Kriti Mehrotra
With Fox’s ‘Extracted’ ending with a cliffhanger regarding Haley Lindell’s health in episode 9, episode 10, the finale, titled ‘The Final Drop,’ brings a perfect mix of anxiety and anticipation. After all, this is where we uncover precisely which team walks away with the $250,000 grand prize after a few grueling weeks in the Canadian wilderness and the HQ. Tensions are high, but so are excitement and motivations since the remaining 4 survivalists will get to return to their loved ones and learn about the chaos they experienced at the end of the day, no matter what happens.
Being So Close to the Finish Line, No One Is Extracted
At the end of the previous installment of this incredible reality show, Haley’s cousins Kaley Sauve and Natalie Michaels were informed by the emergency team that they were really concerned for their survivalist. After all, following days of overexertion and starvation owing to no food, the move deeper into the forest had taken a toll on her body to such an extent that her heartbeat was in the steady 30s. This was obviously a concern, especially since it wasn’t rising even after she had rested, but the choice of whether or not to extract was still left with the cousins.
Therefore, considering they don’t have long to go, Kaley and Natalie decide not to extract Haley since they know that even if she isn’t physically strong, she is mentally strong enough to get through at least another day. This breaks their hearts, especially Natalie’s, considering she is a nurse and had promised to always look after her beloved sister, but she knows that breaking it would be worth it. However, little do they know that their decision to stick through it for one more day is all they needed, since it turns out to be the season finale – 4 teams made it there.
Apart from Haley, it is Meagan Delatte Murphy with her dad Gerrad Delatte and best friend Abby Hayes, the woman she had made a pact with weeks ago to be in the finale together. Then there is Jake Denison with his brothers Justin Denison and Austin Legg, as well as retired cop Woody Kaminer with son Woody Kaminer and nephew Collin Hodson back at HQ. It was admittedly a difficult night for them after moving deeper into the jungle with almost no supplies, but the morning brought news—and with it, an undeniable sense of excitement.
The Interpersonal Connection of the Teams is Tested Like Never Before
Once it is announced that the remaining 4 teams have all made it to the finale, they can’t help their joy owing to all the hard work they have put in together, just for their moods to soon dampen. That’s because it turns out the winner will be decided through a final survival trial, where the test will be of not only the survivalists’ wits and physical strength, but also their bond with their teams. It is to commence in two parts, with the first requiring the participants to blow up a raft and make their way across a 1.2-mile lake, where they will need to open a crate box with a 5-letter code lock. The teams were allowed to pick any word they wanted, as long as it wasn’t their or their survivalist’s name.
Therefore, Abby and Gerrad go with Abby’s father, “Scott,” as they think Meagan will be able to make the connection, but they also consider “dance” for a while since she has a passion for it. Justin and Austin go by the name of Jake’s firstborn, even though they are initially confused whether his name is spelled “Brody” or Brodie. As for Blake and Collin, they choose “Trust” because Woody keeps telling them he trusts them, yet their initial thinking was that Blake’s mother’s name, “Laura,” will also be a good option. Finally, Haley’s cousins decide on “Shark” since that’s what they nicknamed her and have been calling her for years. With these in place, the final survival trial begins.
However, just as the announcement is made in the wilderness, they also learn that only two people will be moving forward, which means that if you don’t unlock your crate quickly, you will be extracted and lose your chance of winning $250,000 despite coming so close. Woody is the first in the water with his raft after quickly understanding a technique, followed by Jake and then Haley, despite her losing some significant time and air once her balloon exploded. She then uses a pump and gets into the water, racing to catch up those before her, just for Megan to follow soon after.
Understanding and Speed are of the Essence in the Final Challenge
Back at HQ, after learning what the other teams have chosen as their lock words and that only two survivalists will move forward, Blake regrets his choice to go with “Trust.” However, he continues rooting for his dad, just like all the others are rooting for their survivalists, with them also noting that Haley is quickly gaining on the two men. As Natalie and Karly had hoped, despite her dwindling strength, she found willpower and decided to continue on and gave this challenge her all, resulting in her doing wonders. Meagan, on the other hand, also tries her best, but she gets caught in the water currents for a while, leaving her quite behind and stressing her dad as well as her best friend.
As the rafts arrive on the shore, the contestants rush to their respective boxes, with Woody and Jake being the first ones there mere moments apart, only for Haley to follow not far behind. Meagan also arrives at the shore soon after, determined to do her best. However, as they go through the trial and errors of what the code may be, the latter gets it on her first few tries, knowing that “Shark” is a word that is significant to not just her but also her team. Meagan attempts “Dance” as one of her guesses, making her dad furious over his own choice, as they could have gone with that. Similarly, Woody did indeed try his son’s mother’s name, only to be disappointed when it didn’t open.
Jake also tries a few different word combinations before finally thinking about going with the name of his family members, and that’s when he thinks of his son’s name and unlocks the box. Inside, there is a phone that connects him directly to his team at HQ, which is when he learns that he next has to travel through the tough forest terrain to reach a new checkpoint, with nothing but his team guiding him through it. However, as Austin and Justin make it clear, he has to hurry because Haley, who is also communicating with her team, has a significant lead on him, and so he rushes.
The Competition Really Does Come Down to a Wire
With Haley and Jake moving ahead in the finale, Meagan and Woody are finally extracted from the wilderness, but neither regrets any aspect of what they did because of the things it helped them accomplish. Woody’s goal was always to have just one last adventure before he hangs up his hat as a former cop who dived into the middle of situations, all the while making his son proud. So, when he hears Blake call him “cool” after finally reuniting, it moves him to tears because while he lost the money, he won a deeper connection with his family. As for Meagan, through this entire adventure, she realized that she not only has an amazing support system by her side but that she will actually be able to be the kind, loving, patient mom she hopes to become one day. She is ready to take on any challenge head-on.
Back at HQ, the supplies the teams were provided with the previous evening prove crucial as they enable them to guide their contestants through rough terrains, boulders, and downward tracks. Haley is the first to reach the second checkpoint, where she faces a lake and a Morse Code puzzle that will tell her where to go. If her team solves it correctly with the help of the book given to them, she will head in the right direction and reach a crate filled with $250,000 cash, but if they solve it wrong, she will reach an empty crate. With Haley dictating the dots and dashes, they solve it to read as “It’s down to the wire, go upstream.” A mere few minutes later, Jake reaches and gets the same solution from his team.
It is then a race between Haley and Jake as to who reaches the box that has been placed upstream in the river, right in front of a gorgeous waterfall. Whoever reaches it and opens the lid first wins it fair and square, yet it is a difficult watch for viewers because while the former does have a lead, she is deeply overexerted and not in the best physical shape. The way upstream is essentially over boulders in water, so it doesn’t help her either, right along with the fact that Jake has been the strongest throughout the competition and has proved his mettle in more ways than one. So, it really does come down to the wire.
It Takes Emotional, Mental, and Physical Strength to Really Make it to the End
Despite the fact that Haley was struggling to even move mere hours before, she found strength in herself to keep going, and that’s how she makes it to the distinguished red crate containing the $250,000 first. This obviously disappointed Jake since he had consistently worked so hard and did so well, but he was still proud of everything he achieved, especially since his goal was to show his kids that they can also do anything they set their mind to. Justin and Austin were right alongside him, and they are proud of him too. Yet, even they conceded that Haley’s win was nothing short of incredible with everything she endured, so the contest really ended with them giving Natalie and Karly a sincere hug back at HQ. Then, the survivalists finally reunited with their teams, which resulted in them almost immediately talking about their experiences and getting the most recent tidbits of gossip. That’s when Jake learned people were gunning for him almost from the beginning because of how quickly he adjusted to the wilderness, which is why he got 8 empty supply crates. Haley also learned about a steak being thrown in the lake, along with much more, before the teams all finally returned home.
Read More: Extracted Episode 9 Recap: Banished
