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Team Angry Dad (Ron & Christina) is giddy with excitement of heading to China so they can use their Chinese fluency to their advantage, whereas Jen & Kisha and the cheerleaders don’t have pleasant memories of racing in China. In fact, Jen reminisces that it was in China that she got elbowed by Luke and she called him a “bitch.” But with a Nissan serving as her confession booth, she apologizes publicly for it.

Have you ever had one of those days where you just know that a great outlook on the day will make it great? Well, I hope that worked for you better than it does for Kent & Vyxsin. The Goths are trying out their new slogan of PMA or Positive Mental Attitude but as expected, it lasts all of 45 seconds when they can’t find the car or figure out the keyless remote. Unexpectedly, it’s Vyxsin’s short fuse that is lit and the countdown begins to her meltdown. All the other teams have arrived at the airport, caught some shut-eye and are checked in at 6:30 a.m. for their flight at 9:50 a.m.

So, 3…2…1…tears. The lady Goth’s navigation skills have sent them hours in the wrong direction and that error reduces Vyxsin to tears and even addressing the camera directly to bid the race farewell. I didn’t see this coming. Kent is displaying a zen-like calm amidst all her waterworks, histrionics and self-blame.

Back at the Narita airport, the other teams are baffled that the Goths haven’t shown up. Justin observes, “Even if they had to walk to the airport, they should have been here by now.” Not very sympathetic but funny. Unfortunately, Kent doesn’t get the miracle he was hoping for and the required flight leaves on time. The Goths finally arrive at the Narita Airport and get seats on the next flight at 3:30 in the afternoon or more than five and a half hours after the others.

About four hours into the Goths’ flight, the others have landed in Kunming and begin surveying their travel options. Instead of getting on another plane that wouldn’t leave until the morning, everyone opts for riding the rails. The linguistic skills of Ron & Christina have paid off and they use a fellow traveler’s laptop to quickly determine that an 8:50 p.m. train is the best option and they are the only team on this train. The others converge on the train ticket booth ten minutes too late. This puts all the remaining teams, save for Kent & Vyxsin, on the next train at 10:16 p.m.

Meanwhile, our wayward Goths have landed in Kunming in the wee hours of the morning and there are zero plane or train options for them. They are left to cool their heels until morning. Even though Ron & Christina arrive in Lijiang at 5:38 a.m., it doesn’t really matter because the shuttle taking them to Jade Dragon Mountain won’t leave until 8 a.m. I hope Ron is still finding comfort in the local food stuffs that he insisted upon them stopping for.

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