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After seven days crossing Europe using only Red Bull as currency, nearly 300 teams from 60 countries have completed the adventure of a lifetime. This is the place to catch up with what happened.
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Upon relinquishing their cash, credit cards and personal phones, the intrepid and audacious three-person teams of Red Bull Can You Make It? 2024 set out from the five starting cities of Amsterdam, Barcelona, Budapest, Copenhagen and Milan. Making their way to the finish in Berlin, Germany however they could, they took on once-in-a-lifetime challenges and used their wit and charm to barter Red Bull for food, transportation and a place to rest their weary heads.
In this event, it’s not about the first team to the destination – it's the adventures along the way that matter most. Check out our rolling coverage below, and explore the teams' own vlog posts at www.redbullcanyoumakeit.com.
Spirits were high at the checkpoint in Bratislava.
© Filip Nagy / Red Bull Content Pool
LATEST UPDATE
The Finish – Tuesday, May 28
They made it! After seven long, exciting, challenging, incredible days, the Red Bull Can You Make It? teams have crossed the finish line in Berlin. Kudos to all of them.
And check out these numbers: Across the entire week, the teams collectively covered a phenomenal 597,000km – that’s over one and a half times the distance to the moon – and completed nearly 8,000 Adventure Challenges all along the way.
A mad dash to the finish line
© Marc Conzelmann/Red Bull Content Pool
Of course there could be only one winning team, and they are… the Gladiators from the USA. These three resourceful friends originally met at Texas A&M University, and they went as big as Texas itself, accumulating a huge 18,784 points as they visited eight countries across the seven days.
Gladiator team members Weston Cadena, Jacob Mathiasmeier and David Greek said, “We’re exhausted, inspired, filled with joy, filled with happiness – so many emotions. When you’re travelling, you’re exposed to a whole new group of people who have world views that are so extraordinary. We interacted with people who spoke many different languages. But simply smiling, and our body language, allowed us to communicate and make strong relationships. It feels amazing.”
From the look on all the happy faces at the finish line – and the fantastic adventures that they shared on their vlogs – the rest of the teams felt that way, too.
A week on the road can change your life, not to mention your look
© Marc Conzelmann/Red Bull Content Pool
As one beaming member of team Pua Patrol said after crossing the finish line, “This is like the top moment in my life – this is something I’m never going to forget.”
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Day 7 – Monday, May 27
Wow.
Just wow.
It was crunch time for the Red Bull Can You Make It? teams today, because tomorrow at 4:00pm Berlin time their window to cross the finish line closes forever. And whether they’re right up there in contention for victory or simply content with the amazing experiences they’ve created, every single team wants to prove to their followers and themselves that they really can make it to the finish.
They showed their determination big-time with their most impressive 24-hour distance total yet: a massive 80,105km covered, thanks in part to a new high in can trades – 2,998. They also reached nine countries and pumped up their point scores by completing 276 Checkpoint Challenges and 584 Adventure Challenges.
This is what it's all about
© Filip Nagy / Red Bull Content Pool
Somehow, when it mattered most, the teams managed to meet strangers who astonished them with their generosity.
Team Buckaroo from the USA, who had come to Europe with absolutely no knowledge of any language except English, weren't sure how they were going to get from Nürnberg to Berlin – a journey of around five hours by car. Then, they happened to meet an ice hockey athlete who was sympathetic to their predicament and bought them the tickets they needed. Problem solved!
The UK's Team Raz absolutely couldn't believe their good fortune when a man they met in the Netherlands spent over 150 Euros to purchase tickets that will get them to Berlin by the deadline. Jumping up and down, shouting "No way!" and "We’re gonna make it!", they were so excited that they even gave shout-outs to their mums back home.
There's only hours to go and there are nearly 300 teams who will find it hard to sleep tonight. But to all their devoted followers: rest up and tune in tomorrow for the news from the finish in Berlin!
Day 6 – Sunday, May 26
Tonight, the teams are strategising: they have less than 48 hours to reach the finish and not only do they need to arrive in Berlin by Tuesday, but they want to seize more opportunities for unforgettable adventures – and boost their point totals – by fitting in as many Checkpoint Challenges and Adventure Challenges as possible. Their efforts since yesterday have done them proud in that regard, seeing them cover 67,012km, trading 2,232 cans, reaching 12 countries and completing 259 Checkpoint Challenges and 661 Adventure Challenges.
Teams made the most of local transportation at a checkpoint in Belgium
© Jelle Lapere / Red Bull Content Pool
All those experiences made Sunday a fun day for teams like The Travelling Pharaohs, who traded cans for tickets to a football match in a stadium packed with chanting fans, as well as for the Red Toros, who bartered for a flight in a private plane. The Three Amigos ate fresh-caught fish at a three-star Michelin restaurant and their renowned chef seemed to appreciate the skateboarding tips that they gave him right there in the kitchen!
Wakeboarding was the challenge at the checkpoint in Hanover, Germany
© Pascal Lieleg / Red Bull Content Pool
Meanwhile, the Voyagers slept on board a fantastic old ship that’s been converted into a hotel and team Tazmania showed that this journey is about much more than winning as they traded cans for food that they gave to a man who was homeless.
Day 5 – Saturday, May 25
The teams have a lot to celebrate as they look for a place to sleep tonight: In the last 24 hours of their Red Bull Can You Make It? journey, they collectively travelled a distance of 66,070km, which means that they have now traversed more than 300,000km since starting their adventure on Tuesday. That’s equivalent to over seven times around the Earth!
Tuesday’s first steps have snowballed into a 300,000km milestone
© Balazs Palfi / Red Bull Content Pool
Just since yesterday the teams have also reached 12 countries, signed in at 37 checkpoints, racked up 254 Checkpoint Challenges and completed 816 Adventure Challenges. As always, they’ve kept the cameras rolling, documenting the highs and lows for their followers.
This challenge in Bratislava was definitely a high for The Matadors
© Filip Nagy / Red Bull Content Pool
And of course, in the last 24 hours the teams traded cans (2,656 of them) with generous strangers for meals, travel tickets and more – much more! Some of the best exchanges included bartering cans for festival tickets, professional hairstyling and face mask treatments, and even skydiving. Now that’s the way to spend a Saturday!
Day 4 – Friday, May 24
And onward they go. For most of the world, it’s the weekend, but for the Red Bull Can You Make It? teams, there’s no time to kick back. At the halfway point of their adventure, they’re more motivated than ever to make progress toward their goal.
A “coffee boy” race in Bordeaux demanded concentration and a steady hand
© Cameron Joslin/Red Bull Content Pool
Since we last reported yesterday, the teams have logged 71,247 more kilometres, visiting a new high of 44 checkpoints in 13 countries. They’re ticking off the challenges, too, completing 274 Checkpoint Challenges and 875 Adventure Challenges. And the bartering has been as impressive as ever, with 2,735 cans traded.
Climbing toward the points in a challenge at Vrbnje, Slovenia
© Nejc Ferjan/Red Bull Content Pool
As for telling their stories, just a few of the moments shared by the teams in their vlogs included:
- Team Korea snuggled into their sleeping bags to catch some sleep on a bus station bench, which they not-at-all-seriously called the “best home ever.”
- Portugal’s Ganda Lata team captured the vibe of sharing a warm meal with a kind family who invited them into their home.
- The Softies from Switzerland traded Red Bull for three tickets to Munich, which were bought for them by three different people.
- Those Wacky Dudes from the USA not only lived up to their name by taking a polar plunge in Geneva; they did it with style – including a flip!
- Germany’s Ingame carried off a wakeboarding challenge like they’d been doing it all their lives.
- And finally, another US team, Directionally Challenged, vlogged about a challenge that was sparked by A1, the communications provider that is an official partner of Red Bull Can You Make It? this year. Inspired by the concept of connecting people, Directionally Challenged captured a video of seven teams – 21 people in all – lined up side-by-side and doing the wave (some from inside their sleeping bags!) at 4 o’clock in the morning.
You can watch all the vlogs, searchable by team, at www.redbullcanyoumakeit.com.
Day 3 – Thursday, May 23
The teams continue to fire on all burners, and here’s the proof: In the last 24 hours, they’ve achieved their biggest collective distance yet – 64,789 kilometres - and in the process, stopped by 39 checkpoints in 14 countries. A hefty tally of 293 Checkpoint Challenges and 755 Adventure Challenges were completed, while 2,111 cans were traded for necessities as well as several bucket-list experiences.
Teams flipped when they were treated to a BMX freestyle demo in Zagreb
© Tina Kadoic/Red Bull Content Pool
Some of those trades have been truly next-level. For example, teams negotiating to exchange just a single can of Red Bull for an experience like indoor skydiving or actually flying a plane.
These audacious adventurers have been stepping up to their Checkpoint Challenges, too, from a team recording an unbelievable original track at Red Bull Studios in Paris to quite a few arriving in Salzburg bright and early for a chance to fly in a pontoon plane with a pilot from the Flying Bulls before completing a challenge at an Alpine lake.
Capturing the moment in Salzburg
© Lukas Pilz/Red Bull Content Pool
And speaking of bodies of water, wetsuits were required in Constance (Konstanz), Germany, as team members immersed themselves in a challenge at one of Europe’s largest lakes. Yes, more teams achieved the milestone of crossing the German border today, but the Finish Line in Berlin isn’t in sight yet, and with numerous Checkpoint and Adventure Challenges still to complete, no team can rest easy…even if they're lucky enough to find a place to rest!
Brimming with joy upon completing the challenge at Lake Constance
© Philipp Uricher / Red Bull Content Pool
Day 2 – Wednesday, May 22
Teams are going strong! Shortly before 6:30pm CEST, the latest tallies show exponential progress. Today the unstoppable adventurers covered 53,349km, reaching 40 checkpoints in 16 countries. Along the way, they tackled 324 Checkpoint Challenges and 872 Adventure Challenges.
They also traded 2,281 cans. The Gladiator team scored a major coup by trading cans for a plane flight all the way from Barcelona to Hanover. That’s over 1,500km. And, yes, they're in Germany already, but they’re not the only ones – and remember, getting to Berlin isn’t the only criterion for winning. The points earned from challenges and vlogging are also key to success in the event.
Rowing a gondola was the challenge served up in Venice, Italy
© Rontej Hoxha / Red Bull Content Pool
Other forms of transport used in the past 24 hours included the Hong Kong team charming a conductor into a train trip, the Czech Chicas convincing a driver to give them a ride in a sports car, as well as something they were just as grateful for: their first warm meal since the start. Meanwhile the Potato Explorers traded cans for a comfy bus ride from Perpignan to Lyon, bringing them about 450km closer to Berlin. No doubt they'll want to visit a checkpoint soon to boost their can 'currency'.
The Checkpoint and Adventure Challenges have provided laughs along with tough tasks. For some, heights were the name of the game, with teams like Pretty Committee taking on an abseiling challenge, while in Hamburg team Pro Photographers faced down a Checkpoint Challenge that required scaling the rigging of a boat like an old-time sailor.
Teams got to know the ropes in abseiling at the challenge in Rotterdam
© Tom Doms / Red Bull Content Pool
A Checkpoint Challenge in Sweden resulted in hilarity thanks to some uninhibited singing and at another Checkpoint Challenge, the wakeboarding fails were epic. That’s all part of building experiences that these teams will tell their grandchildren about.
And finally, if there were a category for Most Heartwarming, Team Rizz(k) would certainly be contenders: they spent the night in the outbuilding of a friendly farmer, bunking right next to fuzzy, peeping baby geese!
Day 1 – Tuesday, May 21
And they’re off! The teams set out at 2:00pm Central European Summer Time today and less than 5.5 hours later the early tallies showed that collectively they'd already covered a whopping 5,829km. They earned a lot of points as well, reaching nine checkpoints in seven countries and completing 58 Checkpoint Challenges as well as 305 Adventure Challenges. They also traded 843 cans for everything from food to transportation.
What did they trade those cans for? While one team eased into the week by trading Red Bull for a single banana, most of the big trades involved transportation.
One team managed to secure a ride on a fire engine, while another got 90 minutes closer to Berlin with a lift from a box (delivery) truck. And kudos to the team whose ingenuity and charm saw them make a trade for plane tickets from Budapest to Nice!
Also strategically impressive was the team who bartered for a place to sleep on a cruise ship, where they were invited to dinner with the crew.
And then there was the team who traded cans for a ride on a rollercoaster. It didn’t get them any closer to the finish, they definitely had a blast – and that’s what it’s all about!
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