Introduction → Leg 1 → Leg 2 → Leg 3 → Leg 4 → Leg 5 → Leg 6 → Leg 7 → Leg 8 → Leg 9A → Leg 9B → Leg 10 → Leg 11 → Leg 12
Leg 17.11 – “Why Did You Waste Your Time Learning then?!”
This is it! The Penultimate Leg to decide the Final 3 teams in the finale begins right now.
Teams must take a train from Hangzhou to Jing’an Temple in Shanghai.
Here, teams must light incense to be given a list of three shrines and statues in the temple into which teams will toss in some change for a good luck blessing. If teams find the right shrines and statues, they will be given the next clue.
That clue directs teams to Fuxing Park where they will find the Detour: Teach It or Pull It.
In Teach It, teams must learn a tai chi routine and teach it to 15 locals. When teams are able to perform the routine with their new students, they will receive their next clue.
In Pull It, teams must learn how to and successfully make a batch of hand-pulled noodles at Lanzhou Lamian in the French Concession. Once they’ve made a batch that can get the thumbs up, they will receive the next clue.
That clue tells teams to make their way to the Jade Buddha Temple And here, they will find ANOTHER Detour: Eat It or Drink It.
In Eat It, teams must find Din Tai Fung on Xianxia Road where they will eat their famous xiaolongbao. Teams must then identify what type of xiaolongbao each of the 10 pieces is filled with in order to receive the next clue.
In Drink It, teams must make their way to the TIanshan Tea City. Teams must search for eight marked stalls in the sprawling complex. They will sample different tea from across China. After tasting the tea and memorizing the names and regions from which they originated, they will find a table set up with the eight teas. They must properly match the teas with their names and regions, all from memory and without notes. Once correct, the tea master will hand them the next clue.
Teams must now find the 1933 Slaughterhouse where they will search for their next clue. And that clue is a Road Block: Who can moo-ve it along?
For this Road Block, teams will choose a rolling cow with open spots and have it accompany them through the web of staircases, ramps, bridges and corridors in this massive concrete complex. While doing so, teams must search for 11 stickers that will be placed on the empty spots on the cow. Each sticker represents a Route Marker from each Leg of the Race. Once teams have filled their cow’s spots with the proper stickers, they will receive the next clue.
That clue directs teams to the Gutzlaff Signal Tower along The Bund. Here, teams’ next clue is a photo of the Pit Stop, which they must figure out is…
The Monument of the People’s Heroes.
The first team to check in here will win P200,000 courtesy of Shell V-Power Nitro+. The first three teams make it to the finale.
The last team to check in here WILL be eliminated.
“Director’s” Commentary
So, I think this is a very nice Penultimate Leg! I like how the tasks get increasingly more difficult as it progresses which should help build up the tension and frustration for the teams as they Race for a spot in the Final Leg.
We first start out with a simple task at the temple. It should set teams up at the beginning and get them a little comfortable before things get more difficult.
The first Detour is straightforward enough and gets teams interacting with the locals. I also was looking for things to do in the French Concession. The second Detour are also a pair of straightforward food tasks. There’s also apparently several Din Tai Fungs in Shanghai. So if teams go to the wrong one, then yay for drama! Lol! The tea side of the task seems daunting, but I think the xiao long bao can be tricky as well.
Since this is a Double Detour Leg, having simpler, but still tricky and challenging tasks should be fine.
The highlight of the Leg though has to be the Road Block. The 1933 Slaughterhouse looks like an incredibly interesting building. I came up with this task here, but I think there can be many different possible tasks that utilize this building in an exciting and interesting way.
The final tense task will be teams running along the length of The Bund to the Pit Stop. Should be exciting!
Overall, a solid Penultimate Leg in Shanghai that is hopefully different and refreshing from the Shanghai Legs of the past!