The three tribes recieved mail in their mailbox for a reward challenge. Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn, all in their underwear, met up with Nick at New York Harbor for their first tribal challenge. it was going to be a test of swimming, endurance, teamwork, and strategy. Out in the harbor underwater and anchored down are 40 car tires with the numbers 1 through 4 on them. The number on the tire represents how many points that tire is worth. The tires with the least amount of points are closer to the dock and aren't too deep underwater, while tires with the most points are further away and are deeper underwater. One by one, a member of each tribe will leap off the dock and into the water to retrieve a tire. Once he/she brings back a tire the team can help stack the tire around a pole and someone else can dive in for another tire. The object is to score EXACTLY 15 points...no more, no less, so keeping up with the total amount of points is important. First tribe to get 15 points wins a three meal trip to a soup kitchen. The tribes cheered with excitement at the thought of eating somthing that didn't come out of a trash can.
As the challenge began, Seth (Brooklyn), Micha (Bronx), and Roy (Queens) dove into the water and swam past the first and second set of bouys. Seth dove down to get a tire from the third row as did Roy. Micha attempted to give Bronx an edge by swimming out the fourth row and retrieve a deeper tire. As Seth and Roy quickly untied their tires and were headed back with them, Micha struggled to get the tire untied and had to come back up for air. After a quick breath, Micha dove and untied a third row tire and attempted to make up for lost time. Brooklyn took a bit of a lead as the tribe placed it's 3-point tire on it's stake as Derricke dove in for another. Close behind him, Robin dove out and started the swim for another 3-point tire. Micha returned with Bronx's first tire as Jerroth was now in the water. Derricke and Robin arrived at the third row about the same time, but it was Robin who was first to retrieve a tire and swim back with it, giving Queens a score of 6 as it was now Adam's turn to get a tire. Derricke and Jerroth both returned to boost their tribes' total points to 6 as well as both Danielle S. and Danielle P. dove into the water. Adam gambled a bit, despite jeers from his tribemates, and attempted a 4-point tire. He dove deep and clung to the outside of the tire. The Danielle P went under and back up to raise Bronx's score up to 9, with Danielle S not too far behind to give her tribe 3 more points as well. Meanwhile, Adam was still underwater untying the tire, he resurfaced with the tire as his tribe cheered with glee as he swam quickly back to the dock giving his tribe a one point advantage over the others. Now, Jacob (Bronx), Leigh (Queens), and Donald (Brooklyn) were all in the water. Jacob snagged a 3-point tire and was off to return it to his tribe, a fast Leigh outswam Donald to the final 3-point tire. Donald tried to tug and steal the tire from the woman, but Nick intervened saying that wasn't legal. Donald let go of the tire and dove for a 2-pointer. Jacob had returned for Bronx who now had 12 points as January was tagged in. A winded Leigh drug her 3-point tire through the water and handed it to her tribe as Carol only had to get a two pointer to win the challenge for Queens. Donald handed the tire off to his tribe as Naomi jumped into the competition. January quickly retrieved a 2-pointer, Naomi also made quick work of a 2-pointer, as Carol struggled to get her tire untied. The challenge was getting close as Micha and Seth dove back in for Bronx and Brooklyn. Carol finally had her 2-point tire up as she swam back with it. But, right on her heels was Micha and Seth. But, the Queens Tribe snagged the tire from her and stacked it above their others as they won the challenge and the reward!
