Someone suggest earlier that I do "The Mussel-Shell Armor of Apanuugpak" as my next project, and that is the one I am about to post. I have to say that I am not disappointed that selection at all.
THE MUSSEL-SHELL ARMOR OF APANUUGPAK
MOAT: 8/10
MOAT: 8/10 (PPF)
The moat used for this production day is quite possibly the quickest moat ever featured on the show. In this one, the teams had to cross over a pair of icebergs by running across them. If they fell in, then they would have to go back. Even though the moat was very quick, only one team fell in and it was pretty exciting to see what teams would ring in to move onto the next round. Moats that are neck-to-neck are usually the exiting ones.
PPF's description
For this moat, the players had to run across three floating icebergs. If they fell in or touched the iceberg, they would have to go back and start over again. This was a very exciting round, and quite possibly, THE quickest moat ever. Although "The Pearl Necklace of Gwalior" moat was equally as fast too. Despite the quickness of the moat, it was a very close round where it was like any team could've rang in and advanced to the next round. At the end of the round, the Silver Snakes, Green Monkeys, Blue Barracudas, and Red Jaguars all advanced to the Steps of Knowledge in that order.
LEGEND: 8.5/10
LEGEND: 8/10 (PPF)
The last thing you would ever think that Legends of the Hidden Temple would ever make 7 a legend about is an Eskimo. This was one of those goofy season three episodes that were meant to not be taken seriously, but this one was good and comical though compared to the other legends that season. From the insults like "your mother wears sealskin boots" to the witty comments from Apanuugpak, it definitely was a unique legend. And what the hell was with his wife? She looked like a naked gorilla at first.
PPF's description
This legend centered around Apanuugpak, who was an Eskimo who lived in Alaska in the 1700's. He was a hunter and a fearless warrior who could stand still for a very long time to stalk polar bears. One day, him and his wife encountered a band of warriors, who accused Apanuugpak of fishing in their territory. Despite the enemies ganging up on him, Apanuugpak was not afraid of them. They even shot arrows at him, but that did not phase Apanuugpak one bit as he laughed. The men were so astonished they fled from him and ran away. It was then that Apanuugpak invented a mussel shell armor, which later found its way to the temple. I happened to really like this legend. Very few legends talked about Eskimos, and the producers did a very good job executing this story. Plus, you gotta love the witty commentary this legend had. Especially the "your mother wears sealskin boots" line.
While this legend was a bit silly, it didn't drift into parodying itself with ridiculous storylines, like most Season 3 legends tend to do.
STEPS OF KNOWLEDGE: 10/10
STEPS OF KNOWLEDGE: 10/10 (PPF)
The Steps were very close competition and there was not a single wrong answer. I can't seem to find a single flaw in this Steps round and it deserves a perfect score. One of the answers given by the Blue Barracudas was questionable, but Olmec accepted it in memorable fashion - "That is close enough for the rock." Definitely one of the best Steps of Knowledge rounds on the show.
PPF's description
This was a flawless Steps of Knowledge round. It was very close the whole way through, and there were no wrong answers. There was one questionable answer given, but knowing Season 3 and their lenient rules, Olmec accepted it saying "That's close enough for the rock." That sort of thing also happens in "The Lost Hornpipe of the Pirate Captain." Gator of the Green Monkeys was also very smart during the Steps. He got all of his questions right before the choices were even revealed. It definitely shows that he paid attention during the Legend. The Red Jaguars however, were the first team to finish and advance to the temple games. The Green Monkeys joined them not long after. The Blue Barracudas got two questions right, while the Silver Snakes only got one question right.
TEMPLE GAMES: 8/10
TEMPLE GAMES: 8/10 (PPF)
Like the legend, the temple games featured a goofy sequence of temple games. But they were good temple games though regardless.
The first temple game was kind of lackluster, but that is because the girls kind of struggled in their temple games. In the first temple game, the girls were upside down and had to throw fish into a bucket. They kind of struggled and the Red Jaguars girl even missed a couple of shots. Green wins 4-2.
The second temple game was silly also where the boys had to climb through a maze and carry a couple of stuffed animal seals to the top. Both boys were close, but Gator ended up being a Gator.
The last temple game had the teams knocking down the "Eskimo enemies" with flying cannonballs. Here, the teams kind of struggled and both knocked down one each. But with a pendant score of 2-1, the Green Monkeys go to the temple and prepare themselves for one of the best temple performances ever!
PPF's description
The temple games featured some solid competition throughout. I also liked this round for the unique set up of games used. In the first game, Amanda and Nikolette had to throw fish into their bucket, all while hanging upside down. Both players seemed to struggle here, but Amanda of the Green Monkeys pulled out a win, beating Nikolette 4-2. In the second game, Gator and Jarrod had to jump on a series of trampolines, and bring the seals up to the top of the seal haven. Gator was a BEAST in this game. He flew all the way up there and won the game with plenty of time to spare. This game the Green Monkeys a 1-0 lead over the Red Jaguars going into the final game. In the third game, the teams had to knock over the "Eskimo enemies" with cannonballs. A game which was used quite a bit in Season 3. Both teams kind of struggled here, and the Red Jaguars especially had a difficult time. At the end of the game, both teams tied, giving each of them a full pendant. But the Green Monkeys beat the Red Jaguars 2-1 pendant wise, and earned themselves a trip to the temple!
TEMPLE RUN: 10/10
TEMPLE RUN: 10/10 (PPF)
Very few temple runs deserve a perfect score, and this one is one of them that deserves it. This temple run is memorable for having quite possibly the best player on the show. Center of the temple runs are always tricky, but Gator made it look like there was nothing to it. Amanda was sort of a slow runner, but she made it far with a good amount of time left. That didn't matter to Gator though since he shot through the temple like a bullet once Amanda was taken out. He was so fast that he had to keep pulling his pants up. Not even the camera could keep up with him. He made it all the way to the Chamber, grabbed the Mussel-Shell Armor, and scored one of the best temple wins on the show. This is an awesome temple run and you can never get tired of watching it. A great effort by the Green Monkeys to score one of the most signature wins on the show.
PPF's description
This temple run was spectacular, all thanks to Gator. Amanda went in first and she does an alright job. In the Pit, she grabs the rope too high and has trouble knocking over the column. Gator even yells for her to "Jump off!" which Amanda does, and moves on to the Tomb of the Headless Kings, where a temple guard takes her pendant. Amanda makes her away across the bottom floor at a medium pace, and is removed from the temple in the Dark Forest with 1:30 left on the clock. Gator takes over soon after, and I've got to say, he is LIGHTNING FAST! Gator was so fast even the camera crew couldn't keep up with him. Upon making up to where Amanda left off, he busts through the wall, climbs the Quicksand Bog ladder with ease, assembles the monkey swiftly, and gets the right armor on the third try. Gator then grabs the armor in the Chamber, all while the mussels fall off the armor, and escapes with 10 seconds left on the clock. Recording a very rare center of the room victory! Amanda was excited, Gator was excited, Kirk was excited, and I was excited as well. This was easily one of the best wins in the history of the show. And Gator is hands down one of the, if not THE, best Legends contestant in the history of the show. Great temple run all around!
FINAL VERDICT: 8.9/10
FINAL VERDICT: 8.8/10 (PPF)
This episode deserves this high score because it truly is that awesome. None of the rounds of this episode were bad in anyway, shape or form. It contained competitive teams through each round and nothing was boring at all. Some highlights of this episode include the unique and comical legend and the unique temple games. But the true highlight is the temple run where we see one of the best temple performances on the show. This episode is a must watch and you should even watch it again if you ever get a chance. You will definitely not be disappointed at all with this episode since it meets every aspect of what we are looking for. Quite possibly the best episode on the whole show.
PPF's description
Overall, Apanuugpak was a great episode from beginning to end. The moat was very quick, the legend was interesting, the teams were smart during the Steps, the temple games were solid, and the temple run was magnificent. Apanuugpak was the second of only two temple runs where a player successfully retrieves an artifact from the center of the room. The other being "The Lucky Pillow of Annie Taylor," from Season 2, another excellent temple run. This temple run was just fantastic, all thanks to Gator. I wish there were more contestants on the show who were just like him. This episode altogether is quite possibly the best episode ever on the show. I definitely recommend this episode to anyone. You'd be missing a lot if you don't watch it.
Topic: Legends Episode Ranking System - COMPLETE (Read 87292 times)
