iceland’s non-elimination Adventure. Will they be able to use their second chance to prove that nice guys really do finish last?”
The next team they show is Clyde and Cora, which is perfect, because it gives me a chance to get up and grab another bottle of water.
As I sink back into my seat, Jonathan says, “After four bottom-half finishes in a row, our team of young superfans secured a first-place win at a crucial moment, making them the first team guaranteed a spot in tonight’s finale.
” A montage of fan-favorite moments flash across the screen.
Us talking to Shea on the bridge in Paris.
Me stepping in to tango with her in Argentina.
Kissing on the lift in the volcano. Her first step onto solid ground in Switzerland.
Me shutting off our mic packs on the beach—the forums loved that one.
“Can these Adventureverse fanatics overcome their fears to take home two million dollars?”
“What do you think? Do they do it?” Yumi asks quietly, offering me a guava candy from her purse.
I laugh, tearing open the wrapper and popping it in my mouth. “I don’t want to ruin it for you.”
“I wish we had gotten to do this,” Yumi grumbles, watching on-screen Bee and Logan struggle with the Which mime was yours?
section of the memory challenge. They’re all but guaranteed to win at this point, with KC and Gabriel hopelessly lost in Yellowstone National Park and Clyde and Cora walking off set.
Yeah, you heard that right. The Ball-and-Chain—in the final three, inches away from two million dollars—got annoyed at the first team challenge, GEYSER, and left. They didn’t bother switching challenges and trying the other option, HARDLY KNOW HER. They just…quit.
I wouldn’t have shown my face at the reunion after that, either.
The teams aren’t allowed to disclose their placements before the finale airs, but the group chat has been talking about this moment for months. The studio audience just about lost their minds when Clyde and Cora left.
Wait until they see that Bee and Logan win.
I’m only mostly kidding about the fanbase’s reaction to them.
People do love villains, especially ones with hearts of gold outside of the game.
If the other option weren’t KC and Gabriel, the High Elves’ win would be fine, but Team Football is just too good at being beloved.
I think the Nobel Prize Committee might create an award for likability just for them.
I’m happy to report that we made a rewatchable season. Interesting teams. Fun villains. Big drama. Creative challenges.
Not just Good TV, but Great TV.