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This Race to Survive Competitor Admits Starvation Got to Him By the End
Nik gives some insight on the final legs of the race, including their mutton dinner.
In the finale of Race to Survive: New Zealand, the last team to touch the crate was Canadian oil rig workers Nikola "Nik" Milutinovic and Kennedy Taylor. For 150 miles and 40 days, the two friends pushed themselves, their friendship, and even the boundaries of the survival competition series with their choices.
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In our USA Insider finale interview, Nik joined us (Kennedy wasn't available) to discuss making it into the top three, their bold sheep decision, and ultimately why he was a bit out of it in the final portion of the race.
What That Big Sheep Move Did for Their Final Game
While the vegetarians and animal lovers likely winced when Nik and Kennedy took down that sheep for food, Nik said they had to get food or it would have been race over for them.
"I was fully prepared to do whatever and we were within the rules," he said of their choice. "We saw the sheep and took it down. It's like 40 kilograms [of meat]. We were already dead last. We're already demoralized, and her body's hurting. We're already knew we're not catching up with [the teams]. So we'll just take it down, put it in the bag, and we'll just walk. Whatever happens happens. And then we ended up in the end [race]. I didn't see that coming."
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As an ex-Canadian Forces soldier with eight years of service and someone who participated in many training courses across vast locations, Nik said he was prepared to see other teams in the race get laid out by the terrain. But he was still surprised by the rigors of the challenges and especially the disqualification of Oliver and Corry.
"I did not expect for it to be to that level of challenge, like it actually super exceeded expectations," he said looking back at what they overcame. "But I did realize that it was going to be something ridiculous. So when things started happening that were ridiculous, it wasn't surprising."
Nik Explains His Last-Leg Euphoria & Crash In the Finale
In the finale, of all the racers, Nik definitely looked like he had lost the most weight and was suffering from it. He agreed that his whole temperament in the last race came down to lack of calories and energy.
"The race before, the time trial, we did not take the food cache," he explained. "I eat mostly paleo, so healthy fats, protein, vegetables, and fruits. There's not a whole lot of simple carbs there, whereas the ration packs are full of them. So once you get into that mode, I was basically, 'I need to eat.' The last race, we ran all the way around to get the food because I'm not doing this 40-degree hill [without it]. [Kennedy] couldn't do it either. So that's just the showcase of how [missing] even one food cache can completely destroy you."
While they completed the final leg, Nik was in a mood heading toward the final crate. "I think the first day of that race, we did 9,000 feet of elevation in one day, or something like that," he said. "So when I did get to the end, the look on my face is, 'I have no food and I have had no food for a day.' I'm already tapped after 40 days."
RELATED: The Exes Find Their Peace in the Race to Survive: New Zealand Finale: Interview
Ultimately coming in third behind Ethan Greenberg & Tyrie Mann Merrill and Creighton Baird & Paulina Peña, Nik said once they had a bit to mark the moment on camera, then it was all about getting food back at base camp.
"We got to the box — boom, boom, boom — and then it was like lights out," he said of the end of production. "I basically found the nearest food. I didn't care what it was. Then I just hammered that. I got a little sick because I had some milk. I passed a three-to-five-hour bloating phase. And then I was just like healthy foods: feta, meat, cheese, and yogurt. It was all that intestinal good stuff. And I felt great. I had this Zen that lasted for two to three months afterward. Still today, it lasts. It was pretty good."
Asked if he would do anything like Race to Survive again, Nik didn't even pause with his answer: "Right now, I'm prepping with a guy from Serbia, and I plan on telling the producers I'm on standby. So if there's another season, I'm 100 percent, 'Just call me.' It doesn't even matter. I'm there. I'd do it again in a heartbeat."
As for Kennedy, Nik said the race made them much closer friends. "Obviously, you suffer for 40 days, you're gonna bond," he said, chuckling. "What we've learned about each other is we can work together well. What I learned about myself is that I'm 38 years old, but [age] doesn't mean anything."
Watch all of Race to Survive: New Zealand on USA Network.
