TAR 37, Recap Leg 3, 3/19/25

 

Welcome to Leg 3! Last time, on Sometimes Working the System Is Better Than Arguing, 12 teams raced from Hong Kong to Osaka, Japan. The Lumberjacks and the Mother-Daughter team managed to get a better flight while the Besties argued. Ernest struggled at the intersected Roadblock with Mark, but they eventually got through. Jonathan and Ana got the first place finish they wanted, and even though the siblings argued, they managed to show up before Ernest and Bridget, who were eliminated. Who will be eliminated. . . next? (click for more)

Arrival at the pit stop last episode:

1st – Jonathan and Ana, Team California Fitness

2nd – Scott and Lori, Team Mormon Octomom

3rd – Alyssa and Josiah, Team Newlywed Nurses

4th – Carson and Jack, Team DND Gaymers

5th – Melinda and Erika, Team Mother-Daughter Dance

6th – Courtney and Jasmin, Team Dating Nurses

7th – Pops and Jeff, Team Loumberjacks

8th – Bernie and Carrigain, Team Bestie Girls

9th – Brett and Mark, Team Vegas Showgays

10th – Nick and Mike, Team TAR Brothers

11th – Han and Holden, Team Sibling Rivalry

Tahoto Pagoda, Katsuo-ji Temple, Minoh, Japan

8:31 AM Jonathan/Ana (1st) – who admit they have become a stronger team, but also are aware that Jonathan is heat sensitive, so they need to keep an eye on that later.

Clue: Take the shinkansen train to Kyoto, Japan! Once there, take a taxi to Shimogamo Shrine to get your next clue. The Express Pass will be up for grabs on this leg!

8:53 AM Scott/Lori (2nd) – Lori has invented the word “slogging” – slow jogging. (Toyouke: “Ugh.”)

8:57 AM Alyssa/Josiah (3rd

9:08 AM Carson/Jack (4th)

9:19 AM Melinda/Erika (5th)

9:27 AM Courtney/Jasmin (6th) – who are nurses, and they say they are adaptable.

9:28 AM Pops/Jeff (7th)

9:29 AM Bernie/Carrigain (8th) – Bernie: “It’s kinda like a train.” (Toyouke: “SIGH”)

9:37 AM Brett/Mark (9th)

9:38 AM Nick/Mike (10th)

10:34 AM Han/Holden (11th)

So teams make their way by taxi to Shin-Osaka Station to catch the bullet train. Teams arrive in the following order:

1- Jonathan/Ana

2- Scott/Lori

3- Carson/Jack

4- Alyssa/Josiah

5- Pops/Jeff – who get to the front of the line because they convince other people to let them. (Toyouke: “Don't bug the regular people in line.”)

6- Courtney/Jasmin

7- Melinda/Erika – because Melinda’s leg was starting to hurt.

8- Bernie/Carrigain

9- Brett/Mark

10- Nick/Mike

11- Han/Holden

Teams now book their trains to Kyoto. (Toyouke: “I want to say the bullet train is cool but also not cheap?”) They get on the following trains:

Train #1, departs 9:33 AM

1) Jonathan/Ana

2) Scott/Lori

Train #2, departs 9:48 AM

1) Carson/Jack

2) Alyssa/Josiah

Train #3, departs 10:06 AM

1) Pops/Jeff

Train #4, departs 10:30 AM

1) Courtney/Jasmin

2) Melinda/Erika

Train #5, departs 10:39 AM

1) Bernie/Carrigain

2) Brett/Mark

3) Nick/Mike

Train #6, departs 11:18 AM

1) Han/Holden

The Amazing Red Line now takes us from Osaka to Kyoto, where teams arrive in the following order:

1- Jonathan/Ana

2- Scott/Lori

3- Alyssa/Josiah

4- Carson/Jack

5- Pops/Jeff

6- Melinda/Erika

7- Courtney/Jasmin

8- Brett/Mark

9- Nick/Mike

10- Bernie/Carrigain

11- Han/Holden

Teams get taxis and make their way to Shimogamo Shrine. They arrive and find the clue box in the following order:

1- Scott/Lori

2- Jonathan/Ana

3- Carson/Jack

4- Alyssa/Josiah

5- Pops/Jeff

6- Melinda/Erika

7- Courtney/Jasmin

8- Bernie/Carrigain

9- Nick/Mike

10- Brett/Mark

11- Han/Holden

Teams are now instructed to find the marked vendor and purchase a sheet of O-mikuji, a magic fortune paper that is often purchased at the shrine. Teams must then dip their clue in water for their clue to appear. Teams get their clue in the following order:

1- Jonathan/Ana

2- Scott/Lori

3- Carson/Jack

4- Alyssa/Josiah

5- Pops/Jeff

6- Melinda/Erika

7- Courtney/Jasmin

8- Bernie/Carrigain

9- Brett/Mark

10- Nick/Mike

11- Han/Holden

Teams read on the o-mikuji paper that they are to travel to Shiramine Jingu Shrine. Teams get taxis and get their clues in the following order.

1- Jonathan/Ana

2- Carson/Jack

3- Scott/Lori

4- Alyssa/Josiah

5- Pops/Jeff

6- Melinda/Erika

7- Nick/Mike

8- Brett/Mark

9- Bernie/Carrigain - "It says the shrine name, but is that our clue?"

10- Courtney/Jasmin – who once again have taxi issues, and this time, the clue disappeared because the paper dried and they didn’t write it down. (Toyouke: “OK the bus leaving while they poured water on the clue was really funny to me.”)

11- Han/Holden

Teams open their clues come to the third roadblock and the Express Pass.

ROADBLOCK:
Who’s up for some kicks?
In this roadblock, one team member must play kemari, an ancient Japanese game with elements of four square and hacky sack. Once the Roadblocker makes 5 complete passes in succession, teams get their next clue.

The following team members complete the Roadblock.

1- Jonathan
2- Carson
3- Scott

4- Josiah – even though Alyssa played Division 1 Soccer.

5- Pops

6- Erika

7- Nick

8- Brett

9- Carrigain

10- Courtney

11- Holden

Teams also get information about how to claim the Express Pass.

EXPRESS PASS

To earn the Express Pass, both team members must complete the Roadblock. Once both team members have successfully done the task, the team would be awarded with the Express Pass.

(Toyouke: “Interesting. So you don't have to go anywhere for the Express Pass, you just need to do double Roadblocks.”) The following teams go for the Express Pass:

1- Jonathan/Ana

2- Carson/Jack

Scott/Lori consider it briefly, but by the time they complete the Roadblock, both Ana and Jack are working on their attempts, so they choose to move on. (Toyouke: “Yeah, this is a great idea. You're ahead, you can always bail, you might as well try for the Express Pass.”) Ana completes her attempt before Jack, and so Jonathan and Ana win the Express Pass, and we all continue racing.

After much kemari-ing, teams complete the Roadblock in the following order:

1- Jonathan/Ana
2- Carson/Jack
3- Scott/Lori

4- Alyssa/Josiah

5- Pops/Jeff

6- Melinda/Erika

7- Nick/Mike

8- Brett/Mark

9- Han/Holden

10- Bernie/Carrigain

11- Courtney/Jasmin

Teams then open up their Roadblock clue, which tells them to travel by taxi to Yasaka Koshin-do Temple. Teams arrive at the clue box in the following order:

1- Scott/Lori
2- Carson/Jack
3- Jonathan/Ana

4- Alyssa/Josiah

5- Melinda/Erika – who see Pops and Jeff are lost and help them since they have an alliance as these teams have the oldest competitors left.

6- Pops/Jeff

7- Nick/Mike

8- Brett/Mark

9- Han/Holden

10- Bernie/Carrigain

11- Courtney/Jasmin

Teams open their clues and we get the second Detour Clue.

DETOUR:

Fold It OR Fling It

*Fold It: Teams make their way by taxi to Kyoto Budo Center. Once there, teams must fold a giant piece of origami paper into a traditional peace crane based on the demonstrations of the children. Once complete, teams get their next clue.

*Fling It: Teams make their way by taxi to Kyoto Budo Center. Once there, teams put on ninja outfits and must hit targets with throwing darts, throwing stars, and blow gun darts. Each team member must perform 3 of each perfectly (18 projectiles) without missing in order to get their next clue.

(Toyouke: “I've made a lot of cranes but the question is, could I remember the order of folds without instructions?” Kmanpat: “I have them memorized, so we’re good.” Toyouke: “OK I feel like with the two kids doing demos, I've done enough origami to make Fold It the best choice. Rather than trying to throw spikes.)

1- Scott/Lori choose Fling It – and after a few attempts in the practice area, perform our first Bald Snark of the season and switch to Fold It.

2- Carson/Jack choose Fling It – who stick it out longer than Jonathan and Ana, but eventually Bald Snark to Fold It. Not enough anime watching apparently.

3- Jonathan/Ana choose Fling It – and also eventually choose to Bald Snark to Fold It.

4- Alyssa/Josiah choose Fling It – are stubborn and put in 22 attempts on the judging area, but also Bald Snark to Fold It.

5- Melinda/Erica choose Fold It

6- Pops/Jeff choose Fold It – (Toyouke: “I love how two teams immediately said "let's work together" and then...they don't seem to have done that?”)

7- Nick/Mike choose Fling It – they are even more stubborn than Alyssa and Josiah, take a break to meditate, and give up after 31 attempts to Bald Snark to Fold It.

8- Brett/Mark choose Fold It

9- Han/Holden choose Fold It

10- Bernie/Carrigain choose Fling It – are shocked no one else is doing this, but find out very quickly why and also Bald Snark to Fold It.

11- Courtney/Jasmin choose Fold It

Much origami folding and failing at ninja throwing ensues. So, teams complete the detour in the following order:

1- Scott/Lori
2- Carson/Jack
3- Jonathan/Ana

4- Melinda/Erika

5- Brett/Mark

6- Pops/Jeff

7- Alyssa/Josiah

8- Nick/Mike

9- Han/Holden

10- Bernie/Carrigain

11- Courtney/Jasmin

Teams are now instructed to make their way to Konkai Komyo-ji Temple, the PIT STOP of the third leg of this racearoundtheworld. The last team to arrive WILL be eliminated!

1- Scott/Lori – who win $2500 each. Phil also informs them about the new element on the next leg, the Driver’s Seat, where the first team to arrive will be able to determine the work load for a specific task to other teams. (Toyouke: “Phil's description of the Driver's Seat is not helpful and I like my idea better.”)

2- Carson/Jack

3- Jonathan/Ana – who show off their Express Pass that must be used by Leg 5.

4- Melinda/Erika

5- Brett/Mark

6- Pops/Jeff

7- Alyssa/Josiah

8- Nick/Mike

9- Han/Holden

10- Bernie/Carrigain

11- Courtney/Jasmin – (Toyouke: “Yeah, this result tracks. I have no idea why they seem to be so absolutely terrible at hailing cabs.”)

And Courtney and Jasmin are eliminated. And that’s about it. They don’t have to deal with taxis anymore.

ORDER NOW:

1st – Scott/Lori

2nd – Carson/Jack

3rd – Jonathan/Ana

4th – Melinda/Erika

5th – Brett/Mark

6th – Pops/Jeff

7th – Alyssa/Josiah

8th – Nick/Mike

9th – Han/Holden

10th – Bernie/Carrigain

Next week: We head to the jungles of Bali, and we are introduced to the Driver’s Seat challenge, which doesn’t appear to be liked by many teams. (Toyouke: “I paused on the board for the Driver's Seat. There are pictures of all the teams and then labels with different weights (I think I saw 15lb, 20lb, 25lb). So based on what Phil said, it looks like the first team can assign weights to everyone else. Maybe how much of something you must transport? So you can make some people do more work.”) Until next time!