Temple Guard Locations

[PurpleParrot4Life]

We will now move on to "Mush Pot Hat of Johnny Appleseed."

Encountered Guards: Crypt, King's Storeroom
Number of Unencountered Guards: 1
Rooms not Entered: Ledges, Medusa's Lair, Dark Forest, Swamp, Throne Room

Notes: There were mixed opinions in the past. Some people thought the final guard was in Medusa's Lair, since the door opened down from the Observatory. Others thought the Dark Forest held a guard because the door opened from the Shrine to the Dark Forest. Other people suggested the Throne Room held the last guard, simply because there was a guard in that room so frequently in Season 2.

My Thoughts: I believe the last guard was in Medusa's Lair. That room was accessible from the Observatory, so chances are that the Pit would have also opened to Medusa's Lair, and that room would have also led straight across to the King's Storeroom in addition to leading up to the Observatory. That whole "triangle to nowhere" configuration was seen countless times in the first two seasons.

-- In addition to that configuration itself, the temple guard placements within that set up were often repeated. It was so common for the "triangle to nowhere" to be lurking with guards if all of those doors were unlocked. Take "Lawrence of Arabia's Headdress," "Priceless Portrait of the Polynesian Girl," and "Upside-Down Compass of Henry Hudson" for example (there were a handful of other runs that also fit the criteria, but those three came to mind first); each of those runs featured a "triangle to nowhere" and held two or more guards in those three rooms.

-- One other thing to note is that, there is a very brief camera shot that shows the Dark Forest during the run, while Angela is climbing down into the Mineshaft. The left tree does not have its limb up against the stone wall, like it did in the other episodes from that day when there was a guard in the tree. I highly doubt the guard would have been in the right tree if there was a guard stationed in the Dark Forest, since the team could have avoided the room completely AND only had to plow through the wall in that room.

[The Red Jaguars]

I think the last guard in the "Blackfeet Chief" run was in the Crypt. I don't recall any layout where a team met a guard in both the Dark Forest and Mine Shaft room space if they entered from the Swamp. It seems kind of pointless to me, unless they want to "punish" the team for not using the Dark Forest. But they should only put a guard in the Mine Shaft if there was no temple spirt in the Dark Forest like in "Henry Morgan".

Also, Medusa's Lair makes sense also for the "Johnny Appleseed" guard. I am not sure what this whole "triangle to nowhere" was, but a guard being in Medusa's Lair would've been similar to the temple guard layout in the "Benjamin Franklin" run where if the team skipped Medusa's Lair, then they would've avoided a temple guard.

[PurpleParrot4Life]

Also, Medusa's Lair makes sense also for the "Johnny Appleseed" guard. I am not sure what this whole "triangle to nowhere" was, but a guard being in Medusa's Lair would've been similar to the temple guard layout in the "Benjamin Franklin" run where if the team skipped Medusa's Lair, then they would've avoided a temple guard.

The "triangle to nowhere" is my phrase to describe when the Observatory/Heart Room/King's Storeroom spaces were completely unlocked in all directions, forming a triangle that, if the teams were not careful, would send them into a loop between the three rooms. Season 1 contestants often got caught in that loop, as did a few players in Season 2. This looping path could usually be broken by going into the Shrine of the Silver Monkey, but sometimes the only way out was by going down into the Throne Room space.

It was common for one- sometimes two- guards to be stationed in this triangular path. Often times, at least one of the guards was avoidable, as was the case you mentioned with the Medusa's Lair guard in the "Benjamin Franklin" run.

[PurpleParrot4Life]

Up next is the "Cracked Crown of the Spanish King."

Encountered Guards: Ledges, Throne Room, Dark Forest (left tree)
Number of Unencountered Guards: 0

All of the guards were encountered. No need to go looking for where they were.

[PurpleParrot4Life]

And while we're at it, let's finish "Imperial Purple Robe of Empress Theodora" too.

Encountered Guards: Dark Forest (right tree), Shrine
Number of Unencountered Guards: 1
Rooms not Entered: Observatory, Medusa's Lair, King's Storeroom, Ledges

Notes: Most people in the past thought the final guard was in the Ledges. Some people also suggested the guard was in the central shaft, in case the team began in the upper central shaft and then was forced down to the Throne Room. The King's Storeroom was locked from the Shrine and every believed it would be unnecessary for that room to have been used as a dead end, if the team began in the upper central shaft.

My Thoughts: Considering both encountered guards were so deep in the temple, I'd imagine the other one was at the very outside of the temple. For example, "Discarded Seal of Ivan the Terrible" featured a guard in the third room, and the other guards were in rooms eight and nine.

-- While I suspect the team would have been given access to at least one of the other central shaft rooms from the Pit, I doubt the producers would have placed a guard there. Why would they punish the team by placing a guard there, in addition to taking the longest route possible? The producers only tended to place guards in the excessive rooms of the longest route when the team had 1 pendant, allowing that guard to be avoided. Since the "Imperial Purple Robe" team had 2 pendants, I think that temple guard placement pattern would not have been used.

-- Using this line of deductive reasoning, I would place the final guard in the Ledges for this run.

[PurpleParrot4Life]

Now, we are moving right along to "Stone Head of the Evil King."

Encountered Guards: Throne Room, Medusa's Lair, King's Storeroom
Number of Unencountered Guards: 0

All of the guards were encountered. There should be no question as to where they were.

[PurpleParrot4Life]

Up next is "Lucky Medallion of Atocha."

Encountered Guards: Ledges
Number of Unencountered Guards: 2
Rooms not Entered: Crypt, Throne Room, Swamp, Dark Forest

Notes: Every room was brought up as a possible room, for one reason or another. Some people suggested the Crypt because the layout seemed as though the producers may have put a guard in both entrance rooms. Other people mentioned the Throne Room/Swamp because they didn't think the Crypt held a guard and the Dark Forest did not open from the Shrine. Others said there was a possibility for there to have been a second path that led across the bottom floor of the temple, and they placed the guards in the Throne Room and Dark Forest because there didn't appear to be a guard in the Swamp when Ty exited the temple.

My Thoughts: To be completely honest, this run puzzles me. I don't think there would have been a completely divergent second path to the artifact, but I am also hesitant to believe the producers placed guards in both entrance rooms.

-- I suppose they may have put a guard in both the Crypt and Ledges because this was a 1 pendant run. It seemed that the 1 pendant run temple guard placements were more gimmicky and more spaced out, since it had to be possible to avoid at least one guard entirely.

-- Like the prior comments, I don't think the Swamp had a guard because there didn't appear to be one when Ty exited the temple. Also, I doubt the Dark Forest would have held a guard because the Shrine didn't not lead to that room, and I don't think there was a completely alternate path along the bottom floor of the temple. The only way for a guard to have been stationed in the Dark Forest, then, would have been if the Throne Room opened to Medusa's Lair and the Swamp, and to have a two-room-long dead end in the Swamp and Dark Forest. I don't think that would have happened.

-- For these reasons, the only rooms left for there to have been a guard would have been the Crypt and Throne Room. I suppose that the placement of the guards would have made sense: Crypt, Ledges, Throne Room. In the other episodes from that day and the day prior, all of the guards were clustered together, near the outside of the temple. My suggested placements would have followed suit.

[PurpleParrot319]

It's possible that there was a guard in the Swamp. In "The Very Tall Turban of Ahmed Baba", the Swamp temple guard hid out of view behind the ledge in the front of the room. You can't see him in that run until he reveals himself. Maybe that was the case for Atocha as well. Maybe the Swamp was a dead-end. It wasn't rare for the Swamp to be a dead-end in season 1, so that might be a possibility. It's possible that the door leading to the King's Storeroom would've opened from the Swamp.

If the Swamp really did have a temple guard in it, then I'm sure the Throne Room had the other guard as well. This could've been a Jean Lafitte-like run where two paths merge into the center room, with the Throne Room having the temple guard and not the Observatory. I doubt there were guards in both entrance rooms. I think the only run where that was possible was "The Jeweled Scabbard of Sforza". That's how I feel.

[The Red Jaguars]

I have to agree with TPP, I don't think that one of the guards were in the Crypt. I don't think they used the "double entrance guard" trick until Season 3. And even then, I only think that it was used in the "Sforza" episode. I just don't see how having the guard in the Crypt would work out. I guess it would've forced Ty down into the Ledges, but I don't recall ever seeing a S2 temple run with a gimmicky layout like that.

I think the last guard was in the Swamp. The last two guards being in the Swamp and Throne Room makes sense since they would be "direct path" guards. Since Ty took the high road, he then avoided the two guards that would've doomed this team if they stayed low. I am not sure if the Swamp would've lead up to the King's Storeroom. The Swamp never really unlocked upwards when it appeared in S1 or S2. It wasn't until "Mulan" when the doors leading up worked.

[PurpleParrot4Life]

I have to agree with TPP, I don't think that one of the guards were in the Crypt. I don't think they used the "double entrance guard" trick until Season 3. And even then, I only think that it was used in the "Sforza" episode. I just don't see how having the guard in the Crypt would work out. I guess it would've forced Ty down into the Ledges, but I don't recall ever seeing a S2 temple run with a gimmicky layout like that.

I think the last guard was in the Swamp. The last two guards being in the Swamp and Throne Room makes sense since they would be "direct path" guards. Since Ty took the high road, he then avoided the two guards that would've doomed this team if they stayed low. I am not sure if the Swamp would've lead up to the King's Storeroom. The Swamp never really unlocked upwards when it appeared in S1 or S2. It wasn't until "Mulan" when the doors leading up worked.

As long as I'm not forgetting any episodes, I don't believe there were any episodes prior to the installment of the ladder in the Jesters' Court where the team was given access to ascend from the Swamp space to the King's Storeroom space, either in Season 1 or Season 2. Additionally, I cannot recall any instances in Season 2 where the Swamp/Jesters' Court was a dead-end (or was accessible for it to be a dead-end). Only Medusa's Lair was sometimes a dead-end from the Throne Room, but that was only in runs where the artifact was located in the King's Storeroom or Observatory.

While I agree that a guard in the Crypt was unlikely and would have been very gimmicky, I believe having a guard in the Swamp would have been even more out of place for the "Atocha" run.

[PurpleParrot4Life]

To continue on with S2, L2, next up is "Applewood Amulet of Emiliano Zapata."

Guards Encountered: Medusa's Lair, King's Storeroom
Number of Unencountered Guards: 1
Rooms not Entered: Crypt, Observatory, Mineshaft, Dark Forest, Swamp, Throne Room

Notes: In the past, seven different people expressed their belief that the last guard was in the Crypt. Many people noted that the half pendant was on the actuator to Medusa's Lair, and  there was always at least one guard prior to the half pendant. The only room that was not entered before the half pendant was the Crypt. Additionally, some people contested that, while the door to the Throne Room was undeniably locked, the door to the Observatory was not tried and may have been open. They stated that either the Observatory would have bypassed the Medusa's Lair guard or would have been a dead end. Even if the Observatory were to have served as a dead end, they noted that the dead end Observatories never had guards in them.

My Thoughts: What more can I say? Every single reason that could possibly be mentioned has been named, and I don't see any reason for the guard to have been anywhere else.

-- Even if the Observatory was accessible, it would have had to have led down to the King's Storeroom. Since the half pendant was located on the Medusa's Lair actuator for "Zapata," the team would not have come across its path if they went up to the Observatory and then were only allowed to go down to Medusa's Lair.

-- Having a guard in an entrance room and then two in back to back inner temple rooms (Heart Room/King's Storeroom, in particular) has happened in other episodes; "Elizabeth I's Golden Ship" comes first to mind. It wouldn't be out of the question for a similar placement to have happened again. Conversely, the only time all three guards were in that three-room loop was "Henry Hudson."

[Purple Parrots Fan]

The last guard in Applewood Amulet had to be in the Crypt. I don't think there's any other room that would fit.

[The Red Jaguars]

I think the last guard was also in the Crypt also. To me, it wouldn't make any sense to put the last guard in the Observatory when the half-pendant was on the actuator to Medusa's Lair. If the last guard was in the Observatory, then why put the half-pendant on the Medusa's Lair actuator after all and trick the contestant if they went into the Observatory first? I know this happened in "The Priceless Portrait of the Polynesian Girl", but the Room of the Mandarin Hand was probably a detour to the Observatory for Kristen anyways. Besides, I don't think the Observatory door opened for Robert from Medusa's Lair anyways. I don't remember if it opened to the King's Storeroom when Olivia-Emma completed the room objective though. I have to check that out.

And it seemed like all the temple layouts that day used a temple guard in an entrance room: The Lucky Medallion of Atocha (Ledges), The Electrified Key of Benjamin Franklin (Crypt), and The Lucky Pillow of Annie Taylor (Crypt, judging from Missy's path). So it would make sense if the Emiliano Zapata guard was in one of the entrance rooms.

[PurpleParrot4Life]

Next up is "Electrified Key of Benjamin Franklin."

Guards Encountered: Medusa's Lair, King's Storeroom
Number of Unencountered Guards: 1
Rooms not Entered: Crypt, Viper's Nest

Notes: Every person believed the final guard was in the Crypt. Once Michelle finished assembling the Silver Monkey, the door to the Viper's Nest appeared to remain shut. Since the team was not given access to that room, a guard would not have been stationed there. The only other room that was not entered was the Crypt. The team was given the option of entering that room, so the guard must have been there.

My Thoughts: I think that explanation hit the nail on the head. Additionally, note that in the last group of runs for S2, L2, there was a guard either encountered or most likely stationed in an entrance room. This idea of similar guard placements will probably be helpful when we get into the next set of runs.

[PurpleParrot4Life]

And to finish up S2, L2, let's move on to "Lucky Pillow of Annie Taylor."

Guards Encountered: Throne Room
Number of Unencountered Guards: 2
Rooms not Entered: Crypt, Mineshaft, Viper's Nest, Observatory

Notes: Nobody believed the producers would have "been cruel enough" to place a guard in the Observatory. Likewise, the Viper's Nest would have only been entered if Missy got turned around in the Shrine or took a two-room-long detour. Many people believed placing a guard there would have been unlikely. By deduction, that only left the Crypt and Mineshaft.

My Thoughts: I agree with the suggested placements for the two final guards.

-- Having one of the guards in the Crypt would have followed the "entrance room guard" trend seen throughout the rest of the production day. Also, in general, it was common for one of the guards to be in an entrance room during Center of the Room runs.

-- Placing a guard in the potentially avoidable Mineshaft would have been similar to "Golden Earring of Henry Morgan," which was also a 1 pendant Center of the Room run. In that episode's run, the door leading from the Shrine to the Dark Forest opened when Shem finished assembling the Silver Monkey. A similar scenario could have played out like "Annie Taylor" if Ashley used the key in the Dark Forest. In the same way, the "Annie Taylor" run could have ended up like "Henry Morgan" if Missy chose to plow through the stone wall.