Season 12 Timelines

[raceguy120390]

If there are any mistakes in the timelines and summaries I present this season, I blame Ray. And the increasingly incompetent TAR editors and graphic-inserters.

Because I use a variety of sources when compiling these (Wikipedia, RFF, TWoP, our own spoiler thread, and the always-unreliable-and-horrendously-written network summaries), I cannot credit individuals for their assistance, due to the fact that several people provide the same information, and this would be twice as long as it already is if I did that.


SEASON TWELVE, LEG ONE - TIMELINE

Money for this leg: $419, which is a new first-leg cash record, over twice the previous record of $200 (given in TARs 2 and 4), and more than the amounts given for the first legs of the past four seasons combined.

Previous Leg 1 Cash Amounts: $90, $200, $100, $200, $97.23, $175.28, $132, $150, $140, $66, $49.

July 8th, 2007

Phil opens the show from LA, America's gateway to basically the same stuff Phil told us it was the last three times the race started here. Except now they're acknowledging the porn industry by starting at the Playboy Mansion. To the person or people who identified this 'landmark' from spoilers, you win nothing at all except the internet community's knowledge that you do not buy Playboy "for the articles".

This season, there are 11 teams, just like usual, but only 11 legs, so, basically, less time to ogle mactors in Speedos. And less Phil. There are still eight eliminations along the way, so it appears we've lost one Non-Elimination Leg, in addition to the one traditionally turned into a TBC.

In alphabetical order, the 11 teams set to annoy and "entertain" us this season are:
A. Ari & Staella (Friends/Coworkers)
B. Azaria & Hendekea (Brother/Sister)
C. Kate & Pat (Married Clergy)
D. Kynt & Vyxsin (Dating)
E. Lorena & Jason (Dating)
F. Marianna & Julia (Sisters)
G. Nathan & Jennifer (Dating)
H. Nicholas & Donald (Grandson & Grandfather)
I. Rachel & TK (Dating)
J. Ronald & Christina (Father & Daughter)
K. Shana & Jennifer (Friends) (And how damn hard is it to stunt cast 22 people with different names?)

Basically the same rules as always: race around the world, various tasks, brains brawn and teamwork, world is waiting, go. You know the drill. Teams race (last time I use the R word, I swear) and open the first clue, which tells them to drive themselves to LAX and book flights to Shannon, Ireland.

Unlike in previous seasons, the cars are in one line, not parked next to each other. Therefore, it's time for road rage. Teams wake up the Bunnies and eventually depart:

1) Nicholas/Donald
2) Azaria/Hendekea
3) Ari/Staella
4) Kynt/Vyxsin
5) Rachel/TK
6) Lorena/Jason
7) Marianna/Julia
8) Nathan/Jennifer
9) Kate/Pat
10) Ronald/Christina
11) Shana/Jennifer.

Along the way, five teams (the first three teams out, Rachel/TK, and Marianna/Julia) get lost. Thanks to TAR 4 (Hi, Steve and Dave!), this is not a record.

Unlike previous seasons, including the aforementioned TAR4, teams go to Park and Fly instead of Park One. They arrive there:

1) Lorena/Jason
2) Nathan/Jennifer
3) Kate/Pat
4) Shana/Jennifer
5) Ronald/Christina
6) Azaria/Hendekea
7) Marianna/Julia
8) Nicholas/Donald
9-11) Kynt/Vyxsin, Ari/Staella, Rachel/TK (none shown)

Now, I'm not going to make any dirty jokes connecting the Playboy Mansion and Aer Lingus, the national airline of Ireland. But all teams will be flying that airline at some point, as shown below.

Flights 1: British Airways 278 to London (Heathrow), connecting to Aer Lingus 375, scheduled to arrive in Shannon at 12:10 the next day.

Teams on this flight are: Lorena/James, Shana/Jennifer, Kate/Pat, Nathan/Jennifer, and Marianna/Julia.

Flights 2: Aer Lingus 0144 to Dublin, connecting to Aer Lingus 0133, scheduled to arrive in Shannon at 1:15pm the next day.

Teams on this flight are: Azaria/Hendekea, Nicholas/Donald, Rachel/TK, Ari/Staella, Kynt/Vyxsin, and Ronald/Christina.

July 9th, 2007

As always seems to be the case on this show, one of the first leg flights is delayed. This season, it's the British Airways flight.

In Ireland, teams must get to the ferry in Rosseveal, and take the Aran Island ferry to Inis Mor. There, they must find Teampall Bheanain, the world's smallest church and sign up for return ferries the next morning. Again, with the Playboy connection, I'm not making a joke about kneeling to worship.

Teams arrive at the Rosseveal ferry terminal:

1) Azaria/Hendekea
2) Ronald/Christina
3) Ari/Staella
4) Kynt/Vyxsin
5) Rachel/TK
6) Nicholas/Donald
7) Nathan/Jennifer
8) Shana/Jennifer
9) Lorena/Jason
10) Marianna/Julia
11) Kate/Pat.

All teams make the same 4:45pm ferry. On Inis Mor, locals give directions to all teams, most travelling by foot along Coast Road to the church.

Along the way, Nathan/Jennifer are the first couple this season to fight. Coincidentally, Jonathan Baker from TAR6 was at Playboy Mansion when the race started.

Teams arrive and sign up for return ferries as follows:

8:00am Ferry: 1) Lorena/Jason; 2) Rachel/TK; 3) Kynt/Vyxsin
8:30am Ferry: 4) Ari/Staella; 5) Nathan/Jennifer; 6) Azaria/Hendekea
9:30am Ferry: The slow teams, AKA 7) Shana/Jennifer; 8) Kate/Pat; 9) Marianna/Julia; 10) Nicholas/Donald; 11) Ronald/Christina.

First "Hardest Thing I've Ever Had To Do" of the season: Jennifer. Honey, you've jogged along a beachside road. That doesn't say much for your life at home, now, does it?

First "We're So Screwed" of the season: Jennifer. The other one.

Teams spend the night at the Pier House B&B.

July 10th, 2007

Teams return on their ferries, taking 45-55 minutes, and find cars and clues waiting at the terminal:

1) Lorena/Jason
2) Rachel/TK
3) Kynt/Vyxsin
4) Ari/Staella
5) Azaria/Hendekea
6) Nathan/Jennifer
7) Ronald/Christina
8) Nicholas/Donald
9) Kate/Pat
10) Marianna/Julia
11) Shana/Jennifer (Graphics people, do your damn job properly.)

Teams are directed to drive 42 miles to Cleggan Farm. There, they must ride tandem bikes along a muddy trail to find their next clue.

Teams get to the bikes as follows:
1) Rachel/TK
2) Kynt/Vyxsin
3) Nathan/Jennifer
4) Ari/Staella
5) Azaria/Hendekea
6) Lorena/Jason
7-11) The rest (not shown).

The clue is this season's first:

R(/)ADBL(/)CK
"Who's ready to pedal for their partner?"

In this Roadblock, HIGH-WIRE BIKE, the chosen team member must choose a high-wire bicycle and ride it across a wide ravine, almost 200ft over Cleggan Bay. Their partner will go along for the ride, sitting eight feet below. There are two bikes available. The only way I can figure this task as being culturally Irish is that maybe someone was drunk on Guinness when they invented high-wire biking.

Strategy Guide: It's a fear of heights task, and both people are involved. If one person is afraid of heights and the other isn't, let the coward sit under the bike. Otherwise, let the weaker team member do it. As we go, I'll be using two and a half past teams, who did not have to contend with the Bowling Mom Rule in their seasons, as examples for this. I'll be ignoring the Bowling Mom Rule throughout, but we'll see whether we end up with an even split anyway:
Flo/Zach (aka Dead Weight Strategy): Zach does the RoadBlock (Zach 1, Flo 0)
Tammy/Bill Gaghan (aka Ass-Kicking Couple Strategy): Kris does the RoadBlock (Kris 1, Jon 0)
Nancy/Emily (aka All-Female Team Strategy): Emily does the RoadBlock (Nancy 0, Emily 1)

The chosen team members finish the RoadBlock:
1) TK
2) Nathan
3) Vyxsin
4) Azaria
5) Staella
6) Jason
7) Nicholas
8) Ronald
9) Marianna
10) Kate
11) Jennifer.

After completing the RoadBlock (I pity the poor producer who got stuck returning the bikes to the start), teams are directed to choose a nearby donkey (Will. Not. Make. Joke About. Playboy. And Asses.), fill each of its baskets with 15 pieces of peat (finally, some culture!), and walk it back to the farm entrance to get the next clue. Teams finish:

1) Rachel/TK
2) Azaria/Hendekea
3) Kynt/Vyxsin
4) Lorena/Jason
5) Nicholas/Donald
6) Shana/Jennifer
7) Kate/Pat
8) Ronald/Christina
9) Marianna/Julia
10) Nathan/Jennifer
11) Ari/Staella, who have been blacklisted by PETA.

Teams are directed to drive thirteen miles, for the first time ever without performing a Detour, to the Pit Stop at Coonemara Heritage Centre. Teams check-in:

1. Azaria/Hendekea, who win a trip to Alberta, Canada, which, despite Phil's previous requirements for prize locations, is not "sunny", "tropical", "romantic", or "exotic". (And a big hello to all my Canadian readers.)
2. Kynt/Vyxsin
3. Rachel/TK
4. Lorena/Jason
5. Nicholas/Donald
6. Shana/Jennifer
7. Ronald/Christopher
8. Kate/Pat
9. Marianna/Julia
10. Nathan/Jennifer
11. Ari/Staella, who are eliminated (One leg too late.)

Next week: I graduate from not making jokes about Playboy Mansion to not making jokes about Amsterdam. It's like they're actually TRYING to get me to bite.

[Kokomo]

TARflies does not know what they're missing.

Kitten.



And you wouldn't yell at me for straying from topic...

[raceguy120390]

No, of course I wouldn't. Why would I yell at you when you provide such cute kittens?

[raceguy120390]

TAR 12, LEG 2 - THE TIMELINE

Money for this leg: $59.00.
Money for the race (so far): $478.00.

July 11th, 2007

Teams leave their tents and the Connemara Heritage Centre near Clifden, on the west coast of Ireland as follows:

Midnight - Azaria/Hendekea
+5min - Kynt/Vyxsin (12:05am)
+15min - Rachel/TK (12:15am)
+75min - Lorena/Jason (1:15am)
+95min - Donald/Nicholas (1:35am)
+117min - Shana/Jennifer (1:57am)
+166min - Ronald/Christina (2:46am)
+167min - Kate/Pat (2:47am)
+179min - Marianna/Julia (2:59am)
+180min - Nathan/Jennifer (3:00am)

Teams are directed to fly to Amsterdam, Holland. (Shoutout to the fifteen foot pile of cow turds, which is probably still stinking up the Dutch countryside.) They are forced to drive back to Shannon before flying out (although, according to my maps, there are at least two airports closer than that.)

All teams except Marianna/Julia avoid the slow coastal route down R340, and instead take the N59 to Shannon. On the way, Donald/Nicholas get a flat tire.

Ronald/Christina and Kate/Pat use the internet at The Boat Inn in Galway to check for flights, allowing Nathan/Jennifer to pass them.

Teams arrive at Shannon Airport:
1) Azaria/Hendekea
2) Kynt/Vyxsin
3) Rachel/TK
4) Lorena/Jason
5) Shana/Jennifer
6) Donald/Nicholas
7) Nathan/Jennifer (after the Air Lingus counter opens, but before the first team is ticketed)
8) Ronald/Christina
9) Kate/Pat
10) Marianna/Julia

The first nine teams take Aer Lingus flight 132 to Dublin at 7:00am, arriving at 7:45am. Marianna/Julia (aka Avi/Joe: The Next Generation - remember why they took so long to get to the Pit Stop) probably took Aer Lingus flight 124 at 8:30am, arriving in Dublin at 9:15am.

From Dublin, teams take two different flights to Amsterdam. "Flight #1", Aer Lingus 604, leaves at 9:40am and arrives in Amsterdam at 12:15pm. This flight carries all teams except those who were forced to take the second flight. (As opposed to those teams who decided to get to Amsterdam by hovercraft.) The second flight, "Flight #2", Aer Lingus 606, departs at 11:10am and arrive at 1:45pm.

Ronald/Christina, Kate/Pat, and Marianna/Julia are all forced onto Flight 2. The rest get onto Flight 1.

When they arrive in Amsterdam, teams are directed to take a train from Schiphol (Insert mispronunciation joke here.) International Airport to Amsterdam Central Station (Fare: 4 Euro if tickets are purchased at the terminal, 39 Euro if purchased on the train). From the station, teams must search the city's canals for the Melkmeisjes Brug (NOT Milk Maid's Bridge, whoever said it.) Judging by my probably incorrect map, the bridge is VERY close to the Opekta factory where Anne Frank hid during World War II. Way to avoid it TWICE, producers.

Train #1: 12:32pm
1) Azaria/Hendekea
Train #2: About 10 minutes later
2=) Kynt/Vyxsin
2=) Lorena/Jason
2=) Rachel/TK
2=) Shana/Jennifer
2=) Nathan/Jennifer
2=) Donald/Nicholas
Train #3: About 90 minutes later
8=) Marianna/Julia
8=) Ronald/Christina
8=) Kate/Pat

Teams arrive at the Melkmeisjes Brug and get the next clue:
1) Azaria/Hendekea
2) Lorena/Jason
3) Kynt/Vyxsin
4) Shana/Jennifer
5) Nathan/Jennifer
6) Rachel/TK
7) Donald/Nicholas
8) Marianna/Julia
9) Ronald/Christina
10) Kate/Pat

The clue features the long-awaited return of the...

Hoist It <--DETOUR--> Hunt It

Teams selecting Hoist It must cross the street and use a traditional Dutch rope-and-pulley system to hoist five items of furniture - a table, a chair, a television, a lamp, and a stroller, only two of which are actually classified as "furniture" - up a typical Amsterdam residence. One person must operate the pulley from the ground, and the other must work from above to move the items into the residence. Once all five items are inside, the foreman will give them their next clue.

Teams selecting Hunt It must travel a few blocks to a tri-level parking lot filled with thousands of bicycles, Amsterdamite's (Amsterdammits?) most popular form of transportation, and search for the two bicycles tagged with the specific color mentioned in their clue. Once both bikes are found, teams have to ride them to an attendant 5 miles away at Buiksloter-meerplein, across the IJ River, who will give them their next clue. Watching this episode in the YOuTUBEsual way, it looks like the attendant is my second cousin. Woo! Extra details may be forthcoming. But probably not. We aren't overly close.

Teams select and start as follows:

HOIST IT:
2) Lorena/Jason (Jason on the ground, Lorena above)
3) Kynt/Vyxsin (Vyxsin on the ground, Kynt above, but they switch for the last item)
4) Shana/Jennifer (Shana on the ground, Jennifer above)
5) Nathan/Jennifer (Nathan on the ground, Jennifer above, but they switch for the last item)
6) Rachel/TK (with TK failing on the ground and Rachel above until all other teams have left, then switching)
9) Ronald/Christina (who Bald-Snark before starting the task itself)

HUNT IT:
1) Azaria/Hendekea (who find Purple bikes)
7) Donald/Nicholas (who find Green bikes)
8) Marianna/Julia (who find Red bikes)
9) Kate/Pat (who find Orange bikes)
10) Ronald/Christina (who find Red bikes, but wouldn't that mean there were 4 red bikes there, not two?)

Teams finish their chosen task:
1) Lorena/Jason
2) Kynt/Vyxsin
3) Shana/Jennifer
4) Nathan/Jennifer
5) Azaria/Hendekea
6) Rachel/TK
7) Donald/Nicholas
8) Marianna/Julia
9) Ronald/Christina
10) Kate/Pat

Teams are directed to travel from Buiksloter-meerplein (how did the Hoist It teams get there?) to Ransdorp, a village on the shores of IJ Lake (IJssel-meer). The clue calls it a "rural village", but it's only about 3 miles out of the city centre, almost exactly halfway between TAR4's locations of Monnickendam (the Eel Feel RoadBlock) and Muiden (the Kasteel Muiderslot Pit Stop) along the shoreline. In Ransdorp, they must find a marked field and search it for their next clue.

The #30 bus which teams take only runs until 6:56pm, with about 45-60 minutes between buses. After that, a minibus must be booked. Teams take buses as follows:

Bus #1
1=) Lorena/Jason, Shana/Jennifer, Nathan/Jennifer
Bus #2
4=) Kynt/Vyxsin, Azaria/Hendekea, Rachel/TK, Donald/Nicholas
Bus #3
8=) Marianna/Julia, Ronald/Christina
Minibus #4
10) Kate/Pat

Teams find the clue:
1) Shana/Jennifer
2) Lorena/Jason
3) Nathan/Jennifer
4) Azaria/Hendekea
5) Kynt/Vyxsin
6) Rachel/TK
7) Donald/Nicholas
8) Marianna/Julia
9) Ronald/Christina
10) Kate/Pat

And encounter a:

R(/)ADBL(/)CK
"Which of you is the acrobat?"

In this RoadBlock, DITCH VAULT, the selected team member has to "master a skill once used by Dutch farmers to travel between fields." They must essentially combine pole-vaulting with long jump by vaulting across a ditch to marshy grass at the other side. Once across, they can retrieve their clue and return any way possible. I suggest naked. Especially if your name is Jason.

Team members finish the Hole Vault, many on their first attempt:
1) Jason (Second RB)
2) Shana (First RB)
3) Jennifer (Nathan) (First RB)
4) Rachel (First RB)
5) Kynt (First RB)
6) Hendekea (First RB)
7) Donald (First RB)
8) Marianna (Second RB)
9) Christina (First RB)
10) Kate (Second RB)

Teams are directed to ride a bakfiets (cargo bike) to the Durgerdam Yacht Club, about 7km east of Amsterdam. At the Yacht Club, teams must use their keen (and in many cases, Kami-and-Karli-esque) observational skills to find a bike dropoff point. From the drop-off point at the shores of the IJsselmeer, the second largest lake in Europe (though the show calls it Markermeer/Lake Marker), teams must cross the road to find the mat, complete with clearly bemused host and greeters.

1) Lorena/Jason, who each win a sport bike.
2) Nathan/Jennifer
3) Shana/Jennifer
4) Kynt/Vyxsin
5) Azaria/Hendekea
6) Rachel/TK
7) Marianna/Julia
8) Donald/Nicholas
9) Ronald/Christina
10) Kate/Pat, who are eliminated

Next week: Camels!

[raceguy120390]

TAR 12, LEG 3 - THE TIMELINE

Money for this leg: $100.00.
Money for the race (so far): $578.00.

July 13th, 2007

After an extended Pit Stop (see the start of the next timeline for reasoning), during which Ronald was treated for a hernia caused by exertion, teams depart from Durgerdam, Holland as follows:

4:19am - Lorena/Jason
+11min - Nathan/Jennifer (4:30am)
+12min - Shana/Jennifer (4:31am)
+62min - Kynt/Vyxsin (5:21am)
+63min - Azaria/Hendekea (5:22am)
+64min - Rachel/TK (5:23am)
+87min - Marianna/Julia (5:46am)
+88min - Donald/Nicholas (5:47am)
+127min - Ronald/Christina (6:26am)

Teams are directed to fly to Ouagadougou, over 3000 miles away. They are not told which country it is in - Burkina Faso - and must work it out by themselves. Or, to be more accurate, by asking someone, because everybody here is clueless. However, between cell phones and the internet, it's not that hard for the teams to do.

Teams arrive at Schiphol International Airport as follows:
1) Lorena/Jason
2) Nathan/Jennifer
3) Shana/Jennifer
4) Kynt/Vyxsin
5) Azaria/Hendekea
6) Rachel/TK
7) Marianna/Julia
8) Donald/Nicholas
9) Ronald/Christina

Nathan/Jennifer successfully get standby tickets (and later actual, usable tickets) on Air France flight 823 to Paris (De Gaulle) departing at around 7:25am. I think it's a codeshare with KLM flight 1223. All other teams get to Paris (again, De Gaulle) on Air France flight 8229, departing at 8:00am. However, this flight is delayed due to mechanical problems.

All nine teams take the same Air France flight, AF0732 to Ouagadougou at 11:10am, arriving at 4:35pm that night.

In Ouagadougou, teams are directed to take taxis to the city's main (only?) train station to find the next clue.

Teams leave the airport in taxis:
1) Nathan/Jennifer
2) Marianna/Julia
3) Azaria/Hendekea
4) Ronald/Christina
5) Shana/Jennifer (who are charged 4,000 cefa for the journey)
6-9) The other teams, who aren't shown

The teams are shown arriving in the same order, again with the last four teams not shown. Huh. My guess is that, as Kynt/Vyxsin suggest, all the remaining teams were held up by customs for an inordinate amount of time, just as Phil was in the Ukraine in TAR10.

Teams are directed to take a train to Bingo. However, the ticket counter is closed until 6am the next morning. (Nathan/Jennifer walk past a clock showing 5:42pm, which fits with the sunset time.)

July 14th, 2007

Teams travel to Bingo, which is actually the name of a field in BoulkiemdÚ, about 45-60 minutes away, and find their next clue nearby.

Teams arrive:
1) Rachel/TK
2) Lorena/Jason
3) Azaria/Hendekea
4) Shana/Jennifer
5) Nathan/Jennifer
6) Kynt/Vyxsin
7) Marianna/Julia
8) Ronald/Christina
9) Donald/Nicholas

And encounter a...

R(/)ADBL(/)CK
"Who Is Ready To Work Up A Thirst?"

In this RoadBlock, the selected team member must complete a chore often performed by the local Tuareg nomads (Stupid question: Nomads by definition have no set home. So how could they be "local"?) - milking a camel. They must fill a bowl up to the marked line, and then drink it all to get the next clue given to them. However, if they spill the milk, they may not have enough to finish. If anybody's camel runs out of milk, they must wait until another team has finished milking theirs before switching camels to try and finish the milking. (Built-in penalties! I love it!) Teams are warned that camels don't like loud noises or fast movements.

The team members finish:
1) TK (Second RB)
2) Donald (Second RB)
3) Christina (Second RB)
4) Vyxsin (Second RB)
5) Nathan (Second RB)
6) Azaria (Second RB)
7) Shana (Second RB)
8) Julia (First RB)
9) FLorena (First RB)

Once they have finished, the nomads gather four camels for each team, and teams must now lead their camels along a marked path through the savanna to a drop-off point, and their next clue, at a school. The first four teams to leave all go the wrong way.

Teams finish the second camel task:
1) Rachel/TK
2) Nathan/Jennifer
3) Kynt/Vyxsin
4) Donald/Nicholas
5) Ronald/Christina
6) Azaria/Hendekea
7) Shana/Jennifer
8) Marianna/Julia
9) Lorena/Jason

And encounter a:

Teach It <--DETOUR--> Learn It

Teams selecting Teach It must choose one of the waiting children, who speak no English at all, and teach them the English words for 10 "common items". When the student can recite all ten words correctly in one sitting, teams will be given their next clue by a real teacher. (Aren't you glad this aired before the Mohammed incident, producers?) The ten "common items" to be learned include motorcycle, cowboy, and skyscraper. None of which, I'm guessing, these kids have ever seen.

Teams selecting Learn It must select a child to help them learn the words for ten common items in More, a local dialect. When they can recite all the words correctly in one sitting, a teacher will give them their next clue. These words are much easier, and include tree, girl, and drum. Well, whatever those words mean in More, anyway.

Teams start their task as follows:

TEACH IT
1) Rachel/TK
4) Donald/Nicholas
5) Ronald/Christina
7) Shana/Jennifer

LEARN IT
2) Nathan/Jennifer
3) Kynt/Vyxsin
6) Azaria/Hendekea
8) Marianna/Julia
9) Lorena/Jason

Teams finish their task:
1) Azaria/Hendekea
2) Ronald/Christina
3) Rachel/TK
4) Nathan/Jennifer
5) Donald/Nicholas
6) Kynt/Vyxsin
7) Shana/Jennifer
8) Lorena/Jason
9) Marianna/Julia

And are directed to follow a marked path to the Pit Stop, on the outskirts of Bingo. Teams arrive:
1) Azaria/Hendekea, who win a holiday to Bermuda
2) Rachel/TK*
3) Nathan/Jennifer*
4) Kynt/Vyxsin*
5) Ronald/Christina*
6) Donald/Nicholas*
7) Shana/Jennifer
8) Lorena/Jason
9) Marianna/Julia, who are eliminated.

The five starred teams are all on the Amazing Bathmat together.

Next week: The Amazing Bathmat hires a doorman!

[raceguy120390]

TAR 12, LEG 4 - THE TIMELINE

Money for this leg: $0.00.
Money for the race (so far): $578.00.

July 15th, 2007

The length of the BoulkiemdÚ Pit Stop is hard to pin down. Certainly, it was extended enough to get the racers to leave in the morning instead of late at night. But there is a missing day somewhere between arriving in Amsterdam and leaving Ouagadougou. Therefore, either the Amsterdam Pit Stop or this one was extended. My guess is that it's Amsterdam, because it'd be a lot easier to house the teams up there than it would in the middle of the Sahel Desert. And plus, Ouagadougou was extended anyway, so I can't see them doing two extended Pit Stops in a row - in fact, they haven't done that since TAR1, when two teams were almost a full day ahead.

Anyway, teams depart from BoulkiemdÚ, Burkina Faso as follows:

7:58am - Azaria/Hendekea
+14min - Rachel/TK (8:12am)
+15min - Nathan/Jennifer (8:13am)
+16min - Kynt/Vyxsin (8:14am)
+17min - Ronald/Christina (8:15am)
+18min - Donald/Nicholas (8:16am)
+40min - Shana/Jennifer (8:38am)
+129min - Lorena/Jason (10:07am)

Teams are directed to follow a marked path to a nearby village, and find the tribal chief Dakissaga, who will "give" them a customary gift. (Shades of Mukuni, methinks. Although I doubt they're doing the Eiffel Tower again any time soon.)

Teams find Dakissaga:
1) Azaria/Hendekea
2) Rachel/TK
3) Nathan/Jennifer
4) Kynt/Vyxsin
5) Ronald/Christina
6) Donald/Nicholas
7) Shana/Jennifer
8) Lorena/Jason

Well, he will "offer" them a customary gift, anyway. Teams must catch and bag their own chicken before getting their next clue from Dakissaga. (Doesn't the AHA have to get involved becuase this is an American TV show? And if so, where the fuck are they now?)

Teams bag a chook and get the clue:
1) Azaria/Hendekea
2) Rachel/TK
3) Nathan/Jennifer
4) Kynt/Vyxsin
5) Nicholas/Donald
6) Ronald/Christina
7) Shana/Jennifer
8) Lorena/Jason

Teams are directed to travel by taxi to Bouda-Pelegtanga, a small town almost 100 miles away, and search for their next clue in a field. They are also told to keep the chickens with them until the end of the leg (beats a gnome) as a sign of respect for Dakissaga. Teams have been provided taxis at no cost - which probably explains the $0 handout at the start of this leg.

Teams arrive at the cluebox in Bouda-Pelegtanga:
1) Rachel/TK
2) Nathan/Jennifer
3) Azaria/Hendekea, who stopped for a bathroom break
4) Donald/Nicholas
5) Ronald/Christina
6) Kynt/Vyxsin
7) Shana/Jennifer
8) Lorena/Jason

And encounter a...

Shake Your Pan <--DETOUR--> Shake Your Booty

Teams selecting Shake Your PAN must choose a gold mining pit and use a local panning method to uncover one ounce of gold or more, and trade it for their next clue. Strangely, as mentioned above, gold mining also features in the third episode of TAR: Brazil. (Question: Gold prices are about $900 an ounce at the time of writing this, so how come Burkina Faso is so poor, if this is such a common industry there as the show leads us to believe?)

Teams selecting Shake Your BOOTY must channel their inner Beyonce and learn a traditional Fijian meke... uh... Burkina Fasoan dance for a panel of local celebrities (who, incidentally, are too famous in the US to qualify for Dancing With The Stars). However, they must also incorporate their own moves. If the judges like what they see, teams will get their next clue and a ticket on the Burkina Fasoan equivalent of the Hot Tamale Train. If they suck, they get no clue, and a ten-minute penalty before being allowed to try again.

Strategy Tip: A random luck task, or a task where someone judges you? I hate them both, so I'd toss a coin. Unfortunately, teams got no money for this leg to be able to do that. So, take a moment and consider the fact that penalties abound for teams [British Accent] who think they can dance... but can't. [/British Accent] With that in mind, it's probably easier and quicker to strike gold in the Sahel Desert. Especially for someone like me, who struggles with the White Man Two-Step. Shake Your Pan.

Teams selecting SHAKE YOUR PAN, in order of starting, are: Donald/Nicholas, Rachel/TK.

Teams selecting SHAKE YOUR BOOTY, in order of starting, are: Nathan/Jennifer, Rachel/TK (who watch the demonstration before switching), Azaria/Hendekea, Ronald/Christina, Kynt/Vyxsin, Shana/Jennifer, Lorena/Jason.

Teams finish their chosen task:
1) Azaria/Hendekea
2) Nathan/Jennifer (who got a penalty)
3) Donald/Nicholas
4) Kynt/Vyxsin
5) Ronald/Christina (who got a penalty)
6) Rachel/TK
7) Shana/Jennifer
8) Jason/Lorena

They are directed to walk to the Pelegtanga Market and find their next clue. They are also warned that ahead is the race's first ever...

U-TURN
Basically, it's exactly the same as the Yield, except it's always found after the Detour, and forces the team penalised to return and complete the second half of the Detour, rather than standing around like a couple of hockey goons for twenty minutes or so.

Anyway, Shana/Jennifer use it, forcing Jason/Lorena to return to the field and complete the mining Detour. (MUCH better than the Yield. Is the Yield coming back, or are we finally rid of it forever?)

Teams reach the U-Turn:
1) Azaria/Hendekea
2) Nathan/Jennifer
3) Kynt/Vyxsin
4) Ronald/Christina
5) Donald/Nicholas
6) Shana/Jennifer
7) Rachel/TK
8) Jason/Lorena

Many teams have trouble getting directions to the market, despite being given a translation for the word "market" in the additional info in the previous leg.

Teams are directed to travel by taxi to the Tampouy Goat Market on Ouagadougou's outskirts, to find the next clue. They arrive:
1) Azaria/Hendekea
2) Nathan/Jennifer
3) Kynt/Vyxsin
4) Ronald/Christina
5) Donald/Nicholas
6) Rachel/TK
7) Shana/Jennifer
8) Lorena/Jason

And find this leg's...

R(/)ADBL(/)CK
"Who's Ready For A Juggling Act?"

In this task, DELIVER SUPPLIES ON BICYCLE, the selected team member must load a bicycle with a large amount of supplies - a plant, a bundle of sticks, two kettles, two hoops of twine, two gas cans, three blankets, and a goat in a basket - and pedal the bikes, without assistance to find a specific vendor, and exchange them for the clue. Chickens do not have to be loaded onto the bike.

Strategy Tip: This one's hint makes it sound like a fun, easy task, but those people who watch the show should know by now that RoadBlocks in Africa are never as easy as they seem - just look at smileys, ostrich eggs, and salt lakes for examples of this. Anyway, let's go with the easy suggestion, and choose whichever person would PROBABLY wind up doing fewer RoadBlocks without the Bowling Mom Rule.

Flo/Zach: Flo does it, and equals her RoadBlock tally for TAR3 (Flo 1, Zach 3)
Tammy/Bill: Tammy does it (Tammy 3, Bill 1)
Nancy/Emily: Nancy does it (Nancy 2, Emily 2)

Team members finish the task:
1) Azaria (Third RB)
2) Jennifer (Nathan) (Second RB)
3) Nicholas (Second RB)
4) Christina (Third RB)
5) Vyxsin (Third RB)
6) Jennifer (Shana) (Second RB) (And one of you two hurry up and get Philiminated.)
7) Rachel (Second RB)
8) Jason (Third RB)

Teams are directed to take taxis through Ouagadougou to Hotel de Ville (French for City Hall), the Pit Stop for this leg of the race, where Phil crosses "Meet the Mayor of Ouagadougou" off his NOW list. Teams check in:

1) Azaria/Hendekea, who each win a Yamaha scooter.
2) Nathan/Jennifer
3) Ronald/Christina
4) Donald/Nicholas
5) Kynt/Vyxsin
6) Shana/Jennifer
7) Rachel/TK
8) Lorena/Jason, who are eliminated. (Huh - the Yield thingy actually did something for once.)

Next stop, Lithuania. Um, it's hard getting excited when you know there are gnomes ahead.

[raceguy120390]

SEASON 12, LEG 5 - THE TIMELINE

Money provided: Unsure. Probably under $50, and closer to $25.

July 17th, 2007

Teams depart from Ouagadougou City Hall after an extended Pit Stop as follows:

6:45am - Azaria/Hendekea
+1min - Nathan/Jennifer (6:46am)
+32min - Ronald/Christina (7:17am)
+33min - Donald/Nicholas (7:18am)
+42min - Kynt/Vyxsin (7:27am)
+59min - Shana/Jennifer (7:44am)
+71min - Rachel/TK (7:56am)

The clue directs teams to fly to Vilnius, Lithuania. Teams are told that they must book their tickets through an official airline ticketing office.

All teams head to the airport (did they not read the clue?) and learn that the offices are closed. Most then go and try to find info on the Google when they use the internets in town. All of these teams discover that the first flight leaves at 10:45pm that night for Paris.

Ronald/Christina, Nathan/Jennifer, and Rachel/TK all go to a hotel whilst waiting for their flight. Here, Nathan/Jennifer borrow money from the other two teams to cover the cost of a long-distance phone call to Paris.

After a large amount of Working The Counters, teams eventually end up on the same Air France flight (AF731) arriving at Charles De Gaulle at 6:10am the next morning.

July 18th, 2007

From France toVilnius, teams take numerous different routes:

Air France 1140 to Amsterdam
Lithuanian Airlines 0461 to Vilnius, arrival 1:25pm
Azaria/Hendekea
Nathan/Jennifer
Shana/Jennifer

Air France 1318 to Frankfurt
Lufthansa 3252 to Vilnius, arrival 1:35pm
Rachel/TK
Donald/Nicholas
Kynt/Vyxsin

Air France 1382 to Prague
Lithuanian Airlines 4944 to Vilnius, arrival 2:10pm
Ronald/Christina

Teams arrive at Oro Oustos Airport in Vilnius and find the marked cars:
1) Nathan/Jennifer
2) Donald/Nicholas
3) Rachel/TK
4) Shana/Jennifer
5) Azaria/Hendekea
6) Kynt/Vyxsin
7) Ronald/Christina

Although Phil showed us that Saint Anne's Church was the next destination, the first clue of the leg actually told teams to drive to Trakai Castle and search the grounds for the next clue. At some point between the airport and Saint Anne's, several teams got VERY lost. Like, Paul and Amie lost. Without the barfing. When Christina hires a taxi to guide her and Ronald, Ronald proves he has never watched the show before by congratulating her on this brilliant, never-before-seen strategy. By the way, Dustin and Kandice now charge royalties on doing that. Pay up.

Teams eventually arrive at the church:
1) Donald/Nicholas
2) Kynt/Vyxsin
3) Azaria/Hendekea
4) Ronald/Christina
5) Rachel/TK
6) Nathan/Jennifer, who got lost for well over an hour
7) Shana/Jennifer, who got lost for over two hours

The clue is a

R(/)ADBL(/)CK
"Who's a good listener?"

In this RoadBlock, DELIVER ITEMS, the chosen team member must choose a woman working outside. She will give them a package and tell them where to take it. They must proceed to that location on foot, through the confusing streets of Vilnius' Old Quarter, and find the right person, who will exchange packages with them, and give them directions to one of four final destinations where they will receive the next clue.

The exchanges all take place in the courtyard of Vilnius University. The second destinations are a cafe (Gabi), a restaurant (Vynine Saint Germain), a hair salon (Sidabrynas), and a hotel (Shakespeare Viesbutis Hotel)

The chosen team member makes their exchange as follows:
1) Nicholas (Third RB)
2) Kynt (Second RB)
3) Hendekea (Second RB)
4) TK (Third RB)
5) Ronald (Second RB)
6) Jennifer (Third RB)
7) Shana (Third RB)

And make their final deliveries:
1) Kynt
2) TK
3) Ronald
4) Jennifer
5) Hendekea
6) Nicholas (who took over two hours to finish)
7) Shana

RoadBlockers are directed to return to their partner and travel to the Lietuvos Liaudies Biuties Muziejus (Lithuanian Outdoor Ethnographic Museum) in Rumsiskes, then follow a marked road to the village of Dzukija.

Teams arrive:
1) Kynt/Vyxsin
2) Rachel/TK
3) Ronald/Christina
4) Nathan/Jennifer
5) Azaria/Hendekea
6) Donald/Nicholas
7) Shana/Jennifer

They are told to search the village for one of seven Traveloshitty Roaming AssGnomes and take it with them to the Pit Stop, because the lazy moocher can't be bothered hitchhiking with fun people. Teams are given a photo of an AssGnome in case they have never seen the show before. Which, given Ronald's earlier comments regarding taxi hiring, is entirely possible. However, there are also 100 "fake" gnomes in the village. Once they find a gnome, teams walk to the local church to find the next clue, arriving in the same order.

The clue is this week's ridiculously lame

Count Down <--DETOUR--> Step Up

In this Detour, teams will be performing one of two tasks usually seen during Lithuania's Midsummer Festival, which just happens to be on the day the race filmed this leg.

Teams selecting COUNT DOWN must find a marked picket fence and count every picket (oh, those crazy Lithuanians! Next, they'll be juggling one ball!), before showing a villager their answer. If they have the correct answer, they will get their next clue. Teams are clearly directed not to count fence posts or gates.

Teams selecting STEP UP must walk along a marked course on stilts. Both team members must reach the end without falling off to get the next clue.

The first three teams to arrive all select STEP UP, and the last four teams all select COUNT DOWN. However, Kynt/Vyxsin and Nathan/Jennifer switch tasks.

Teams finish:
1) Rachel/TK
2) Kynt/Vyxsin
3) Ronald/Christina
4) Azaria/Hendekea
5) Nathan/Jennifer
6) Donald/Nicholas
7) Shana/Jennifer

Teams are directed to walk to the Pit Stop at Aukstaitija Windmill, a working mill built in 1884. They check in:
1) Rachel/TK, who win a ten-day holiday in Japan. AGAIN with the culturally mismatched prizes.
2) Kynt/Vyxsin
3) Ronald/Christina
4) Azaria/Hendekea
5) Nathan/Jennifer
6) Donald/Nicholas
7) Shana/Jennifer, who are eliminated.

[raceguy120390]

THE AMAZING RACE 12, LEG 6 -- THE TIMELINE

Money for this leg: $109.00.
Money for the race (so far): $687.00.

July 20th, 2007

Following a Pit Stop extended by about 4 hours, teams depart from Aukstaitija Windmill, outside of Vilnius, Lithuania as follows:

1:00am - Rachel/TK
+1min - Kynt/Vyxsin (1:01am)
+15min - Ronald/Christina (1:15am)
+20min - Azaria/Hendekea (1:20am)
+29min - Nathan/Jennifer (1:29am)
+42min - Donald/Nicholas (1:42am)

The teams are directed to fly to Dubrovnik, Croatia, about 900 miles away. They are to must take taxis to the Fort of St. Lawrence (in Croatian, Lovrijenac) when they arrive.

Ronald/Christina book a direct flight (?) on Polska Linie Lotnicze (aka LOT), arriving in Dubrovnik at 11:20am over the phone at a nearby hotel.

Rachel/TK and Kynt/Vyxsin learn that the earliest flight is on Czech Air, but it arrives at the same time (so, in other words, it has a longer connection). Kynt/Vyxsin stay out to try and find an even earlier flight. All other teams eventually line up at the Czech Air counter after learning that they have the earliest flight.

Ronald/Christina, who already have reserved tickets on Polish Air, tell the other teams, and Azaria/Hendekea and Nathan/Jennifer leave the line to attempt to purchase tickets. All of these three teams return to the Czech Air line, but Ronald/Christina leave again to get their LOT tickets.

Kynt/Vyxsin settle for tickets on the same LOT flight that Ronald/Christina are on.

Donald/Nicholas and Rachel/TK both get tickets on Czech Air, but ticketing for that flight closes before any other teams are able to do the same thing.

Nathan/Jennifer go to Polish Air and book tickets on that flight. Azaria/Hendekea visit the same travel agent that Kynt/Vyxsin were in, and accidentally book business class tickets instead of economy. You'll recal from several times in the past that teams are not allowed from flying on business class tickets (see: the TAR3 finale). It was revealed after the episode aired that the penalty for this is 24 hours. I will never put this better that Miss Alli did in her recap over at Television Without Pity:

"She grabs Azaria and passes on the bad news, and he has the same terrible moment, caught on camera, where he realizes that...noooo no no, they do not want business class tickets. Not the free drinks. Not the extra-wide seating! Not the slippers! ANYTHING BUT THE SLIPPERS!"

They do not discover that the tickets are business class until it is too late to change them. Instead, they manage to book tickets through Frankfurt. Luckily, they learn that the first flight was subject to "all kinds of delays".

Anyway, the flight routes are as follows:

FIRST DEPARTING ROUTE (carrying Rachel/TK and Donald/Nicholas):
CSA Czech Airlines to Prague (departing 6:00am)
CZA Czech Airlines to Vienna
Austrian Airlines to Dubrovnik (arriving 11:20am)

SECOND DEPARTING ROUTE (carrying Ronald/Christina, Kynt/Vyxsin, Nathan/Jennifer):
Polska Linie Lotnicze to Warsaw (departing 6:25am)
Polska Linie Lotnicze to Vienna
Austrian Airlines to Dubrovnik (the same flight as above, also arriving at 11:20am)

LAST DEPARTING ROUTE (carrying Azaria/Hendekea):
Lithuanian Airlines to Amsterdam (departing 7:30am)
Lufthansa to Frankfurt
Croatia Airlines to Dubrovnik (arriving 4:15pm)

The teams on the first flight are delayed and miss their connection in Prague. From there, they continue on these routes:

Rachel/TK:
Austrian Airlines to Vienna, departs 8:40am
Austrian Airlines to Dubrovnik, arrives 2:40pm

Donald/Nicholas:
CSA Czech Airlines to Zagreb, departs noon
Croatia Airlines, arrives 3:40pm

*Takes a big, deep breath; wonders how fucking long this episode is.*

Teams arrive in Dubrovnik as follows:
1=) Kynt/Vyxsin, Nathan/Jennifer, Ronald/Christina
4) Rachel/TK
5) Donald/Nicholas
6) Azaria/Hendekea

At this point, the production teams take all of the contestant's luggage, aside from their Amazing Fanny Packs, because of the nature of tasks in this leg.

Just to remind you, after everything that happened in the airports: teams are headed to the Fort of St. Lawrence. They arrive:
1) Ronald/Christina
2) Nathan/Jennifer (who got lost at the harbour)
3) Kynt/Vyxsin (who got lost at the harbour)
4) Rachel/TK (who got lost at the harbour)
5) Donald/Nicholas
6) Azaria/Hendekea

And finally encounter a:

R(/)ADBL(/)CK
"Who has a builder's eye?"

In this task, FIND STONE, the chosen team member must assist in the restoration (NOT "renovation", Phil) of Dubrovnik's city walls, which were frequently bombed during the Croatian War of Independence (NOT the Yugoslavian Civil War, Phil Fire your damn researchers already.). They must search through a pile of 150 stones for one of the eight stones that will fit into particular spaces on the wall. When they find a correct stone, they will get their next clue. If a stone is incorrect, it must be returned to the pile. It's probably just me, but I find it a bit offensive to be making tasks out of things like this, where thousands of people died. (Yeah, I had the same awkward feelings with Auschwitz last season.)

The chosen team member completes the task as follows:
1) Ronald (Third RB)
2) Nathan (Third RB)
3) Kynt (Third RB)
4) Rachel (Third RB)
5) Donald (Third RB)
6) Azaria (Fourth RB)

Teams are now directed to get to the 'roof' of the Fort, then ride a tandem zipline (in my opinion, the most scenic the show has ever had. Eat it, Random Uruguayan Hotel!) to the 'roof' of Fort Bokar. When they get to Fort Bokar, they will find their next clue. Ther is only one zipline, and it is first come, first served.

Teams get to the roof, cross to Fort Bokar, and get their next clue...
1) Ronald/Christina
2) Nathan/Jennifer
3) Kynt/Vyxsin
4) Rachel/TK
5) Donald/Nicholas
6) Azaria/Hendekea

...Which is a:

Short & Long <--DETOUR--> Long & Short

Teams selecting SHORT & LONG must rappel down to the base of Fort Bokar, then follow a marked path to the base of the city wall. There, they must assemble a rope ladder and use it to climb the wall, and walk through the Old City to Tig Oruzja to find the cluebox. Only two teams can climb or rappel at a time.

Teams selecting LONG & SHORT must take a second tandem zipline into the water, then swim to a floating platform. There, they must row around the city walls to the harbor, and walk to Tig Oruzja to find the cluebox.

In short, it comes down to Do Stuff, which means most of these teams are going to suck at it. Kynt/Vyxsin and Rachel/TK choose the clearly faster rappelling option, all other teams attempt to row. It should be noted that this is one of the first Detours in TAR history, if not the first, where it is impossible to switch tasks once you've started.

Many of the teams have trouble rowing, and they finish the Detour:
1) Nathan/Jennifer
2) Ronald/Christina
3) Kynt/Vyxsin
4) Rachel/TK
5) Donald/Nicholas
6) Azaria/Hendekea

The clue at Tig Oruzja directs teams to travel BY TAXI through Dubrovnik to find the Pit Stop at the Stone Cross Overlook, a religious landmark which was built after the aforementioned Yugoslavian Civil War.

Teams arrive, run past the hand-cannon firing locals, and check-in:
1st) Ronald/Christina, who are the second parent/child team* to win a TAR leg, and win a 12.5' catamaran.
2nd) Kynt/Vyxsin
3rd) Nathan/Jennifer, who had arrived second but were sent back because they didn't take a taxi.
4th) Rachel/TK
5th) Donald/Nicholas
6th) Azaria/Hendekea, who are eliminated.

*For those of you wondering, Carlos/Eduardo won the third leg of TAR: Brazil about two months before this episode aired. But they are the first United Statesians to do it.

[raceguy120390]

Day 1: 8th July, 2007: The race starts at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles. Teams drive to the airport and book flights to Shannon, Ireland.

Day 2: 9th July, 2007: Teams arrive in Shannon and take a ferry from Rosseveal to Inis Mor. There, they walk to Teampall Bheanain, the world's smallest church, and sign up for return ferries the following morning. Teams stay at the Pier House B&B.

Day 3: 10th July, 2007: Starting at 8am, return ferries. Teams drive to Cleggan Farm and ride tandem bikes to the High-Wire Bike RoadBlock. Then, they choose a donkey, load up 15 pieces of peat into each of its baskets, and walk it back to the farm entrance. They are then instructed to drive to Pit Stop at the Coonemara Heritage Centre [where Azaria/Hendekea win a holiday to Alberta; and Ari/Staella are eliminated].

Day 4: 11th July, 2007: Teams depart the Pit Stop between Midnight and 3am (literally). They drive back to Shannon Airport and book flights to Amsterdam, connecting through Dublin. In Amsterdam, they take trains into the city, and walk to Melkmeisjes Brug, where they encounter the Hoist It/Hunt It Detour. They take buses to Ransdorp, just north of the city centre, find a marked field, and perform the Ditch Vault RoadBlock. Then, they ride a bakfiets to the Pit Stop at the Durgerdam Yacht Club [where Lorena/Jason win sportbikes, and Kate/Pat are eliminated].

Day 5: 12th July, 2007: Extended Pit Stop in Durgerdam.

Day 6: 13th July, 2007: Teams leave the Pit Stop and are instructed to fly to Ouagadougou, but are not told where it is. Teams fly through Paris and arrive in Burkina Faso later that afternoon. They take taxis to the train station and wait overnight for it to open.

Day 7: 14th July, 2007: Teams take a train to Bingo, a field in Boulkiemdé, and encounter the Milk Camel RoadBlock. Each team leads four camels to a drop-off point at a local school. At the school, the Teach It/Learn It Detur takes place. Once they finish, teams walk to the Pit Stop on the outskirts of Boulkiemdé [where Azaria/Hendekea win a Bermuda holiday, and Marianna/Julia are eliminated].

Day 8: 15th July, 2007: Teams leave in the morning with no money. They walk to a nearby village and catch a chicken, which teams must carry to the Pit Stop. They take taxis to Bouda-Pelegtanga for the Shake Your Pan/Shake Your Booty Detour, and the first-ever U-Turn, which Shana/Jennifer use on Jason/Lorena. They then go back to Ouagadougou, and perform the Deliver Supplies RoadBlock at Tampouy Goat Market, before heading to the Pit Stop at City Hall [where Azaria/Hendekea win a Yamaha scooter each, and Jason/Lorena are eliminated].

Day 9: 16th July, 2007: Extended Pit Stop in Ouagadougou.

Day 10: 17th July, 2007: Teams depart in the morning and spend the day trying to book flights to their next location - Vilnius, Lithuania. They leave late at night for Paris.

Day 11: 18th July, 2007: Teams arrive in Paris and continue to Vilnius. They find marked cars outside the airport and drive to Trakai Castle (although it is not shown, and no team takes the Fast Forward on offer there), then to Saint Anne's church, where they encounter another Delivery RoadBlock. Teams then drive to the Lithuanian Outdoor Ethnogrpahic Museum and follow a marked road from ther to Dzukija for another boring Gnome hunt. They continue on to the Count Down/Step Up Detour. Following this, they walk to the Pit Stop at Aukstaitija Windmill [where Rachel/TK win a Japan holiday, and Shana/Jennifer are eliminated].

Day 12: 19th July, 2007: The Pit Stop is extended by about 4 hours, and covers this whole day.

Day 13: 20th July, 2007: Teams depart and are directed to fly to Dubrovnik, Croatia. They arrive in the afternoon and take taxis to the Fort of St. Lawrence, where team members complete the Wall Repair RoadBlock. After, they head to the fort's roof and take a zipline to Fort Bokar for the Short & Long/Long & Short Detour. Both options finish at Tig Oruzja in the Old City. They take taxis (although taxis are not usually allowed in the Old City) to the Pit Stop at Stone Cross Overlook [where Ronald/Christina win a catamaran each, and Azaria/Hendekea are eliminated].

Day 14: 21st July, 2007: Teams depart the Pit Stop, taking buses to the city of Split. From there, they all take the same ferry to Ancona, Italy. AT the ferry terminal, they get clues directing them to drive to Empoli, Tuscany. During the night-time drive they receive a Blackberry message from loved ones at home.

Day 15: 22nd July, 2007: When teams eventually arrive at Campo di Volo Silvano Poli, they find the clues for both the Ultralight Search RoadBlock, and the Tattoo Fast Forward (which Donald/Nicholas take). They drive to the birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci, in Vinci, and encounter the Invention/Tradition Detour. When they complete their task, they are told to drive to the Pit Stop at the Boboli Gardens in Florence [where Donald/Nicholas win a trip to Cancun, and Kynt/Vyxsin are the first team to be Speed Bumped.] Just before midnight, the leading teams depart with directions to fly to Mumbai, India.

Day 16: 23rd July, 2007: The trailing teams leave. They spend the day trying to get flights. Teams arrive throughout the night...

Day 17: 24th July, 2007: ...and learn that the M.R. Naik Newspaper Stall opens at 6am. When it does, teams purchase the Times of India and search for an advertisement holding their next clue. They head to Chauhan Alteration Tailors, where Kynt/Vyxsin must perform the Yoga Speed Bump before joining the other teams in completing the Paste 'Em/Thread 'Em Detour. They then continue to a nearby traffic island for the second U-Turn (which Kynt/Vyxsin waste), and on to Bharatgas Colaba Gas Service for yet another Delivery RoadBlock, this time with propane, before heading to the Pit Stop at Bandra Fort [where Rachel/TK win a trip to St. Martin, and Kynt/Vyxsin are eliminated].

[raceguy120390]

THE AMAZING RACE 12, LEG 7 -- THE TIMELINE

Money for this leg: not revealed
Money for the race: $687.00, plus whatever money was given for this leg.

July 21st, 2007

Following the first exactly-12-hour-with-no-extension-for-any-reason Pit Stop since we were in Ireland (?), teams depart from Dubrovnik, Croatia as follows:

2:19am - Ronald/Christina
+36min - Kynt/Vyxsin (2:55am)
+86min - Nathan/Jennifer (3:45am)
+198min - Rachel/TK (5:37am)
+287min - Donald/Nicholas (7:06am)

Teams are directed to take a bus to Split, the largest port in Croatia, travel by ferry to Ancona, Italy, and search for their next clue outside the ferry terminal when they arrive.

Teams take buses to Split as follows:
Bus #1 (5:00am departure):
Ronald/Christina, Kynt/Vyxsin, Nathan/Jennifer
Bus #2 (6:00am departure):
Rachel/TK
Bus #3 (unknown departure):
Donald/Nicholas

During the summer, when this season was filmed, the only ferry from Split to Ancona departs each day at 5:00pm, and all teams are on it. The route is no longer in service.

At the Ancona ferry terminal, teams find the cluebox:
1) Rachel/TK, who were the only team to not walk past the clues.
2) Donald/Nicholas
3-5) The other teams, who aren't shown

The clue directs teams to drive to Campo di volo Silvano Poli, an airfield in Empoli, Tuscany. They will be driving over 200 miles, and at some point during the night-time drive, each team will receive a message from loved ones on a provided Blackberry. Teams are clearly instructed to not use the Blackberry for any other device, because the race does not encourage doing anything useful with its product placements.

Teams leave the ferry terminal:
1) Nathan/Jennifer
2) Donald/Nicolas
3) Rachel/TK
4) Kynt/Vyxsin
5) Ronald/Christina

Along the way, we learn that Kynt has broken the Third Commandment of Racing: Thou Shalt Drive Stick. Incidentally, the full list is as follows:

I: Thou Shalt Not Be Inoffensive If Thou Wishes To Win.
II: Thou Shalt Have A Penis On Thy Team In Order To Win. [Yes, I am aware about Zabrina and Joe Jer, but... *runs away quickly*]
III: Thou Shalt Drive Stick.
IV: Thou Shalt Decide When It Is Most Advantageous For Thy To Go For It.
V: Thou Shalt Not Claim To Be Underestimated By The Other Teams.
VI: Thou Shalt Not Shove Thy Wife, Even If She Did Almost Deserve It.
VII: Thou Shalt Find English-Speaking Cab Drivers.
VIII: Thou Shalt Not Have More Than Two People On Thy Team.
IX: Thou Shalt Not Succumb To Thy Killer Fatigue.
X: Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbour's Working Oxen.

Several sites have provided step-by-step driving routes for each of the teams, so I won't be repeating them here. Try RFF or TWoP if you would like this.

July 22nd, 2007

Anyway, teams arrive at the airfield:
1) Nathan/Jennifer
2) Rachel/TK, who had left their clue behind when getting directions, and eventually returned to get it
3) Ronald/Christina
4) Nicholas/Donald, who came across a blocked road, and decided to wait until it was unblocked in the morning
5) Kynt/Vyxsin, who came across the same blocked road, and decided to seek an alternate route, getting lost and arriving significantly later than the other teams, but whilst Rachel/TK were still there.

And pull numbers from a sign in the same order. When it opens at 7:00am, only the first two teams have arrived. They run to the cluebox, and find both a:

FAST FOR|>|>ARD

Which, per Phil is the only one this season, but per spoilers is not. Phil, you aren't as adorable when you're lying. As always, the first team to find and perform the task gets to skip the Dumb Stunt portion of the show and go straight to the Pit Stop. In this Fast Forward, teams are told to find Fabio Studios (on Via Giovanni Villani 17 in Comune de Empoli -- yes, they even got the damn address, in addition to skipping hours of tasks) and take part in a local sea-faring tradition. What they will discover when they arrive -- or could be smart enough to figure out from the fact that the clue does not mention anything about the task itself (hahaha) -- is that the tradition involves some form of appearance modification. in this case, it's not head-shaving, but rather getting a (pretty hideous) tattoo of the letters FF (for Fast Forward). When the artist has finished giving both team members the tattoo, he will give them the clue directing them to the Pit Stop.

Donald/Nicholas attempt and claim the Fast Forward, and are allowed to go directly to the Boboli Gardens in Florence.

And a:

R(/)ADBL(/)CK
"Who's feeling 'ultra' light of heart?"

In this RoadBlock, SEARCH FROM ULTRALIGHT, the chosen team member will fly in an Ultralight. Whilst in the air, they must search a six mile radius (about equivalent to three full Manhattans, one full Monaco, and a third (!) of a Melbourne -- yes, Melbourne really is that expansive) for giant letters spelling the name of their next destination, Vinci. When they think they've seen it, they must signal the pilot, who will land the plane. They must tell the instructor the word, and if correct, they will get their next clue. Each flight must land and refuel every thirty minutes before continuing. The person performing this task finds the clue:

2) Nathan, on his first attempt
3) Christina, on her first attempt
4) Vyxsin, on her first attempt
5) TK, who takes FOUR attempts

These four teams are now told to drive to the town of Vinci.

Rant Of The Week: When they do these "search for a word" challenges, they NEED to stop making the word the whereabouts of their next destination - Lake Yamanaka, Chuquicamata, Vinci... it's taking the suspense out of the clues. Dimitsana was wonderfully obscure and had nothing to do with anything, so it is possible, producers. Besides, imagine if they were all looking for the name of a city, and the mystery word was, like, ASPARAGUS or something. Could be fun.

Ahem. Anyway, in Vinci they must find the birthplace of inventor, artist, and code inspiration Leonardo da Vinci. They arrive:
2) Nathan/Jennifer
3) Ronald/Christina
4) Kynt/Vyxsin
5) Rachel/TK

And encounter a:

Invention <--DETOUR--> Tradition

Teams selecting INVENTION must travel to a nearby courtyard, choose a replica of the crane designed by Leonardo da Vinci, assemble it, lift a large stone a foot off the ground, position a mirror underneath the rock, and read the clue printed underneath. Teams selecting this option are Kynt/Vyxsin and Rachel/TK.

Teams selcting TRADITION must trvael to Piazza Guido Masi and learn a traditional local flag routine. They must excute the routine perfectly to succeed. When they do, the lead flagman will give them a flag showing the name of the next location. Teams selecting this option are Nathan/Jennifer and Ronald/Christina.

However, Kynt/Vyxsin switch after finding the location for Invention, despite being the only team doing either task to find the correct parking lot. When driving to Tradition, they have car troubles and proceed the remaining distance on foot, and perform the flag routine whilst waiting for a replacement vehicle. None of the Tradition teams are at the task at the same time.

Teams finish their task:
2) Nathan/Jennifer, who need two attempts
3) Ronald/Christina, who need two attempts
4) Rachel/TK, who pass Kynt/Vyxsin, still walking to Tradition
5) Kynt/Vyxsin, who only need one attempt

Teams are directed to drive themselves to the Boboli Gardens in Florence, Tuscany. The gardens, created in 1550, are the Pit Stop for this leg of the race. They arrive:

1) Donald/Nicolas, who each win a trip to Cancun.
2) Nathan/Jennifer
3) Ronald/Christina
4) Rachel/TK, who had to replace a blown-out tire on the way to the Pit Stop.
5) Kynt/Vyxsin, who are saved by a non-elimination, despite a press release before the season stating that there wouldn't be any. (Of course, those same press releases also claimed that there would be TWO new African countries.) Anyway, the Marked For Elimination penalty has been eliminated. At some point during the next leg, they will encounter a Speed Bump, which is a task only for this team, and which must be completed before being allowed to continue the normal route.

Worth noting is the fact that this first appearance of the new NEL penalty happened in the same country as the first ever NEL. Even more coincidentally, both of these were followed by visits to India in the next episode.

[raceguy120390]

THE AMAZING RACE 12, LEG 8 -- THE TIMELINE

Money for this leg: $105.00.
Money for the race: $792.00, plus whatever money was given for Leg 7.

July 22nd, 2007

Following a 12-hour Pit Stop, teams depart from the Boboli Gardens in Florence, Italy:
10:12pm - Donald/Nicolas
+103min - Nathan/Jennifer (11:55pm)...

July 23rd, 2007

... +174min - Ronald/Christina (1:06am)
+239min - Rachel/TK (2:11am)
+311min - Kynt/Vyxsin (3:23am)

The first clue of the leg directs team to fly to Mumbai, India, almost 4,000 miles away. When they land, they must find the M.R. Naik Newspaper Stall in the suburb of Khar Danda.

Teams spend the day Working The Airport, with surprisingly little Airport Shuffling, and eventually book routes from Florence to Mumbai as follows:

Route #1: Travelled by Donald/Nicolas, Ronald/Christina, Nathan/Jennifer
Air France to Paris (de Gaulle), departs Florence at 6:50am
Air France to Mumbai, arrives Mumbai at 10:50pm

Route #2: Travelled by Kynt/Vyxsin
KLM to Amsterdam, departs Florence at 7:25am
Northwest Airlines to Mumbai, arrives Mumbai at 10:50pm

Flight #3: Travelled by Rachel/TK
Lufthansa to Frankfurt, departs Florence at 6:55am
Air India to Mumbai, arrives 2:50am the following morning.

Kynt/Vyxsin arrive that night at 10:30pm. The teams flying through Paris are delayed and arrive at 11:05pm. They head to the newspaper stall and discover it is closed for the night.

July 24th, 2007

Rachel/TK arrive at 1:05am and join the others in camping out (no hotels! Yay!) and waiting for the stall to open at 6am. When it does, each team purchases a copy of the Times of India and searches for an advertisement containing their next clue.

RANT OF THE WEEK: It's probably just me, but is it really smart to go to obscure countires like Lithuania and Burkina Faso in an attempt to dodge spoilers (which didn't work), and then pay for an ad in India's largest newspaper? That is seriously a stupid idea. Not to mention the fact that if I wanted to watch someone read a newspaper, I'd go find it on Youtube.

[Yes, I am Youtube's bitch. Go visit Youtube. Youtube! This product placement not paid for by Traveloshitty.]

Ahem. They find the clue in the following order:
1) Kynt/Vyxsin
2) Ronald/Christina
3) Rachel/TK
4) Donald/Nicolas
5) Nathan/Jennifer

Teams find a clue reading as follows:

Travel by auto-rickshaw to Chauhan Alteration Tailors.
Additional Info: Chauhan Alteration Tailors is locatedat Saint Joseph Church Road, A.B. Nair Rd. Corner, Juhu. Chauhan is pronounced Chow-Hahn.

[Because, you know, teams can't figure out how to pronounce that on their own.]

They find the tailor shop mentioned in the ad:
1) Donald/Nicolas
2) Ronald/Christina
3) Rachel/TK
4) Kynt/Vyxsin
5) Nathan/Jennifer

At this point, Kynt/Vyxsin find their Speed Bump. In this Speed Bump, they are told to find a Yoga Master at Daria Mahal, and the successfully perform a series of complex yoga poses. When they finish the task to the Master's satisfaction, they may return to the tailor's and continue with the race. Because of this, the new arrival order is:
1) Donald/Nicolas
2) Ronald/Christina
3) Rachel/TK
4) Nathan/Jennifer
5) Kynt/Vyxsin (in an interview afterwards, they mention the yoga task taking about 30-40 minutes)

They find a:

Paste 'Em <--DETOUR--> Thread 'Em

Teams selcting PASTE 'EM must travel to the Dadar West Bridge underpass and use provided supplies t properly paste a six-panel Bollywood movie poster to the wall. When the poster is complete and pasted to the judge's satisfaction, teams will get their next clue. Teams choosing this task are Donald/Nicolas and Ronald/Christina.

Teams selecting THREAD 'EM must travel to the Dadar Flower Market and find a marked stall (oh, how I've missed you, Find The Vendor task!). There, they will thread 108 flowers in an alternating pattern (red, orange, yellow, red, and so on) to create a traditional wedding garland. When the judge is satisfied, they must deliver it to a nearby bridegroom in exchange for the next clue. Teams choosing this task are Rachel/TK, Nathan/Jennifer, and Kynt/Vyxsin.

Teams arrive at their chosen option:
1) Ronald/Christina
2) Rachel/TK
3) Nicolas/Donald
4) Nathan/Jennifer
5) Kynt/Vyxsin

And finish the tasks:
1) Donald/Nicolas
2) Rachel/TK
3) Ronald/Christina
4) Nathan/Jennifer
5) Kynt/Vyxsin

They are directed to Khabutar Khana, a nearby traffic island (not so much with the Amazing, more so with the How The Hell Did A Traffic Island Get Its Own Name?!), where they will find both the next clue and a...

U-TURN
As you'll remember, the U-Turn involves a team being allowed to force a team BEHIND them (and, thus, able to see that they've been U-Turned) to finish whichever Detour they did not finish before arriving at the U-Turn. Kynt/Vyxsin try to force Donald/Nicolas to U-Turn, but are unaware that they are already gone and therefore avoid the penalty.

Teams arrive at the cluebox beyond the U-Turn:
1) Rachel/TK
2) Donald/Nicolas
3) Ronald/Christina
4) Kynt/Vyxsin
5) Nathan/Jennifer

Teams are directed to take a taxi to the Bharatgas Colaba Gas Service, a propane gas depot, to find their next clue at the loading dock. They arrive:
1) Donald/Nicolas
2) Ronald/Christina
3) Rachel/TK
4) Kynt/Vyxsin
5) Nathan/Jennifer

And encounter a:

R(/)ADBL(/)CK
"Who's got a strong back and a good sense of navigation?"

In this RoadBlock, DELIVER PROPANE GAS, the chosen team member must load a cart with six full tanks of propane, pedal the carts to two addresses listed on order slips provided to them, and deliver three tanks to each of the addresses, obtaining a receipt for each correctly made delivery. They must return to the depot and exchange the receipts AND order slips for the next clue. All teams are delivering to the same two buildings, both in a housing development known as Jamshed Baug, but to apartments on different floors. The chosen person finishes:

1) TK (5th RB)
2) Nicolas (4th RB), who loses his order slips
3) Ronald (4th RB)
4) Jennifer (4th RB), who forgot to pick up a receipt at her first delivery (and almost forgot the second)
5) Kynt (4th RB), who leaves behind the order slips and must return.

Teams are now directed to take taxis fourteen miles through Mumbai to Bandra Fort, a 16th century fortress "towering over the Arabian Sea", and the Pit Stop for this leg of the race. They arrive:
1) Rachel/TK, who win a trip for two to St. Martin
2) Donald/Nicolas
3) Ronald/Christina
4) Nathan/Jennifer
5) Kynt/Vyxsin, who are Philiminated.

[Kokomo]

Kitten needed. Kokomo's brother was humping her bedroom door to Rod Stewart. Ew.

[raceguy120390]

Cute cat. And feel free to post any brainbleach here anytime you want. It makes the site look pretty.

Here's an updated version of the above overview timeline:

Day 1: 8th July, 2007: The race starts at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles. Teams drive to the airport and book flights to Shannon, Ireland.

Day 2: 9th July, 2007: Teams arrive in Shannon and take a ferry from Rosseveal to Inis Mor. There, they walk to Teampall Bheanain, the world's smallest church, and sign up for return ferries the following morning. Teams stay at the Pier House B&B.

Day 3: 10th July, 2007: Starting at 8am, return ferries. Teams drive to Cleggan Farm and ride tandem bikes to the High-Wire Bike RoadBlock. Then, they choose a donkey, load up 15 pieces of peat into each of its baskets, and walk it back to the farm entrance. They are then instructed to drive to Pit Stop at the Coonemara Heritage Centre [where Azaria/Hendekea win a holiday to Alberta; and Ari/Staella are eliminated].

Day 4: 11th July, 2007: Teams depart the Pit Stop between Midnight and 3am (literally). They drive back to Shannon Airport and book flights to Amsterdam, connecting through Dublin. In Amsterdam, they take trains into the city, and walk to Melkmeisjes Brug, where they encounter the Hoist It/Hunt It Detour. They take buses to Ransdorp, just north of the city centre, find a marked field, and perform the Ditch Vault RoadBlock. Then, they ride a bakfiets to the Pit Stop at the Durgerdam Yacht Club [where Lorena/Jason win sportbikes, and Kate/Pat are eliminated].

Day 5: 12th July, 2007: Extended Pit Stop in Durgerdam.

Day 6: 13th July, 2007: Teams leave the Pit Stop and are instructed to fly to Ouagadougou, but are not told where it is. Teams fly through Paris and arrive in Burkina Faso later that afternoon. They take taxis to the train station and wait overnight for it to open.

Day 7: 14th July, 2007: Teams take a train to Bingo, a field in Boulkiemdé, and encounter the Milk Camel RoadBlock. Each team leads four camels to a drop-off point at a local school. At the school, the Teach It/Learn It Detur takes place. Once they finish, teams walk to the Pit Stop on the outskirts of Boulkiemdé [where Azaria/Hendekea win a Bermuda holiday, and Marianna/Julia are eliminated].

Day 8: 15th July, 2007: Teams leave in the morning with no money. They walk to a nearby village and catch a chicken, which teams must carry to the Pit Stop. They take taxis to Bouda-Pelegtanga for the Shake Your Pan/Shake Your Booty Detour, and the first-ever U-Turn, which Shana/Jennifer use on Jason/Lorena. They then go back to Ouagadougou, and perform the Deliver Supplies RoadBlock at Tampouy Goat Market, before heading to the Pit Stop at City Hall [where Azaria/Hendekea win a Yamaha scooter each, and Jason/Lorena are eliminated].

Day 9: 16th July, 2007: Teams depart in the morning and spend the day trying to book flights to their next location - Vilnius, Lithuania. They leave late at night for Paris.

Day 10: 17th July, 2007: Teams arrive in Paris and continue to Vilnius. They find marked cars outside the airport and drive to Trakai Castle (although it is not shown, and no team takes the Fast Forward on offer there), then to Saint Anne's church, where they encounter another Delivery RoadBlock. Teams then drive to the Lithuanian Outdoor Ethnogrpahic Museum and follow a marked road from ther to Dzukija for another boring Gnome hunt. They continue on to the Count Down/Step Up Detour. Following this, they walk to the Pit Stop at Aukstaitija Windmill [where Rachel/TK win a Japan holiday, and Shana/Jennifer are eliminated].

Day 11: 18th July, 2007: The Pit Stop lasts about 28 hours total, and covers this whole day.

Day 12: 19th July, 2007: Teams depart and are directed to fly to Dubrovnik, Croatia. They arrive in the afternoon and take taxis to the Fort of St. Lawrence, where team members complete the Wall Repair RoadBlock. After, they head to the fort's roof and take a zipline to Fort Bokar for the Short & Long/Long & Short Detour. Both options finish at Tig Oruzja in the Old City. They take taxis (although taxis are not usually allowed in the Old City) to the Pit Stop at Stone Cross Overlook [where Ronald/Christina win a catamaran each, and Azaria/Hendekea are eliminated].

Day 13: 20th July, 2007: Extended Pit Stop in Dubrovnik, the first back-to-back extended Pit Stops since TAR1’s infamous finish.

Day 14: 21st July, 2007: Teams depart the Pit Stop, taking buses to the city of Split. From there, they all take the same ferry to Ancona, Italy. AT the ferry terminal, they get clues directing them to drive to Empoli, Tuscany. During the night-time drive they receive a Blackberry message from loved ones at home.

Day 15: 22nd July, 2007: When teams eventually arrive at Campo di Volo Silvano Poli, they find the clues for both the Ultralight Search RoadBlock, and the Tattoo Fast Forward (which Donald/Nicholas take). They drive to the birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci, in Vinci, and encounter the Invention/Tradition Detour. When they complete their task, they are told to drive to the Pit Stop at the Boboli Gardens in Florence [where Donald/Nicholas win a trip to Cancun, and Kynt/Vyxsin are the first team to be Speed Bumped.] Just before midnight, the leading teams depart with directions to fly to Mumbai, India.

Day 16: 23rd July, 2007: The trailing teams leave. They spend the day trying to get flights. Teams arrive throughout the night...

Day 17: 24th July, 2007: ...and learn that the M.R. Naik Newspaper Stall opens at 6am. When it does, teams purchase the Times of India and search for an advertisement holding their next clue. They head to Chauhan Alteration Tailors, where Kynt/Vyxsin must perform the Yoga Speed Bump before joining the other teams in completing the Paste 'Em/Thread 'Em Detour. They then continue to a nearby traffic island for the second U-Turn (which Kynt/Vyxsin waste), and on to Bharatgas Colaba Gas Service for yet another Delivery RoadBlock, this time with propane, before heading to the Pit Stop at Bandra Fort [where Rachel/TK win a trip to St. Martin, and Kynt/Vyxsin are eliminated].

This timeline may be shown ONLY in the TWoP timeline thread, over at RFF, and here. This and all other timelines on this site remain my property and any usage of these in ANY location aside from the three listed above will result in nasty letters from Rob/Brennan/Heather/Eve/Ray/have we had any other lawyers on the show? I wish I didn't have to do this, but people just don't react when you ask them nicely, do they, Tarflies?

[raceguy120390]

THE AMAZING RACE 12, LEG 9 - THE TIMELINE

Money for this leg: $414.00.

25th July, 2007

After a slightly-but-not-fully-extended Pit Stop (about 20-21 hours long), teams leave from Bandra Fort, overlooking Mumbai:

1:25pm - Rachel/TK
+8min - Donald/Nicolas (1:33pm)
+19min - Ronald/Christina (1:44pm)
+73min - Nathan/Jennifer (2:38pm)

They are directed to fly to Osaka, Japan, just two-and-a-half weeks after TAR Asia visited the same country and did an infinitely better job. When they land, they must take a taxi to Kishiwada Castle, and search the grounds for the next clue.

Teams use either the Pit Stop hotel (Rachel/TK, at the SeaRock Hotel), a travel agency (Ronald/Christina, at UAEXchange), or the counters at the airport to book tickets as follows:

Donald/Nicolas, Ronald/Christina, Nathan/Jennifer
Air India from Mumbai to Hong Kong
Cathay Pacific from Hong Kong to Osaka, arriving at 2:30pm

Rachel/TK
Eastwind Airlines Bee Line from Mumbai to Delhi
Air China from Delhi to Beijing
JAL from Beijing to Osaka, arriving well after the other teams

July 26th, 2007

Teams find the clue at Kishiwada Castle:
1) Nathan/Jennifer
2) Ronald/Christina, who search the museum by mistake
3) Donald/Nicolas, who search the museum by mistake
4) Rachel/TK, who arrive after the museum has closed for the night (at 4pm)

The clue teams find directs them to take a taxi to JR Kanjoson Noda Station. There, they must search for, as the clue puts it, "The Amazing Race cleaning man", and ask him for the next clue. Teams find him, after at least two teams foreshadow the task coming up:

1) Nathan/Jennifer
2) Ronald/Christina
3) Donald/Nicolas
4) Rachel/TK

And it's a...

R(/)ADBL(/)CK
"Who's the backseat driver?"

In this RoadBlock, cleverly titled DRIVE A TAXI, the chosen team member must... drive a taxi. They will put on a hat and gloves, then deliver a local couple to a location five miles away. Yes, that's right, MORE delivery. You'd think the goat bike, Lithuanian parcels and propane were enough delivery RoadBlocks for one season, but noooo. They may not invite a local to lead or join them, and they may not ask the couple for assistance. The location for all teams is the Osaka Main Post Office, but it is written in Japanese on their clue. When they arrive at the post office, the couple will give the team member the next clue. However, they must return to their partner before they read it.

The chosen person starts:
1) Jennifer (5th RB)
2) Christina, who uses public transport at home (5th RB)
3) Nicolas (5th RB)
4) Rachel (4th RB)

They arrive at the Post Office, get the clue, and return in the same order.

They are now directed to the Kita-Mido Temple, a local Buddhist temple. They arrive:

1) Nathan/Jennifer
2) Ronald/Christina
3) Donald/Nicolas
4) Rachel/TK

And encounter a:

Sense Of Touch <--DETOUR--> Sense Of Smell

In this Detour, teams must choose between two senselessly boring tasks likely to put viewers into a Boredom Coma, where they will not be consciously using either of the options. Oh, wait, that was just me.

Teams choosing SENSE OF TOUCH must walk to the Shimojima Building, and use cell-phone-controlled miniature robots to play soccer against two robotic defenders. Each player must score one goal using the robots to get the next clue from the full-sized referee. Donald/Nicolas choose this option.
Teams choosing SENSE OF SMELL must walk to the two-storey Saera Flower Shop. There they must use only their noses to find one real flower hidden among thousands of fake ones. You know, like trying to find contestants who actually applied for this show without being recruited among the cast - except this task is easier. They must exchange the flower with the shop's owner for the next clue. Nathan/Jennifer, Ronald/Christina, and Rachel/TK choose this option.

They arrive at their options and finish them in the same order they have been in ever since they arrived in Osaka, because the task producers suck and should be fired. There, I said it.

The final clue of this ridiculously boring leg directs them to take a taxi to Tempozan Park, the Pit Stop for this leg of the race. According to Phil, Tempozan is named after Tempo-san, the lowest mountain in Japan, at an elevation of a whopping 15 feet. However, that is impossible, because the world's smallest officially named mountain is Mount Alvernia in the Bahamas, at 67 metres - about 200 feet. (Useless Trivia Fact About A Place TAR Hasn't Been To And Needs To Go #183. Incidentally, #1 on that list is that Belgium's windmills both revolve like the Dutch ones seen in TAR4, and pivot on their bases when needed. Get your asses to Belgium next season, dammit!!!)

After some shuffling of the order (DOYOC, finally! And the best kind, too!), teams check in:
1) Ronald/Christina, who each win an electric car that seats four.
2) Nathan/Jennifer
3) Donald/Nicolas
4) Rachel/TK, who are saved but Speed Bumped.

[raceguy120390]

TIMELINE
SEASON 12, LEG 10

Money for this leg of the race: $374.00.

Day Twenty
July 27th, 2007

After a 12-hour Pit Stop, the four remaining teams depart from Tempozan Park in Osaka as follows:

7:02am - Ronald/Christina
+13min - Nathan/Jennifer (7:15am)
+19min - Donald/Nicolas (7:21am)
+196min - Rachel/TK (10:18am)


The teams are directed to travel by taxi to "the building with a hole in it", then find the Floating Garden. They must figure out for themselves that this refers to the Umeda Sky Building, and its rooftop observatory, where the next clue is located. The building does not open until 10am, and teams retrieve the clue:

1) Ronald/Christina
2) Nathan/Jennifer
3) Donald/Nicolas
4) Rachel/TK, who arrive after it opens, and have trouble finding the observatory

The clue tells teams to fly to Taipei, Taiwan. When they land, they must take a taxi to Taipei Main Station, the largest train station in Taiwan, and search for the next clue.

The teams head to the airport and book flights as follows:

EVA Air, direct, departing at 1pm:
Ronald/Christina
China Air, direct, departing at 1:15pm:
Donald/Nicolas
Nathan/Jennifer
Air Japan, direct, departing at 1:35pm:
Rachel/TK

The teams arrive in Taiwan and get to Taipei Main Station, where they arrive:

1) Ronald/Christina
2) Nathan/Jennifer
3) Rachel/TK
4) Donald/Nicolas

The clue at the train station tells them to travel by high-speed rail to Taichung, take a taxi from there to a town called Jiji, and find Acrobatics Jeep to get the next clue. They take trains:

Train #1: Ronald/Christina
Train #2: Nathan/Jennifer, Rachel/Tk, Donald/Nicolas

Teams arrive at Acrobatics Jeep:

1) Ronald/Christina
2) Rachel/TK
3) Nathan/Jennifer
4) Donald/Nicolas

And encounter a:

R(/)ADBL(/)CK
"Who's ready to go for a tricky ride?"

In this RoadBlock, the chosen team member must ride in a car as the driver steers it carefully along a seesaw-like structure. Then, they must ride in a separate Jeep as its operator drives underwater. They must hold their breath for the entire 17-second underwater drive. If "they are still alive when it's over", the teams will receive their next clue. If they are not, their partner will be renamed Zach. The chosen team member starts and finishes:

1) Ronald
2) Rachel
3) Nathan
4) Donald

Before they are allowed to get the next clue, Rachel/TK must first complete their...

SPEED BUMP
They must travel by taxi one mile to a field and complete a local ritual. They must don protective gear and run through an alley of fireworks to the other side, and then be doused with cold water. Once they have both completed the run, they may return to Acrobatics Jeep and get the next clue.

This clue directs teams to take a high-speed rail back to Taipei. There, they must get to the GK Tea House, and each drink a strong local tea in order to read the clue from the base of the cup.

Teams get trains back to Taipei:
Train #1 (7:16pm): Ronald/Christina
Train #2 (7:36pm): No teams
Train #3 (8pm): Nathan/Jennifer, Donald/Nicolas, Rachel/TK

At the teahouse, teams drink the tea to reveal the clue:
1) Ronald/Christina
2) Donald/Nicolas
3) Rachel/TK
4) Nathan/Jennifer

The clue is written in Chinese, and teams must get a local to translate the clue for them, but are allowed to take the cups with them once they are finished drinking. The clue directs teams to travel to the nearby Gong Guan Night Market, and search for a clown, who will give the next clue when they find him. All teams walk to the market, and find the clown:

1) Ronald/Christina
2) Donald/Nicolas
3) Rachel/TK
4) Nathan/Jennifer

The clue the clown gives teams is this week's...

Fire <-- DETOUR --> Earth

Teams selecting FIRE must travel to a nearby park, and complete a local good-luck ritual which involves writing messages on paper lanterns, then setting them on fire so that they fly away. Teams must successfully do this for twenty lanterns to get the next clue.

Teams selecting EARTH must head to a different nearby park, and perform a ritual supposed to relieve stress. Both team members must walk barefoot down a 220-foot (66 metre) path filled with jagged rocks, and then return to the start in order to get the next clue.

All four teams choose EARTH, and complete it as follows:
1) Ronald/Christina
2) Rachel/TK, who pass Donald/Nicolas while performing the task
3) Donald/Nicolas
4) Nathan/Jennifer

The final clue of the leg directs teams to travel by taxi to the Pit Stop at Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Plaza. They arrive:

1) Ronald/Christina, who win a holiday to the Netherlands Antilles, and for a brief period Ronald becomes the oldest person in TAR history to make the final three
2) Rachel/TK
3) Donald/Nicolas, and Donald becomes the oldest person in TAR history to make the final three.
4) Nathan/Jennifer, who are Phinally Philiminated.

Next Week: One of these three surprisingly unsucky teams will outwit, outplay, and outlast the others in order to win the million dollars. ...Oops, wrong show. Whatever.

[raceguy120390]

TIMELINE
SEASON 12, LEG 11

Money for this leg of the race: $392.00.

Day Twenty-One
July 28th, 2007

After a 12-hour Pit Stop, the final three teams leave Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Plaza in Taipei, Taiwan as follows:

9:47am - Ronald/Christina
+43min - Rachel/TK (10:30am)
+50min - Donald/Nicolas (10:37am)

The teams are directed to fly to their final destination city: Anchorage, Alaska, over 4500 miles away. This is like, the fourth season out of the last six where the "final city" hasn't actually been the final city, but sure. Fine. Whatever. (The others are Miami [Fort Lauderdale], New York City [Garrison], and Oakland [San Francisco].) When they land, they must go to Sixth Avenue Outfitters and retrieve their next clue, along with a bag containing essential outdoor gear for the tasks ahead.

All three teams get tickets on the same direct China Airlines flight to Anchorage.

Day Twenty-Two (but becoming Day Twenty-One again because of the International Date Line)
July 29th, 2007 (July 28th, 2007)

The teams arrive in Anchorage and get to Sixth Avenue Outfitters:
1) Ronald/Christina
2) Rachel/TK
3) Donald/Nicolas

They retrieve their gear (or not) and a clue which directs them to find Ship Creek Boat Launch. They arrive:

1) Ronald/Christina
2) Rachel/TK
3) Donald/Nicolas, who had arrived second, but were forced to return to the outdoor gear store

And encounter a

Cut The Cod <-- DETOUR --> Grab The Crab

Teams selecting CUT THE COD must use a filet knife and gloves, provided in their outdoor gear, to cut through several large Ling Cod and search for a miniature clue hidden inside one of the fish. Ronald/Christina and Donald/Nicolas select this option.

Teams selecting GRAB THE CRAB must enter the hold of a marked boat and search for the one crab out of around 500 which has a red-and-yellow ribbon attahced to its underside. Rachel/TK take this option.

Teams complete their chosen task:
1) Ronald/Christina, before the other teams arrive
2) Rachel/TK
3) Donald/Nicolas

They are now directed to travel sixty miles to a particular boat landing, and take a speedboat from there to 20-Mile Glacier. They are not told that, when they arrive at the glacier, they must both climb up the wall of ice to get to waiting helicopters at the top, which will take the teams to their next destination. They arrive at the boat launch:
1) Ronald/Christina
2) Rachel/TK
3) Donald/Nicolas

And finish their climb in the same order. The helicopters take them to Merrill Field in Anchorage. From there, teams must get take taxis to Goose Lake Park, where they arrive:
1) Ronald/Christina
2) Rachel/TK
3) Donald/Nicolas

And encounter their last:

R(/)ADBL(/)CK
"Who wants to relive your experience on the race?"

In this RoadBlock, the chosen team member must complete a puzzle that is part logic problem, and part race memory. They are each given fifteen items from throughout the race (Blackberry, bike, gun, donkey, teacup, cleaning man, propane bike, stilts, rowboat, pole vault, chicken, flowers, tandem bike, camel milk, and the U-Turn) and must work out which ten of the items satisfy the following conditions:

1. One item from each of the frst ten legs of the race
2. Three animals or animal by-products
3. Two items of wheeled transportation, one of which was used in a Detour
4. Two items at (or brought to) a Pit Stop
5. The U-Turn
6. One form of transportation which looks like a stick.

Once they think they have it right, they must say "Done!". If they are correct, their cluebox will open automatically. If not, they must try again. They are forbidden from using pens or pencils to keep track of their guesses.

The correct answer can be achieved as follows:
1. Two Pit Stop items are needed, and there are only two available - the chicken and the gun. Choose both, and eliminate the rowboat.
2. The U-Turn must now come from the India leg. Eliminate the propane bike.
3. There are only two wheeled vehicles left. Choose both bikes, and eliminate the donkey from Ireland and the pole from Holland.
4. Of the remaining five legs, four have only one item representing them. Choose the camel milk, stilts, Blackberry, and teacup.
5. The remaining leg - Osaka - must have an animal. Flowers are not animals, so choose the cleaning man.

This gives you the correct answer of:
Leg 1 (Ireland): Tandem Bike
Leg 2 (Holland): Bike
Leg 3 (Burkina Faso): Camel Milk
Leg 4 (Burkina Faso): Chicken
Leg 5 (Lithuania): Stilts
Leg 6 (Croatia): Gun
Leg 7 (Italy): Blackberry
Leg 8 (India): U-Turn
Leg 9 (Japan): Cleaning Man
Leg 10 (Taiwan): Teacup

The chosen team member starts this task:
1) Christina
2) Rachel
3) Nicolas

And finishes:
1) Rachel, who per interviews, kept a diary on the race in case a task like this happened
2) Christina
3) Nicolas

The next clue directs the teams to find "A COOK's eye view of the sleeping lady." They must determine that this refers to a statue of Captain James Cook in Anchorage. They find it:
1) Rachel/TK
2) Ronald/Christina
3) Donald/Nicolas

They must now proceed on foot to a statue called the "Salmon Hooker". They get there:
1) Rachel/TK
2) Ronald/Christina
3) Donald/Nicolas

The clue there, the final one of the race, says: "This is it!!! Take a taxi to Girdwood Airport and run to the Finish Line. Hurry!!!! GO, GO, GO!!!!!" Ladies and gentlemen, if ever there was a reason to make abusing punctuation a law, this is it.

The teams arrive at the finish line:
1) Rachel/TK, who win $1,000,000
2) Ronald/Christina
3) Donald/Nicolas

Next Season: Probably won't end as good as this one did.

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