Racing Report
Amazing Race
Season: 12, Episode #7
Title: “This is forever, now”, Spoken by Donald.
Provided Funds: Never disclosed.
Pit Stop: 12 Hours
Teams leave the Pit Stop, The Stone Cross Overlook, on the edge of Dubrovnik, Croatia in the order they arrived*:
1. Ronald & Christina 2:19am
2. Kynt & Vyxsin 2:55am
3. Nathan & Jennifer 3:45am
4. Tk & Rachel 5:37am
5. Nicolas & Donald 7:06am
• And we can confirm this is a 12 hour Pit Stop and Phil, the big fat liar that he is, tells the truth about the arrival and departure times (thanks to Chateau d If)
Teams must now travel by Bus to the port city of Split, Croatia. From here they will take a ferry across Adriatic Sea to Ancona, Italy. Where their next clue awaits.
Teams reach the bus station, which is less then 15 minutes away from the Pit Stop, in the following order:
1. Christina & Ronald
2. Kynt & Vyxsin
3. Nathan & Jennifer
Who arrive moments before 4:00am
The bus station has routes to Split that start at 5:00am, then one at 6:00am, one at 6:30am, 7:00am, and I assume either ever half hour or at least on the hour afterwards. The first three teams take (of course) the first bus, which departs at 5:00am.
4. Tk & Rachel
Who take the bus that departs at 6:00am
5. Nicholas & Donald
Who should be able to take the a 7:30am bus (if there is one), but at the latest should have the 8:00am.
Teams arrive in Split where they must now take the SNAV Ferry from Split to Ancona. The ferry (during the summer) departs once a day at 5:00pm. This leaves time for teams to relax or sleep. Tk & Rachel and Nathan & Jennifer spend the day on the beach (Insider Clips).
The Ferry takes four hours and 30 minutes to Cross the Adriatic (Yes, for once I actually looked stuff up, so if I am wrong, too bad). The route is no longer in service so I can’t say how much the fare would have been.
Teams arrive in Ancona and find their clues in the following Order:
1. Tk & Rachel
2. Nicolas & Donald
All teams actually walked past the clues except Tk & Rachel, while Nicolas & Donald were the first to notice them grab the clues. After that your guess is as good as mine.
Teams must now drive themselves deep into Tuscany, to the town of Empoli. Once there they’ll have to make their way to this airfield, where they’ll find their next clue. Along with their clue, teams have been given a Blackberry handheld device. At some point during their two hundred mile drive, they’ll be receiving a message. However, teams may not attempt to use their Blackberry for any other reason.
The Route Marker States:
Drive yourself to the town of Empoli. Once there, find Campo di volo Silvano Poli in Comune di Cortenouva.
Note: You have been given a Blackberry to take along with you. At some point during the journey, you may receive a message from someone important on your Blackberry. If so, have fun and read the message.
The clue has lines of addition info that I cannot read.
Teams get to the marked vehicles and leave in the following order:
1. Nathan & Jennifer
2. Nicholas & Donald
3. Tk & Rachel
4. Kynt & Vyxsin
5. Ronald & Christina
All teams get maps and depend on local instructions for what is the fastest way from Ancona to Empoli.
We learn that Kynt doesn’t drive stick shifts well.
Ok, MSWOOD’s rules before you apply:
1. Know how to read a map.
2. Know how to use a Compass/GPS.
3. Know how to drive a freakin stick shift!!!!
Route #1 (taken by Nathan & Jennifer):
Take A13 North To Forli,
Take SS67 East towards Firenze (from here there are several different routes) I would go
South West on SP127
Take A1 west
Take Strada Grande Comunicazione Firenze-Pisa-Livorno (What the hell road is that A11?) west to Empoli.
Route #2 (Originally taken by Nichoas & Donald, Ronald & Christina, and Kynt & Vyxsin):
Take A14 North to Bologna (and Yes Don sings it B.O.L.O.G.N.A.)
Take A1 south towards Firenze
Take (A11?) west to Empoli
Route #3 (Taken by Tk & Rachel, and boy is it a f*@$ed up route to take):
Take A14 South towards Giulianova
Take A24 South West towards Borgorose
Take E80 South west towards Roma
Take A1 Noth past Firenze
Take A11(?) West to Empoli.
Note: It is highly unusual for the production to have the racers drive at night on roads that are in the mountains. I wonder if they realized that some teams would drive through the mountains.
Note#2: The Damn efficient detectives have already given damn step-by-step driving routes. Damn their souls to hell (Ok, I might just be overreacting just a little).
At this point Tk & Rachel leave their clue at the café the got directions from, and drive away.
There is just a handful of teams (that we know of) who have lost their clue and left: Wil & Tara (who never got it back asswipes), Derek & Drew (who were within a dozen yards of it and are told by Teri where it is), Freddy & Kendra (Who drop theirs and go grab another, which gives them a 30 minute penalty), Dani & Danielle (twice in Russia, once at the airport arriving and about an hour later at the swimming pool, yes Eric was right they needed to get their head out of their asses), and Rob & Kimberly (who left it on an airplane when they arrived in Chennai, India. And lost about 40 minutes trying to get back and recover it). Did I forget anyone? Idiots.
It is unknown how far they drove before stopping, searching their belongs and SUV, before returning and finding the clue (locals had kept it). It is a colossal mistake that with the separation between teams, they would not have been able to recover from. The only positive is that the team never loses its cool and the admonishments are rather civil. Which is good because …….
Route 2: Is blocked by an accident at the cutoff for Firenze and Milano. Ronald & Christina and Kynt & Vyxsin seek an alternative route.
Nicolas gets out of the car and asks how long the road will be closed. It will reopen at 6:00am , and they decide to wait it out. Don notes that it is so easy to get lost when you take side routes.
During the night drive, each team member gets a message on the Blackberry from home.
Nathan and Jennifer arrive at Campo di volo Silvano Poli, where they discover an Hours of Operation (it opens at 7:00am), and a sign to pull a number. They pull number #1.
Tk & Rachel arrive at sunup and pull #2. These two teams are the only teams that arrive before it opens.
At around this time the road opens and Nicolas & Donald make their way through Italy. Ronald & Christina and Kynt & Vyxsin have been driving all night long. Kynt & Vyxsin are lost.
Teams race for the Clue box, in the following order and find both a Roadblock and a Fast Forward clue:
1. Nathan & Jennifer
2. Tk & Rachel
3. Ronald & Christina
4. Nicolas Donald
Who arrive within moments of each other. And during both original flights of Tk & Nathan.
5. Kynt & Vyxsin
Who arrive over an hour (probably much closer to an hour and a half) after the site opened.
ROADBLOCK: Search from Ultralight
“Who’s feeling “ultra” light of heart?”
The team member must soar through the skies of Tuscany in an Ultralight. While aloft, they must scan a 6-mile radius of the countryside below for the name of their next destination, Vinci. When they have think they have spotted it, they must signal the pilot, who will bring them back down. Once on the ground, they’ll tell the instructor the word, and if it is correct the pilot will hand their next clue. There is a 30-minute time limit per flight. Once the half hour is up, team members must make a mandatory landing for refueling before continuing their search.
FAST FORWARD: Get Tattoo
This is the only Fast Forward on the entire race (LIAR)
, The 1st team that finds it and completes it can skip all tasks and go directly to the Pit Stop.
In this Fast Forward teams, make their way to Fabio Studios and take part in the local seafaring tradition. What they don’t know (won’t hurt them unless they are a big Pussy like Donald, oops spoiler) is that the tradition is the art of tattoo. Once here, teams will discover that they have to have a permanent tattoo drawn on their body, the letters FF which stand for Fast Forward. When the (Smoking HOT) artist has finished inking the tattoo on both team members they’ll hand them their Fast Forward reward.
The Fast Forward Clue Reads:
Take art in a centuries old seafaring tradition!!!
Drive yourself to Via Giovanni Villani 17 in Comune di Emploi and find Studio Fabio.
Which we knew already thinks to “down_with_a”.
Just a note both tasks are awesome, and I think I would love to do either. I personally am not a tattoo fan, but the idea of having a permanent reminder of this once and a life time trip is worth it. And the Ultralight, damn, that looks hell of fun.
Nicolas & Donald choose to go for the Fast Forward.
Ronald (the ass) & Christina have difficulty finding where to pull a number from. And this allows Rachel to hear how he talks to his daughter.
Kynt & Vyxsin are still lost. Vyxsin is breaking down
(talking about being up 30 hours), and Kynt (who has trouble driving stick) takes over driving.
Teams finish the detour in the following order:
1. Nathan & Jennifer (on first attempt)
2. Ronald & Christina (on first attempt)
3. Kynt & Vyxsin (On first attempt)
4. Tk & Rachel (on fourth, yes his fourth attempt)
Teams must now drive themselves to the town of Vinci. Once here, they’ll find the birth home of famed Italian artist and inventory, Leonardo Da Vinci.
Nicolas & Donald find the tattoo shop and after a few moments of hesitation get tattoo’s (Nic is the lucky bastard with the HOT tattoo artist, and yes I am obsessing).
Donald say’s he was hoping to have to shave’s his head. I’m sure Nic was relieved.
They get the tattoos and are directed to the Pit Stop at the Boboli Gardens, in Florence.
Teams arrive in Vinci and find their next route marker, it s a detour in the following order:
1. Nathan & Jennifer
2. Ronald & Christina
3. Kynt & Vyxsin
4. Tk & Rachel (at this point at least 15-20 minutes after Kynt & Vyxsin, who themselves are probably an hour and a half behind Nathan & Jennifer).
DETOUR: Invention or Tradition
In this detour teams have to choose between two tasks harking back to the Italian Renaissance. The choice: Invention or tradition.
In Invention: Teams make their way to this courtyard and choose a replica of a centuries old crane designed by Leonardo Da Vinci. They must first assemble the crane and use it to lift a large stone one-foot off the ground. Then, they can place a mirror underneath and read the clue printed on the bottom of the rock.
In Tradition: Teams must make their way to Plazza Guido Masi, there they must learn a traditional local flag routine. When they execute the routine correctly the lead Flag Man will hand them a flag displaying the name of their next destination.
Teams Initial chose these detours.
Invention:
1. Kynt & Vyxsin (who switch after locating it)
2. Tk & Rachel
Tradition:
1. Nathan & Jennifer
2. Ronald & Christina
Teams arrive at the Detour locations in the following order:
1. Nathan & Jennifer (who do lose time by parking in the wrong area and having to walk to find the correct location).
2. Ronald & Christina (who park in the same location Jennifer & Nathan do
3. Kynt & Vyxsin (who park in the correct location near the clue box, which is close to Invention)
4. Tk & Rachel (who also park in the wrong location)
5. Kynt & Vyxsin try and drive towards the other location, it is during this drive that they have car trouble, probably transmission. They proceed the rest of the way on foot (which teams like Ron & Christina and Nathan & Jennifer did). They are able to get a replacement car. And as bad as this is, it hits them at just about the best time. They can actually do a task while a replacement vehicle is brought to them. Unlike being stuck on the side of the round, just waiting, which is what ahs happened I believe in every other time that a car has needed to be replaced.
It is during this time that we see the worst behavior so far from Kynt & Vyxsin. With Kynt telling her to shut up, and him channeling his inner Adam, "I am going to jump out". Though surprisingly Kynt is the more masculine of the two (said, so said for Adam). And Vyxsin just losing it while driving.
No, happy pink kitten today, thats for sure.
Teams complete the detour in the following order:
1. Nathan & Jennifer (who take at least two attempts to succeed. And I love when Nathan says, “Jenn you bastard”.
Since she is really good at it and he isn’t. But its said in humor not anger, more please)
2. Ronald & Christina (who get to the location after Jennifer & Nathan have already driven off to Florence, and take at least two attempts to succeed).
3. Tk & Rachel (who when driving away pass Kynt & Vyxsin who are walking to the fag waving detour)
4. Kynt & Vyxsin (who might have done it in one attempt)
On the drive to Florence, Tk & Rachel blow the drivers side front tire. Tk changes the tire with a donut, and they proceed to the Pit Stop.
Rising behind the Pitti Palace is the Boboli Gardens. First created in 1550 for Eleonora di Toledo, are the first of what has become known as Italian Style Gardens. This lush outdoor floral garden is the 7th Pit Stop on a race around the world. Teams arrive in the following Order:
1. Nicolas & Donald – who win a 5 day trip to Cancun. So good luck, Nic, hitting on the babes, with Gramps as wingman.
2. Nathan & Jennifer
3. Ronald & Christina
4. Tk & Rachel
5. Kynt & Vyxsin
Who are saved by the first on 2 non elimination (WTF, you lying Liars, who lie). :lies: They are (he, he
I am so evillllll) penalized (he,he)
for coming in last place. Next leg, at some point they will reach a Speed Bump. A Speed Bump will be a task that only this team must complete.
Note#3: I did this without checking the boards for transportation facts. I have sense, seen that travel info has been posted for buses, ferry, and car routes. But I am to lazy (read stubborn) to change any differences. Well because I am right, and they are wrong (Que sound effect of a petulant child, that would be me).