The Last One(39)

“Who’s next?” the host asks Zoo.

She points at the trio.

“And I will ascend to Heaven,” says Exorcist. He cracks his knuckles, then attacks the wall, scurrying up the rock like a beetle. Waitress is sitting out; Rancher struggles to take up the slack quickly enough. The motion is unfamiliar and he can’t quite keep pace.

Exorcist slips, scrabbling with hands and feet as he careens toward the ground. Waitress shrieks. Exorcist jolts to a stop halfway down; Rancher is lifted to his toes and jerked forward, both hands tight about the rope below his waist. His backup holds firm. Exorcist swings left, twirling and bashing his shoulder into the rock. When he finally stills, dangling loosely in his harness, there’s blood on his face and hands.

Viewers will now see Exorcist from above, as the camera drone swoops down from invisibility to zoom in on his pale, sweaty face. The blood on his forehead and left cheek is like war paint, smeared from his scraped palm and fingertips. His jaw is tight, his almond-brown eyes wide.

“Can you continue?” the host calls.

Exorcist nods stiffly. His God-given bravado is faltering. For the first time since taping began, he’s visibly scared. His fear makes him seem more real, like a person instead of a caricature. The producers are concerned; this isn’t why he was cast. But they give the editor the moment. They too are curious where it might go.

A full minute passes—a few seconds for the viewer—as Exorcist collects himself. When he resumes climbing, he moves with unaccustomed care.

“Wow,” says Carpenter Chick. “He’s got guts.”

Engineer nods; he doesn’t think he could keep climbing after a fall like that.

On the whole, the respect the contestants have for Exorcist ticks up a notch—from zero to one on a yet-to-be-determined scale.

Exorcist finishes with a time of nine minutes and thirty-two seconds.

Banker and Black Doctor are next. It’s clear from Banker’s first move that he’s an experienced climber. He glides up the wall, moving with smooth efficiency. His ascent will be intercut with a confessional: “You’ll find me in the Gunks most summer weekends, and I climbed El Cap last year. This is a great Challenge for my skill set. I’m pretty confident I’m going to kill it.” He slaps the white X after only one minute and forty-four seconds. He’s not even breathing hard. Black Doctor whoops as he lowers his partner. Exorcist’s eyes narrow.

“Wow,” says Zoo. “Nice.” She turns to Engineer and Carpenter Chick. “You’re up. Good luck.”

For the first time, a woman ties in to climb. “I don’t know,” says Carpenter Chick via confessional. “Heights have never really bothered me. I kind of like them. Some of my favorite days on the job have been on roofs. This looks fun.”

Carpenter Chick is short, which limits her reach, but she is also light and highly flexible—residue of a childhood passion for gymnastics. And though she doesn’t make it look as easy as Banker did, there is ease to her movements as she climbs. She taps the X at four minutes and thirteen seconds, placing her and Engineer in second place.

Zoo and Tracker are up. “Part of me feels like I should’ve volunteered to climb,” says Zoo, as Tracker ties in. “Like I should take on anything, no matter how scary or difficult. But you have to take strategy into consideration too, and in this case it’s clear that my partner’s going to be better at this than me. I mean, did you see him with that tree the other day? He’s like a monkey. Or a cat.” She laughs. “A monkey-cat. Sounds cute, right?” Accusations of racism will pepper the Internet—Zoo would be horrified if she knew. She meant only that he climbs well.

On the cliff face, Tracker lacks Banker’s experience, but he knows movement and he knows his body. He moves quickly and sleekly toward the top. The timer ticks. “One minute down,” says the host. Tracker has just passed the halfway point. He has forty-three seconds left if he wants to beat Banker. He does want to beat him—but he also knows his limits. His fingers are learning the rock, his eyes and brain working together to judge the best holds ahead of time. “One minute thirty!” He’s close to the top, but is he close enough? Black Doctor grips Banker’s shoulder.

“One forty-four,” says the host.

Black Doctor and Banker slap a high five.

Fourteen seconds later, Tracker reaches the X. He and Zoo finish in second place.

Between all the delays and transitions, this Challenge has lasted hours. The fruit provided in the log cabin was devoured long ago. Rancher has one burger still tucked in his pack, and Banker a fistful of limp asparagus. Tracker finished the last of his chicken this morning; he prefers calories now to calories later, always. “I’m starving,” says Engineer. Biology has only a few protein bars left and she’s no longer sharing.

The host had eggs and sausage for breakfast. There was no time for lunch, but he ate a Snickers bar and drank a Coke Zero between climbs, turning his back to the contestants as he ate. He’s looking forward to sending them off on the next leg of the Challenge so he can have a sandwich. But first, more down time. The contestants mill about, anxious to know what’s coming next. After a few minutes, an intern barrels in from the south, shouting, “Sorry, sorry!” He’s chubby and white, in his early twenties. He carries a large duffel bag, which he brings to the host.