MAF's RACER REPORT!Racing report
Amazing Race Season 30, Episode 2, "You're the best French fry ever"
Film date: 2017-10-03 - 2017-10-04
The last pit stop was at Reykjavíkürtjorn, Iceland. This seems to be where teams are released the next morning in the following order:
1. | Kristi & Jen | 08:08 | |
2. | Cody & Jessica | 08:16 | +0:08 |
3. | Henry & Evan | 08:18 | +0:10 |
?. | Trevor & Chris | ??:?? | +?:?? |
?. | Alex & Conor | ??:?? | +?:?? |
?. | Joey & Tim | ??:?? | +?:?? |
?. | Lucas & Brittany | ??:?? | +?:?? |
?. | Eric & Daniel | ??:?? | +?:?? |
?. | Cedric & Shawn | ??:?? | +?:?? |
?. | April & Sarah | ??:?? | +?:?? |
Route info: "Travel to Antwerp, Belgium".
Once in Antwerp teams they need to find a Chocolatier shop where they will get their next clue. Teams get $272 for this leg of the race. And due to limited availability production has booked tickets to Amsterdam for them. Teams are however free to take another flight if they want.
The first task is to get to the travel agency, Kilroy Travels (400m), and pick up their tickets. Some teams have a harder time to find the travel agency than others. But they have plenty of time so they all make the flight. Some teams save money by taking the bus to the airport while others splurge on taxis. All teams end up on the same flight (which was the provided one):
WW446 KEF-AMS 15:10 - 20:08 (scheduled 15:10-19:40)
Once at Schiphol teams jump onto a train to Antwerp:
InterCity 9272 from Schiphol railway station to Antwerpen Centraal, 21:08-23:15
The telecast cut all the drama where Joey & Tim almost miss the train because they thought you had to go into Amsterdam first.
Once in Antwerp teams find that the Chocolatier (The Chocolate Line) opens at 9 the next morning. They get to spend the night on a floor in a nearby pub. Production gave them foam mattresses but not anything else.
All teams are waiting when the shop opens at 9 and they get their next clue. This is a road block: Who wants to get high?
In this road block one team member must climb a rope ladder and retrieve a race flag from the top. The catch is that the rope ladder is attached to a frame which hangs from a crane. And as they start climbing the crane lifts the ladder, and thus the contestants, up into the air until the top is about 30m up from the ground.
"
An opportunity to get so high that you can almost see all of Belgium", Phil
Phil also says that if you haven't reached the flag by the time the crane has finished hoisting the ladders you will have to go again. But nobody seems to run into this issue.
The frame actually holds four rope ladders so four contestants can go at any one time.
"
It's the first time in our careers that we actually have to work together", Tim
Many teams have a hard time to find the Skyclimb. Alex & Conor is one of them and when they finally jump into a taxi the driver says it's only 100m. But they want him to take them anyway.
The crane is located at the waterfront (1.6km) and teams reach it in the
following order:
1. Cedric & Shawn
2. Trevor & Chris
3. Cody & Jessica
4. Joey & Tim
5. Henry & Evan
6. April & Sarah
7. Lucas & Brittany
8. Kristi & Jen
9. Alex & Conor
10. Eric & Daniel
As teams are climbing a couple of clues fall off the ladders before the contestants reach them. But they are not in any way penalized for this (which is right since it seems it was not their fault).
There is not much time to get ahead in this challenge as teams go up in batches of four. So the end time difference between the teams in the same batch is really small, but the time between the batches seems to be significant.
Teams complete this road block in the following order (* denotes team member doing the roadblock):
1(+1) | Trevor & Chris* | (1-1) | Batch 1 |
2(-1) | Cedric & Shawn* | (0-2) | Batch 1 |
3(+0) | Cody & Jessica* | (1-1) | Batch 1 |
4(+0) | Joey* & Tim | (1-1) | Batch 1 |
5(+3) | Kristi* & Jen | (1-1) | Batch 2 |
6(+1) | Lucas* & Brittany | (1-1) | Batch 2 |
7(-1) | April & Sarah* | (0-2) | Batch 2 |
8(-3) | Henry & Evan* | (1-1) | Batch 2 |
9(+1) | Eric* & Daniel | (1-1) | Batch 3 |
10(-1) | Alex* & Conor | (1-1) | Batch 3 |
"
Oh my god, my biceps have never burned more than this", Chris after the road block
The next clue is a detour: Old print or Diamond glint
In old print teams must make their way to the Plantin-Moretus Museum (1.6km). Here they are given a page of Flemish text. They must then set this in type. Once done they must bring their finished type over to a printer who will print it on a sheet of paper. If they got it right they get the sheet of paper, which turns out to be their next clue. if they made any mistakes the printer crumbles the resulting paper and throws it away.
In Diamond Glint teams head to the A.D.C. building (2.1km) where they must appraise the value of three diamonds. They are given a sheet with a formula detailing how to calculate the value based on size, weight, color and imperfections.
On their way to the detour Lucas & Brittany have some communication issues over if they should grab a taxi or not.
"
Pineapple", Jessica
Later Jessica interviews that this is their safe-word which allows one to tell the other to get it together and calm down.
Teams arrive at the detours in the following order:
1(+2) Cody & Jessica, print
2(+0) Cedric & Shawn, print
3(+5) Henry & Evan, print
4(+1) Kristi & Jen, print
5(-1) Joey & Tim, diamonds
6(+4) Alex & Conor, diamonds
7(-6) Trevor & Chris, diamonds
8(-1) April & Sarah, diamonds
9(-3) Lucas & Brittany, print
10(-1) Eric & Daniel, diamonds
The printing task is not easy. The biggest catch is that you must set the type i a mirror image of the desired text and it is easy to trip up when you need to turn the b d and other letters the right way. The text they need to set is:
Op deze grote openbare plek vind
je het stadhuis en Silvius Brabo.
Zock de spandocken neem een
nummer en start de Frietrace.
Teams have different strategies. The, IMHO, smartest are Kristi & Jen who just turn the original over and hold it up to the light. Next is Lucas who asks Brittany to bring out her mirror:
Eric & Daniel have big problems with the printing and even though they figure out how to test-print against their arms they are too confused to get it right so they switch.
"
I was surprised they didn't have any emojis", Cedric wants more modern types
For the diamond option there is a lady doing a demonstration.
"
Could you go very slowly for us?", Joey & Tim to the demonstration lady
There are two sub-tasks in the diamond detour, measuring, weighing and inspecting the diamonds and math. Some teams have brought calculators while some need to use pen and paper.
At the diamond task it turns out that the flaws Trevor & Chris though they saw where just pieces of their skin left when they handled the diamonds with their fingers.
April & Sarah are having a hard time with the diamonds.
"
Sarah, you dropped a $20.000 diamond", April
They are the last team there and considering switching when Eric & Daniel walks in after switching from the print detour. This gives the girls an energy boost and they keep at it.
"
That's not good", Daniel hear happy shrieks from April & Sarah
Teams complete this detour in the following order:
1(+1) Cedric & Shawn, print
2(+2) Kristi & Jen, print
3(-2) Cody & Jessica, print
4(-1) Henry & Evan, print
5(+2) Trevor & Chris, diamonds
6(+0) Alex & Conor, diamonds
7(-2) Joey & Tim, diamonds
8(+1) Lucas & Brittany, print
9(-1) April & Sarah, diamonds
10(+0) Eric & Daniel, started print but switched to diamond
The next clue, which is written in Dutch, leads teams to the town hall and the Silvius Brabo statue (400m from print and 1.9km from the diamond detour).
Teams reach the square by the town hall in the following order:
1(+0) Cedric & Shawn
2(+1) Cody & Jessica
3(+1) Henry & Evan
4(-2) Kristi & Jen
5(+0) Trevor & Chris
6(+0) Alex & Conor
7(+1) Lucas & Brittany
8(-1) Joey & Tim
9(+0) April & Sarah
10(+0) Eric & Daniel
Here teams encounter a new element called a Head to Head. The first team has to wait for the next team to arrive. They must then complete against each other in a race. The winner gets to check in at the pit stop. The loser has to wait for the next team to arrive and must then race them and so on. The last team to lose the race will be eliminated.
The race is billed as a Friet-race. This has some cultural relevance since Fries (aka French Fries) is a Belgian invention. One member from each team must race a dolly loaded with 8 bags of friets through an obstacle course and try to beat the other team. Any bags frets they drop must be picked up.
Teams must be dressed in giant Friets-costumes while doing this task. The race is very tiring since the bags weigh about 10kg each. Teams may switch who is racing from their team between races.
There is a board listing the rules:
(1) When called you must go to the starting line
with your dolly and friets.
(2) You must stay on the marked course
(3) You must push your friet cart and may not pull
your cart behind you to make forward progress.
(4) You must have at least one hand on your cart
when crossing the finish line.
(5) All of your bags of friets must be on your
dolly when you cross the finish line
(6) If the first person that cross the finish
line has broken any of the rules the race
may be restarted.
(7) If the race is restarted because one team
has broken the rules the other team
may switch partners.
INAUGURAL
FRIET RACE
"
You're the best french fry ever", Trevor gets the title as he compliments Chris
The 8th race is kind of exciting. Henry starts by cutting April off (as he has been cut off in earlier races) and then Henry falls just before the finish line. But he manages to get up and over the line before April arrives.
The races unfolds as follows:
1. Cody wins over Cedric
2. Shawn wins over Henry
3. Evan loses against Kristi
4. Henry loses against Chris
5. Evan loses against Alex
6. Henry loses against Lucas
7. Evan loses against Tim
8. Henry wins against April
9. April loses against Daniel
After the last race Daniel hugs April and say he is sorry.
"
They were the better team today", Eric about the fact April & Sarah complete the detour before them
According to post race interviews Evan & Henry had to wait for a long time (3h) before April & Sarah turned up. This allowed them to get rested. Then April & Sarah also had to wait for a long time (possibly also 3h) for Eric & Daniel.
Teams checked in at the pit stop (which is right by the race course) in the following order:
1(+1) Cody & Jessica, win $2500 each
2(-1) Cedric & Shawn
3(+1) Kristi & Jen
4(+1) Trevor & Chris
5(+1) Alex & Conor
6(+1) Lucas & Brittany
7(+1) Joey & Tim
8(-5) Henry & Evan
9(+1) Eric & Daniel
10(-1) April & Sarah, are eliminated
"
We're ending on a really good note. It's just another crazy April & Sarah thing we did", Sarah