The surfer, the hunting videographer, the gay games medalist and the opera singer were the last four standing to compete in the final to win $50,000 (something that hadn’t really been revealed until this episode) and meet their Norwegian family.

There were three challenges and each loser was knocked out of the competition and sent home.  The first challenge was about remembering their Norwegian experience of food, people, places and language.  At the first station everyone had to taste test food samples and match them to their correct name.  Fish oil, brown cheese and lutefisk were just some of the food on the table.  There was much ‘erking’ and spitting out of food (as the contestants still weren’t used to the exotic flavours of Norway yet).  At the next station the contestants had to match words to the right places and people.   On the last station they had to record all the Norwegian words they have learnt.  This was most difficult for the boys.  The surfer declared ‘my head hurts’ and only managed a few words including how to say he had a ‘boner’.  The gay games medalist was hoping that Mary Poppins would help him with ‘ingaling tingaling’ and the videographer just managed ‘sex’.  The opera singer was very smart with counting and reciting the food from the previous station.  The run to the end was dubbed with a First Blood track.  The opera singer was the best and fastest but it was the hunting videographer who was sent home.  His disappointment was great ‘[to see my family] would have been the most exciting thing I would have done in my life’.

The surfer, the opera singer and gay games medalist moved onto the second challenge – milking cows.  The quickest two to milk one litre from a cow would move onto the next challenge.  The opera singer was first and got right to it, however, she had to milk a second time to fill her litre.  The medalist’s cow kept on kicking him but he was quick to always grab the bucket before it got knocked over.  The surfer was slow which cost him the spot in the last challenge.  It was a moment of not quite knowing what to do – things seemed to be happening so quick for the contestants that they were in shock for winning the challenge or losing.  The last we saw of the surfer was him running off into the green pastures yelling his head off – he seemed ok about losing.

The medallist and the opera singer had to wait til the next day for the last challenge.  In the morning they had their last Norwegian breakfast together.  They were getting quite accustomed to the Norwegian breakfast (or so hey thought) even to the point that they might miss it – all this as the opera singer was making a half sandwich with shrimp and brown cheese.  The last two contestants met the host at the water.  Their challenge was to race in a sail boat to Syden, got to the bar and have Grandiosa to get a key and row back to shore.  The first one across the finish line would be the winner of Alt for Norge.  Any questions? Yes – What’s a Syden? What’s a Grandiosa?  All the host said was ‘If you have never been to Syden you cannot call yourself Norwegian’ and ‘Grandiosa is the most common thing Norwegians eat’.  The race was on and the contestants were egging each other on in their sailing boats.  They reached the rocks of Syden and met Svein Østby, a reality celebrity known for his trailer and trash.  The pair had to down a glass of Aquavit (Norwegian potato alcohol) before eating a whole uncut Grandiosa – a frozen pizza.  The opera singer rolled up her pizza to scoff it as quick as possible while Svein was singing to her.  (She knew that he was trying to help but she just wanted him to shut up.)  Meanwhile, the medalist had finished and recieved his oars for the row boat.  However, before he could row he had to pump… up the boat first.  In the water he kept rowing in circles and screwed off his plastic ores.  Rowing backwards just wasn’t cutting it so he rowed forwards.  Even with all this time lost, the medalist made it to the shore, up the bank to the ribbon held by two bunad dressed children and across the finish line.  He was stunned and there was nothing to say but to rest on the ground and take in what had just happened.  The Alt for Norge 2010 Winner is… Doug Miner (aka the Gay Games Medalist).

A white helicopter circled a field with a group of people standing waving Norwegian flags.  Doug jumped out of the helicopter and was greeted by his Norwegian family – ‘Velcome to Lomeland and familie!’  In a private moment to the camera Doug revealed that he always had a ‘fear of rejection especially because [he is] gay’.  He was humbled by how unconditionally welcoming his Norwegian family was.  He didn’t need to fear.

His family took him to the place where his great grandmother was born.  As he stood amongst the ruins he said he had finally found the thing he didn’t know he was looking for.  For the first time he couldn’t speak but his face and eyes revealed a soul-touching moment.  At a family dinner, Doug was presented with a stone from his Great Grandmother’s house as a memento of his roots.

This first season of Alt for Norge was a great ride and I’m sure a lot of people are looking forward to another wacky American-Norwegian adventure.  Thank you to all the contestants for giving us a fun and entertaining show.  And ‘gratulerer’ to Doug for being the first winner of Alt for Norge!