Title: The Amazing Race: DP EditionAuthor: wwffan7385
Disclaimer:
All Danny Phantom characters copyrighted and owned by Butch Hartman,
Nickelodeon, and Viacom. The Amazing Race is property of CBS and
Touchstone Television. All other names, places, and trademarks I may
mention are owned by their respective companies.
Rating: G-PG, not sure yet
Genre: Reality
Spoilers: I can't give away the race results like they do for the real show!
Pairings: Nothing beyond what's presented in the show, maybe accentuated a bit.
Warnings: Several D/S instances.
Story
Synopsis: So I think I now know what my specialization will be in FF
writing: crossovers. That's exactly what I'm doing here, as I am
crossing one of the best cartoons out there (DP) with the best reality
show on television. I'm going to try to make all the route markers as
accurate as possible, and see how I can go with this. Needless to say,
this is my biggest fanfiction project yet, and I'm still enrolled at
Georgia Tech, so we'll see what happens.
For those who want to get a
refresher on The Amazing Race, new episodes air Tuesdays at 9pm ET on
CBS, while replays of past seasons air most nights at 9pm ET on GSN.
In the middle of Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, GA, the host of The Amazing Race, Phil Keoghan stands, ready to introduce the audience to the latest season of TAR.
"I am standing here in the middle of Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, GA. 9 years ago, this park welcomed the world to the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games. From here, 10 teams are about to embark on a race around the world for one million dollars."
At the same time, the ten teams are busy traversing via limousines to the park.
"This season, the ten teams each not only have a pre-existing relationship within the team, but have a pre-existing relationship with the other teams. The ten teams are..."
"Danny and Sam. High school best friends and ghost hunters."
Danny's Pre-Show Confessional: "I am really looking forward to racing this race with Sam. She's like a best friend to me. And besides, I think we have the ultimate advantage."
He turns into the ghost-fighting superhero Danny Phantom.
"This is our secret weapon." wink
Sam's Pre-Show Confessional: "Yeah, we've been friends for years now, and we grow closer every day. Hopefully this race will give me the opportunity to reveal my crush on Danny and let me reveal what I truly think about him."
Phil continues: "Tucker and Valerie. Ghost fighters with different identities."
Tucker's Pre-Show Confessional: "I've been researching different locales on my PDA, and now I know useless facts about over 100 countries. We've got this in the bag."
Valerie's Pre-Show Confessional: "How did I get stuck with this punk! If CBS allowed me to have my ghost-fighting gadgets with me, I would smoke all of these teams, including...Danny..."
Phil introduces the third team: "Jack and Maddie. Married parents with a knack for ghost hunting."
Maddie's Pre-Show Confessional: "I really had to convince Jack to promise me to not fight our ghost opponents in this race. He promised me, and if he truly loves me, he'll keep his promise."
Jack's Pre-Show Confessional: "This is my opportunity to capture some ghosts. Although I fear that if I try to use my gadgets, I might lose more than just the race. So I'll have to be real sneaky."
Phil: "Jazz and Lancer. The team with the smarts to overshadow everyone."
Jazz's Pre-Show Confessional: "I figure that this is the perfect way to celebrate my acceptance into Harvard pre-Law. Learn about many new cultures traveling around the world. This'll be perfect for my valedictorian speech!"
Lancer's Pre-Show Confessional: "Around the World in 80 days, I am about to start the race of my life. I figure if we make no mistakes, this race is in the bag. And with our brains, how could we make a mistake?"
Phil: "Dash and Paulina. The high school preps with overconfidence to match their popularity."
Dash's Pre-Show Confessional: "I mean, I'm the star QB of a mediocre high school football team. How could I possibly lose the biggest race of my life?"
Paulina's Pre-Show Confessional: "My dream in this race would be if Danny Phantom came and carried me across the Atlantic Ocean. Ah...Danny...what a guy..."
Phil: "Skulker and Technus. Two ghosts who use their tech and their braun to dispose of any threats."
Technus's Pre-Show Confessional: "Too bad they disallowed me to travel through transatlantic phone lines, else we would easily have this show in the bag!"
Skulker's Pre-Show Confessional: "Forget this Technus guy. I will single-handedly win the million dollars myself with my secret strategy."
Phil: "Johnny and Kitty. A young ghost couple with lots to prove to each other."
Johnny's Pre-Show Confessional: "I just wish I could prove to my girlfriend that I can do something worthwhile. I just hope I get a chance at that Danny Phantom..."
Kitty's Pre-Show Confessional: "This is Johnny's last chance at proving he's got something. If he can't make me happy, we are through!"
Phil: "Ember and Youngblood. Two ghosts with a common goal."
Ember's Pre-Show Confessional: "My music will completely entrance the people of every nation I visit. With people chanting my name, there's no way we can lose!"
Youngblood's Pre-Show Confessional: "I may be the youngest person in the race, but I think my small stature will come to our advantage, getting us through the smallest and the biggest situations. Not to mention my pirate mentality."
Phil: "Spectra and Desiree. Two powerful female ghosts with the looks to match."
Spectra's Pre-Show Confessional: "All I need to do is to talk to my rivals. They'll become so depressed, they won't have any hope!"
Desiree's Pre-Show Confessional: "By only listening to the wishes that will help me, I can't see any way we can lose this race. Together with Spectra, we're unstoppable!"
Phil: "Vlad and Dan. Danny's two biggest enemies together on the biggest race."
Vlad's Pre-Show Confessional: "I'm the only other human on Earth with the transforming powers that Danny has. And he's only a boy. Who could possibly beat us?"
Dan's Pre-Show Confessional: "This will be a piece of cake. With my advanced powers and my knowledge of future technology, I will destroy everyone in my path!"
Phil continues to introduce the show as the contestants approach.
"Can these ten teams work together through the pressures and fatigue of over 45,000 miles of travel across 5 continents? Can they keep their rivalries in check to concentrate on the ultimate prize of $1 million? The answers are waiting as we get ready to begin The Amazing Race."
Phil then meets the ten teams.
"In just a few minutes, you will be beginning a race around the world for $1 million. Now, during each leg, you will have to complete tasks which will test both your physical and mental strengths. At the beginning of each leg, you will receive a finite amount of money, which must pay for all of your expenses, except airline travel which you will not have to pay for. Some of you have special ghost powers. Those powers may NOT be used for travel but may be used to your advantage in completing tasks. At the end of each leg, there will be a pit stop. 7 of these legs are elimination points, so you need to get to the end of these legs as quickly as possible, because if you check into one of these pit stops last, you'll be eliminated. Does everyone understand this fact?"
They all nod. Phil continues.
"Your first clue is located on top of the bags that you brought with you. Open it, then take your bags and hop in one of these cars. Anything beyond that is completely up to you. The world is waiting for you. Travel safe."
He does his trademark hand and eyebrow raises.
"GO!"
The 10 teams race to their bags. Vlad, being the fastest, reaches the bag first to encounter a Route Marker.
ROUTE MARKER 1.1: Make your way to Vancouver, British Columbia, and find the Science World museum located in the Yaletown area. You may take one of only two flight combinations.
Delta 1187 – Departs 8:45am
United 415/1127 – Departs 7:45am
You have $250 for this leg of the race. Reminder: No ghost powers to fly across land, you must use an airline flight.
It is 6:00am. Vlad realizes that they need to hurry.
"Come on Dan," Vlad says, "we must get down to the airport and reserve our flight."
"But how should we get down there?" Dark Danny questions.
As they decide, Jazz, who has researched many cities to prepare for the race, recommends public transportation.
"Traffic at this hour in Atlanta is horrible. I suggest we take Marta."
"Hmm, you're right," Lancer reacts, "let's head for Marta."
The other teams, realizing that Jazz and Lancer are one of the smarter pairs in the race, follow them onto Marta. All 10 teams make it to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport at 7:00am. Phil then notifies the television audience of the first twist.
"There are only enough seats on the Delta flight for only 4 teams," Phil informs the TV audience. "The other 6 teams must take the United flight, which arrives 80 minutes later."
Jazz and Lancer are first off the train and rush to the Delta counter conveniently located inside the station. They get the first seats on the Delta flight, followed closely by Vlad and Dark Danny, Ember and Youngblood, and Tucker and Valerie. Tucker admits that he had an advantage in grabbing the seats.
"This PDA does more than catch ghosts. It can also reserve airline seats real-time. Yay technology!"
"Yeah, whatever you say," Valerie says, "I'm gonna hang out with my friends for a bit."
Unfortunately her friends had already gone through the security checkpoint. Dash and Paulina arrived at the Delta counter too late, so they were forced to take the earlier, longer flight, along with Danny and Sam, Jack and Maddie, Skulker and Technus, Johnny and Kitty, and Spectra and Desiree. This meant they had to rush to make a 7:45am flight. They all made it though.
"Man, this blows," Dash exclaims, "Why do we have to be on the worse flight?"
"It's cause you keep thinking about football all the time," Paulina reacts.
"Yeah, like USC shouldn't be #1. That's a rip to Virginia Tech."
Meanwhile, the four other teams waited patiently for their 8:45am non-stop flight. Ember decided to be nice for a change and play a few rifs for an interested kid.
"Wow," the kid says, "So do you write your own material?
"It's the only song I know," Ember answers, "It gets into my head way too often."
In confessional: I just wish Butch would let me write a new song. Maybe for the Christmas special.
The four teams get on their plane. Meanwhile, on the other plane, Danny decides to get in an hour of shut-eye. Sam just sits there with her arm around Danny, watching the in-flight movie.
"I just wish I could tell Danny what I really think about him," Sam quietly reveals to the camera, "but I'm just too nervous. Maybe I'll get a chance on this trip."
Later, in Vancouver, the first plane lands with the four leading teams. It is 11:00am. The fast Vlad and Dan are first to the taxi stand and get a quick exit from the airport. Vlad objects to the price of the taxi.
"50 Canadian Dollars? (about US$43) That's way too expensive!"
"Silence!" Dan says. "Getting first in the initial leg is the key to winning."
Tucker and Valerie, Jazz and Lancer, and Ember and Youngblood follow close behind. Youngblood uses empty threats to the taxi driver to get them ahead.
"Avast, ye matey! You shall get us to the Science World first or you shall walk the plank!"
Scared, the taxi driver gets them there first, followed closely by the other three teams. Youngblood opens the envelope to reveal a Route Marker.
ROUTE MARKER 1.2: Travel to Whistler, British Columbia and the Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort. At the bottom gondola station, you will find your next clue.
Ember and Youngblood call for a taxi, but to no avail. Ember decides to take matters into her own hands, using her guitar to immediately draw a taxi to their location. Ember and Youngblood then jet off, followed closely by Valerie and Tucker, who used his PDA to call for one. Vlad and Dan and Jazz and Lancer follow behind. As those four teams near the ski resort, the other six teams arrive on the late flight after a stopover in Denver. Dash uses his 4.4 40 skills to propel Paulina into 5th place. The other five teams follow, with Jack and Maddie trailing behind.
Meanwhile, Ember and Youngblood hit the Route Marker first. Ember opens up the envelope. It is a Road Block, which is a task only one person may perform. No person can complete more than 6 Road Blocks on the entire race.
ROAD BLOCK 1: Who's up for a wild ride?
"We could go faster with a smaller person on the slopes," Ember argues to Youngblood. "You do it."
Youngblood reluctantly agrees and opens up the envelope.
ROAD BLOCK 1 CONTINUED: You must race down the tube slope passing 10 gates in 60 seconds. If you fail, you must go to the top and start again. If you pass, you will get your next clue.
Youngblood goes to the top of the slope, followed closely by Valerie, Jazz, and Vlad, who elect to complete the Road Block for their teams.
Youngblood, having arrived first, gets to try first. The tube course is very slalom-like in nature, but Youngblood uses his pirate like nature to his advantage. He gets down the slope in 53.2 seconds, completing the Road Block first. While Youngblood is getting off the slope, an attendant gives Ember the next clue.
ROUTE MARKER 1.3: You may have completed your first Road Block, but that doesn't mean you're leaving the continent just yet. Drive yourselves to Seattle, WA and find the Space Needle. You will find your next clue on the observation deck.
"We're heading to Seattle!" Ember shouted to her partner, "Where I can learn how to play grunge!"
"Avast!" Youngblood responds.
As they set out for Washington, Valerie is next on the slope.
"I just wish I could use my sled on this slope!" Valerie reacts to the steepness of the hill.
"That's why you should use this!" Tucker says. "It's a tracking system where I can guide you around the gates!"
"Isn't that against the rules?"
"There's nothing saying you can't use it."
Valerie attaches it to her tube and Tucker makes the tube take off. Valerie holds on for dear life as she completes the course in 39.3 seconds. She then wipes out after the finish line, going into a total whitewash. Frostbitten and all, Valerie and Tucker grab the clue and leave, followed a few minutes later by Jazz and Lancer and Vlad and Dan.
Meanwhile, the first of the latter teams reaches Science World in Vancouver. Dash and Paulina are first of the pack and 5th overall, followed by Johnny and Kitty, Spectra and Desiree, Danny and Sam, Skulker and Technus, and Jack and Maddie. Already the disagreements are starting with some teams.
"Spectra might not have been the best person to team up with," Spectra says about Desiree in her confessional. "When we make a wrong turn, it's so depressing.
And a couple of wrong turns on the way to Whistler put them in last place. Meanwhile, Danny's crazy driving skills actually work, passing Dash and Paulina on the highway to get into 5th place.
"Attribute that to lots of experience with the Specter Speeder in the Ghost Zone," Danny says to Sam on the ride.
As they approach Whistler, the lead pack approaches the USA/Canadian border. Lead team Ember and Youngblood encounter some unexpected problems at Customs.
"What is that?" a border patrol officer says to Ember, pointing at her guitar.
"Uh, my guitar?" Ember says, trying not to reveal the mind-control powers of the guitar.
"Hmm. As long as you don't become another Avril Lavigne, you can enter the country. all knowing entity forbid having to deal with another one of those pop divas."
Ember nervously chuckles and continues down I-5 towards Seattle, with the lead teams all less than 10 minutes behind.
In the meantime, Danny and Sam reach the Route Marker at Whistler. Danny agrees to do it for his pairing, not wanting Sam to be out in her t-shirt on a snow-covered mountain. After all, what are "strictly" best friends for? Dash and Paulina, Skulker and Technus, and Johnny and Kitty arrive shortly after, with Paulina, Skulker, and Kitty agreeing to go for their teams. Meanwhile, Jack and Maddie stop at a McDonald's for directions. They are completely lost.
"You mean we passed it 20 miles ago?" Maddie says to the McDonald's crew member.
"Yep, I'm afraid so, eh?" the crew member responds.
"Drat!" Jack says. "Let's get back on the road...but first, can I get 6 cheeseburgers?"
"Jack, I don't know if we should be wasting money on fast food."
"You can't race on an empty stomach, Maddie!"
As they continue to bicker, Danny devises a plan on the mountain to get down quickly. He goes into a nearby restroom and changes into the ghost fighter Danny Phantom.
"I figure," Danny ponders, "that if I can blast my way around the gates, then I should be able to finish it very quickly!"
His hypothesis proves true, as he gets down the hill in a hurry, setting a new record of 29.99 seconds. Sam hugs him at the end as they get their clue and set off for Seattle. Back up top, it's Paulina's turn.
"Watch me, Dash," Paulina says, "as I get down this hill!"
3 gates later, Paulina has wiped out. She must go back behind Skulker and Kitty to try again. Skulker and Kitty use their ghost powers (there is no ghost power restriction on challenges) to get down the hill in under 50 seconds each. They move on to Seattle.
Meanwhile, in Seattle, the lead pack has reached the Space Needle. Still in the lead, Ember and Youngblood hit the Route Marker first. It is a Detour, which is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons.
DETOUR 1: Brew or Crew
Brew: Make your way to the Starbucks at Columbia Center. There you must figure out for yourself how to make 20 lattes for customers. Once you have made 20 lattes, the manager will give you your next clue.
Crew: Travel to Lake Washington Park where you must row through a predetermined course in a canoe. At the end, the park ranger will give you your next clue.
Ghost powers cannot be used for either of these challenges.
"Aar, so which one should we pick, Ember?" Youngblood says.
"Let's try Crew," Ember says, "my guitar doubles as a good oar."
So the pair heads for Lake Washington. The other three groups, who arrive at the Space Needle shortly thereafter, head for the Starbucks.
Back in Canada, Jack and Maddie arrive at the mountain. Since she is lighter, Maddie agrees to go for the married couple. As they head for the course, Spectra and Desiree arrive, with Spectra agreeing to go. Maddie is able to use her tools to complete the course in 45.5 seconds. Spectra follows with a fast time of her own. They both grab the clues and head for the USA.
At the same time, Ember and Youngblood arrive at Lake Washington.
"Oy!" Youngblood says to Ember. "That water temperature is 45 degrees!"
"Quiet, dipstick," Ember says, "let's just get this done."
They both put on their lifejackets and head for the water. The cold water definitely gets to the pairing, as their rowing technique is very slow.
"Grr..." Ember growls, "this is gonna take forever."
Meanwhile, Jazz and Lancer, Vlad and Dan, and Tucker and Valerie arrive at the Starbucks. The tech geek and the ghost fighter arrive first, as Valerie has a distinct advantage.
"Remember," Valerie said, "I worked at the Nasty Burger as their mascot to make money. They had a similar coffee machine in there."
She makes 20 lattes in no time flat and is the first team to receive the post-Detour clue.
ROUTE MARKER 1.4: Make your way to the Mount St Helens National Volcanic Monument Visitor Center in Silver Lake, WA. There you will find your next clue.
"Let's get going!" Tucker says.
They return to their car and drive south on I-5. Jazz and Lancer, who have drank plenty of Starbucks in their life, also finish quickly. Vlad and Dan, however, have some problems.
"The coffee seems to keep slipping through my hands," Dan says.
"Well maybe if you didn't turn intangible uncontrollably..." Vlad responds.
"Oh yeah...forgot about that part."
They get it together to be 3rd out of the Detour.
Meanwhile, back at the Space Needle, the 2nd pack arrives, led by Danny and Sam with Dash and Paulina, Skulker and Technus, and Johnny and Kitty following close behind. Danny and Sam and Dash and Paulina opt to go for Brew, while Skulker and Technus and Johnny and Kitty opt for Crew.
Back on the lake, Ember and Youngblood seem to be still having their difficulties.
"We should be doing better than this," Ember says. "What kind of a pirate are you?"
"I just tell people to row for me," Youngblood responds. "I don't do any of the work myself!"
They then notice that Skulker/Technus and Johnny/Kitty are arriving. Feeling the pressure, they get it together to finish the course and be 4th out of the detour as the two arriving teams start their task.
Back in Seattle, Dash/Paulina and Danny/Sam's experience in hanging out at coffeehouses get them out of the Detour quickly. A race ensues to get to Silver Lake as fast as possible.
At the Space Needle, Jack/Maddie arrives ahead of Spectra/Desiree. Both opt for Brew and hoof it to the Starbucks. It can be quickly seen that Jack has had many a coffee cup in his life.
"twitch I just wanted to say twitch that this coffee twitch is twitch fantastic!" Jack says as he sips more of the coffee.
"You're burning through our cash allowance!" Maddie scolds.
Jack frowns as he continues the task. Back at the lake, Technus uses part of his body to his advantage.
"You have a propeller in your body?" Skulker says.
"Yep, 75 horsepower too," Technus answers. "And not a ghost power at all!"
They use this to finish the detour in 7th. Johnny/Kitty finish close behind in 8th.
Back in Seattle, Jack/Maddie get their quick fix under control to finish the detour in 9th place. Spectra and Desiree take a few more minutes and they bring up the rear.
Meanwhile, the leading team of Tucker/Valerie approaches the visitor center.
"Get ready to run," Valerie says, "this could be the pit stop."
"Hopefully I can," Tucker answers, "I run a 30-second 100m dash."
"WHAT! You told me you set a world record!"
"Yeah, well people lie sometimes."
Tucker and Valerie see the clue box. They drive next to it and read the route marker.
ROUTE MARKER 1.5: Hike 2 miles to the campsite within clear view of Mount St Helens. Once you are there, pull a ticket for one of three departure times in the morning. Once you pick a time, you may not take it back or trade with another team. You must walk to the campsite, no flying or use of any other ghost powers.
The leading duo set off for the campsite, followed 5 minutes behind by Jazz/Lancer, Vlad/Dan, and Ember/Youngblood. Ember and Youngblood are able to race ahead of Jazz/Lancer. As much as Jazz and Lancer are smart, their PE skills were never the best. Tucker and Valerie arrive first to notice that there are indeed three different departure times: 7:30am, 8:00am, and 8:30am. Tucker and Valerie grab the 7:30am time, as does Ember/Youngblood and Vlad/Dan. Jazz and Lancer arrive to discover there are no more 7:30am time slots available.
"Animal Farm!" Lancer exclaims. "We're gonna be caught at a disadvantage!"
Lancer and Jazz settle for an 8:00am timeslot. Meanwhile, Ember rejoices at the fact that they got the first time out of there. Just then, a CBS executive walks up to her and whispers something in her ear.
"And we have all your equipment here too," the executive informs Ember.
"Great!" Ember responds, "I can now get more power with the cheers of my many fans!"
Back at the Visitor Center, Dash/Paulina and Danny/Sam arrive at the same time after an intense race down I-5 that involved several illegal activities. The race to the campsite is just as intense. Danny, who changed into his human form unbeknownst to Dash/Paulina during the ride down from Seattle, and Sam are overtaken by the more athletic Dash and Paulina. Their race is all for naught as both teams grab an 8:00am time ticket.
"You're gonna be mine, Fenton!" Dash promises.
"Oh yeah? Well, keep in mind that slow and steady normally wins the race!" Danny says, not realizing that his streak of bad comebacks continues.
"Besides, everyone knows that goth is better than preppy," Sam adds, directing her comment at Paulina.
"But at least I get to go to killer parties on weekends!" Paulina says.
"BURNNNNNNNNNNNN!" Dash adds.
Over the next two hours, the last four teams arrive in the same order in which they left Seattle. Spectra and Desiree fear the first elimination, but are relieved to hear that they catch up with the rest of the group as they grab an 8:30am time ticket along with Jack/Maddie, Skulker/Technus, and Johnny/Kitty.
Once the teams settle into camp for the evening, who else shows up but Phil.
"Congratulations on surviving your first day of the Race," Phil says, "and as a reward, I'd like to give you guys a special presentation of a concert being seen worldwide. Here she is, for one time only, Ember!"
Ember comes out on the quickly-constructed stage with a great shot of an active Mount St. Helens in the background.
"Hello, West Coast!" Ember intros. "Tell me who you love!"
Most of the group responds with "Ember!" along with the rest of the world. However, Danny, Sam, Lancer, Jazz, and Dan refrain, invulernable to the hypnotic powers of Ember's guitar.
"Yes, world," Ember says in her confessional, "give me the power I need to win this race and the one million dollars. Then I can start my reunion tour where I can take over the world!"
Her evil grin lasts until the beginning of her first number. The racers are entertained by Ember's concert for the next hour, and the group fraternizes for the rest of the night.
At the end of the night, the teams retreat into their tents, one per team. Jack and Maddie have their reservations over Danny and Sam sleeping in the same tent.
"Daniel, you be a gentleman in there," Jack says. "I don't want to hear any kissing in there."
"We're not like that!" Danny says, trying to dispel the rumor of their relationship.
"If only he knew..." Sam thinks to herself.
So the first day of the race is over. But someone will be eliminated at the first pit stop. Who will it be? Leg 2 beckons shortly...