With only four contestants left, Oprah’s Big Give is heading to New York City. Nate meets the givers in Central Park, where he fills them in on their next mission: Operation Big Dreams.
Cameron, Brandi, Rachael and Stephen are charged with granting two dramatic dying wishes in only five days. Plus, for the first time, the contestants must work together on the challenge—and while they will be evaluated individually, the judges will be paying close attention to teamwork.
Rachael and Stephen head to New Jersey to meet Emily, who is losing her battle with cancer and has been given only six months to live. Emily has been playing the piano since she was three and has always dreamed of playing at Carnegie Hall.
"My mother was the church pianist for over 30 years. She chose the real world over her dreams," Emily's daughter says. "If her dream comes alive, I believe in my heart that when my mother lays down, she’s going to truly rest in peace."
"Carnegie Hall is the world’s most famous stage," Rachael says. "I pray we make this happen."
Rachael asks Emily's daughter Toni if Emily's dream is to be on stage by herself or if she wants anyone to sing along with her. Tony says that in the dream it is only Emily and God, but in reality, Emily played gospel her entire life, and her whole family was a part of it. Rachael suggests that maybe Emily should be accompanied by vocal performances, and offers to sing a solo.
"When I heard Rachael tell Toni that she could sing a solo during Emily's dream, I was so taken aback and offended," Stephen says. "This woman would actually try to place herself in the middle of someone else’s dream? I thought, 'This can't be true.'"
Meanwhile, Cameron and Brandi head to Pennsylvania to learn more about the second wish. Mike is a 33-year-old father who has advanced Hodgkin's lymphoma. His mortgage payments and medical bills are piling up, and he says his biggest fear, other than dying, is losing the house and leaving his family with nothing.
The mortgage is $208,000, and the team knows it's going to be a huge challenge. "We don't just want to pay off the mortgage," Brandi says. "We want to set up a scholarship fund for Mike's daughters and give the entire family a special day in New York City that they'll always remember."
The contestants get a text message from Oprah saying that Gayle King, the editor at large of O, The Oprah Magazine, is going to meet with them to see how she can help.
The big ideas come quickly in Gayle's office. She suggests calling Natalie Cole, daughter of Emily's favorite singer Nat King Cole, to surprise Emily with a song at Carnegie Hall. When she hears that the group wants to give Mike and his family a helicopter ride around Manhattan, Gayle calls Donald Trump directly to see if they can use his. After hearing Mike's story, Donald agrees.
After the meeting with Gayle, Nate tells the contestants that even more star power is on the way. Actress Jada Pinkett Smith—a generous giver and the wife of actor Will Smith— wants to help.
The contestants meet Jada and fill her in on their mission. Immediately, she promises that the Smith Family Foundation will make a generous donation. Then she begins working the phones.
"We got $100,000 in 10 minutes," Cameron says. "Now that's star power."
The team is working around the clock to make sure every detail is in place. As the big reveals draw nearer, Rachael still hasn't arranged transportation to get Emily and her family into the city for the performance. Stephen and Brandi decide to call a limo company, and when Brandi passes the phone to Rachael to hammer out the details, Rachael questions why she's on the call. Tension is high in the room as Brandi takes over the phone call.
When Brandi accuses Rachael of not being a team player, the group erupts in an argument. It's three against one, with Rachael standing alone. "I would love to know how you feel I'm not being a team player," Rachael says. "I'm really trying to make sure that I hold up my end of the deal."
After the fight, Rachael and Stephen are barely on speaking terms, but they still need to make Emily's dream come true. Unfortunately, Rachael has sent the caterer for Emily's dinner to the wrong hotel, and he's been waiting at that location for 45 minutes. When the food makes it to the right hotel, it's in Styrofoam containers and doesn't come with any drinks.
"I've never been so embarrassed in my life. This is Rachael's fault, 100 percent," Stephen says. "Once again with Rachael, someone else has to do all the dirty work, and she wants to take all the glory."
Stephen is also concerned that Rachael is trying to steal the show by singing at the performance. But Rachael says it is what the family wants. "I sat at the feet of Emily, her daughter and the rest of the family, and they said to me, 'You are singing.'"
As Rachael sings in the hotel room, Stephen says, "She's singing while I'm cleaning up, and now she wants to sing tomorrow at Carnegie Hall. If that happens, I'm done. I'm out of here."
The first day of Operation Big Dreams for Mike's family has arrived. "We are going to surprise Mike and his family with a full day of fun in New York City," Brandi says. "I can't wait to see the looks on their faces!"
The day kicks off with a shopping spree at the American Girl Store for Mike's three daughters. Then the family heads to Saks Fifth Avenue. "The girls got to have their fun," Brandi says. "Now it's time for the parents to enjoy themselves." At Saks, Becky and Mike each a have personal shopper and are treated to a makeover.
Finally, the family is taken to a heliport where to Donald Trump's pilot informs them that they are getting a ride around the city in the Donald's helicopter! Mike is amazed. "To share that with my kids, no matter what happens to me, no matter what happens to my wife, no matter what happens period. They'll never forget this day," he says. "They'll be able to look back and say, 'Remember when…'"
After much planning and organization on the part of the givers, Emily is finally playing at the world-renowned Carnegie Hall. Once Emily's family is seated, Rachael visits her backstage and surprises her with $10,000,000 worth of diamonds. "This is my dream," Emily says. "It never left me. I never thought it would happen, but here it is. I have arrived."
As Emily plays, emotion takes over the audience and the piece is received with a standing ovation. When Rachael takes the stage to perform with Emily, Stephen is shocked. "I suddenly realized that Rachael wasn't planning Emily's dream. Rachael was planning Rachael's dream."
"The entire performance was awesome," Rachael says. "A dream came true, and I'm excited about it."
For the finale, Natalie Cole surprises Emily with a performance of her song "Unforgettable."
"I guess one of the reasons that everyone is here is because you're so special in their hearts," Natalie says to Emily. "And you truly are unforgettable."
"I believe within my heart, my mother is going to lay and truly rest in peace," Emily's daughter Toni says.
After the helicopter tour, Mike is sitting in Central Park when carriages suddenly appear carrying his whole family.
Cameron tells Mike that with the help of Jada Pinkett Smith and her connections, the team raised enough money to pay off his entire mortgage! Plus, they were left with a significant amount of money to contribute toward college funds for his three daughters.
As the group heads to lunch at Tavern on the Green, Mike gets his final surprise from the team—a brand new truck! Mike knows that his life has been forever changed by the contestants. "I can't express how thankful we are and how much we are changed by the goodness in their hearts," Mike says. "Happiness is the best medicine for any disease."
Though the givers pulled off two flawless reveals, things behind the scenes didn't run as smoothly. There was a divide between Rachael and the rest of the team, and the judges decide to send Rachael home. "We're down to the final four, and the contestants have to work together in all these final challenges," judge Jamie Oliver says. "Rachael is a star, but all this bickering is becoming a pattern, so she's got to go."
Despite getting voted off, Rachael says she would not have changed anything about Operation Big Dreams. "The entire experience has brought me to where I am today, here. And I'm just grateful and just truly blessed," she says.
Oprah asks Rachael why she sang at Carnegie Hall with Emily—even though viewers were left wondering how Emily even knew Rachael
could sing. Was Rachael just trying to show off her singing skills?
Rachael says that's not how it happened. "[Emily's daughter and I] were there in the house," Rachael says. "I sang the hymn and she said, 'Oh, my God, you sing?' And I said, 'Yes.' And she said, 'Oh, wow, you should sing with my mom.'"
"That wasn't my perception of it," Oprah says. "I know it's not your perception, those of you who watched."
Oprah and Rachael continue their discussion about ego…and what really happened at Carnegie Hall. Special thanks to all those who helped during this episode of Oprah's Big Give .
