**AMAZING RACE 36** > **AMAZING RACE 36**
Racing reports TAR 36, episode #10.2 is on page #1
maf:
Racing report
Amazing Race Season 36, Episode 5, "Save the stress for later"
Film date: probably 2022-11-01
The last leg ended in Medellín, Colombia. During the pit stop teams are transported to Santiago, Chile. Teams are released in three groups from Plaza De Armas.
Group 1: starts at 09:00
* Ricky & Cesar
* Amber & Vinny
Group 2: starts at 09:15
* Angie & Danny
* Rod & Leticia
* Juan & Shane
Group 3: starts at 09:30
* Derek & Shelisa
* Yvonne & Melissa
* Sunny & Bizzy
* Kishori & Karishma
Route info: "Welcome to Santiago, Chile. Find Marilyn Monroe's Thunderbird to receive your next clue."
The clue tells the teams to pick up their cars on Monjitas street. Once there they will see that the cars have a manual transmission, and they will find a map inside. The clue also seem to list which address the Thunderbird can be found at. So teams just need to navigate themselves there. The last group miss the parked cars and it seems they run quite a bit before turning back.
"We can only go a s fast as we go together", Vinny will let Amber set the pace
"Having a map is an absolute game changer for sure, we know where we are going we don't have to stop for directions", Shane
We learn that Danny has been going to school in Santiago so he knows the area.
"I can drive anything, pilot anything", Sunny about the manual transmission
This year it seems Karishma is the only one shown having a hard time driving stick, and that is only shown once so it seems it is not an insurmountable obstacle.
Teams find the Thunderbird at Argomedo Performance Garage (10km) in the following order:
1. Ricky & Cesar
2. Amber & Vinny
3. Angie & Danny, just after #2
4. Rod & Leticia, just after #3
5. Juan & Shane
6. Yvonne & Melissa
7. Derek & Shelisa
8. Kishori & Karishma
9. Sunny & Bizzy
Route info: Drive yourselves to Skatepark Parque Araucano to find your next clue.
Danny turns out to be very good at navigating so he did catch up to Amber & Vinny at the first route marker. His mom wants him to not share his navigating skills as to give them a bit more of an edge as she is weaker physically.
"I shouldn't be working with other teams, but my heart wants to work with other teams", Danny
"Save the stress for later", Cesar gets the title when telling Ricky to calm down
Teams reach the clue box by the skate park in the following order:
1(+2) Angie & Danny
2(+2) Rod & Leticia
3(+2) Juan & Shane
4(-3) Ricky & Cesar
5(-3) Amber & Vinny
6(+1) Yvonne & Melissa
7(+0) Derek & Shelisa
8(+0) Kishori & Karishma
9(+0) Sunny & Bizzy
Road block: Who's feeling board?
In this road block racers must assemble a skateboard to match one used by one of the skaters in the park. The parts they need to add are the trucks and wheels.
One unexpected difficulty here is that there is one guy riding the example all the time so you can not rally get a good look at it. Then you can turn the trucks the wrong way and the wheels are all different colors so they need to be put on correctly. The board is decorated with the text "AR35", which reminds us that this was filmed as the 35rd season.
Danny quickly realize that the differently colored wheels needs to be put on in the right order.
Rod is quick in assembling his board, but he has installed one of his trucks facing the wrong way. And when fixing this he drops one of his nuts. He spends the next 20 minutes looking for it. The irony is that the clue said that they could get extra parts if needed.
"A nut for a nutcase", Rod
"I just don't know what they are looking at, I just don't know what is wrong", Juan after the judge says no the second time (he has the wheel colors wrong)
"Rod, colors, colors", Juan gives Rod some advice when he is leaving
"I can't put IKEA furniture together, I don't own a drill, don't know the difference between a nut and a bolt", Melissa
Karishma decides to do the task as she knows how to ride a skateboard. But she does not know how to build one.
"I build furniture, I build all sorts of things", Kishori
"I hate building", Karishma
Rod & Leticia get lost on their way to the detour. They get out on the freeway in the wrong direction and end up driving 12km before turning around.
"So meeting Rod, he was very used to these I call "Yes girls". Girls that are just excited to be with a football player.", Leticia
"I come from very humble beginnings so I was a lot spicier and I wasn't easily impressed.", Leticia
"The stupid little bolt is stuck in the stupid little thing", Karishma is struggling
Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock):
1(+0)Angie & Danny* (1-4)2(+1)Juan* & Shane (2-3)3(+1)Ricky & Cesar* (2-3)4(-2)Rod* & Leticia (3-2)5(+0)Amber & Vinny* (2-3)6(+0)Yvonne & Melissa* (2-3)7(+0)Derek* & Shelisa (2-3)8(+1)Sunny & Bizzy* (3-2)9(-1)Kishori & Karishma*(2-3)Karishma later said it took her 4h to complete this task
Detour: Perform for pesos or Climb for clues
In perform for pesos one team member must put on a one man band outfit (a bass drum with a cymbal on top of it). They must then learn a short routine, and together with their partner earn 2500pesos (~$2.5). At least Phil say they need to learn a routine, in the episode it just looks they bang the drum a bit and ask for money. This detour takes place in Parque Quinta Normal (14km).
In climb for clues both team members must complete a 6 stories high climbing wall built on an old cement factory. This takes place at Parqye de escalada los silos (12km).
Danny loves climbing, but his mom does not have the upper body strength and she pulls the mommy card so they go and perform.
"Some of the other people will have to navigate on their own, and we will see how works for them", Danny left before Rod & Leticia
Nobody is really struggling with any of the detours so all the place shifting is due to navigational issues. But there seems to be quite a lot of those. It seems every team struggled with getting from A to B. Partly because almost every street in Santiago is a one-way street.
Initially Rod play the drum and Leticia asks for money. But she is not having much success. Eventually they switch and Rod is much better at getting people to open their wallets.
"You've got a model body", Karishma encourages Kishori
"You got these long legs, basically Tyra Banks", Karishma again
Teams complete the detour in the following order:
1(+2) Ricky & Cesar, perform
2(+0) Juan & Shane, climb
3(+2) Amber & Vinny, climb
4(-3) Angie & Danny, perform
5(-1) Rod & Leticia, perform
6(+0) Yvonne & Melissa, climb
7(+1) Sunny & Bizzy, climb
8(-1) Derek & Shelisa, climb
9(+0) Kishori & Karishma, climb
The next clue tells teams to drive to their next pit stop at Estacíon Mapocho.
As usual editing tries to trick us into believing it is a close race between the last two teams. In reality they did not look close. But it looks like Derek & Shelisa expected to be last beacuse they look very surprised when Phil tells them they are only next to last.
Teams reach the mat (~4km) in the following order:
1(+0) Ricky & Cesar, win Expedia points for a trip to Singapore
2(+0) Juan & Shane, as #1 are stepping off the mat
3(+0) Amber & Vinny
4(+0) Angie & Danny
5(+0) Rod & Leticia
6(+0) Yvonne & Melissa
7(+0) Sunny & Bizzy
8(+0) Derek & Shelisa
9(+0) Kishori & Karishma, are eliminated
"I really couldn't have asked for a better team mate and we 100% honored our parents", Kishori
maf:
Racing report
Amazing Race Season 36, Episode 6, "Our alliance strikes again"
Film date: probably 2022-11-04
The previous leg was in Santiago, Chile. During the pit stop teams are transported to Córdoba, Argentina. Teams are released from a bridge in Cordoba at Caseros.
Group #1 departs 08:15:
Ricky & Cesar
Juan & Shane
Group #2 departs 08:30:
Amber & Vinny
Angie & Danny
Rod & Leticia
Group #3 departs 08:45:
Yvonne & Melissa
Sunny & Bizzy
Derek & Shelisa
The first clue is a route info which welcomes them to Cordoba and tells them that this will be a mega leg. They should first pick up a car and drive themselves to Plaza del Bicentenario.
The cars are parked outside Municipalidad de Córdoba and there are maps in them. Teams get 23,000 Argentinian pesos (~$26) for this leg.
Right from the start we learn that the teams in group #2 are working together and they are all following Danny to the next location.
"Our job today is is not to win the mega leg, it is to survive the mega leg", Danny
"Getting lost is what you don't want t do", Rod (even if they are following Danny Leticia is also following along on the map)
Teams arrive to Plaza del Bicentenario (2km) in the following order:
1. Ricky & Cesar
2. Juan & Shane
3. Rod & Leticia
4. Amber & Vinny
5. Angie & Danny
6. Yvonne & Melissa
7. Derek & Shelisa
8. Sunny & Bizzy
This plaza is filled with giant standing rings and there are clues hanging from a lot of them. It is not shown in the episode but a large portion of the clues were fake and only said "Try Again". But this does not seem to have really affected the race so it is not shown (but you can see a bunch of racers holding multiple clues in their hands).
Detour: Bicicleta or Boleadora
In Bicicleta teams must pedal a stationary bike which is attached to a small grinder to grind up enough plastic bottles to fill a container.
In Boleadora teams will get ten attempts to wrap a Bola around a moving target in the form of a bull. A Bola is three balls held together with string and the goal is to wrap at least one of them around the legs of the bull. Both team members must succeed within the same set of ten. To make it harder the throwing team member must sit on a simulated horse. There are four throwing stations and you may not retrieve your Bolas as long as anybody is throwing theirs.
The Bicileta takes place at Plaza Ex.Vélez Sársfield (1.7km) and the Boleadora at Parque Sarmiento (2km).
After a while the alliance (the three teams in the second group) arrive to the Boleadores but they think it looks too difficult so they decide to switch to Biciletas.
Yvonne & Melissa arrive to the Road Block as Ricky & Cesar are leaving. So we can assume that it took the boys at least 30 minutes to complete the Boleadores.
"We can pedal our little hinnies off", Sunny
"This thing is extremely hard", Vinny about riding the bike
"He beasted that detour", Amber about Rod's cycling
When Sunny & Bizzy arrive to the Bicileta challenge the alliance teams have already left. And they complete it before Derek & Shelisa arrive.
Derek & Shelisa start with the Boleadora and make 18 throws before they give up and go to the Bicileta. It beats me why Derek did not even try to make his last two throws (Shelisa had already made a good throw in this round).
"Your throws were completely off", Shelisa
Teams complete the detour in the following order:
1(+1) Juan & Shane, Boleadora, on their 2nd attempt
2(-1) Ricky & Cesar, Boleadora, on their 5th attempt
3(+0) Rod & Leticia, went to Boleadora but immediately switched to Bicicleta
4(+1) Angie & Danny, went to Boleadora but immediately switched to Bicicleta
5(-1) Amber & Vinny, went to Boleadora but immediately switched to Bicicleta
6(+0) Yvonne & Melissa, Boleadora, on their 3rd attempt
7(+1) Sunny & Bizzy, Bicicleta
8(-1) Derek & Shelisa, started Boleadora but gave up and switched to Bicicleta
The next clue tells teams to drive themselves to Cicuito Lobo Race
The alliance has decided to stay together so when Rod is done with the cycling he and Leticia start gathering directions while they are waiting for the other teams.
Teams arrive to the racing circuit (19km) in the following order:
1(+1) Ricky & Cesar
2(-1) Juan & Shane
3(+0) Rod & Leticia
4(+1) Amber & Vinny, just after #3
5(-1) Angie & Danny, just after #4
5(+1) Sunny & Bizzy
7(-1) Yvonne & Melissa
8(+0) Derek & Shelisa, more than 2h after the other teams
Road block: Who's got a good sense of direction?
In this road block the participating racer will have to suit up and will then be taken for a lap on the local circuit. Once they are done with that they must recreate the track on a board in max 3 minutes. If they fail they have to take another lap before making another attempt.
Effectively this is a quick lap to disorient the racers followed by a 9 piece puzzle where they have to connect a line.
An unexpected difficulty in this task is the temperature. It is hot in the cars and the racers are wearing heavy coveralls so they get hot.
"No way man, he's not that smart", Shane doubts Juan will get it on his first attempt
"My brain just wasn't clicking", Ricky
Angie struggles with this task. And the heat is getting to her so she has to sit down a bit and get attended to by the medics. She starts talking about taking the 4h penalty, but Danny is not having it.
"It's ok, you go run your race", Angie does not want Amber to wait around for her
But Amber does wait around for Angie to go another lap in the car and then she helps her with the puzzle.
"We came here as a team and we're leaving as a team", Amber
Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock):
1(+1)Juan* & Shane (3-3)On his 1st attempt2(-1)Ricky* & Cesar (3-3)On his 4rd attempt3(+1)Amber* & Vinny (3-3)On her 3rd attempt4(+1)Angie* & Danny (2-4)On her 3rd attempt, with help from Amber5(-2)Rod & Leticia* (3-3)On her 4th attempt, with help from Amber6(+1)Yvonne & Melissa* (2-4)On her 2nd attempt7(-1)Sunny* & Bizzy (4-2)On her 2nd attempt8(+0)Derek* & Shelisa (3-3)On his 7th attempt
"Are you freaking kidding me? It took you THAT long to figure this puzzle out?", Shelisa gets to see the puzzle when Derek is done
The next clue tells teams that the mega leg continues and they should make their way to Estadio Francisco Cabasés
In reality there was a 2h break after the racing road block. The way it works is that once a team is done with the road block the clock starts for them and 2h later they may continue racing. This gives them and the crew a chance to eat a bit and change batteries in all the equipment etc. It also allows them to see how far behind the other teams are. And in this case they do not see Derek & Shelisa at all so they know that they are at least 2h behind everybody else. Which probably makes the other teams feel much better as they do have a decent cushion.
It seems as if the alliance lets Amber & Vinny lead the way to the stadium, which is a bad idea as they get lost.
Teams arrive to the stadium (25km) in the following order:
1(+0) Juan & Shane
2(+0) Ricky & Cesar
3(+4) Sunny & Bizzy
4(+2) Yvonne & Melissa
5(+0) Rod & Leticia
6(-3) Amber & Vinny
7(-3) Angie & Danny
8(+0) Derek & Shelisa
Road block: Who want's to score?
In this road block one team member must join a bubble soccer team and score one goal in under 1.5 minutes. Their team will help them score to their best abilities. Each game only uses half the field so there can be two games going on at the same time.
Teams quickly learn that the opposing team does not hesitate to run into them and when they do you tend to bounce away and fall over.
Juan plays a lot of soccer and really wants to do this. But Shane points out that Juan is also more rounded and has better memory. So Shane should do this in order to save Juan for future road blocks.
After having failed three times Cesar realizes that if he first runs into the opposing team members to throw them to the ground then he will have a much easier time to score. And this plan works beautifully.
"The way that we win this race, if we can knock out some road blocks for mom right now", Danny knows that one team is trailing
"Anything where we can get physical and a ball is in play, I wanna do it", Rod (the ex NFL player)
Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock):
1(+0)Juan & Shane* (3-4)On his 1st attempt2(+0)Ricky & Cesar* (3-5)On his 4th attempt3(+0)Sunny & Bizzy* (4-3)On her 5th attempt4(+0)Yvonne* & Melissa (3-4)On her 4th attempt5(+0)Rod* & Leticia (4-3)On his 1st attempt6(+0)Amber* & Vinny (4-3)On her 2nd attempt7(+0)Angie & Danny* (3-4)On her 3rd attempt8(+0)Derek* & Shelisa (4-3)They make it look like he got it on his 1st attempt
Route info: Find your next clue on he step overlooking the city in Mirador del Coniferal.
We are not shown how teams get to the steps but we can see that the alliance are there together so I wonder if the first teams just waited again by the stadium.
Teams reach the steps (3.4km) in the following order:
1(+0) Juan & Shane
2(+0) Ricky & Cesar
3(+0) Sunny & Bizzy
4(+0) Yvonne & Melissa, just after #3
5(+0) Rod & Leticia
6(+0) Amber & Vinny, just after #5
7(+0) Angie & Danny, just after #6
8(+0) Derek & Shelisa
Detour: Who did it? or What's your beef?
In Who did it?, teams must find a fingerprint on an object and then compare it to other prints on file. Once they find the suspect they will get their next clue. This looks fun but unfortunately no team do this.
In what's you beef?, teams must learn to identify 14 different cuts of beef. After having learned their names in Spanish teams must make their way to one of 3 available tables and then correctly place them on a board. The board has a picture of a cow and he different parts are labeled. One difficulty in this task is that the pieces of meat do not look exactly the same at the different stations and the demonstration.
The beef detour starts at Firgorifico "Gral Paz". There is a guy who names all the cuts for them, but he just names all of them in one go and does not stop or take questions. The boards can be found around the block at Patio de los Naranjos.
Sunny & Bizzy and Yvonne & Melissa decide to work together, probably because they feel pressured by the three team alliance. They get to the detour before the alliance. However when they fail the test and go back to study again the alliance moves in and occupies all the judging tables. Danny has read the rules and realize that there is no time limit and not requirement to go back so they can just stay there and make guess after guess and thus they keep the girls from getting to the tables. Eventually Rod & Leticia get approved and they then help the other teams in their alliance.
"I know my cuts, in English", Bizzy
"That is not a nice strategy", Danny about his strategy
Once they are done Danny tries to help Yvonne & Melissa but Angie shuts him down.
Teams complete the detour in the following order:
1(+0) Juan & Shane
2(+0) Ricky & Cesar
3(+2) Rod & Leticia
4(+3) Angie & Danny, with help from their alliance
5(+2) Amber & Vinny, with help from their alliance
6(-2) Yvonne & Melissa
7(-4) Sunny & Bizzy
The next clue tells teams to race to the pit stop at Plaza de San Martín.
It seems as if after the detour Danny wanted the teams to go separately to Phil, but the others just follow him anyway.
"So we might need to loose them a tiny bit", Danny when they see that the others are following them
Angie & Danny have promised to let Amber & Vinny step on the mat before them due to the help Amber gave to Angie at the racing road block. So even if they are first of the alliance to reach the plaza they wait for Amber & Vinny before stepping on the mat.
Tams reach Phil and the mat (2.5km) in the following order:
1(+0) Juan & Shane, win $5000 each
2(+0) Ricky & Cesar
3(+0) Rod & Leticia
4(+1) Amber & Vinny
5(-1) Angie & Danny, within seconds of #3
6(+0) Yvonne & Melissa, shortly after #5
7(+0) Sunny & Bizzy, shortly after #6
8(+0) Derek & Shelisa, are eliminated
Derek & Shelisa did not even get to do the last Detour. Instead they got sent directly to the Pit Stop.
"This is a great time, it was a great experience", Derek
maf:
Racing report
Amazing Race Season 36, Episode 7, "Walk and chew gum baby"
Film date: probably 2022-11-07
This leg takes place in Montevideo, Uruguay. This episode starts with some product placement from the previous pit stop where the teams get to use the Expedia app to pretend to decide which hotel to stay in.
Teams depart from Fortaleza del Cerro in three groups.
Group #1 departs at 07:45:
Juan & Shane
Ricky & Cesar
Group #2 departs at 08:00:
Rod & Leticia
Amber & Vinny
Group #3 departs at 08:15:
Angie & Danny
Yvonne & Melissa
Sunny & Bizzy
The first clue tells teams to drive themselves to Puerto Logístico Punta de Sayago. So this will be another self driving leg. There is a detailed map in the cars.
We learn that Juan got food poisoning after the mega leg and he is still recovering.
"We're dominating the road blocks, we're dominating the detours", Bizzy thinks they can move up (but they do suck at directions)
"We want to run our own race today", Danny
Teams reach the clue box in the port (3km) in the following order:
1. Ricky & Cesar
2. Juan & Shane
3. Amber & Vinny
4. Rod & Leticia
5. Angie & Danny
6. Yvonne & Melissa, as #4 are leaving the port
7. Sunny & Bizzy, not long after the previous team
Road block: Who wants to make sparks fly?
In this road block contestants must weld two metal plates together into an angle. Their weld will then be tested by the foreman, a big imposing man, who will hit the plates twice with a big hammer.
"What haven't you guys done?", Juan when he learns that Cesar has welded before
"I see this humongous hammer, it seems like all my dreams are going to be crushed with that hammer", Cesar when he sees the foreman
"I'm pumped because I weld all the time as a firefighter", Sunny
There are welds which survive the first blow and the players start to get ecstatic, only to have them fail the second blow.
Vinny feels some pressure here as Amber's dad is a welder. Fortunately for him he does an excellent job.
Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock):
1(+2)Amber & Vinny* (4-4)On his 1st attempt2(+2)Rod* & Leticia (5-3)On his 1st attempt3(-2)Ricky & Cesar* (3-5)On his 3rd attempt4(-2)Juan & Shane* (3-5)On his 4th attempt5(+0)Angie & Danny* (3-5)On his 2nd attempt6(+1)Sunny* & Bizzy (5-3)On her 2nd attempt7(-1)Yvonne* & Melissa (4-4)On her 2nd attempt
Route info: Drive to Ciudad Vieja and search the plaza next to Mercada del puerto for your next clue?
The clue is located at Plaza de la Fuente, and this is not a very big plaza.
As they are mapping out their route Amber & Vinny start having different opinions about how to turn. This will happen throughout the leg. Vinny basically runs over Amber every time. But he does turn out to be right every time.
Sunny & Bizzy have a hard time finding this clue box. But while looking for it they visit what feels like every plaza in Ciudad Vieja.
Teams reach the next clue box (14km) in the following order:
1(+0) Amber & Vinny
2(+1) Ricky & Cesar
3(+2) Angie & Danny
4(+0) Juan & Shane, just after #3
5(-3) Rod & Leticia, a minute or so after #4
6(+1) Yvonne & Melissa
7(-1) Sunny & Bizzy
Detour: Candobe or Murga
In Candobe must become drummers and join a local band. They must each beat a different rhythm on their drums (simultaneously) while walking along with the band. In reality they first had to pass a test where they had to show that they could do the rhythms and once they passed that they got to amble along with the band.
In Murga teams must sing a song in Spanish together with a group of carnival singers. There is a board with the lyrics which they can use as support. They are mostly judged on managing to get the right words in the right order and doing so with flair.
Both detours take place very close to each other at a couple of streets about 4km away. Both options also require players to put on a costume.
"Stop that, you're working against me. I'm the only one who know how to do this", Vinny when they are mapping their route to the detour (and he does know how to do it)
"I studied musical theater and voice", Ricky
"I was in band, this kid is a pianist", Angie
"Finally, I've been waiting for a full costume", Cesar
"It was extremely difficult to just get in synchrony with each other", Vinny on the drumming
"Which was kind of symbolic of our day, I didn't feel like we were in sync so it was tough", Amber
Ricky & Cesar do not get approved on their first attempt at the singing. They are told they need to do more dancing. And they are happy to oblige.
Teams complete the detour in the following order:
1(+1) Ricky & Cesar, singing on their 3rd attempt
2(+1) Angie & Danny, drums on their 1st attempt
3(-2) Amber & Vinny, drums on their 2nd attempt
4(+0) Juan & Shane, drums on their 1st attempt
5(+0) Rod & Leticia, drums on their 1st attempt
6(+0) Yvonne & Melissa, singing on their 8th attempt
7(+0) Sunny & Bizzy, drums on their 1st shown attempt
As Angie & Danny get approved Ricky & Cesar run past in the background. They have changed back into their normal cloths and seem to be running to their car.
The next clue tells teams to drive to La Rambla Playa Malvín
"We're racing for first place right now, this is so exciting", Danny
"We never don't know where we are we always just choose a dumber route", Shane
After the detour Amber & Vinny have different ideas about where they parked their car. Vinny relents and goes where Amber want to. This turns out to be wrong so after a while they switch and go to where Vinny wanted, and that is where they find their car.
As expected he editing makes it look like a really tight race between the first two teams. But we never see them both in the same frame until they meet at the mat.
Teams reach Phil an the mat (8km) in the following order:
1(+0) Ricky & Cesar, win Expedia points for a trip to Paris
2(+0) Angie & Danny
3(+2) Rod & Leticia
4(-1) Amber & Vinny
5(+1) Yvonne & Melissa
6(-2) Juan & Shane, lost a footrace against #6
7(+0) Sunny & Bizzy, are eliminated
"I'm just excited like I get to go back a new new person, I feel rejuvenated. This race was everything I needed", Bizzy
maf:
Racing report
Amazing Race Season 36, Episode 8, "That's what being strong will do"
Film date: probably 2022-11-10
This leg takes place in Barbados. Teams are released from Chamberlain bridge in Bridgetown (which interestingly enough only has two bridges) in the following order:
Group #1 departs at 07:40:
Ricky & Cesar
Angie & Danny
Group #2 departs at 07:55:
Rod & Leticia
Amber & Vinny
Group #2 departs at 08:10:
Juan & Shane
Yvonne & Melissa
The first clue tells teams to travel to the neighborhood of Fairfield / Black rock. More specifically thy need to drive to the corner of Parkinson and Fairfield rd.
Each team get a small open jeep for this leg. In this they both get to sit in the front seat and the crew will travel in a van behind them. This will get very significant later in the episode. Teams will also find a map in the car.
We are shown Ricky & Cesar helping Danny & Angie by showing them where the first location is on the map. Then Angie & Danny start following the boys.
"They have a good idea of where they are going", Danny on why they are following
"I'm a little lost", Cesar
Shortly after the firs two teams leave it starts raining, first a little but then it really starts pouring down. Teams have to stop and put the covers on their cars. Apparently it rained so hard that production paused the race for a bit. Everybody got to drive to the next route marker but when they got there they had to wait. The first team had to wait until the rain stopped and then the others were probably released in the same intervals they got there. During this pause production also gave everybody a new map, which probably was a good idea as the previous ones were soaked and falling apart. Teams are released form the pause at the same intervals that they reached the location.
We learn that Yvonne & Melissa are using the race to check if they are ready to take the next step and move in together.
Teams reach the next clue box (5km) in the following order:
1. Ricky & Cesar
2. Angie & Danny
3. Yvonne & Melissa
4. Rod & Leticia
5. Juan & Shane
6. Amber & Vinny
Road block: Who wants to get into the swing of things?
In this road block players must play road tennis against a local. They must score 11 points to get their next clue. There is no match or anything, they just play until the racer has won 11 points.
Angie has both played and coached tennis, so she feels confident.
"Who's the worst?", Yvonne checks the opponents
"I picked him because he had glasses", Yvonne
"Who's the best one?", Juan thinks he is selecting an instructor
Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock):
1(+0)Ricky* & Cesar (4-5)Before team #2 even got to the task2(+0)Angie* & Danny (4-5)Before team #3 even got to the task3(+0)Yvonne* & Melissa (5-4)4(+0)Rod & Leticia* (5-4)5(+0)Juan* & Shane (4-5)6(+0)Amber & Vinny* (4-5)
The next clue is a route info which tells teams to drive to the childhood home of Rihanna.
"Who is Rihanna?", Angie
When Angie then asks Danny to sing her a Rihanna song he is stumped and can't think of any.
Most teams passed by Rihanna way on the way to the road tennis so they already know where to go.
Teams reach the Rihanna monument in the following order:
1(+0) Ricky & Cesar
2(+0) Angie & Danny
3(+0) Yvonne & Melissa
4(+0) Rod & Leticia, just after #3
5(+1) Amber & Vinny
6(-1) Juan & Shane, as #5 are leaving
The clue here is a route info which sends teams to Long Bay Beach in Christ church parish.
On the way to the next route marker we get to see Ricky & Cesar get a little bit frustrated.
"You're making me a little anxious", Ricky
"But I don't know how to help you", Cesar
But all of this is very mild compared to other teams. And they are still the first team to reach the next location.
On the way to Long Beach we have the big controversy of this season. Angie & Danny lose their crew in a roundabout. They did drive erratically through the roundabout (in Barbados you drive on the left side of the road which did not help), and they did multiple laps before finally exiting. It also seems to take a while until Danny try to call the crew on their walkie takie, which by then seem to be out of range. On the other hand it should not have taken the crew 1.5 hours to get to the next location. We will probably never know exactly what happened and why. Danny cites a safety briefing they got that said that if they lost their crew, or felt unsafe, they should proceed to the next route marker to get reunited there.
When Angie & Danny arrive at Long Bay Beach they are told to wait in their car until their crew arrives. They say they waited for 45 minutes and then the producers gave them another crew so they could continue racing. As they walk down to the beach they meet the first team leaving.
Teams reach the clue box at Long Bay beach (20km) in the following order:
1(+0) Ricky & Cesar
----- Angie & Danny, without their crew
2(+1) Yvonne & Melissa
3(+2) Amber & Vinny
4(+0) Rod & Leticia
5(-3) Angie & Danny
6(+0) Juan & Shane
Detour: Seaweed clearing or Fish pot building
In Fish pot building teams must assemble a Fish pot, a local fish trap. This needs to be built using sticks, wire mesh and wire. Once the local fisherman approves of their pot they will get their next clue. This option seem to be fairly time consuming.
In Seaweed clearing teams must collect seaweed from the beach. They must fill one barrel and to help they have one rake and a wheelbarrow. The scary thing about this task is that the wheelbarrows and the collection area is a long way away from the barrels which need to be filled. Juan & Shane are the only ones doing this and they learn that they only need to make three trips to fill the barrel.
Ricky & Cesar want to do the seaweed challenge but got discouraged when they saw the distance so they decide to build the Fish pot instead as they think it will be too hard to run that long in the sand. Yvonne & Melissa do the same.
Ricky & Cesar are smart and choose the work station closest to the example.
The only team having any issues with this detour is Rod & Leticia who miss the corner supports of the fish pot. After two attempts to get approved they realize what they are missing.
"Ow, we're missing the sticks", Rod has a revelation
Teams complete this detour in the following order:
1(+0) Ricky & Cesar, fish pot
2(+4) Juan & Shane, seaweed
3(+0) Amber & Vinny, fish pot
4(-2) Yvonne & Melissa, fish pot
5(-1) Rod & Leticia, fish pot
6(-1) Angie & Danny, fish pot
The next clue is just a photograph of a pavilion and a sign saying "Welcome to Hastings Rocks"
On their way to the Pit Stop Rod & Leticia end up on a dead end and when they try to turn around the car ends up on the grass besides the road. And this turns out to be very slippery (probably because of all the rain earlier) so when they try to drive back up onto the road the wheels just spin. But Rod gets out and shows what he is made of when he pushes the car up on the road again.
"That's what being strong will do sometimes", Rod gets the title
Phil is waiting at the Hastings Rocks (12km) and teams reach him in the following order:
1(+0) Ricky & Cesar, win $7,500 each
2(+0) Juan & Shane
3(+0) Amber & Vinny
4(+0) Yvonne & Melissa, seconds after #3
5(+0) Rod & Leticia
6(+0) Angie & Danny, are eliminated
"This has been everything I ever dreamt of", Danny
maf:
Racing report
Amazing Race Season 36, Episode 9, "My Precious Cacao"
Film date: probably 2022-11-13
This leg of the race takes place in the Dominican Republic. Teams depart from Puente Peatonal de Charcos de Damajagua in two groups.
Group #1 departs 08:45:
Ricky & Cesar
Juan & Shane
Group #2 departs 09:00:
Rod & Leticia
Yvonne & Melissa
Amber & Vinny
.
The first clue tells them to follow the path into the jungle and search for their next clue. They also get 1,500 Dominican Pesos (~$25) for this leg of the race.
Nobody has any issues finding the next clue box and they get there in the following order:
1. Juan & Shane
2. Ricky & Cesar
3. Amber & Vinny
4. Yvonne & Melissa
5. Rod & Leticia
Road block: Who can see the writing on the wall?
In this road block one team member must go canyoning. At the last part of the canyon there are Taíno petroglyph symbols placed along the walls. Once they get to the end they must lay ten stones bearing the correct glyphs on a log. The difficulty is that each stone has symbols on both sides. They are very similar and only differ in some minute detail. It is not clear if the order matters or not.
The start of the canyon is 2-3km away and they must make their way there on foot. A lot of it is uphill so it is quite the workout.
"Going up that hill was exhausting", Cesar
"Wow, he's actually surprisingly close", Juan had assumed he would get a large lead on Cesar
We learn that Melissa has done these waterfalls before back when she visited the area while protecting then vice president Biden. So she knows how far the hike to the start is.
Just like Juan, Rod expects to leave his competitors in the dust and he is amazed when Melissa keeps up
"I should have done more steps", Amber
The actual canyon looks marvelous. There are lots of waterfalls and natural slides. The petroglyphs are all hidden in the last part of the canyon just before the judging area. There are stairs available here so teams can go back up and redo this part without having to go back to the start.
"Happy face, one eye", Cesar makes up mnemonics for the petroglyphs he spots
"Mad calamari", some of them are inventive
On their first pass Juan and Cesar only spot five of the ten petroglyphs.
When the second group arrive to the judging area Cesar ask Melissa if she wants to work with him, she does. Juan asks Rod to work with him.
"Oh, you can flip these", Juan realize that the stones have symbols on both sides.
This road block is difficult so teams spend quite a while there. Eventually Melissa is the only one left and she starts to just try different permutations.
Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock):
1(+1)Ricky & Cesar* (4-6)On his 3rd attempt2(-1)Juan* & Shane (5-5)On his 5th attempt3(+2)Rod* & Leticia (6-4)On his 2nd attempt4(-1)Amber* & Vinny (5-5)On her 3rd attempt5(-1)Yvonne & Melissa* (5-5)On her 8th attempt
Once Cesar gets approved he runs over to Melissa and tells her some things (like that all the eyes are on the left). That is he helps her a bit but does not give her the answer. She is fine with this and as a superfan she does not like it when teams share answers so she does not want more help.
The next clue tells teams to catch a ride with a local farmer who will drive them to Don Manuel's Finca de Cacao where they can find their next clue.
Teams must first trek out of the jungle to a parking spot where they will find a bunch of waiting cars. As Cesar get into their car he turns to the others and tell them to go slow. The cars are pickups with rather small back seats, and that is probably why we Rod sits in the front seat which differs from the other teams where the camera persons sits in the front.
Teams find the clues at the cacao plantation in the following order:
1(+0) Ricky & Cesar
2(+0) Juan & Shane
3(+1) Amber & Vinny
4(-1) Rod & Leticia, just after #3
5(+0) Yvonne & Melissa
Here teams are given a long handed scythe to help them cut down ripe cacao pods from the trees. They must then remove the seeds from the pods and spread the seeds on a tarp to dry. They must fill the tarp with seeds.
Rod is tall so he can in many cases just reach or jump up and grab the pods. And Vinny has a hard time handling the tool so he starts climbing up into the trees.
"Being tall helps sometimes", Rod
"No no no, precious cacao", Cesar gets the title when they drop a pod
This task is not difficult but it is time consuming. This means that the last team arrive here before they first team is done.
Teams complete the task in the following order:
1(+0) Ricky & Cesar
2(+2) Rod & Leticia
3(-1) Juan & Shane
4(-1) Amber & Vinny
5(+0) Yvonne & Melissa
The next clue tells teams to make their way to Estadio Bartolo Colón. Teams will travel with the farmers who drove them here.
In the car Cesar talks about tasting the cacao, but that their hands are dirty and they did not want to get sick.
Teams reach the stadium in the following order:
1(+0) Ricky & Cesar
2(+0) Rod & Leticia
3(+0) Juan & Shane
4(+0) Amber & Vinny
5(+0) Yvonne & Melissa
Road block: Who wants to play ball?
Here players must take part in three different baseball exercise. They must field a ground ball and throw it to the first base. They must catch a high ball and finally they must hit a thrown bottle cap with a broomstick and make it fly at least 25 feet.
These tasks are not very difficult and most players just breeze through. Except Rod who has a hard time throwing the ball to the first base. His balls are to high for the receiving player to catch them. It took him four tries to pass the ball, and then he has to make 14 tries to hit the bottle cap.
"Why can't I throw right? What is happening?", Rod
Yvonne also has to do about 14 attempts to hit the bottle cap.
Each player get a jersey with their name printed on the back.
Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock):
1(+0)Ricky* & Cesar (5-6)2(+0)Rod* & Leticia (7-4)3(+0)Juan & Shane* (5-6)About 30s after #24(+0)Amber & Vinny* (5-6)5(+0)Yvonne* & Melissa (6-5)
Route info: Take a taxi to Paseo de Doña Blanca to find your next clue.
Production has arranged for a bunch of taxis to wait outside the stadium. But it soon turns out that not all of the drivers know where the destination is. And for some reason they refuse to use their phones. So we can assume that this is something production did set up.
Ricky & Cesar ask a bunch of them and find one drive who say he probably know where it is. Some drivers also seem to refuse to stop and ask for directions, and as he drive is rather long it makes for a very tense 40 minutes for the teams. In the end it seems that nobody had any major difficulties getting there.
Teams arrive to the next clue box in the following order:
1(+0) Ricky & Cesar
2(+0) Rod & Leticia
3(+0) Juan & Shane, just after #2
4(+0) Amber & Vinny
5(+0) Yvonne & Melissa
The clue here tells teams to make their way on foot to the pit stop at Anfiteatro de Puerto Plata.
Teams reach Phil on the mat (750m) in the following order:
1(+0) Ricky & Cesar, win Expedia points for a trip to Seoul, Korea
2(+0) Rod & Leticia
3(+0) Juan & Shane, just after #3
4(+0) Amber & Vinny
5(+0) Yvonne & Melissa, are eliminated
In the end Yvonne & Melissa was about 2 minutes behind the next to last team.
"This race actually brought us closer together", Melissa
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