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Offline maf

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Racing report, TAR 20, Episode 11.2 is on page 1
« on: February 25, 2012, 02:01:13 PM »
Racing report
Amazing Race Season 20, Episode 1, "Tears of a clown"
Film date: 26-28/11-2011

I have tried to estimate distances and driving times every now and then. This data, from Google, is an approximation at best and may have no relationship to reality.

The race starts in Santa Barbara, California, with the teams riding bicycles to the starting line. the teams are:
  • Dave & Cheri, married clowns from Tampa Florida
  • Bopper & Mark, lifelong friends from Clay county Kentucky
  • Misa & Maiya, sisters from San Diego California
  • Brendon & Rachel, recently engaged former Big Brother contestants from Los Angeles California (PhD Student & Event Hostess)
  • Joey 'I have the most ridiculous nickname ever, Fitness' & Danny, Trainer & Club Promotor from Long Island New York
  • Nary & Jamie, Federal agents from Los Angeles California
  • Rachel & Dave, Army Wife & Combat Pilot from Madison Wisconsin
  • Elliott & Andrew, Twins, one musician and one pro soccer player from Scottfield Arizona
  • Kerri & Stacey, cousins from Golfwood Mississippi
  • Vanessa & Ralph, Dating Divorcees from San Antonio Texas
  • Art & JJ, border patrol agents from southern California

Choice quotes:
 "Our relationship started on Big Brother, we fell in love in the hammock", Rachel
 "We'll just keep the racing around the world and not down the aisle", Vanessa
 "It's like beauty and the beast, and he thinks he's the beauty", JJ about Art

The starting line is a the Bridlewood estate winery. Phil does his usual spiel. We learn that there are 12 legs and the price of the first leg is an express pass. This can be used anytime during the first 8 legs to skip a single task.

The first clue is up in the air. More exactly in a basket hanging under a miniature hot air balloon which is anchored among the wines on a hill behind the starting line. The catch is that there are 100 balloons and only 11 of them carry clues.

Choice quotes:
 "These hills are killers", Misa & <aiya find the going though
 "God, this is gruelin', ain't it man?", Mark

Teams find clues in the following order:
  1. Elliot & Andrew
  2. Joey & Danny
  3. Vanessa & Ralph
  4. Kerri & Stacy
  5. Brendon & Rachel
  6. Rachel & Dave
  7. Nary & Jamie
  8. Dave & Cherie
  9. Art & JJ
 10. Bopper & Mark
 11. Misa & Maiya, after almost two hours

Quote
Fly to Santa Barbara!

To begin your journey,
choose one of the Ford
Tauruses by the winery!

Once teams start driving the cars the video screen wakes up and Phil appears: "You're now heading to Santa Barbara, Argentina. First you must make your way to Los Angeles International airport and the American Airlines check-in counter to pick up tickets to Buenos Aires. Only the first 6 teams will get tickets on the fastest connecting flight to Salta, the closes airport to Santa Barbara."

On the way to the airport (208km 2:26) we learn that Mark gets car sick very easily. In fact he has to throw up right there, but his partner refuses to stop so out the window it is.

We don't get to see any footage from the airport and scant flight details are given. But teams probably took one of two AA night flights to Miami. Then they spent the next day flying to Buenos Aires, where they arrived late on the 27th. Then in the morning of the 28th they flew on two separate flights to Salta.

Looking at which team made which flight we realize that there was quite a lot of reordering after teams left the wine yard. For example Joey & Danny were the second to leave but still ended up on the last flight.

The first flight to Salta was probably:
  AR2450 AEP-SLA 06:25-08:40
This carried:
 Elliot & Andrew
 Brendon & Rachel
 Nary & Jamie
 Art & JJ
 Rachel & Dave
 Vanessa & Ralph

The second flight was probably:
  4M1961 AEP-SLA 08:53-11:01
This carried:
 Joey & Danny
 Kerri & Stacy
 Dave & Cherie
 Bopper & Mark
 Misa & Maiya

Once they land teams must pick up a marked car and drive themselves to Santa Barbara (151km 1:55). Here they will find their next clue on the side of a small basket filled with flowers.

Teams jump into their cars in the following order:
  1. Art & JJ
  2. Nary & Jamie
  3. Brendon & Rachel
  4. Elliot & Andrew
  5. Rachel & Dave
  6. Vanessa & Ralph
  7. Joey & Danny
  8. Bopper & Mark
  9. Misa & Maiya
 10. Kerri & Stacy
 11. Dave & Cherie

Choice quotes:
 "I'm frustrated 'cause we haven't seen a team for a long time and I'm pretty sure we're in last place", Cherie frets
 "The tears of a clown", Cherie gets the quote (she is worrying a lot)

Teams find the clue in Santa Barbara in the following order:
  1(+0) Art & JJ
  2(+0) Nary & Jamie
  3(+0) Brendon & Rachel
  4(+1) Rachel & Dave
  5(+1) Vanessa & Ralph
  6(-2) Elliot & Andrew
  7(+2) Misa & Maiya
  8(+2) Kerri & Stacy
  9(-1) Bopper & Mark
 10(-3) Joey & Danny
 11(+0) Dave & Cherie

Quote
ROUTE INFO

Make your way to the
Aerodromo Gilberto
Lavaque in Cafayate and
search for your next clue.

NOTE: At your
destination you MUST
park in the designated
area.

Choice quotes:
 "'Aerodromo' has me a little nervous. Makes me think of being in the air, and I'm terrified of heights", Stacy

Teams reach the airport (32km 0:22) in the following order:
  1(+0) Art & JJ
  2(+1) Brendon & Rachel
  3(+1) Rachel & Dave
  4(-2) Nary & Jamie
  5(+0) Vanessa & Ralph
  6(+0) Elliot & Andrew
  7(+3) Joey & Danny
  8(+1) Bopper & Mark
  9(-2) Misa & Maiya
 10(-2) Kerri & Stacy
 11(+0) Dave & Cherie

Here they find an old fashioned clue box which holds:
Quote
Who's got a great sense
of direction?

NOTE: Andrew & Ralph
MUST perform this
Roadblock.

Once teams decide who's gonna do the roadblock they open the envelope and read:
Quote
Find your partner! After
they have jumped out of
an airplane, search for
them, and your next
clue, at the Landing
Zone!

The participating member get an aerial picture of the area with the road marked and a big X marking the landing spot (approx 3 miles away). They must drive there while their partner must do a tandem parachute jump which will bring them to the same spot.

This was an interesting twist where the person NOT doing the roadblock actually gets the scary experience.

Choice quotes:
 "This goes against all laws of nature", JJ is not happy
 "My uterus is in my throat", Vanessa
 "I'm freaking out", Stacy
 "I feel a little sick now", Mark feels queasy under the parachute
 "I can't do this", Stacy does not want to jump
 "I just had to do it for them", In the end Stacy jumped for her kids (to show them that you can't run from everything)
 "I open my eyes, and it was like I'm flying. It felt so good, it was liberating, but I'll never jump out of a plane again", Stacy have mixed emotions about the jump
 "Hey Dave, we're not last", Cherie finds joy in the small things

Along the way we learn that Danny have great difficulties driving stick. Maiya also encounters problems. She is a bit too eager and turns off the road a little too soon and gets her car stuck in soft sand. It takes a while for her to gather up enough locals with correct equipment to get her car out of there. But we get to see that the Argentinians are very helpful.

Teams complete the roadblock in the following order (* denotes team member doing the driving)
1(+0)Art* & JJ        (1-0)
2(+0)Brendon* & Rachel(1-0)
3(+0)Rachel & Dave*   (0-1)
4(+0)Nary & Jamie*    (0-1)
5(+1)Elliot & Andrew* (0-1)
6(-1)Vanessa & Ralph* (0-1)
7(+1)Bopper* & Mark   (1-0)
8(+3)Dave & Cherie*   (0-1)
9(-2)Joey & Danny*    (0-1)
10(+0)Kerri* & Stacy   (1-0)
11(-2)Misa & Maiya*    (0-1)

Route info: "Drive yourselves to Patios de Cafayate and search the grounds for your next clue". This is a local winery and the next clue can be found on a barrel by the entrance.

Choice quotes:
 "I'm half Mexican and I hate them for a reason", Brandon about the border patrol (Art & JJ)

Teams reach the clue barrel at the winery (9km 0:06) in the following order:
  1(+1) Brendon & Rachel
  2(-1) Art & JJ, a few seconds after #1
  3(+0) Rachel & Dave
  4(+0) Nary & Jamie
  5(+1) Vanessa & Ralph
  6(-1) Elliot & Andrew
  7(+0) Bopper & Mark
  8(+0) Dave & Cherie
  9(+0) Joey & Danny
 10(+0) Kerri & Stacy
 11(+0) Misa & Maiya

The clue reads:
Quote
Compete in an
Empanada Contest!

Make 120 empanadas,
60 with a meat filling and
60 with a cheese filling.
Once the region's
reigning empanada
champion approves your
work, search the
grounds for Phil and the
first Pit Stop.

Warning! The last team
to check-in will be
eliminated.

Teams must figure out that there are specific dough crimping patters for each type of empanada.

Choice quotes:
 "This is so frustrating. What do you expect from a couple of middle aged men. I know how to barbecue steaks., JJ has trouble with the empanadas
 "I wanna eat so bad", Ralph is hungry

Choice quotes:
 "I've have to get first place in this leg of the race. The express pass give you a huge advantage above every other team", Rachel
 "She was like the empanada Nazi", Art & JJ felt the judge was harsh
 "This is the first time I've ever made a pinata", Bopper is confused
 "He's a good microwaver", Cherie about her husband
 "Oh, this is terrible", Danny realize he suck at empanada making
 "That was honestly one of the worst feeling, the freaking clowns", Joey is not happy about being beaten by the clowns

Teams get their empanadas approved in the following order:
  1(+2) Rachel & Dave
  2(-1) Brendon & Rachel
  3(-1) Art & JJ
  4(+0) Nary & Jamie
  5(+0) Vanessa & Ralph
  6(+0) Elliot & Andrew
  7(+3) Kerri & Stacy
  8(+0) Dave & Cherie
  9(+2) Bopper & Mark
 10(+1) Misa & Maiya
 11(-2) Joey & Danny

Teams now have to look for Phil. Actually he is just out the door and a little to the right. Teams find him in the following order:
  1(+0) Rachel & Dave, win the express pass
  2(+0) Brendon & Rachel, about 30 seconds after #1
  3(+0) Art & JJ, at 13:50
  4(+0) Nary & Jamie
  5(+0) Vanessa & Ralph
  6(+0) Elliot & Andrew
  7(+0) Kerri & Stacy
  8(+0) Dave & Cherie
  9(+0) Bopper & Mark
 10(+1) Joey & Danny
 11(-1) Misa & Maiya, are eliminated

Choice quotes:
 "Where did they go?", Phil is surprised when Misa & Maiya turn around

Misa & Maya finished the task before Joey & Danny. But they were the only team who hadn't brought their bags so they had to go and fetch them. Then they started to search the grounds, they followed the flags like everybody else. But when they got to the pool they looked around totally confused. They did not notice Phil who was less than 50m away. In interviews later they say they got tunnel vision and hadn't expected Phil to be surrounded by an entourage. Anyway they went back into the building and continued to search for Phil elsewhere. This allowed Joey & Danny to reach Phil before them. And it is probably the dumbest mistake in the entire Amazing race history.

When doing this summary I rely on the hard work of other forum members who figure out flight schedules, locations etc. Big thanks goes to them.
« Last Edit: May 20, 2012, 04:30:39 PM by maf »

Offline maf

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Re: Racing report, TAR 20, Episode 2
« Reply #1 on: March 02, 2012, 10:31:40 AM »
Racing report
Amazing Race Season 20, Episode 2, "You Know I'm Not As Smart As You"
Film date: 29-30/11 - 2011

I have tried to estimate distances and driving times every now and then. This data, from Google, is an approximation at best and may have no relationship to reality.

Teams are released from the pit stop at Patios de Cafayate in the following order:
1.Rachel & Dave   02:46
2.Brendon & Rachel02:48(+0:02)
3.Art & JJ        02:49(+0:03)
4.Nary & Jamie    03:21(+0:35)
5.Vanessa & Ralph 03:31(+0:45)
6.Elliot & Andrew 04:21(+1:35)
7.Kerri & Stacy   05:23(+2:37)
8.Dave & Cherie   05:27(+2:41)
9.Bopper & Mark   05:29(+2:43)
10.Joey & Danny    05:35(+2:49)

The clue reads "Make your way to the Cafayate town square". Once there teams must wait for a Chasqui. The clue does not explain what a Chasqui is, but teams learn that it is a courier and that he will arrive in the morning.

We learn that Nary & Jamie have told the other teams they are kindergarten teachers, while in reality they are federal agents.

Everybody meet up at the town square (2km 0:03), and when the Chasqui finally turns up on a horse, around 06:35 there is a mad dash to him followed by a lot of pushing and showing to get the clues. I note that his horse is very well trained because it is an island of calmness in a sea of chaos of contestants fighting for the clues.

Detour: Boil my water or Light my Fire

In boil my water teams must travel to one of three isolated villages and assemble a basic solar kitchen, using only the pictures on the side of the box as guide. They must then use the sunlight to bring a kettle of water to boil. They are done when the kettle whistles.

In light my fire teams travel to the same area. They must then gather 40 pieces of firewood and some clay from the riverbank. They must load this onto a donkey and transport it 1 mile to a local pottery workshop.

Art & JJ stop at one of the solar power villages to ask for directions. But the woman they ask responds: "I don't know anything", i.e. it sounds as if production has told her to not give any information. Which is bad for Art & JJ since they have a hard time finding the start of their detour option, at one point they get told it is 8 kilometers away. But they keep going and eventually they find it, right next to one of the solar power locations (24km 0:17).

Joey & Danny have trouble figuring out how to put their solar panel together. So they run over to Kerri & Stacy to see how it should be done.

Dave & Cheri are also having trouble. They run over to Rachel & Dave to peek at theirs. This is where they notice the pictures on the box. But then Dave the clown get smart and only fill half their pot. The lesser amount of water starts boiling quicker but still generates enough steam for the pot to whistle.

Choice quotes:
 "I build stuff all the time", Stacey feels confident
 "I think we've got a few screws loose, ha ha ha", Cherie can't resist the obvious joke
 "There's nothing in the clue which says no peeking", Cherie decides to look at how the others build theirs
 "My little boy loves Lego", Mark explains why he had no problems building the kitchen
 "Your skills are surprising me here bro", Bopper is impressed with his team mate
 "I'm sorry I'm not good at this, sorry I'm just a girl", Rachel has ridiculously low self esteem
 "We are 20 minutes down", JJ frets since still haven't found their detour
 "Oh, son of a monkey's uncle", Vanessa when she and Ralph find a problem with their solar panel
 "The things you miss when you are hyped up on adrenaline", Cherie finally find the pictures on the box
 "Don't look at it because a watched pot never boils", Cheri turns her back to their pot
 "Art, it's still cool out. It's gonna be tough for that solar panel", JJ gets some hope
 "I think we stood there for at least 45 minutes for that water to boil, and it was torture", Nary

Teams complete the detour in the following order:
   1. Bopper & Mark, boil
   2. Art & JJ, fire
   3. Rachel & Dave, boil
   4. Brendon & Rachel, boil
   5. Dave & Cherie, boil
   6. Vanessa & Ralph, boil
   7. Elliot & Andrew, boil
   8. Joey & Danny, boil
   9. Kerri & Stacy, boil
  10. Nary & Jamie, boil

The clue reads: "Travel by bus to the city of Buenos Aires" Teams must now drive themselves to Salta (164km 1:57) and from there take an 18 hour bus ride to Buenos Aires. On arrival they should make their way to Mercado de Hacienda de Liniers and search for their next clue.

Teams end up on three different buses.

Bus #1 carries
 Bopper & Mark
 Rachel & Dave
 Brendon & Rachel
 Art & JJ

Bus #2 carries
 Dave & Cherie
 Vanessa & Ralph
 Elliot & Andrew
 Joey & Danny

Bus #3 carries
 Nary & Jamie
 Kerri & Stacy

Along the way bus #2 is forced to stop when one of the side windows blows out. Luckily no one is hurt and after they have made emergency repairs with tape and plastic they can continue. Unfortunately the repairs don't hold up very well so they have to stop every now and then to fix them. All in all this delays them by about two hours so they are in fact the last bus to arrive in Buenos Aires.

Choice quotes:
 "We're pretty sure that we're the last two teams arriving in Buenos Aires. We just need to kick some ass", Jamie does not know that a bus broke down
 "We're a little bit behind so we're a little bit frantic", Ralph, knows their bus is probably last to arrive

At the bus terminal in Buenos Aires teams jump into taxis and make for Mercado de Hacienda de Liniers (19km 0:28). This turns out to be a square in the city. On a raised platform the producers have placed life-sized models of two Argentinians and a horse. The horse has a red and yellow pouch hanging from it mouth which holds the next clue. Teams reach this in the following order:
  1. Rachel & Dave
  2. Art & JJ
  3. Brendon & Rachel
  4. Bopper & Mark
  5. Nary & Jamie
  6. Kerri & Stacy
  7. Vanessa & Ralph
  8. Joey & Danny
  9. Dave & Cherie
 10. Elliot & Andrew

Quote
ROAD BLOCK

Where's the Beef?

The full information reads:
Quote
Figure out the average
weight of each head of
cattle, in a livestock
auction. When you think
you have the right
weight, run to the waiting
Gaucho and give him
your answer. If you
deliver the correct
average weight before
the auction ends, you will
receive a clue.

In this road block teams must make their way to Monasterio tattersall livestock auctions (a few meters away). Here they must tag along a cattle auction. The auctioneer will call out the total weight of the cattle in one pen (in English). They must then count the number of cattle and use that to calculate the average weight. Each auction last around 3 minutes.

The task is made harder by the bustle of people shouting bids and the fact that teams may not use a calculator. The numbers they have to calculate are not nice and round either. For example the first successful team had a total weight of 7540kg and 22 cows which gives an average weight of 342kg.

Rachel (of Rachel & Dave) worked with JJ on this task, Big Brother Rachel eventually worked with Bopper and Joey teamed up with Andrew.

Choice quotes:
 "I'm just kind of running around like a chicken with my head cut off", Rachel was confused
 "Brendon hates my guts right now", Rachel thinks she is doing poorly, but she is wrong about Brendon
 "Rachel from Big Brother was struggling by herself. And she was looking at us and saying 'what do I do?', and I'm not gonna help her run the race. I mean I helped Rachel from Rachel & Dave because we reciprocate. Team Big Brother, they are tag-alongs", JJ
 "You know I'm not smart as you", Rachel gets the title (said to Brendon)
 "Yeah, we're country girls, but we don't get this close to the cattle", Kerri
 "It's been years and years since some people have done math problems. But I've got an 11 year old, and I do have to help him with his homework", Stacy on why she flew through the roadblock
 "He's horrible at math", Cheri about Dave
 "I'm used to tuning out men", Vanessa had no problem to concentrate
 "Yo, we could beat the clown. He said he's terrible in math", Joey and Andrew teams up

Teams complete the roadblock in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)
1(+1)Art & JJ*        (1-1)
2(-1)Rachel* & Dave   (1-1)seconds after #1
3(-1)Bopper & Mark*   (1-1)
4(+1)Brendon & Rachel*(1-1)seconds after #3
5(-1)Kerri & Stacy*   (1-1)
6(+1)Nary* & Jamie    (1-1)
7(+0)Vanessa* & Ralph (1-1)
8(+0)Joey* & Danny    (1-1)
9(+1)Elliot & Andrew* (0-2)seconds after #8
10(-1)Dave* & Cherie   (1-1)

Dave struggles with the math long after the others are gone. Eventually the cattle are lead away and he stands there all alone. Finally he gets the right answer, but it has taken hours.

Route info: "Make your way to the next pit stop". Teams must now make their way by taxi to El Gomero. This is a 200 year old rubber tree in la Recoleta (18km 0:29).

Here BB Rachel has a small breakdown because Brendon blames her that they let their taxi leave. He has to console her before they can move on.

Nary & Jamie don't look happy when they get to the mat. They know Kerri & Stacy got in before them so they think they are last.

Teams reach Phil in the following order:
  1(+1) Rachel & Dave, win a trip to Grenada
  2(-1) Art & JJ, at 09:25
  3(+0) Bopper & Mark
  4(+0) Brendon & Rachel
  5(+0) Kerri & Stacy
  6(+0) Nary & Jamie
  7(+0) Vanessa & Ralph
  8(+0) Joey & Danny
  9(+0) Elliot & Andrew
 10(+0) Dave & Cherie, are eliminated

Choice quotes:
 "We are just so competitive", JJ on why they were disappointed by getting 2nd
 "At the end of the day we still have each other so we really haven't lost", Dave


Offline Declive

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Re: Racing report, TAR 20, Episode 2 is on page 1
« Reply #2 on: March 02, 2012, 10:48:16 AM »
Loving this reports so far!
100% commitment makes everything easy
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Offline ZouLy

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Re: Racing report, TAR 20, Episode 2 is on page 1
« Reply #3 on: March 03, 2012, 12:00:45 AM »
TAR Aus Season 5 | Tough As Nails Season 2

Offline maf

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Re: Racing report, TAR 20, Episode 3
« Reply #4 on: March 10, 2012, 02:07:14 PM »
Racing report
Amazing Race Season 20, Episode 3, "Bust me right in the head with it"
Film date: 1/12 - 2011

I have tried to estimate distances and driving times every now and then. This data, from Google, is an approximation at best and may have no relationship to reality.

Teams are released, after 16h, from the pit stop at El Gomero in Buenos Aires in the following order:
1.Rachel & Dave   00:22
2.Art & JJ        00:25(+0:03)
3.Bopper & Mark   ??:??(+?:??)
4.Brendon & Rachel??:??(+?:??)
5.Kerri & Stacy   ??:??(+?:??)
6.Nary & Jamie    ??:??(+?:??)
7.Vanessa & Ralph ??:??(+?:??)
8.Joey & Danny    ??:??(+?:??)
9.Elliot & Andrew ??:??(+?:??)

No departure times were given for anybody but the first two teams, but we learn that they get $200 for this leg of the race.

Route info: "Fly to Curazon de America, Paraguay".Teams must now fly to Asunción, Paraguay. Once there they will travel by taxi to Metalurgica Punta de Rieles.

Choice quotes:
 "This is great 'cause we are going to another Spanish speaking country, where we can really dominate", Art & JJ

At the airport teams find there are two flights. The first one is very full but teams sign up for the waiting list.

Choice quotes:
 "You've got the freaking teachers waving to the other teams to come down here and get this. This should be a two team race, it makes no sense", JJ is upset that Nary & Jamie helps the others
 "If you can play the game and stay in first place, I'll put a target on my back all day long", Art is cocky

In the end four teams get on the first direct flight:
  Rachel & Dave
  Art & JJ
  Nary & Jamie
  Bopper & Mark

PZ 704 EZE-ASU 08:45-10:35 (scheduled, but the flight was 33 minutes late at takeoff)

The other teams take the second flight, which goes via Montevideo
 Brendon & Rachel
 Vanessa & Ralph
 Elliot & Andrew
 Kerri & Stacy
 Dave & Cherie
 Joey & Danny

PU 366 EZE-MVD 10:40-12:30 (Scheduled, was 1:09 late at takeoff)
PU 703 MVD-ASU 13:45-14:35

These flights are scheduled to land 4 hours apart. The first one was delayed so the different may be down towards 3.5h. But still teams multiple times through the episode refer to the difference as 2h. I would guess that either the players are confused and quote the start time differences, or production did something behind the scenes to decrease the difference.

Once they land teams jump into taxis and leave the airport in the following order:
 1. Art & JJ
 2. Bopper & Mark
 3. Nary & Jamie
 4. Rachel & Dave
 5. Brendon & Rachel
 6. Kerri & Stacy
 7. Elliot & Andrew
 8. Vanessa & Ralph
 9. Joey & Danny

Choice quotes:
 "Drive it like you stole it baby", Bopper to their taxi driver
 "It's hot like Mississippi mud", Kerri

They travel to Metalurgica Punta de Rieles (10km 0:14), which turns out to be a company selling steel playground equipment. They have a yard full of colorful slides, swings, monkey bars and other contraptions. Teams enter the yard through a pair of slides. There are also a number of grills here, and it is in them the clues are hidden. Teams find their next clue here in the following order:
 1(+0) Art & JJ
 2(+0) Bopper & Mark
 3(+0) Nary & Jamie
 4(+0) Rachel & Dave
 5(+0) Brendon & Rachel
 6(+0) Kerri & Stacy
 7(+0) Elliot & Andrew, around 15:05
 8(+1) Joey & Danny
 9(-1) Vanessa & Ralph

Quote
DETOUR

Detour: 'Stacked Up' or
'Strung Out'

Stacked Up: Make your
way to Mercado Central de
Abasto. Once there, stack
watermelons in the same
manner as the local
vendors.

Strung Out: Make your way
to the Campus of the
Universidad Nacional de
Asunción in San Lorenzo.
Once there, correctly string
the national instrument of
Paraguay - the Harp!

Choice quotes:
 "It's not over until we hit the mat", Vanessa does not give up even though they are last

In stacked up teams must travel to a market (3km 0:08) and there fetch watermelons from a nearby truck and stack them in a 10 layers high pyramid (for a total of 385 watermelons). Teams are given a small cart to help transport the melons.

In strung out teams must travel to an auditorium (6km 0:12) and string a harp. There are 36 tangled strings to untangle and attach.

The melon stacking detour is way harder than it looks. It takes a lot of time to transport the melons and it is when they have almost completed their pyramids teams find that if they haven't built a good enough foundation, which almost nobody has, then it will collapse. The only team which manages in what seems like the first try is Art & JJ. The others from the first flight are not so lucky and when their pyramids collapse they all decide to switch detour (7km 0:16). By the time they arrive at the harps the first team from the second flight has already arrived.

Dave wants to use their express pass when their pyramid falls down, but Rachel refuses. However when they arrive at the harps and see that a lot of teams are there already they quickly whip out their express pass and continue on.

When Mark & Bopper leave the melons they meet Kerri & Stacy. They tell the girls it was not that hard to do and promptly take their cab. When the girls then reach the actual build site they immediately realize this is way harder than it looks and decide to switch. They are not happy with Bopper & Mark.

There is apparently a great dislike between Vanessa & Ralph and Brendon & Rachel. At least there are lots of rude comments flying.

Elliot & Andrew miss a string on their harp so they almost decide to switch detours. But since they can't find a cab immediately they go back in and finish it.

Vanessa & Ralph are unlucky and have their pyramid collapse when Ralph placed the last melon. They almost switch detour at this point, but decide to tough it out.

Choice quotes:
 "It's hotter than new love baby", Mark & Bopper find it hot outside
 "You bust me right in the head with it" Bopper to Mark when he got hit with a thrown watermelon
 "You're the least encouraging person I've met in my entire life", Rachel to Dave

 "Not real hard", Mark tell Kerri & Stacy the task is not that hard
 "Did it take you a long time to do it", Stacey to Mark
 "About two hours", Mark does not mention that they gave up
 "They're gonna kill us", Mark & Bopper when they are taking the girls cab
 "You finally play the game like I told you to", Mark to Bopper

 "Whoa, I can see her whole ____", Vanessa comments that she can see the back-side of Rachel
 "All of her, you know, mouthing off, that was one of the reasons we decided to leave the water melons", Rachel
 "Her disgusting smile is painted on, just like her over-done make up", Rachel really does not like Vanessa

 "How can you feel stressed when the music is so beautify", Rachel find the harp music soothing
 "We missed one", Elliot & Andres realize they have to redo most of their harp
 "He has a 13 year old daughter and it was really important just to set an example of not to quit", Vanessa

Teams complete the detour in the following order:
 1(+0) Art & JJ, stacked up around 13:35
 2(+2) Rachel & Dave, started stacked up but switched to strung out before using their express pass
 3(+2) Brendon & Rachel, started stacked up but switched to strung out
 4(-2) Bopper & Mark, started stacked up but switched to strung out
 5(+3) Joey & Danny, stacked up
 6(+0) Kerri & Stacy, went to stacked up but immediately switched to strung out
 7(-4) Nary & Jamie, started stacked up but switched to strung out
 8(-1) Elliot & Andrew, strung out it is now after after 20.00
 9(+0) Vanessa & Ralph, stacked up

Route info: "Make your way to Plaza de la Democracia". It takes slightly longer (15km 0:30) to get here from strung out than from stacked up (10km 0:24).

Choice quotes:
 "We dominated, we got the right flight, we did the right challenge, we did perfectly", Art & JJ are impressed with themselves
 "I'm pretty sure we're dead last", Vanessa in the taxi
 "If we're gonna finish dirty and disgusting and if it takes hours to do so, fine. We're gonna finish", Vanessa is not giving up though

Teams arrive at the next clue box at Plaza de la Democracia in
the following order:
 1(+0) Art & JJ, around 14:07
 2(+0) Rachel & Dave
 3(+0) Brendon & Rachel
 4(+1) Joey & Danny
 5(-1) Bopper & Mark
 6(+1) Nary & Jamie
 7(-1) Kerri & Stacy
 8(+0) Elliot & Andrew
 9(+0) Vanessa & Ralph

Road block, "Who's ready to use their head?". The players must here take part in a bottle dance. They must perform a choreographic routine, without dropping the bottle they are balancing on their head. They do not need to memorize the routine, but it does involve laying down on the ground. If they drop their bottle they must start over again. Each player is provided with 50 bottle, and if they break all of them they get a 2 hour penalty.

The most impressing sight at this road block is the girl standing next to Phil during his presentation. She has five bottles, stacked on top of each other, on her head.

We get to see a lot of bottles falling to the ground in this challenge. But only one team is unable to complete it.

The last two teams to arrive are way behind the others. And both of them are pretty sure they are dead last. But they both meet up at the road block so the race is on.

Choice quotes:
 "Art's got a big fat head, so this should be good for him", JJ
 "I have an odd-shaped head", Dave on why he struggles
 "Wow, hurry the twins are still doing it", Vanessa arrive and find they are not last

Teams complete the roadblock in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)
1(+0)Art* & JJ        (2-1)Way before anybody else even arrives at the road block
2(+0)Rachel & Dave*   (1-2)Ran out of bottles so they have a pending 2h penalty
3(+0)Brendon & Rachel*(1-2)
4(+0)Joey* & Danny    (2-1)
5(+0)Bopper & Mark*   (1-2)
6(+0)Nary* & Jamie    (2-1)
7(+0)Kerri* & Stacy   (2-1)
8(+1)Vanessa & Ralph* (1-2)
9(-1)Elliot* & Andrew (1-2)

Quote
ROUTE INFO

Make your way on foot to
the next Pit Stop:
Escalinata de Antequera.

Warning!! The last Team to
check-in may be eliminated.

Elliot & Andrew finish the road block just after Vanessa & Ralph, and the twins are in better shape. So they run as fast as they can to avoid elimination. Vanessa & Ralph run for the same reason. They are slower but have a head start.

Choice quotes:
 "Come on, we'll jump on the mat together", Bopper to Nary & Jamie as they all run from the road block

The pit stop is at a monument at the top of some nearby stairs
(~1km). Teams reach it and check in in the following order:
 1(+0) Art & JJ, win a trip to the Bahamas
       Rachel & Dave, after 17:00 and they have to wait out their 2h penalty
 2(+1) Brendon & Rachel
 3(+1) Joey & Danny, seconds after #2
 4(+1) Bopper & Mark
 5(+1) Nary & Jamie, seconds before #6 & #7
 6(-4) Rachel & Dave, 30 minutes after #2
 7(+0) Kerri & Stacy, after it has gotten dark
 8(+0) Vanessa & Ralph, not long before #9
 9(+0) Elliot & Andrew, are eliminated

According to interviews Elliot & Andrew left the road block 10 minutes after Ralph & Vanessa and were 3 minutes behind at the pit stop.

Choice quotes:
 "Today was a complete failure on us as a team.", Dave realizes they sucked this leg
 "I'd be lying if I didn't say I was devastated", Andrew

And the end credits music has this week been changed to some wonderful harp music.


Offline maf

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Re: Racing report, TAR 20, Episode 4
« Reply #5 on: March 17, 2012, 09:29:37 AM »
Racing report
Amazing Race Season 20, Episode 4, "Taste your salami"
Film date: 2-4/12-2012

Teams are released, after 26+h, from the pit stop in Asunciún, Paraguay, in the following order:
1.Art & JJ        17:10
2.Brendon & Rachel21:59(+4:49)
3.Joey & Danny    22:00(+4:50)
4.Bopper & Mark   22:08(+4:58)
5.Nary & Jamie    22:09(+4:59)
6.Rachel & Dave   22:10(+5:00)
7.Kerri & Stacy   22:45(+5:35)
8.Vanessa & Ralph 00:15(+7:05)

Route info: "Fly to Turin, Italy". When teams land they must choose a Ford Focus and drive themselves to the Lingotto building.

Choice quotes:
 "We really don't think that we should be anything but number one every leg. There is nobody that has intellect and strength that we do to win", JJ & Art disses the competition
 "Man, that's a bummer", Art & JJ realize they will have to spend the night in the airport and that everybody will catch up
 "The girls are hot as hell", Danny about the Paraguayan girls
 "We is goin' somewhere tropical", Bopper thinks Italy will be warm
 "I get distracted by sparkly things", Vanessa comments on Rachel's sparkly shirt

All teams but Bopper & Mark head directly for a travel agency. Bopper & Mark go straight to the airport, where Art & JJ tells them they have to go to a travel agency to buy their tickets first. So they go back to find a travel agency. Unfortunately by the time they book their tickets the first arriving flight is sold out, but they do not realize this until the airport where they compare their tickets. Once in Rome they try to get on the earlier flight, but to no avail.

The first seven teams seems to fly:
  PZ 716 ASU-GRU 04:15-07:01
  AZ 675 GRU-FCO 17:15-07:31+1
  AZ1413 FCO-TRN 09:20-10:48

Mark & Bopper fly the same except the last leg where they probably use:
 AZ1429 FCO-TRO 10:20-11:42

Once in Turin teams quickly find their cars and start driving. Finding the way to the Lingotto building (27km 0:35) turns out to be easier said than done.

Dave and Rachel starts bickering a little. Or rather Dave comes down hard on Rachel. She shows a little temper but they quickly resume racing.

Kerry & Stacy loose time before they realize that Stacy really can't drive a manual car and change driver. This puts them behind the other teams on the first flight.

Choice quotes:
 "There's no freaking street signs", Art find navigating Turin to be hard
 "Now I know why Italians hate Americans, cause we're idiots", Rachel when Brendon cuts off a lot of traffic

 "I used to date an Italian girl, and I could never trust her, Danny has bad experiences with Italians
 "My girlfriend is Italian and I trust her", Joey does not agree

 "Why don't you drive", Rachel is fed up with the way Dave acts in the back seat
 "God, they don't speak no English neither my brother", Mark find Italian hard

At the Lingotto building teams must park outside and then make their way up to the top of a parking garage on foot (they are not using the stairs). All teams are winded when they reach the clue box on the roof:

Choice quotes:
 "Give us a 5 minutes head start up the hill. I've got this one [pointing at Vanessa]", Ralph to Joey & Danny

They reach the clue box on the roof in the following order:
 1. Art & JJ
 2. Brendon & Rachel
 3. Joey & Danny
 4. Vanessa & Ralph
 5. Nary & Jamie
 6. Rachel & Dave
 7. Kerri & Stacy
 8. Bopper & Mark

The clue here contains a fast forward. In it teams must land a helicopter on a building. That is one of them must put on a helmet which carries a model of the helipad of the Lingotto building. The other team member must then land a small radio controlled helicopter on this pad.

This task is harder than it sounds since it is hard to control the model helicopter. It takes place quite close, but not within sight, of the clue box. There is room for three teams attempting this task at once. But that is unfortunately wasted since Art & JJ are the only ones going for this fast forward. It seems like it take them more than 30 minutes before they finally at 13:15 get it and get their next clue:
Quote
FAST FORWARD

Congratulations!
You have won the
Fast Forward!

Make your way to the
next Pit Stop,
Piazza Castello

Hurry! The last team to
check-in may be
eliminated.

Note: You must park
your Ford Focus at
Teatro Regio, then
proceed on foot to
Piazza Castello.

The other teams all follow the roadblock clue:
Quote
ROAD BLOCK

What goes up must
come down.

In this road block contestants must rappel down 120ft in the middle of the parking garage. They must grab a clue on the way down. If they fail to get the clue within 2 minutes they must run back up and try again.

Actually getting the clue poses a serious problem for some teams. It hangs just out of reach for them and you need to have a little pendular motion to reach it.

Choice quotes:
 "The fast forward is to land a helicopter to a helipad. Hmm, being a helicopter pilot I could potentially be successful at that", Dave wants to do the FF
 "Have you ever flown a hand-held helicopter", Rachel brings him back to the earth though
 "There is a bit of a marital personality conflict right now", Dave does not feel completely in sync with his wife
 "I'm terrified by heights", Stacey realize she might now be the best person for this task

Teams complete the roadblock in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)
1(+0)Brendon & Rachel*(1-3)
2(+0)Joey & Danny*    (2-2)
3(+2)Rachel* & Dave   (2-2)
4(+0)Nary & Jamie*    (2-2)Took too long and had to redo the task
5(-2)Vanessa* & Ralph (2-2)Took too long and had to redo the task
6(+0)Kerri & Stacy*   (2-2)
7(+0)Bopper* & Mark   (2-2)

Choice quotes:
 "I've got the biggest wedgie in the world right now", Danny. after the rappel
 "Do you know how much that nose cost?", Vanessa to the instructor who accidentally bumps her face while unhooking her
 "Are you trying to like cancel out your fear of heights by doing all the heights one?", Kerri to Stacy

Teams must now navigate the busy streets of Turin and make their way to the Museo Nazionale Dell'Automobile. Once there they must park on the street using the active park assist system in the sponsor's car. Then they must go into the museum and search for a 1916 Tin Lizzie (a T-Ford). where they will find their next clue.

They arrive at the museum (1km 0:03) in the following order:
 1(+0) Brendon & Rachel
 2(+0) Joey & Danny
 3(+0) Rachel & Dave
 4(+1) Vanessa & Ralph
 5(-1) Nary & Jamie
 6(+0) Kerri & Stacy
 7(+0) Bopper & Mark, as Keri & Stacy leave

Choice quotes:
 "Oh, is that the Santa Claus pub crawl", Vanessa see a lot of Santas in the street outside the museum

As they park Rachel tells Brendon to reverse quickly before any other team arrives. He bites back, and from there it escalates until Rachel has another breakdown. It takes Brendon a while to calm her down so they can continue.

The museum is fairly large and and it seems to take a while before the teams find the car. But they all do it in the same order they arrived.

The next clue is a small red and yellow miniature christmas package, which sits in the front seat of the Tin Lizzie. When teams open it they find an 2 cent Euro coin. They have to figure out that they need to go to the building depicted on the coin to find their next clue. The building is the Mole Antonelianna.

Some teams struggle with this but none as much as Brendon & Rachel who desperately look for the slot where they must put their coin to get the next clue. But in the end, around 14:00, they also figure out the puzzle and are on their way.

Choice quotes:
 "I've got my Bs in general physics, my masters in applied physics and am doing my Phd in biomedical physics", but Brendon still have trouble with the coin clue
 "Baby, as soon as I drive it's logged in my mind", Dave trusts himself rather than the directions they got from a local
 "I don't know where the center is Brendon, I don't live in Italy obviously", Rachel, who apparently did not pay any attention when they drove to the museum
 "This race truly does present some amazing opportunities", Dave is impressed by the view inside the dome in the Mole
 "Are we in a race? I'm sorry, I was playing with my park assist", Ralph can't resist playing with the car when they park at the Mole

And we get to see far too much footage of Rachel & Dave arguing over directions.

Bopper & Mark must have had a hard time locating the Mole since it is dark by the time they reach the clue on the roof.

At the Mole Antonelianna (6km 0:11) teams must ride a very slow elevator, which hangs free in the middle of a big dome, up to the roof where they find their next clue hanging from the railing. They find it in the following order:
 1(+1) Joey & Danny
 2(+1) Rachel & Dave
 3(+2) Nary & Jamie
 4(+0) Vanessa & Ralph, at 14:34
 5(-4) Brendon & Rachel, arrive as #4 leave
 6(+0) Kerri & Stacy
 7(+0) Bopper & Mark

Quote
DETOUR

Detour: 'Clean That Statue' or
'Name That Salami'

Clean That Statue: Make your
way to L'Arte Marmi. Once
there, clean and polish one of
Turin's treasured statues.
When you have completely
restored the statue to it's
former glory, the Master
Restorer will hand you your
next clue.

Name That Salami: Make
your way to the Gastronomia
Salumeria. Once there taste
a selection of different
Salamis. Then, make your
way on foot to Piazza Vittorio
Veneto, and identify those
types of Salami on a Vendor's
stand.

In clean that statue teams must first drive to the location (3km 0:08). Once there they must use the tools provided (brushes, cleaning solution and a pressure washer) to clean a statue. The judge pretends that the statues are ancient, but I don't buy that for a second. Specially since all heads have been "prepared" to fall off as soon as they are hit by the pressure washer.

The salami tasting takes place in a small shop (close by, a couple of minutes walk). Here teams will taste 14 kinds of salami. Then they have to walk ~400m to a stall and there identify the salamis. If they make a mistake they must go back to the tasting again. The kinds of salami they get to taste are: Piccante, Cacciatorino, Tartufo, Mucca, Toscano, 'Nduja, Aglio, Cotto, Cinghiale, Finocchiona, Felino, Noci, Barolo and finally Mandola.

Choice quotes:
 "I haven't had that much salami since high school", Vanessa
 "I know nothing about salami. I know they are on pizza and I like pizza", Rachel have gaps in her knowledge
 "Ohh, sexy time", Army wife Rachel upon seeing the white protective clothing they will be wearing
 "Ahhh, he's go the fun toys", Vanessa when Ralph takes command of the pressure washer
 "She's a dirty girly, but she's not the kind of dirty girl which Danny likes", Joey about their statue
 "We need to taste your salami", Kerri & Stacy to the male shop attendant
 "I can't handle it, I'm done. Amazing race is supposed to be fun and good", Rachel seems to have watched a different show than we have
 "Man, you think I'd engage somethin' that ugly?", Bopper to the Judge when he asked if he an Bopper were engaged

Teams complete the detour in the following order:
 1(+1) Rachel & Dave, statue
 2(-1) Joey & Danny, statue
 3(+1) Vanessa & Ralph, statue
 4(-1) Nary & Jamie, statue
 5(+0) Brendon & Rachel, salami, after 17:45, when it is dark outside
 6(+0) Kerri & Stacy, salami
 7(+0) Bopper & Mark, statue

Quote
ROUTE INFO

Make your way to the
next Pit Stop,
Piazza Castello

Hurry! The last team to
check-in may be
eliminated.

Note: You must park
your Ford Focus at
Teatro Regio, then
proceed on foot to
Piazza Castello.

Choice quotes:
 "It kind of sucks comin' last and be eliminated. But I still feel good about what we accomplished today", Bopper know they are last

Teams reach the pit stop at Piazza Castello(3.6km 0:10 from statue and 2km 0:06 from the Mole) in the following order:
 1(+0) Art & JJ, at 13:55 , win $5000 each
 2(+0) Rachel & Dave
 3(+0) Joey & Danny, when it is dark outside
 4(+0) Vanessa & Ralph
 5(+0) Nary & Jamie
 6(+0) Brendon & Rachel
 7(+0) Kerri & Stacy
 8(+0) Bopper & Mark, at 22:04, are saved by a non-elimination

Choice quotes:
 "This leg was a complete and utter failure from my vantage point. Our communication was lacking and Rachel and I can only improve form this point forward", Dave

Dave makes a correct assessment in his final quote. They did not communicate well, but even so they did finish second. They did will in both navigating and tasks.

Bopper & Mark get some good news at the pit stop when Art & JJ come forward and say that they will split their winnings from this leg with them. After that Phil tells them this was a non-elimination so they are still in the race.

Choice quotes:
 "You don't know what this means to me. Being on this race, it's an opportunity for me, fighting for my child. And that's all it means to me", Bopper is almost crying
« Last Edit: March 18, 2012, 09:16:17 AM by maf »

Offline Lutpay

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Re: Racing report, TAR 20, Episode 4 is on page 1
« Reply #6 on: March 17, 2012, 09:53:14 PM »
Nice review, maf!!  :hearts:

But I think the Paraguay pitstop is 27h, you can see that Brendon-Rachel (from Rachel's watch, but she didn't change her watch from LA time) checked in at 6.59 PM, just about half an hour before sunset. (7.34 or something I think)  :jam:

Offline maf

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Re: Racing report, TAR 20, Episode 4 is on page 1
« Reply #7 on: March 18, 2012, 09:20:34 AM »
But I think the Paraguay pitstop is 27h, you can see that Brendon-Rachel (from Rachel's watch, but she didn't change her watch from LA time) checked in at 6.59 PM, just about half an hour before sunset. (7.34 or something I think)  :jam:

Sorry, I meant to write 26+h (and have changed it to read such). Art & JJ reached the road block at 14:07 on the 1st.  This took some time and then they had to go to the Pit Stop. If that took 1 hour then the pit stop was 26h, but if the pit stop should have been 27h then they must have completed the road block and made their way to the pit stop in 3 minutes.

On the other hand there is also the unknown factor with production bonuses so we can never be really sure.

But I think 26+h is close enough.

Offline maf

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Re: Racing report, TAR 20, Episode 5
« Reply #8 on: March 24, 2012, 02:01:59 PM »
Racing report
Amazing Race Season 20, Episode 5, "Uglier than a mud rail fence"
Film date: 5-6/12 2011

Teams are released from the 19h pit stop, at Piazza Castello in Turin, in the following order:
1.Art & JJ        08:57
2.Rachel & Dave   11:33(+2:36)
3.Joey & Danny    12:11(+3:14)
4.Vanessa & Ralph 12:27(+3:30)
5.Nary & Jamie    12:56(+3:59)
6.Brendon & Rachel13:18(+4:21)
7.Kerri & Stacy   15:58(+7:01)
8.Bopper & Mark   17:54(+8:57)

Route info: "Make your way to the oldest state in Germany, Bavaria". Teams must now travel by train to Ehrwald, Austria. When they arrive they must drive across the border into Bavaria and make their way to the Gasthof zum rassen in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Here they must search for a sponsor gnome which has their next clue written on it.

Choice quotes:
 "It's a huge difference between two dudes running the race that work together and a husband and wife. That's all off the table. Art's an idiot most of the time and I'm letting him know it", JJ

This mixed mode of transportation to Germany seems designed to let the later teams catch up, and it partly works. Teams are spread out on 5 different trains:

Train #1
 Art & JJ

Train #2
 Rachel & Dave
 Joey & Danny

Train #3
 Vanessa & Ralph
 Nary & Jamie
 Brendon & Rachel

Train #4
 Kerri & Stacy

Train #5
 Bopper & Mark

Art & JJ is the only team which reach Ehrwald that night. But there they have to wait. They are not released until 06:30 the following morning.

The teams from train #2 probably made it as far as Garmisch-Partenkirchen, spent the night there and then took the first morning train (RB 5470) which arrived in Ehrwald at 07:01.

The remaining five teams all get stuck in Innsbrück for the night. Bopper & Mark are happy to find catch up with the others when they finally arrive early next morning. They all then board the train to Ehrwald, via Garmisch, which left at 06:38 and arrive in Ehrwald at 08:28.

At the Ehrwald station teams pick up their cars and drive to the gasthaus (72km 1:12). They arrive there in the following order:
 1. Art & JJ
 2. Joey & Danny
 3. Rachel & Dave, the first 3 teams arrive before 08:30
 4. Bopper & Mark
 5. Vanessa & Ralph
 6. Brendon & Rachel
 7. Nary & Jamie
 8. Kerri & Stacy

Choice quotes:
 "I can just about navigate myself to the mall, and that's about it", Kerri does not feel confident navigating

At 08:30 the doors open and teams enter. Inside they find a tyroler-band playing and in front of them is a table laid out for a feast. The ones feasting are the gnomes. So when teams arrive each grab one and leave immediately.

That is all teams except Bopper & Mark who encounter their speed bump here: "Participate in the traditional alpine art of Yodeling". They must first don traditional clothing and then learn to Yodel a traditional tune. The instructor here is a real gem. His facial expressions are priceless, and after their first attempt he tells them "That's the American way of yodeling" (while grimacing). But on their next attempt they get approved. Then as they are changing back into their ordinary clothes the last teams arrive, so they are last, but not far behind when leaving the gasthaus.

Quote
Detour: Fairy tale or Champion Male

Fairy tale: in the town of Oberammergau, follow a trail of
gingerbread to the Witch's house, picking up pieces as you go.
When you arrive at the Witch's house, finish constructing the roof
of a gingerbread house with the pieces you have gathered. Then,
place the finished roof on the gingerbread house and decorate it
to receive your next clue.

Champion Male: In the town of Unterammergau prepare a man
for a traditional Bavarian competition - extreme beard styling.
Once the beard is styled to his specifications, you will receive
your clue form the reigning Wold Champion!

The beard styling takes place in Unterammergau (23km 0:22). It sounds easier than building a gingerbread house, but seems to be harder. There are a lot of hair-care products to apply and the looks they must achieve are pretty extreme. Fortunately the bearded fellows are good sport and don't complain about their treatment. This can have something to do with the fact that they all seem to drink beer constantly while waiting to be styled. Once teams select a bearded fellow they get a sheet of photographs showing which beard style they must achieve.

Joey & Danny pick the guy with the longest beard. Which turns out to be a mistake since he has the most complicated design.

Brendon & Rachel and Kerri & Stacey arrive at the start of the gingerbread trail (18km 0:18) together. Or at least at the right parking lot. They miss the crate with the baskets so they run around a bit before thy find it and the actual trail head. At the end of the trail teams meet a witch, i.e. an actor in a big ugly fake nose who is stirring a bit pot while laughing manically. She turns out to be rather nice because she is also the judge and we do not see any teams who get flunked.

From Phil's twitter feed we learn that the art-department had to keep close watch over the gingerbread here because the crew was hungry.

Choice quotes:
 "You want a Mohawk as well?", Dave starts styling the poor fellow's hair as well
 "We know about our hair, so we definitely picked the right detour", Danny
 "I think beard styling might be fun", Vanessa selects detour
 "No, I don't even know what a beard is", BB Rachel don't want to do the beard detour
 "You look sexy", Army Rachel to their bearded fellow once they are done
 "I figured it would be really easy, but, it wasn't the right decision", Danny regret having chosen the man with the longest beard
 "She's uglier than a mud rail fence", Mark gets the title (said about the witch)

Teams complete the detour in the following order:
 1(+0) Art & JJ, champion male
 2(+1) Rachel & Dave, champion male
 3(-1) Joey & Danny, champion male
 4(+1) Vanessa & Ralph, champion male
 5(+2) Nary & Jamie, champion male
 6(+2) Kerri & Stacy, wanted to do champion male but couldn't find so they went with fairy tale
 7(-3) Bopper & Mark, fairy tale
 8(-2) Brendon & Rachel, fray tale

They the receive a route info clue: "Find the inspiration for sleeping beauty's castle". Team must now figure out that they are looking for Neuschwanstein castle (48km 0:50). Sadly, or perhaps fortunately, we don't get to hear any contestants try to pronounce that name. Once at the castle they must search it for Ludving's bedroom where they will find their next clue.

There is a long walk (1.5km) up to the castle. Art & JJ is the only team which buys tickets to one of the horse-drawn carriages. Vanessa also wants to ride them but Ralph overrules her, which leads to them arguing most of the stenous walk up to the castle.

Choice quotes:
 "We can't hike that, are you guys high?", Vanessa do not want to walk
 "The best part of my day was watching her run up the hill, all pissed off. The little devil inside of me was laughing because I knew that her legs were on fire", Ralph interviews afterwards

There turns out to be two castles here, each on its own hill. And the marked parking is right below the wrong one, Hohenschwangau. A number of teams: Rachel & Dave, Nary & Jamie, Kerri & Stacy and Bopper & Mark go to the wrong castle. Of these Rachel & Dave and Nary & Jamie wait for the tour at 12:50 to enter the castle. Once on the tour they have to follow it slowly through the castle, until they finally reach the bedroom. Once there they realize that they are in the wrong castle, and are luckily allowed to leave immediately. But they have lost a lot of time. Kerri & Stacey and Bopper & Mark find out that they are at the wrong castle as soon as they enter the courtyard.

Teams reach the ordinary clue box in the king's bedroom in the following order:
 1(+0) Art & JJ
 2(+1) Joey & Danny
 3(+1) Vanessa & Ralph
 4(-2) Rachel & Dave
 5(+0) Nary & Jamie, seconds after #4
 6(+2) Brendon & Rachel
 7(-1) Kerri & Stacy
 8(-1) Bopper & Mark

Quote
ROUTE INFO

Drive yourselves to the
town of Füssen and
search for the
Bundesleistungszentrum
für Eishockey und
Curling. Once there,
make your way to Halle
2 (BLZ 2).

Teams arrive at the ice-rink in Füssen (5km 0:09) in the following order:
 1(+0) Art & JJ
 2(+0) Joey & Danny
 3(+0) Vanessa & Ralph
 4(+1) Nary & Jamie
 5(+1) Brendon & Rachel
 6(-2) Rachel & Dave
 7(+0) Kerri & Stacy
 8(+0) Bopper & Mark

Here they find an ordinary clue box which holds a road block:
Quote
ROAD BLOCK

Who's ready to put it
on ice?

The extra information reads:
Quote
Use the Travelocity
Roaming Gnome to play
Eisstockschiessen! Slide
your Gnome across the
ice and land it in the
Bull's-eye!

This is very much like curling. The actual target they have to hit is quite small and the gnome must touch it when it stops. This is easier for some teams than others.

Choice quotes:
 "I never thought I would be curling gnomes", Danny reflects on the unexpectedness of life
 "I'm mad at you but I love you", Vanessa have mixed emotions
 "We've been good with our directions all day today, we can beat them there", Jamie encourages Nary when they are the only ones left

Teams complete the roadblock in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)
1(+0)Art & JJ*        (2-2)before anybody else shows up
2(+0)Joey & Danny*    (2-3)
3(+0)Vanessa & Ralph* (2-3)arrive as #2 leave
4(+2)Rachel* & Dave   (3-2)
5(+0)Brendon* & Rachel(2-3)
6(+2)Bopper & Mark*   (2-3)
7(+0)Kerri* & Stacy   (3-2)After at least 69 slides
8(-4)Nary* & Jamie    (3-2)After at least 180 slides

This was quite exciting. In the end it was between Nary & Jamie and Kerri & Stacey. They compete side by side and they both fought to avoid elimination. In the end Kerri & Stacy hit the mark about 5 minutes before the agents.

Quote
ROUTE INFO

Make your way to the
next Pit Sop: Bei,
Landhannes in
Schwangau-Horn. Once
there, search for Phil and
the mat.

Warning! The last team
to check-in may be
eliminated!!

The pit stop is on Landhannes farm (3km 0:06). Actually it is in a barn and Phil and the greeter are surrounded by cows.

This pit stop is fairly close to the road block so most teams seem to make it there without any problems. But not Kerri & Stacy. They get bad directions and seem confused. The pressure is on because they know that Nary & Jamie are not far behind, and that they are battling to stay in the race. In the end the navigational skills of Nary & Jamie trumps the head start of Kerri & Stacy got.

Teams reach Phil in the following order:
 1(+0) Art & JJ, win a trip to Thailand
 2(+0) Joey & Danny
 3(+0) Vanessa & Ralph
 4(+0) Rachel & Dave
 5(+0) Brendon & Rachel
 6(+0) Bopper & Mark
 7(+1) Nary & Jamie
 8(-1) Kerri & Stacy, are eliminated

Choice quotes:
 "Third first place finish in a row. I would like to ask you to both withdraw from the race to give other teams a chance", Phil jokingly to Art & JJ
 "Oh my god, are you ok? Holy manure!", Rachel to Brendon after he slips on the mat

Offline georgiapeach

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Re: Racing report, TAR 20, Episode 5 is on page 1
« Reply #9 on: March 24, 2012, 02:06:23 PM »
I treasure these maf!! Always an outstanding job, thanks so much for sharing them!!
RFF's Golden Rule:
Have RESPECT for each other, regardless of opinion. This of course includes no flaming/insulting other users and/or their posts.


Offline Jimmer

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Re: Racing report, TAR 20, Episode 5 is on page 1
« Reply #10 on: March 24, 2012, 04:57:28 PM »
Do we know what time the teams checked in at the pitstop in Germany?

Offline apskip

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Re: Racing report, TAR 20, Episode 5 is on page 1
« Reply #11 on: March 24, 2012, 09:26:27 PM »
Jimmer25,

We seldom are able to develop that type of information in advance of a telecast. We typically wait for the release times and then back-calculate the check-in times based on an assumption about the length of the pit stop.

Offline maf

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Re: Racing report, TAR 20, Episode 6
« Reply #12 on: April 06, 2012, 04:05:43 AM »
Racing report
Amazing Race Season 20, Episode 6, "This is wicked strange"
Film date: 7-8/12 (probably)

All driving distances and times in Azerbaijan should be taken with a big pitch of salt since I am unsure about a number of locations.

Teams are released from the pit stop in Bavaria in the following order:
1.Art & JJ        08:48
2.Joey & Danny    09:17(+0:29)
3.Vanessa & Ralph 09:19(+0:31)
4.Rachel & Dave   10:57(+2:09)
5.Brendon & Rachel11:17(+2:29)
6.Bopper & Mark   11:41(+2:53)
7.Nary & Jamie    11:42(+2:54)
Teams receive $167 for this leg.

Route info: "Fly to the land of fire, Azerbaijan". Teams must now drive themselves to the Münich airport (162km 1:51) and fly from there to Baku.

Brendon & Rachel are the only ones shown going to a local travel agency before making for the airport. This is a very good idea, but in this case it does not help them. All teams end up on the same flights via Istanbul:
  TK1636 MUC-IST 18:36-22:02 (scheduled departure was 18:20)
  TK338  IST-GYD 23:30-04:10

When waiting for an elevator at the airport in Münich Joey & Danny argue about if they should have said hello to Vanessa & Ralph in the parking garage. Meanwhile Vanessa & Ralph quietly arrive just behind them, Vanessa gets to say hi to the camera.

Choice quotes:
 "...we both know that we're one road block or detour away from being humbled", JJ knows they can fall through any time
 "The last leg, obviously, we weren't very nice to each other", Ralph realize they need to improve
 "If we just stop screwing up, we will win something", Vanessa is optimistic
 "Do you think we're going to Africa?", Bopper does not know where Azerbaijan is

In Baku teams jump into cabs and head for Temple Atashgah (10km 0:13). Despite the early hour (just before 5 in the morning) the temple is full of life. There are fires burning, musicians playing and there is a lot of dancing. There is however a noticeable lack of clues to be found. The closest thing to a clue is a locked door with a sign "Open at Sunrise". So there is nothing to do but wait. Most teams joins the dancers to pass the time.

Choice quotes:
 "This is like an ancient rave", Dave feels the rhythm

At sunrise, around 07:30, a guy comes and unlocks the door. Inside
teams find their next clue, lying on a small platter. Teams open their clues in the following order:
 1. Rachel & Dave
 2. Joey & Danny
 3. Nary & Jamie
 4. Art & JJ
 5. Brendon & Rachel
 6. Bopper & Mark
 7. Vanessa & Ralph

This envelope contains a route info and a fast forward.

Quote
FAST FORWARD

At Saman Ot Bazary
become part of
Azerbaijan's agricultural
workforce!

Note: As many as three
teams can compete in
this even until
somebody wins!

The route info tells teams to go to Occupational Training Int'l and search the grounds for their next clue.

Rachel & Dave and Joey & Danny both head for the fast forward. When they arrive at the fast forward location (20km 0:30) they are greeted by a sign which reads:
Quote
The first team to unload and stack 150 bales of
hay will receive the Fast Forward award.
There are three trucks available.
First come first served.
There is a finished example of stacked hay.

Teams must figure out that they need to stack the hay 10 by 3 and 5 high, just like the example. Dave & Joey climb up on their respective trucks and start throwing down bales to their partners. Rachel & Dave have a small head start, less than a minute, but Joey & Danny feel confident since this is a very physical task and Rachel is a girl.

It is all very exciting and both teams are stacking hay furiously. Rachel may not be as strong as Danny, but Dave compensates by throwing down their bales on top of their stack so she don't have to carry them as long. Joey on the other hand throws them down on the ground next to the stack Danny is building. Dave also dares to push down the bales at the extreme edge, something Joey doesn't do. But Joey & Danny work on and look confident and are almost done when they suddenly hear Dave & Rachel screaming that they are done. It turns out that in this task a little bit of technique and teamwork beat raw physical strength. Rachel's heroic effort also helped a lot.

Choice quotes:
 "We take a little bit of a risk, but we want first place today man", Danny
 "The rules say that once you've done a fast forward you can't do another one", Art & JJ explains why they did not go for the FF
 "We've done everything without a strategy so far", Danny is just stapling hay bales
 "We're gonna beat them bro", Joey & Danny feel comfortable
 "They're killing us", Rachel feels the pressure
 "What? Are they done?", Joey is flabbergasted
 "Bro worry about us, they're not done. No way", Danny can't believe the other team is done
 "See, when we use teamwork we're awesome. You just have to remember that Dave", Rachel rubs it in
 "Got beat by a fricking girl", Danny is upset

So Rachel & Dave win the fast forward and can go directly to the pit stop while Joey & Danny have to go to Occupational training Int'l (20km 0:22) to pick up the trail.

Meanwhile the other teams arrive at Occupational Training Int'l (28km 0:50) and search for their next clue. Some teams have a hard time finding it while other seem to run straight to the big metal box painted in race colors standing out in the open. Teams find this clue in the following order:
 1(+4) Bopper & Mark
 2(+0) Nary & Jamie
 3(+0) Art & JJ
 4(+0) Brendon & Rachel
 5(+1) Vanessa & Ralph
 6(-5) Joey & Danny

Choice quotes:
 "This guy is driving like an absolute maniac", Bopper about their taxi driver
 "Poor Mark, he's over there hurling in the back", JJ sees that Mark gets car stick in his cab

Quote
ROAD BLOCK

What goes down must
come up!

In this road block team members must take part in a helicopter ditch rescue exercise. They will be strapped into a helicopter mock up which is then submerged under water and rotated 180 degrees so they are hanging upside down. They must then push out their window and swim out through the resulting hole up to the surface and fetch their next clue from a rescue raft.

The task is fairly linear insofar there is nothing you can do to get ahead of any other teams. But it is probably easy to freak out and not be able to complete the task, which would put you behind the other teams. There are lots of safety divers in the water so there is no real danger to the teams.

Nobody freaks out, even if some contestants are a bit scared. They go down in the following order:

Session #1: JJ, Bopper, Jamie
Session #2: Brendon
Session #3: Vanessa
Session #4: Joey

Choice quotes:
 "Bopper's got a bad crush on her", Mark to Nary while they are discussing Jamie
 "I couldn't get the window open so I started to panic", JJ almost failed
 "Oh, my life jacket wasn't even on", Vanessa is glad that the instructor notices these small details
 "Oh, I don't wanna do this", Vanessa is anxious
 "I'm worried because she is not fond of close spaces or being under water. And she gets both of them here", Ralph about Vanessa
 "She's gonna be pretty pissed that her hair is wet", Ralph, jokingly, after Vanessa is done

Rachel had a hard time opening the window so a safety diver can be seen making for her. But just then she gets it open and escapes.

Teams complete the roadblock in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)
1(+1)Nary & Jamie*    (3-3)
2(+1)Art & JJ*        (2-3)
3(-2)Bopper* & Mark   (3-3)
4(+0)Brendon* & Rachel(3-3)at 09:10
5(+0)Vanessa* & Ralph (3-3)
6(+0)Joey* & Danny    (3-3)

Quote
ROUTE INFO

Find Toghrul Karabakh
Carpet Shop in Old
Town Baku and search
for your next clue.

Teams arrive at the carpet shop (26km 0:30) in the following order:
 1(+3) Brendon & Rachel
 2(+1) Bopper & Mark
 3(-1) Art & JJ
 4(-3) Nary & Jamie, within seconds of #1
 5(+0) Vanessa & Ralph
 6(+0) Joey & Danny

The next clue is standing on a rolled up carpet along the wall in this shop. Everybody just runs in and grab a clue, except Vanessa & Ralph who start looking inside the carpets. But eventually they also see the clue and leave.

Choice quotes:
 "Oh my god, we are buffoons", Vanessa when she finally spies the clue

Quote
DETOUR

Detour: Apple or Oil

Apple: Make your way to
the Yaşuk Bazar Fruit Market
and find the marked cars
filled with apples. Then
unload the car until you find
the Race Apple, and hand
to the Apple Vendor in
exchange for your next clue.

Oil: Make your way to the
Naftalan Health Center in
Badanar Settlement and
find the oil baths. Then
scrape and scrub the oil off
the body of a soaking
patient to receive your next
clue.

In the apples detour teams travel to a bazaar (4km 0:11) where they will find a small car where the back seat and trunk are filled to the brim with almost a ton of apples. It is actually quite impressive to see how many apples they manage to get into these small cars. One apple has a race flag stuck into it, looking a bit like leaves. It is hard to miss when you see it, but teams do not know that so some of them carefully look at each apple. It is probably easier to spot the marked apple in the cars filled with green apples than in those with red apples. Teams may not just throw the apples on the ground but must put them in the provided boxes.

In oil teams travel to a health clinic (3.6km 0:10) and there they will first have to watch as a tub is filled with warm crude oil and a local man steps into it to soak. After his bath teams must scrape as much oil as possible off him and then scrub and shower him clean. The task is gross and time consuming, but still faster than the apples option.

Choice quotes:
 "Scrub somebody, that's kinda gross", Nary is glad they choose apple
 "We decided to come play with some more fruit", Ralph have not so fond memories of watermelons
 "He's either yelling at us to go faster or something about Vanessa's melons", Ralph does not understand what the locals are shouting
 "I don't think he can even see my melons, but I'm going commando", Vanessa gives us too much detail
 "It's crazy these apples. The further down you gets it seems like they multiply", Ralph finds that the car contains a LOT of apples
 "I'm getting apple avalanches, it's way to reminiscent of the watermelons", Vanessa have unpleasant flashbacks
 "It's like a needle in a haystack you know? Even worse, it's an apple in an apple stack", Joey

 "Is this normal?", JJ when oil start flowing out of the spigot
 "Art, this is wicked strange", JJ gets the title when scraping oil from the patient
 "It'd be haaard to get me in that tub", Bopper does not think the oil treatment is for him
 "What the hell is going on in my life", Art is amused by the bizarre situation
 "This is the uncomfortable part", Rachel gets to the tights of their patient
 "How about you focus on what we gotta do instead of fricking trying to be funny", JJ to Art
 "I don't think he minds that I'm rubbing him all over", Rachel about their patient

Teams complete the detour in the following order:
 1(+2) Art & JJ, oil
 2(+0) Bopper & Mark, oil
 3(-2) Brendon & Rachel, oil, after 10:14
 4(+0) Nary & Jamie, apple
 5(+0) Vanessa & Ralph, apple, at 11:14
 6(+0) Joey & Danny, apple

Quote
ROUTE INFO

Make your way to the
next Pit Stop:
'Boulevard Esplanade
Estakada'

Warning!! The last Team
to check-in may be
eliminated.

As usual this part is cut to make it look like there is a tense race between the last two teams. So we see Vanessa & Ralph having taxi trouble while Joey & Danny seem to fly through the detour. The editors can't hide the fact that Joey & Danny arrive after Ralph & Vanessa have already left the apples, so we know they are quite a bit behind. From interviews given after the race we also learn that it took them around an hour to find the marked apple. So in reality they weren't even close. But it made for reasonably good television.

Choice quotes:
 "I think that's it. I can smell Phil's cologne", Dave gets close to the pit stop
 "Whoo, cheese and crackers", Vanessa upon learning they are next to last

Teams reach Phil in the following order:
 1(+0) Rachel & Dave, at 09:19, each win a new car from one of the sponsors
 2(+0) Art & JJ
 3(+0) Bopper & Mark, just before 11:00
 4(+0) Brendon & Rachel, seconds after #3
 5(+0) Nary & Jamie
 6(+0) Vanessa & Ralph
 7(+0) Joey & Danny, are eliminated

Choice quotes:
 "Everything we've done in this race was new to both of us, so we just have to thankful we got to experience new places", Danny
« Last Edit: April 06, 2012, 12:44:38 PM by maf »

Offline maf

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Re: Racing report, TAR 20, Episode 7
« Reply #13 on: April 14, 2012, 03:57:58 PM »
Racing report
Amazing Race Season 20, Episode 7, "I didn't make her cry"
Film date: 8-10/12 (probably)

Teams are released from the pit stop in Baku in the following order:
1.Rachel & Dave   09:15
2.Art & JJ        10:45(+1:30)
3.Bopper & Mark   10:55(+1:40)
4.Brendon & Rachel10:56(+1:41)
5.Nary & Jamie    11:32(+2:17)
6.Vanessa & Ralph 11:35(+2:20)
The pit stop was probably 12h.

Route info: "Fly to the gateway to Africa's wildlife heritage Kilimanjaro, Tanzania". The clue also tells teams they have to go to Pasha travel agency to buy their tickets.

Choice quotes:
 "We feel like we are the front runners. We're hoping that some of the dead weight jumps off i.e. the Big Brother team. I'm so tired of them following us.", JJ does not like Brendon & Rachel
 "Ohhh, free candy", Bopper strikes gold at the travel agency
 "We can still run faster than them", Nary & Jamie upon learning that Art & JJ think they are cops
 "I wish there was a quicker flight than 10am", BB Rachel tries to confuse the other teams (who are not buying it)

At the travel agency there is tension. First because BB Rachel sits down right next to Art & JJ to overhear their ticket bookings. Which is not appreciated. Then Art & JJ let the other teams know that they suspect that Nary & Jamie are not kindergarten teachers. They suspect this because the girls know too much law enforcement shop-talk. Art & JJ see this as stirring the pot and hope it will distract the other teams.

Much of the flight to Kilimanjaro is unknown. We know that they flew through Nairobi and probably took PW728 NBO-JRO 22:00-23:00 to Kilimanjaro.

At the Nairobi airport teams have to go to the transfer desk. It seems that in the haste to get there Brendon bumped into Ralph. Ralph says "Easy buddy" and Brendon responds by giving Ralph the finger. This leads to a somewhat heated exchange in the transfer desk queue:

Choice quotes:
 "Mind where you put that finger buddy", Ralph
 "I'm here to play baby", Brendon responds
 "No, you're here to follow bro, you're not here to play", Art & JJ to Brendon
 "Now it's getting feisty", Nary observes from the side line
 "You guys are crazy, go put on some more sparkles", Vanessa to Brendon & Rachel
 "How old are you? Aren't you like 38?", Rachel tries to insult Vanessa
 "Yea, I'm 38 and somehow I still look younger than you", but Vanessa blocks the insult and returns it
 "Honey, get you nose done before you get your boobs done", Vanessa delivers the coup de grace to a speechless Rachel

 "That they are even in the same race as us is disgusting", JJ really does not like Brendon & Rachel
 "This whole game has been all about Vanessa trash-talking me and I'm tired of it. All she does is say mean things and name-calling", Rachel starts crying again
 "I didn't make her cry, her lack of self esteem made her cry", Vanessa gets the title

Also in Nairobi Art & JJ confront Nary & Jamie with their suspicions that they are not kindergarten teachers. The girls stick to their cover-story. But all Art & JJ wanted was to do was to stir the pots and get the other teams distracted.

When teams finally land in Kilimanjaro it is dark outside, They run out to the taxis to reach Arusha airport (58km 0:47) where they will sign up for charter flights with Excel to the Ngorongoro crater.

Choice quotes:
 "Art & JJ, snobby McSnobsters", BB Rachel does not like Art & JJ
 "It's kind of upsetting that team Big Baby got ahead of us", Vanessa about Brendon & Rachel
 "We need to worry about us today", Ralph wants her to focus on their own game instead

Teams end up on the following flights:

Flight #1 09:30
 1. Art & JJ
 2. Brendon & Rachel

Flight #2 09:45
 3. Bopper & Mark
 4. Rachel & Dave

Flight #3 10:00
 5. Nary & Jamie
 6. Vanessa & Ralph

They have to spend the night at this small airport before they fly out the next morning.

Choice quotes:
 "Not only am I motivated to beat them. I'm motivated to destroy them", BB Rachel is motivated today
 "I think somebody's gonna end up crying by the end of the day", Art makes a wild guess
 "Just don't let it be you Art", JJ responds

At the end of the flight they land on a small airstrip (just outside Ngorongoro) and the plane stops next to a line of cars. The next clue awaits in a pouch hanging from a pair of spears stuck into the ground. Teams reach it in the following order:
 1(+1) Brendon & Rachel
 2(-1) Art & JJ
 3(+1) Rachel & Dave
 4(-1) Bopper & Mark
 ? Nary & Jamie
 ? Vanessa & Ralph

Route info: "Choose a safari vehicle with a driver...". Teams must now choose a safari vehicle and navigate their driver to the western rim of the Ngorongoro crater. Here they will find a Massai warrior with some bicycles who will hand them their next clue.

Choice quotes:
 "Look zebras. Oh my god, this is so cool", BB Rachel enjoys the ride
 "This place is beautiful man, and I mean beautiful", Mark lacks  words
 "We were pointed in a direction that didn't have a road", Army Rachel got hard to use directions
 "My great great grandpa was a slave, and I think he came from this area", Mark

Teams find the bicycle man (~6km) in the following order:
 1(+1) Art & JJ
 2(-1) Brendon & Rachel, seconds after #1
 3(+0) Rachel & Dave
 4(+0) Bopper & Mark, a few minutes after #3
 5(??) Nary & Jamie
 6(??) Vanessa & Ralph, seconds after #5

Quote
DETOUR

Detour: 'Marksmanship' or
'Courtship'

Marksmanship: Train with
young warriors for the hunt
by throwing a traditional
Masai hunting weapon
know as a "Rungu" at clay
targets.

Courtship: Participate in a
courtship ritual performed
by young warriors...

Both detours require teams to choose a bicycle and pedal down to Sineto village. The bikes are rather tall but Vanessa is the only one having real problems with it. But she has such a hard time on the bikes so after a couple of falls she decide to walk the bike instead.

In marksmanship team members must throw a small wooden club on a moving clay target. The targets sit on the rim of a bicycle wheel which is kept spinning through a wonderful contraption consisting of a bike without wheels and some long chains. When both team members have scored a hit they will receive their next clue.

In courtship teams join in a traditional jumping ceremony which is know as a Dumu. Basically all the teams need to do is jump up and down for a minute. The only difficulty is that the village is on an elevation of nearly 8000 feet, so it might be exhausting.

It is clear that the courtship option is way faster than marksmanship. So we are left to wonder why four teams select to throws the Rungus.

Choice quotes:
 "We are hoping not to die", Art & JJ, as well as most others, find the bike ride scary
 "This is the coolest thing ever", BB Rachel likes the village
 "This is an ancient bike", Dave
 "Hey Mark & Bopper, courtship", Brendon gives a tip
 "Yeah, white men can jump", Bopper while doing courtship
 "Ralph, I can't ride it. It's too tall", Vanessa gives up on the bike

Teams complete the detour in the following order:
 1(+1) Brendon & Rachel, courtship
 2(-1) Art & JJ, marksmanship, at 11:07
 3(+1) Bopper & Mark, courtship
 4(-1) Rachel & Dave, marksmanship, arrived at the village at 11:15
 5(+0) Nary & Jamie
 6(+0) Vanessa & Ralph, arrive at the range as #5 are leaving

After the detour Vanessa apologies for causing them to lose so much time. But Ralph acts grown up and does not blame her.

Route info: "Drive along the western rim and search for the Simba campsite, you must direct your driver". Teams must now ride their bikes back up to the cars and the direct their driver to the Simba A campsite (they did pass the road to it on the way from the airport).

One the ride back up to the cars Art & JJ pass Brendon & Rachel.

Choice quotes:
 "This isn't it, this is just Japanese tourists though, Art & JJ have a hard time finding their way (at 11:50)
 "Another frustrating day, but as of now Art & JJ are out in front in the wrong direction. Which is very good for us", Brendon have just found out that they were going in the wrong direction
 "I can't believe it, we went the wrong way", Art & JJ finally learn they are going the wrong way (at 12:25)

At the Simba campsite (3km) teams find their next clue attached to a shield sitting on two spears trust into the ground. They reach it in the following order:
 1(+3) Rachel & Dave
 2(-1) Brendon & Rachel
 3(+0) Bopper & Mark, seconds after #2
 4(-2) Art & JJ, at 12:47
 5(+0) Nary & Jamie, not long after #4
 6(+0) Vanessa & Ralph

Quote
ROUTE INFO

Set up your camp for the
night!

Build and furnish your safari
tent, complete with bush
shower, to the satisfaction
of the Camp Manager.
Once the Camp Manager
turns on your shower and
the water flows, you may
get back in your vehicle and
proceed to the Simba B
Special Campsite and
search for Phil and the mat!

Warning!! The last team to
check-in may be eliminated.

Teams must first unload the materials needed from a truck. Then erect an elaborate camp. The hardest part is the tent, or rather the quite finicky metal frame of the tent. But then there are lots of accessories as well so the entire task is quite time consuming. The good thing about this is that it allows all teams to catch up so they compete side by side to complete their campsites.

Choice quotes:
 "Where the hell are all the other teams", Dave is surprised they are first to arrive at the campsite
 "This might be in the deep recesses of my army skill-set", Dave thinks he might have an edge
 "I'm telling you baby, something is not right", Dave has a, correct, feeling something is wrong with their frame
 "I heard you the first five times", But Rachel grows tired of hearing him say it over and over again
 "Don't whine, whining doesn't get you anywhere", Rachel grows really tired of Dave's complaining
 "That's why we're not here with our wives", JJ hears Dave & Rachel arguing
 "When communication is flowing and we're supportive of one another, we are unstoppable", Eventually Dave & Rachel find the problem and start working together
 "It's hard because there's different pieces and they all look similar, but if you don't put them in the right place it's not gonna go properly", Jamie is having problems
 "Don't fart on me Bop, whatever you do", Mark works behind and below Bopper
 "I felt like a woman", JJ makes the beds inside the tent
 "All the other teams already have their tarps up. I mean we are way behind", Nary is getting desperate
 "Dammit, if they get it I'm gonna kick myself", JJ can't stand being beaten by Mark & Bopper
 "You look as though you need a drink", The judge to Art when he is done
 "We haven't slept in 3 days, we're extremely hungry, tired, need water", Jamie on why it is hard
 "We know all the teams have gone, and we are pretty tuckered up by now. But we have to finish this, we're not giving up", Nary is not giving up
 "This is where a lot of guys at work have been wanting us, Nary and I in a shower together. Now they got it, but we ain't looking so hot right now", Nary & Jamie erect their shower

Nary & Jamie really struggle with their tent and fall way behind the others. Mark & Bopper are the first to call for inspection, but they have forgotten to fill their shower so Rachel & Dave get approved before them.

Teams complete their campsites in the following order:
 1(+0) Rachel & Dave
 2(+1) Bopper & Mark
 3(+1) Art & JJ
 4(-2) Brendon & Rachel
 5(+1) Vanessa & Ralph
 6(-1) Nary & Jamie

They then rush to their cars to drive to the pit stop. They reach Phil (2km) in the following order:
 1(+0) Rachel & Dave, win a trip to Costa Rica
 2(+0) Bopper & Mark, sometimes after 15
 3(+0) Art & JJ, at 15:28
 4(+0) Brendon & Rachel
 5(+0) Vanessa & Ralph
 6(+0) Nary & Jamie, are saved by a non-elimination

On their way to Phil Nary & Jamie know they are last, so when they see a herd of elephants they stop to admire them for a short while.

Choice quotes:
 "Phil,why do you always have to be on the top of a hill?", Army Rachel is exhausted
 "I really don't have any desire to speak with them, honestly. There is no need for us to be friends with them this race", Vanessa about Brendon & Rachel

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Re: Racing report, TAR 20, Episode 8
« Reply #14 on: April 23, 2012, 12:02:33 AM »
Racing report
Amazing Race Season 20, Episode 8, "Let them drink their haterade"
Film date: 11/12 - 2012 (probably)

Teams are released from the, probably 15h, pit stop next to the Ngorongoro crater in the following order:
1.Rachel & Dave   06:03
2.Bopper & Mark   06:05(+0:02)
3.Art & JJ        06:23(+0:20)
4.Brendon & Rachel06:48(+0:45)
5.Vanessa & Ralph 07:18(+1:15)
6.Nary & Jamie    09:21(+3:18)

Route info: "Take a drive through Africa's garden of Eden, the Ngorongoro crater". Teams will now go on safari and descend into the Ngorongoro crater. When they emerge from the carter they must travel to Safari Junction where they should search for Hillary Clington. Teams are given a safari vehicle with a driver. Teams also learn that there will be a double U-turn during this leg of the race.

In a flashback from leg 5 we get to see when Art & JJ and Rachel & Dave and Joey & Danny agree to U-turn Brendon & Rachel.

Nary & Jamie wear matching T-shirts with the text "I'm with my BFF" and a big arrow pointing at their team mate, cute.

Choice quotes:
 "I injured my knee the last leg", Bopper
 "The more the hater hate, the more.. stronger Brendon and I get. Let them drink their haterade", Rachel gets the title

Once they start down into the crater teams forget the race and are mesmerized by the scenery and wildlife they encounter. It feels like a well deserved break from the race.

But once they are out of the crater they race on Karatu (approx 80km from pit start). Now firmly in race mode again teams arrive in Karatu and start searching for Hillary Clington. This turns out to be a small road side shop. Teams reach it in the following order:
 1(+0) Rachel & Dave
 2(+0) Bopper & Mark
 3(+0) Art & JJ
 4(+0) Brendon & Rachel
 5(+0) Vanessa & Ralph, at 10:34, after spending half an hour to search for it
 6(+0) Nary & Jamie

While searching for Hillary Clington Vanessa & Ralph come upon one of the detour locations. But they are smart enough to know that they have missed a clue that they must keep searching for it.

Quote
DETOUR

Detour: 'Water Supply' or
'Air Supply'

Water Supply: Fill up
nine containers with
water from the
communal well in
Bondeni and deliver
them to a nearby home
to receive your next clue.

Air Supply: On Kona Ya
Mbulu, patch and fix two
flat tires on a bicycle.
When one of the children
takes a successful ride
on the bicycle, you will
receive your next clue.

In water supply teams must pick up a cart and nine containers from a specific address. They must then go to the communal well and wait in line for their turn to fill the containers. Once filled they should return them to the same address. The catch is that there is a long line to the well, and the cart they are given does not hold all containers so some must be carried.

In air supply teams must repair a flat bicycle tire. They must do this in the local style without removing the wheel from the bike.

Choice quotes:
 "Guys, lets stay in front. No U-turning each other", Army Rachel to Bopper & Mark
 "That was a good call, this is simple", Art & JJ have selected water but have not seen the line yet
 "That's probably from your screwdriver", Dave blames Rachel that their fix did not take
 "Everybody we talked to genuinely wanted to help us", JJ is impressed by the local people
 "Better get used to thinking about the next challenge because we know we will be doing it", Vanessa knows they are behind Brendon & Rachel and the U-turn is coming up

Bopper and Mark skip the demonstration and start to work on their bike immediately, this allows them to overtake Rachel & Dave.

Team complete the detour in the following order:
 1(+1) Bopper & Mark, air supply
 2(-1) Rachel & Dave, air supply, leave just as Brendon & Rachel arrive
 3(+0) Art & JJ, water, probably at 10:10
 4(+0) Brendon & Rachel, air supply
 5(+0) Vanessa & Ralph, air supply
 4(+0) Brendon & Rachel, water
 5(+0) Vanessa & Ralph, water
 6(+0) Nary & Jamie, air supply

As Vanessa & Ralph leave the air supply detour they encounter Nary &
Jamie who have just arrived. This means that the girls have made up a lot of time by now.

Quote
ROUTE INFO

Make your way on foot to
Jack Stelzer Pub in
Karatu.

Caution: Double U-Turn
Ahead!

According to some locals the pub is about 3km away, others say 1km.

Choice quotes:
 "My leg is down on me Bubba. I can't jog me to hard on it", Mark has a bad knee
 "Rachel & Dave would have done it", JJ thinks they are first to the U-turn since nobody has been U-turned

Teams reach the U-turn sign in the following order:
 1(+0) Bopper & Mark
 2(+0) Rachel & Dave
 3(+0) Art & JJ, U-turns Brendon & Rachel
 4(+0) Brendon & Rachel, U-turns Vanessa & Ralph
 5(+0) Vanessa & Ralph
 6(+0) Nary & Jamie

Choice quotes:
 "I don't wanna U-turn anyone. These teams are so far behind", Army Rachel about why they don't U-turn
 "We are done with Big Brother, that is why we U-turned them", JJ
 "We are so gonna get eliminated. I'm so pissed off right now", Ralph sees they are U-turned

Quote
ROUTE INFO

Make your way to Gem
Gallery & Arts and
search for your next
clue.

Note: You will find Gem
Gallery & Arts at the
turnoff for the Lake
Manyara Airport.

Teams jump into taxis for the trip to the art gallery. On the way
Ralph & Vanessa encounter a problem in form of a flat tire. Luckily
for them their driver manages to replace it quickly. But that still
allows Nary & Jamie to get closer.

Teams reach the art gallery and find their next clue in a bag
outside in the following order:
 1(+1) Rachel & Dave
 2(-1) Bopper & Mark, a minute or so after #1
 3(+0) Art & JJ
 4(+0) Brendon & Rachel
 5(+0) Vanessa & Ralph
 6(+0) Nary & Jamie, arrive seconds after Vanessa & Ralph

Nary & Jamie are astonished that they have managed to catch up with
Vanessa & Ralph at the art gallery. Unfortunately for them they still
have their speed bump, which they find here. They must set up a
display stand with local art. They are given a reference painting which
shows which works should be put where. The task is pretty
straightforward but made a little bit harder by the wind. But the
hardest thing about the task is probably the dust left behind by
Vanessa & Ralph as they continue racing.

Choice quotes:
 "All I know is that we are at least third, and that would be because Dave & Rachel did not honor their word. Which I do not think Dave would do", JJ is obsessed by the U-turn

Quote
ROUTE INFO

Make your way to the
town of Mto Wa Mbu and
find Margaret's farm

Mark & Bopper have a more aggressive taxi driver who manage to pass Rachel &
Dave on the road. Teams reach the farm in the following order:
 1(+1) Bopper & Mark, at 10:45
 2(-1) Rachel & Dave, not long after #1
 3(+0) Art & JJ, at 11:05, arrive as #1 leave
 4(+0) Brendon & Rachel
 5(+0) Vanessa & Ralph
 6(+0) Nary & Jamie

Quote
ROAD BLOCK

To bee or not to bee?

In this road block contestants must put on a protective suit and
harvest 500g of honey from a beehive.

Choice quotes:
 "...be absolutely calm, these are African bees and they will sting", The instructor to Mark
 "Hey guys, why didn't you do the U-turn", JJ greets Rachel & Dave for the first time today
 "The teacher's gonna be so far behind", Rachel on why they didn't U-turn
 "In fact I don't feel like talking to them ever again, I don't really give a crap", JJ is really upset that Dave didn't U-turn

Here we see that Art and, mainly, JJ are really upset that Dave didn't
U-turn Brendon & Rachel. But from a strategy point of view Rachel & Dave
are right, there should not be any point in U-turning anybody since
Nary & Jamie are so far behind. But for Art & JJ this seems to be personal.

Teams complete the roadblock in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)
1(+0)Bopper & Mark*   (3-4)
2(+0)Rachel & Dave*   (3-3)Not long after #1
3(+0)Art* & JJ        (3-3)at 11:20
4(+0)Brendon & Rachel*(3-4)
5(+0)Vanessa & Ralph* (3-4)
6(+0)Nary* & Jamie    (4-3)

Route info: "Make your way on foot to the next pit stop". The next pit
stop is by Lake Manyara.

Choice quotes:
 "On foot, we're in trouble", Bopper with his bad knee

There is a footrace for first place. Mart & Bopper have the lead, but
are hindered by Boppers bad knee. Rachel & Dave play catchup. But in
the end Mark & Bopper manage to keep in front and arrive at the pit
stop just before Rachel & Dave.

The greeter at this pit stop is a four man band playing local
music. They have added extra red and yellow bands
to their clothing to better fit in with the race theme. Phil stands
there digging the music wearing a Panama hat as teams reach him in the following order:
 1(+0) Bopper & Mark, win a trip to Hawaii
 2(+0) Rachel & Dave, probably less than a minute after #1
 3(+0) Art & JJ, probably at 11:35
 4(+0) Brendon & Rachel
 5(+0) Vanessa & Ralph
 6(+0) Nary & Jamie, are eliminated

Choice quotes:
 "I'm excited, he's being a poor loser", Rachel about Dave at the pit stop

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Re: Racing report, TAR 20, Episode 9
« Reply #15 on: April 29, 2012, 03:40:49 PM »
Racing report
Amazing Race Season 20, Episode 9, "Bollywood Travolta"
Film date: 12-14/12 - 2012 (probably)

The episode starts with a scene from Bopper & Mark's hotel room 6 hours before start. A doctor comes to examine Bopper's knee. In the end he declares him fit for racing as long as he wears the brace.

Teams are released from the pit stop near lake Manyara in the following order:
1.Bopper & Mark   21:06
2.Rachel & Dave   21:07(+0:01)
3.Art & JJ        21:32(+0:26)
4.Brendon & Rachel23:55(+2:49)
5.Vanessa & Ralph 01:31(+4:25)

Route info: "Make your way to India". Teams must now fly to Cochin, on arrival they should make their way to Rajiv Gandhi Municipal bus terminal and from there take a local bus to Sacred heart college in Thevara where they will find their next clue.

The clue also tells them to go to Rickshaw travel (a couple of minutes away) to get their tickets. This is probably yet another travel agency which the production have convinced to stay open for the racers.

Choice quotes:
 "We're not about to do JJ's dirty work", Army Rachel did not feel compelled to U-turn in the last leg
 "Art & JJ want nothing to do with us. They are treating us like we did a terrible thing to them, but we're not here to make friends, we're here to win", Army Rachel

At the travel agency Art & JJ completely ignore Rachel & Dave. Vanessa & Ralph arrive long after the other teams have gone. Vanessa starts researching flights on the internet and it seems like it is she who find the flight they end up using.

It seems as if Vanessa & Ralph travel via Nairobi and Dubai:
  PW723 JRO-NBO 06:00-07:00
  WK720 NBO-DXB 16:35-22:22
  IX434 DXB-COK 23:55-05:20

And the others go via Dar es Salam and Doha:
  PW435 JRO-DAR 07:40-09:00
  QR535 DAR-DOH 11:38-19:13 (with a stopover in Nairobi)
  9W555 DOH-COK 23:20-06:05

Vanessa & Ralph arrive first in Cochin, but as they are checking bus schedules at the airport they spot the other teams. So their lead is gone.

Teams quickly make their way to the bus terminal. Once there we learn that they are going on small local buses which seem leave fairly often. Teams end up on different buses:

Bus #1:
 1. Rachel & Dave

Bus #2:
 2. Brendon & Rachel
 3. Art & JJ

Bus #3:
 4. Vanessa & Ralph

Bus #4:
 5. Bopper & Mark

Choice quotes:
 "The traffic is really crazy around here", Ralph
 "They're loving them horns", Art comments on the local traffic
 "I wish I wouldn't get so sick", Mark needs his barf bag on the bus
 "You stick your head out the window, it gets worse", Mark have problem with the warm and polluted air

Teams reach the clue box at the sacred hearth college in the following order:
 1(+0) Rachel & Dave
 2(+1) Art & JJ, at 07:55
 3(-1) Brendon & Rachel, seconds after #2
 4(+0) Vanessa & Ralph
 5(+0) Bopper & Mark

Quote
ROAD BLOCK

Who's got all the right
moves?

Teams must now master a long set of dance moves. Once they feel confident they, and their 30 extras, must perform it on a stage in front of a director. When the lead choreographer deems them to be camera ready they will receive their next clue.

Choice quotes:
 "Rachel was a high school dance phenomen", Dave on why he immediately choose Rachel for the road block
 "What, no dude, I did the last dance", Art does not want to do this road block (he did the bottle dance)
 "I was in dance all through elementary school and junior high and then high school. But I've never danced Bollywood style before", Army Rachel has dance experience
 "Had I selected this we'd probably been here for hours", Dave is glad Rachel is doing it
 "I'm super excited about the Bollywood dance because I feel like they have fun outfits with sequins and glitter", BB Rachel
 "This is a great day to have a female partner on your team", Brendon
 "You've got no rhythm man", Art to JJ while he is practicing
 "She's doing good", Bopper comments on army Rachel's dance
 "Normally I'm the dance man but right now I've got to let him handle it. Old knee injury has definitely came back to haunt me at the wrong time", Bopper
 "Wait a minute, man. I'm getting dizzy. Hold on", Mark feels the heat before he have even tries to perform once
 "I'm telling you man, dudes do not move like girls", Art to Ralph, who isn't interested
 "Mark really wants this you know. He's been a fan of the race a lot longer than I have", Bopper
 "I'm gonna cost us this thing, man", JJ is about to loose it
 "You're a Bollywood Travolta", Art gets the title (once JJ is done)

JJ is the first to try to dance in front of the judge, but he makes a mess of things and have to practice more.

A nice touch is that they have a live band performing the music as teams dance.

Mark is struggling with this task, and by the time he enters the stage for his third attempt all other teams have left. This time his dance instructor starts to dance in front of the stage so Mark can see the moves. Mark is really struggling and the sun is harsh. Boppers tries to convince him to give up the task. But Mark refuses to throw in the towel, even though it looks like he is about to pass out from heatstroke.

Choice quotes:
 "I barely can raise my arms", Mark feels the heat after his third failed attempt
 "To hell with that money. I want my buddy", Bopper want's Mark to quit (after his 7th attempt)
 "We come here friends we're gonna leave here friends", Bopper tries to convince Mark to give up
 "I had to sit back and reevaluate things what's important in life", Mark finally decides to quit
 "No, I'm going home to my kids", Mark does not want to try again, even though his instructor pleads with him

After 11 tries Mark finally decides to give up. But his instructor follows him into the changing room and eventually convince him to try once more. There are lots of strong emotions, tears and pleading going on in the changing tent.

 "Maybe if I'd stayed out there a bit longer we would get it done and our kids would be proud that we'd at least finished the leg and didn't quit on them", Mark

And on Mark's final attempt his dancing is approved by the judge. It is hard to judge since we did not see the entire performance from any of the players, but it feels like Mark's final performance was not really perfect. He was probably give the clue more for effort than for quality. Don't read me wrong here, I find it perfectly acceptable that the bar for passing gets lowered as time passes, as long as it is the same for every player. Anyway Mark & Bopper are approved and as soon as Mark can get away from the hordes of extras congratulating him they can continue on. But by this time all other teams have already reached the pit stop.

To summarize we can say that this was a tough road block out in the glaring sun. A big applause should go to army Rachel who was not only the only one nailing it on the first try but also did the IMHO best performance of all the players. The fact that she has been into dance for a long time may have helped quite a bit.

Teams complete the roadblock in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)
1(+0)Rachel* & Dave   (4-3)on her 1st attempt
2(+2)Vanessa* & Ralph (4-4)on her 3rd attempt
3(+0)Brendon & Rachel*(3-5)on her 4th attempt
4(-2)Art & JJ*        (3-4)on his 4th attempt
5(+0)Bopper & Mark*   (3-5)on his 12th attempt

Route info: "Take auto-rickshaw to the Indian coffee house near Subhash park. Once there find the head waiter to get your next clue". park"

Choice quotes:
 "Oh, nice eyes honey", Dave can appreciate his wife (when she spots the coffee house)

Teams reach the Indian coffee house in the following order:
 1(+0) Rachel & Dave, at 09:05
 2(+0) Vanessa & Ralph
 3(+0) Brendon & Rachel
 4(+0) Art & JJ, a minute or so after #3
 5(+0) Bopper & Mark

Detour: Cricket or Clutch it

In cricket each team member must hit one cricket ball past the professional players to the boundary of the field.

In clutch it they must enter an auto-rickshaw driving school. They must drive an auto-rickshaw, with passengers, along a slalom course without hitting any of the markers.

Choice quotes:
 "I have skill and ability in nearly every sport", Dave, who has confidence in himself, wanted to do cricket
 "Ehhh", buts his wife doubts his abilities

 "That was a lot harder than it looks", Army Rachel after her first attempt
 "No, it's not", Dave disagrees (but is about to get to eat his own words)

 "I made it a lot more fun, and I hit a lot of poles", Army Rachel thinks she did 'better' than her husband
 "I failed drivers Ed.", Vanessa as she is starting the auto-rickshaw
 "This should be easy for us", JJ has confidence as he is suiting up for the cricket
 "Son of a monkeys uncle", Vanessa hits a marker with the auto-rickshaw
 "Art, there's now way Rachel gonna do this", JJ when the cricket is between Art & Rachel
 "It was a good feeling to know that they both got beat by a girl", BB Rachel is happy after she completed before Art

As Dave starts his first attempt we get to hear the first few bars of Ride of the Valkyries, really cute.

Brendon & Rachel try the cricket at the same time as Art & JJ, they are on courses next to each other, and there is no love between the teams. Eventually it stands between Rachel and Art, and Rachel gets it first.

Teams complete the detour in the following order:
 1(+0) Rachel & Dave, clutch it, at 09:37, before the next team has even arrived
 2(+1) Brendon & Rachel, cricket
 3(+1) Art & JJ, cricket
 4(-2) Vanessa & Ralph, clutch it
 5(+0) Bopper & Mark, clutch it

Route info: "Make your way to the next pit stop". Phil is waiting at the Bolgatty palace.

As Mark & Bopper make their way to the pit stop, long after all the other teams, we get so see a clip of different things they have done during the race. It feels like a nice sending off and we are sorry to see them go.

Teams reach Phil in the following order:
 1(+0) Rachel & Dave, win a trip to St Lucia
 2(+0) Brendon & Rachel
 3(+0) Art & JJ, probably at 11:05
 4(+0) Vanessa & Ralph, a minute or so after #3
 5(+0) Bopper & Mark, are saved by a non-elimination

Choice quotes:
 "Always a gorgeous woman Phil", Dave comments the greeter

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Re: Racing report, TAR 20, Episode 10
« Reply #16 on: May 06, 2012, 03:37:02 PM »
Racing report
Amazing Race Season 20, Episode 10, "I need hair to be pretty"
Film date: 15/12 - 2012 (probably)

Teams are released from the pit stop at Bolgatty palace in the following order:
1.Rachel & Dave   06:53
2.Brendon & Rachel07:20(+0:27)
3.Art & JJ        07:28(+0:35)
4.Vanessa & Ralph 07:32(+0:39)
5.Bopper & Mark   10:38(+3:45)
Teams get $25 for this leg.

Route info: "Make your way to Daiva...". Teams must now make their way to a temple where they will receive a blessing from the head priest, and their next clue.

The clue also states that "as a sign of respect, before approaching the head priest, you must remove your shoes". None of the players have any problems with this.

Choice quotes:
 "We just have to focus on making sure that we are working together against other teams, rather than working against each other", Army Rachel

 "We always race as if we're in last place", Ralph
 "Which typically is the case", Vanessa chips in

 "This isn't necessarily my religion, but experiencing it is amazing", BB Rachel

Art & JJ have a hard time catching a rickshaw from the pit start.

We also get a scene from the pit stop hotel where Mark is not feeling well. He suffered a heatstroke during the last leg so he needs some medical attention. He is eventually declared fit to race another leg. But they are way behind.

Teams reach the temple in the following order:
 1(+0) Rachel & Dave
 2(+0) Brendon & Rachel
 3(+1) Vanessa & Ralph
 4(-1) Art & JJ, around 08:55
 5(+0) Bopper & Mark

This is where Bopper & Mark encounter their speed bump.
Quote
SPEED BUMP

Paint the tiger on the
belly of a Pulikali Tiger
Dancer and prepare
them for the dance!

When the other Pulikali
Tiger Dancers are
satisfied with your work
and perform a dance for
you, you may continue
with the Race.

Note: as this...
Sp...
Quote

The Pulikli Tiger Dancers are dressed up as tigers and each have a big tiger face painted on his stomach. That is all but one. Bopper & Mark must now paint this. It is not hard but takes about half an hour. They can then continue with the race.

The clue envelope here contains a fast forward and a route info.

Quote
FAST FORWARD

Engage in a traditional
Indian good fortune
ritual!

Make your way to
Mutharaman
Devasanam and search
for a priest.

First come, first served.

Remainder: If you have
already completed a
fast forward, you may
not use this one.

The route info reads:
Quote
ROUTE INFO

Make your way to
Pattanacaud Coir Mats &
Matting.

Brendon & Rachel go for the fast forward. When they arrive, just before 09:00, there they find the priests and a sign:
Quote
  It is a custom in India to
 express gratitude for good
  fortune. Those who are
  willing to express their
gratitude by sacrificing their
beauty are given blessings in
proportion to their sacrifice.

To win the fast forward
each of you must have your
       head shaved.
This fast forward is a switchback from an earlier season. The last team to complete this, Uchenna & Joyce, ultimately won their season.

Choice quotes:
 "For me, no doubt I'd shave my head", Brendon has no problem with the task
 "I don't wanna shave my head", Rachel gets emotional
 "Baby, this is your decision", Brendon let's Rachel decide

So Brendon & Rachel give up the fast forward and go to the coir mat factory instead.

Teams reach the coir mat factory, and find their next clue on a roll of rope, in the following order:
 1(+2) Vanessa & Ralph
 2(-1) Rachel & Dave
 3(+1) Art & JJ
 4(-2) Brendon & Rachel

Quote
ROAD BLOCK

Who's at the end of their
rope?

NOTE: Brendon and
Bopper must perform the
Roadblock.

Team members must now use coconut fibers to spin 40 feet of rope. They must then spool four large bundles of rope onto one spindle. The making of the rope is fairly tricky and the second part is tedious and hard on the hands.

Choice quotes:
 "It seems easy to get this going", Ralph has not hit the hard part yet
 "Dave looks pretty sexy in a skirt", Dave's wife teases
 "Ralph, why the hell are we doing this?", Dave finds the rope making hard

 "Why didn't you go to the fast forward?", JJ asks BB Rachel
 "I just don't want to talk about it", and that is a sensitive issue for Rachel

 "I need hair to be pretty", BB Rachel gets the title
 "Does anybody play the game strategically? Does anybody have a clue what is going on?", JJ is upset
 "Man, this is killing my back", Art is spooling rope
 "Babe, I don't need positive reinforcement. Please, I appreciate silence", Dave to his wife
 "Art and I are leaving, you're the last one. The hammer's gonna fall on you. This is perfect for Mark & Bopper", JJ sows doubt and fear in Rachel

Dave is the first to complete the rope spinning part at 09:30.

Teams complete the roadblock in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)
1(+0)Vanessa & Ralph* (4-5)
2(+0)Rachel & Dave*   (4-4)Around 10:00
3(+0)Art* & JJ        (4-4)
4(+0)Brendon* & Rachel(4-5)

Route info: "Make your way to Fort Kochi. Once there search the area near the temple for a barber working under an ancient tree".

On their way out from the coir mat factory Vanessa twists an ankle. She falls down and it takes a couple of minutes before they are able to continue.

Choice quotes:
 "I'm so much tougher than I look", Vanessa limps on

Teams find this barber in Fort Kochi in the following order:
 1(+1) Rachel & Dave
 2(-1) Vanessa & Ralph, seconds after #1
 3(+1) Brendon & Rachel
 4(-1) Art & JJ

Quote
DETOUR

Detour: "Pachyderm" or
"Pack-A-Box"

Pachyderm: Decorate an
elephant for a local
festival, then clean up
after her.

Pack-A-Box: Pack &
Crate ten boxes full of
ginger. Then label the
...

In pachyderm teams must properly decorate an elephant with a golden head dress and decorative bells and ornaments. Then they have to shovel and transport 15 wheelbarrows of elephant manure to a nearby truck.

In pack-a-box teams teams must pack ginger. Teams must pick up 10 empty boxes, fill them with ginger, seal and stencil each box and finally deliver them to a nearby depot.

Choice quotes:
 "We've been waiting on manual labor", JJ selects detour
 "This is so cool", Army Rachel likes working with the elephant
 "I love elephants more than anything", Vanessa also likes this detour
 "So we thought we were playing with people who have half a brain, but no. They are the laziest group of people I have ever met", JJ is still upset about the fast forward
 "Holy manure', Vanessa as she is shoveling elephant dung
 "My dad is a bricklayer, so I grew up wheelbarrowing lots of bricks", Brendon on why he knew how to handle a wheelbarrow
 "Dear lord, can we do any more slower than this?", JJ is frustrated
 "Ah, I cut my hand wide open", JJ cuts himself loading boxes

The ginger packing turns out to be tedious, hot, labor intensive and slow while the elephant dressing looks very fun and is a lot faster. Art & JJ pass the time by pretending to be Dave & Rachel shouting at each other.

At this point in the telecast we get to see Bopper & Mark receive the clue at the first temple. They decide to go for the fast forward. Once they arrive they are unfazed by the head-shaving so they go ahead with it. This is a particularly easy decision for Mark since he is already bald.

Choice quotes:
 "This fast forward could be a life-line for us", Mark
 "You don't look as good as me, but you look good bro", Mark to a bald Bopper

Quote
Congratulations!
You have won the Fast Forward!

Take a ferry to the next
Pit Stop:

The Vypin Cheena Vala.

Warning!! The last Team
to the check-in may be
eliminated.

Meanwhile the other teams complete the detour in the following order:
 1(+0) Rachel & Dave, elephant
 2(+0) Vanessa & Ralph, elephant
 3(+0) Brendon & Rachel, elephant, about 3 minutes after #1
 4(+0) Art & JJ, ginger packing

Quote
ROUTE INFO

Take a ferry to the next
Pit Stop.

The Vypin Cheena Vala.

Warning!! The last Team
to check-in may be
eliminated.

Choice quotes:
 "Hopefully it goes every few minutes. Because otherwise these others are all gonna be on the same ferry", Army Rachel knows the other teams are hot on their heels
 "I'll give you rupees if we go", Dave tries to persuade the ferry to leave
 "That's a team right there", Dave spots another team arriving as the ferry is preparing to leave
 "There go Rachel & Dave", BB Rachel arrives just as the ferry leaves

As usual the episode is cut to make it look like there was a close race between the last two teams. In interviews later we learn that there was probably at least 30 minutes between them.

Teams reach Phil in the following order:
 1(+0) Rachel & Dave, win $10.000 each
 2(+1) Brendon & Rachel
 3(-1) Vanessa & Ralph, seconds after #2
 4(+0) Art & JJ
 5(+0) Bopper & Mark, are eliminated

We learn that Rachel & Dave, who now have 6 wins, want to beat the record of 7 wins.

At the Pit Stop Phil nudges Vanessa a little and gets her to say that she think Brendon & Rachel did not transport enough elephant dung. But apparently the producers kept count and they did. But he gets a nice argument going between the girls. The boys however look uncomfortable and try to get the girls to stop. In the end both girls say they are sorry and shake hands.

Choice quotes:
 "The Amazing Race is called the Amazing Race for one reason, everything about it is absolutely amazing", Mark

Offline maf

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Re: Racing report, TAR 20, Episode 11.1
« Reply #17 on: May 19, 2012, 11:48:40 PM »
Racing report
Amazing Race Season 20, Episode 11.1, "It's a great place to become millionaires"
Film date: 17-19/12 - 2012 (probably)

This episode starts with an expose over the earlier legs and we get to see all previous elimination. Bopper & Mark get a special mention with a long expose over their accomplishments.

Teams are released from the pit stop, allegedly close to the Vypin fishing nets, in the following order:
1.Rachel & Dave   13:51
?.Brendon & Rachel??:??(+?:??)
?.Vanessa & Ralph ??:??(+?:??)
?.Art & JJ        ??:??(+?:??)

We only get to see the first team start the leg. They must now fly to Hiroshima, Japan. Once they land they must make their way, via bus, train and ferry, to Miyajima island where they will receive their next clue.

Choice quotes:
 "Winning is very important to me. But my relationship with Rachel is more important", Dave claims to be human

 "I don't necessarily view Rachel as my wife. I view her as my team mate", Dave tries to get a point across
 "Soldier", But Rachel interrupts and interprets what he is saying

Everybody get on the same flight. Exactly which is unclear but they arrive at 20:10 the following night.

On arrival the first hurdle is buying tickets for the bus from the airport. Most teams find some kind local who helps them at the vending machines. But Brendon & Rachel go to the bus first where they find out that they must buy their tickets before boarding the bus. They have to go back to gets tickets and therefore miss the bus.

Therefore teams end up on two different buses. Bus #1 carries:
 1. Art & JJ
 2. Vanessa & Ralph
 3. Rachel & Dave

Bus #2 carries:
 4. Brendon & Rachel

During the bus ride BB Rachel berates Brendon for not listening to her on the airport. Apparently he ignored her suggestions on how to do things.

Choice quotes:
 "Staggering that they're still here", JJ thinks team BB races poorly
 "From now on I'm not making any decisions, you can make them all", BB Rachel is cross at Brendon who she feels ignored her at the airport

At the train station Rachel & Dave break off from the others to get tickets on their own. This is yet again quite hard and it takes them a long time to do. So long in fact that they miss the train, by a few seconds.

Brendon & Rachel find a nice local on the bus who helps them purchase tickets and navigate the station.

Train #1 which leaves at 22:00 carries
 1(+3) Brendon & Rachel
 2(+0) Vanessa & Ralph
 3(-2) Art & JJ

Train #2 leaves at 22:20 and carries
 4(-1) Rachel & Dave

Choice quotes:
 "If there's something you can do about it, great do something. But if there's nothing you can do, don't be pessimistic about it", Army Rachel on how to deal with setbacks

After the train ride teams run to the ferry terminal to get tickets on the next ferry. Rachel & Dave are just a couple of minutes too late and miss the last boat for the night.

Boat #1 leaves at 22:45 and carries:
 1(+0) Brendon & Rachel
 2(+1) Art & JJ
 3(-1) Vanessa & Ralph

The next boat is not until the next morning at 06:25 and carries:
 4(+0) Rachel & Dave

There is much rejoicing on the first boat since they know that they are more than 7 hours ahead of Rachel & Dave. Meanwhile Rachel & Dave are feeling down back on land. Eventually Dave stops pouting about it and they find a backpackers place where they can get some sleep.

Choice quotes:
 "So three teams got on, Big Brother, ourselves and Conan & Kardashian", JJ gives nicknames

As the first teams arrive they start searching the grounds of the gorgeous Tori gate. Here they find a sign:
Quote
Your clue arrives
with the Rising Sun

The next morning Dave & Rachel are much relieved when they encounter the other teams and learn that the clue hasn't arrived yet. So all teams are waiting as a man pulling a cart walks up. He starts handing out clues.

Route info: "Make your way to the Hiroshima Peace memorial park and find the Atomic Bomb Dome". This is in downtown Hiroshima so teams must travel by boat and train or taxi to reach it. None of this is shown. Instead we get to see all teams arrive at the site at the same time and then stand around as a bell is rung.

Choice quotes:
 "It does make you take a step back and try to be more responsible to prevent things like this from ever happening again", Vanessa

After the ceremony teams receive their next clue from a local guard. For once there is no trampling each others to get the clue but rather a calm and orderly process.

Route info; "Travel by Shinkansen to the city of Osaka". When teams arrive they must make their way to the TV8 studio, where they will find their next clue.

All teams end up on the same train. When they arrive in Osaka, around 10:30, Art & JJ and Vanessa & Ralph jump into taxis which Rachel & Dave and Brendon & Rachel opt for the subway.

Choice quotes:
 "A hundred locals on one train car can not be wrong. So hopefully this is the quickest mode of transportation", Dave in the subway
 "We're running around like chickens with our head cut off, our taxi driver took us to the wrong building", Ralph

The subway teams all reach the studio, only to discover that they have gone to the new TV8 studio when they needed to go to the old studio. So they jump into taxis to get to the right place.

Teams eventually reach the correct studio and find the next clue box in the following order:
 1. Art & JJ
 2. Vanessa & Ralph, Taxi took them to the wrong studio first
 3. Brendon & Rachel
 4. Rachel & Dave

Quote
ROAD BLOCK

Who wants to bring home
the chicken?

Note: Brendon and Vanessa
must perform this
Roadblock.

In this roadblock teams must compete in a crazy Japanese game show, They must run on a long treadmill and jump up and grab three rubber chickens hanging from the ceiling. Once they have all three chickens they may run to the end of the thread-mill and jump onto the mat there. If they fall they have to go back to the starting line again. One catch is that the thread-mill goes faster for each chicken they grab.

This roadblock is very hard on Vanessa with her sprained ankle. Ralph is totally prepared to take the penalty, but Vanessa soldiers on. In the end the producers make the task a little easier by slowing down the thread-mill while she starts running, but once she is running on it they bring it back to normal speed before she can catch the chickens.

Choice quotes:
 "This is so absolutely ridiculous", JJ
 "I'm not gonna die doing this am I?", Vanessa is shown the protective gear they have to wear
 "It's not worth it, just stop", Ralph wants Vanessa to quit
 "I can't tell you how proud of her I am", Ralph after Vanessa completes
 "I'm hurting so bad, and the only think I can think about is I need another eyelash", Vanessa shows her prioritizes after the road block

Teams complete the roadblock in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)
1(+0)Art* & JJ        (5-4)Before team #2 even arrives
2(+1)Brendon* & Rachel(5-5)
3(+1)Rachel* & Dave   (5-4)
4(-2)Vanessa* & Ralph (5-5)

Route info: "Find the Umeda sky building". Here at the floating garden observatory on the roof teams will find a pair of computer screens, each screen show one side of the upcoming detour.

Teams reach the computers in the following order:
 1(+0) Art & JJ
 2(+1) Rachel & Dave
 3(-1) Brendon & Rachel
 4(+0) Vanessa & Ralph, arrive at the building as #3 are leaving

Detour: Bingo Shout-Out or Photo Cut-Out

In bingo shout-out teams must travel to a sushi restaurant. Here a chef shouts out names of sushi, in Japanese, and teams must pick up corresponding plates from a conveyor belt and place it on their bingo card. Once they have a line which spells Sushi and the staff approves they must eat their Sushi to receive their next clue. To help a bit the restaurant is filled with locals. So there are plenty of people to ask for help in identifying the sushi sorts.

In photo cut out teams must pick up two life-sized cutouts of sumo-wrestlers and bring them to the photographer. Here they can pick up a camera and must then convince locals to pose for photographs in the cutouts. They need 10 groups of three people. Actually getting random people on the street to agree to this turns out to be fairly hard.

As they leave the Umeda sky building Rachel & Dave have a meltdown. It is triggered by Dave accusing Rachel of unzipping his bag.

Vanessa & Ralph have bad luck with their taxi and get a driver who have trouble finding the sushi place.

Choice quotes:
 "I never unzipped your bag Dave", Rachel shouts at Dave
 "Just stop, silence is golden", Dave tries to get her to stop
 "Then why don't you shut the *** up", But that is like puring gasoline on the fire

 "Eat those five pieces? Oh god, lets eat something. I'm so exited about this", Vanessa is hungry while reading the clue

 "I've no idea what is going on Art. It's all in Japanese", JJ is frustrated at the detour
 "You're great with people", Dave wants his wife to get locals for the photos
 "You need to work your charisma", Rachel tells Dave he needs to help as well
 "Seriously, we need an U-unago, Shouted by BB Rachel, who is stressed out at the sushi bingo
 "Wow, we caught up", Vanessa find team Big brother at the sushi bingo

Art & JJ arrive at the sushi restaurant around 12:15.

Teams complete the detour in the following order:
 1(+1) Rachel & Dave, photo
 2(-1) Art & JJ, at 12:57, sushi
 3(+0) Brendon & Rachel, sushi
 4(+0) Vanessa & Ralph, sushi

Route info: "Make your way to the next Pit Stop, Osaka castle... Warning!! the last team to check-in will be eliminated". Teams must now make their way to Osaka castle and find the pit stop, which is located on the grounds. Actually finding the pit stop turns out to be harder than expected and a number of teams spend quite a lot of time searching for it.

Choice quotes:
 "This place is huge", JJ is searching for Phil
 "I hate to wish misfortune on anybody, but I'm really hoping that another team got lost or got abducted by aliens", Vanessa
 "Good hiding place Phil", JJ finally find the pit stop

In the end teams check in in the following order:
 1(+0) Rachel & Dave, win a trip to Queenstown New Zealand
 2(+0) Art & JJ
 3(+0) Brendon & Rachel
 4(+0) Vanessa & Ralph, are eliminated

Choice quotes:
 "This was a wonderful experience for us", Ralph
 "From here on out, it is smooth sailing... unless there are rubber chickens", Vanessa

 "Just got one more leg and that's it. And we win a million bucks", JJ
 "We hope to beat Art & JJ because they've been *bleep* to us", Army Rachel
 "We have the fire in our eyes and the passion and the drive to win the Amazing race", BB Rachel

To be continued in the next report...

Offline maf

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Re: Racing report, TAR 20, Episode 11.2
« Reply #18 on: May 20, 2012, 04:30:19 PM »
Racing report
Amazing Race Season 20, Episode 11.2, "It's a great place to become millionaires"
Film date: 19/12 - 2012

Teams are released from the pit stop near Osaka castle in following order:
1.Rachel & Dave   16:15
2.Art & JJ        16:47(+0:32)
3.Brendon & Rachel17:05(+0:50)

Route info: "Fly to your final destination, the island of Oahu in Hawaii".

Choice quotes:
 "It's a great place to become millionaires", Dave gets the title

Teams seem to be directed to take an Hawaiian direct flight so all teams end up on the same plane:
 HA450 KIX-HNL 21:16-09:32, note that due to the international dateline this flight lands before it started :)

As teams run for the taxis in Hawaii we seen that Brendon & Rachel are the only ones still carrying their backpacks. The teams leave the airport in the following order:
 1. Rachel & Dave
 2. Art & JJ
 3. Brendon & Rachel

Teams have received a new clue in the form of a riddle. It says something about twins facing the water. It seems they got this on arrival since otherwise they would have solved the riddle via the net in Osaka.

Rachel & Dave look for a taxi driver who looks native since they think he might know the area better. Art & JJ just jump into the only cab they can find and ask their driver to follow Rachel & Dave. The irony here is that they often accuse Brendon & Rachel of only following other teams, but now it is Art & JJ who is doing the following.

Brendon & Rachel solve the riddle at the airport with the help of the taxi dispatchers.

After a while Art & JJ loose sight of Rachel & Dave, so they go to a hotel to get help solving the riddle. Here they get sent to a pair of status, which turns out to be the wrong place. Eventually a nice local directs them to the right location.

Choice quotes:
 "If we could loose the guy behind us, that would be preferred", Dave to their taxi driver, who happily obliges
 "We lost him. Should've never just grabbed a cab", JJ realize they are toast
 "And knowing Big Brother, They'll just just stumble upon it out of pure dumb luck", JJ does not have high opinions about Brendon & Rachel

Eventually all teams figure out they need to go to the twin towers known as Mauka & Makai at the waterfront. They arrive at the clue box here in the following order:
 1(+0) Rachel & Dave, around 10:12
 2(+1) Brendon & Rachel, around 10:25
 3(-1) Art & JJ, around 11:03

The clue they find here tells them that they must make their way to the top of this 45 stories tower the hard way. They must ascend to the top by using their arms to pull themselves up a line, which is stretched diagonally from the top of the tower to the ground. The task is made much simpler by the fact that there is a counterweight which helps to drag them along. The rigging and briefing on the ground takes 15-20 minutes and the ascent takes about 10 minutes.

Once at the top they must look around to find their next route marker. This is a big red and yellow banner in a park just across the water in Sand Island park and is fairly easy to spot.

Once they have spotted this they must rappel down the side of the building, face first. This is quite scary.

Choice quotes:
 "You're gonna need a lot of upper body strength", Dave
 "Holy balls, that's a long climb", Army Rachel
 "As long as we can beat them, I'm happy with whoever", BB Rachel to Army Rachel, about Art & JJ
 "Holy crap, it's getting really windy up here", Army Rachel gets close to the top
 "It's always a little concerning when you are stepping off the ledge of a 44+ building", Dave
 "I fear that I'm about to pretty much die", BB Rachel prepares for the descent
 "I just wanna live Art, I just wanna live", JJ is scared of heights

Teams complete this task in the following order:
 1(+0) Rachel & Dave
 2(+0) Brendon & Rachel
 3(+0) Art & JJ

They then jump into taxis and make it for Sand island. They arrive here in the same order, and in the clue box here they find a road block. Art & JJ arrive when Brendon is almost done.

In this road block contestants must shave ice. They are given a big block of ice, a samurai sword (with a wooden support rack) and an empty bucket. They must use the sword to shave ice from the big block and fill the bucket up to the 13L line.

Choice quotes:
 "It looks tall from here even", Army Rachel looks at the towers
 "Art & JJ are hanging right now. They look like little bugs, I want to squish them", Army Rachel see Art & JJ descending
 "They're catching up", BB Rachel is an pessimist

 "Hey guys, did you have fun", BB Rachel greets Art & JJ (and gets ignored)

Teams complete the roadblock in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)
1(+0)Rachel & Dave*   (5-5)
2(+0)Brendon* & Rachel(6-5)
3(+0)Art & JJ*        (5-5)

Quote
ROUTE INFO

Make your way on foot to
one of the Helicopters
waiting in the outfield for
a flight up the North
Shore to your next
destination.

Note: When you get to
your next destination,
follow the marked path.

Rachel & Dave almost jump into their taxi, but Rachel saves the day by remembering what the clue says.

Brendon & Rachel jump into their taxi and have their driver take them to the Aloha stadium. He obliges, but this turns out to be the wrong place. Here they read their clue again and realize they have to go on foot so they drive back and make for the helicopters. But they have lost a lot of time.

Choice quotes:
 "No no, we have to go on foot", Army Rachel stops Dave from jumping into the taxi
 "Brendon stop freaking out", Rachel tells Brendon to pull together when they realize their mistake

 "You don't wanna jog?", Brendon to Rachel when they are making their way on foot
 "No, I don't", But Rachel is tired of the whole race

Brendon & Rachel proceed to have a meltdown on their way to the helicopters.

Teams reach the helicopters in the following order:
 1(+0) Rachel & Dave
 2(+1) Art & JJ
 3(-1) Brendon & Rachel

Choice quotes:
 "The helicopter ride was gorgeous", Army Rachel

When teams land they follow a marked path until they find a surfboard with clues attached.

"Become North shore lifeguards and take part in an open water rescue training". Teams must now rescue a distressed swimmer. One team member must drive a wave-runner through the violent surf while the other is towed on a sled behind. Once they scoop up their victim, they must negotiate their way back through the treacherous waters.

Rachel thinks ahead and forces Dave to ride the sled since she thinks it will take strength to pull up the swimmer. She is probably right. At least they complete the task, seemingly without difficulty.

Choice quotes:
 "Honey, are you sure you know how to operate a wave-runner", Dave is reluctant to give up the driving
 "I used to do the search and rescue stuff for the Border patrol. So, I think it's gonna be pretty easy", Art

Rachel, JJ and Brendon did drive the Wave-runners.

Teams complete this task in the following order:

 1(+0) Rachel & Dave
 2(+0) Art & JJ
 3(+0) Brendon & Rachel

Quote
ROUTE INFO

Make your way to the
Coral Kingdom Gate to
Hakipu'u Valley. Then
follow the marked path
to your next clue.

Note: When you arrive at
the Coral Kingdom Gate,
take all of your
belongings and release
your taxi.

Production have arranged taxis which are waiting by the rescue location.

Choice quotes:
 "Unbelievable frustrating to have the fate of, completely in the hands of a stranger", Dave does not like having to trust the taxi driver

Rachel & Dave are dropped of at what they believer is the right location. They follow the path and come across a sign in race colors:
Quote
RIDE A STAND-UP PADDLEBOARD
      ACROSS THE
    FISHPOND TO THE
    MARKED DOCK

  YOU MUST RIDE YOUR
     PADDLEBOARD
    STANDING UP!

There are six paddleboards here as well. They ride across the pond, find another marked path and follow it. Eventually they reach the finish line, run past all the teams and are greeted by Phil:
 "Rachel and Dave, you are the first team to arrive. However, you have not completed the road block. And you must complete the road block before I can check you in at the finish line", Phil

Rachel & Dave are flabbergasted. When they finally realize that Phil isn't joking they start wondering what they missed. Eventually they make their way back across the water and back up to the road. They ask around and eventually learn that the real coral kingdom gate is half a mile away. They start jogging to it.

Meanwhile Art & JJ are dropped of at the right location, follow the marked path up a steep hill. Here they are greeted with native music and their next clue stands in a tree above a wooden statue.

Eventually Brendon & Rachel are also dropped off at the wrong location. After asking around a bit they get good directions, but they have to run half a mile to the right gate.

Teams reach the clue at the Coral Kingdom gate in the following order:
 1(+1) Art & JJ
 2(-1) Rachel & Dave
 3(+0) Brendon & Rachel

Quote
ROAD BLOCK

Who want to take a
Papa Hôlua to a `Ulu
Maika?

Note: If you did the
Shave Ice Roadblock,
your partner MUST do
this one.

Teams must now ride a traditional Hawaiian narrow sled down 150 feet on the grass and across a marked line. They must then pick up a disc-shaped lava rock and roll it 50 feet into a small goal.

The sledding is much harder than it looks. The sleds are narrow and the hard part is keeping your balance as you ride on the grass. And it hurts a lot when you fall and slide on the grass. To make the sled go faster teams must oil it first.

We get to see lots of footage of contestants falling off their sleds. Specially Art is having a hard time. Both Rachel's complete the sledding part before he do. To be fair, this task seems to favor small racers with good balance.

Choice quotes:
 "Which one is the fastest", Art selects the narrowest sled
 "Not how we wanted to finish, that's for sure", JJ sees Art fail time after time and is still believing they are second
 "Are you freaking kiddin' me?', JJ find out they have been in first for a while
 "That hurt, I think my back is probably all bleeding", Army Rachel falls on her first run
 "You have this baby, you have ridiculous balance", Dave encourages his wife
 "Un-believable", JJ when Army Rachel completes the sledding
 "Ungh, Ungh, Ungh", Art pounds the ground in frustration when Army Rachel beats him
 "We were one stupid sled-ride away from a million dollars, that's hard to stomach", JJ
 "Taxi-drivers suck", BB Rachel as they arrive at the correct gate

At the lava disc rolling each team have five discs. When they have rolled all the non-participating team member must run them back to the thrower.

Choice quotes:
 "You've gotta fricking focus on your technique", Dave
 "Dave, shut the *sound_effect* up right now. I swear to god, I'll throw one of these at your *sound_effect*", Army Rachel does not appreciate the pointers
That last sentence from Rachel makes the judge loose his composition.

BB Rachel finishes the sledding before Art but then has a hard time with the lava discs. She almost gets it, but that is not enough. Eventually Art completes the sledding so they have to take turns throwing rocks. Art manage to hit the goal first so he and JJ leave in second place.

Teams complete the roadblock in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock)
1(+1)Rachel* & Dave   (6-5)Around 15:20
2(-1)Art* & JJ        (6-5)
3(+0)Brendon & Rachel*(6-6)

The next clue tells team to rive an ATV to the shore and from there paddle to Secret island and then run to the finish line.

Choice quotes:
 "Good luck guys". Army Rachel to Art & JJ as she and Dave sprints away.
 "Thank you, good job on that sled, that was awesome", JJ acknowledges their defeat
 "I'm proud of you no matter what", Dave is not sure if Brendon & Rachel are in front or behind as they paddle to the finish line for the second time
 "I need to win a million dollars so I can spend a week at a spa", Army Rachel feels the race has worn her down

Finally teams complete the race after 5 continents, 9 countries, 22 cities and more than 36.000 miles, in the following order:
 1(+0) Rachel & Dave, win the $1.000.000
 2(+0) Art & JJ
 3(+0) Brendon & Rachel