This being the last episode before the climax, a lot of expectations rode on this show as the final four would go on to the last challenge. However, this episode was more like a lull (hopefully one before a storm). The episodes have been slowing down each week. More and more comments about how beautiful Norway is and how the contestants want to win and see their family is starting to act like a filler more than meaningful story. It seems that the contestants are having to be more creative with their compliments for the camera – ‘[Å] is so beautiful it is painful to look at’, said the opera singer. After a bunch of other compliments from the troupe the show got started – kinda. Å being a fishing area there were many stockfish drying on racks. Again another string of comments by each contestant about their thoughts on stock fish had to be montaged – the gay games medalist said he was surpised the fish weren’t ‘ravaged’ by birds, the opera singer said she was ‘confused’ about the fish and the hunting videographer said the ‘hanging fish disgust’ him.

The contestants were made to take a spoonful of Tran – codliver oil. It is a daily routine for Norwegians to swig a table spoon of Tran. Apparently in makes the mind sharper and body happier especially throught the long cold winters. The host spooned some into her mouth first then spooned it into the mouth of each contestant. In true Norwegian-style the Wrestler swigged from the bottle. (A wise move as being second to last the spoon was looking rather over used.) The anti-fish videographer, the last to be oiled, said after a reluctant taste, ‘Oh, I feel so healthy and Norwegian now’.

The group was divided in their teams for the challenge. The surfer and videographer made up team A. It suddenly struck me that I had never seen the teams be picked from drawing straws. The teams have seemed to always been pre-picked by the producers of the show. (Is this fair?) The gay games medalist, wrestler and opera singer were on team B. The challenge was to go out on a local fishing boat for deep sea fishing. The team with the heaviest catch wins. I was expecting the team with the three people to win. The teams went on their boats and caught fish. Team A had their ‘I’m the King of the World’ moment, the opera singer obviously got tangled and they were all amazed at how much fish they could catch – two or three at once with a four-hook line – all to the spoof song Torsken kommer. On the way back to shore team B got to see killer whales swimming by. On land the teams had to de-head and gut their fish. This sequence was a little vague and I wondered if it go re-edited since the chicken killing issue. Though, the videographer and surfer with fish blood all over their hands clenched each others fists and declared ‘blood brothers’! The contestants commented how this challenge wasn’t about skill but luck (- ‘just like drawing straws’). Team A, with two people, won and were rewarded with calling home. (I didn’t know they weren’t allowed to call home. I thought this very odd especially since they had been in Norway for over a month and when some of them had partners an children back home – this show isn’t like Survivor.) The surfer and videographer also won a place in the final four.

For lunch the troupe had to make shrimp sandwiches. They found it weird to eat shrimp on bread and there were complaints again by the videographer and gay games medalist. The talk about the ‘icky strange’ Norwegian food had started to become a bore now (being the seventh episode. Once, shame on you. Twice, shame on me but seven times shame on the producers.) It was certainly nice to hear the wrestler and opera singer say the food was really no big deal and thought it was nice.

The losers challange was to ‘experience the life of a fisherman’s wife ‘ by making fishcakes from scratch. Eyvind Hellstrøm, a famous Norwegian TV-chef, with three other fisherman’s wives were the judges. The wrestler, opera singer and gay games medalist were told to add their own flavour to the recipe. The conestants had to follow a recipe with grinding their own fish by hand. The opera singer decided to put nutmeg into her cakes, lots of nutmeg, but Hellstrøm quickly stepped in and gave her a tip – too much nutmeg is poisonous. The contestants had no idea about fishcakes – what they were supposed to look like or taste like. It was also very nerveracking for them with the fisherman’s wives watching on, chatting in Norwegian and laughing. At the taste testing it was declared that none of the contestants had made good fishcakes. Unfortunately it was the wrestlers fishcakes that erked the judges the most. It was very sad. He had been a real trooper on the show. He had been confronted with many challenges because of his sheer size and strength and seemed to always find himself in the elimination challenges. I was very sad to see him go – he was certainly a true BFG.

The final four – the opera singer, the gay games medalist, the hunting videographer and the surfer – celebrated on the rocks with a bonfire and a can of beer.

Episode eight is the final and it looks to be a group of mini challenges of what the contestants have learnt over their Norwegian journey. The series has been short and sweet (and luckily won’t get to the point of outstaying its welcome), but enjoyable. It will be interesting to see if there will be another season – if so, then the producers will have to think up alternative challenges and experiences otheriwse the show could become boring very quickly.)