Racing report
Amazing Race Season 35, Episode 4, "The Day Keeps Rockin Here in Vietnam"
Film date: 2023-06-19
The last leg ended with teams meeting Phil at the Trúc lâm phu'o'ng nam Zen monastery, but instead of being checked in to the Pit Stop they each got a new clue. Teams leave the mat in the following order:
| 1. | Steve & Anna Leigh | 08:56 | |
| 2. | Joel & Garrett | 09:00 | +0:04 |
| 3. | Rob & Corey | 09:12 | +0:16 |
| 4. | Todd & Ashlie | 09:32 | +0:36 |
| 5. | Robbin & Chelsea | 09:44 | +0:48 |
| 6. | Morgan & Lena | 09:48 | +0:52 |
| 7. | Joe & Ian | 09:49 | +0:53 |
| 8. | Greg & John | 09:50 | +0:54 |
| 9. | Andrea & Malaina | 09:51 | +0:55 |
| 10. | Jocelyn & Victor | 09:54 | +0:58 |
| 11. | Liam & Yeremi | 09:56 | +1:00 |
The first clue tells them to travel by taxi to Café Tu Đięc.
"The day keeps rockin' here in Vietnam", Corey gets the title
The last few teams are hopeful that they can stay in the race. They are all pretty close and feel that they should be able to beat at least a couple of other teams.
Teams get their clue at the cafe (12km) in the following order:
1(+0) Steve & Anna Leigh
2(+0) Joel & Garrett
3(+0) Rob & Corey
4(+0) Todd & Ashlie
5(+0) Robbin & Chelsea
6(+0) Morgan & Lena
7(+0) Joe & Ian
8(+0) Greg & John
9(+0) Andrea & Malaina
10(+0) Jocelyn & Victor
11(+0) Liam & Yeremi
Detour: Stand or Deliver
In Stand teams need to setup the display for a fish vendor at the Cho Tân an market. The trays are already in place so all they need to do is to fetch fishes from a distributor and arrange it correctly in the trays.
In Deliver teams must pick up four mattresses from a truck and carry them, through a street closed off to cars and trucks, to a nearby hotel and deliver them to a room on the third floor. Of course the mattresses are big, unwieldy, heavy (66lb or 30kg each) and teams may not use the elevator. The hotel is located 275m from the truck (if you take the closest route). The rules said that you could not leave a mattress anywhere along the route. So you could not bring two to the hotel and then bring them up one by one.
Both detours are located in the same area. In fact the delivery route passes in front of the fish stand. Teams seem to make their way on foot from the cafe to the detour (~350m).
Anna Leigh is smart and pick the stand closes to the example.
"This is so cool, I'm collecting octopus, pusses. How do you say that word? Octopie?", Anna Leigh
Joel & Garrett are the first to the deliver task. They pick up two mattresses and start walking, unfortunately in the wrong direction. Eventually they stop and ask another local for directions and are dismayed when they point back the way they came and tell them to walk half a kilometer. On their way back to the hotel they pass the truck and decide to leave one of the mattresses there as they think trying to bring two up the stairs at the hotel may be overdoing it a little.
When Joel & Garrett come back to the truck after having delivered their first mattress they find Todd & Ashlie and Rob & Corey. Joel & Garret realize that the others will just follow them so they offer to lead the way if they can go first.
Steve & Anna Leigh think they are done and call for the judge. But she gives them the thumbs down. After a while they spot that they have misplaced two of the boxes of fish and they try again. This time the judge gives them a big smile, and thumbs down. It takes them a while more until they notice that they have missed the big vat of eels which should be placed next to their stand.
"Eels, they look like snakes and I hate snakes, I don't want anything to do with snakes or eels. But I wasn't gonna stop", Robbin
Joe & Ian and Liam & Yeremi are the only ones who deliver two mattresses in one go.
"Strength and endurance like in an air-conditioned gym and strength and endurance running around the chaotic streets of Vietnam, not the same", Ian
"We were at the absolute edge of our physical exertion", Liam
Joe & Ian bring the next two mattresses one by one while Liam & Yeremi bring the last two in one go. At least they bring them to the hotel and then they bring them up the stairs one by one. Supposedly this was against the rules and they may have received a penalty at the pit stop, but we were not shown this.
"We're obviously in first place right now and we will take no other answer as an answer", Liam knows they are last
"They look like snakes", Lena does not like handling the eels
"You wanna hug? Just kidding", Ashlie after the detour (she is drenched in sweat)
"I know my fish", Victor turns out to know the species names of the fishes they are displaying
The stand side of the detour did not get easier due to the fact that many of the fishes were still alive.
During this task we learn that Liam & Yeremi did not go well together a few years ago but now they want to be there for each other.
Teams complete the detour in the following order:
1(+0) Steve & Anna Leigh, stand
2(+0) Joel & Garrett, deliver
3(+0) Rob & Corey, deliver
4(+0) Todd & Ashlie, deliver
5(+1) Morgan & Lena, stand
6(-1) Robbin & Chelsea, stand
7(+0) Joe & Ian, deliver
8(+0) Greg & John, stand
9(+2) Liam & Yeremi, deliver
10(+0) Jocelyn & Victor, stand
11(-2) Andrea & Malaina, stand
The next clue tells teams to make their way on foot to the Ong Pagoda where they must make a wish. They must write their wish on a piece of paper which is the fastened to a long incense spiral, which is lit and hung from the ceiling. The clue also mentions that they may not run within the temple.
This leg was raced on fathers day and Joel & Garrett are carrying letters from their families. During the post leg interview we get to see them open and read them. Joel gets a bit emotional when reading it and he uses his beard to wipe away his tears.
Teams reach the pagoda (1km) in the following order:
1(+0) Steve & Anna Leigh, wish to be #1 today
2(+0) Joel & Garrett, wish for their families to have it good at home
3(+0) Rob & Corey, Corey wants to see one country for every year of his life
4(+0) Todd & Ashlie, wish for world peace
5(+1) Robbin & Chelsea, wish to win the race
6(+2) Greg & John, wish to win a million $
7(+0) Joe & Ian, wish for 1st place
8(-3) Morgan & Lena, wish to have a great trip
9(+0) Liam & Yeremi, wish to race to the end together
10(+0) Jocelyn & Victor, wish to win the race
11(+0) Andrea & Malaina, wish to win this leg of the race
Route info: Travel by taxi to the Hųng Kings Temple to find your next clue.
Teams reach the Đền thờ các vua Hųng temple (9km) in the following order:
1(+0) Steve & Anna Leigh
2(+0) Joel & Garrett
3(+1) Todd & Ashlie
4(-1) Rob & Corey
5(+0) Robbin & Chelsea
6(+1) Joe & Ian
7(-1) Greg & John
8(+0) Morgan & Lena
9(+0) Liam & Yeremi
10(+0) Jocelyn & Victor
11(+0) Andrea & Malaina
Road block: Who wants to play matchmaker?
The pathways to this temple are lined with thousands of decorated red tiles. Each team must find the one and only tile which matches the photo in their clue. Once they get a thumbs up from the docent they can reunite with their partner and run up to Phil and the mat.
Additional information
For The Non Participant
* Wait in the designated area
For The Participant
* Marked columns indicate the bounds of the search area
* When you think you have found your unique tile, choose any available temple
guide, located near the clue box, and ask them to follow you. Lead the temple
guide to your tile.
* There are 2 temple guides available. Temple guides are first come, first served.
* One guess per attempt at matching your tile. If you are incorrect, the temple guide
will return to the waiting area. You may try again; however, you must go to the
end of any line that may have formed.
You are not allowed on the grass or any areas with plants. Your tile will not be on a
wall that has grass or plants below the tiles.
Many racers think they have found the right tile right away, only to be told no by the judges. It is then they realize that they need to look carefully at the details.
"Man, I'm going nuts", Anna Leigh realize that there are many tiles which look almost the same
"I think I saw Todd's, but I'm not telling him", Anna Leigh
Slightly later Anna Leigh wants to work with Chelsea, but Chelsea is not interested. Anna Leigh is not happy about this.
John searches one area multiple times with increasing desperation before he looks up and realizes there are more than marked area.
Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock):
| 1(+4) | Robbin & Chelsea* | (1-2) | |
| 2(+1) | Todd* & Ashlie | (2-1) | |
| 3(-2) | Steve & Anna Leigh* | (1-2) | |
| 4(+2) | Joe* & Ian | (2-1) | |
| 5(-1) | Rob & Corey* | (2-1) | |
| 6(+3) | Liam* & Yeremi | (2-1) | |
| 7(+4) | Andrea* & Malaina | (2-1) | |
| 8(-1) | Greg & John* | (2-1) | |
| 9(-7) | Joel* & Garrett | (2-1) | |
| 10(-2) | Morgan & Lena* | (1-2) | |
| 11(-1) | Jocelyn & Victor* | (1-2) | |
Once he get approved Todd starts to look around for his next clue. This allows Steve & Anna Leigh outrun them to the pit stop.
Greg mentions that it is nerve wrecking to see so many teams complete the task and check in. The pressure on the fewer and fewer remaining teams only increases for each team completing the challenge. Specially as they can see the pit stop so there is no taxi trip where you might make up time.
The mat is just there so nobody gets lost. Teams reach Phil in the following order:
1(+0) Robbin & Chelsea, win enough Expedia points for a trip to Madrid, Spain
2(+1) Steve & Anna Leigh
3(-1) Todd & Ashlie
4(+0) Joe & Ian
5(+0) Rob & Corey
6(+0) Liam & Yeremi
7(+0) Andrea & Malaina
8(+0) Greg & John
9(+0) Joel & Garrett
10(+0) Morgan & Lena
11(+0) Jocelyn & Victor, are eliminated
The first five teams are all together at the mat so we can assume they were fairly close. After that teams 6 to 8 are also there together.
"We have no regrets and every moment was super super special", Jocelyn