Legends: Rebirth-The Silk Cummerbund of Elvis Presley

[The Bandit King]

Episode 3: The Silk Cummerbund of Elvis Presley

The camera winds and twists its way through a thick jungle of strange and exotic plants. After a few wrong turns, it finally stops in front of an ancient Mayan temple. At the base of the temple, a giant stone head sits. Suddenly, the head’s eyes light up and it begins to speak:

“Legends of the Hidden Temple: Rebirth!” These words appear on the screen. “With your guide, Kirk Fogg! And here he is now!”

A middle-aged man wearing a denim shirt and blue jeans swings in on a rope. He drops down and runs up the Steps of Knowledge, microphone in hand.

“Thank you! Thank you, everybody! Nice to see everyone again! It’s good to see you again, Olmec! Welcome to Legends of the Hidden Temple: Rebirth. The rooms are filled with lost treasures protected by mysterious Mayan Temple Guards. Only Olmec knows the legends behind each of these newly discovered treasures in his Temple…which one are we gonna hear about today, Olmec?”

“The legend of the Silk Cummerbund of Elvis Presley,” Olmec replies.

“Aha, the Silk Cummerbund of Elvis Presley,” Kirk repeats. “Well, the legend’s been set, and one of these six teams will have a chance to retrieve the Silk Cummerbund—will it be:

“The Red Jaguars?” The camera zooms in on each team as they are introduced.
“The Blue Barracudas?
“The Green Monkeys?
“The Orange Iguanas?
“The Purple Parrots?
“Or the Silver Snakes?

“They’ll have to pass some tough pysi—physical and mental tests, but in the end, only one of these teams will have a chance to enter Olmec’s Temple. But first, they have to cross the Moat, and here’s Olmec to tell us how they’ll have to do that today…”

Olmec begins to explain the Moat Crossing:
“Before you, a long rope hangs into the Moat. When Kirk gives the signal, one player from each team will swim out to the rope, grab it, swim back with it, and swing across. Once you’re safely across, throw the rope to your partner, who will then swing across in the same way. If your feet touch the water while you’re swinging, you must go back and start again. Once both players reach the other side, run over and hit the gong.” Kirk bangs the Silver Snakes’ gong to demonstrate. “The first four teams to hit their gongs will go on to the next round!”

“Okay, let’s get started then,” Kirk says. “Teams, are you ready?”
All six teams scream and cheer in response.
“Olmec, are you ready, baby?” Kirk asks in a bad Elvis-like voice.
“Yes—and please don’t talk like that,” Olmec replies.
“Okay,” Kirk laughs. “On your mark, get set—GO!!!”

All six teams jump into the Moat and grab the rope at roughly the same rate. The Blue Barracudas’ boy is first back on dry land, followed about a second later by the Red Jaguars’ boy and the Orange Iguanas’ boy. These three players are swinging across by the time the other three have made it back with their ropes, and all three make it across. All the first players successfully cross except the Purple Parrots’ girl, who touches the water. The Red Jaguars’, Blue Barracudas’ and Orange Iguanas’ boys all throw the rope back to their partners, who all catch the ropes at the same time. “It’s really close—it’s gonna come down to the wire, I think!” Kirk narrates. The Green Monkeys’ boy and the Silver Snakes’ girl successfully throw the ropes back to their partners, and all the team members swing across at the same time, none of them touching the water except the Orange Iguanas’ girl. The Red Jaguars, Green Monkeys, Blue Barracudas and Silver Snakes all hit their gongs in that order. The ringing of all the gongs takes less than a second.

“That’s it! Just like that, we’ve got four teams!” Kirk comments as he runs over to stand next to the Silver Snakes. “Silver Snakes were over just like that, no problems here—going on to the Steps of Knowledge are the Silver Snakes…and the Green Monkeys,” Kirk briefly pauses to allow for applause between each team. “And the Blue Barracudas…and the Red Jaguars! The Iguan—Orange Iguanas and the Purple Parrots were so close, but they’re not goin’ away empty-handed. We have a nice gift for them, and here’s what it is.” They receive a $50 gift certificate from Aeropostale.

[The Bandit King]

Kirk and the four remaining teams are now standing atop the Steps of Knowledge. “As the quest continues, it’s time for Olmec to tell us about the legend of the Silk Cummerbund of Elvis Presley. But pay attention, because your knowledge of this legend can bring you a step closer to Olmec’s Temple…”

Olmec begins to tell the story:
“One of the most popular and successful musicians of all time was the ‘King of Rock ‘n Roll’, Elvis Presley. Born in Mississippi, he recorded over 50 songs and revolutionized the world of rock music with his soulful voice and onstage antics. Elvis originally worked as a truck driver in Memphis, Tennessee, but his dream was to sing. When Elvis was 16, he met a band executive named Eddie Bond.
“‘If you really want, I could get you a job playing for me,’ Bond told him.
“‘Oh, that’d be swell, Eddie. I thank you.’
“Elvis arrived at the club wearing a white jumpsuit and a red silk cummerbund his mother had given him. Legend has it that after Elvis sang only two songs, Mr. Bond said:
“‘Kid, stick to driving a truck, because you’ll never make it as a singer.’
“Elvis was devastated, but he persevered, and eventually found himself singing at Sun Records. When Mr. Bond heard this, he scheduled a meeting with Elvis, who met Mr. Bond wearing the exact same outfit he had worn several months earlier, including the silk cummerbund.
“‘Mr. Presley, I hate to admit it, but I was wrong about you. Would you consider coming back to perform for Bond Records?’
“‘Well, thank you very much, Mr. Bond, but I think I’ll stick with Sun Records.’
“Elvis went on to become the best-selling singer in rock history, but his silk cummerbund found its way to the Temple. Your quest is to find the Silk Cummerbund of Elvis Presley and bring it back here.”

“Thank you very much, Olmec,” says Kirk, Elvis-style. “But tell us,” he continues normally, “where is the Cummerbund?”

“The Silk Cummerbund of Elvis Presley can be found in the Room…of the Secret Password,” Olmec responds. The camera zooms in on the cummerbund hanging off the cabinet in the back of the room, and then cuts back to Kirk.

“Teams, you’re now standing on The Steps of Knowledge,” explains Kirk. “In a moment, Olmec’s gonna ask you a question. If you think you know the answer, I want you to stomp down on that ancient marking in front of you. If you’re right, you’ll be able to move down to the next level, but if you’re wrong or you run out of time, I’ll give the other teams a chance.” Kirk begins descending the Steps. “The first two teams to make it to the bottom level will be one step closer to Olmec’s Temple. Olmec…we’re now ready for your first question.”

Olmec begins:
“Was Elvis born in: Tennessee, Alabama, or Mississippi?”
The Blue Barracudas ring in. “Tennessee?”
“Incorrect,” Olmec replies.
The Red Jaguars ring in. “Mississippi?”
“That is correct,” Olmec replies. The Red Jaguars step down a level.
“Red Jaguars are first on the board,” Kirk narrates. “Next question, Olmec.”

“Before becoming a singer, did Elvis work as: a bartender—?”
The Blue Barracudas ring in early. “A truck driver?”
“That is correct,” Olmec says. The Blue Barracudas step down to the second step.
“Blue Barracudas are right on their tail,” Kirk narrates. “Next question.”

“What was the name of the band executive Elvis met with: Eddie Money, Eddie Bond, or Eddie Murphy?”
The Red Jaguars ring in. “Eddie Bond?”
“That is correct,” Olmec booms. The Red Jaguars step down to the next-to-last step.
“Red Jaguars are only one step away from the Temple Games,” Kirk narrates. “This is far from over, though. Next question, please.”

“What color was Elvis’ cummerbund: red, white, or—”
The Red Jaguars ring in. “Red!”
“You got it, kid,” Olmec replies. The Red Jaguars leap down to the bottom level.
“Red Jaguars are the first team going on to the Temple Games!” Kirk narrates. “We still need two teams, though—who’s it gonna be: the Silver Snakes, the Green Monkeys, or the Blue Barracudas? Next question, Olmec.”

“According to our legend, when Mr. Bond heard Elvis sing, did he: like it, hate it, or ignore it?”
The Blue Barracudas ring in. “He hated it?”
“That is correct,” Olmec replies. The Blue Barracudas descend to the next-to-last step.
“Blue Barracudas, only one step away now,” Kirk narrates. “Still plenty of time for the other two teams, though—next question.”

“What record label did Elvis first sing for: Sun Records, Moon Records, or Star Records?”
The Blue Barracudas ring in. “Sun Records?”
“That…is correct!” Olmec exclaims. The Blue Barracudas step to the bottom.

“That’s it!” shouts Kirk, walking over to stand between the two teams. “It was fast and furious, but we’ve got our two teams—the Red Jaguars, and the Blue Barracudas! Green Monkeys, Silver Snakes, come on down here. You guys did great, too, and you’re not going away empty-handed. We have a great gift for you and here’s what it is.” They receive 20Q’s.

“These two teams will be playing for the right to enter the Temple, and they’re gonna do that right after this!” Kirk explains.

The camera pans to the left of Kirk and zooms in on Olmec. The black lights under him come on, his eyes light up, and we fade to a commercial.

[The Bandit King]

We return from the break and see Kirk standing in front of the Temple with the two teams on either side of him.

“Welcome back to Legends: Rebirth,” he says. “Now’s when the glory goes to the fastest and the strongest, but before that happens, I’d like to meet our two teams…

“On the Blue Barracudas, we have Lana: she plays softball and she says she and her family are on a cross-country trip—we thank her for stopping and participating on this show—and her partner here is Chase; he likes going to amusement parks and he wants to be a doctor—let’s hear it for the Blue Barracudas!” The audience claps for the auburn-haired girl wearing glasses and the tall, black-haired Asian boy.

“And on the Red Jaguars, we have Alisa; she plays soccer and also collects china dolls; and her partner, Tommy, likes to play baseball and he wants to be a lawyer—how ‘bout it for the Red Jaguars?” The audience claps for the short, blue-eyed, blonde-haired girl and the tall brown-haired boy with deeply tanned skin.

“All right, are you guys ready to play?” Kirk asks the teams.

“Yeah!” they reply.

“Okay, then go get ready for the Temple Games. In these Temple Games, our teams are competing for…” Kirk retrieves a Pendant of Life from his pouch and holds it up to the camera. “…Pendants of Life. They’ll need these Pendants to protect themselves as they navigate through Olmec’s Temple. There are a total of three Temple Games. The first one is worth a half a Pendant. Olmec—could you tell us about it, please?”

“You got it, Kirk,” Olmec replies. The black lights under Olmec come on and he begins to explain the first game:

“When Elvis became successful, songwriters from all over wanted him to sing their songs. You are about to compose one of these songs. When Kirk gives the signal, jump up, grab a music note off the ceiling, come down and place it in your basket. Then jump up, grab another note and do it again. The first player to get all eight musical notes or…the player with the most notes at the end of thirty seconds…wins.”

“Time to compose some music here,” Kirk says. “Let’s put thirty seconds on the clock.” The clock appears onscreen with a loud bang. “On your marks, get set, GO!”

Lana and Alisa each develop a considerable rhythm, each getting a few notes and missing a few notes. Lana is slightly faster than Alisa, though, and this makes all the difference when time runs out.

“All right, that’s it!” Kirk shouts as he rushes back onscreen. “Both of you come on down here and let’s see how we did.” He kneels beside the bins and begins to count. “Let’s see…Blue Barracudas got one, two, three, four, five, six, seven—that last one’s not gonna count, so they got seven notes. And the Red Jaguars, they got…one, two, three, four, five…six! That means the Blue Barracudas win the half Pendant!” The audience applauds. “Don’t worry, though, because you guys can catch up in the next game. It’s worth a half Pendant as well—Olmec, tell us about Temple Game #2…”

Olmec begins:
“Elvis Presley recorded over 50 songs, earning him the nickname ‘The King of Rock ‘n Roll’. You are about to retrieve some of Elvis’ work. Before you stands a maze containing several tiles with song titles written on them, some of which are by Elvis. When Kirk gives the signal, crawl into the maze and come up in one of the holes. If the song you find is an Elvis song, come back and place it in your bin; otherwise, go back down and come up in another hole. The first player to retrieve all six Elvis songs or…the player with the most correct songs at the end of sixty seconds…wins.”

“Let’s see how good our players’ musical knowledge is,” Kirk says. “Let’s put sixty seconds on the clock.” The clock appears onscreen. “On your mark, get set, GO!”

Chase and Tommy each crawl through the maze fairly quickly, and each bring back their first song on the first try. They crawl back in, and go through a series of putting back incorrect songs and bringing back correct ones, even though Thomas puts back “Viva Las Vegas”. Neither one gets any incorrect songs as time expires.

“Okay, that’s it!” Kirk shouts as he runs back onscreen. “Come on over here, let’s get the bins over and see how we did. Red Jaguars got ‘Hound Dog’, ‘Don’t Be Cruel’, ‘Heartbreak Hotel’, and ‘Love Me Tender’, so that’s four correct. And let’s see…the Blue Barracudas got ‘Love Me Tender’, ‘Viva Las Vegas’, ‘Heartbreak Hotel’, ‘Don’t Be Cruel’, and ‘All Shook Up’—that’s five correct! That means the Blue Barracudas get the half Pendant of Life!” The audience applauds. “That means the Blue Barracudas have a full Pendant, but the Red Jaguars can still tie it up in the final game. It’s worth one full Pendant—Olmec, tell us about Temple Game #3…”

Olmec begins to explain the final Temple Game:
“When Elvis was rejected at Bond Records, he didn’t give up, and found a job recording at Sun Records. However, he didn’t have it planned out—unlike you. Before you stands a wall with four events in Elvis’ recording career: ‘Sing at Bond Records’, ‘Be Rejected’, ‘Sing at Sun Records’, and ‘Success’. When Kirk gives the signal, one player from each team will shoot a ball up to their partner on the wall. Their partner will then catch the ball and place it on the event there. Once an event is covered, climb up to the next one. The first team to cover all four events, or…the team that’s further along at the end of sixty seconds…wins.”

“This is for the Temple,” Kirk remarks. “Let’s put sixty seconds on the clock!” The clock appears onscreen. “Let me get out of the way here…ready, aim, FIRE!”

Both teams cover up “Sing at Bond Records” on their first shot. The Blue Barracudas successfully cover up “Be Rejected” in one shot, while the Red Jaguars get it in two shots. Unfortunately, it’s all downhill from there, as Alisa and Lana have trouble coping with the increased height of the shots. Chase covers up “Sing at Sun Records” with twelve seconds remaining, and that’s as far as anyone gets when time expires.

“Okay, time’s up!” Kirk yells, running back. “Come on down here, guys. Girls, come over here, let’s see how you did. It looks like the Red Jaguars made it up to ‘Be Rejected’, so that’s two completed. And the Blue Barracudas got up to ‘Sing at Sun Records’—that’s three complete. That means the Blue Barracudas get the half Pen—or the full Pendant of Life!” The audience applauds for a few seconds. “So that means the Blue Barracudas have two Pendants; the Red Jaguars didn’t get any…the Blue Barracudas are goin’ to the Temple!” Lana and Chase jump up and down in excitement as Alisa and Tommy applaud politely. “Red Jaguars came a long way, too. They’re not goin’ home empty-handed, oh no. We have a great gift for ‘em, and here it is.” They receive a camping package from Outdoor Products.

As the prize disappears off-screen, Kirk is seen standing beside the winning team. “The Blue Barracudas have done it! Now we’ll see if they can make it through Olmec’s Temple and retrieve the Silk Cummerbund of Elvis Presley, right after this!”

The camera pans in on the Temple and zooms in on the Cummerbund before the title appears onscreen, and we go to a commercial.

[The Bandit King]

We return from the break to find Kirk standing in front of the Temple with the winning team.

“Welcome back to Legends: Rebirth,” he says. “Lana and Chase have proven themselves worthy and now have entered the right to enter Olmec’s Temple. But first, Olmec’s gonna give them a little information to help them retrieve the Silk Cummerbund of…” Kirk snurls his lip and strikes an Elvis pose. “…Elvis Presley.”

Olmec begins to explain the layout as the camera gives us a first-person tour of the Temple:
“You could start…by running up the stairs to the Crypt! Grab the book from the skeletons, and pass into the Rope Labyrinth. Maneuver through the ropes, and climb into the Great Seal Room. Place the correct seal in the central holder, and a door may open into the Chamber…of the Sacred Markers. Match the symbols on the right to those on the left, and pass into the Safari Room. Push in the correct animal head and open the door to the SHRIIIINE of the Silver Monkey! Assemble the statue and you may be headed toward the Room…of the Secret Password. Find the tablet with the correct inscription and shout it out to open the door to the Pharaoh’s Secret Passage. Slide down the tunnel to the Dungeon, where you could smash through the wall into the Dark Forest…but beware of the Temple Guards that may inhabit the trees! Find the key in the tree, and you’ll enter…the Bamboo Forest! Maneuver through the thicket, and you’ll gain entry to the Tomb of the Headless Kings. Pull the vine to release the bones, and attach the missing skull to its proper king, then…crawl through the Labyrinth, climb through the Ledges, race down the stairs and back through the Temple Gate. The choices are yours and yours alone!” Olmec pauses. “You won 2 Pendants in the Temple Games. Who’s going first?”

“I am,” says Chase, raising his hand.

“Very well, Chase,” Olmec replies. “When Kirk gives the signal, you’ll race through the gate into the Temple and make your way toward the Silk Cummerbund. Hidden inside the Temple are Temple Guards assigned to protect three specific rooms. You can trade your Pendant for an extra life and go on, but—if you’re caught without a Pendant, you’ll be taken out of the Temple, and it’ll be Lana’s turn to enter and try her luck. If you can reach the Cummerbund, all the doors of the Temple will instantly unlock, and the Temple Guards will vanish. Return through the gate with the Silk Cummerbund of Elvis Presley in three minutes, and you will both be handsomely rewarded—and here’s how!”

• Just for making it this far, they’ll get a DVD player from Sony.
• If they can reach the Silk Cummerbund within the time limit, they’ll also receive a bicycle from Mongoose.
• And if they can bring the Silk Cummerbund out of the Temple before three minutes expires, they’ll win a trip to St. Thomas.

“Ooh, St. Thomas,” says Kirk. “Let’s see if we can get ‘em there. Okay, Lana, do you guys have a strategy?”

“Uh, we’re just gonna go through the bottom and go up, and uh—grab the cummerbund, and come back out,” Lana explains.

“Okay, sounds like a sound strategy to me; let’s see if it works,” Kirk comments. “Let’s get the mouthpieces in, and set the clock for three minutes.” The clock appears in the bottom corner of the screen.

“Olmec, lower your gate, if you please.” Olmec moans gutturally as the gate is lowered, and the black lights under him go out.

“Chase, are you ready to go?” Kirk asks one final time.

“Yeah,” Chase says, positioned at the starting line.

“All right—on your mark, get set, GO!!”

Chase dashes up the stairs and slides down into the Ledges. He enters the Ledges (2:54), crawls about halfway through, and meets the first TEMPLE GUARD, who jumps out from under an outcropping and grabs his leg (2:50). “Oh, Temple Guard!” Kirk narrates as Chase hands over his Pendant. “It was well-hidden, too!” Chase hits the actuator for the Rope Labyrinth and crawls through (2:44). He easily treks through the mostly un-roped bottom half of the room, hitting the actuator to the Tomb of the Headless Kings (2:41), which opens, but he also tries to hit the actuator to the Chamber of the Sacred Markers, which will not budge. “He’s gonna have to take the long way around,” Kirk narrates. Chase climbs into the Tomb and pulls the vine, releasing the trap doors to release a volley of bones into the room. He quickly finds the skull and places it on the stage-left king (2:31). Nothing happens, so he tries the stage-right king, which begins glowing red, opening the door to the Chamber of the Sacred Markers (2:27). Chase laboriously climbs up the ladder and appears in the room (2:20). He looks around for a while before he finds two tiles on the stage-left wall and places them in their respective slots (2:09). He notices the third tile on the stage-right wall, dashes over to get it, and places it in the slot, opening the door to the Great Seal Room (2:04). “That’s it—up into the Seal Room!” Kirk narrates. Chase climbs up the ladder and looks around for a few seconds, eventually finding the seals in the back of the room (1:55). He retrieves one of them and places it in the central holder, but nothing happens (1:51). He goes back to retrieve another one, places it in the central holder, but again, nothing happens (1:46). Chase goes back for the other two, grabbing them in one trip. He brings them back, puts one in the holder, and still nothing happens (1:42). He tries the final one, opening the door to the Safari Room. Chase rushes into the room, and out jumps the second TEMPLE GUARD (1:37)!

“Oh! Temple Guard! Go, Lana!” Kirk instructs as Lana dashes up the stairs. She slides down into the Ledges (1:34) and slowly climbs through them. She crawls through the door to the Rope Labyrinth, dashes to the other side of the room, and progresses into the Tomb (1:28). Lana climbs the ladder into the Chamber of the Sacred Markers, emerges in the room and dashes through the now-open door to the Safari Room. “She’s gonna have to make up for lost time,” Kirk narrates as Lana enters the Safari Room (1:15). She pushes down the leopard head on the stage-left wall of the room, successfully opening the door to the Shrine of the Silver Monkey (1:13). “She’s headed into the Shrine of the Siiiiilver Monkey!” Kirk narrates. Lana appears in the room and looks around for a few seconds before grabbing the base of the statue (1:07). She puts it on the pedestal backwards and goes back for the middle, but realizes her mistake when she returns, turning the base around before attaching the middle (0:55). Lana then runs back to get the head, jams it down, and opens the door downward to the Dark Forest (0:49). “She’s headed into the Dark Forest,” Kirk narrates. “Hopefully the trees will be Guard-free in there!” Lana appears in the room and reaches into the stage-right tree, only to be grabbed by a TEMPLE SPIRIT (0:36)! “Oh! Temple Guard—that’s gonna cost her last Pendant!” Kirk narrates. Lana places her Pendant in the hole of the previously possessed tree, finding a key in the process (0:31). She tries two of the golden doors in the back of the room until finally finding success with the stage-left one (0:15). She begins ascending the ladder into the Room of the Secret Password. “Eleven seconds—she’s in the room! Get it!” Kirk encourages. Lana scrambles out of the Passage (0:05), grabs the SILK CUMMERBUND, and holds it in the air screaming as time expires.

“She got the Cummerbund!” Kirk exclaims as Chase does a ‘yes!’ hand pump gesture. “She had no chance to get out, but she did get to the Cummerbund before time ran out! That’s okay, though—they worked really hard. They still get the DVD player and the bikes, too, and most importantly, they leave with their held—heads held high. We’ve gotta get out of here—I don’t want to, but we’ve got to. We’ll see ya next time, and remember: it’s not just Legends…it’s Legends: Rebirth! Buh-bye!”

Kirk and Chase wave to the crowd and Lana comes out of the Temple with the Cummerbund and holds it up as the credits roll.

[The Bandit King]

The Silk Cummerbund of Elvis Presley
Season 1, Layout 1
Artifact Location: The Room of the Secret Password
Team: Blue Barracudas (Lana Andrews and Chase Long)
Pendants: 2
Result: Ran out of time (retrieved artifact)

This run probably ties with “The Golden Earring of Henry Morgan” for my favorite losing Temple Run. Speaking of “The Golden Earring”, this episode is similar to it in a couple of ways: both episodes’ artifacts required the runner to take a grueling, convoluted path to it, and both artifacts were grabbed at the exact same time clock-wise.

Chase was a very smart player. He dove down into the Ledges, knowing he would avoid the time-consuming top part of the Rope Labyrinth. He unfortunately met a Temple Guard here, slowing him down about as much as if he’d have taken the Crypt route. Aside from having horrible luck in the Great Seal Room, he made good time, making it to the Safari Room before being removed by the second Temple Guard at 1:37.

Lana was quite smart as well. She followed Chase’s path to a tee, and although she was slowed down by almost every room she entered, she had plenty of time with which to make mistakes (for one thing, she accidentally put the monkey statue’s base on backwards in the Shrine). In fact, the only room in which she caught a lucky break was the Safari Room—if she hadn’t have been so lucky, she may never have reached the Cummerbund! Time ran out a mere two seconds after she grabbed the artifact. It may not have been a win, but overall, this is a good run from a good team that was forced to endure a brutal Temple Layout.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

Notes and Trivia: When the Green Monkeys ring their gong after crossing the Moat, the gong doesn’t light up due to a production error.

This is the only time in a Layout 1 Temple Run that an artifact is reached, but not brought out of the Temple.

Could there have been any more bad Elvis impressions in this episode?

Temple Diagram provided by JTH1