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Offline maf

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TAR Australia 4 Racing report, episode #12 is on page #1
« on: November 12, 2019, 02:57:52 PM »
I am doing the reports for this season as well. Some personal travel made me start a bit behind but I will try to catch up.
« Last Edit: December 17, 2019, 03:03:03 PM by maf »

Offline maf

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Re: TAR Australia 4 Racing report, episode #1
« Reply #1 on: November 12, 2019, 02:58:40 PM »
Racing report
Amazing Race AU Season 4, Episode 1

The Amazing Race Australia is back again after a long hiatus. Now on a new channel (10) and with a new host Beau Ryan.

The show starts with the host presenting the finish line Nitmiluk Gorge (aka Katherine Gorge) in the Northen Territories.

We then cut to the 11 teams which are making their way to the starting line in Seoul, South Korea.

The teams are:
  • Judy & Therese, Nuns, NSW
  • Femi & Nick, Nurses, NSW
  • Viv & Joey, Short siblings, aka Mighty Siblings, Vic
  • Rowah & Amani, Mother/daughter, NSW
  • Tom & Tyler, Footy mates, Vic
  • Jasmin & Jerome, Indigenous parents, aka deadly duo, NT
  • Hayley & Mikayla, Sisters, Qld
  • Alana & Niko, Gen Z siblings, SA
  • Sid & Ash, dating instagrammers, aka The influencers, NSW
  • Tim & Rod, Newlyweds, NSW
  • Chris & Adrienne, farmer and firefighter, SA

The starting line is in front of City Hall in Seoul, South Korea. As usual the first clue waits on the team backpacks a few meters away and when Beau gives the go all teams run over there and rip it open.

Quote
ROUTE INFO

Make your way to the top of
Seoul at Namsan Tower!

Reach the tower observatory
and search the city below for
your next destination.

You have 200,000 Korean
Won for this leg of the Race.

Teams jump into taxis and make their way to Namsan Tower. As this is a major landmark all taxi drivers know it and teams have no problem getting there once they find a taxi. This seems to be harder than expected, at least for some teams.

 "We're in The Amazing Race and we're not last", Judy
 "It starts of hard and it only gets easier", Alana when Niko complains about how hard it was to get a taxi

Viv & Joey and Tom & Tyler are the first two teams to reach the tower and they both decide to work together for the leg as both teams are from Melbourne.

The observation deck is high up and it feels as if you can see the whole of Seoul from there. So finding your next location without any clues looks like a daunting tasks. But those who know the race suspect they should be looking for red and yellow flags, but that does not help that much since the area they can see is so vast.

Sid & Ash has an interesting take on this task. When they reach the Namsan tower they do not go up to the observation deck but instead takes the stairs down to the city below to search for their next clue. As the tower is located on a big hill there are many steps in these stairs.

 "A strategy going into the first leg of the race is to read the clue, and try not to make mistakes", Ash interviews after the leg

Hayley & Mikayla are the first to spot the next location. They must now find a postcard in the gift shop which matches this location. The card will have the address on the back. Teams must then make their way on foot to this location.

The next location is known as the Stone Time Capsule. Here teams will "find a written message from home and your next clue". The message from home is a statement from the people of Australia and the next clue is taped to the stone underneath it.

Mikaya is a bit careless when she finds the postcard so Tom & Tyler see which one she gets and grab the same one. And then Tom & Tyler and Viv & Joey cut the line to the elevator so they get out of the tower before the sisters.

Meanwhile Sid & Ash have finally realized that they need to go to the tower observation deck and they have to climb all the stairs back to the top again. On their way up they encounter teams who have found the clue and are on their way down. They try to be evil and slow other teams down by telling them they have to go back up again. This fails as nobody believes them.

Back up at the tower we learn that production has planted a number of false postcards as well in the gift shop. The nuns pick up one of them and asks the  staff to translate the address on the back. They learn that it says Lotte Tower (in Korean) but they are unsure if this really is it. After praying they stay in the observation deck and keep looking. However Alana & Niko saw them with the postcard and they do not hesitate and make their way down the tower and jump into a taxi and ask the driver to take them out of the race, sorry to Lotte tower (which is one hour away).

Alana & Niko run around a bit at Lotte tower before they realize this is wrong and they make their way back to Namsan tower (another hour). Here it takes them a while to spot the flag and then they struggle to find the clue at the time capsule. So they are way behind when they get it.

Teams find their clue at the stone time capsule in the following order:
  1. Tom & Tyler
  2. Viv & Joey
  3. Hayley & Mikayla
  4. Jasmin & Jerome
  5. Tim & Rod
  6. Femi & Nick
  7. Rowah & Amani
  8. Chris & Adrienne
  9. Sid & Ash
 10. Judy & Therese
 11. Alana & Niko

Quote
ROAD BLOCK

Who's ready for a river
dance?

Once they decide who will do this they can open the clue and read:
Quote
It's time to go
Flyboarding in the
Han River! Stay in
control and lift
yourself at least two
vertical metres out of
the water to earn your
next clue.

The flyboarding seems to take some practice but is not overly difficult.

Alana & Niko are way behind the other teams and it is dark when they arrive. They do not get to flyboard but find a clue stuck to the locked gate. This says that this location is now closed and directs them directly to the pit stop.

Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock):
1(+0)Tom & Tyler*     (0-1)
2(+0)Viv & Joey*      (0-1)
3(+0)Hayley & Mikayla*(0-1)
4(+2)Femi & Nick*     (0-1)
5(+0)Tim* & Rod       (1-0)
6(-2)Jasmin* & Jerome (1-0)
7(+0)Rowah* & Amani   (1-0)
8(+0)Chris & Adrienne*(0-1)
9(+0)Sid & Ash*       (0-1)
10(+0)Judy* & Therese  (1-0)

Quote
Detour:
"Stack 'Em High" or
"Fold 'Em Fast"

Stack 'Em High:
Try your hand at a sport
dominated by South Korea.
Both of you must properly
stack your cups within the
time limit to receive your
next clue.

Fold 'Em Fast:
Roll, fill and fold 50
dumplings to the cook's
satisfaction to receive your
next clue.

Stack 'em high takes place at Hanyang university. Each team member must stack and unstanck 12 cups in under 8 seconds. They must make three pyramids of respectively 3, 6 and 3 cups. The world champion is at hand and she demonstrates doing it in less than 2 seconds.

 "We've got this, how hard can it be", Tom & Tyler are about to find out as they walk in to the cup stacking

Tom & Tyler have a hard time with the cups and that makes them frustrated. But as Viv & Joey arrive they seem to pull themselves together and they finally get it. Later in the taxi they speculate that the other teams will switch since it was so hard. The camera then shifts and we see the mighty siblings complete the task on their second attempt and Hayley & Mikayla do it on their first.

Tim & Rod go for the dumplings and as soon as they have made their first dumpling they go to the cook and ask if it is good. This is really smart and avoids potentially wasting a lot of time making bad dumplings.

Judy & Theresa arrive to the dumplings place as Jasmin & Jerome are leaving.
 "And don't listen to anything Sid & Ash say, they like lied to us and tried to trick us", Jasmine to the nuns

At the dumpling making Judy & Therese have to go out of the room to get some more dough. As they do this Sid steals one of their completed dumplings.
 "I'm going to hell after this", Sid after stealing from the nuns

Teams complete the detour in the following order:
  1(+0) Tom & Tyler, cups on their 13th attempt
  2(+0) Viv & Joey, cups on their 2nd attempt
  3(+0) Hayley & Mikayla, cups on their 1st attempt
  4(+1) Tim & Rod, dumplings
  5(-1) Femi & Nick, cups on their 6th attempt
  6(+0) Jasmin & Jerome, dumplings
  7(+1) Chris & Adrienne, dumplings
  8(-1) Rowah & Amani, cups on their 29th attempt
  9(+0) Sid & Ash, dumplings
 10(+0) Judy & Therese, dumplings

Quote
ROUTE INFO

Make your way to Seoullo
7017 Bridge 서울로 7017 and
search for Beau at your first
Pit Stop!

Hurry! The last team to
check in will be eliminated.

Teams reach the pit stop in the following order:
  1(+0) Tom & Tyler
  2(+0) Viv & Joey
  3(+0) Hayley & Mikayla
  4(+0) Tim & Rod
  5(+0) Femi & Nick
  6(+0) Jasmin & Jerome
  7(+0) Chris & Adrienne
  8(+0) Rowah & Amani
  9(+0) Sid & Ash
 10(+0) Judy & Therese
 11(+0) Alana & Niko, are eliminated

 "I think we're probably the first team in history of Australia, America or whatever to not complete one single road block or detour", Niko


Offline maf

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Re: TAR Australia 4 Racing report, episode #2
« Reply #2 on: November 13, 2019, 11:28:00 AM »
Racing report
Amazing Race AU Season 4, Episode 2

The last pit stop was at the Seoullo 7017 Bridge in downtown Seoul. Teams are released from Cheonggye Plaza in the following order:
  1. Tom & Tyler
  2. Viv & Joey
  3. Hayley & Mikayla
  4. Tim & Rod
  5. Femi & Nick
  6. Jasmin & Jerome
  7. Chris & Adrienne
  8. Rowah & Amani
  9. Sid & Ash
 10. Judy & Therese

Teams are given 224,000 Korean won for this leg.

The first clue sends teams to Gwanghwamun plaza. Here they must count the water spouts. Once they tell the guide the correct number, 364, he will give them their next clue.

There are lots of water spouts and we get to see many wrong guesses. Eventually all teams reach the correct count and they do it in the following order:
  1(+0) Tom & Tyler
  2(+2) Tim & Rod
  3(+0) Hayley & Mikayla
  4(-2) Viv & Joey
  5(+2) Chris & Adrienne
  6(+0) Jasmin & Jerome
  7(+3) Judy & Therese
  8(-3) Femi & Nick
  9(-1) Rowah & Amani
 10(-1) Sid & Ash

Route info: Make your way to the demilitarized zone and leave a message of peace and hope for the people of Korea.

On their way from the counting task Joey realize he has a pocket calculator in his bag. This would have come in handy while counting the water spouts, if only he had remembered it then.

Teams reach the DMZ and write their messages in the following order:
  1(+0) Tom & Tyler
  2(+1) Hayley & Mikayla
  3(-1) Tim & Rod
  4(+0) Viv & Joey
  5(+0) Chris & Adrienne
  6(+)) Jasmin & Jerome
  7(+0) Judy & Therese
  8(+1) Rowah & Amani
  9(-1) Femi & Nick
 10(+0) Sid & Ash

Before they leave the DMZ the nuns decide to go back to the fence and pray a bit. This seems to cost the a couple of minutes and will have big consequences later in the leg.
 "Every minute counts, but our values have to take precedence", Judy

Quote
Detour:
"All Heart" or "All Thumbs"

All Hearth: Complete a
military boot camp course
under the watchful eye of a
South Korean drill sergeant
to receive your next clue.

All Thumbs: Master a sport
of the future - drone soccer!
Pilot a drone through a
soccer course and score a
goal to receive your next
clue.

The boot camp takes place at Duroowell and the course consists of first carrying two tires up a hill, then a high rope course and finally crawl through a mud pit with a weighed backpack.

There is a drill instructor shouting at the teams all the time, but he seems easy to tune out as he is shouting in Korean so teams do not understand a word of what he is shouting.

The drone task takes place at the Cheorwo Gym. The drones turn out to be hard to control, possibly because production has remapped the controls.

Sid & Ash arrive at the boot camp just after Femi & Nick. They decide to grab two tires each and tell Femi & Nick they also need to bring two each. Femi & Nick go back and fetch two more tires, this allows Sid & Ash to reach the high ropes course before the boys and the latter have to wait a bit.

Judy & Theresa spent over 90 minutes at the drone task.

Teams complete the detour in the following order:
  1(+3) Viv & Joey, drone
  2(-1) Tom & Tyler, boot camp
  3(+0) Hayley & Mikayla, boot camp
  4(-1) Tim & Rod, boot camp
  5(+1) Jasmin & Jerome, boot camp
  6(-1) Chris & Adrienne, boot camp
  7(+1) Rowah & Amani, boot camp
  8(+2) Sid & Ash, boot camp
  9(-2) Judy & Therese, drone
 10(-1) Femi & Nick, boot camp

Quote
ROUTE INFO

Raft down the Hantan
River (한탄강) and search
for Beau at your next Pit
Stop.

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

Beau is waiting at the Goseokjeong Pavilion. This is located on the banks of the river so once teams spot it they will have to land on the beach below and then race on foot up the stairs to the pavilion.

The extra information tells teams to leave everything in the taxi as they arrive to the rafting start location.

Tom & Tyler arrive to the rafting just after Viv & Joey and they scramble to get their raft in the water before the mighty siblings.

Judy & Theresa arrive to the rafting just after Sid & Ash. Sid & Ash pass Rowah & Amani on the beach at the start of the rafting. Femi & Nick arrive at the beach just as Judy & Therese are about to get into the water.

Femi & Nick hope they can overtake the nuns by paddling faster, and the nuns realize that their inflatable raft is leaking air. But the boys are uncoordinated and spin around a lot so they do not manage to catch the nuns on the water. However they reach the final beach just after the nuns and they manage to beat them in the foot race up the stairs to the pit stop.

Teams reach the pit stop in the following order:
  1(+1) Tom & Tyler, win $1000 each
  2(-1) Viv & Joey
  3(+0) Hayley & Mikayla
  4(+0) Tim & Rod
  5(+0) Jasmin & Jerome
  6(+0) Chris & Adrienne
  7(+1) Sid & Ash
  8(-1) Rowah & Amani
  9(+1) Femi & Nick
 10(-1) Judy & Therese, are eliminated

 "Anybody would love to do this, we had so many amazing experiences", Theresa

Offline maf

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Re: TAR Australia 4 Racing report, episode #3
« Reply #3 on: November 15, 2019, 02:11:06 PM »
Racing report
Amazing Race AU Season 4, Episode 3

The last pit stop was at the Goseokjeong Pavilion on the banks of the Hantan river in South Korea. Teams are released from somewhere in Seoul in the following order:
  1. Tom & Tyler
  2. Viv & Joey
  3. Hayley & Mikayla
  4. Tim & Rod
  5. Jasmin & Jerome
  6. Chris & Adrienne
  7. Sid & Ash
  8. Rowah & Amani
  9. Femi & Nick

The first clue tells teams to fly to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam.

Viv & Joey are happy when they read this as they are of Vietnamese descent and Joey speaks Vietnamese.

All teams are on the same flight from Seoul to Hanoi. It is dark when they land and they all jump into taxis and make their way to the Thang Long Water Puppet theater.

The theater is closed but there is a sign up sheet in front where teams can sign up for one of three shows the following morning. The shows start at 06:30 and there is a 10 minute gap between shows.

Teams end up on the following shows:
Show #1:
 1. Sid & Ash
 2. Rowah & Amani
 3. Femi & Nick

Show #2:
 4. Viv & Joey
 5. Jasmin & Jerome
 6. Tim & Rod

Show #3:
 7. Hayley & Mikayla
 8. Tom & Tyler
 9. Chris & Adrienne

There is something hanging from the bottom of the sign up board and it looks like a map. I would guess it is a map to where they are supposed to sleep.

Anyway we next catch up to teams in the morning. They start by singing Happy Birthday to Mikayla since it is her 25th birthday today.

On the seats in the theater teams find their next clue:
Quote
ROUTE INFO

Carefully watch the water
puppet show to work out
your next destination.

You may find a local from
outside if you need help.

The show consists of four dragons swimming back and forth in a pool spouting water in all directions. On the neck of each dragon is a small plaque with a Vietnamese word on. The words spell out Ben Xe Giap Bat, which is a local bus terminal.

Teams are not told what to look for and the plaques are very discreet. None of the teams in the first group spots them so when they leave they start asking the locals for temples and statues of dragons. Of the second group Viv & Joey is the only team to spot them. They in turn tell Tom & Tyler. In the third show all teams find the words, perhaps helped by Tom & Tyler pointing a lot at the dragons and writing stuff.

Once you have the words it seems you just have to show them to a local and they will know where to go.

Jasmin & Jerome did not see the words but they spot Hayley & Mikayla talking to a local so they go to him and ask him where they went. Tim & Rod does the same.

Tim & Rod are not sure that the info they get is right and dare not go there. Then they meet Sid & Ash and together they decide to risk it and go to the bus terminal.

Rowah & Amani go back to re watch the show and this time they spot the plaques.

Femi & Nick are learning the hard way that there are lots of temples in Hanoi.
 "Lost in Hanoi, how hanoing"
Eventually they go back and re watch the show, and this time they spot the words.

There is an obvious clue box in front of the bus terminal
Quote
ROUTE INFO

Take a bus to Ninh Binh.

Once there choose your
Detour.

Teams end up on buses the following order:
Bus #1:
 1(+7) Tom & Tyler
 2(+5) Hayley & Mikayla
 3(+2) Jasmin & Jerome
 4(+0) Viv & Joey

Bus #2:
 5(+1) Tim & Rod
 6(-5) Sid & Ash

Bus #4:
 7(-5) Rowah & Amani
 8(+1) Chris & Adrienne

Bus #5:
 9(-6) Femi & Nick

The detours are Escargot and Make boat Go.

In escargot teams must harvest 100 snails from a paddy field.

In make boat go teams must row Vietnamese style across a river and back. Vietnamese style means that they sit back and use their feet to move the oars.

Sid & Ash start with rowing but they are not having much luck. If nothing else this is evident of the amount of bleeping in the soundtrack.

Adrienne & Chris also have a hard time with the rowing.
 "I'm not criticizing you, I'm offering suggestions", Adrienne to Chris
 
Teams complete the detour in the following order:
 1(+1) Hayley & Mikayla, snails
 2(-1) Tom & Tyler, snails
 3(+1) Viv & Joey, snails
 4(-1) Jasmin & Jerome, snails
 5(+0) Tim & Rod, snails
 ----- Sid & Ash, started to row but switched to snail
 6(+0) Sid & Ash, row
 7(+1) Chris & Adrienne, row
 8(-1) Rowah & Amani, row
 9(+0) Femi & Nick, snails

Quote
ROUTE INFO

Make your way to Bén Tam
dock and search for your
next clue.

The next clue is located at Tam Coc wharf and next to it teams find a U-turn. They reach it in the following order:
 1(+0) Hayley & Mikayla
 2(+0) Tom & Tyler
 3(+0) Viv & Joey
 4(+0) Jasmin & Jerome, U-turns Sid & Ash
 5(+0) Tim & Rod
 ----- Sid & Ash, have to go back and do the other detour
 6(+0) Sid & Ash
 7(+0) Chris & Adrienne
 8(+0) Rowah & Amani
 9(+0) Femi & Nick

The reason Jasmin & Jerome U-turns Sid & Ash is that Sid lied to them in the first leg and told them the road was blocked further down which it was not.

Quote
ROAD BLOCK

Who's feeling lucky?

In this road block teams must make their way to Lãng Khanh restaurant and hostel. In there they will find 300 parcels of young green rice. Teams must eat their way through the parcels until they find one of nine containing an ancient coin. Quite a few of the packages have chilies in them as well and the only drink available is Vietnamese coffee.

 "It has chilies", Mikayla is very much not enjoying the road block

We have to feel sorry for the birthday girl, Mikayla, at this road block. She was the first to arrive and now she has to see team after team pass her, some without having to eat a single package of rice while she has to eat lots. She gets more and more depressed as the other teams find their coins, but she does not give up and eventually she also gets one.
 "That road block was my worst nightmare", Mikayla

This road block is tough for the teams who are not lucky enough to find a coin quickly. There is a lot of vomiting.

Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock):
1(+1)Tom* & Tyler     (1-1)In his 1st package
2(+1)Viv* & Joey      (1-1)
3(+2)Tim* & Rod       (2-0)In his 1st package]
4(+0)Jasmin & Jerome* (1-1)In his 15th package
5(-4)Hayley & Mikayla*(0-2)In her 23rd package
6(+0)Sid* & Ash       (1-1)
7(+0)Chris* & Adrienne(1-1)
8(+1)Femi* & Nick     (1-1)
9(-1)Rowah & Amani*   (1-1)

Quote
ROUTE INFO

Make your way to Hang
Múa and seatch Môc Hoa
Viên for Beau at your next
Pit Stop.

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

The pit stop is located a little bit off to the side at the foot of one of the local limestone mountains. It is not hard to spot if you look for it but the teams who misses it  may climb to the top while looking.

The only team to fall for that is Sid & Ash who spend a lot of time climbing the stairs up the mountain.

The finish is actually fairly exciting. We have Sid & Ash who have climbed up the mountain. Then Chris & Adrienne and Femi & Nick both get driven to the same wrong place by their taxis, and Rowah & Amani comes from behind. But as usual we do not really know how much time separates the teams, but the editing looks good and for a while we can wallow in a fantasy where our favorite team survives.

Teams reach the mat in the following order:
 1(+0) Tom & Tyler
 2(+0) Viv & Joey
 3(+0) Tim & Rod
 4(+0) Jasmin & Jerome
 5(+0) Hayley & Mikayla
 6(+0) Sid & Ash
 7(+1) Femi & Nick
 8(-1) Chris & Adrienne
 9(+0) Rowah & Amani, are saved by a non-elimination

Offline maf

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Re: TAR Australia 4 Racing report, episode #4
« Reply #4 on: November 16, 2019, 04:31:04 PM »
Racing report
Amazing Race AU Season 4, Episode 4

The last pit stop was at Môc Hoa
Viên, Vietnam. Teams are released from the Reed hotel in the following order:
 1. Tom & Tyler
 2. Viv & Joey
 3. Tim & Rod
 4. Jasmin & Jerome
 5. Hayley & Mikayla
 6. Sid & Ash
 7. Femi & Nick
 8. Chris & Adrienne
 9. Rowah & Amani

The first clue sends teams to Hoa Lu. Here they will find a giant stack on incense sticks. From this they must create 4 sorted bunches of incense sticks each weighing 2kg.

Teams get 1.25 million Vietnamese Dong for this leg of the race.

Most taxi drivers seem to know where Hoa Lu is, but then teams have to find the village with the incense sticks. They have to make their way through a marked gate and that seems to be hard to find.

 "Sometimes it is good not to be a sheep but a shepherd", Hayley
Hayley & Mikayla encounter the other teams going one way but they decide to do not follow them but instead make their own way, which lets them reach the pile of sticks first.

 "That's clearly marked, what were we thinking?", Tom & Tyler realize they went the wrong way

Just before the pile of stick Rowah & Amani find their speed bump. The clue says "You must prepare one extra bundle of incense". That is they have to do five bundles as opposed to the other teams four.

Teams reach the sticks in the following order:
 1(+4) Hayley & Mikayla
 2(+1) Tim & Rod
 3(+3) Sid & Ash
 4(+4) Chris & Adrienne
 5(-4) Tom & Tyler
 6(+1) Femi & Nick
 7(+2) Rowah & Amani
 8(-4) Jasmin & Jerome
 9(-7) Viv & Joey

Once teams are done with their bundles they have to deliver them to
Chùa Nât tru, a nearby temple.

From Adrienne's comments we learn that the additional info say that they bundles have to be between 1.9 and 2.1 kg each. They start by just raking together sticks and jamming them into bundles of the required weight without sorting them. They bring these over to the temple but the judge rejects them.
 "It was worth a gamble", Adrienne

 "It was actually one of the most painstaking things I have ever done", Ash

The task is tedious, the stress level is high and the sun is hot. Adrienne is getting stressed. She starts snapping at her husband. She also lashes out at the other teams when they turn the scales around. The rules apparently said you were not allowed to move the scales and she interpreted that as teams were not even allowed to turn them around.

Teams complete this task in the following order:
 1(+1) Tim & Rod
 2(-1) Hayley & Mikayla
 3(+5) Jasmin & Jerome
 4(-1) Sid & Ash
 5(+0) Tom & Tyler
 6(+3) Viv & Joey
 7(-1) Femi & Nick
 8(-4) Chris & Adrienne
 9(-2) Rowah & Amani

The next clue contains a detour and a fast forward.

Quote
FAST FORWARD

Load up a bicycle with
shrimp baskets and
transport them down the
road to a local fisherman.

One of you rides while
the other guides.
There are 320 baskets which needs to be loaded onto the bicycle. They have to be transported all in one trip and one team member must ride the bike. The distance to the fisherman is about 200 meters. Also the fast forward is located just before the detour so teams will pass it on the way.

Quote
Detour:
"Short Strokes" or
"Long Strides"

Short Strokes: Paint an
exact replica of the
Vietnamese mask worn
by your partner to
receive your next clue.

Long Strides: Walking
on stilts, each of you
must complete the course
to receive your next clue.

Tim & Rod decide to go for the fast forward. But after spending some time trying to load the bike they give up and go for the detours instead.

Here we also learn that Tim & Rod consider themselves to be in an alliance with Sid & Ash.

The stilts are high and you must restart from the beginning if you fall off so this detour is a lot harder than it sounds. Contestants have to wear knee and elbow protection as well as a helmet disguised as a typical Vietnamese hat.
 "It's like watching a baby giraffe walk for the first time", Jasmin watching Jerome

On the other hand painting a mask is also hard when you just have two small holes you can look through. And you have to look up every now and then so your partner can see the mask you're wearing.

Once they give up on the fast forward Tim & Rod try the stilts but they quickly switch to painting instead.

Jasmin & Jerome spend a lot of time at the stilts. Jasmine got around the course but Jerome is unable to do it. They decide to switch over to the painting. When they get there they see Tim & Rod sitting there and upon asking hear that the guys gave up the fast forward on account of it being too difficult. Jasmin & Jerome decide to go for the fast forward as they feel they are way behind the other teams.

Jasmin & Jerome struggle with the loading, but they do not give up and eventually the complete the fast forward.

Teams complete the detour in the following order:
 1(+4) Tom & Tyler, stilts
 2(+2) Sid & Ash, paint
 3(-1) Hayley & Mikayla, stilts
 4(+4) Chris & Adrienne, paint
 5(+1) Viv & Joey, paint
 6(-5) Tim & Rod, paint (after giving up on the fast forward)
 7(-1) Femi & Nick, paint on their 3rd attempt
 8(+0) Rowah & Amani, paint

Quote
ROUTE INFO

Make your way to Three
Periods Halls on the Bái
Đinh Temple grounds
and search for your next
clue.

In the taxi on their way to the temple:
 "This is a place of worship so no running and no swearing", Ash
 "Why is this guy going so f***** slow", Sid about their driver

The clue in the temple tells teams to search among 500 Buddhist statues to find the one monk with both feet resting on an animal. Once they find it they must climb a bell tower and tell the monk there the name on the statue ("Tôn GiA Pháp Luân Son"). Once approved they have to ring the bell to get their next clue.

As Tim & Rod walk around looking for the statue they run into Sid & Ash who are on their way to the pit stop. Sid & Ash tell the guys where to find the statue in question.

Chris & Anastasia have a hard time finding the statue. They do not listen to each other so their frustration just grows.

Teams find the monk with two feet on an animal in the following order:
 1(+1) Sid & Ash
 2(-1) Tom & Tyler
 3(+0) Hayley & Mikayla
 4(+2) Tim & Rod
 5(-1) Chris & Adrienne
 6(-1) Viv & Joey
 7(+0) Femi & Nick
 8(+0) Rowah & Amani

Teams reach the bell tower in the following order:
 1(+1) Tom & Tyler
 2(+1) Hayley & Mikayla
 3(-2) Sid & Ash
 4(+0) Tim & Rod
 5(+0) Chris & Adrienne
 6(+0) Viv & Joey
 7(+0) Femi & Nick
 8(+0) Rowah & Amani

Quote
ROUTE INFO

Make your way on foot to
Hô Tiên and search for
Beau at your next Pit
Stop.

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

The pit stop is on the temple grounds in front of one of the big ponds they have there.

Teams reach Beau in the following order:
 1(+0) Tom & Tyler
 2(+0) Hayley & Mikayla
 3(+0) Sid & Ash
 4(--) Jasmin & Jerome
 5(+0) Tim & Rod
 6(+0) Chris & Adrienne
 7(+0) Viv & Joey
 8(+0) Femi & Nick
 9(+0) Rowah & Amani, are eliminated

 "The race may be over for us, but our bond continues", Amani


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Re: TAR Australia 4 Racing report, episode #5
« Reply #5 on: November 17, 2019, 06:05:22 PM »
Racing report
Amazing Race AU Season 4, Episode 5

The last pit stop was on the Bái Đinh Temple grounds in Ninh Binh, Vietnam. Teams are released from somewhere in a Vietnamese city. I would guess they are in Hanoi.

The first clue tells them to fly to Mongolia. Once they arrive in Ulaanbaatar then need to make their way to the top of Zaisan hill.

Teams get 165 USD for this leg of the race.

All teams are on the same flight from Hanoi via Shenzhen and Beijing to Ulaanbaatar.

There is something fishy about the arrival in Mongolia. Teams are shown running out of the airport but in the next shot they are on the streets in central Ulaanbaatar looking for taxis. My guess is that they landed later in the afternoon, spent the night in the city and then they were released the following morning.

The Zaisan war memorial sits on a high hill and it is 300 steps from the upper car park to the memorial at the top of the hill. And the climb is not made easier by the fact that Ulaanbaatar sits 1,350m above sea level to begin with.

Teams probably reach the clues at the Zaisan war memorial in the following order:
 1. Jasmin & Jerome
 2. Chris & Adrienne
 3. Viv & Joey
 4. Femi & Nick
 5. Tom & Tyler
 6. Tim & Rod
 7. Hayley & Mikayla
 8. Sid & Ash

The last two teams seem to have to get new taxis. They make their way down to street level and call for taxis. Hayley & Mikayla grabs the first taxi which arrives. Sid & Ash think the girls stole their cab and are not happy about it.

Quote
ROUTE INFO

Make your way to
Janraisig temple in
Gandan Monastery and
spin the prayer wheels
as you count them. Give
the correct number to a
monk to receive your
next clue.

Janraisig temple claims to be home to the worlds biggest indoor statue and it is surrounded by lots of prayer wheels.

Teams must count all the wheels and once they think they have the correct count, 287, they have to show it to a specific monk to receive their next clue. As an added twist the monk in question is hard to locate, he is one of a bunch of monks walking around on an upper level but teams do not know which monk it is. And it seems they only let a limited number of teams go up to the monks at any one time so there is a line.

Chris & Adrienne have a hard time with the counting, they get very stressed and confused about their numbers. And as usual they do not work well together when stressed.

Tom & Tyler give the correct answer to Hayley & Mikayla.

Teams present the right number to the right monk in the following order:
 1(+0) Jasmin & Jerome
 2(+3) Tom & Tyler
 3(+1) Femi & Nick
 4(-1) Viv & Joey
 5(+2) Hayley & Mikayla
 6(+0) Tim & Rod
 7(+1) Sid & Ash
 8(-6) Chris & Adrienne

[/quote]
ROUTE INFO

Catch a bus to the sand
dunes of Mongol Els!

Once there, make your way
on foot to a nearby ger and
be welcomed by a local
family in the traditional
Mongolian way.
[/quote]

Teams must make their way to the Dragon bus station and enter one of three buses, there are limited number of seats on each bus. Teams reach the buses in the following order:
Bus #1:
 1(+0) Jasmin & Jerome
 2(+1) Femi & Nick
 3(+1) Viv & Joey
Bus #2:
 4(-2) Tom & Tyler
 5(+2) Hayley & Mikayla
Bus #3:
 ?(+?) Sid & Ash
 ?(+?) Tim & Rod
 ?(+?) Chris & Adrienne

The three teams on the first bus are stoked to be in the lead, and the fact that Tom & Tyler are not among them makes it even better.

The second bus has different feel on it. According to Tom, Tyler has a crush on Hayley (actually seems to be both of them). Anyway both those teams are good friends.

 "Yeah, now we've got a good alliance", Tom & Tyler to the girls
 "Ohhh, big word", The girls (in unison) are not quite ready for that

The last bus has an altogether more subdued mood. The short clip we get to see shows everybody being silent and probably contemplating that they will have to fight it out for last with the other two teams on the bus.

Once the bus stops teams run over the hill to see a bunch of marked ger's. Inside each tent teams will be welcomed by a local couple with some crackers and a big bowl of fermented horse milk. Once they have drunk all their milk they will get their next clue. This is easier said than done because the milk is hard to swallow. And while they struggle with that team also feel compelled to be polite to their hosts.

Teams manage to drink all their milk in the following order:
 1(+1) Femi & Nick
 2(+1) Viv & Joey
 3(-2) Jasmin & Jerome
 4(+0) Tom & Tyler
 5(+0) Hayley & Mikayla
 6(+?) Tim & Rod
 7(+?) Sid & Ash
 8(+?) Chris & Adrienne

Quote
Detour: "Milk The Best"
or "Herd The Rest"

Milk The Best: Perform
the daily nomadic task of
milking the family goats
to receive your next clue.

Herd The Rest: Wrangle
4 goats, or sheep, the
Mongolian way and mark
them for the family to
receive your next clue.

The goats about to be milked are tied to a fence and teams must fill a container to a marked line. They only have to fill the bottom part of a fairly tall container so there is not much risk of spilling, which is unusual for the race.

For the goat wrangling each team is given a stick with a lasso on the end. This makes it slightly easier to catch the goats. But they are still quick little buggers. Once caught teams have to put some paint on the horn or the back of the caught animal.

Jasmin & Jerome start with milking but after 1 hour two teams have left the wrangling and they have not even gotten half the milk they need. They decide to switch.

 "How do you milk a goat?", Tim
 "Can you milk a goat?", Rod

It turns out that they boys did not even know you could milk a goat. But they give it a go and have no trouble finishing the task.

Chris & Adrienne are alpaca farmers so they know their way around animals so they have no trouble at all wrangling some goats.

Teams complete this detour in the following order:
 1(+0) Femi & Nick, wrangle
 2(+2) Tom & Tyler, wrangle
 3(-1) Viv & Joey, wrangle
 4(-1) Jasmin & Jerome, start milking but switched to wrangle
 5(+0) Hayley & Mikayla, wrangle
 6(+2) Chris & Adrienne, wrangle
 7(-1) Tim & Rod, milk
 8(-1) Sid & Ash, wrangle

Route info: Travel by camel into the sand dunes and use a compass to find Beau at your next pit stop.

In this task one team member has to ride the camel while the other leads it. They are given a compass and the additional info says they should head due west for approximately 1 to 1.5 kilometers. For safety a local on a horse follows the team all the way.

Femi & Nick do not know how to use a compass so they take off in the wrong direction. After a while they notice that the other teams are not following them. They realize they are heading south rather than west so they turn around and manage to get their camel to run.

Meanwhile Tom & Tyler are having camel issues. They have named him Stu but he still wants to stop and eat every five seconds. Then they look around and see some of the other teams gaining ground as they have gotten their camel to run.

The fight for first place in this leg turns into a camel race. Femi & Nick are coming from behind very strongly and are about to pass the other teams when Femi falls. They might very well have won if he had stayed on his feet.

Tom is the first one to step on the mat as he is leading their camel. But Jasmin & Jerome know that you must have all four feet on the mat to count. Jerome is just behind Tom and Jasmin is very quick to get  down from her camel so there is a photo finish.

A bit further back Viv & Joey have gone in a slightly wrong direction so they miss the pit stop on their first go.

Chris has trouble getting onto his camel and falls down at least once as the camel rises.

When riding the camel most teams make the person leading the camel carry both of their packs. The only exceptions are Chris & Adrienne and Sid & Ash where the person on the camel rides with his bag. Both Chris & Sid are big guys with significant packs, which I imagine does not please the camels.

Chris & Adrienne has is ahead of some teams but those behind them are running and closing in fast. So we are all set for an exciting race to avoid elimination. But the disaster strikes. It seems as if Adrienne is handing her backpack to Chris, who is riding on the camel. To me it seems to be a combination of Chris holding an extra backpack on one side and the camel suddenly moving a bit and the end effect is that Chris falls off it. And it is a bad fall. He tries but can not get up.

While all of this action was taking place we conveniently forgot that Viv & Joey are also still out there looking for the pit stop. And unless Chris had had his accident they would been last.

It turns out that Chris has broken a couple of ribs so there will be no more racing for him. They get transported back to one of the gers where they get to wait until production can arrange transportation to the nearest hospital. While they are waiting Beau comes by inquires how they are and eliminated them.

Teams check in to the mat in the following order:
 1(+3) Jasmin & Jerome
 2(-0) Tom & Tyler, about 0.1s after #1
 3(-2) Femi & Nick
 4(+4) Sid & Ash
 5(+2) Tim & Rod
 6(-1) Hayley & Mikayla
 7(-4) Viv & Joey
 8(-2) Chris & Adrienne, are eliminated without reaching the mat

 "We loved doing the race, it was so much fun", Adrienne
« Last Edit: November 24, 2019, 02:35:43 PM by maf »

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Re: TAR Australia 4 Racing report, episode #6
« Reply #6 on: November 20, 2019, 06:03:07 PM »
Racing report
Amazing Race AU Season 4, Episode 6

The last pit stop was among the sand dunes of the Mongol Els. It is unclear where teams are released but it seems to be in the same area. The are released in the following order:
 1. Jasmin & Jerome
 2. Tom & Tyler
 3. Femi & Nick
 4. Hayley & Mikayla
 5. Tim & Rod
 6. Sid & Ash
 7. Viv & Joey

Route info: Make your way back to Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. But first dig up your next clue in the dunes to find one last task before leaving. You have 173,000 Tugrik for this leg of the race.

Teams must first make their way to the Khongoryn els sand dunes which lies at the south edge of the Gobi desert. Each team seem to have a car with a driver who knows where to go.

Once teams arrive they have to climb to the top of the marked dune and dig in the sand for a box containing their next clue. Since conditions here are extreme there is a 4 hour time limit. Teams who have not found a clue after four hours are given their next clue plus a two hour penalty which will need to be served at the pit stop.

It seems team got released really close to each other because they are all racing up the sand dune together. At the top teams start digging in the sand, with their bare hands of course.
 "Not much tactic right now", Viv

Teams find clues in the following order:
 1(+5) Sid & Ash, after about 10 minutes
 2(+3) Tim & Rod
 3(-2) Jasmin & Jerome
 4(+3) Viv & Joey, probably after about one hour
 5(-3) Tom & Tyler, after 2h50

The last two teams, Femi & Nick and Hayley & Mikayla, did not find their clues within the four hour limit so they are given their next clue and will have a penalty waiting for them at the pit stop.

Quote
ROAD BLOCK

Who wants to wrestle
with this Road Block?

In this road block contestants must learn the chant traditionally used to start a Mongolian wrestling bout.

Sid feels confident since he considers himself good at singing. The judge does not agree and he fails his first two attempts.

Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock):
1(+0)Sid* & Ash       (2-1)On his 3rd attempt
2(+1)Jasmin & Jerome* (1-2)On his 1st attempt
3(+1)Viv & Joey*      (1-2)On his 1st attempt
4(-2)Tim* & Rod       (2-1)On his 2nd attempt
5(+0)Tom* & Tyler     (2-1)On his 1st attempt
6(+0)Femi & Nick*     (1-2)On his 1st attempt
7(-1)Hayley* & Mikayla(012)On her 1st attempt

Quote
Detour:
"Dance" or "Deliver"

Dance: Join a dance
troupe and perform Durvun
Oird, a traditional
Mongolian folk dance, to
receive your next clue.

Deliver: Navigate
Naramtuul, a 40,000 square
metre open market, as you
deliver goods to the correct
stalls. Then assemble the
last item you deliver to
receive your next clue.

The dance is fast and intricate, and production has arranged for an audience to up the pressure a bit.

In deliver the items to deliver are 20 pairs of boots, some furniture and finally an oven. The assembling of the oven is never mentioned in the episode and seems simple. The boots have to be delivered by hand but there seems to be a cart for the furniture and the oven.

 "The market was absolute madness", Jerome
 "The routine was much tougher than I thought", Ash about the dancing

At the dance Tim feels he is making good progress when he notice that Rod has the deer in headlights look on his face. So Tim stops his learning and focuses on helping Rod for a while, this helps and Rod soon get the dance. This was very good teamwork.

Viv & Joey decide to switch detour as the dance is too hard for them. They soon realize that it is hard to find a taxi so they end up making their way, 2km, to the market on foot.

 "Nick & Femi are really good at getting lost", Mikayla has some hope

On their way to the detour Femi & Nick are helped by their driver who takes an off road shortcut to cut the traffic and thanks to that they arrive to the detour at least one hour before the girls. They actually get there just before Tom & Tyler.

Teams complete the detour in the following order:
 1(+3) Tim & Rod, dance on their 1st attempt
 2(+0) Jasmin & Jerome, market
 3(-2) Sid & Ash, dance on their 6th attempt
 4(+2) Femi & Nick, dance on their 1st attempt
 5(+0) Tom & Tyler, dance on their 1st attempt
 6(-3) Viv & Joey, started dance but switched to market
 7(+0) Hayley & Mikayla, dance on their 1st attempt

Quote
Make your way to
Chingissin Huree camp,
home to the world's
largest ger, and search
the grounds for Beau at
your next Put Stop!

Hutty! The last team to
check in may be
eliminiated.

The cars with drivers which teams had initially left them at the detour so they have to find taxis. And to make matters worse Putin is in town so traffic is at a standstill.

As Viv & Joey look for a cab a kid comes up and asks where they are from. Joey realizes this kid speaks English so they ask him for directions. He helps them get a taxi and tells the driver where to go.

Teams reach Beau at the pit stop in the following order:
 1(+2) Sid & Ash, win $1,000 each
 2(-1) Tim & Rod
 3(-1) Jasmin & Jerome
 4(+1) Tom & Tyler
 ----- Femi & Nick, get a 2h penalty for not finding the clue on the sand dune
 5(+1) Viv & Joey
 6(-2) Femi & Nick, have served their penalty
 7(+0) Hayley & Mikayla, are eliminated

It is unclear what caused Hayley & Mikayla to fall so far behind. They did not seem to struggle on any of the tasks after the digging so we have to assume it was traffic.

 "Hayley and I have definitely grown closer", Mikayla

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Re: TAR Australia 4 Racing report, episode #7
« Reply #7 on: November 24, 2019, 02:49:54 PM »
Racing report
Amazing Race AU Season 4, Episode 7

The last pit stop was at Chingissin Huree camp on the outskirts of Ulaabaatar, Mongolia. Teams are departing from within Ulaabaatar in the following order:
 1. Sid & Ash
 2. Tim & Rod
 3. Jasmin & Jerome
 4. Viv & Joey
 5. Femi & Nick
 6. Tom & Tyler, Should have left as #2 but overslept

Tom & Tyler overslept and missed their starting time. Production are kind and go and wake them up. I think there would have been a logistical nightmare if they hadn't made the flight.

Route info: Fly to Victoria falls, Zimbabwe. Once outside the airport find the Chieftain of the local village and receive her greeting for your next clue.

All teams are on the same set of flights from Ulaanbaatar via Beijing and Addis Ababa to Victoria Falls. This was a long trip so it took more than 24 hours.

Just outside the airport teams receive a traditional greeting. In this case the chief sips some water and then spits it out on their faces.

The first clue here tells teams to make their way to Zambia. Teams must travel by taxi to Victoria Falls bridge. Here they will cross on foot into Zambia. Then they must make their way to the Batoka Sky aerodrome.

Teams reach the aerodrome in the following order:
 1. Sid & Ash
 2. Jasmin & Jerome
 3. Tim & Rod
 4. Tom & Tyler
 5. Viv & Joey
 6. Femi & Nick

Quote
ROAD BLOCK

Who does things to
the letter?

In this challenge contestants will take a scenic flight in an ultralight. They need to spot 6 letters on the ground. The letters are K, I, U, N, U and M. Once back on ground they need to unscramble them to spell the word Mukuni, which is a local village and their next location.

As they are waiting to take off Tom & Tyler talk with Jasmin & Jerome and Viv & Joey. They discuss sharing the answers.

Rod spent 30 minutes in the air but only spotted 5 letters. They fret a bit but are very relieved when Tyler helps them out and points out that they missed an U. Tim & Rod are a bit surprised the boys still helped them now that there are not that many teams left in the race.

As he leaves Jerome writes down the letters and hand the note to Viv. Jasmin is not happy about this. Viv still goes on her flight to verify the letters, but as she knows what she is looking for it is a really quick flight (<5 minutes).

Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock):
1(+0)Sid & Ash*       (2-2)
2(+0)Jasmin & Jerome* (1-3)
3(+1)Tom & Tyler*     (2-2)
4(-1)Tim & Rod*       (2-2)
5(+0)Viv* & Joey      (2-2)
6(+0)Femi* & Nick     (2-2)

Once done with this challenge teams pick up cars and self drive the rest of the leg. All teams but Femi & Nick pick up a map at the airport and with that they have no problem unscrambling the letters to read Mukuni.

The letters only spell Mukuni (when unscrambled) but there turns out to be a Big 5 safari Mukuni and a Mukuni village and teams do not know which one to go to. Most teams start by driving to the safari, probably because that is what they encountered first. But the next clue is in the village.

Sid & Ash encounter Jasmin & Jerome at the big 5 safari and Sid asks them if they want to work together for this leg. He tells them there is a Mukuni village just down the road and asks if they want to follow him. Jasmin & Jerome mumble a few noncommittal words and walk over to their car.
 "Sid & Ash said let's work together, what a joke", Jasmin interviews later

Teams reach the clue in the village in the following order:
 1(+2) Tom & Tyler, drove directly to the village
 2(-1) Sid & Ash
 3(-1) Jasmin & Jerome
 4(+0) Tim & Rod
 5(+0) Viv & Joey
 6(+0) Femi & Nick

The clue here is an intersection. The clue reads: "Play an African song on the Marimbas with another team to receive your next clue".

We get another awkward moment here where Sid & Ash get there just before Jasmin & Jerome. Sid asks Jasmin & Jerome if they want to do the challenge with them but the latter chose to do it with Tom & Tyler instead. Jasmin & Jerome still remember that Sid lied to them in the first leg. Sid is not happy about having been spurned.

The challenge seems fairly simple. There are just two chords team have to play and the only challenge is to play in sync with the others. But no one seem to have any difficulties to do so.

 "The boys are like the worst at finding their way to places", Viv as they are waiting for Femi & Nick
 
Teams complete the intersection in the following order:
 1(+0) Tom & Tyler
 1(+1) Jasmin & Jerome
 3(-1) Sid & Ash
 3(+0) Tim & Rod
 5(+0) Viv & Joey
 5(+0) Femi & Nick

Quote
Detour: "Cultivate" or
"Separate"

Cultivate: Using an oxen
drawn plow, work the
soil to create 8 furrows in
the field to receive your
next clue.

Separate: Help a local
couple by building a
section of the fence
around their homestead
to receive your next clue.

The only trick with the plowing seems to be that the furrows have to be straight.

In separate the post holes have already been dug but teams have to do the rest.

In both cases teams are instructed to follow a bunch of kids who will lead them to the actual task.

 "Gay boys aren't good at doing anything straight", Tim about the straight furrows

The plowing was clearly much faster than the fence building.

Teams complete the detour in the following order:
 1(+2) Tim & Rod, plow
 2(+0) Tom & Tyler, plow
 3(+2) Viv & Joey, plow
 4(=1) Femi & Nick, plow
 5(-3) Jasmin & Jerome, fence
 6(-2) Sid & Ash, fence

When teams return to their cars they find an iPad on the front seat, this contains a video message from home. In the message the people at home all say that their next hint is "ride the waters of the Zambezi river to Livingston island".

Teams must now make their way to Livingstone island launch site and catch one of only two available boats. If they miss the boat they will have to wait up to 45 minutes for the next boat.

Here I should perhaps mention that Sid & Ash has been arguing with each other a lot in this leg. This does not improve their performance.

Teams reach the boat launch site in the following order:
 1(+1) Tom & Tyler
 2(-1) Tim & Rod, drove in the wrong direction for a while
 3(+0) Viv & Joey
 ?(+?) Femi & Nick
 ?(+?) Jasmin & Jerome
 6(+2) Sid & Ash, have to wait 30 minutes for a boat to arrive

Livingston island lies right on the edge of Victoria falls so the view is marvelous. Teams have no problem finding the clue on the island so the order does not change.

Quote
ROUTE INFO

Drive yourselves to the
Elephant Cafe and
search for Beau at your
next Pit Stop.

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

Femi & Nick are on the same boat as Jasmin & Jerome and as they are leaving the island they meet Sid & Ash who are just arriving so they know that the influencers are not far behind.

This time Femi & Nick surprises us all by not getting lost on their way to the pit stop. Instead it is Jasmin & Jerome who take off in the wrong direction. They turn around but as they are closing in they are dismayed by finding themselves behind Sid & Ash. Jeremy tries to overtake them but Sid swerves to block him.

Once teams park at the Elephant cafe they must walk along the road to Beau and the mat. They may not run as that may scare the elephants. This means that once they start walking there is no way for teams to pass each other.

Sid & Ash arrive to the parking seconds before Jasmin & Jerome. But the former do not work well together so it takes longer for them to get themselves and their bags out of the car. And by then Jasmin & Jerome have a 15 meter lead. Sid wants to cut through the terrain but Ash points out that the instructions explicitly said that they must follow the road.

Teams reach Beau in the following order:
 1(+0) Tom & Tyler
 2(+0) Tim & Rod
 3(+0) Viv & Joey
 4(+?) Femi & Nick
 5(+?) Jasmin & Jerome
 6(+0) Sid & Ash, are saved by a non-elimination

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Re: TAR Australia 4 Racing report, episode #8
« Reply #8 on: November 25, 2019, 11:33:35 AM »
Racing report
Amazing Race AU Season 4, Episode 8

The last pit stop was at the Elephant Cafe in Zimbabwe. Teams depart from a parking lot, probably nearby, in the following order:
 1. Tom & Tyler
 2. Tim & Rod
 3. Viv & Joey
 4. Femi & Nick
 5. Jasmin & Jerome
 6. Sid & Ash

Quote
ROAD BLOCK

Who's ready to gorge
themselves?

In this road block contestants must ride the Batoka gorge swing (known from the very first episode of Amazing Race US). Beau demonstrates this task in his introduction and he does not seem to enjoy it.

There is no way of passing any other teams once you get to this task unless somebody chickens out (nobody does). But you can always have trouble finding it.

We learn that Viv & Joey agreed before the race that he would do any bungee-type or height based tasks so he is doing this one.

 "We're not worthy of being at the bottom of the pack", Ash thinks they belong at the top
 "I just hoped the rope industry is strong in Zimbabwe", Tom about the jump
 "That was one of the best things I've ever done", Tom after the jump
 "Has anybody vomited on this before?", Joey as he walks up to the platform

Sid & Ash went in the wrong direction so they lost 30 minutes on their way to the swing. When they arrive they find their speed bump (as they came last in the previous leg).
Quote
SPEED BUMP
Both of you must swing out
over the Zambezi River to
complete this Speed Bump
and continue on the Race.

Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock):
1(+0)Tom* & Tyler     (3-2)
2(+1)Viv & Joey*      (2-3)
3(-1)Tim* & Rod       (3-2)
4(+0)Femi* & Nick     (3-2)
5(+0)Jasmin & Jerome* (1-4)
6(+0)Sid* & Ash       (3-2)

As per their speed bump instructions Ash also did the jump but Sid was the pone they said would do the road block when they got the first clue.

Quote
FAST FORWARD

Who gives a crap?

Be the first team to
correctly identify all the
African animal dung to
earn the Fast Forward!

In this fast forward teams must identify 12 varieties of African animal dung. They are given a written description of the various dungs like "Elephant: a massive brown cylindrical sized dung". Samples of the dung can be found on the ground right at the task. They will have to place a piece of each dried dung in front of a figurine representing the animal it came from. The task takes place in the Victoria Falls Private Game Reserve.

The clue implies that multiple teams can attempt this task at the same time but we only get to see one team do it. Tom & Tyler are in the lead and they decide to go for this task.

Tom & Tyler actually start arguing a bit during the task and their first attempt get rejected. But they know there are four of the different dungs they are unsure about so they start switching them around and eventually they get it. All of this seems to take them a while.

 "Doesn't smell great this stuff", Tyler

All the other teams go for the route info:
Quote
ROUTE INFO

Drive yourselves to the
Victoria Falls Private
Game Reserve and train
with an anti-poaching
unit.

Explore the surrounding
bush and correctly
identify evidence of
illegal poachers to
receive your next clue.

Teams must look around and find & identify five items. They are:
* cigarette butts
* an axe
* bullets
* matches
* a fire pit

Each team is accompanied by a guard carrying an automatic weapon. It is unclear if they are actually needed to protect the racers or just for show.

Sid & Ash are happy when they arrive to the task location and they see all the other cars parked there. They meet Tim & Rod who are just leaving and the boys help them by telling them some of the items they are supposed to find, but not all.

Teams find all the items in the following order:
 1(+1) Tim & Rod
 2(+1) Femi & Nick
 3(-2) Viv & Joey
 4(+1) Sid & Ash
 5(-1) Jasmin & Jerome

Quote
ROUTE INFO

Drive yourselves to
Chisuma Primary School
and search the grounds
for the Suggestion Box

Teams 2-4 finish just after each other so they all drive out of the parking lot in a caravan.
 "We obviously have a speed limit rule", Joey why they are driving the speed they do

Both Femi & Nick and Viv & Joey are driving right at the maximum allowed speed but Ash decides to pass them, and does so.
 "I'm gonna speed up and then overtake", Ash
 "That's definitely not the speed limit. We got instructed we can not do that", Nick as Sid & Ash passes them

Speeding past the other teams means that Sid & Ash arrive a few seconds before them to the school. This will have huge consequences later in the leg.

Teams arrive to the school in the following order:
 1(+0) Tim & Rod
 2(+2) Sid & Ash
 3(-1) Femi & Nick, less than a minute after #2
 4(-1) Viv & Joey, just after #3
 5(+0) Jasmin & Jerome

Quote
Detour: "Build Up" or
"Serve Up"

Build Up: Assemble
playground equipment
for the school kids to
receive your next clue.

Server Up: Cook a
traditional meal for the
school kids and serve
them lunch to receive
your next clue.

In build up teams must assemble two pieces of equipment. They can choose any two of a swing, a seesaw and a set of monkey bars.

In server up team must follow a complicated recipe and cook a traditional meal and then serve 10 kids.

 "Joey is actually a decent cook though he's just lazy", Viv on why she cooks at home on Sundays

Both detour options take a lot longer than teams thought they would, but no team really struggles. They all seem to like this challenge as it lets them do something for the local community.

Teams complete the detour in the following order:
 1(+3) Viv & Joey, cook
 2(+0) Sid & Ash, cook
 3(-2) Tim & Rod, build
 4(-1) Femi & Nick, build
 5(+0) Jasmin & Jerome, build just after #4

Quote
ROUTE INFO

Drive yourselves to
Mpala Village and carry
water to the community
garden the traditional
way. Then deliver two
containers of water to the
Head Mpala waiting with
Beau at your next Pit
Stop.

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

The clue talks about delivering water to the community garden, but this is never mentioned in the episode. Instead it is all about carrying water to the pit stop.

Teams reach the bucket filling station in the following order:
 1(+0) Viv & Joey
 2(+0) Sid & Ash, as #1 are filling their buckets
 3(+0) Tim & Rod, as Viv & Joey get back there after having turned around
 4(+1) Jasmin & Jerome
 5(-1) Femi & Nick, missed an exit from the main road

Each player is given a big bucket and a head cloth. Then they must carry the bucket on heir heads all the way to the pit stop. They may use their hands to stabilize the bucket and it seems they are allowed to put the bucket down to rest. The path to the pit stop seems to be fairly long but the bucket is only partially filled.

Viv & Joey really struggle with this task. Mainly because they are both short people. They also make it harder for themselves by walking off in the wrong direction at the start.

Sid & Ash are elated that they came from the back of the pack, did a speed bump and now they are in the front.

Tim & Rod on the other hand are not as happy and the regret helping Sid & Ash earlier.

Tom & Tyler apparently had a hard time finding the pit stop and the way the episode is cut it looks like they arrive not at all long before the other teams.

Carrying those buckets is a very physical task. They are heavy and it is very hard to keep your arms lifted up above your head to stabilize it all the time.

Sid & Ash are very happy when Beau tell them they are the second team to arrive. But they are quickly brought back to earth when Beau tells them they have incurred a one hour penalty for speeding. They have to sit down and wait out their penalty.

Meanwhile Viv really struggles with this task. Joey try to help her and in the process they almost drops their buckets of water. It does not get easier when other teams pass them. First Tim & Rod, then Jasmin & Jerome and finally also Femi & Nick.

In the end it gets really nail biting. Viv & Joey are slowly making their way forward and we see Sid & Ash's penalty ticking way. In the end the on screen clock says they had 50 seconds left of their penalty as Viv & Joey step on the mat. Viv & Joey are very surprised when Beau tells them they are the fifth team to check in.

Teams reach Beau in the following order:
 1(+0) Tom & Tyler
 ----- Sid & Ash, are given an 1h penalty for speeding
 2(+2) Tim & Rod, about 12 minutes into the penalty
 3(+3) Jasmin & Jerome, 17 minutes after #2
 4(-1) Femi & Nick, about 16 minutes after #3
 5(-3) Viv & Joey, about 15 minutes after #4
 6(-3) Sid & Ash, are eliminated

 "It was good until it lasted", Sid

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Re: TAR Australia 4 Racing report, episode #9
« Reply #9 on: December 04, 2019, 08:34:32 AM »
Racing report
Amazing Race AU Season 4, Episode 9

The last pit stop was in Mpala Village, Zambia. Teams are released from what seems to be a normal hotel in the following order:
 1. Tom & Tyler
 2. Tim & Rod
 3. Jasmin & Jerome
 4. Femi & Nick
 6. Viv & Joey

Quote
ROUTE INFO

Fly to Malawi... the Warm
Heart of Africa!

Once there, make your way
to the Mgona Market in
Lilongwe and search along
the street of peanut workers
for your next clue.

Thanks to the award-
winning Bankwest Halo
Payment Ring, you have
11,600 Malawian kwacha to
spend in this leg of the
Race.

 "I swear Malawi is in Hawaii", Rod

All teams are on the same flight from Livingston airport to Lilongwe. There are no direct flights that I could find so there must have been at least one layover, probably in Johannesburg.

Teams exit the Lilongwe airport in the morning one by one and outside they find Beau. Beau greets them and then tells them they must vote for a team to U-turn. They must give their vote then and there. Teams reach him in the following order:
 1. Tom & Tyler, votes for Tim & Rod
 2. Tim & Rod, votes for Tom & Tyler
 3. Jasmin & Jerome, votes for Tim & Rod
 4. Femi & Nick, votes for Tim & Rod
 5. Viv & Joey, votes for Tim & Rod

Teams seem to be voting more with their hearts than their minds. Tom & Tyler has kept an alliance going with three of the remaining team and Tim & Rod were aligned with Sid & Ash.
 "Strategically I think it is a better decision to vote for the strongest team which is Tom & Tyler, but I don't think we've got the numbers", Jasmin

Once teams have voted they can go and jump into taxis and make their way to the Mgona market.
 
 "We're in a race but please do not go over the speed limit", Femi & Nick to their driver

Teams find the clue by the peanut workers in the following order:
 1(+0) Tom & Tyler
 2(+2) Femi & Nick
 3(-1) Tim & Rod
 4(+1) Viv & Joey
 5(-2) Jasmin & Jerome

Quote
ROUTE INFO

Here is your task in a
nutshell... using
traditional methods, shell
and winnow five
kilograms of Malawian
peanuts to receive your
next clue.

There are locals around demonstrating the task and it looks very simple when they do it. Racers quickly realize that it is a lot harder than it looks.

Tim & Rod start asking the other teams who they U-turned. Tom admits they U-turned Tim & Rod, and the boys are not surprised nor hurt. Femi & Nick are also fairly forthcoming but the other teams just clam up. Tim & Rod, correctly, conclude that they got all the other votes.

 "The silence I think tells the story", Rod when Jasmin & Jerome clam up

Tim & Rod think the other teams made a mistake to align themselves with the strongest team but they do not seem to hold a grudge against any of them.

Teams complete 5kg of peanuts in the following order:
 1(+1) Femi & Nick
 2(-1) Tom & Tyler
 3(+0) Tim & Rod
 4(+1) Jasmin & Jerome
 5(-1) Viv & Joey

Quote
DETOUR

"Stack" or "Stitch"

Stack: At Chezi market,
carefully load up one bag of
charcoal the way the local
do and deliver it to a vendor
to receive your next clue.

Stitch: Join the garment
makers of Chezi market and
correctly sew together two
Malawian shirts to receive
your next clue.

In stack teams are given a stack of coal and a bag. The catch is that the coal will not fit in the bag. Once full the locals will put sticks along the edge and then you can stack coal between those sticks. When done you tie the part that sticks up with thread so that the coals stay in place when the sticks are removed. Finally a local woman lifts the whole thing up and lays it on her head. I no significant coal falls out you have passed that part and get to deliver the overfull sack. It seems as if the merchant you must deliver to is very close there so contestants only need to carry it a short distance.

In stitch teams are given a pair of sewing machines and the pieces needed to make two shirts. The catch is that the sewing machines are pedal driven and there is a knack to running them.

Viv really wants to do the coal but Joey reminds her of the very hard water carrying task in the last leg and does not want to choose the physical detour.
 "My issue is that I can learn to sew, you can't learn to carry a bag", Joey
Viv keep saying that she things charcoal should be faster as they begin sewing. But Joey wisely shuts up and concentrates on his sewing.

As Tim & Rod got almost all the votes they are U-turned and have to do the sewing as well. When they arrive to the task they are relieved to see Viv & Joey still there. But they are horrified when they see how complex the task is.
 "I can't see myself being able to do this", Tim

Nobody is shown having any trouble with the coal stacking, but we hear that Femi & Nick needed three attempts before they were approved.

Teams complete the detour in the following order:
 ----- Tim & Rod, coal
 1(+1) Tom & Tyler, coal
 2(+2) Jasmin & Jerome, coal
 3(-2) Femi & Nick, coal
 4(+1) Viv & Joey, shirt
 5(-2) Tim & Rod, shirt

Quote
ROUTE INFO

You've hit a brick wall!

At a local brickmaking
area, mix and mold 50
clay bricks that will be
used to build houses in
the local villages to
receive your next clue.

Teams travel by taxi to the brick making area.

The brick making is harder than  it looks. They have to dig up clay and mix it with water to get the right consistency and then fill molds with the mixture. All of which requires a certain technique.

Femi & Nick struggle a bit with the brick making at first until they realize that they have been making theirs out of sand instead of clay. That is they have been hacking away at the wrong place.
 "Yeah, it's pretty **** actually", Femi & Nick compare their bricks to the others
They say they spent two hours on trying to make bricks out of sand.

Tom & Tyler know that some of their bricks are no good so they make a few extra. This helps them pass Jasmin & Jerome who need to make four new bricks after their first inspection.

Teams complete the brick making in the following order:
 1(+0) Tom & Tyler
 2(+0) Jasmin & Jerome
 3(+2) Tim & Rod
 4(+0) Viv & Joey
 5(-2) Femi & Nick

Quote
ROUTE INFO

Follow the directions of a
local villager to find your
puzzle pieces in Lake
Malawi. Correctly
assemble all the pieces
to receive your next clue.

The catch in this task is that the directions are given in Chichewa, a local language. Racers have to match what is being said to what is written on a blackboard where English translations of some words and phrases are given.

One racer must decode the directions and then tell the to the other who will have to wade out into the lake to find the pieces.

Tyler and Jerome arrive almost simultaneously. They listen for a while, and keep asking the local to go slower and slower. Then at the same time they both decide they have heard enough and go to their partners to tell them were to go. Even though they did listen to the same message they tell their partners two different things. But the funny thing is that both teams find puzzle pieces simultaneously. Then it is a race back to shore which Toms wins because he is a lot taller.

Tom & Tyler complete their puzzle seconds before Jasmin & Jerome. This means that the judge goes to them first and they get a head start in the race to the next location.

Teams complete their puzzles in the following order:
 2(+0) Tom & Tyler
 2(+0) Jasmin & Jerome
 3+_0) Tim & Rod
 4(+1) Femi & Nick
 5(-1) Viv & Joey

Quote
ROUTE INFO

Make your way on foot
through the nearby village
and search for Beau at your
next Pit Stop.

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

It is now a footrace to the pit stop. Teams reach Beau in the
following order:
 1(+0) Tom & Tyler
 2(+0) Jasmin & Jerome, seconds after #1
 3(+0) Tim & Rod
 4(+0) Femi & Nick
 5(+0) Viv & Joey, are saved by a non-elimination


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Re: TAR Australia 4 Racing report, episode #10
« Reply #10 on: December 12, 2019, 11:58:42 PM »
Racing report
Amazing Race AU Season 4, Episode 10

The last pit stop was at Lake Malawi. Teams start close to the lake. They are released in 2 minute intervals in the following order:
 1. Tom & Tyler at 05:48
 2. Jasmin & Jerome, at 05:50
 3. Tim & Rod, at 05:52
 4. Femi & Nick, at 05:54
 5. Viv & Joey, at 05:56

The first task is that each team member must paddle a dugout canoe the 1km length of Leopard bay. These are just hollowed out tree trunks and they are very heavy and unwieldy.

It is fairly windy and a lot of waves close to shore. The canoes are rank and we get lots of shots of racers tipping over. Tom & Tyler make their way further out where the waves are smaller and have a fairly smooth paddle from there. The other teams stay closer to shore and have lots of problems.

Viv & Joey find their speed bump right at the start. Their canoes are full of water so they must bail it out before they can even move them.

Nick & Femi are struggling a lot and in the process they loose one of their paddle boards. Things look bleak for a while but they find it and can continue on.

Teams reach the goal in the following order:
 1(+0) Tom & Tyler
 2(+1) Tim & Rod
 3(+1) Femi & Nick
 4(+1) Viv & Joey
 5(-3) Jasmin & Jerome

Quote
DETOUR

"Dirty" or "Smelly"

Dirty: Do a load of washing
for the local villagers, then
lay the clothing out to dry to
receive your next clue.

Smelly: Sort the day's catch
from a local fisherman into
separate species, then lay
the fish out to dry to receive
your next clue.

In dirty teams must wash 20 items of clothing by hand. Once clean and laid out to dry they will receive their next clue.

In smelly teams must carry a bucket of fish to a sorting table and sort it into different species. They are not told that there are three different species. of fish in the bucket, and they all look pretty much alike. Also to make matters worse the fish have various spiky fins etc so teams will cut themselves while sorting them.

Tom & Tyler go for the smelly detour and divide their fish into two different species. When they think they are done the judge tells them they have their species mixed up.
 "I just don't know, they're all the *beep* same", Tyler

Eventually Tom & Tyler gets it. As they are leaving they pass Viv & Joey who are just about to start sorting their fish. They boys stop and help them by telling them that there are three different species and how to tell them apart.

Teams complete the detour in the following order:
 1(+1) Tim & Rod, wash
 2(-1) Tom & Tyler, fish
 3(+0) Femi & Nick, wash
 4(+1) Jasmin & Jerome, wash
 5(-1) Viv & Joey, fish

Road block: "Who never tyres out?"

The clue inside reads:
Quote
Make a pair of sandal
tops for you and your
partner and properly
glue on the tyre-thread
soles to receive your
next clue.

Teams must now make sandals.

 "These are a lot harder to build than they actually look", Tim

As he is working on his sandals Tim cuts himself in the finger. One of the medics have to come in and put a band aid on it to stop the bleeding.

 "I felt the need to rush, that left room for errors and more mistakes", Nick
 "We weren't allowed to provide any feedback apart from encouragement", Jasmine found it hard to not be able to help

Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock):
1(+4)Viv & Joey*      (2-4)
2(+0)Tom & Tyler*     (3-3)
3(-2)Tim* & Rod       (4-2)
4(+0)Jasmin & Jerome* (1-5)
5(-2)Femi & Nick*     (3-3)

Quote
ROUTE INFO

Make your way on foot to
the Nsapato section of
the market and listen for
a message for the
Racers.

A lot of the vendors on this market are using loudspeakers to advertise their wares. In this challenge and number of these are instead used for a message to the racers. It is not trivial to hear them above the background noise and then there is the matter of understanding what they actually are saying.

The message reads: "Amazing Racers, your next destination is Harry's Bar"

Tim & Rod have trouble understanding the last part of the message and asks on of the stall owners. She says it says "Come and buy nice dresses here". Even with this setback they are the first to get the message. As they are leaving they pass Tom & Tyler and Viv & Joey. They act as confused as possible and get out of there.

Teams get the message in the following order:
 1(+2) Tim & Rod
 2(+0) Tom & Tyler
 3(-2) Viv & Joey
 4(+0) Jasmin & Jerome
 5(+0) Femi & Nick

Teams arrive at Harry's bar in the following order:
 1(+1) Tom & Tyler
 2(+1) Viv & Joey
 3(-2) Tim & Rod
 4(+0) Jasmin & Jerome
 5(+0) Femi & Nick

Quote
ROUTE INFO

It's time for a 2-Minute Quiz!

Match your partner's
answers to a series of
questions about your fellow
Racers to earn your next
clue.

Each racer has to take a quiz. They are given a set of 10 questions and pictures of all the teams.  The questions are stuff like
"Who was overtake in the last 30 seconds of the second leg of the race?"
"Which team was second to arrive to build play equipment in Zimbabwe?".
"Which team attempted a fast forward, then gave up?"
"Who nailed flyboarding in under two minutes?"
"Which team spent the most time in a taxi in the first leg"

Each contestant get 2 minutes to complete the test. They are not told their result but they do know that each wrong answer will result in a penalty later in the leg. We as viewers get told how they did and that they will get a 1 minute penalty for each wrong answer.

The clue makes it sound like their answers need to match but there is a right answer to each question which they must get.

The results of the tests are:
 Tom & Tyler, 3+5 errors
 Viv & Joey, 9+4 errors
 Tim & Rod, 7+2 errors
 Jasmin & Jerome, 3+3 errors
 Femi & Nick, 2 errors

After completing the test teams get their next clue from the barman.

Quote
ROUTE INFO

Learn an African song in the
Malawian language of
Chichewa.

Then join the musicians on
stage and perform for the
locals to receive your next
clue.

Teams are given a sheet with the lyrics written down and a local instructor.

 "Singing is definitely not our forte", Jasmin
 "I really hate being on a stage performing", Viv

The song does not seem to be particularly complicated and nobody is shown struggling. Teams get approved in the following order:
 1(+0) Tom & Tyler
 2(+0) Viv & Joey
 3(+0) Tim & Rod
 4(+0) Jasmin & Jerome
 5(+0) Femi & Nick

Quote
ROUTE INFO

Make your way to Kumbali
Lodge and search by the
banana trees for Beau at
your next Pit Stop.

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

The first step in getting to the pit stop is getting a taxi. Tom & Tyler spend at least 20 minutes at the street trying to get one.

Jasmin & Jerome are happy they asked their driver to wait.

Viv & Joey's taxi catches up an passes Tom & Tyler's on the way to the pit stop.

Teams reach Beau at the mat in the following order:
 1(+1) Viv & Joey, have a 13 minute penalty
 2(-1) Tom & Tyler, have a 8 minute penalty
 3(+1) Jasmin & Jerome, have a 6 minute penalty
 4(-1) Tim & Rod, have a 9 minute penalty
 5(+0) Femi & Nick have a 2 minute penalty

The penalties makes team check in in the following order:
 1(+1) Tom & Tyler
 2(+1) Jasmin & Jerome
 3(-2) Viv & Joey
 4(+0) Tim & Rod
 5(+0) Femi & Nick, are eliminated

 "It's been an amazing experience", Femi
 "...proud of Femi like, I just feel like... Sorry, I've to think of some bull**** to say", Nick

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Re: TAR Australia 4 Racing report, episode #11
« Reply #11 on: December 15, 2019, 04:52:42 AM »
Racing report
Amazing Race AU Season 4, Episode 11

The last pit stop was at the Kumbali Lodge in Malawi. Teams seem to depart from a more urban location, probably in Lilongwe, in the following order:
1.Tom & Tyler    06:24
2.Jasmin & Jerome06:26+0:02
2.Viv & Joey     06:28+0:04
2.Tim & Rod      06:30+0:06

Route info: Fly to Bangkok, Thailand. Once there make your way to Khlong Toei market and eat a Thai treat to receive your next clue.

Teams get $70 for this leg of the race.

The clue also warns them that there is a U-turn ahead. Teams are surprised this. It is another voting U-turn so strategy is going to be very important.

Tim & Rod know that all the other teams voted for them the last time so they feel motivated to try to beat them again. At the airport Jerome & Jasmine takes Viv & Joey and Tom & Tyler aside and reaffirms their alliance.

All teams are on the same flight from Malawi to Bangkok and on the way they each get to vote for th U-turn. This time we do not get to see the votes.

Once they land teams jump into taxis and make their way to the market, where each team member will have to eat three Thai treats.
 "I have a wild guess they are not going to be treats, they're going to be something disgusting", Tyler

Teams leave the airport in the following order:
 1. Tom & Tyler
 2. Jasmin & Jerome
 3. Viv & Joey
 4. Tim & Rod

Tim & Rod are last to leave the airport and they are very stressed. Not only are they last but there is an upcoming U-turn as well which they have every reason to believe they will be the target of.

The treats turn out to be nicely colored eggs. But when opened they turn out to be century eggs, which is something of an acquired taste.

To make matters more interesting it starts to rain as well. And not a nice refreshing sprinkle but a hard tropical torrential rain.

Teams arrive to stall AA 15-16 in the following order:
 1(+0) Tom & Tyler
 2(+0) Jasmin & Jerome, after the first team has left
 3(+1) Tim & Rod, as Jasmine is trying ti get her eggs down
 4(-1) Viv & Joey, after all others have left

Viv & Joey spot Tim & Rod getting in a taxi as they are desperately searching for stall AA 15-16. Finding the stall is non-trivial as most stalls do not show their number and most of the locals do not seem to speak English.
 
 "It was the most foul thing I have every put in my mouth", Jasmine about the eggs
 
Teams complete their eggs in the following order:
 1(+0) Tom & Tyler
 2(+0) Jasmin & Jerome, took 25 minutes
 3(+0) Tim & Rod
 4(+0) Viv & Joey

Quote
Detour: "Water" or
"Wheels"

Water: Take a long tail
boat past famous
Bangkok landmarks
along the Chao Phraya
River, then correctly
place pictures of what
you saw on a map to
receive your next clue.

...

In wheels teams must assemble and decorate a tuk tuk. The task is not difficult but time consuming.

The water task is made easier by the fact that teams can take a look at the map and the pictures before they start the boat trip. There are 12 landmarks to place. The task does not seem difficult since both teams doing it get it on their first attempt.

After the detour teams will learn who got U-turned.

Even though Jasmin & Jerome left the detour before Tim & Rod they arrive 15 minutes later. Which only shows how important your taxi is.

At the wheel detour Tim & Rod ask Jasmin & Jerome if they are being U-turned again. They are stoked when Jasmin tells them that they voted for Tom & Tyler this time.

Meanwhile we are shown Tom & Tyler completing their detour. They are then stunned to learn that they are U-turned. They had counted on their alliance with Jasmin & Jerome and Viv & Joey to protect them.
 "It hurts", Tom feel betrayed
 "To use the U-turn against Tom & Tyler was the hardest decision we've made this whole race", Jasmin

 "Tinkerbell the tuk tuk", Tim & Rod name their tuk tuk

Tom & Tyler get to the tuk tuk challenge before any of the teams there have left and the mood gets strange. None of the teams are talking to each other. It gets even more awkward after Tim & Rod have left and only Tom & Tyler and Jasmin & Jerome are there.

Teams complete the detour(s) in the following order:
 ----- Tom & Tyler, boat
 1(+2) Tim & Rod, tuk tuk
 2(+2) Viv & Joey, boat
 3(-1) Jasmin & Jerome, tuk tuk
 4(-3) Tom & Tyler, tuk tuk

Road block: Who's ready for a mouthful?

In this road block contestants must find the right dentures for three locals. Each local has a bowl of dentures on the table in front of them and the contestants must find the one set which fits. The task is not particularly hard as long as you can get over the ickiness of handling somebody else's dentures. The racers do wear gloves during this task.

The teams are a spread out here so no team see any other at this road block.

 "It was honestly like playing Tetris", Tim
 "Some of them had the cutest smiles on their faces", Tim

Viv & Joey arrive as Tim & Rod are leaving. The road block took about 10 minutes for Viv & Joey.

Jasmin & Jerome have a bad taxi so Tom & Tyler arrive to the road block before them. Tom & Tyler are pretty sure they have one team behind them at the road block since Tyler had two tables to choose from.

Jasmin & Jerome on the other hand think that they are still ahead of Tom & Tyler so Jasmin spends a lot of time nervously looking if the boys are arriving while Jerome does the road block.

Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock):
1(+0)Tim* & Rod       (5-2)
2(+0)Viv & Joey*      (2-5)
3(+1)Tom & Tyler*     (3-4)
4(-1)Jasmin & Jerome* (1-6)

Quote
ROUTE INFO

Here's a golden
opportunity!

Gold leaf a statue of
Ganesh. Once approved,
take your Ganesh to
Beau at your next Pit
Stop.

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

The extra info here explains how to apply gold leaf to the statue. The trick is to put glue on the statue and the wait for it to become sticky before applying the gold leaf. And do not touch the gold leaf with your fingers as it tears easily.

Teams arrive to the gold leafing station in the same order they left the road block. Viv & Joey and Tom & Tyler are still working on their gold leaf when Jasmin & Jerome arrives.

The end is actually pretty exciting. Viv & Joey leave as #2 so we have Tom & Tyler who are battling it out against Jasmin & Jerome. The former have a head start but the latter are catching up.
 "It's absolute panic at this stage", Jasmin

This time it is Jasmin & Jerome who asks for a check seconds, at least it seems so, before Tom & Tyler. So Jasmin & Jerome have a bit of a head start in the hustle to the pit stop. The catch is that they have to carry their statue, and the gold leafing is fragile so they have it on a tray. And you are also not allowed to run inside the temple.
 "They're not the team you want to be running to the finish line against", Jerome about Tom & Tyler

Tom & Tyler reach Beau about 10 seconds after Jasmin & Jerome.

Teams get the statues approved and reach Beau on the following order:
 1(+0) Tim & Rod, at 19:15, win a trip to the Northern territories
 2(+0) Viv & Joey, at 19:58
 3(+1) Jasmin & Jerome, at 20:00
 4(-1) Tom & Tyler, at 20:01, are eliminated

Tom & Tyler are very disappointed. It is not made easier that they are barely beaten by Jasmin & Jerome, the team they feel most betrayed by. It is a bit awkward at the mat but they manage to keep it classy.

 "We definitely took away some great experiences", Tom

Offline maf

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Re: TAR Australia 4 Racing report, episode #12
« Reply #12 on: December 17, 2019, 03:02:47 PM »
Racing report
Amazing Race AU Season 4, Episode 12

The last pit stop was in a temple in Bangkok, Thailand. It looks like teams start in front of some hotel. They depart in the following order:
1.Tim & Rod      12:02
2.Viv & Joey     12:04+0:02
3.Jasmin & Jerome12:06+0:04

Quote
ROUTE INFO

Fly to the Northern
Territory... Australia's Top
End!

Once there, search the
airport for the Jetstar
representative with your
next clue.

You have 140 AUD for this
leg of the Race.

Jasmin & Jerome are stoked to read this clue since they live in Darwin and they feel they know the area well.

All teams are on the same flight from Bangkok, via Singapore, to Darwin. Once they land, teams run as fast as they can. The Jetstar representative is easy to find and teams reach him within 2 seconds of each other.

Route info: Search the Darwin waterfront for Northern Territory News front pages and separate the race headlines and public headlines to receive your next clue from the NT News editor.

NT News is a local paper known for it sensational eye-grabbing headlines. Production has placed stacks of newspapers around the waterfront of Darwin. Teams must find the eight different race related headlines.

The headlines they are supposed to find are:
* A couple of basket cases jump the queue
* Big voice serenades tough guy
* Flying firefighter saves the day
* Slippery suckers caught dunking
* Ungodly dumpling theft
* Desert's storm forces alien alliances
* Birthday girl vomits golden opportunity
* Royal watery welcome

Teams arrive to the Waterfront in the following order:
 1. Jasmin & Jerome
 2. Tim & Rod
 3. Viv & Joey

There is chaos as teams run around and frantically search for newspaper racks. Viv & Joey are the first to find seven of them and then spotting the newspaper rack located at the top of a big inflatable slide sitting in the water. They hesitate so Jerome also spots it and is the first to jump into the water. Then Tim also makes for the slide and Joey is last into the water.

There are of course more than 8 front pages in the stands so there are some non race related ones like "Fool speed ahead". These make the task harder and some teams have to make multiple tries.

In the end teams find the eight right front pages in the following order:
 1(+0) Jasmin & Jerome
 2(+0) Tim & Rod, about 10 minutes after #1
 3(+0) Viv & Joey

The next clue tells teams to fly to Katherine, NT. But the plane will not land, instead they both have to do tandem skydives out of the plane.

In the taxi to the airfield Tim & Rod talk about how the other teams are very afraid of heights. And so they may be, but there is $250,000 on line so they all overcome their fears and jump out of the perfectly good plane once needed.
 "I'm pretty proud of myself, but I'll never do it again", Jasmin about the jump

Joey was looking forward to do a parachute jump. But when they get to Katherine the wind has picked up so it is too windy to jump. Instead their plane lands in Katherine. They do not seem to loose any time by this and are not given any penalties.
 "Sorry guys, safety first", the task judge at the end when he gives Viv & Joey their clue

Quote
ROAD BLOCK

Who's ready to run
circles around this
Road Block?

Inside the clue reads:
Quote
Try your hand at life on an
Aussie Cattle station.
Complete a training
exercise with a cattle dog,
then gain the trust of a wild
horse, to earn your next
clue.

Teams did land quite close to the cattle station so they make their way there on foot.

The first task is to select one of several dogs and then make it run in a figure 8 around two barrels. To help them they have access to a high tech training tool, a sick with a plastic bag at the end.

All teams seem to do this exercise in the same arena. And they are allowed to switch dogs when they want.

Jasmines strategy is to pick an older dog which she hopes is better trained. But this one turns out to be completely uninterested in her and goes back to his perch instead. Rod as the same strategy to pick an older dog and get the same result.

Joey instead picks a young dog. And Teddy, which is the dog's name, is quite eager to follow the plastic bag so he has no problem completing the course.

After the dog task contestants are let into an arena with a wildish horse. They must approach it slowly to be allowed to touch its face or neck. To confuse them they are allowed to keep the plastic bag on a stick tool from the dog task, but that will only make matters worse here. Which all of the quickly realize.

Rod see what Joey did so after Joey has left he swaps his current dog, Fluffy, for Teddy. And this time there is no problem.

Eventually Jasmine also try to do the course with Teddy and he still happily tries to catch the plastic bag.

Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock):
1(+2)Viv & Joey*      (2-6)
2(+0)Tim & Rod*       (5-3)
3(-2)Jasmin* & Jerome (2-6)Spent more than 30 minutes with the dog

Quote
ROUTE INFO

Take a helicopter into
Nitmiluk Gorge.

Search the landing area
for your next clue.

The episode has cut the clue at the landing site but Beau has already told us. Teams will have to complete a 3D puzzle of the race. But before they can start the must jump into kayaks and paddle around in the gorge to find 7 hidden pieces.

 "It was really difficult for us to spot our puzzle pieces", Viv

Teams find all their pieces in the following order:
 1(+1) Tim & Rod
 2(+1) Jasmin & Jerome
 3(-2) Viv & Joey, spent more than an hour looking for pieces

Once they have found their 7 pieces teams can go to the puzzle area where they will find a bunch of more pieces. Each piece is marked with a clue. The clues are stuff like pictures of places, teams eliminated or task names.

There is one 6 pieces 3D puzzle per country and teams must assemble all of them and place them on top of each other in the correct order.

Viv & Joey are happy when they get to the puzzle area and see the other teams there, and they do not seem to have made much progress.

Teams complete their puzzles in the following order:
 1(+0) Tim & Rod
 2(+0) Jasmin & Jerome
 3(+0) Viv & Joey

The next clue tells them it is the last one and that they should search the gorge on foot to find Beau and the finish line.

Teams reach the finish line in the following order:
 1(+0) Tim & Rod, win $250,000
 2(+0) Jasmin & Jerome
 3(+0) Viv & Joey

 "This race challenges you mentally, it challenges you physically, you have the greatest days of your life and you have the worst days of your life and we did it together, I love you so much", Tim

Offline maf

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Re: TAR Australia 4 Racing report, episode #12 is on page #1
« Reply #13 on: December 17, 2019, 03:03:37 PM »
And finally I found time to complete the last leg. My apologies for this taking so long.

Offline claude_24hrs

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Re: TAR Australia 4 Racing report, episode #12 is on page #1
« Reply #14 on: December 17, 2019, 06:02:51 PM »
Here are the dates had filmed in the race, posted from the timeline thread:

Based on the dates had filmed on this race:

  • South Korea: August 20-21
  • Vietnam: August 22-24
  • Mongolia: August 27-29
  • Zambia/Zimbabwe: September 1-2
  • Malawi: September 4-5
  • Thailand: September 8-9
  • Australia: September 12