The Amazing Race > Amazing Race 34
TAR34 racing reports. Episode #12 is on page 1
maf:
Racing report
Amazing Race Season 34, Episode 5, "The Amazing Race of Arabia"
Film date: 2022-06-02
The last episode ended in Florence, Italy. This one starts at the airport where Phil tells the teams that they are going to the kingdom of Jordan. We then get a scene where teams ride an old steam train in the Wadi Rum dessert. Then a bunch of riders on horses and camels arrive and everything looks like an epic film. Towards the end each team get a clue from one of the riders.
Teams depart in three groups in the following order:
Group #1 departs at 08:00 and contains
1. Emily & Molly
1. Marcus & Michael
Group #2 departs at 08:15 and contains
3. Luis & Michelle
3. Abby & Will
3. Quinton & Mattie
Group #3 departs at 08:30 and contains
6. Glenda & Lumumba
6. Derek & Claire
6. Linton & Sharik
6. Aubrey & David
Route info: Welcome to the Wadi Rum desert in the kingdom of Jordan. You have just experienced a scene reminiscent of the 1963 Oscar winning film Lawrence of Arabia. Now head into the desert to experience this otherworldly landscape. Chose an available Bedouin driver who will drive you through the desert to find your next clue.
Teams do not get to self drive in this leg. Instead they must choose a driver who will then drive them to the next location. During the drive Marcus & Michael talk about the acronym they came up with before the race. It is CAR, Complacent, Adversity and Resilience. This feels very military and not at all that useful.
Louis & Michelle interviews that they see this as their last crazy adventure before they will start a family.
Eventually the cars stop and teams see a clue box a bit up on a hill which they get to run to (through deep sand). When they start running Emily realizes that something is wrong with her leg.
"I must have pulled a muscle in my tight", Emily
Teams reach the clue box here in the following order:
1(+0) Marcus & Michael
2(-1) Emily & Molly
3(+0) Quinton & Mattie
4(-1) Luis & Michelle
5(-2) Abby & Will
6(+0) Aubrey & David
7(-1) Derek & Claire
8(-2) Glenda & Lumumba
9(-3) Linton & Sharik
Road block: Who wants to test their metal?
Teams must search a crash site for a piece of space ship debris. That is they must use a metal detector to find a piece of metal buried in the sand. And the place they do it is looks like a movie set depicting the crash site of an alien ship.
"My husband is shoveling right now, this is hot watching road blocks", Michelle is admiring the view
Derek is very aware of the fact that this task only gets harder with time as there are fewer and fewer clues to find. So he runs across the search area with his metal detector as opposed to the other teams who are more careful. His strategy pays off though.
"I found an orange can", Lumumba finds a bunch of stuff which is not the clue
Linton and David have a strategy which differs from the others. They concentrate on the areas were less people have walked and search outside the circle formed by the wreckage. This is a bad idea
"Everybody is looking in the middle, there's got to be an outlier", Linton on why he is searching away from the others
"The hardest part is no being able to help them", Aubrey
Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock):
1(+0)Marcus* & Michael(3-2)2(+0)Emily & Molly* (2-3)Spent just over 15 minutes (as group 2 have just arrived)3(+0)Quinton* & Mattie(3-2)4(+0)Luis* & Michelle (3-2)5(+0)Abby* & Will (3-2)Finds it just as group #3 arrive6(+1)Derek* & Claire (3-2)7(-1)Aubrey & David* (2-3)8(+0)Glenda & Lumumba*(2-3)9(+0)Linton* & Sharik (4-1)
Teams must now be driven 1.5h to Petra where they will find their next clue.
Emily & Molly catch up with Marcus & Michael on the way to Petra.
At Petra the next shown clue is located outside The Treasury (which probably is the most well known structure here). This is a good 2km from the entrance to the site so it is a bit of a run to get there. Teams reach the clue box here in the following order:
1(+6) Derek & Claire
2(-1) Marcus & Michael
3(+1) Luis & Michelle
4(-2) Emily & Molly
5(+0) Abby & Will
6(+1) Aubrey & David
7(-4) Quinton & Mattie
8(+0) Glenda & Lumumba
9(+0) Linton & Sharik
This does not really make sense. The order is very shuffled as compared to the other they left the road block. And they had chauffeurs driving them here so nobody should have gotten lost along the way. I suspect that there was an unaired task here. After the road block teams were told to go to the main entrance of Petra, but the shown clue box is at the Treasury which is 2km from the entrance. Also a comment by Mattie as Aubrey & David pass them indicates that there may have been a task there.
"Did they do that lick[?] so fast?", Mattie
{EDIT} I have to correct myself here. We have now heard from racers that there was no unaired task. Instead it was the drivers who caused the shuffling of places (some with a lead foot and some who went the wrong way). With the clue teams got a ticket to Petra which said "The Treasury" on it.
In any case the clue box by the Treasury contains a detour: Camel Caravan or Palace Puzzle
In Camel Caravan teams must fetch four bags of hay for the camels. And carry water in jugs to fill a small through. Once they are done they must lead three camels there and feed them.
In Palace Puzzle teams must complete a 4x3 slide puzzle. The catch here is that it is not obvious which piece goes next to which. And once a team has solved the puzzle it is covered up so you can not look at any completed puzzles.
Both detours takes place in front of the Palace Tomb (1km). The Camel Caravan is a physical challenge and as it is very hot here it is even harder.
Emily & Molly take a wrong turn on the way to the Palace tomb so they loose some time.
"I know the strategy", Claire is not fazed by the slide puzzle
"This will take forever", Marcus & Michael realize how many trips of water they are going to have to make
Abby & Will arrive to the detour as the first team is leaving and before Emily & Molly.
"The challenge is just figuring out kind of where they go, so that you can follow the algorithm", Abby knows how to solve slide puzzles
Glenda & Lumumba initially decides to do the Camel Caravan but when they see the completed example and how much water they have to carry they decide to switch. And they are elated when they see that two teams are still working on the puzzles when they get there. They thought they were way behind everybody else.
Linton & Sharik do the camel side of the detour. It is not shown in the episode but apparently they did try switching to the puzzle but made no progress on it so they switched back.
"Why is this so hard?", Aubrey when their puzzle gets rejected
As Linton & Sharik pick up their hay they hesitate and wonder if they need three or four bags. Sharik is certain they only need three.
"Let's take four just in case", Linton
As they in fact need four it is very good Linton brought an extra one.
Teams complete the detour in the following order:
1(+2) Luis & Michelle, puzzle
2(-1) Derek & Claire, puzzle
3(-1) Marcus & Michael, camels
4(+1) Abby & Will, puzzle
5(-1) Emily & Molly, puzzle
6(+1) Quinton & Mattie, puzzle
7(+1) Glenda & Lumumba, puzzle
8(-2) Aubrey & David, puzzles
9(+0) Linton & Sharik, camels, about 30 minutes after #8
Route info: Race to the Great Temple and search for Phil among the ruins.
The first two teams completed the detour more or less simultaneously so there is a footrace, in the dessert heat to the Great Temple which is about 1km away.
One strange thing at the pit stop is that production moves the mat so that the last two teams check in to a different place than the previous ones. It is still within the Great Temple but definitely a different location. I have no idea why they did this.
Teams reach Phil in the following order:
1(+0) Luis & Michelle, win $5,000
2(+0) Derek & Claire, just after #1
3(+0) Marcus & Michael
4(+0) Abby & Will
5(+0) Emily & Molly, as #3 and #4 are still on the mat
6(+0) Quinton & Mattie
7(+0) Glenda & Lumumba
8(+0) Aubrey & David
9(+0) Linton & Sharik, are eliminated
"This experience has brought us closer, even though I didn't know we could get any closer", Sharik
Next week the race continues in Jordan and somebody tests positive for Covid.
maf:
I have updated the report above as there apparently was no unaired task at Petra. Instead it was the drivers who caused the shuffling of places (some with a lead foot and some who went the wrong way). With the clue teams got a ticket to Petra which said "The Treasury" on it.
maf:
Racing report
Amazing Race Season 34, Episode 6, "Step by step"
Film date: 2022-06-03 or 2022-06-04
The last leg ended in Petra. During the Pit Stop teams are transported to Amman, the capital of Jordan. This leg starts at The Citadel on a hill in Amman. Seven of the remaining teams are limed up in front of Phil.
"Whenever you see Phil before the leg starts, that is not good", Luis
Abby & Will are missing. Phil points this out to the teams and the proceeds to call Abby & Will on his phone. He tells them that they have tested positive for Covid (actually only Will was positive) and that this means that they are eliminated from the race. We are all very very sad to see them go this way.
"It's definitely heartbreaking, but we've loved every single minute of it", Abby about the race (and she manages to keep herself together)
Phil then tells the remaining teams that they will all start at the same time. And there will be no elimination at the end of this leg. But to motivate them he tells them that in the next leg they will start in four groups and the last team in this leg will be the only team in the last group starting the next leg. He points out that this team will start 45 minutes after the first teams (and at the same time we realize that they will start 15 minutes after the two teams in the next to last group).
The first clue is inside the Citadel. It is a route info: "You will be exploring this historic city entirely on foot. Race to the Maktabat Khazanet al-Jahith bookstore to find your next clue. You have $10 for this leg of the race."
Teams must now race to a bookstore. This turns out to be tricky to find, most locals do not understand what they are looking for and Google Maps does not know it either. And when teams borrow a local's cellphone they quickly realize they they are set to Arabic so it is very hard for them to use. And all the local signs are in Arabic letters.
"I think that I strained my quad muscle in Italy", Emily does not look forward to a leg entirely on foot
Teams eventually reach the book store (1.6km) in the following order:
1. Marcus & Michael
2. Emily & Molly, just after #1
3. Derek & Claire
4. Aubrey & David, just after #3
5. Glenda & Lumumba
6. Quinton & Mattie, as #5 are outside reading their clue
7. Luis & Michelle, just after #6
Detour: Step by Step or Letter by Letter
In Step by Step teams must make their way to the Roman Theater (900m). Here they must choose an instructor who will teach them a traditional Flirt dance. They must then get into costume and perform the dance to music in front of the judge. The judging of this turns out to be fairly strict. Teams must not only master the steps but they must also show the correct attitude.
In Letter by Letter teams must make their way to The Odeon Theater (950m). Here teams must choose an instructor who will help the learn the 28 letters in the Arabic alphabet. They must the correctly pronounce all of them in front of a judge.
The detour locations are next to each other.
Emily & Molly note that the Arabic letters are very similar to Hebrew letters, and they both learned the latter as they were raised in Jewish families.
Marcus is struggling with some letters. As he rereads the instructions he realizes that it only says that as a team they have to go through the entire alphabet. So they just learn 14 letters each and Michael can take the ones Marcus is struggling with.
On their way to the detour Quinton & Mattie and Luis & Michelle stumble upon the Pit Stop. It is actually kind of on the way so they are not that far away from where they need to be.
"Classic Amazing Race mistake, run in a direction without knowing where you are going", Luis
Glenda & Lumumba feel good about the dancing. They are the second team to reach the challenge and they hope to get it done before any more teams turn up. But not only are their hopes for that dashed. The other three teams which turn up for the challenge all all professional dancers (well Luis is not but something has probably rubbed off from his wife). In the end all the other teams leave the challenge before Glenda & Lumumba even make their first attempt.
"I can not roll my Rs", Derek struggles with the alphabet challenge
Derek & Claire do not realize that there is no requirement that both can pronounce all the letters
Teams complete the detour in the following order:
1(+0) Marcus & Michael, letters on their 3rd attempt
2(+0) Emily & Molly, letters on their 2nd attempt
3(+1) Aubrey & David, dance on their 2nd attempt
4(+3) Luis & Michelle, dance on their 2nd attempt
5(-2) Derek & Claire, letters on their 2nd attempt
6(+0) Quinton & Mattie, dance on their 1st attempt
7(-2) Glenda & Lumumba, dance on their 8th attempt
Road block: Who's feeling broken-carted?
In this road block contestants must build a push cart. They each get a half built one and must complete it. After getting it approved they must load it with a bunch of stuff and roll it to the Pit Stop.
This task takes place about 250m from the detours. The stuff they need to load into it lies next to it. it looks like a bunch of ball pit balls in a net. They must also bring the tools as well as the mat everything is standing on.
Emily wants Molly to do it in case it involves a lot of running as she wants to rest her leg.
Marcus & Michael overshoots the park. And then when Michael does the task he overthinks it and spends way to much time looking at exactly where the nails are placed in the sample etc.
"I'll pick the one closest to the sample", Luis arrives first and is smart
"This is definitely no IKEA", Luis realize this may be hard to build
"I have no experience building anything, I build software", Claire
"You built a Ducati Claire", Molly
"We all know how building a Ducati went", Claire remembers that the motorcycle challenge did not go well
"I hate building things", Claire is struggling
Glenda & Lumumba left the Detour in last position but are happy to find all the other teams when they get to the Road Block location. They are however way behind and the others leave before Glenda is done. Glenda gets discouraged when this happens and Lumumba sees this and give her a good pep talk.
Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock):
1(+3)Luis* & Michelle (4-2)2(+1)Aubrey & David* (2-4)3(+3)Quinton* & Mattie(4-2)4(+1)Derek & Claire* (3-3)5(-3)Emily & Molly* (2-4)6(-5)Marcus & Michael*(3-3)7(+0)Glenda* & Lumumba(3-3)
Route info: Race to the Roman Nymphaeum. Take proper care of your cart and use it to bring your items to Phil on the mat.
Luis & Michael load all their stuff and Luis starts pushing their cart. One wheel soon falls off and when they try to carry the cart it falls to pieces. Luckily for them the tools used to build the cart are among the things they had to load so Luis can rebuild the cart on the spot. But it takes time and while they are rebuilding their cart Aubrey & David completes their cart. Luis & Michelle still have an advantage, they know where the Pit Stop is.
Teams reach Phil in the following order:
1(+0) Luis & Michelle, win Expedia points for a trip to Barcelona
2(+0) Aubrey & David
3(+0) Quinton & Mattie
4(+0) Derek & Claire
5(+1) Marcus & Michael
6(-1) Emily & Molly
7(+0) Glenda & Lumumba, will depart last in the next leg
"Well, it's been a while guys, but you made it", Phil greets Glenda and Lumumba who probably are way behind the other teams
maf:
Racing report
Amazing Race Season 34, Episode 7, "It's simply medieval"
Film date: sometime between 2022-05-06 and 2022-05-08
After the last leg teams are flown to the Dordogne region in the south of France. Teams leave from Chateau de Beynac in four groups.
Group #1 departs at 08:45:
1. Luis & Michelle
1. Aubrey & David
Group #2 departs at 09:00:
3. Quinton & Mattie
3. Derek & Claire
Group #3 departs at 09:15:
5. Marcus & Michael
5. Emily & Molly
Group #4 departs at 09:30:
7. Glenda & Lumumba
Teams start with a short sprint to a knight who gives them their first clue.
Route info: Welcome to France. Drive yourselves to Chateau de Commarque to find your next clue.
The cars seem to be automatic (at least we do not see anybody struggle with driving them) and teams also get a large scale map of the region.
The first two teams seem to have different strategies. Aubrey & David just jump into their car and drive off. Then they start arguing about navigation. Luis & Michelle make sure to look at the map before they get into their car. The former team stops to look at the map and when the latter turns up they agree to work together.
"Stay cool, calm, stay cute and stay collected", Quinton wants to stay in 3rd or advance
Later on the first group is asking for directions in a village when Derek & Claire drives past them. Derek tells then to follow him as he knows where they are heading.
"Follow them? I don't think so", Luis wants to go their own way
"We get lost, we bring them with us", Derek explains his motive to Claire (who does not seem thrilled with the idea)
During the drive we get to hear that Emily & Molly are learning a lot about each other, and they find that they are very similar in some very random ways.
Glenda & Lumumba takes what they think is a short cut but turns out to be somebody's long driveway. The road gets smaller and smaller and eventually it is just a narrow dirt track. Glenda decides to turn around but the bushes next to the road turns out to mask a very deep ditch. This ditch seems to just wait for a car to swallow and happily engulfs theirs. This so bad, that we get to see some footage of Roddy Bainton who works with security for the race. He gets there to help them get out of the car. After they have calmed down they start think about how to get the car back onto the road again. One of the local asks if if he should call the neighbor who has a tractor. This turns out to be a good offer and 5 minutes later an old lady comes with her tractor and they get the car back on the road. And luckily it was not damaged so they can drive on. The whole incident apparently cost them around 45 minutes.
Teams reach the clue box at Chateau de Commarque (17km) in the following order:
1(+0) Luis & Michelle
2(+1) Quinton & Mattie
3(+2) Marcus & Michael
4(+1) Emily & Molly
5(-2) Derek & Claire
6(-5) Aubrey & David
7(+0) Glenda & Lumumba, after the other teams have left
Road block: Who wants to climb the family tree?
In this road block contestants are presented with a 22 generation deep family tree of the Commarque family. The tree includes the crests of all of them. Commarque crest dominates but we see different crests for their spouses. The players must then go to the top of the tower and rappel 131ft down. Once back on Terra firma they will have to answer some questions about the tree. If they answer wrong they have to go back and study some more and do the rappel again.
In the question area there are five big crests hanging from the wall. They are also given five name plates containing women names. They must match the names to the crests.
Michelle starts learning the names but the she realizes that this the wrong way to attack this task. Instead she climbs to the top to do the rappel and see what the questions are. She feels comfortable doing this as she is the only one there at this time.
"Jeanne d'Aumar de la Brousse, so Jean loves her brows", Michelle builds associations to the names to help her remember them
When Michelle gets back to the family tree Mattie is there. Michelle wants to help her so she tells her to just do the rappel once to see the actual questions. Michelle could have helper Mattie a lot more by telling her the names and crests she needed to memorize but she did not. I am very happy for that as IMHO the race gets boring when teams help each other too much.
"Okay, yeah. There's no way I can do this", Mattie realize that learning over a hundred names and crests is a bit much
"My leg is feeling pretty crummy but I'm not gonna let that stop me", Emily is still not 100%
Emily feels that she must do this road block so their road block count does not get too unbalanced. She is afraid that her leg will hinder her and is happy when it turns out the task is rappelling rather than climbing.
"Oh wow, really?", Emily when she sees the family tree
Eventually everybody realizes they just need to see the questions to figure out what they need to learn. That is everybody except Michael. He seems to misunderstand the family tree so he hopes he will get to see crests and names while rappelling. But he does not. Once down he walk over so he can see the questions area, he sees the crests on the names but not the name plates. So on his next go he memorizes the men marrying the women with the crests. But this does not help him very much so he has to go a third time.
"I need him protected because we are trying for a baby as we speak", Glenda is worried about the tight harness Lumumba is wearing
"All is incorrect", The judge when Lumumba makes a wild guess after his first rappel
Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock):
1(+0)Luis & Michelle* (4-3)On her 2nd attempt2(+0)Quinton & Mattie*(4-3)On her 2nd attempt3(+1)Emily* & Molly (3-4)On her 2nd attempt4(+1)Derek* & Claire (4-3)On his 2nd attempt5(-2)Marcus & Michael*(3-4)On his 3rd attempt6(+0)Aubrey & David* (2-5)On his 3rd attempt (switched 2 names on his 2nd attempt)7(+0)Glenda & Lumumba*(3-3)On his 3rd attempt
Route info: Drive to La Ferme de Turnac to find your next clue.
It was a bit of a walk/run from the clue box to the actual road block in Chateau de Commarque. This becomes a factor when Michael realizes he left the car keys back where they put on the harnesses up in the castle. They have to run all the way back up into the castle and fetch them.
"As a tank commander I am not a stranger to a map", Marcus explains why they are so good at navigating
"There's nobody here. interesting", Michael when they arrive first to the next route marker
Teams arrive to La Ferme de Turnac (33km) in the following order:
1(+4) Marcus & Michael
2(-1) Luis & Michelle
3(+0) Emily & Molly
4(+2) Aubrey & David
5(-1) Derek & Claire
6(-4) Quinton & Mattie
7(+0) Glenda & Lumumba, after the other teams have left
Detour: Walnut cracker or Medieval gamer
In walnut cracker teams must collect, crack, press and grind walnuts to produce enough walnut oil to fill a given container. The task is straightforward and does not seem particularly difficult, it just takes some time.
In Medieval gamer teams must complete three medieval games to get their next clue. The games are:
- Move a ball past all the holes to the top of a board. The difficulty is that the ball is locate din a cradle which is controlled by two strings which goes to the back of the board. So one person stands behind it and can not see what is happening and the other gives instructions.
- Balance rocks on a hanging board
- Toss bags up onto a platform
The detours takes place next to each other.
"What does a walnut grove look like", Marcus, while in a cluster of walnut trees
Marcus & Michael spend some time looking for the walnuts before they realize that there are lots of them just lying on the ground under the trees.
Luis & Michelle try one of the games for a few times. After realize they are not really making much progress they switch to the walnut detour.
"If we want to pass other people we have to do the other one", Claire
Derek & Claire initially go for the walnuts but as they see that everybody else is there they switch to the other detour in the hope of passing some teams.
The first 6 teams are all at the detour at the same time.
Teams complete the detour in the following order:
1(+0) Marcus & Michael, walnuts
2(+3) Derek & Claire, games
3(+0) Emily & Molly, walnuts
4(-2) Luis & Michelle, starts games but switches to walnuts
5(-1) Aubrey & David, walnuts
6(+0) Quinton & Mattie, walnuts
7(+0) Glenda & Lumumba, games
Route info: Drive yourselves to the Panorama Lookout in the village of Domme and run to Phil on the mat. Warning, the last teams to check in will be eliminated.
It turns out to be hard to find Domme. There is one obvious road to get there but this turns out to be closed.
"I feel like the lack of communication and the increasing frustration became a bit overwhelming", David & Aubrey are having a hard time navigating and communicating
As expected we get to see a montage where the next to last team is struggling with the navigation while the last team seems to breeze through everything. All designed to build suspense.
Teams reach Panorama (10km) in the following order:
1(+0) Marcus & Michael, win $7,500 each
2(+1) Emily & Molly, as #1 are leaving the mat
3(-1) Derek & Claire, just after #2
4(+0) Luis & Michelle, as the previous two teams are about to leave the mat
5(+1) Quinton & Mattie
6(-1) Aubrey & David
7(+0) Glenda & Lumumba, are eliminated
"We are more in love with each other, we are more appreciative of each other", Glenda
maf:
Racing report
Amazing Race Season 34, Episode 8, "La Ville Rose"
Film date:
The last Pit Stop was in Domme, France. This episode starts with some product placement where racers may choose which hotel they are staying at by booking it in the Expedia app.
The next leg starts exactly where the last Pit Stop was, a lookout called Panorama in Domme. Teams depart in three groups:
Group #1: 08:00
1. Marcus & Michael
1. Emily & Molly
Group #2: 08:15
3. Derek & Claire
3. Luis & Michelle
Group #3: 08:30
5. Quinton & Mattie
5. Aubrey & David
Route info: Drive to Toulouse, France. Once there find the Stade Toulousain for your next clue.
In an interview we hear Marcus & Michael talk about how they are good at navigation but can improve on the tasks.
"Mistake free", Marcus on how they want to run this leg
Getting to Toulouse seems to fairly straightforward, there is a large freeway (A20) going there so the only question is how to get to it the quickest. But then once you get to Toulouse you need to find the Stade Toulousain, which is a bit trickier. Specially since there is a lot of traffic on some routes.
In a later interview we also learn that on their way to Toulouse Quinton & Mattie got pulled over by the police.
Louis & Michelle decide to work with Derek & Claire to get to the next route marker quicker.
"Louis and Derek have a bromance going on", Michelle
Derek & Claire have clearly talked about their navigation so now we see Claire giving Derek notes with the next destination written on it.
Aubrey & David start out as usual with David driving and Aubrey navigating, but that combination has failed to work in previous legs as navigating does not seem to be Aubrey's strong point. But this leg they realize that this is a bad idea and switch positions so David gets to navigate.
"Why did we not do this sooner?", Aubrey is happy driving
Marcus & Michel take the wrong exit when they get to Toulouse and get stuck in traffic.
"We could probably get to the stadium walking rather than this", Marcus as they are stuck in traffic
Team arrive to the stadium (167km) in the following order:
1(+0) Emily & Molly
2(+1) Luis & Michelle
3(+0) Derek & Claire
4(-3) Marcus & Michael
5(+0) Aubrey & David, as #4 are driving away
6(-1) Quinton & Mattie, as #5 are leaving
Road block: Who's ready to take one for the team?
In this challenge racers must complete a Rugby drill. They must hit a dummy, roll on the ground, pick up a ball, push a simulated opponent, pass the ball, receive the ball and score a drop kick. The only hard part of this is the final kick. There seems to be some confusion about the rules for the kick. The instructor is show telling at least one team that the ball must bounce from the ground before they may kick it. And this is how must teams kick it. But we see Luis kick the ball before the bounce. So we do not really know what the rules said.
Emily's leg is still not 100% so they let Molly do this one.
Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock):
1(+0)Emily & Molly* (3-5)On her 6th attempt2(+0)Luis* & Michelle (5-3)On his 1st attempt3(+0)Derek & Claire* (4-4)On her 1st attempt4(+0)Marcus* & Michael(4-4)On his 7th attempt5(+0)Aubrey* & David (3-5)On her 4th attempt6(+0)Quinton* & Mattie(5-3)On his 1st attempt
Route info: Drive to Couvent des Jacobins and find the musician playing the French Horn in the Cloister to receive your next clue.
On their way to the cloister Molly & Emily make a wrong turn so they end up in a parking garage. They have trouble getting out as the exit gate expects people to pay with a credit card, which they do not have.
Quinton & Mattie have an even harder time. They end up in a pedestrian zone and seem to be trapped behind some poles. Fortunately for them there is an intercom so they can call a nice attendant who lowers the barrier and lets them out.
Teams reach the Cloister (5km) in the following order:
1(+2) Derek & Claire
2(+0) Luis & Michelle, just after #1
3(-2) Emily & Molly
4(+0) Marcus & Michael
5(+0) Aubrey & David
6(+0) Quinton & Mattie
Detour: Say Six or Lay Bricks
In Say Six teams must memorize six lines from a famous French poem, in French, which they can find two at a time in three locations around the basilica. Once they have learned it all they must perform it in front of the judge to get their next clue.
J'irai par forêt, j'irai a[r la montagne.
Je ne puis demeurer loin de toi plus longtemps,
Je marcherai les yeux fixés sur mes pensées,
Sans rien voir au dehors, san entendre aucun bruit,
Seui, inconnu, le dos courbé, les mains croisées,
Triste, et le jours pour moi sera comme la nuit.
The poem is by Victor Hugo and for each pair of lines the actor holding them can teach the racers how to pronounce them.
In Lay Bricks teams must lay bricks in a pattern on the ground. The task is a bit physical but the biggest hurdle seems to be that teams need to figure out that there are two different lengths of bricks.
"I took like four years of High School French", Derek is sure he can do the poem
When Luis & Michelle reach the second location they realize they have already forgotten the first two lines. They decide to switch detours. At the bricks they soon realize that there are two sizes so Michelle sorts the bricks according to size and Luis lays them down.
"I do not do construction, I do not even build Legos', Luis feels unqualified for this task
"It was hard", David had a hard time pronouncing the French words
"Memorizing the words was really easy. Pronouncing them correctly was a whole different story", Marcus & Michael
Teams complete the detour in the following order:
1(+0) Derek & Claire, poetry on their 2nd attempt
2(+0) Luis & Michelle, bricks
3(+0) Emily & Molly, bricks
4(+0) Marcus & Michael, poetry on their 2nd attempt
5(+0) Aubrey & David, poetry on their 2nd attempt
6(+0) Quinton & Mattie, poetry on their 1st attempt
"I would have kissed you if it wasn't Covid", Quinton to the poetry judge after they get approved
The next clue tells teams to make their way on foot to the Pit Stop aboard the boat Pays D'Oc which is moored in Canal de Brienne.
"Alright, we have a 30 minute run", Aubrey after getting directions
Teams reach the Pit Stop in the following order:
1(+0) Derek & Claire, win Expedia points for a trip to Bangkok
2(+0) Luis & Michelle
3(+0) Emily & Molly, shortly after #2
4(+0) Marcus & Michael
5(+0) Aubrey & David
6(+0) Quinton & Mattie, are eliminated
"We are both competitors and very upset that we are not going to be in that final leg racing for $1,000,000", Mattie
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