The Amazing Race International Versions > TAR Australia
TAR Australia 4 Racing report, episode #12 is on page #1
maf:
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.
--- End quote ---
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.
--- End quote ---
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
maf:
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?
--- End quote ---
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 attempt2(+1)Jasmin & Jerome* (1-2)On his 1st attempt3(+1)Viv & Joey* (1-2)On his 1st attempt4(-2)Tim* & Rod (2-1)On his 2nd attempt5(+0)Tom* & Tyler (2-1)On his 1st attempt6(+0)Femi & Nick* (1-2)On his 1st attempt7(-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.
--- End quote ---
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.
--- End quote ---
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
maf:
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?
--- End quote ---
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.
--- End quote ---
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.
--- End quote ---
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
maf:
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?
--- End quote ---
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.
--- End quote ---
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!
--- End quote ---
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.
--- End quote ---
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
--- End quote ---
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.
--- End quote ---
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.
--- End quote ---
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
maf:
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.
--- End quote ---
"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.
--- End quote ---
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.
--- End quote ---
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.
--- End quote ---
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.
--- End quote ---
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.
--- End quote ---
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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