Introduction → Meet the Teams → Race Tracker → Leg 1 → Leg 2 → Leg 3 → Leg 4 → Leg 5 → Leg 6 → Leg 7 → Leg 8 → Leg 9 → Leg 10 → Leg 11 → Leg 12 → Leg 13 → Leg 14 → Leg 15
Leg 23.01 – “Time is gold, este pera pala!”
Here we go! Welcome to The Amazing Race Philippines: DryedMangoez Edition Season 23! It is just about sunrise in the beautiful, cool (literally!) city of Baguio. And the 13(!) teams are arriving at the Starting Line in the iconic Burnham Park.
Teams will be embarking on the biggest Amazing Race Philippines season ever. This is will definitely be a memorable Race. “So I hope you can remember every experience.” (*hint!*)
There will be a few surprises this season. And the first one is right now. “Welcome to the very first ever CashKarera Leg!” Like last season, the Non-Elimination Legs will be at the start and end of Race. Meaning teams will have to Race hard on every Leg to avoid certain elimination.
On this first CashKarera Leg, teams will be Racing through Baguio City and the stunning hills of Benguet to not only best position themselves for the Pit Start on the next Leg. But also to win as much cold hard cash as they can!
Teams will win money based on how fast they can complete tasks and reach Route Markers during this Leg. Each placement at the end of each specific task is equivalent to a specific amount. For example, the first team to complete a task and sign-in at a checkpoint will bank P7500 while the last team to complete a task will bank just P100. Teams will learn of how much total money they’ve won at the Pit Stop.
And of course, their placements at the end of the Leg will determine their departures at the Pit Start of Leg 2.
Even more good news. Because this is a CashKarera Leg, this is a Non-Elimination Leg! And no team will be eliminated just yet. So! It’s all about the cash!
Teams can be kaskaseros on this CashKarera Leg, as long as they remain safe while driving brand new 2023 Kia Sportages! So, let’s not waste any more time!
“Good luck, ingat sa biyahe… GO!”
Teams run to their backpacks and open the first clue telling them to head into SM City Baguio. They must search the entire mall, which they will have to themselves in these dawn hours, for various clueboxes.
These clueboxes contain not only their next clues, but also Fast Forward Flips, Express Passes, Super Yields AND the brand-new Pit Start Pass. With a Pit Start Pass, teams will be able to hand it in at the start of any Leg in order to depart with the first group.
Teams will be able to claim as many of these special prizes as they want. But they could also be losing precious time in earning CashKarera moneys by doing so.
The next clue reveals the very first Road Block of the Race: Who’s down for the first Road Block?
For this Road Block, teams will rappel down the side of SM City Baguio in order to release their next clue.
That clue tells teams to search for brand-new 2023 Kia Sportages in the SM City parking garage and then drive themselves to Balatoc Mines in Itogon where they will find the next Road Block: Who’s ready for this golden opportunity? There are no restrictions to who can perform this Road Block.
For this Road Block, teams must search the mines for large rocks which they must chip away at to reveal a gold bullion which they must carry out and exchange for the next clue.
Also inside the large rock should be an Interchange which teams can use all the way to the end of the Race.
After the Road Block, teams must drive themselves to La Trinidad Strawberry Farms. Here they will find the first Detour of the Race: Tupig or Too Big.
In Tupig, teams must make 30 of the delicious Ilocano treat. Once they have the banana leaf-wrapped rice cakes on the grill, they will receive the next clue.
In Too Big, teams must search the strawberry fields for four large strawberries matching their team color. They must roll those strawberries to their proper perches at the main gate in order to receive the next clue.
Teams must now drive themselves to the Diplomat Hotel where they must search the complex for the next clue. What teams don’t know is the clue will actually find them as a “ghost” will scare them with it.
That clue directs teams to Easter Weaving Room where they will find ANOTHER Road Block: Who’s an ace at the interlace?
For this Road Block, teams must weave a traditional cloth according to an example. When approved, they will be given the cloth and the next clue.
That clue tells teams to find the Colors of Stobosa.
And from the bridge, teams must search the colorful homes to find the location of a house painted exactly the same as their cloth they weaved in the Road Block. That is where their next clue waits.
And finally, that clue tells teams to make their way to the Pit Stop at Wright Park. Teams must choose a new horse friend who will accompany them to the Mat.
The first team to check-in at the Pit Stop will receive P200,000 courtesy of Shell V-Power Nitro+. In addition to their CashKarera haul!
The last team to check-in WILL NOT be eliminated and must now choose a Non-Elimination Penalty envelope!
^Click here to follow the teams through the Leg and see the final CashKarera results!
“Director’s” Commentary
Wowowo! We’re actually back! Crazy yeah? Lol
So, this season will feature a few more Legs than the normal TARPHDME. Though technically, TARPHDME20 had what was equivalent to 14 Legs while TARPHDME21 had basically 13.
I decided on a “supersized” season mainly because I need content for DryedMangoez.com lololol But also to be in line with what a real TARPH would have to do. That is, maximize the series with as many episodes as possible. Need to get their return on investment, of course.
Instead of adding an extra international Leg though, I decided why not have a full Leg at home first. Especially as a way to determine the Pit Start departures for the first destination abroad. For TARPHDME22, I had teams do a mini-Leg in Manila. But I decided to just do a full Leg here. Also partly to have a full Leg in Baguio that is not a finale.
But how to make it more interesting? That’s how I decided on the CashKarera idea.
So first of all, I had so much trouble trying to come up with a clever name lol I thought about stealin… I mean, recycling the “City Sprint” from TARUS. I put down other “racing” terms like “Rush” or “Dash” or “Money Rush” or even “Side Hustle” lolol But somehow I ended up with CashKarera which sounded like kaskasero which means someone who speeds or even goes over the speed limit. We don’t want teams to go over the speed limit here of course! Lol But going as fast as they can to win as much money as they can is the goal here.
I don’t know if it would work in practice, but I like the idea on paper. And it could be something that can help make Non-Elimination Legs more interesting.
The prize values begin at P10,00 for the first place team and then moves down in P500 increments. And I put Checkpoints at the end of tasks AND at Route Markers. I think navigation and driving especially are tasks in and of themselves. So they should be rewarded too.
So, let’s get to the Leg. First, Burnham Park is the obvious Starting Line location. I wondered what could be a good first task. Especially a Starting Line task, but Google scouting can only reveal so much. I still have never been able to visit Baguio myself. Hopefully soon though!
I knew I wanted to incorporate SM somehow. Perhaps as a first Leg sponsor too? Extra moneys! But since we would be starting this Leg in the early morning, we’d have the entire mall to ourselves. So why not have teams freely running around. I think it’s a good way to mix luck and physical to separate teams a little bit at the start of the Leg. And an easy way to dispense the Fast Forward Flips and Express Passes and Super Yields and *gasp* the new Pit Start Pass!
The Pit Start Pass I had planned for last season with the introduction of the staggered departures. But I didn’t find a good way to incorporate it yet.
Next up is a straightforward rappelling Road Block. Good to have an “extreme,” adrenaline task at the beginning too. Plus again, a great way to promote a potential sponsor like SM hehe
The next task is a pseudo Switchback to the actual TARPH1. Tweaked a little bit to make it more challenging with having to break it open. But still very physical with having to carry it out too. A good spot to collect the Interchange too.
The Detour at the strawberry farms; man, I’m just hitting every touristy landmark in the Baguio area. Lol But it’s two interesting tasks that teams just have to get through. Tupig is delicious! So nice to have it featured here. And the giant strawberries should hopefully be funny as well as physical.
Speaking of funny, the Diplomat Hotel Route Marker is just for fun. Being able to scare teams in the haunted mansion is just an extra task. I originally had it as a Road Block though.
And speaking of Road Block, I have a THIRD one this Leg. Straightforward weaving task to highlight the culture. And then to somehow pair with featuring the Colors of Stobosa homes. A wonderful location. I’d love to have some kind of other task there though. But I’m not sure what.
Finally, wrapping up the Leg at Wright Park. With one final challenge with new horse friends who can hopefully trip up teams too before the Mat.
Overall, I think it’s a good Leg. A very FULL Leg of course. But for a CashKarera Leg, we can only hope that it provides an opportunity for teams to really be competitive right at the start. Hopefully lots of placement changes. Lots of exciting competition. Let’s hope!