Season 3 Episodes
313: Tomatoes on the Mind
Missions:
12: Tomatino
My comments:
I would have to agree with Michelle that this was an awful mission
How knew that you could be tortured with food.
It was awesome to see the group finally spending a night together with out fighting.
What Bonnie had to say about the episode:
Original Air Date: March 31, 1997
Segment #1
Final mission (Part 1): Tomatina
As the gang drives into Bunol, Spain, they notice all the crowds in the streets. Soon they figure out the mission is not paintball like they previously suspected. They ask a stranger what everyone is there for and he says they will all be throwing tomatoes. He also warns them that is a tradition for all the boys in the crowds to rip off the girls shirts who will be there.
Since 1944, each year on the last Wednesday of August in the little town of Bu–ol between 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 pm, in eastern Spain, people flock for the tomato war called the Tomatina. During the event, it is forbidden to throw tomatoes without squishing them first, but people still throw whole, ripe tomatoes and end up bruising quite a few participants.
The war begins when someone climbs a pole in the middle of the town square and grabs the ham off the top. The hard part is that the pole is thoroughly greased so climbing it is incredibly difficult.
Everyone in the group tries to climb the pole and fails. Finally, a group of boys pile on each other and grab the ham. The war can begin.
Michelle says she's wearing 3 t-shirts and a bra, so she won't have her clothes be ripped off to easily. Or so she thinks.
A big truck loaded with tomatoes pulls into the square.
Segment #2
Plenty of tomato-throwing scenes. Antoine describes it as total mayhem. Michelle says you never know whether to laugh or cry. Chris said he got his tomatoes pegged by tomatoes.
Michelle says it's fun for the first 15 minutes and then it gets painful. Patrice tries to escape the crowds because the acid from the tomatoes is burning his eyes.
At the end, everyone gets hosed down. There are pools of tomato juice everywhere. Michelle never imagined that she could be tortured with food like this. She says she never wants to see another tomato for a long time.
Part one of mission 12 completed!
The all hop back into Pepe (the Winnie) and go back to the hotel. They all get t-shirts and a clue that says they should go to the bullring in Barcelona to receive their final reward. 5062 miles travelled.
It's the last day and they all head to the ring. Chris says his next goal is to finish school. Michelle says she has no real plans for the future.
They go into the ring and they each get an envelope FULL of money and a huge entertainment system complete with a stereo, TV, VCR and huge speakers. With their envelopes, they also get plane tickets to their next destination: Michelle will be going back to Dallas, Patrice to Berlin, Antoine to Brussles, Belou to Amsterdam and Chris to Rome (so he can continue to travel). They are also invited to have dinner in Suite 442. They all hug and do a group cheer.
Segment #3
THey all gather for the final dinner. It's in a beautiful suite with an amzing view from behind the huge clock and they sit down to a gourmet dinner.
Chris toasts at dinner, "Without the bad, you can't appreciate the good. He wouldn't travel with four other people."
Michelle says she's learned patience is important. Antoine says they can see where they first met from the suite. They've come full circle.
They all talk about the best parts of their travels they've had. Michelle says for her it was running with the bulls. Chris says he loved bungee jumping the most. Repelling was Patrice's favorite. Belou says her favorite moment was her fight at the breakfast table with Antoine. Antoine says his favorite part of it all was the first night when they did tequilla shots off of each others' necks.
Now the group must complete the second half of the final mission....which is And Then There Were None.
It's the next morning when they all plan to leave each other. Michelle leaves first. They all do one of many group hugs and cry. She gives them each a note to read later after she's gone. And then there were four. The rest of them go to eat breakfast. Chris read his letter aloud. Michelle had written that she loves them all in different ways.
Patrice is second to go. So they drive him to the train station. Patrice says the biggest mission were the people not the events. Antoine says Patrice is the one who changed the most and for the better. They call him by a nickname now, "Bushki." They say goodbye...again.
And then there were three.
Antoine, Chris and Belou leave Pepe at the airport parking lot.
Belou says she thinks Antoine believes emotions are wrong to have. She says she hopes someday he will be in love with someone fully that he can cry about it. But she doubt he ever will. Antoine says goodbye.
Chris says he's learned the most from Belou. It's not that opposites attract, but that they learn from each other. Belou thinks Chris will find the love of his life in Rome. Belou also says she feels like she doesn't have to yell anymore and she's happy with herself.
They both say goodbye. She gets on the plane and Chris goes to pick up his rental car. He says his mind is ready and his heart isn't.
Mission 13 completed.
What MTV had to say about the episode:
Tomatoes on the Mind
Expecting paintball the crew is suprised to find themselves in the middle of an all-out tomato war. After saucing it up for some time, the gang receive their last clue: "head to the bullring in Barcelona to receive your just reward." When the prize turns out to be a full home audio/video system and $1000 in cash each, everyone is majorly psyched. The gang spends their last night together in the Barcelona Hilton (posh digs) reminiscing about all their crazy adventures. The following morning, Michelle, Patrice, Antoine, Belou, can Chris part. The past weeks have left them a little wiser, a little richer, and just a little sad to see the journey end.
All text and pictures are copyrighted by MTV and Bunim/Murray.
Back to the Season 3 page