MANILA, Philippines – Premiering Monday, September 30 at 10:00 p.m., buckle up for CAR VS. WILD, an all-new original adrenaline-infused series that sees the return of former British Special Forces soldier, Gary Humphrey, American car fanatic, Bill Wu, and Ruby, their trusty and thrill-hungry four-wheel drive, as they take on the spectacular but extremely harsh and vicious terrains of Mexico − putting to test the limits of both man and machine as they venture to unforgiving locations where no car has ever gone before.
At center stage is the complex dynamic between man, machine and Mother Nature, brimming with inspiring risks and practical manoeuvres in the face of life-threatening situations. Watch as Bill and Gary resort to using vines and trees as swings to push Ruby through the lush forests – Tarzan-style; witness a possible record-breaking climb over the 14,000-ft high (over 4,260 meters) southeastern Pico De Orizaba Mountain – the tallest in Mexico – which has the reputation of swallowing explorers in its crags; and hold your breath as the trio attempt to navigate across a host of sites where no car has ever gone before, including tackling a volcanic crater lake – rumoured to have been a site of human sacrifice climb – and fording the Rio Hardy by raft. It will take more than skills, expertise and quick-thinking to complete their quest. Can the trio do it unscathed? Who will emerge the winner – car or wild? Witness the heart-pounding action in CAR VS. WILD. Encores every Tuesday at 3:00 p.m., Saturday at 9:00 p.m. and Sunday 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Episode 1 – Not The Tourist Trail
Bill and Gary are back for another adventure! This time, the boys attempt to take Ruby from San Felipe, Mexico, to the beach: across 100 kilometres of the harshest desert in Mexico to their first checkpoint on the dunes. Here, temperatures can soar past 40 degrees Celsius – hot enough to set a 4×4 aflame. Later, the journey goes from bad to worse when the boys encounter failing brakes before a drive in the dark. Finally, their greatest challenge – descending a 70-metre deep canyon. It is going to take more than quick thinking to reach the beach.
Episode 2 – Sky Platform
Bill, Gary and Ruby now take on the Sierra Juarez mountains in southern Mexico, a staggering 1,800 metres above sea level, stretching eastward. Following a Native American foot route to a sacred rock platform, our heroes are greeted by a stony labyrinth of granite boulders that threaten to topple, wedge, or crush them at every turn. Later, lost in the dense mountain forest, Bill and Gary must use natural resources to scout a way out. Finally, the guys get to the base of the sky platform, but the 500-metre high natural rock staircase leading up to it could prove to be a challenge too far.
In Baja, Mexico, Gary and Bill trek to a valley so remote that it has no name and has never been entered by a vehicle prior to Ruby’s arrival. To get there, the trio has to cross the treacherously unpredictable Rio Hardy that runs 26 kilometres along the Mexicali Valley. With waters too deep to ford, the gang’s only hope is to partially sink Ruby and pray she can go the distance. If they are not swept away, the million-acre Laguna Salada salt plain, a scorching mud trap flanked by the Sierra de Juarez Mountains, is still blocking the way to the final obstacle of this challenge – a 35-meter rock wall.
Episode 4 – Craters
Bill, Gary and Ruby next tackle a massive crater so alien, it was used by NASA to train for the moon landings. Its central volcanic peak has never been climbed by a car before, but they’ve made it too far to turn back now. With some of the sharpest and strangest rock formations to pass, our heroes must deal with shredding tires, lava walls, cinder cones, and collapsed volcanic tunnels, all in the 50 degrees Celsius heat. Next up, an incredible volcanic peak and a massive cratered cave.
Episode 5 – Waterfalls
Bill, Gary and Ruby head towards a sacred lagoon that has never been visited by a car before. To get there, they must travel up the winding, dangerous rivers of the Los Tuxtla jungle in eastern Mexico, which is guarded by supernatural forces, according to local legend. Taking on rivers is challenging enough, but driving through and up one will need a new level of skill. Risking water in Ruby’s engine and having to face snakes, caves of bats and deep lagoons, the boys will have to come up with some extreme solutions. To get down the steep valley, Ruby will need to swing like a pendulum around boulders to make it to the remote lagoon ahead, which means the wheels – and gloves – will need to come off.
Episode 6 – Jungle
Bill, Gary and Ruby set off into the dense Mexican jungle to be the first to drive a car to a volcanic crater lake, rumoured to have been a site of human sacrifice. Gary plans to use the jungle as his supermarket to gather all their food and shelter, while Bill sees the forest as an opportunity to use the vines and trees as swings to push Ruby through the unforgiving terrain – Tarzan-style. But the combination of vicious plants, 15-foot (over 4.5 metres) long crocodiles, venomous snakes, insects and hidden rocks prove an unending tropical nightmare.
Episode 7 – Beach
Bill, Gary and Ruby follow the Pirate Coast of Mexico, heading for the historic location of a pirate beacon used for wrecking ships – previously only accessible by boat. The coast is rich in pirate history, from battles to buried gold, but the duo’s greatest foe is the terrain – fast flowing and deep river estuaries and quicksand beaches as well as impenetrable mangroves and 150-metre high jungle clad cliffs. Gary must risk everything to keep an anchor buried to pull Ruby from the ocean’s waves before reaching a headland crossing. Can they do it or will they be swept away at sea?
Episode 8 – Highest Mountain
Bill, Gary and Ruby face their next challenge – a potential record-breaking climb over the 14,000-ft high (over 4,260 metres) southeastern Pico De Orizaba Mountain, the tallest in Mexico. This is no ordinary mountain, it is also a volcano with a fearsome reputation for swallowing explorers in its crags. Landslides, 1,000-ft (over 300 metres) sheer drops, ash, and forests line the route, but the biggest danger is the extreme altitude they will face on the climb – literally sapping Bill and Gary of their strength. When Ruby gets stuck in a deep gully, the boys must use the roof rack as an anchor to pull her free but still face an agonising ascent ahead.
Episode 9 – Behind-The-Scenes
In a special episode, Bill, Gary, and Ruby give a behind-the-scenes perspective on their extreme adventure in Mexico. After leaping down a waterfall to the depths of a jungle bat cave, we follow the trio from the start of their journey in episode 1, with unprecedented access to unseen footage. As Ruby struggles to swing down a jungle slope, Bill and Gary prove that you cannot always predict what will happen. Finally, we turn the cameras on the crew as they attempt to keep up with and survive the wettest, hottest and most dangerous locations in Mexico.
Episode 10 – Behind-The-Scenes
In another behind-the-scenes special edition, Bill and Gary look back on 10 gruelling weeks in the mountains, rivers, jungles and deserts of Mexico. Relive the series’ most brutal challenges that tested Bill’s driving and Gary’s survival skills, all while pushing Ruby to near breaking points. From Gary’s close call while submerged in the fast-flowing, bone-chilling Rio Hardy, to Bill’s craziest plan to remove Ruby’s back wheels off before a seriously steep hillside, the boys provide a personal take on their heart-stopping experiences and determine who emerged the winner – car or wild.