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 22.02 – “I think your voice is offensive.”
The second Leg of the Race begins with teams boarding a special chartered Cebu Pacific A330neo flight which will take them from Sharjah to Tbilisi, Georgia!
Teams will begin the Leg at the Pit Start in front of the St. George Statue in Freedom Square with pairs of teams departing every ten minutes starting at 9am.
The first clue tells teams to choose a 2022 Kia Soul and drive themselves to Iago’s Winery in Chardakhi where they will find the Road Block: Who won’t wine about today’s chores?
Qvevri clay pots are used to create Georgia’s unique wine. For this Road Block, teams must wash out an enormous traditional qvevri pot which is buried in the ground to the satisfaction of the owner in order to receive their next clue.
That clue points teams to Jvari Monastery in Mtskheta where they will find the Detour: Divine Dumpling or Sweet String.
In Divine Dumpling, teams must learn how to and correctly make khinkali, a traditional Georgian soup dumpling. Once they’ve made the correct number of dumplings and enjoyed a serving, they will receive the next clue.
In Sweet String, teams must thread eight strings of twenty hazelnuts each to make a traditional churchkhela, a sausage-shaped candy. They must dip them into a pot to glaze them and then hang them up to dry in order to receive the next clue.
That clue directs teams to the Rustavi International Motorpark where they will find a Double Road Block: Drag and Drift.
The team member who will Drag, will drag race and must reach the finish line within the specified amount of seconds.
The team member who will Drift, will perform drifting tricks around a course with a pro.
Teams can decide which side of the Double Road Block to complete first. After successfully completing both, they will be given the next clue.
Teams can now make their way to Rustavi City Hall for the next clue which then points them to the Rustavi Theatre.
Here, teams must learn and perform a traditional Georgian polyphony song with The Ensemble Rustavi.
When given the thumbs up, teams can make their way on foot to Rustavi Fortress.
The first team to check-in here will win P200,000 courtesy of Shell V-Power Nitro+.
The last team to check-in here will be the first team eliminated from the Race.
“Director’s” Commentary
Recycling is good for the environment! Lol
So, when looking for open countries back in January, Georgia was one of the small number of them. It had always been on my list for TARPHDME. And it fit in well after UAE and our next destination. So why not.
Of course, Google scouting can only yield so much. So of course we have to raid TARUS’ closet and recycle some of TAR28’s Georgia visit. Lol
Some tweaks of course. First, we turned the qvevri Detour into a Road Block which is a much better use for the task I think. Then the string candy side of the Detour is paired with a dumpling-making Detour which matches very well. Both food stuffs, but different techniques and just as tedious. Again, all of these tasks limit the teams’ exposure to other people which is sad, but necessary. I guess.
Next, a visit to a speedway is an easy and typical TAR staple. So I put a Double Road Block here. Having teams decide which task to do first should add some competitive drama and perhaps fuel some frustration since neither task is too easy.
Finally, the extra task at the theater could’ve easily been the TAR28 Road Block. And it might even be better. But to avoid being a completely recycled Leg, I just put in the polyphonic singing instead which is another task that I’ve had in the TARPHDME bank for a while as well.
The final Race on foot to the Pit Stop should also add more extra drama too.
Overall, a straightforward and maybe relatively short Leg (by TARPHDME standards), but it’s a competitive Leg I think.