Possible Alternative Routes

[The Red Jaguars]

But the Leonardo Da Vinci kids had 2 pendants. So even if there was a third guard in there, it wouldn't have mattered.

Oops, Katie and Robert did win two games in the temple. Keeli and Chris must've been the team with 1.5 pendants. 

[Purple Parrots Fan]

Roberto you mean?

And yes, Keeli and Chris did win 1.5 pendants in the temple games. Of course, the half pendant was nowhere in sight for them. But yeah, if both Keeli and Roberto had tried all three Gargoyle tongues in their respective runs, maybe they would've reached their artifacts at least.

[The Viper]

Does anyone else think that in the Golden Goblet, the Dark Forest opened from the Jester's Court? When the girl completes the room you can hear the Dark Forest door sound effect. Maybe the wall wouldn't have been breakable like Alhambra/Theodora? Also, this run's layout was pretty difficult imo 

[JCW555]

^ Here's a snapshot from the run. I can't tell if the Dark Forest was opened or not.

Also I agree, this layout was one of the hardest IMO. I loved how she went up into the King's Storeroom though. They didn't do that much in season 2 if I recall correctly.

[PurpleParrot4Life]

Does anyone else think that in the Golden Goblet, the Dark Forest opened from the Jester's Court? When the girl completes the room you can hear the Dark Forest door sound effect. Maybe the wall wouldn't have been breakable like Alhambra/Theodora? Also, this run's layout was pretty difficult imo  

If we're going by sounds effects alone, then yes, the Dark Forest did open during the Golden Goblet run. By comparison, the low humming noise signaling the opening of the Dark Forest did not play during the Silk Sash of Mulan or Golden Pepperoni of Catherine de Medici runs, where we know the teams were able to enter the King's Storeroom. Still another sound effect played during the Missing Weather Maps of Charles Lindbergh run, where we also know the King's Storeroom opened but the Dark Forest did not.

As far as the intended path for Golden Goblet, I think that they would have been forced back upstairs either way. Given how runs from the same production day tended to share similar layouts and difficulties, it wouldn't surprise me. Take Silk Sash of Mulan, the run immediately prior, for example: Jessie and Steven had to go down the central shaft, up from the Jesters' Court to the King's Storeroom, and then back across the upper floor. Another thing I'd like to point out is that the half pendant for Golden Goblet was on the actuator from the Pit to Medusa's Lair, meaning that the Observatory was an extra room that did not need to be completed for this run.

And as for the temple guards for Golden Goblet, we know there was one in Medusa's Lair. The only unentered rooms were the Ledges, Dark Forest, and Secret Password. I suspect that the Ledges held a guard, since most Season 2 runs had a guard in one of the entrance rooms. Additionally, the upper left room never held a guard during Season 2, while the Dark Forest frequently did. For this reason, I believe the Dark Forest held a guard, meaning that that room was capable of being entered during the Golden Goblet run.

[Purple Parrots Fan]

I honestly think the last guard(s) in Golden Goblet were in the Room of the Secret Password, and The Ledges. I know I'm alone on this, but I'm just not convinced at all that they would stick a temple guard in the Dark Forest. I know access was gained to the Dark Forest through the Shrine and the Jester's Court, but it would just serve as a pointless dead end to me. I think it was in the Ledges.

[The Viper]

I agree that one of the guards was definitely in the Ledges, but as for the other one, I really don't know. The Secret Password area never head a guard in Season 2, and the Dark Forest had a guard frequently, but I think that if the guard was in the Dark Forest, the Kings Storeroom wouldnt have opened from the Jesters Court. I don't recall them having an extremely long path through the temple that could be done solo, but if the guard was in the Dark Forest, then the girl could have done it solo.

[PurpleParrot4Life]

I agree that one of the guards was definitely in the Ledges, but as for the other one, I really don't know. The Secret Password area never head a guard in Season 2, and the Dark Forest had a guard frequently, but I think that if the guard was in the Dark Forest, the Kings Storeroom wouldnt have opened from the Jesters Court. I don't recall them having an extremely long path through the temple that could be done solo, but if the guard was in the Dark Forest, then the girl could have done it solo.

I'm not sure what constitutes an "extremely long" path, but there were several instances of teams facing lengthy paths and being able to complete them as solo runs. Some successful ones include Lucky Pillow of Annie Taylor, Belly Button of Buddha, Star of Sultan Saladin, Very Tall Turban of Ahmed Baba, and Milk Bucket of Freydis. And Golden Earring of Henry Morgan, for one, could have been a solo run if Ashley avoided the Mineshaft (the door opened from the Shrine back to the Dark Forest, showing that was an option for Ashley), and her path still would have been pretty lengthy.

[The Viper]

I meant when taking the difficulty of the rooms which need to be completed into account. In runs like Lucky Pillow and Buddha, the paths consisted of mostly easy rooms. But in the Golden Goblet, if a solo victory was possible, the path most likely was Medusa-Laser Light-Jesters Court-Storeroom-Shrine-Secret Password, and that path required the completion of quite a few time consuming rooms AND 3 floor switches, one of which would be via the elevator. I just don't think they would have a route this long to the artifact without having the frontrunner get taken out somewhere along it.

[Purple Parrots Fan]

They could've put a temple guard in the Room of the Secret Password as a "one room away" trick. They certainly did that in Leopard Skin Cloak, taped immediately after Golden Goblet. Plus, I don't think the Mine Shaft opened (or would've opened) at all from the Shrine.

[PurpleParrot4Life]

They could've put a temple guard in the Room of the Secret Password as a "one room away" trick. They certainly did that in Leopard Skin Cloak, taped immediately after Golden Goblet. Plus, I don't think the Mine Shaft opened (or would've opened) at all from the Shrine.

Kirk even said at the end of the run that she was 2 rooms away, indicating that she was not going to be given direct access to the Mineshaft from the Shrine.

[The Red Jaguars]

They could've put a temple guard in the Room of the Secret Password as a "one room away" trick. They certainly did that in Leopard Skin Cloak, taped immediately after Golden Goblet. Plus, I don't think the Mine Shaft opened (or would've opened) at all from the Shrine.

Kirk even said at the end of the run that she was 2 rooms away, indicating that she was not going to be given direct access to the Mineshaft from the Shrine.

I do believe that Rachelle would've been forced to enter the Room of the Secret Password, but I only take what Kirk says with a grain of salt. I mean he did say that Elise should've slide down the to the Quicksand Bog during the War Fan run even though she didn't complete the Secret Password objective yet...

Anyways, I agree with the above two posts about Rachelle being forced to enter the Secret Password. The last temple guard had to be in that room because she entered pretty much every other temple room a long the path. So the three guards were in the Ledges, Medusa's Lair, and Secret Password. It would've been one of those runs where encountering all three guards would've helped. But Rachelle was way too slow to be a frontrunner. She wasn't bad, but she took too long doing certain stuff like climbing ladders and moving between rooms. She could've avoided the Observatory altogether too, similar to the Silk Sash run before it.

[Purple Parrots Fan]

Yeah, I agree that running into all three temple guards would've helped. As long as Taylor picked up the half pendant, had he been given a chance in the temple. Rachelle could've started in the Ledges, then be forced up to the Crypt, and eventually get removed in Medusa's Lair. I'm not sure how much better Taylor would've done, but victory was slim anyways. Since this was a pretty hard layout.

And I definitely agree that the three temple guards were (or had to be), in the Ledges, Medusa's Lair, and the Room of the Secret Password.

[The Viper]

Does anyone have other alternate route theories that they want to share?

[PurpleParrot4Life]

Yeah, I agree that running into all three temple guards would've helped. As long as Taylor picked up the half pendant, had he been given a chance in the temple. Rachelle could've started in the Ledges, then be forced up to the Crypt, and eventually get removed in Medusa's Lair. I'm not sure how much better Taylor would've done, but victory was slim anyways. Since this was a pretty hard layout.

But the half pendant was on the door leading to Medusa's Lair, while he would have gone into the Observatory if he were to have followed Rachelle's path. Therefore, he would have more likely than not passed by the half pendant.