SMOKEJUMPING FOR JOY
‘Race To Survive: New Zealand’ winner Tyrie Mann Merrill talks about his team’s big victory
After a jaw-dropping 40 days spent traveling across New Zealand’s most varied and perilous terrain, “Race to Survive: New Zealand” finally has its winners: Ethan Greenberg and Tyrie Mann Merrill. The smokejumpers bested two fierce teams—exes Creighton Baird and Paulina Peña, and Canadian roughnecks Nik Milutinovic and Kennedy Taylor—to take home the grand prize of $500,000 dollars. Throughout the race—while other teams were spiraling—Greenberg and Mann were able to keep their wits about them and their bodies strong as they faced harsh conditions and rough terrain.
“While our job experience and survival training helped get us to the finish crate, I really had been preparing for this my whole life,” explained Merrill. Growing up on an Indian reservation, Merrill was no stranger to hunting, fishing and being out in the mountains. His military and survival training also gave him and Greenberg a bit of an edge. “It wasn’t that these people weren’t prepared to race on the course; it was the fact that they’ve never starved,” said Merrill. “For the other teams, lacking food while burning calories was tough. What they didn’t know about Ethan and me is that we like that feeling.”
Their win also puts a spotlight on the wild firefighting community. Merrill and Greenberg could not have been better representatives of the men and women firefighters who put their lives on the line every day. “A lot of people don’t know about smoke jumpers. There are only 350 of us,” said Merrill. “It’s cool to get the word out and represent the community.”
The show also gave Merrill the opportunity to explore New Zealand. While he had been planning a dream heliskiing vacation, he preferred getting to know the land up close. “I never had to land navigate in a jungle before,” said Merrill. Perhaps the highlight for Merrill was getting to meet with M ori people over the course of the race. “I was raised very similarly to the M ori growing up on the reservation,” said Merrill. “It was natural to embrace their traditions and show thanks to Mother Earth.”
DECIDER got the chance to speak with Merrill over Zoom (Greenberg was called away to a job) to talk about the show, his survival experience, and which of his competitors he and Greenberg bonded with the most.
DECIDER: Congratulations! How does it feel to have won “Race To Survive: New Zealand”?
TYRIE MANN MERRILL: Thank you very much. I’m feeling good. I’m feeling great. My family’s proud, and everyone’s happy. Everybody’s eating good; so it’s awesome.
What does it mean to represent the wild land firefighter community on the show?
It meant everything to be a living example of how hard those men and women work, whether they’re part of helitack engines, hot shot crews, smoke jumpers…it does not matter. We all have seen the same difficulties. To have everyone I worked with—who know me—see me be my best is huge. It is big for the community because we finally have the spotlight. A lot of people don’t know about smoke jumpers. There are only 350 of us. It’s cool to get the word out and represent the community.
What was your secret to staying healthy, both mentally and physically, when the teams around you were crumbling?
Experience? Through military training and survival schools I’ve attended, I’ve actually had to starve and take on other things. Ethan has similar experiences. Around the second survival camp, the other racers started to complain about hunger. When you’re out in the wilderness in a survival situation, complaining just rots your head. It just gets bigger and bigger. That did happen to all those folks. I saw a lot of them act in ways I hadn’t seen since my early military days. It wasn’t that these people weren’t prepared to race on the course; it was the fact that they’ve never starved before.
While our job experience and survival training helped get us to the finish crate, I really had been preparing for this my whole life. Growing up on a reservation and in the mountains, hunting, fishing… the fact that the river guides didn’t know how to fish [laughs]. If I had that fishing rod, I would have been doing some damage. Even without that tool, Ethan and I were still catching tons of fish. For the other teams, lacking food while burning calories was tough. What they didn’t know about Ethan and me is that we like that feeling.
I imagine survival camp had to be a bonding experience. Which team did you each connect with the most and why?
When some of the other teams’ complaining got to be too much [laughs], I would just go hang out with Jeff and Coree. We connected very well. When Ethan or I felt like talking, we’d go to their camp, maybe share an almond or two, pull up by the fire and crack jokes. We learned a lot about them. I thought they were very impressive. I view them as mentors now. I asked Coree for help in sharing my own story.
I know you’re not a frivolous guy, but what’s the first big purchase you’re thinking of making with the prize money?
Maybe a stump grinder or a dump truck. Maybe a car for my mom [laughs]. I honestly don’t need much.
This interview has been edited for space. To read the complete interview, please visit decider.com/rtsnz