Rediscovery EP: The Stolen Lantern from the Aloha Tower

[The Ancient Warrior]

Author's Note: This is one of the episodes of my independent project, Legends: The Rediscovery.  More information on the project can be found by following this link.

Episode 115px]

The camera swerves through a thick rainforest, and after multiple turns, it eventually stops in front of an ancient temple.  The eyes of giant stone head next to the temple gate light up red as he begins to speak:
"LEGENDS OF THE HIDDEN TEMPLE!"
The show's logo forms as two halves of a Pendant of Life come in from the sides of the screen and merge; the show's name appears above the logo as the camera pans across the entire temple.
"With your guide, Kirk Fogg! And here he is NOW!"

On this final word, Kirk emerges from a thick patch of jungle plants and shrubs, then runs into the foreground and up a wide set of steps to greet the crowd. "Thank you! Thank you very much! Nice to see you! Thank you, Olmec! Welcome to Legends of the Hidden Temple.  The rooms are filled with lost treasures that are protected by mysterious Mayan Temple Guards.  Only Olmec knows the legend behind each of the treasures of his temple.  Which one are we gonna hear about today?"

Faint orange lights underneath Olmec turn on, and the camera cuts to a close-up of him as he replies:
"The legend of the Stolen Lantern from the Aloha Tower."

"Ooh, the Stolen Lantern from the Aloha Tower!" Kirk says in response as the camera cuts back to him. "Well, one of these six teams will have a chance to retrieve the Stolen Lantern.  Will it be:
"Cameron and Dana of the Red Jaguars?" the camera pans to each team in order, their first names briefly appearing at the bottom of the screen?
"Neil and Monica of the Blue Barracudas,
"Gage and Mariah of the Green Monkeys,
"Isaiah and Emma of the Orange Iguanas,
"Travis and Sidney of the Purple Parrots,
"Or Darien and Lisa of the Silver Snakes?"

"They'll have to pass some tough physical and mental tests," Kirk says, "and in the end, only one team will earn the right to enter Olmec's Temple.  But first, they have to cross the Moat, and here's how they'll do it today?
"One player from each team is holding an ancient surfboard.  When I say 'Go,' he'll put the surfboard into the Moat, and he'll stand on it and go across by climbing hand-over-hand on the knotted rope above him.  Once the first player's on the other side, it's his partner's turn to pull back the surfboard and he'll try to make it across."
"As soon as the second player steps onto the deck, it's his job to run over here and hit the gong." He hits the top button on the Red Jaguars' gong? which lights up red? to demonstrate. "The first four teams to hit their gongs will be going on to the next round.  Hey teams: Are you ready?"
The players all cheer and shout in response.
"Olmec: Are you ready?" asks Kirk.
"One hundred times over!" Olmec replies.
"All right!" Kirk says in response. "Teams: On your marks, get set, GO!"

On "Go," the girls from the Blue Barracudas and Orange Iguanas, along with the boys from the other four teams, put their surfboards in the Moat and make their ways across using the overhead knotted ropes.  It isn't long before the Purple Parrots and Silver Snakes have a slight lead over the other teams, but within fifteen seconds, all the teams have their first players across, with the Orange Iguanas being the last team to reach the other side. "Everybody's doing great? no mistakes so far, so good!" Kirk commentates as the second players from each team pull on the tether ropes for their respective surfboards to reel them in.  The female Purple Parrot pulls her weight and is the first to retrieve her board, but the male Blue Barracuda noticeably works fast to reel his team's board in as well? after the Purple Parrot and Silver Snake, he is the third to start making his way across, twenty-five seconds into the round.  He doesn't make all that much progress, however, before the female Purple Parrot makes it across first and runs over to bang her team's gong (:32).
"We got our first team? ough, Red Jaguars gotta go back!" Kirk suddenly remarks as the female Red Jaguar loses grip on the knotted rope over her head and falls into the water mere seconds after the Purple Parrots place first.  After thirty-seven seconds of Moat crossing, the female Silver Snake hits her team's gong, placing second as three of the other four teams' final players approach the end of the Moat. "We got two teams, still need two, it's gonna be close!" In keeping with his relatively fast rope pull, the male Blue Barracuda is the third player to step off the surfboard and onto the deck, and he lights up his team's gong after forty-two seconds. "Still looking for one more team!" The male Orange Iguana makes a great effort to close the gap between him and his competitors, and he and the Green Monkey both reach the deck at almost the exact same time.  However, only one of the two gongs lights up, and the camera immediately cuts to Kirk celebrating with the Blue Barracudas around their gong.
"We got our four teams right here!" he proclaims while high-fiving the boy and girl from the Blue Barracudas in that order. "The Blue Barracudas?" Kirk holds for applause after each team name, and after the first one, each of the others is shown for a short time on camera? "and the Green Monkeys? and the Purple Parrots? and the Silver Snakes! The Red Jaguars and the Orange Iguanas gave it a great effort too.  We got a great effo? we have a great gift for them and here's what it is." Cameron, Dana, Isaiah and Emma will each be receiving a copy of Astro Boy on DVD.

[The Ancient Warrior]

When the camera cuts away from the consolation prize, the four remaining teams, along with Kirk, are now at the top of the Steps of Knowledge. "The quest continues," Kirk explains, "and now it's time for Olmec to tell us about the legend of the Stolen Lantern of the Aloha Tower.  But teams: pay attention, because your knowledge of the legend can bring you a step closer to the Temple."
Olmec begins to tell the legend:

"One of the most prominent landmarks in all of Hawaii is a lighthouse known as the Aloha Tower.  It stands in Honolulu Harbor to guide and welcome visitors and immigrants to Hawaii, and was the tallest building in the islands for decades.  The lighthouse was built in 1926, but the Aloha Tower might not have still stood for as long as it has.  In 1941, the Japanese bombed the nearby Pearl Harbor, leaving the United States in shock.
" 'We gotta get out there ASAP, soldiers! No draggin' yer feet! Move it! Move it!'
" 'What's the rush, sir?'
" 'Japan just attacked Pearl Harbor! Where do you think they'll go next, private? It's gotta be Honolulu! Now MOVE!'
" 'Sir yes sir!'
"American soldiers were sent in to guard Aloha Tower and watch in case Japan cast its eye on Honolulu, but they never did.  Even so, the tower was camouflaged and legend has it its lanterns were hidden until it was considered safe, but while the lanterns were taken out, one of them was stolen and eventually ended up in the Temple.  It was later replaced, but your quest is to find the Stolen Lantern from the Aloha Tower and bring it back here."

"Thank you, Olmec," Kirk says after Olmec finishes telling the legend, "but where is that Stolen Lantern?"
Olmec replies:
"The Stolen Lantern from the Aloha Tower can be found in the Observatory." The camera zooms in on an ancient-looking lantern lying on the front edge of the camera-left altar in the Observatory, then fades back to Kirk.

"All right, then, teams," Kirk begins. "In a moment, Olmec will 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 move down to the next level, but if you're wrong or run out of time, I'll give the other teams a chance." Kirk starts walking down the steps as he continues. "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:
"Is the Aloha Tower located in: Honolulu, Hilo or Pearl Ci??"
A stomp by Monica interrupts Olmec: "Honolulu."
"Correct."
"All right, Blue Barracudas, step down!" Kirk encourages, and the Blue Barracudas move down to the second step. "Next question."

Olmec asks:
"Is the Aloha Tower a: Part of a castle, Light??"
Monica cuts Olmec off again: "Lighthouse."
"That is correct."
"Whoo! Just like that, the Blue Barracudas are one step away from the Temple Games!" declares Kirk as the Blue Barracudas move down again. "But remember, we're looking for two teams.  Next question, Olmec!"

Olmec's next question is this:
"Was the lighthouse was guarded when an attack was launched??"
For the third time in a row, Monica rings in early: "?Pearl Harbor."
"THAT IS CORRECT!" bellows Olmec, and the Blue Barracudas promptly jump down to the bottommost step.
"We got our first team moving on to the Temple Games! It's the Blue Barracudas!" Kirk remarks as Monica and her partner hug in celebration. "We're still looking for one more team, and who's it gonna be: the Green Monkeys, the Purple Parrots or the Silver Snakes? Let's keep going, Olmec!"

Olmec follows up with this:
"Which of these countries attacked Pearl Harbor: Italy, Japan or Ger??"
Travis buzzes in: "Japan??"
"Correct," says Olmec in response.
"Purple Parrots, nice job, step down!" Kirk calls, and the Purple Parrots walk down onto the second step. "Next question, Olmec!"

Olmec then asks:
"During the attack, was the Aloha Tower: Disassembled, Relocated or Camouflaged?"
After a moment of hesitation, Mariah steps in: "They? camouflaged it."
"Correct."
"Green Monkeys, step on down!" The Green Monkeys do so, tying with the Purple Parrots at the second step. "This match is starting to heat up.  Olmec, next question, please."

Olmec continues:
"Was Pearl Harbor attacked during: World War I, World War II or The Civ??"
Travis hits the marking first:  "World War? II?"
"That is correct," responds Olmec.
"Purple Parrots now just one step from the Temple Games!" commentates Kirk as the Purple Parrots advance to the third step. "Silver Snakes can still catch up.  Olmec, continue."

Olmec does so by asking:
"According to legend, was one of the Aloha Tower lanterns stolen: Before the war, After the war or While they were removed from the lighthouse?"
Hesitantly, Mariah gongs in: "While? they were out of the? tower??"
There is a brief pause.
"That is correct."
"There's a two-way tie on the second-to-last step!" remarks Kirk as the Green Monkeys also move down to the penultimate level. "Next correct response and the Green Monkeys or the Purple Parrots are moving to the Temple Games.  Next question, Olmec!"

Olmec now asks:
"Was the Aloha Tower built in: 1726, 1826 or 1926?"
Darien rings in: "1826??"
"Incorrect," replies Olmec.
Neither of the other teams dares to answer, and after a few seconds, a bell sounds. "Time's up! The correct answer was: 1926."
"All right, then, Olmec, next question," Kirk comments.

Olmec follows up with:
"The Aloha Tower welcomes masses of immigrants and visitors to Hawaii every year.  Which of these landmarks does the same in the northeastern United States??"
Darien stomps down first and answers: "Ellis Island."
"That is not one of the three choices," responds Olmec. "The three choices are: The Golden Gate Bridge, The Statue of Liberty or The Cape Hatteras?"
Mariah rings in: "Statue of Liberty."
"THAT IS CORRECT!" booms Olmec, and the Green Monkeys skirt around the Blue Barracudas so that they can jump down onto the bottom level, and Mariah and her partner begin to high-five multiple times.  Before the teams can celebrate with one another, though, Kirk runs onscreen and up the bottom step.
"We got our two teams right here!" he declares as he turns around to face the camera. "The Blue Barracudas and the Green Monkeys are gonna go head-to-head in the Temple Games! The Purple Parrots, Silver Snakes? they gave it a great effort too, it was a tough match.  We got a nice gift for 'em and here's what it is." Travis, Sidney, Darien and Lisa will each be receiving a $50 iTunes gift card.
When the camera cuts away from the consolation prize, just the Blue Barracudas and Green Monkeys are standing with Kirk at the base of the steps. "These two teams are gonna be playing for the right to enter Olmec's Temple," he explains, "and they're gonna do it right after this!" The camera pans over to the Temple and zooms in on the stage-left idol in the Tiki Village.  The show's logo reforms over this and the camera fades to black for commercial.

[The Ancient Warrior]

When the camera fades back in from the commercials, the show's titlecard is displayed over a shot of a plastic lizard stuck to the wall just outside the Central Dock.  The pendant splits, the title shrinks into the distance and shortly after, the camera segues to Kirk and the two remaining teams standing in front of the Pit of Despair and some Temple Game equipment.
"Welcome back to Legends!" says Kirk to the camera. "Now glory goes to the fastest and the strongest, so let's get to know our two teams a bit better." He turns camera-left to talk to the Blue Barracudas, starting with a slightly shorter-than-average boy with blue-green eyes and curly blond locks of hair protruding from the top and sides of his helmet. "On the Blue Barracudas, we have Neil.  How old are you?" He holds the microphone up to Neil's mouth.
"Twelve."
"And I understand you play soccer and basketball," Kirk refers to the index card in his hand, "but you're really into punk rock?? Tell me about that."
"I just?" Neil struggles to explain. "I like the energy, and how the bands get to the point? but they're actually saying stuff that means something."
"What's your favorite bands?"
"Well, I really like Fear? Hole? and even a little Napalm Death," he comments, "but my favorite has gotta be the Misfits.  Fun stuff."
"All right," Kirk laughs before moving to the left extreme of the screen to talk to Neil's partner, a blue-eyed girl with freckles and straight, light brown hair reaching draped over her chest. "And also your partner here is Monica.  How old are you, Monica?"
"Twelve."
"And it says here you like to sing, but you really like to dance," Kirk reads. "Tell me about that."
"Well? I've been dancing since I was little," she starts to explain. "I've done some tap and some ballet? I fake hip-hop?" She laughs. "But I really want to learn? classical dance."
"Ooh, nice," Kirk says. "This is a musical Blue Barracudas team, folks.  Let's hear it for 'em!" Neil and Monica clap along with the cheering audience, and Kirk goes to the right side of the camera frame to talk with the Green Monkeys, starting with a slightly-taller-than-average boy with short brown hair and coffee-brown eyes. "And on the Green Monkeys, we have Gage.  How old are you?"
"Thirteen."
"And I hear you play football and do some judo, but you wanna be a stunt double," comments Kirk. "How come?"
"Well," Gage explains, "I really like martial arts, and I like action movies? I wanna work in movies and do the fight scenes."
"That's pretty cool.  I'll call you if I need one," Kirk teases before going to the far right of the screen to interview Gage's partner, a copper-skinned African-American girl with her dark hair pulled back in a frizzy ponytail. "And also on the Green Monkeys? how old are you, Mariah?"
"Twelve."
"And I hear you like to draw and you play a little basketball," says Kirk, "but you have this specific dream of the future??"
"Well," she answers, "I wanna go to college for a few years, find a great guy, tour the country, get married in Hawaii and go to Niagara Falls for a honeymoon."
"Very nice? best of luck with that," remarks Kirk. "Let's hear it for the Green Monkeys!" The audience applauds once more for the Green Monkeys, and Gage and Mariah high-ten during this.

"All right, now why don't you guys go get ready for the Temple Games?" Kirk says, pointing in different directions; Neil and Gage walk offscreen in one direction, and Monica and Mariah in another.  Then, Kirk faces the camera again. "In the Temple Games, each team is competing for?" he opens a pouch and pulls out a small gold medallion to show to the camera? "these Pendants of Life.  The winning team will need those Pendants to protect themselves from the DREADED Temple Guards as they make their way through Olmec's Temple.  There are three Temple Games.  Olmec: tell us about Temple Game #1."

Olmec begins:
"The Aloha Tower has guided ships and immigrants to Honolulu Harbor for decades, but every lantern in the tower needs to be replaced at some point? When Kirk gives the signal, move along the path and pull on the rope below you as you maneuver it along the slot.  When you get to a hole in the slot, pull the first knot in the rope through the hole and continue on to the next hole.  At each hole, you can only pull enough of the rope to get past one knot, and you may not fall off the walkway or let go of the rope.
"The first player to reach the end of the walkway and pull the lantern through the space at the end? or the one that's further along at the end of 60 seconds? wins."
The camera segues over to Kirk. "How many players does it take to change a lantern?" he asks.  Immediately after, he takes a pause. "?Let's put 60 seconds on the clock?" With a banging sound effect, a countdown clock appears in the bottom-right corner of the screen, and Kirk dashes off to the side as the camera pans up towards the girls on the raised tracks. "On your marks, get set, GO!"
Monica and Mariah start to walk along the paths, trying to be careful not to fall off at first.  After a little while, they reach a point in the raised tracks where there is a small hole in the slot, through which the first knots on the players' ropes would probably fit. "They start off fast, but now they gotta slow down so they can pull on the rope," Kirk comments as the girls pull on the ropes, "and then they gotta move on!" With fifty seconds on the clock, Monica gets the first knot through the hole first and starts to proceed, but Mariah is in fact only a second or two behind.  This remains the case as the girls get to the second hole, pull more of the rope through and progress onward with around forty seconds to go.
"All right, now it's tough 'cause they have to go around the back, and they gotta not fall off?!" Kirk narrates as the girls race towards the third hole, on the other side of the U-shaped tracks. "Blue Barracudas leading a little? can the Green Monkeys catch up?" Monica retains her lead when she advances from the third hole with 28 seconds left, running towards the last and largest hole before the finish/exit space while Mariah is still trying to pull her rope through the third hole. "Blue Monkeys leading now? Green's really gotta? Ough! Green Monkeys dropped it!" Mariah visibly loses grip on her rope with 22 seconds to go, just before she gets the third knot through the hole and a split second before Monica makes it to the fourth hole. "That's it!"
The countdown clock disappears, and Monica sits down on the ledge of her track and drops off, with the support cord slowing her fall. "The Green Monkeys lost their rope, but the Blue Barracudas held on, so they get a half a Pendant of Life!" The audience cheers as Monica claps with them. "Green Monkeys can catch up in the next game, it's worth a half-Pendant.  Olmec, tell us about Temple Game #2."

Olmec continues:
"The Aloha Tower became well-protected during World War II when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor? but in this game, you will bomb Japan back.  When Kirk gives the signal, put a rock between your legs, grab the trapeze, swing out over the grid and drop the rock into the grid.  Then, swing back, grab another rock and try again.  Each hole represents a different part of the country.
"The first player to drop a rock in all nine holes in the grid? or the player that's dropped rocks in the most holes in 60 seconds? wins."
The camera transitions over to Kirk. "It's basically bombs away here? literally? so let's put 60 seconds on the clock?" The countdown clock reappears in the bottom-right corner of the screen, and a blue half-Pendant appears in the upper-left corner as Kirk takes a few steps back to get out of the players' ways. "On your mark, get set, GO!"
Neil and Gage swing out over the grids, but only Neil manages to land a ball in the grid on his first try, in the center-left hole (:54).  Gage's first shot falls short of the grid, and both go back to try again. "Blue Barracudas already got the lead, can they keep it up?" On the second try, however, it is Neil who falls short of the grid, while Gage scores in the upper-left corner. "Green Monkeys tied it up now! This game is all about timing and you gotta aim it!" Surprisingly, the Green Monkeys take the lead soon after, as Gage drops a second ball in the center hole while Neil misses the grid again (:40).  However, only Neil scores within the next two turns, in his center hole (:32).
"It's two-two as they go out again!" Kirk remarks as the boys prepare "The Blue Barracudas and the Green Monkeys are tied up; who's gonna win this?" Soon after, both boys drop a third ball in the grid with just over twenty seconds remaining, then swing back to their starting points. "It's still a tie; anyone's? Blue Barracudas made it, Green Monkeys didn't!" Sure enough, Neil swings back after planting a fourth ball in the center-right hole with fifteen seconds to go, but Gage misses the grid. "They probably got time for just a couple more?" Within the last two turns, Neil and Gage each drop one more ball in the center-right hole of the grid; as they swing back on the latter attempt, the clock reaches zero and explodes, and a pattern of ceiling spotlights flashes to indicate that time is up.
"All right, let's count it up!" announces Kirk, running back onscreen as the boys land on the starting ramp.  They abandon their trapezes on his cue, and run over as he proceeds to count the scores. "Let's start with the Green Monkeys.  They got?" the camera closes up on him gesturing to Gage's grid? "four cannonballs in the board.  Blue Barracudas?" the camera cuts over to Neil's grid? "he got four? only the first one in each space counts, so he got four cannonballs in the board! It's a tie, so each team gets a half-Pendant of Life!" The audience cheers again. "So now the Blue Barracudas have a full Pendant, the Green Monkeys a half-Pendant? Whoever wins this next game goes to the Temple, 'cause this is worth a full Pendant.  Olmec, tell us about Temple Game #3."

Olmec narrates:
"During World War II, the Aloha Tower was camouflaged and according to legend, its lighthouses were removed.  But in this game, you must help take the tower down to hide it.  When Kirk gives the signal, grab a boulder and throw it onto the chute above you.  When it rolls off the other side, your partner must catch the boulder without it hitting the ground, and place it in your bin.  Then, go on to the next one."
"The team with the most boulders in their bin at the end of 60 seconds? wins!"
"This is for the Temple," Kirk explains as the camera segues over to him. "Let's put 60 seconds on the clock?" The clock appears onscreen with a bang, and Kirk steps back as a blue full Pendant appears in the upper-left corner and a green half-Pendant in the upper-right. "On your marks, get set, GO!"
The boys rush out towards their first boulders as the girls back up towards the walls separating them from their partners, allowing the bungee cord connecting the players to fully extend on the boys' side.  The boys toss the boulders up, but only the Green Monkeys can move fast enough for Mariah to catch the first boulder and drop it in her team's bin.  Both teams have a little difficulty after this, but eventually both score again around the :40 mark.
"Blue Barracudas just tied it up!" Kirk remarks as Monica catches the second boulder for her team, while the Green Monkeys have a little trouble moving through when Mariah's side of the harness gets stuck. "Green Monkeys a little stuck? Can they come back?" Neil and Monica manage to get one more boulder across while the Green Monkeys try to free Mariah from the wall behind her; Gage moves around while Mariah tries to walk forwards, but it takes a while (and a spotter's assistance) for the base of her bungee cord to come out of the wall. "Green Monkeys? now they gotta come back! Fifteen seconds!" Mariah puts her hands behind her back to make sure the bungee doesn't get stuck again as Gage goes over to throw another boulder onto the overhead chute, while Neil starts to step back so Monica can catch the next boulder about to land on her side.  Unfortunately, both teams miss this time as the boulders bounce a little too far.  The girls slide back and the boys prepare to throw one final boulder each? but time runs out before either reaches the end of the chute!
"All right, that's it!" Kirk shouts during the ceiling spotlight flash; the indicators disappear from the screen as he runs over, along with some spotters who start to help the players out of their harnesses. "Good job by both teams! Let's see?" He runs over to the Green Monkeys' bin first. "The Green Monkeys got?" he counts as he pulls the boulders out of the bin? "one? two boulders? they had a little trouble in there, but let's see the Blue Barracudas." He runs across to meet the Blue Barracudas, now freed from their harnesses, before pulling out their boulders and counting each one. "The Barracudas got? one? two? three boulders! They get the full Pendant, giving them two; the Green Monkeys had a half.  The Blue Barracudas are goin' to the Temple!" Neil and Monica hug and jump up and down while Kirk goes over to the Green Monkeys, who are still being helped out of their harnesses. "The Green Monkeys gave it a great effort too.  We got a great gift for them for making it this far and here's what it is." Gage and Mariah will each be receiving a pair of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Optimus Prime and Megatron action figures.
The screen wipes to show just Kirk and the Blue Barracudas in front of the equipment for the final Temple Game. "We'll see if the Blue Barracudas can make it through Olmec's Temple and retrieve the Stolen Lantern of the Aloha Tower? right after this!" The camera runs along the outside wall of the Temple, stopping at the Bamboo Forest where it zooms in on a cluster of bamboo shoots.  The show's logo reforms over this shot and the camera fades to black for commercial.

[The Ancient Warrior]

When the camera returns from the second commercial break, the show's logo is superimposed over a shot of the coral puzzle in the Central Reef.  The Pendant of Life splits, the title shrinks into the distance and the camera segues to Kirk standing in front of the Temple's stairs, to the camera-right of Neil and Monica. "Welcome back to Legends!" Kirk says to the camera. "The Blue Barracudas've proven themselves worthy and now they've earned the right to enter the Temple.  But first, Olmec's gonna give them some information to help them retrieve the Stolen Lantern of the Aloha Tower."
Olmec begins to give the rundown:
"You COULD start? by running up to the Room of the Ancient Masks! Push in the correct mask, and pass into the Upper Terrace! There you must choose your next path; you could race up into the Observatory, where you can grab the Stolen Lantern from the Aloha Tower, then climb down into the Central Reef.  Solve the correct puzzle to open the door to the Tiki Village.  Push the correct idol into position; that may take you below or lead you into the SHRIIIIiiiiine of the Silver Monkey! Assemble the statue, and you may be headed toward the Pirate's Cove! Place the torch in the correct holder to go back, or spin the ship's wheel and enter the Graveyard of Ships.
"Stand on the correct grave to go upstairs? but beware the Temple Guards that may inhabit the buried pirates!  Or, you might plow through the wall and into the Viper's Nest.  Reach into the snake jars and find the key, and you'll enter the Bamboo Forest! If you escape, you might have a chance to enter the Cannon Room.  Load the three cannonballs into the cannon, and if the rock slab is up, you can crawl back through the Coconut Harvest and finally climb through the Cave, rrrrace down the STAIRS and back through the Temple Gate.  The choices are yours and yours alone!" Olmec pauses for a second. "You won 2 Pendants in the Temple Games.  Who's going first?"
"I am," replies Monica with a smile.
"Very WELL, Monica!" replies Olmec as Kirk hands out the Pendants of Life. "When Kirk gives the signal, you'll race through the gates into the Temple and make your way towards the Lantern!  Hidden inside the Temple are three secret passages that may lead you into the Bamboo Forest, as well as 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 Neil's turn to enter and try his luck.  If you can reach the Lantern, all the doors of the Temple will instantly unlock, and the Temple Guards? will vanish.  Return through the gates with the Stolen Lantern from the Aloha Tower in three minutes, and you will be handsomely rewarded? and here's how!"
?   For just getting into the Temple, they're both going to get an Ultra-Bounce trampoline provided by Bollinger.
?   If they can grab the Lantern in three minutes, they're also going to get an Epiphone S310 electric guitar, provided by Gibson.
?   And if they can get the Stolen Lantern out of the Temple before three minutes is up, they'll both be going to Hawaii! In the heart of Waikiki, the Best Western Ohana Waikiki Tower participates in the Young Travelers Club.  Just steps away from Waikiki Beach, an area pulsing with excitement, shopping and entertainment!

The camera cuts back from the grand prize to show Kirk and the Blue Barracudas one last time before the bonus round begins. "All right, let's get those Blue Barracudas to Hawaii!" Kirk declares. "Let's get 'em going, which means Monica: you'll be going in first, so get into position.  Put your mouthpieces in? both of you; you never know when you're gonna have to go in.  Lower the gate, Olmec!"
Olmec groans gutturally as he lowers the gate; the faint orange lights under him are turned off.
"Three minutes on the clock." The countdown clock appears onscreen. "On your mark, Monica, get set, GO!"

"All right, there she's off!" Kirk shouts as Monica bounds up the steps and slides down into the Cave. "She's heading through the Cave of Sighs, and making great time!" Almost instantly, Monica edges her way down to the lower crawl tube and hits the actuator next to the door, opening it. "Monica's smart? She knows what to do here!" She makes her way through the crawl tube and enters the Coconut Harvest with 2:45 on the clock, then makes her way over to the back-left corner of the room and searches through the foliage there. "They're both smart? they blazed the Steps of Knowledge! And now she's gotta find five coconuts and throw 'em in the bucket!" It doesn't take too long for Monica to find the first two coconuts among the foliage in the corner of the room, and she takes both to the front of the room and tosses both in the bucket (2:38). "There's two! Now she's gotta find three more!" Monica looks over at the stage-left wall and notices a coconut in each of three indents; she gathers each and places them in the bucket, and on the last one, the bucket lowers to the ground and the stone slab on the stage-left wall rises, revealing a door underneath.  Monica hits the door's actuator and slides on through after the door opens; she sets foot in the Cannon Room with 2:25 remaining.
"GO MONICA!" shouts Neil from the sidelines. "C'MON!"
"She's in the Cannonball Room now," explains Kirk, "and now she's gotta put three cannonballs in the cannon to open a door!" Monica moves toward the front of the room and searches there; it isn't too long before she finds the first cannonball near the cannon itself and loads it in (2:18).  She then moves in front of the cannon and over to the stage-left wall, where the second cannonball is located. "She's moving fast, and she's smart? she got 'em here, but so did Neil, and he's cheerin' her on!" The camera temporarily switches to Neil with his fists raised, shouting to Monica from the sidelines, before showing Monica picking up the last cannonball behind the ladder with her other hand (2:11).  She then takes the two and brings both to the cannon in the front of the room and quickly loads them both in.  Soon after, the tip of the cannon's fuse lights up and shafts of light enter the room from camera-left and above as the rest of the doors open. "She's got two options where to go? She's heading?"
Monica heads on through the Bamboo Forest door, and jumps down as soon as she gets through the doorway. "She's into the Bamboo Forest, where she's gotta make it across and hopefully the doors'll open!" Monica hoists herself through a low opening in the rightmost of the three parallel tangles of bamboo shoots partitioning the room; she clambers through to the other side and does the same for the other two partitions shortly after. "She's quick and she's fast? this girl loves to dance!" When Monica makes it to the other side of the room, she hits the actuator above the closer-to-the-foreground of the two crawl tubes, and causes one of the golden doors in the next room to open.  When she leaves the Bamboo Forest for the Viper's Nest, 1:51 is still on the clock. "She's into the Viper's Lair, and still no sign of Temple Guards!" Monica stands up and makes her way over to the altar in the front of the room, and opens the stage-left snake jar on the altar.  No snakes leap out at her, so she reaches in and grabs a magnetic key (1:46). "Just like that, Monica's got the key! Now where's she wanna go?" Monica heads straight to the back of the room, and places the key on the keypad in the back-left corner, opening the leftmost of the three golden doors on the back wall.  Dropping the key, she skirts around the opening door and into the passageway behind, where she starts to climb up the ladder.  A few moments later, she emerges from a cabinet in the Shrine of the Silver Monkey with 1:33 remaining.
"She's just two rooms away!" Kirk remarks as Monica gets up and reaches for the base of the statue on one of the shelves in the Shrine. "She's in the Shrine of the SIIIIIL-ver Monkey, with plenty of time!" Monica takes just the base of the silver monkey to the front pedestal, and properly positions it without much trouble (1:27). "The silver monkey? Everyone knows how to put the monkey together now!" Monica goes to the back of the room again, and picks up both the torso and head this time. "She's already got the base, and now she just needs the middle and then the head!" She takes a couple seconds to turn the torso and get it to fit, but she soon takes the head and threads the attached rod into the holes in the other pieces, then presses down, opening the rest of the doors leading out of the Shrine with 1:14 to go.  Monica then runs on into the Tiki Village and stops in front of the stage-left idol? but before she can start pushing it, a Temple Guard emerges from the door in the back of the room!
"Ough, TEMPLE GUARD!" shouts Kirk, and Monica lets out a bit of a shriek. "But she's got a Pendant? This is her first one!" After a couple seconds, she hands her Pendant of Life over to the gesticulating Temple Guard, who accepts it and retreats with 1:07 on the clock. "Now she's gotta open the room? Push that statue!" Heeding Kirk's advice, Monica pushes the tiki idol along the path traced by parallel ridges in the floor; the path involves pushing the idol towards the back of the room and then behind the ladder. "She's just one room away from the Stolen Lantern of the Aloha Tower!" Kirk reminds the audience, who starts to cheer even louder as the last minute of the Temple Run begins.
"GO MONICA!" screams Neil, cupping his hands to his mouth to project his voice. "ALMOST THERE! C'MON!"
"She's tough? that's a heavy statue, but she's not giving up!" Monica has a little trouble as she moves around the idol and pushes it stage-right once it is behind the ladder (0:56). "It's just one more room, with fifty-five seconds!" A few seconds later, the tiki idol is in place, and the door to the Observatory swings open. "She's just a few steps away! All right Monica!" As soon as she notices the open door, Monica jogs over and heads up the steps into the Observatory.  She then grabs the Stolen Lantern from the stage-left altar in the front of the room with 44 seconds left and turns to leave.
"SHE'S GOT IT!" Kirk announces as the remaining doors swing open. "All the doors are open, with about forty seconds!" Monica runs towards the other stairwell leaving the Observatory, and jogs down into the Upper Terrace with about 39 seconds still available.  She heads across the further-in-back of the two catwalks fairly quickly, runs from the stage-right ledge of the room to the staircase connecting the Terrace to the Room of the Ancient Masks and heads on in (0:33). "She's just gotta make it down those steps? meet her at the gate, Neil!" Neil looks at Kirk for a second before turning back to Monica heading down the stairs from the Room of the Ancient Masks.  He waits for her to come down, but bursts into cheers and raises his fists in the air when she passes through the Temple Gate with the Lantern with 26 seconds left!
"THEY GOT IT!" shouts Kirk, fighting against the applause of the audience and the cheers of the Blue Barracudas themselves.  Neil puts an arm around Monica as her body starts to slump, and side-fives her with his free hand. "They got the Lantern, all with thirty seconds left!" Monica looks like she wants to scream in excitement, but makes no sound and is still wearing her mouthpiece. "They were a great team all day, and we enjoyed havin' em! Neil's tough? he's a punk, she does ballet? Monica did it all, but Neil was ready to go at any time!" The audience's cheers quiet down a bit as the Barracudas hug. "She was strong, she was fast? they both outran the Temple Guards, and they got the Lantern! So that gets them? What'd that get 'em?" He starts to laugh. "They got the trampolines, the electric guitars? They're GOIN' to Hawaii! All right!" Kirk and Neil high-five. "We enjoyed havin' 'em, but we gotta get outta here.  I don't wanna, but we're out of time.  Check us out next time for another great Legend of the Hidden Temple! Buh-bye!" Kirk and Neil wave to the camera as it zooms out; shots of the Bamboo Forest, the Observatory, Monica catching her breath and conversing with Kirk and Neil, the Upper Terrace and foliage alongside the Steps of Knowledge are all shown as the credits roll.

[The Ancient Warrior]

Episode Summary
Episode 115px]

Name of Artifact: The Stolen Lantern from the Aloha Tower
Season: 3
Layout: 3 (Hawaiian Layout; 13 overall)
Result: Made it!
Time Remaining: 0:26
Team: Blue Barracudas
Pendants Won: 2
Location of Artifact: The Observatory



Pretty much this entire episode belonged to the Blue Barracudas, in my opinion.  The Moat crossing was actually rather even, but the Barracudas swept the steps before any of the other teams could ring in.  The Green Monkeys joined them after five more questions, but in the Temple Games they slipped up numerous times, costing them dearly: Monica of the Blue Barracudas won the first game by default when the Green Monkey, Mariah, dropped her tethered item with 22 seconds left; Neil of the Barracudas and Gage of the Monkeys tied in the "Cover the Grid" game; and the Green Monkeys got stuck in the "Boulder Pass" game when the base of their bungee cord was jammed in the wall, requiring spotters' assistance to free them.  Ultimately it didn't matter, though: the Green Monkeys got additional opportunities to score afterwards, but failed to catch up to the Blue Barracudas, who won the Temple Games 2 Pendants-?.

The musically inclined Blue Barracudas? hardcore punk lover Neil and dancer Monica? went on to win in the Temple, but it took only Monica to do it.  The Temple design was almost exactly the same as that of " `Iolani Palace's Missing Armrest" from the same production day, but Monica met her only Temple Guard in the Tiki Village, just one room away from the Stolen Lantern? and as such, this Temple Run wasn't quite as exciting as the aforementioned one.  Nevertheless, Monica made no real missteps, and did not stall excessively in any room.  Ultimately she got to the Observatory and grabbed the Stolen Lantern with 44 seconds left; she then took the high road out of the Temple and scored a victory and a vacation for herself and Neil with a healthy 26 seconds on the clock.  Neil was very supportive from the sidelines during the run, and Kirk was particularly excited for this team when they won, which made it all the better to watch? and the funny post-run exchange helped, too. <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/lol.gif" alt="" title="" />

Trivia and Records:
Intentional or not, Kirk made a bit of a reference to the song "Sk8er Boi" by Avril Lavigne during the post-Temple Run speech.  This is only the second solo victory on the show that was achieved with two full Pendants of Life? the first was "The Lost Love Letter of Jos?phine Bonaparte" (Season 2, Layout IX).

[The Silver Monkey]

Also, the layout is an exact copy of The Belly Button of Buddha's, and that run also featured the Barracudas, coincidentally.