As the new season of Home and Away premieres in Australia next week, harrowing scenes for Ryder Jackson will appear, as his loved ones scramble to save him from a botched burial prank.
Ryder (Lukas Radovich) and Theo Poulos (Matt Evans) embarked on another video challenge in the soap’s season finale, which featured Ryder being buried alive in a coffin in a bushland and livestreaming the task online in order to earn some money.
As Ryder prepared to spend five hours in the buried coffin, Theo left his post guarding Ryder’s grave to go buy some lunch – but on his way back, he slipped, fell into a ravine, and was struck unconscious.
Ryder will be stuck below when the serial returns to Australian screens, according to TV Week, with his breath becoming ragged as the hours pass and his oxygen runs out.
Ryder calls Theo again but gets no response since Theo is out cold in the ravine. Ryder checks the live feed where their prank is streaming as his phone battery begins to drain, and a viewer predicts that he only has 19 minutes until he runs out of oxygen.
While Ryder laughs at the remark because he doesn’t want to show how terrified he is, he begins to worry about how he will get out of the situation, knowing he could be in serious trouble.
When Theo finally wakes up, he learns that his leg has become entangled in some barbed wire, and that his phone has vanished. Theo realises that he has no way of getting aid for himself or Ryder because he can’t contact Ryder and his leg is in excruciating pain.
Alf Stewart (Ray Meagher) and Justin Morgan (James Stewart) run into one other at Summer Bay and inquire if the other has seen Ryder and Theo. Alf and Justin become concerned when they discover that neither of them has returned home.
Justin approaches Roo Stewart (Georgie Parker) to see if she knows anything, but she affirms that she hasn’t seen any of them.
Roo recognises the place where the coffin has been buried after Justin discovers Ryder and Theo’s web channel where they are streaming the burying challenge, and she and Justin speed off to find them.
Ryder’s phone falls out of his hand in the coffin, and he loses consciousness as his oxygen supply depletes. Will Roo and Justin be able to locate him in time?
Lukas, who plays Ryder, revealed why he has been so eager to attempt these risky acts, explaining that he is desperate to repay Roo and Alf for the money they loaned him to start his catering business.
“After losing the food truck without insurance, he feels a deep sense of duty and obligation and believes this is the only way to pay everyone back,” he explained.
Could Ryder, on the other hand, pay the ultimate price for his efforts?
