Racing Report Leg #1
Okay first, thanks to the choice to only air one hour, I don;t have as much footage as we normally get on these openers.
November 20
11:32am-11:55am (provided by Chateau d If, who gives great shadow)
Starting Line
The Charles Dearing Historical Estate.
Teams must fly to Quito, Ecuador
Teams get to their cars and leaves in the following Order
1. Oswald & Danny
2. John Vito & Jill
3. Rob & Amber
4. Joe & Bill
5. Dustin & Kandice
6. Uchenna & Joyce
7. Eric & Danielle
8. Teri & Ian
9. David & Mary
10. Charla & Mirna
11. Kevin & Drew
Teams are given $49.00 for this leg of the race (per Insider Clip of Eric & Danielle)
Teams have two choices in flights to Quito, Ecuador.
American Airlines
Flight AA 931 departs Miami 1550 arrives VIO 1950.
Copa Airlines
Flight CM 301 departs MIA 1530, arrives PTY ( Panama City ) 1825. CM 211 departs PTY 1935 arrives VIo 2145.
Flight schedule (from apskip, who is great with flights) and its a perfect match with episode footage.
Teams on American Airlines 931 are:
1. John Vito & Jill
2. Rob & Amber
3. Oswald & Danny
4. Charla & MIrna
5. Teri & Ian
Teams on Copa Airlines flight 301
1. David & Mary
2. Uchenna & Joyce
3. Joe & Bill
4. Dustin & Kandice
5. Eric & Danielle
6. Kevin & Drew
The American Flight arrives at 20:05 (15 minutes late).
Teams get out of the airport in the following Order:
1. Oswald & Danny
2. Charla & MIrna
3. John Vito & Jill
4. Rob & Amber
5. Teri & Ian
Teams must travel by taxi to the Plaza de San Francisco to find the next route marker.
Teams arrive at the Plaza and get the next clue in the following order:
1. Rob & Amber
2. Oswald & Danny
3. John Vito & Jill
4. Charla & Mirna
5. Teri & Ian
Teams must travel by taxi 3 miles to Pim’s Restaurant, where they will pull a number to receive one of three departure times for the next morning; 7:00am, 7:15am, and 7:30am.
Teams arrive at the exterior of Pim’s Restaurant and pull a number in the following order:
1. Rob & Amber
2. John Vito & Jill
3. Charla & Mirna
4. Oswald & Danny
5. Teri & Ian
Copa Airlines flight 211 arrives at 2140 (5 minutes early).
Teams get out of the airport in the following Order:
6. Dustin & Kandice
7. Joe & Bill
8. Eric & Danielle
9. Uchenna & Joyce
10. David & Mary
11. Kevin & Drew
Teams arrive at get their next clue at the Plaza de San Francisco in the following Order:
6. Dustin & Kandice
7. Joe & Bill
8. Eric & Danielle
9. Uchenna & Joyce
10. David & Mary
11. Kevin & Drew
Teams travel the 3 miles to Pim”s restaurant and pull a number in the following order:
6. Dustin & Kandice
7. Joe & Bill
8. Uchenna & Joyce
9. David & Mary who arrives at the restaurant at roughly 10:30pm
10. Kevin & Drew
11. Eric & Danielle
Teams leave Pim’s Restaurant in the order they arrived in the following timed groups.
7:00am
1. Rob & Amber
2. John Vito & Jill
3. Charla & Mirna
4. Oswald Danny
7:15am
5. Teri & Ian
6. Dustin & Kandice
7. Joe & Bill
8. Uchenna & Joyce
7:30am
9. David & Mary
10. Kevin & Drew
11. Eric & Danielle
They must make their way to Cotopaxi National Park. Using a provided map, teams must drive these cars from this nearby garage 65 miles to Hacienda Yanahurco, in Cotopaxio National Park where they will find their next clue. They’re advise to enter through the north entrance.
Note: By local accounts ( Whirley) it takes 3 hours from Hacienda to the nearest town and another 2 hours to the first international airport (Quito).
Teams would be traveling south from Quito to Machachi, then turning southeast and eventually driving two hours on a very rough lava track to get to the Hacienda Yanahurco.
So the I can’t see how Phil’s 65 miles can be accurate at all. Perhaps the road from the start of the Cotopaxi National Park to the Hacienda is 65 miles. Perhaps its 65 miles from Quito to Machachi.
Teams walk to the parking garage, select a 4 Wheel Drive SUV and leave the parking garage in the following order:
1. Oswald & Danny
2. John Vito & Jill
3. Rob & Amber
4. Charla & Mirna
5. Joe & Bill
6. Teri & Ian
7. Dustin & Kandice
8. Uchenna & Joyce
9. Eric & Danielle
10. Kevin & Drew
11. David & Mary
Charla & Mirna immediately (in the parking garage kidnap a local fern named Juan to assist them in navigating).
Rob & Amber and Danny & Oswald each get a cab to lead them at least part of the way.
John Vito & Jill follow a tour guide about 1/3 of the way to the National Park (Insider Clips of John Vito & Jill)
Teams that are shown getting lost:
Oswald & Danny (Insider Clips), Rob & Amber, Teri & Ian (Insider Clips), and John Vito & Jill. But I wouldn’t be surprised if all the teams got lost to some degree on this drive.
John Vito & Jill and Charla & Mirna are both separated guided by locals to the wrong Park Entrance.
Teams are charged $10.00 to enter the National Park (Insider Clip of Charla & Mirna who beg for their first time ever on the Amazing Race).
Teams arrive at the Hacienda Yanahurco and get to the clue box in the following order.
1. Rob & Amber
2. Oswald & Danny
3. Teri & Ian
4. Eric & Danielle
5. Joe & BIll
6. Uchenna & Joyce
7. Dustin & Kandice
8. Charla & MIrna
9. David & Mary
10. Kevin & Drew
11. John Vito & Jill
Charla & Mirna and John Vito & Jill drive through the south entrance.
Kevin & Drew suffer a blowout over the rough terrain, and simply drive the remaining 5 miles with the blown tire (insider Clips Kevin & Drew’s Matt Chat)
DETOUR- Wrangle it or Recover it
In Wrangle It: Teams must help local cowboys to lasso, tie down, and groom one wild horse, whose hooves grow so long that they cannot walk properly (Damn call PETA). Team members must use traditional tools to clip it’s hooves to a safe length and to trim it’s mane and tail. When the horse is set free they will receive their next clue.
In Recover It: One team member must put on an historical military uniform, then the team must search the field for three items missing from the uniform; an epaulette, a sword, and a button. Once done, a general will hand them their next clue.
Rob & Amber choose Recover It. But after only locating the Sword they change Detours to Wrangle it.
All other teams choose Wrangle It.
Teams complete the Detour in the following Order:
1. Rob & Amber
2. Oswald & Danny
3. Teri & Ian
4. Eric & Danielle
5. Joe & Bill
6. Dustin & Kandice
7. Uchenna & Joyce
8. David & Mary
9. Charla & Mirna
10. Kevin & Drew
11. John Vito & Jill
After completely the detour teams must make their way on foot to Mirador Cotopaxi the Pit Stop for the first leg.
And Just so everyone knows (which probably everyone here does), the reason everyone is exhausted is that the Hacienda is at roughly 13,000 feet. Which just might be (not counting skydiving and parachuting) the highest elevation that teams have actually had to perform tasks.
Teams arrive at the Pit Stop in the Following Order
1. Rob & Amber who win a trip to Whistler, Canada (where is my 10,000 each in cash Phil).
2. Oswald & Danny
3. Teri & Ian
4. Eric & Danielle
5. Joe & Bill
6. Dustin & Kandice
7. Uchenna & Joyce
8. Charla & Mirna
9. David & Mary
10. Kevin & Drew
11. John Vito & Jill
John Vito & Jill according to interviews after the race were about 20 minutes behind Kevin and Drew.
They are eliminated.
God, I love this show.