Episode Report Card M. Giant: A- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT All About the Melons
By M. Giant | Season 20 | Episode 3 | Aired on 03.04.2012
Art and JJ's cab delivers them to Metalurgica Punta de Rieles. JJ takes one look at the jumble inside the fence and says, "We gotta find the clue in this mess? Holy smokes." They're not only in the lead, they're dominating at whining. For some reason, the only means of entry for the racers are a set of playground slides laid over the fence that they have to slide down. Despite all their bitching, they soon find a clue inside one of the barbecue grills. It's a Detour, with the options being "Stacked Up" or "Strung Out." Phil explains, "Teams must now make their way to Paraguay's favorite fruit market, or work with Paraguay's favorite musical instrument." Sometimes the writers strain to make the Detours seem connected, and sometimes they just throw their hands up. For "Stacked Up," the racers will go to the largest fruit market in Paraguay "and join the workforce in the busy watermelon season." Each team will have to build a perfectly shaped pyramid of melons, ten melons on a side at its base. So that's a hundred melons at the bottom, 81 in the second tier, on up to the single watermelon on top bringing the total to 385. Judging from the similar-looking melon-structures we see all over the market like the eggs of an alien invasion force, this is apparently SOP at this market, although it looks like most of the pros get to do this work in the shade. "When the vendor is satisfied with the mountain of melons, he'll hand over the next clue," Phil says while a guy somehow stacks melons in time-lapse behind him and the guy holding the clue. For "Strung Out," they'll head to an auditorium and string one of many harps set out on a stage. The harp, as you know, is the national instrument of Paraguay... I guess because all the other instruments were taken. There's an "ongoing demonstration" that will show them how to attach 36 strings. When it's ready to be tuned, the conductor will give them their next clue. So they don't even have to tune the harps themselves? Lame.
Art and JJ decide to do "Stacked Up" and leave just as Bopper and Mark are arriving, so we get to see twice as many grown men with large backpacks awkwardly going down slides. Bopper and Mark are also doing "Stacked Up." Team Undercover and Other Rachel and Dave show up and start searching as well. Nary and Jamie are the third team to find the clue and Other Rachel and Dave are close behind. They're both doing "Stacked Up" as well. But how will those poor harps ever get strung?
Art and JJ arrive at the fruit market, where they take in the pre-existing pyramids, empty pallets waiting to have pyramids built on them and dump trucks full of watermelons. They load up a hand truck with watermelons and get to work. JJ interviews, "We catch the bad guys, and we catch the dopers and the alien smugglers. We know we can do the manual labor. We're not afraid of getting dirty and sweaty and grimy and gutting out. We know we can get that done." Cool, thanks JJ. Let us know if you can think of any other ways you are awesome. No, later is fine.