Racing report
Amazing Race Season 31, Episode 6, "Who wants a Rolex?"
Film date: 2019-06-21 - 2019-06-22
The last pit stop was at the Dubai Marina and this seems to be where teams are released for this leg. We only get departure times for the first two teams.
1. | Becca & Floyd | 02:25 | |
2. | Chris & Bret | 02:26 | (+0:01) |
Route info: "Fly to the pearl of Africa, Uganda"
Once they land teams must ride a taxi to the Uganda National Mosque in Kampala.
"
The challenge today is to appreciate a culture which doesn't quite appreciate us back as openly gay men", Tyler about Uganda's stance on homosexuality
All teams are on the same flight. At the airport we see that Janelle & Brittney are really close with Rachel & Vanessa and they all call themselves the mom squad.
Once they land in Kampala it is a mob scene as teams try to get taxis. We do not see any other passengers so it feels like they held everybody back a while and outside the terminal there are 8 taxi drivers waiting so I get the feeling they were arranged.
"
It's totally Ho-Chi-Minh 2.0", Brittney comments on the chaotic traffic
"
We're going literally down the middle of oncoming traffic", Brittney about their taxi (but the traffic is very slow)
At the mosque teams must change into the provided respectful clothes. They then reach the clue box in the courtyard in the following order:
1. Nicole & Victor
2. Tyler & Korey
3. Colin & Christie
4. Chris & Bret, after first climbing the minaret
5. Rachel & Elissa
6. Leo & Jamal
7. Becca & Floyd
8. Janelle & Britney, arrive as #7 are leaving
Route info: "Count the number of steps in the minaret". Teams must now climb the stairs to the top of the minaret. On the way they need to count the number of steps and at the top they must write down how many steps they climbed. The correct answer is 272. If they guess wrong they have to go back down and count again.
In order to remove ambiguity there is a red and yellow line on the floor before the first step after after the last step they need to count.
Chris & Brett are first but miss the clue box in the courtyard so they just climb to the top without counting the steps.
Tyler & Korey feel smart because they have done research and found that there are 304 steps from the bottom to the top of this minaret. So they do not bother to count the steps as they go up. Unfortunately for them the racers start from the second floor so 304 is wrong.
"
How many steps boys", Jamal asks Tyler & Korey who are just leaving the minaret
"
Lots", Korey
On their third time at the top Rachel wants to write 270 but Elissa persuades her to change to 272.
Teams reach the top of the minaret in the following order:
Chris & Bret, did not count the steps )and did miss the clue at the courtyard)
Tyler & Korey, guessed 304
1(+0) Nicole & Victor
2(+1) Colin & Christie
3(-1) Tyler & Korey
4(+0) Chris & Bret
Rachel & Elissa, answer 234
5(+1) Leo & Jamal
Rachel & Elissa, answer 271
6(-1) Rachel & Elissa
7(+0) Becca & Floyd
8(+0) Janelle & Britney
Route info: "Travel by taxi to Owino Market and enter through the main gate. Once there search the Soweto restaurant area for your next clue."
The Owino market is gigantic (20 football fields) and extremely hectic. Teams manage to find the clue box here in the following order:
1(+0) Nicole & Victor
2(+1) Tyler & Korey, just after #1
3(-1) Colin & Christie, just after #2
4(+1) Leo & Jamal
5(-1) Chris & Bret
6(+1) Becca & Floyd
7(+1) Janelle & Britney, after 3 teams have left
8(-2) Rachel & Elissa
This is where Rachel & Elissa find their speed bump. They must hand wash a bunch of clothes and them hang them to dry. When Phil presents the task he makes it look like finding a place for it to dry is going to be the hard part but that turned out to not be the case.
"
It's a lot of work", Elissa
"
Thank god for laundry machines", Rachel
Road block: "Who wants a Rolex?"
In this road block teams must make a special egg sandwich, locally known as a Rolex. They must first ask the vendor for a shopping list. Then shop the ingredients before finally making one Rolex to get their next clue.
The list of ingredients reads:
6 tomatoes
4 green peppers
4 carrots
4 small red onions
1 bag shredded
cabbage
"
It looks like a food dish, I though it was a watch", Victor
Jamal is the only one shown to get his Rolex rejected by the judge. He has to go back and make a new one, but he does not need to go out shopping again.
"
It's okay, 5 second rule", Floyd picks up his bread from the ground where he dropped it
Janelle & Brittney is the only team which has an unbalanced road block count. So it is interesting to see Britney tell Janelle to do this task (thus making the count even more uneven). I wonder why?
Janelle is also the only one struggling here. She firmly believes they are making a watch and runs off looking for a watch vendor. She spends a lot of time searching. Along the way she pops by where Rachel & Elissa are washing clothes.
"
My god, I'm lost", Janelle
Eventually Janelle gets back to where Brittney is waiting. Brittney can not help her but when Janelle goes to a nearby food stand and asks them if they can help her find a Rolex stand they give her a list of ingredients.
"
Is was that easy? Are you serious", Janelle when she gets the list of ingredients
Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock):
1(+0) | Nicole & Victor* | (3-4) | |
2(+0) | Tyler & Korey* | (3-4) | |
3(+0) | Colin* & Christie | (4-3) | |
4(+1) | Chris* & Bret | (4-3) | |
5(-1) | Leo & Jamal* | (3-4) | |
6(+0) | Becca & Floyd* | (3-4) | |
7(+1) | Rachel & Elissa* | (3-4) | |
8(-1) | Janelle* & Britney | (5-2) | |
Route info: "Travel by taxi to GGaba Landing site...".
Here they need to find the village boat builders to receive their next clue.
At GGaba landing site there are red and yellow flags which indicate where the taxis should drop them off (and wait). There is also an arrow pointing in the direction of the boat builders.
Teams get the clue here in the following order:
1(+2) Colin & Christie
2(+0) Tyler & Korey, just after #1
3(-2) Nicole & Victor, just after #2
4(+0) Chris & Bret
5(+0) Leo & Jamal
6(+0) Becca & Floyd, while the first 5 teams are still doing it.
7(+0) Rachel & Elissa, after the first 3 teams have left
8(+0) Janelle & Britney, after all others have left
Detour: Salty roll or move the pole?
In salty roll teams must transport a wheelbarrow of fish parts to a work station. Then they must chop the fish, clean it and salt the skin.
In move the pole teams must transport firewood from the harbor to a stacking place where they must stack it like the locals. The wood must be loaded on the provided bicycles and they have to make several trips. The final stack will be about one normal person high.
"
It was wonderful to see the people of Uganda treat us so warmly", Korey
At this detour we get the final proof that Colin is well and truly a changed man. Their loaded bike first almost falls to its side and when they manage to keep it upright it falls backwards instead. The old Colin would have exploded but the new-an-improved(tm) Colin calmly start to repack the bike. It is a remarkable change and I can only congratulate somebody who has grown so much as a person.
Teams complete the detour in the following order:
1(+1) Tyler & Korey, wood
2(-1) Colin & Christie, wood
3(+0) Nicole & Victor, wood
?(+?) Chris & Bret, wood
?(+?) Leo & Jamal, wood
?(+?) Becca & Floyd, wood
?(+?) Rachel & Elissa, fish
8(+0) Janelle & Britney, fish
The next clue tells teams it is time for a head to head.
This takes place by the Jahaza Pier. The rules of the head to head are:
1. The object of the game is to make four stacks of drums, of the same color
2. You may only move one drum at a time
3. You may only stack drums on the poles
4. You may never stack drums more than four high
5. When you think your drum stacks are correct grab the oxtail on the drum in front of the band leader
6. The band leader will indicate whether your stacks are correct by stopping the drums. If you grab the oxtail and the drumming does not stop, your stacks are not correct. Return the oxtail to the drum before continuing playing.
At the bottom of each pole is a big drum which the players never need to move. Both players have identical starting positions, These change between the matches.
Janelle & Brittney are very glad to see a head to head challenge because it means they have a shot, even though they are way behind the other teams.
Teams arrive at the head to head in the following order:
1(+0) Tyler & Korey
2(+0) Colin & Christie
3(+0) Nicole & Victor
4(+?) Chris & Bret
5(+?) Becca & Floyd
6(+?) Leo & Jamal
7(+?) Rachel & Elissa
8(+0) Janelle & Britney
The head to head matches are:
1. Tyler vs Colin, Tyler wins
2. Colin vs Victor, Colin wins
3. Victor vs Chris, Victor wins
4. Bret vs Floyd, Bret wins
5. Floyd vs Leo, Floyd wins
6. Jamal vs Rachel, Jamal wins
7. Rachel vs Britney, Rachel wins
Phil is standing by the play area narrating during the match so I assume the winning team has to wait for him to get down to the mat out on the pier before they are allowed to run out to it.
IMHO this head to head was a dud. Apart from the first and last teams all teams lost their first match and won the second.
In the end teams checked in in this order:
1(+0) Tyler & Korey, win a trip to Singapore
2(+0) Colin & Christie
3(+0) Nicole & Victor
4(+0) Chris & Bret
5(+0) Becca & Floyd
6(+0) Leo & Jamal
7(+0) Rachel & Elissa
8(+0) Janelle & Britney, are eliminated
The final two teams run to the mat together. At the mat we also learn that Britney has a daughter who has survived cancer.
"
Despite running the worst leg that we ever ran I actually had a really great day", Britney
"[i[It's gonna be memories forever[/i]", Brittney