Topic: TAR 20 EP 9 "Bollywood Travolta" (Cochin, India)

[apskip]

Turns are meaningless. Teams have to manage their ROADBLOCK counts carefully, but that does not mean having to alternate who does each ROADBLOCK. A much more appropriate strategy is for teams to use the individual expected to be best suited to a ROADBLOCK. The information provided when decisions have to be made on who will do the ROADBLOCK is limited, so teams much just muddle through when using this strategy. As a team nears the end of the race, and we are getting close to there, evening out ROADBLOCKS becomes vital.

[Zack.]

I think he means that in the case of those two teams, they alternate it (to their peril perhaps; Vanessa got to confront her fears of water, heights and math).

Also, I'm pretty sure there's a brunette guy wearing the same robe as Mark on the stage in cap 20-22.

[Prophet]

A lot of teams use taking turns as a method to keep them on track. But if they use apskip's logic method then I doubt Dave and Ralph consider themselves the dancing type so you get the same result. Leaving the M/M teams to struggle and border patrol is obviously stronger.

Plus the press info is telling us that one team has to decide between their own health and remaining in. It's possible that they have to quit a task.

[Plaidmoon]

I have been doing some digging and have narrowed down the location in Kochi (Cochin) for caps 15-18 somewhat. Looking in the background on the right, one business appears to be "Kerala Medicals". I searched and found that Kerala Medicals is a pharmacy located at "Pavakulath Building, KK Road, Kaloor, Ernakulam, Kerala 682017 Near the HDFC Bank". That's not something I can plug in to Google Earth and go anywhere. However, further digging led me to believe that KK Road was Kaloor Kadavanthara Road. This is a fairly long road, so it wasn't much help. Then I looked up HDFC banks and there is a Kadavanthara branch at the south end of Kaloor Kadavanthara Road where it intersects with Sahodaran Ayyapan Road. It was a quick search, so other branches are possibly the right one.

Then I noticed on the right side of the caps a sign marked "Police Aid". I didn't have much time left to pursue this and did a quick search for Kochi Police Stations or Police Aid Stations. There is a police station at the far north end of Kaloor Kadavanthara Road where it intersects with Old NH (Old National Highway ?) also known as NH 47A, but I suspect that's not the same as a Police Aid station. I couldn't find addresses for Police Aid stations. Google Earth has a limited amount of pictures around Kochi, but from what I could see the south end of Kaloor Kadavanthara Road looked more like it matched up with caps 15-18.

I don't know if the location of the caps 15-18 is important or just atmospheric street scenes, but it appears to me to be on the mainland portion of Kochi at the south end of Kaloor Kadavanthara Road. I'll leave it as an exercise for the rest of you to pin it down any closer than that.

[David]

I'd say that EACH TEAM takes a different-coloured scarf and takes dancing partners wearing that scarf. Would that be possible? I can easily see that.

In Cap 23 we see blue team going up to the stage so as to perform the task?

We can also see that Bopper is down the stage until the moment he goes up there and fails.

[georgiapeach]

Where do we see Bopper on stage?? You mean Mark?

[Prophet]

White Rachel does the RB, as expected.

It's focusing on Mark's struggles a lot. There don't seem to be any other teams there with them.

[Prophet]

We have yet to see even a glimpse of a Detour; I wonder if there is a double RB.

[georgiapeach]

Promo up in post 2! ^^

[TAR Fanatic]

I can see BB Rachel dancing with green clothed dancers, Rachel(Dave) with yellow/orange dancers, and Mark with red dancers. Can also see the red dancers watching as the BB Rachel and the green dancers perform.

[Prophet]

I can see BB Rachel dancing with green clothed dancers, Rachel(Dave) with yellow/orange dancers, and Mark with red dancers. Can also see the red dancers watching as the BB Rachel and the green dancers perform.

It sounds like a set up similar to the TAR 18 samba roadblock

[Alenaveda]

I can see BB Rachel dancing with green clothed dancers, Rachel(Dave) with yellow/orange dancers, and Mark with red dancers. Can also see the red dancers watching as the BB Rachel and the green dancers perform.

It sounds like a set up similar to the TAR 18 samba roadblock

Yes.  And in the caps 20/22 you can see a man with dark hair (¿Ralph, Art/J.J,?) perfoming with the dancers in blue clothes.

[jacobsk68]

Since i'm originally from Kerala i was able to figure out the ground where they do the dance sequences from google maps
it's the   Sacred Heart College, Cochin , athletic field.

http://maps.google.com/maps?um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=Sacred+Heart+College,+Cochin&fb=1&gl=us&hq=Sacred+Heart+College,&hnear=0x3b080d514abec6bf:0xbd582caa5844192,Kochi,+Kerala,+India&cid=0,0,12714888376162515474&ei=sL-NT6jXBcbF2QXyjeH_Cw&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=image&ved=0CAgQ_BI

[jacobsk68]

Also, the coir factory scene is definitely in Alleppey (or Allapuzha) which is south of Cochin. Alleppey is the center of all coir making. TAR had been to Alleppey some time back , don't remember which season.

[cattychic]

Good Job jacobsk68 and 

[Prophet]

Good work jacobsk68! Glad to have you here!

[jacobsk68]

thanks.
with respect to Coir, if you happen to purchase a Coir mat for your home from Walmart or Target  and it says "Made in India",  i'm 100% sure that it came from Alleppey, Kerala.

[apskip]

Also, the coir factory scene is definitely in Alleppey (or Allapuzha) which is south of Cochin. Alleppey is the center of all coir making. TAR had been to Alleppey some time back , don't remember which season.

You are right. It was the famous bull pulling plow with human hanging for a measured distance in AR4 ep. 7 in Alleppey. That was as close as the US Amazing Race got to Kochi (Cochin) previously.

[David]

Where do we see Bopper on stage?? You mean Mark?

I don't really know who is who,

In Cap 24, we see him on stage, but not in the rest of images.

[jacobsk68]

Also, the coir factory scene is definitely in Alleppey (or Allapuzha) which is south of Cochin. Alleppey is the center of all coir making. TAR had been to Alleppey some time back , don't remember which season.

You are right. It was the famous bull pulling plow with human hanging for a measured distance in AR4 ep. 7 in Alleppey. That was as close as the US Amazing Race got to Kochi (Cochin) previously.

you're right. That was the paddy field plowing event.

[Declive]

How are you people so sure that Ralph and Vanessa are safe through leg 10?

[Prophet]

How are you people so sure that Ralph and Vanessa are safe through leg 10?

Ralph was seen in the season preview doing what looks like a roadblock at the coir factory. jacobsk68 confirmed that it is in another city so it is probably next time.

[jacobsk68]

How are you people so sure that Ralph and Vanessa are safe through leg 10?

Ralph was seen in the season preview doing what looks like a roadblock at the coir factory. jacobsk68 confirmed that it is in another city so it is probably next time.

It's another city but not far from cochin, most probably 20-25 miles south of cochin. Not sure if there's enough for 5 remaining teams to spend 2 episodes in one small geographical area. But i may be wrong.

[supah]

Thanks to jacobsk68, we have identified our RB location, Sacred Heart College Grounds 

[apskip]

The closest major city to Cochin is Alappuzhy (formerly known as Alleppey from AR4), population 179,000. It is know for its coir fiber, a natural fibre extracted from the husk of coconut and used in products such as floor mats, doormats, brushes and mattresses.

The next major city on the road to Mandalay (strike that, my little joke; it's really to Thiruvananthapuram) is Kollam, population 350,000.


I have no idea if either of these was used in leg 10. I believe that Thiruvananthapuram is the most logical place for that leg and both Alappuzhy and Kollam are on the way.