TAR24, Recap Leg 8, 4/20/14

Welcome to Leg 8! Last time, on Rome Wasn’t Built In a Day, teams raced from Sri Lanka to Italy.  There was remote controlled chariot racing and gladiator fighting.  Teams had to count steps, and when it was all said and done, the Afghanimals helped two other teams, creating a three way foot race for the Pit Stop.  Jessica and John lost the foot race and were eliminated.  Who will be eliminated. . . next?

Arrival at the pit stop last episode:

1st – Brendon/Rachel, Team Brenchel

2nd – Caroline/Jennifer, The Country Singers

3rd – Dave/Connor, Team LIVESTRONG

4th – Jet/Cord, The Cowboys

5th – Leo/Jamal, The Afghanimals

6th – Flight Time/Big Easy, The Globetrotters

Piazza del Popolo, Rome, Italy

7:48 AM Brendon/Rachel (1st)

Clue: Choose a marked Ford Focus and drive yourselves 80 miles to the Civita Di Bagnoregio.  Caution: U-Turn Ahead!

Rachel wants to force the Cowboys to use their Express Pass by U-Turning them.  Which is silly since they have to use it by the end of the leg anyway.

8:26 AM Caroline/Jennifer (2nd) – who plan to keep working with Dave and Connor.  RACE.

8:27 AM Dave/Connor (3rd)

8:40 AM Jet/Cord (4th) – who must use their Express Pass by the end of the leg.  I actually forgot they had one, honestly.

9:38 AM Leo/Jamal (5th)

9:39 AM Flight Time/Big Easy (6th)

Teams drive themselves to Bagnoregio and arrive to get the clue in the following order:

1- Brendon/Rachel

2- Dave/Connor – who were driving and lost the Country Singers along the way.

3- Jet/Cord 

4- Leo/Jamal – who get moderately turned around en route.

5- Caroline/Jennifer – who got really lost when they lost LIVESTRONG.  And they blame the boys for them getting lost. (Toyouke: "You have printed out directions. Come on.")

6- Flight Time/Big Easy – who apparently do not know how to navigate Italy.

And we get the Detour Clue. 

DETOUR:

Donkey Run OR Donkey Build

*Donkey Run: Teams must participate in the local sport of donkey racing by choosing a pair of donkeys and riding them three laps along a course before the band finishes playing their song.  Once they do, they will get their next clue.

*Donkey Build: Teams assemble a toy donkey using all the provided pieces and no model.  Once complete, the teams load the donkeys with wood and take them to Geppetto, who will give them their next clue.

Donkey Run sounds ridiculously similar to Charioteer, if you ask me.

1- Brendon/Rachel choose Donkey Run – Brendon: “We chose to ride the pooping donkeys because they are faster.”

2- Dave/Connor choose Donkey Run – Connor: “This is a pain in the ass.”

3- Jet/Cord choose Donkey Build – who use their Express Pass to get to the U-Turn faster.

4- Leo/Jamal choose Donkey Build – but run into some issues completing the challenge, so they Bald Snark to Donkey Run.

5- Caroline/Jennifer choose Donkey Build

6- Flight Time/Big Easy choose Donkey Run – but after two tries Bald Snark to Donkey Build.  Then, they run into the same issues that Leo and Jamal had, so they Double Bald Snark to Donkey Run and finally complete the challenge.

Teams complete the detour in the following order:

1- Brendon/Rachel

2- Jet/Cord

3- Dave/Connor

4- Caroline/Jennifer  

5- Leo/Jamal

6- Flight Time/Big Easy

Teams are now instructed to travel on foot to Hosteria del Ponte, where they will get their next clue.

The teams arrive at the Hosteria in the following order:

1- Brendon/Rachel

2- Dave/Connor

3- Jet/Cord

4- Caroline/Jennifer  

5- Leo/Jamal

6- Flight Time/Big Easy

When they arrive, teams find the U-Turn.

CAUTION: DOUBLE U-TURN AHEAD

This is a Double U-Turn. Teams may choose to U-turn any team they wish (well, the team has to be behind them), but they may only use the U-Turn once during the race. If a team is U-turned, they must go back to the Detour choices and complete the Detour that they did not complete. This U-Turn is doubled, meaning two teams may U-Turn two other teams.  Phil, during his explanation, does not say how many U-Turns there will be on this race.

1- Brendon/Rachel choose to U-Turn Dave/Connor

2- Dave/Connor have been U-Turned and choose to U-Turn Leo/Jamal

3- Jet/Cord cannot U-Turn

4- Caroline/Jennifer cannot U-Turn

5- Leo/Jamal have been U-Turned

6- Flight Time/Big Easy cannot U-Turn

So now Dave/Connor and Leo/Jamal return to do the other Detour choice. What this amounts to is that Dave and Connor head to Donkey Build, run into Leo and Jamal, tell them they were U-Turned by them and then helping them on Donkey Build.  When neither team figured it out, Leo and Jamal Bald Snarked.  In the meantime, Caroline and Jennifer showed up, Dave and Connor apologized for losing them, they figured out the task, told Leo and Jamal, who then had to go back and finish the task.  OK.  Now that that is done, teams get the U-Turn clue in the following order:

1- Brendon/Rachel

2- Jet/Cord

3- Dave/Connor

4- Caroline/Jennifer  

5- Leo/Jamal

6- Flight Time/Big Easy

Once they U-Turn (or are U-Turned) teams now find that they must drive themselves to LA Badia Di Orvieto to get their next clue.  Teams arrive in the following order:

1- Brendon/Rachel

2- Jet/Cord

3- Dave/Connor

4- Caroline/Jennifer  

5- Leo/Jamal

6- Flight Time/Big Easy

And teams get the eighth roadblock clue.

ROADBLOCK:

Who’s got the write stuff?

In this roadblock, roadblockers must copy a page from an illustrated manuscript using calligraphy and gold leaf.  Once the page is approved by the head monk, they can get their next clue.

The following teammates take the Roadblock:

1- Rachel

2- Jet

3- Connor – who bickers with dad about this one and even threatens to take a penalty and quit.

4- Caroline

5- Leo

6- Flight Time – “I’m getting my Leonardo DiCaprio on.”

After much manuscript copying, teams complete the Roadblock in the following order:

1- Brendon/Rachel

2- Jet/Cord

3- Caroline/Jennifer

4- Leo/Jamal  

5- Dave/Connor

6- Flight Time/Big Easy

Teams find now that they must drive themselves to Orvieto and take the funicular to the Piazza del Duomo, the PIT STOP of the eighth leg of this racearoundtheworld.  The last team to arrive MAY be eliminated!

1- Brandon/Rachel – who win $7500 each.

2- Jet/Cord

3- Leo/Jamal  

4- Dave/Connor

5- Caroline/Jennifer

6- Flight Time/Big Easy 

And we say goodbye to the Globetrotters a third time after 31 legs of the Amazing Race.  They had fun.

ORDER NOW:

1st – Brandon/Rachel

2nd – Jet/Cord

3rd – Leo/Jamal

4th – Dave/Connor

5th – Caroline/Jennifer

Next week: Off to Switzerland we go!  There are cowboys cleaning rooms, and Brenchel having their comeuppance.  And a potential final three alliance.  Until next time!