TAR25, Recap Leg 1, 9/26/14

Welcome to Leg 1! We’re back to TAR after the summer hiatus, and find ourselves in New York City!  (Toyouke: “Hey at least they're not in LA again. However please do not remind me of the first season because I miss it.”)  Twenty-five seasons ago, TAR kicked off for the first time from the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park, and is back in town to start the twenty-fifth anniversary race.  On June 1.  At 3 am.  In Times Square.  FIFTEEN BLOCKS FROM THE HOTEL WHERE I WAS SLEEPING.  Not that I’m bitter or anything. Instead, lets get this party started, shall we?  Arriving in NYC Cabs, the eleven teams are: (click for more)

Adam and Bethany, AKA Team Sharknado, #SoulSurfers, are newlywed surfers from Princeville, Hawaii.  You should know Bethany, since she lost her arm to a tiger shark when she was 13 and is the subject of the movie Soul Surfer.  Adam apparently didn’t know this when he started dating her.  Oh, and they are the prayer team, just in case you were wondering.

Amy and Maya, AKA Team Frizzle Twins, #SweetScientists, are food scientists from Madison, Wisconsin studying candy and ice cream.  How can you hate female scientists that develop junk food?  (Toyouke: “OK so...Maya is apparently a Rosati-Kain girl and from Saint Louis, so I should know her. Oops.”)

Dennis and Isabelle, AKA Team Scrappy Doo, #TheDatingCouple, are a YDC from Tuscon, California.  He is Cambodian and she is Vietnamese.  And, that’s all we get.

Brooke and Robbie, AKA Team LoriBolo2, #TheWrestlers, are dating professional wrestlers.  Robbie: “We are intimidating.”  Okay.

Keith and Whitney, AKA Engaged Survivors, #TeamNashville, are engaged from Nashville, Tennessee.  They met on Survivor.  Thankfully I don’t remember them.

Kym and Alli, AKA Team Nonstop, #TheCyclists, are street cyclists from New York City.  Kym says they are adrenaline junkies.  Then this could be good for them.

Lisa and Michelle, AKA The Real Estate Sisters, #MiamiRealtors, are sisters, real estate agents, and blondes from Miami, Florida.  They are the number one realtors in Miami, and apparently their looks help.  GREAT.

Michael and Scott, AKA Team Boston Proud, #TheFirefighters, are firefighters from Boston, Massachusetts.  Scott says they are unbeatable.  Really.

Tim and Te Jay, AKA Team Gaysian TNT, #CollegeSweethearts, are college sweethearts from Pasadena California.  Te Jay states that his mom still thinks that Tim is his roommate.  (Toyouke: “Your mom thinks this is your roommate? Because you haven't explained it to her or because she's in denial? Because...this is maybe not the best way for her to find out.”)  Well, cat’s out of the bag now, sista!

Shelley and Nici, AKA Team Flying Family, #MomDaughter, are mother and daughter flight attendants from Detroit, Michigan.  Moving on.

Misti and Jim, AKA Team Noodle Domination, #The Dentists, are married dentists from Columbia, South Carolina.  Misti: “We visualize our dreams.”  Good to know.  (Toyouke: “The dentists are freaking terrifying. “)

The camera careens to Times Square in New York City, New York where the teams run in and where Phil gives his standard speech.  Phil mentions the large number of fans and former racers in Times Square. . .grr. . . There will be twelve legs.  As this is a special season, there is a brand new prize to win on the first leg.  The first leg winners will receive the Save, which will prevent them from being eliminated any time before the end of the ninth leg.  (Toyouke: “I don't like the Save. It's a stupid gimmick that screws with gameplay for no reason. This show has enough things going on and excitement without gimmicks.“)Oh, and the first team to finish will win ONE MILLION DOLLARS (US$1000000)!  Then oh so sexy Phil does his standard patter: “Ready?  The world is waiting for you . . .again.  Good luck, travel safe.  Cue Phil's eyebrow pop.  GO!”  Who will be eliminated . . . tonight?

Times Square (Duffy Square), New York City, New York, USA

Teams race to the top of the roof of the TKTS ticket booth in Times Square to get their packs and their first clue.

Clue: Begin where the first race ended.

 

(Toyouke: “Interesting. Making people actually do some work.”)  Teams have to figure out that this is the Globe at Flushing Meadows Park.  Teams grab taxis and rush to get their clue at Flushing Meadows.  Teams get their clues in the following order:

1- Adam/Bethany
2- Tim/Te Jay
3- Dennis/Isabelle

4- Kym/Alli  

5- Keith/Whitney

6- Misti/Jim

7- Amy/Maya

8- Shelley/Nici

9- Lisa/Michelle

10- Brooke/Robbie

11- Michael/Scott

Teams arrive at Flushing Meadows to find they now need to make their way to JFK Airport and sly to the island of Saint Thomas in the US Virgin Islands!  The first flight on American can take five teams, and the second flight on Delta can take six, but it leaves 40 minutes later.  Teams make their way to the airport and arrive in the following order:

1- Adam/Bethany
2- Tim/Te Jay
3- Dennis/Isabelle

4- Kym/Alli 

5- Keith/Whitney

6- Misti/Jim

7- Amy/Maya

8- Shelley/Nici

9- Lisa/Michelle

10- Brooke/Robbie

11- Michael/Scott

Once everyone arrives, teams get in the ticket lines (or walk about aimlessly), and manage to end up on the following flights to Charlotte Amalie, the capital of Saint Thomas:

Flight 1, American Airlines:

1) Tim/Te Jay  
2) Dennis/Isabelle
3) Adam/Bethany

4) Kym/Alli

5) Misti/Jim

Flight 2, Delta Airlines:

1) Keith/Whitney

2) Amy/Maya

3) Shelley/Nici

4) Lisa/Michelle

5) Brooke/Robbie

6) Michael/Scott

So, teams board their respective flights.  The Amazing Red and Blue Lines take us to Charlotte Amalie (Toyouke: “Why are you using a blue line over the ocean?! Come on.”), where teams arrive in the following order:

1- Adam/Bethany
2- Dennis/Isabelle
3- Misti/Jim

4- Tim/Te Jay 

5- Kym/Alli

6- Lisa/Michelle

7- Michael/Scott

8- Shelley/Nici

9- Amy/Maya

10- Keith/Whitney

11- Brooke/Robbie

Teams are now instructed to travel to Vendors Plaza and find the kiosk to sign up for a seaplane trip to Lovango Cay.  Teams arrive in the plaza in the following order:

1- Misti/Jim – (Toyouke: “Whoever is doing bunny ears over the dentists while they are on camera is my new favorite person.”)
2- Adam/Bethany
3- Tim/Te Jay

4- Kym/Alli

5- Dennis/Isabelle

6- Amy/Maya  

7- Shelley/Nici

8- Keith/Whitney

9- Michael/Scott

10- Lisa/Michelle

11- Brooke/Robbie

Teams then try and find the kiosk.  When they do, they sign up for the following flights:

Flight 1

1) Adam/Bethany

2) Tim/Te Jay

Flight 2

1) Kym/Alli

2) Misti/Jim – who got lost finding the kiosk.

Flight 3

1) Dennis/Isabelle

Flight 4

1) Keith/Whitney

2) Shelley/Nici

Flight 5

1) Amy/Maya

2) Lisa/Michelle – who grabbed the pen out of the hands of . . .

Flight 6

1) Michael/Scott – and they weren’t particularly happy about it.

2) Brooke/Robbie

Teams board their seaplanes to Lovango Cay, and land on the beach where they find Phil and the clue box. (Toyouke: "As in, Phil is recording his voiceover about the task as teams run up to the clue box behind him.") Teams get their clues in the following order:

1- Tim/Te Jay – “Hi Mr. Phil!”
2- Adam/Bethany
3- Kym/Alli

4- Misti/Jim

5- Dennis/Isabelle

6- Keith/Whitney  

7- Shelley/Nici

8- Amy/Maya

9- Lisa/Michelle

10- Brooke/Robbie

11- Michael/Scott

Teams are now instructed to take a boat to Carval Rock, scramble across the lake, climb up the outcropping and make their way to an outcropping.  Once there, teams jumped into the ocean and found a bottle with their next clue.

Teams do much rock climbing and jump into the ocean to get their clue in the following order:

1- Tim/Te Jay
2- Adam/Bethany
3- Kym/Alli

4- Misti/Jim

5- Dennis/Isabelle

6- Keith/Whitney  

7- Shelley/Nici

8- Amy/Maya

9- Lisa/Michelle

10- Brooke/Robbie

11- Michael/Scott

Teams discover that the clue in the bottle is a picture of a boat called Blackbeard’s Revenge that they must get to.  Teams arrive at the pirate ship and get their clue from Blackbeard in the following order:

1- Tim/Te Jay
2- Adam/Bethany
3- Kym/Alli

4- Misti/Jim

5- Dennis/Isabelle

6- Keith/Whitney  

7- Shelley/Nici

8- Amy/Maya

9- Lisa/Michelle

10- Brooke/Robbie

11- Michael/Scott

Teams are now instructed to climb into a moored boat and pull themselves to shore to get their next clue.  Teams arrive in the following order:

1- Tim/Te Jay
2- Adam/Bethany
3- Kym/Alli

4- Misti/Jim

5- Dennis/Isabelle

6- Keith/Whitney  

7- Shelley/Nici

8- Amy/Maya

9- Lisa/Michelle

10- Michael/Scott

11- Brooke/Robbie – who manage to sink their moored boat.  (Toyouke: “You're sinking because you put the heavier person in the front! “)

Once they arrive, teams get the first roadblock clue. 

ROADBLOCK:

Who digs?

In this roadblock, one team member must start at one of four landmarks on the beach (an anchor, a set of barrels, a ship's bell, and a ship's wheel) as indicated by their clue and use a traditional liquid compass in which the direction they are facing faces them on the compass and a shovel with markings tat make up a full yard, to search the beach for a treasure chest.  If correct, the treasure chest would have their coordinates on it..  Once complete, teams will get their next clue.

(Toyouke: “I get the confusion over the compass but digging at your first landmark? Not even finding your first landmark? Come on.”)

The following teammates take the Roadblock:

1- Tim
2- Adam
3- Alli

4- Jim

5- Dennis

6- Keith

7- Shelley

8- Amy

9- Lisa – (Toyouke: “The sun. Sets. In the East. Are you freaking kidding me.”)

10- Scott

11- Robbie

(Toyouke: “I am sure I would fuck up the compass too. But then again, when I figured out where west was, I feel confident I would then figure out the compass.”)  After much navigating and digging, teams complete the Roadblock in the following order:

1- Misti/Jim
2- Tim/Te Jay

3- Brooke/Robbie

4- Kym/Alli

5- Adam/Bethany

6- Amy/Maya

7- Dennis/Isabelle

8- Shelley/Nici

9- Keith/Whitney – who dig for so long they decide to take the Roadblock penalty.   Thankfully, they convince . . .

10- Lisa/Michelle – and. . .

11- Michael/Scott – who manage to push their way into a taxi ahead of the realtors.  Turn about is fair play, ladies.

Teams must now take their boat back to Saint Thomas to the PIT STOP, Fort Christian.  This is the first pit stop in a racearoundtheworld.  The last team to arrive WILL be eliminated!

1- Misti/Jim – who win the Save Pass, which must be used by the end of Leg 9.
2- Tim/Te Jay

3- Kym/Alli

4- Brooke/Robbie

5- Adam/Bethany

6- Amy/Maya  

7- Dennis/Isabelle

8- Shelley/Nici

9- Keith/Whitney

10- Michael/Scott

11- Lisa/Michelle

And Lisa and Michelle were eliminated.  They say they should have been more ruthless.

ORDER NOW:

1st - Misti/Jim

2nd - Tim/Te Jay

3rd - Kym/Alli

4th - Brooke/Robbie

5th - Adam/Bethany

6th - Amy/Maya

7th - Dennis/Isabelle

8th - Shelley/Nici

9th - Keith/Whitney

10th - Michael/Scott 

Next week: We’re off to London!  There is punting!  And flapjack flipping?  And it looks like tears galore as teams race to the pit stop!  Until next time!