813: GROWING AND ROWING

Missions:
12: Dragon Boat Race

My comments:
    The episode starts with the ship pulling into Hong Kong’s bay. Back on the ship the cast is subjected to a Random Drug and Alcohol check and they found a couple of bottles of rum and wine in Yes’ drawer. Later on Yes finds out that he was assigned to 5 hours of dock time and he had to go to Alcohol counseling. Just then the cast finds out their next mission is a Dragon Boat race. And they have to find 18 other students each to make up their teams. The two groups are Shawn, Yes, Ayanna and Pua, Pawel, Veronica. When the group gets back to the ship the Academic Dean comes by and tells Veronica that he needs to talk to her, Yes, and Ayanna about their class attendance. And Veronica tells him that she is going running so she will not be able to go, the Dean told that she had to go to the meeting and she agreed to go. At the meeting Ayanna, Veronica and Yes find out that they have to catch up on their work or else they are going to fail. During the meeting Ayanna says that she will not go to Black History class because the teacher told her that just because she is black she is not African, the Dean told her that she has to realize that she had to talk to her professor about the way that she feels, and convinces her that she would not be upset if her teacher was not black. So she decides that she is not going to give her professor the honor of failing her so she is going to attend the class. When it was time for the race every group got their team together and went to the race, on the ride to the river each group had to come up with a chant to perform before the race, so everyone was thinking of something to chant. After the chants each group split up into their groups and went to the race. When it was all over Shawn, Yes and Ayanna wins the race, and their prize is a nice Chinese drum. Also they awarded a most valuable player and it went Pawel because of all the support that he gave his team and he also received a drum.

What Bunim-Murray had to say about the episode:
    Put aside your tanning oil and pick up a trusty number two pencil instead, because this floating university means business. After weeks of carelessly wading through their classes, Yes, Ayanna and Veronica suddenly find themselves adrift without a lifesaver.
    Unexpectedly confronted by a panel of questioning professors, the threesome must quickly account for their slacking studies. Yes and Veronica cover their tracks with promises of improvement, but Ayanna's excuse is much more revealing. She is stalwartly boycotting her African History course because she believes her teacher made an offensive remark. Taking headstrong Ayanna aside, a dean encourages her to view the dilemma in a different light. Shedding a few tears, she acknowledges his advice and decides to re-think the situation. As for Yes, his leash may be looser, but he's not out of the doghouse quite yet. During a random room search, he gets caught red-handed with an illegal stash of liquor. Realizing he's beyond busted, Yes begrudgingly accepts his dock time punishment and attends a mandatory alcohol awareness meeting while the other Road Rulers tromp off for the first day of their mission.
    Located on a beautiful Hong Kong lake, the kids discover that they will be participating in a traditional Dragonboat competition. While their mayors detail the historical significance of the customary race, our eager travelers try their hands at the ancient art of ceremonial drumming. Excited about the forthcoming face-off, the Roadies swiftly split in half and reassemble at the ship to recruit fellow students as teammates. The following morning, good-natured rivalry takes center stage, and Paul is especially pumped for the challenge at hand. The now-complete cast and their respective crews engage in a pre-race ritual contest before taking their places on the colorful Dragonboats. As the echoing drums pound, the teams duel it out on the glassy lake, energetically paddling toward the finish line. Yes, Ayanna and Shawn's team slices to victory, and a friendly water fight caps off the day. Defeated but still enthusiastic, Paul is honored with the prize-winning title of MVP, as the mingling teams applaud their approval.

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