Introduction → Leg 1 → Leg 2 → Leg 3 → Leg 4 → Leg 5 → Leg 6 → Leg 7 → Leg 8 → Leg 9 → Leg 10A → Leg 10B → Leg 11 → Leg 12
Leg 18.09 – “I think we took her clothes.”
The Race is heading into the home stretch with this 9th Leg as teams learn they will be flying to Odessa, Ukraine!
All teams will be on the same Turkish Airlines flight via Istanbul, arriving in Odessa at 9:30am.
Upon arrival in Odessa, teams must make their way to the Odessa Opera and Ballet Theater.
And here, teams must search for the Forced Double U-Turn Vote Board!
After casting their votes, teams must now search the theater seats for their next clue. BUT! Also hidden behind the seats is one Super Yield!
The New Rules Super Yield will allow a team to place a Yield at any Route Marker on this Leg (and the next Leg) except for the Pit Stop and U-Turn or regular Yield checkpoints. Teams must place a Super Yield at a cluebox or clue pick-up location before opening their own clue. The first team to arrive at the Route Marker after the Super Yield has been placed will automatically be Yielded.
The Super Yield must be used before the end of the 10th Leg.
After searching for their clue, teams must now “Find Auntie Sonya.” Teams must figure out that their next clue awaits at the Statue of Auntie Sonya in Privoz Market. And here, teams will find the Detour: Stack Of or Pile Of.
In Stack Of, teams must set up a market stall of fruits and vegetables.
In Pile Of, teams must search through piles of clothes at various stalls for 10 matching pairs of tops and bottoms.
After the Detour, teams must make their way to The Passage.
And here, teams will find the Double U-Turn Reveal Board!
After checking in at the U-Turn, teams will open the next clue revealing the Road Block: What’s so funny?
Odessa has been hosting the annual Humorina Festival of Humor. Odessa humor is a notable part of both Jewish and Russian humor. For this Road Block, teams must learn and memorize a comedy routine which they must then perform for an audience. If the audience loves their performance, they will get the next clue.
Teams will now be given flowers and they must bring them to the Monument to the Unknown Sailor. They will lay the flowers at this monument in honor of those who defended Odessa during the Ikalawang Digmaang Pandaigdig or World War II.
After a moment of silence, teams must search for the next clue while taking the kanatna doroha down, Teams must figure out they have to ride the cable car down and search below to find their next clue on Otrada Beach.
Here, teams must set up five beach tents to receive their next clue.
Afterwards, teams must swim out to the water to retrieve their next clue from a floating cluebox.
That clue tells teams to make their way on foot to the Duke de Richelieu Monument, the Pit Stop for this Leg of the Race. Teams MUST reach the Pit Stop by walking up the Potemkin Stairs.
The first team to check in here will win P200,000 courtesy of Shell V-Power Nitro+.
The last team to check in WILL be eliminated.
This is also the Trigger Point for this Leg of the Race. If any team does not walk up the stairs to reach the Mat, the U-Turn or Yield will be activated
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“Director’s” Commentary
So, this feels like a last minute replacement Leg, yes? Lol It’s actually not, but as I always say, it’s the limits of Google location scouting of course. Lol
Anyway, Odessa, Ukraine has been on my reserve list for a while (including some of these tasks). And it definitely fit on this route
The first Route Marker at the theater is typical TAR. The main point of this will be the possibility of a team obtaining a Super Yield. Any opportunity to throw out a twist, yes?
Next up is the Detour at Privoz Market. Both are very simple, straightforward tasks. That means perfect for a U-Turn! Tasks that get teams running around and interacting with locals are always rewarding.
The Road Block recycles TAR Canada, among others, but Canada especially, where teams have to memorize a routine and perform it. Definitely something different from the usual dancing tasks since any reciting task,especially this one, requires a good delivery.
The cable car, beach and swimming tasks are all just to help fill out the Leg while also highlighting Odessa’s touristy side. (Which the city will obviously like to promote while we’re there!)
Finally, we hope teams don’t walk up the stairs or have to walk up the stairs multiple times to get to the Pit Stop. That would be hilarious. Not sure if we should have them count steps or not just to mess with them. But we hope the Race to the Mat can be hilarious and full of drama.