The Amazing Race > RFF's Amazing Race: Design Challenge

The Amazing Race: Design Challenge VIII - Final Round Design Show on Page 50!

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Kamineko:
Less than 1 hour to go! :hoot:

elthemagnifico:
I should have said this earlier but here we go, I'm deciding to resign for this game due to real life's stuffs and priorities to do (since I was supposed to be on the final semester on my college, and also my mental health lel). I didn't lie I moved on from the game before the round 4 result, and real life stuffs got crazier than I anticipated, so I had to make space.

That being said, I want to say thank you for host and judges for letting me play and giving some says about my designs, this is honestly a real fun game that reminds me from the previous game 5 years ago. Real thank you for y'all, this is such a great season. I didn't expect to be go far for this season, and honestly winning one of the seven rounds available gave some great smile for me during the hard time, an unforgettable  unexpected moment for me ( I still ask to myself how I pulled that one off lol   :funny: )

Also good luck for remaining players, this is such a great competition and I am pleased to compete against you guys, one of the thoughest competition in all season of TAR design

gamerfan09:
We will miss you El, real life takes priority. Take care and thanks for your contributions to this game  :2hearts:

Pi:


DAY #58:
SITE: TERRAZAS DE LA POSTA, PURMAMARCA, ARGENTINA
TIME: 12:00 PM





Toya Montoya: And with that, the fifth round of designing comes to a close! We do have to say goodbye to one of our designers. Elthemagnifico has made the decision to withdraw, and all of us here at Design Challenge hope you're doing okay and send well wishes.

With just seven of you left, the competition is getting more intense. Which of you designed the most impressive South American leg featuring an indigenous task? Let's begin the Design Show to reveal your creations to the audience and judges.
 
Audience: please, hold off posting until the designs have all been posted.

This is the order in which the designs will be revealed:

Bookworm
Lemontail
MrDS
Nuku
nrh2110
MikeDodgers
betheactress

Good Luck!  :luvya:

Pi:


Design #1 - Bookworm
[Temuco and Lago Budi, Chile]

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Phil: This is Barcelona. A vibrant metropolis on the Mediterranean Sea, it represents the heart and soul of Catalonia. A city characterized by its distinctive blend of architecture more than any other, Barcelona's landmarks attract millions from all over the world.





Phil: And one such landmark is the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau. This gem of a complex is a former hospital and demonstrates the extent to which Modernista architecture have captivated Barcelona. 5 teams will depart here for the Nth Leg in the Amazing Race!



Phil: Yan & Henck, who were the first to arrive, will depart first at 5:28 am.

Yan: Let's show off some amazing outfits today!
Henck: My backpack is overflowing!
Yan: Fly to Temuco, Chile! You have $30 for this Leg of the Race!







Phil: Teams must now fly across the Atlantic Ocean to South America! Temuco is the capital of the breathtaking Araucanía Region, which represents the northern limits of Patagonia. Araucanía is the poorest of Chile's 16 regions, partly due to conflict resulting from longstanding resistance by the native Mapuche. This province was among the last to be incorporated into Chile, despite its central location, but is today a tourism hotspot due to the incredible natural scenery.

Teams depart between 5:28 and 6:49 am and make their way to Barcelona-El Prat International Airport. From there, teams book passage to Chile.





Phil: All teams are on the same flight to Santiago, Chile! From there, teams travel on one of two flights the following morning, arriving half an hour apart!



Phil: When teams arrive in Temuco, they must select a marked car and drive to the Pablo Neruda National Railway Museum. Named after Chile's most famous son, the Nobel Laureate, poet, and diplomat, Pablo Neruda, this museum honors the rail networks that connected Chile and employed Neruda's father. Teams will find their next clue at the museum entrance.

"Time for some wordplay."



Phil: Neruda first published his poetry as a teenager in Temuco's local newspaper. Today, teams must help piece together one of his first poems.



Phil: Neruda's poem, "Nocturno Ideal," is written on a signpost in the middle of a locomotive yard. Teams will notice seven missing letters. In order to receive their next clue, teams will have to write all seven letters, in order, on a clipboard to the foreman.

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Phil: To aid teams, twelve large, red letters are posted on the sides of trains, tracks, and buildings in the locomotive yard. Teams will only need seven of these letters to write out M A P U C H E, which not only completes the poem, but refers to the local indigenous group.

"Drive to the Mapuche Community on the shores of Lago Budi."





Phil: Teams must now drive a little over 100 kilometers to the shores of Lake Budi. The Lake's significance is twofold; it is one of Chile's only saltwater lakes and it is home to the only extant Mapuche community in Chile open to tourism.



Phil: When teams arrive, they must locate Ina Lewfu, a traditional dwelling, and find the village chief.

"It's time for warrior training."



Phil: The Mapuche made stone weapons with remarkable precision. This hand club, known as the Clava, was exclusively reserved for chiefs, known as Lonkos. Today, as part of their welcome, teams will have to utilize these weapons to break open their next clue.



Phil: Teams will be situated 40 feet away from a wooden frame, from which four clay tiles are suspended. Alternating throws, teams must smash all their provided tiles, with each team member hitting at least one target. Once teams obliterate their four tiles, they'll receive their Detour clue.

Detour: Seaweed or Shaman?

Phil: The Mapuche people have a strong spiritual connection to their natural world, prompting great resourcefulness. Teams must venture into this word in this Leg's Detour.



Phil: Cochayuyo is an incredibly hearty seaweed found all over the Chilean coast. The Mapuche used to rely on it as a protein source, and today it is popular all over Chile. However, this incredibly thick seaweed can reach strands over fifteen feet long, complicating transport to market. In Seaweed, teams must assist in the creation of bundles and bales commonly seen across Chile.



Phil: First, teams must take individual tendrils and fold them to create the bundles. Each bundle is one foot long and must be folded over as many times and as tight as necessary. Teams must fold sixteen bundles to create a seaweed bale, which they must then tie with local grasses. Teams must present both their bales and bundles to a local Mapuche woman for approval. If their folds are tight enough to survive the journey into town, teams may proceed.



Phil: Once teams make six bales, which weigh approximately 35 pounds each, they may carry them 400 meters to Winkul Ragwe, the nearest lodge, for preservation. At the end of their delivery, teams will receive their next clue. If any seaweed tendrils become undone, teams will have to return to Ina Lewku and retie the bale.



Phil: Machis are the Mapuche healers and religious leaders. Nearly all women, Machis are responsible for a variety of rituals, including herbal medicine, dream interpretation, and fertility ceremonies.

https://www.youtube.com/v/0d_CpNNUbg8

Phil: In Shaman, teams must find a Machi, who will give them a wooden bowl to be made into a Kultrún drum. Teams must finish hollowing out the bowl. Once the Machi is satisfied, she will sew a skin over the top to make the drum.



Phil: In order to finish the drum with spiritual significance, teams must paint symbols on the head of the drum. Following the Machi's role as an interpreter of dreams, teams must listen as a Mapuche noble describes his latest series of dreams. Then, teams must ask three shamans, who each describe the symbolism of 5 dream elements. Teams will then choose between symbols displayed on a carving.



Using this reference, teams must paint the correct four symbols on the drum head. If correct, the Machi will play a short ritual tune on the drum before handing teams their next clue. If the symbols are incorrect, the Machi will sew another head onto their Kultrún and teams will have to try again.


"Make your way on foot to Artesanias Llaguepulli! Caution: Double U-Turn ahead!





Phil: Teams must now walk across this Mapuche village to Artesanias Llaguepulli. Teams will then find their next clue and the Double U-Turn inside the craft shop.



Phil: This is a Double U-Turn. At this point, two teams can U-Turn two other teams, forcing them to backtrack and perform the other side of the Detour they did not previously complete.

After the Double U-Turn, teams find a:

Roadblock: Who's feeling sharp?



Phil: Lago Budi stretches into the Pacific Ocean, which gives it its saline character and presents an opportunity for marine life to spread inland. And there is perhaps no creature that dominates Chile's coasts like the Sea Urchin.



Phil: Sea Urchins are a delicacy in Chile and are incredibly common, surviving all along Chile's nearly twenty six-hundred-mile coastline. The first to harvest Sea Urchins were, of course, the Mapuche, and the methods today resemble those used centuries ago.



Phil: In this Roadblock, one team member must board a boat heading just offshore. They will then don a wetsuit, gloves, and flippers before diving into the salty lake water. Holding their breathe, team members must dive up to 16 feet down and harvest Chilean Sea Urchins. Grabbing as many urchins as they can carry, teams must transport the urchins on to the boat. Once teams collected thirty Chilean Sea Urchins, they could close the basket and return to the shore, where they would trade the urchins for their next clue.

"Return to your cars and drive yourselves to Puerto Saavedra. Once there, hike to the top of Cerro Maule and find your next Pit Stop! Warning: the last team to arrive may be eliminated!"



Phil: Teams must now make their way to the town of Puerto Saavedra, on the shores of the Pacific Ocean. This town has a higher percentage of Mapuche people than any other town in Chile





Phil: And on the outskirts of this town sits Mirador Cerro Maule. Just a short hike from the main town, it's known for sweeping views of the countryside and a massive totem, honoring the native peoples of the region. This outlook serves as the Nth Pit Stop of the Race. The task team to check in here may be eliminated.


Maps:


Barcelona


Araucanía Region


Temuco


Lago Budi, Mapuche Community
ROUND NOTES:
Show contentJudges, this was a self-driving Leg, so I gave teams $30 USD to cover the taxi to the airport in Barcelona. Everything else is provided for.

I wanted to include the Pablo Neruda task to create one task that wasn’t entirely indigenous-inspired, yet still bled into the theme. Pablo Neruda lived in Temuco for his childhood and so I wanted to reference his early poetry. I have no clue if a foreign version of the Race (LA perhaps?) did a task relating to Neruda, but if they did it was likely in Santiago and pertained to memorization. I wanted this task to be short since the bulk of the leg focuses on the Race, so I cropped letters out of words and had teams search a historic site. The letters are not to be removed, so all teams have an equal opportunity here. Teams with a sufficient knowledge of Spanish can perhaps get at least half of these letters just by looking at the poem, so it isn’t strictly a linear or chance-based task. Plus, with there being 12 letters, teams will have to use their brains a bit. Teams do not have to spell out “Mapuche” as one word to complete the task, but maybe a lightbulb will go off for one team.

Teams drive roughly two hours to the lake. It’s not a super complicated route at all and is quite direct. I chose Lago Budi as the centerpiece of the Leg because it’s in the heart of Araucanía, the domain of the Mapuche, and has enough tourism-focused infrastructure to accommodate the Race without being too urban or commercialized.

https://chile.travel/en/where-to-go/the-south-its-lakes-and-volcanoes/temuco/lake-budi

The Clava task is just to mix things up and fill out the Leg a little. I feel as if it’s too quick to be an independent Detour option, so having it be a pre-Detour ARI seems fitting. Where there not a U-Turn this Leg, I would have made there be two Detour tiles, which teams had to hit for a clue for each side, 6 black tiles, and two red tiles, incurring a 5-minute time penalty. However, since there is a U-Turn, I needed to make sure there could not be a scenario wherein a team is U-Turned after receiving a clue for one side of the Detour. Therefore, the Detour cannot be blind, and since it isn’t blind, there’s no need to gamble. So there is no chance of penalty and it’s a matter of skill instead of skill and nerve. I still like the task and throwing accuracy is often untested on the Race.

I chose to feature Cochayuyo because it very much represents the contemporary indigenous experience- what was once a Mapuche custom has become mainstream and incredibly popular across Chile. Plus, I’ve personally never seen seaweed packaged that way and it could be a very fun task- just imagine teams carrying blocks of seaweed only for a loose tendril to ruin everything! Teams will use a communal pile of seaweed, so there’s no advantage to arriving first or last. I’d assume the time takes the following length-14-18 minutes per bale —> 42 to 54 min, + 5-10 min delivery —> 48 to 65 mins Detour time

https://www.atlasobscura.com/foods/cochayuyo-seaweed-chile

The Shaman side of the Detour was tricky to work out. I started off with the task as making the drum, but since Seaweed is somewhat crafty I wanted to add new skills into the mix. Hence, teams will have a bowl like 1:36 in the video and will chip out the interior and then smooth out the sides. As we saw with the recent Tough as Nails finale, cutting wood finely takes a lot of skill and time. Cutting and smoothing require attention to Detour and could frazzle teams before heading into the memory portion. Each of the nobles will have a scripted dream that includes 4 sentences (or two) of real value and some other filler descriptions to ensure teams really pay attention. Then, each of the 3 Machi will have 5 descriptions (i.e. dreams of grassy meadows means the dreamer will find a medicinal plant). Teams will then have to find a nearby symbol board (like that below). There will be more than 15 symbols just so it isn’t super obvious, but the task, while possessing multiple elements, does have a clear procession. I totally understand that I erred with an overly-complex task last Leg and I hope that this all appears parsimonious. Of course, each team will have a different symbol combination for their drum.ee

25 min wood carving + 20 minutes talking and finding symbols + 5 min painting + 10 for each incorrect guess —> 50 to 65 minutes

http://chileprecolombino.cl/en/arte/piezas-selectas/el-kultrun/

The Roadblock, which takes place right after the U-Turn, pays homage to a major industry in Chile that originated with the Mapuche, giving it both modern and indigenous appeal. Sea Urchins are incredibly popular in Chile today and most are collected by free dives. The maximum depth of Lago Budi is 34 feet, which, luckily, is feasible without an oxygen tank, but boats will take teams to depths of 13-16 feet. This depth is still challenging to teams while preventing real risks of pressure (i.e. the bends). There’s a tad bit of fear component in grabbing urchins; even though teams have gloves, they can be careful. Teams will probably grab 2 or 3 at a time, but those with shorter breaths may only take one. This factor, along with swimming ability, provides the variance for the task. It’s a tedious process, but since swimming, carrying efficiency, and time between dives are all big issues at play, I don’t believe that this task is linear. 30 urchins is enough to reward teams that can carry multiple at once without overwhelming teams with 30+ trips down and back up again. Flippers also aid teams to make sure the ability to hold breath is as big a factor as swimming and that teams are competent enough to make it to the surface when they need to. A rescue diver will be on each boat, of course. I predict that this task will take between 45 and 70 minutes, including the 10 minutes to the shore each way.

https://eatingchile.blogspot.com/2011/12/eating-chilean-erizos-sea-urchins.html

https://www.atlasobscura.com/foods/chilean-sea-urchin-erizo-uni

Puerto Saavedra is just a half hour away from the Mapuche center and features a viewpoint that views both the ocean and the lake. Since the leg focuses on the coastal Mapuche and their customs, a Pit Stop that blends the sea, the lake, and the people themselves, via totem, seems most appropriate. Plus, that little 5-minute hike could produce some dramatic Pit Stop segments!

Overall: Teams arrive at 8:17 and 8:44, task one takes between 5-15 min, Clava ARI should take between 5-15 min, Detour 50-65 (x2 for U-Turned teams), 45-70 min RB, 5 min hike, between 3 and 3 hr 20 min driving --> teams should check in between 1:30 pm and 4 pm. Plenty of daylight for some physically and mentally taxing tasks!

Judges, I truly hope that this Leg exceeded your expectations for the Leg. I was going through a little bit last Leg and my heart wasn’t in it, resulting in unclear tasks. I am making sure that is not the case this Round! I have a vision and, were I to visit every locale in the vicinity I was excited about, teams would be taking a ferry from Argentina and driving nearly 8 hours :funny: Originally, I made a Leg in Nazca, Peru (took me an hour lol), but upon hearing a) Pi’s wish for contemporary native tribes and b) that Cocoa and Eragon recently made a Race exclusive to Latin America, I decided to go off the beaten track a bit. Nazca was too obvious for Round 5 of DC. I have never seen any race of any version dedicate itself to the Mapuche, and I hope I did their culture justice today.

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