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The Amazing Race Tasks thread
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Book and Author:
Date Read:
Rating:
Pages:
Task: (Location, Transportation, Mission, Roadblock)
How It Fits:
Mod
In Central Park in New York City, eleven teams begin the Amazing Race. The teams are: Rob and Brennan: lawyers and friends, Frank and Margarita: separated parents, Joe and Bill: a gay couple, Kevin and Drew: fraternity brothers and friends, Nancy and Emily: mother and daughter, Lenny and Karyn: dating, Paul and Amie: engaged couple, Dave and Margaretta: older, married couple, Pat and Brenda: working moms, Kim and Leslie: single teachers and friends, Matt and Ana: married.
Host Phil Keoghan gives the signal and the teams race to John F. Kennedy airport to take flights to Johannesburg, South Africa. Traveling by taxi and subway, all of the teams eventually make it to the airport and board flights.
Arriving in Johannesburg, teams must find a local airport and book charter flights to Zambia leaving the next morning. Once they are in Zambia, they can either hire a driver or drive themselves.
The first stop of the morning is Victoria Falls, to a place called the Knife's Edge. The teams receive a clue telling them to make their way to Batoka Gorge. (see below)
Hiking down to Boiling Point, Rob and Brennan snag the fast-forward which allows them to skip ahead to the first pit stop of the race. The other teams face the detour named air or land, where they either zip line, and then bungee to the bottom of the gorge (air) or hike to the bottom of the gorge (land). All of the teams choose the air option.
After the task is complete, teams receive a clue sending them to Songwe Village.
This week's tasks are:
Location: Central Park, NY - read a book set in New York State
Transportation: read a book where the MC flies on an airplane
Mission: find the next clue on a path called the Knife's Edge - read a book where the MC uses a weapon
Roadblock: cook an ostrich egg (eggs are incubated by the females by day and by the males by night) - read a book where the MC hatches (comes up with) a plan
Mod
The teams start out in Songwe Village, Zambia. They must find the Songwe Museum in the village without any signs to indicate where it is located. They must use the help of the villagers.
The first to leave are Rob and Brennan but they decide to wait for the members of their newly formed alliance with Frank, Margarita, Joe and Bill.
Once locating the museum, the teams must decide to do one of two tasks involving photography. Then they have to bring the pictures to a chief in another village.
Pat and Brenda decide not to do the tasks after failing to find the museum and decide to go for the Fast Forward. They complete this with ease and head to the next pit stop, the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. (see below)
Once in Paris, the teams must find a monument through a telescope. For some of the teams this is easy but for others, it proves extremely difficult.
Kim and Leslie are the last to arrive at the pit stop and are the second team to be eliminated from the race.
This week's tasks are:
Location: France - read a book set in France
Transportation: read a book where the MC flies on an airplane
Mission: take part in a traditional welcome ceremony in Mukuni Village - read a book where the MC participates in or watches a type of ceremony
Roadblock: take the stairway up to the second level of the Eiffel Tower - read a book where a famous landmark or monument is mentioned
Mod
At the Arc de Triomphe, the teams are told to find La Grande Rue, a ferris wheel located somewhere in the city. They will have to get the route marker when the Ferris wheel opens.
This leg's Detour was a choice between Tough Climb or Easy Walk. In Tough Climb, teams traveled to Notre-Dame de Paris and had to climb up the cathedral's 297 steps to ring Quasimodo's bell and receive their next clue.
In Easy Walk, teams had to locate a statue of a cat sitting beside Foucault pendulum to find their next clue. However, there are two Foucault pendulums in Paris. (see below)
Unfortunately for Pat and Brenda, they chose the wrong one which puts them far behind the others.
Kevin and Drew decide to go for the Fast Forward, where they have to retrieve it from a local coffee shop. Then they must head directly to the pit stop which is located in Chateau Les Baux.
In the Roadblock, one of the team members must travel through the Paris sewers. Pat and Brenda are the last to arrive and are eliminated.
This week's tasks are:
Location: read a book set in Paris
Transportation: read a book where the MC travels by train
Mission: locate a statue of a cat - read a book with a cat on the cover (large or small, domestic or wild)
Roadblock: walk underground through the sewers of Paris - read a book where the MC goes underground (could be a tunnel, a cave, the subway)
Mod
At the start of the leg, teams were told to travel to Marseille Ferry Port, where they had to travel by boat from Marseille to a smaller version of the Arc de Triomphe in the country represented by a small unidentified flag. Teams had to figure out that they had a Tunisian flag, and they had to travel to the capital city of Tunis.
Once in Tunis, they had to find the man depicted in a provided photograph near Bab el Bhar, which bears strong resemblance to Paris' Arc de Triomphe, and say a traditional greeting of As-salām (السلام) to receive their next clue.
Most teams take a plane, but some take a boat.
When they find the man, they are given a Detour. They must take a Full Body Massage or Full Body Brew. They must discover either of these two places using a given map. When these tasks are completed, they must get to the El Jem Coliseum. (see below)
Once at the El Jem Coliseum, they must run around the coliseum and find a sword located in the 'Pit of Death'.
Dave and Margaretta are the last to arrive and are eliminated. All of the teams applaud and admit they are sad to see that team go.
This week's tasks are:
Location: Tunisia - read a book set in any country that surrounds the Mediterranean Sea: Spain, Monaco, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, or Morocco (but not Italy or France)
Transportation: read a book where the MC travels by airplane or large boat/ship
Mission: this leg has a choice between Full Body Massage or Full Body Brew
a: Full Body Brew - read a book with one full body on the cover
or
b. Full Body Brew - read a book where the MC drinks a lot of coffee
Roadblock: navigate an ancient arena to find the 'Pit of Death' - read a book where a significant character dies
Mod
The seven teams start off in El Jem Coliseum. They are given a route marking which tells them they must find 'Tataouine', which is 300 miles away. (see below)
When the teams arrive at the Tataouine, they are given a Detour.
The teams must chose between an easy and a difficult game. The games are called Puzzle and Listening. All the teams chose Listening, in which they must find the clue using a walkie talkie and find where the radio's counterpart, hidden somewhere in the labyrinth of caves with their next clue.
That clue says they must find a yellow and white flag in the middle of the Sahara Desert and that there are rocks to guide them there. Eventually, all the teams make it.
When they arrive at the flag, they take the next route marker. It's a Roadblock. One team member from each team had to ride a camel and use a set of compass directions to reach the flag visible in the distance in the middle of the desert.
Paul and Amie are the last team to arrive at the pit stop and are eliminated.
This week's tasks are:
Location: Tataouine (the Star Wars set in Tunisia) - read a book NOT set on Earth
Transportation: read a book where the MC rides in a truck
Mission: use a walkie talkie to locate the radio's counterpart - listen to an audio book
Roadblock: ride a camel (a camel is an even-toed ungulate in the genus Camelus) read a book published in a even numbered year (must be the version you read)
Mod
The teams start out in the Sahara desert. The clue reads that they must get to the Palace Hotel in Tunis, 300 miles away.
When they arrive at the flag outside the Coliseum, they are given a Detour. They have to chose between finding a statue of a foot and a statue of a hoof. The clue reads that they may pick up speed if they go for the hoof. The clue tells them that they must get to Castle Franco Emilia by taking a train. (see below)
The teams head to the Tunisian airport. Due to striking transportation staff in Rome, the teams had serious trouble getting tickets. Kevin and Drew manage to get tickets for themselves and two other teams (Nancy/Emily and Rob/Brennan).
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to drive a Smart car to the town square of Sant'Agata Bolognese, using a map written entirely in Italian.
This week's tasks are:
Location: Italy - read a book set in Italy
Transportation: read a book where the MC travels by airplane or train
Mission: This leg's Detour was a choice between Foot or Hoof.
a) Foot - read a book from a series with 12 or more books in it (a foot is 12 inches)
or
b) Hoof - read a book where the MC rides a horse
Roadblock: drive a Smart car to the town square of Sant'Agata Bolognese using a map written entirely in Italian - read a book that is published in more than one language
Mod
The teams are in Rome. Frank and Margarita obtain the Fast Forward and head straight to the next stop; New Delhi, India.
This leg's Detour was a choice between Glide or Ride. In Glide, the teams must take a glider to the next location and in Ride, the teams must take a set of bikes to the next location, which is Ferrara railway station.
Nancy/Emily, Lenny/Karyn and Joe/Bill all do the bike riding while the two other teams do the gliding (Rob/Brennan, Kevin/Drew). The teams learn they have to get to Red Market, New Delhi in India. (see below)
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to hire a cycle rickshaw and find a shopkeeper on Maliwara street in the congested Chandni Chowk market who would show the team member a blue box containing a replica of the Taj Mahal with their next clue.
Karyn and Lenny are the last to arrive at the pit stop and are eliminated.
This week's tasks are:
Location: read a book set in India
Transportation: read a book where the MC flies on an airplane
Mission: The teams must chose between Glide and Ride.
a) read a book with all the letters of RIDE in the title
or
b) read a book with all the letters of GLIDE in the title
Roadblock: hire a rickshaw and find a shopkeeper in the Chandni Chowk market - read a book where the MC owns his/her own business
Mod
The teams start off at the Taj Mahal and must find the next route marker, located somewhere on the grounds of the palace. Frank and Margarita are the first to leave because of their fast forward pass from the last leg.
Frank and Margarita are the first to find the route marker and need to find a yellow and white flag at the Palace of the Winds in Jaipur. They must either take a taxi or a bus.
Teams have to find a holy man by either riding an elephant up a hill or going by boat. Once they retrieve the clue from the holy man, they must head to Karni Mata Temple, a place where rats are considered sacred. One team member must walk though the temple of rats to retrieve the next clue. Margarita, Brennan, Kevin and Emily perform this task. (see the Karni Mata Temple below)
From there they head to the pit stop at a hotel. Joe/Bill and Nancy/Emily arrive a few minutes apart. Nancy and Emily are the last to arrive. This is the second of three non-elimination points in the race, so no one is eliminated.
This week's tasks are:
Location: Taj Mahal (India) - read a book with a mostly white cover (50%+ per tineye)
Transportation: read a book where the MC travels by taxi, bus, or boat
Mission: find a holy man at the Palace of the Winds - read a book with a significant character who is religious
Roadblock: find a clay pot with clues hidden in the Karni Mata Temple - read a book that is tagged 'historical' (clay is the oldest known ceramic material)
Mod
I think next week's location is the toughest of this challenge, so I wanted to give everyone a heads-up. We'll be in Thailand next week.
Mod
The five remaining teams must get to the Temple of Dawn in Bangkok, using the train or a bus. Kevin and Drew are the first to leave.
Only two teams are eligible to use the Fast Forward: Nancy/Emily and Joe/Bill. The Fast Forward is at the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. (see below)
The two teams going for it must perform an old tradition in which they must drop the exact amount of coins into 108 slots. The problem is they have to choose the coins from a series of small trays, either being too many, too few or the right amount.
When the teams get to the next destination, they get a Roadblock. In this particular Roadblock, one team member must walk through a pit of hand-raised tigers to receive the next clue.
Joe/Bill, having received the Fast Forward, assume they have some time to kill and spend the night at the hotel. However, they are the last team to arrive at the pit stop. Nancy/Emily received a 24 hour time penalty for skipping the Detour and are eliminated.
This week's tasks are:
Location: read a book set in Thailand
Transportation: read a book where the MC travels by bus or train
Mission: drop the exact amount of coins into 108 slots - read a book with any number of 108 as the last number of the page count (examples: 261, 338, 420; must be the edition you read)
Roadblock: walk through a pit of tigers - read a book with two or more complete trees on the cover (tigers are essentially associated with forest habitats)
Mod
The teams begin this leg at the Tiger Cave Temple in Krabi.
The first clue directs the teams to Raile Beach in which they must find "the king". The teams discover that "the king" is a large rock formation and that they must go rock climbing or they can take an extremely long hike, as part of a Detour. All of the teams chose to go rock climbing.
After rock climbing, the teams must find their way to a boat rental company in Bor Tor, Ao Luk. Teams had to hire a boat at Ao Nang Beach and find a route marker bobbing in the water 4 miles (6.4 km) from the mainland near Chicken Island, where they had to use the snorkel gear to dive in the water to get their next clue.
In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to paddle a kayak with their team member and all their luggage down the river in search of a route marker flag. Once the flag was spotted, they had to climb into a nearby cave to get their next clue.
Rob/Brennan arrive in first place and Joe/Bill arrive in last place but are not eliminated because it is a non-elimination leg.
This week's tasks are:
Location: (Ao Phang Nga National Park) - read a book where a National Park is mentioned
Transportation: - read a book where the MC travels by boat (not a ship)
Mission: teams must find "the king" at Raile Beach - read a book where royalty is a significant character in the book (examples of royalty: king, queen, prince, princess, duke, duchess, emperor, empress, tsar, tsarina)
Roadblock: one team member had to paddle a kayak with their team member and all their luggage down the river - read a book where the MC uses luggage, a trunk, or a suitcase (something that is designed to hold clothing while traveling)
Mod
The teams travel by airplane from Bangkok to Beijing.
This leg's Detour was a choice between Volley or Rally.
In Volley, teams had to score five points in a game of ping pong against a local champion to receive their next clue. Frank/Margarita and Rob/Brennan decided to play Ping-Pong.
In Rally, teams had to take three common forms of local transportation. Teams had to travel by Bus 101 to Hu Jia Lou. Next, a motorcycle taxi to Liu Jia Yao. Finally, a pedicab to Quan Xin Yuan Restaurant, where they would get their next clue.
The teams also had to buy beetle larvae, chicken feet, and squid at the Hongqiao Market (see below) and then take it to a chef. One of the team members then had to eat it.
Throughout the leg, Kevin/Drew and Joe/Bill were side by side. Nearing the pit stop, Kevin and Drew panicked when they couldn't find the South Gate. They arrived last and were eliminated.
This week's tasks are:
Location: read a book set in China
Transportation: read a book where the MC flies in an airplane
Mission: This leg has a choice between Volley or Rally.
a) In Volley, teams had to score five points in a game of ping pong against a local champion. - read a book which a teammate gave 5 stars
or
b) In Rally, teams had to take three common forms of local transportation. - read a book from the Best Traveling Vicariously list
Roadblock: give food purchases to a chef at Donghuamen Night Market and eat what he prepares - read a book with a prepared food on the cover
Mod
At the start of the leg in Beijing, teams had to use a map to find three kite flyers in Tiantan Park with their next clue. Once they obtained it, teams were then instructed to go to the Great Wall of China to find their next clue.
The Detour at the famous Great Wall of China was a choice between Flat or Steep. In Flat, teams had to walk to a long, flat path to a far away marked pavilion to their next clue. In Steep, teams had to take a much shorter, but extremely steep path to the closer marked pavilion to their next clue. All the teams chose the steep steps. At the top of the Great Wall, there is a clue.
They find that their next destination is a bed and breakfast in Anchorage, Alaska.
The morning after arriving in Alaska, they participated in an old Alaskan ritual, called a "Blanket Toss". (see below)
The next clue involved them getting to a glacier, where in a Roadblock, one of them had to climb it.
After the Roadblock, teams had to reach highway Mile Marker 131 near Denali State Park, where they would abandon their vehicles and ride a snowmobile to a wilderness cabin.
This week's tasks are:
Location: The Great Wall of China - read a book with 400+ pages
Transportation: read a book where the MC travels by airplane or snowmobile
Mission: use a marked map to find three kite flyers - read the third book of a trilogy or series
Roadblock: climb an ice wall - read a book set in the wintertime
Mod
Episode 13 - Race to the Finish: Part 2
The season's final Detour was a choice between Dog Power or Horsepower. In Dog Power, teams had to ride dog sleds 11 miles (18 km) to their next clue. In Horsepower, teams had to ride snowmobiles 30 miles (48 km) to their next clue.
In the final Roadblock, one team member had to strip down to their underwear or a bathing suit, plunge into the freezing waters, completely submerge their heads, and then retrieve their next clue.
From Alaska, the three teams travel back to the starting point in New York City where Frank and Margarita live. Rob and Brennan worry that this might give Frank and Margarita an advantage.
Once in New York City, the teams travel by taxi to Vincent Daniels Square along 51st and Roosevelt Avenue in Queens for their final clue.
At Vincent Daniels Square, teams had to take the 7 train from an elevated station to the Willets Point � Shea Stadium Station, then follow the flags to Flushing Meadows Park, the Finish Line of the inaugural Amazing Race.
Rob and Brennan are the first to cross the finish line. Frank and Margarita are the next team to arrive. In post-race interviews, Frank and Margarita claim they have won more than a million dollars in that of the rekindling of their relationship. Rob is happy to have won the race and to have won it with his best friend, Brennan.
Location: Alaska (USA) - read a book set in Alaska
Transportation: - read a book where the MC travels on an airplane or by subway
Mission: don snowshoes and follow the flags 1 mile (1.6 km) to Takosha Lodge - read a book with a one-word title
Roadblock: strip down to underwear or bathing suit and plunge into the freezing waters of Fish Lake - read a book where the MC goes swimming
Because there are only four tasks to choose from and they must all be completed,
I have tried to keep the tasks as simple (easy, manageable, non-genre) as possible.
However, the Location and Transportation tasks are specific. So that you can plan ahead, here is a list of those tasks:
Location - New York, France, Paris, any country that surrounds the Mediterranean Sea, NOT on Earth, Italy, India, Thailand, China, Alaska
Transportation - at some point in the book, the main character must travel on an airplane, train, large boat/ship, truck, or subway
Depending on your teammates, you may need to find a book that fulfills one of these tasks.