[rock music] Dan: Teamwork, it's the key to success in almost any form of competition, in sports, in business, and certainly in the pursuit of finding family.

- This is east!

- Oh, we need to make a left.

- Don't get ran over!

Dan: Working together to achieve a common goal is an accomplishment to be proud of, and as we prepare to kick off our eleventh season of Relative Race, here, just outside of Philadelphia, teamwork is what it's all about.

♪ Do you think you could operate a massive excavator?

[smash] [whoosh] Or a front-end loader?

Like this one.

[glass breaking] Well, our teams will have to figure out how to do just that as they lift, place, and smash their way into another season of a race unlike any other... Woman 1: Go!

[laughs] - Welcome, to an all-new season of Relative Race!

DNA tells us who we are and where we came from.

Following their own DNA, four teams are racing... Man 1: It's gonna be right here.

Man 2: Go, go, go!

Dan: to win $50,000... - We made it.

Dan: And to find their family.

[knocking] Singer: ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Oh, oh -oh ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Oh, oh -oh ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Oh, oh -oh ♪ ♪ Woman 1: We are at Dig-A-Plant, wait, what is it called?

- Dig— Diggerland.

- Diggerland.

[laughs] Man 3: We're just seeing a lot of construction, and a lot of just tomfoolery.

Karen: [laughs] - I felt nervous and excited.

It was excited nerves.

- I thought what in the world are we about to do?

♪ Dan: Good morning, teams and welcome to Relative Race.

You're about to embark on a journey unlike any other.

A race that's gonna change your lives forever as you discover family.

Some that never knew you existed, and others that have been searching for you for decades.

So without further ado, let's make our team introductions.

- Hi, I'm Thaddeus.

I'm 24 years old.

- And I'm Karen, Thaddeus's mom, and I'm 61 years old.

- We're from Baltimore, Maryland.

And we're Team Red.

♪ Thaddeus: I'm doing this race with my mom.

She is my adoptive mother.

She's my anchor, she's my shield.

She always protects me.

♪ My passion is acting, and I'm so thankful for that.

Karen: Outside of work, I have a blog, I have a podcast, and they're all for encouraging and self-help issues.

♪ We both have our strengths and weaknesses.

Thaddeus: We bring something that we don't have to each other.

Karen: I might not be the best at an obstacle, however I'm not afraid of any challenge.

We've got this.

- I'm Tia Drinkhouse and I'm from Pierre, South Dakota.

- I'm Carolen White, and I'm from Chicago, Illinois.

Both: We just met, and we're Team Black.

♪ Tia: I'm 50 years old.

I'm a widowed mother of seven grown children.

I'm a correctional officer at a county facility, but my real passion is rescuing animals.

♪ Carolen: I am 29 years old.

I am a criminal law clerk.

I also enjoy playing the drums.

♪ I play for a group called Kaotic Drumline.

We perform for parades.

We did a Chicago football classic.

We've even traveled to Holland.

♪ - Us, we clicked.

Carolen: I think being a team of strangers is gonna work to our advantage.

Tia: We came here to win, but if we don't win, we've already won because we have a friendship.

♪ - My name is Kentrelle.

- My name is Jon.

- And I'm from Jackson, Mississippi.

- I'm from Pleasanton, California.

Both: We're complete strangers, and we're Team Blue!

[thu-thump] Jon: I'm from the Bay Area in California.

I like all things creative, artsy, film, theater.

My plan is to go to school to be an emergency medical technician.

Kentrelle: I work as a digital marketing specialist, and I felt it was important to get a master's in marketing because I wanted to be able to set the standard for the rest of my family.

♪ Jon: Meeting Kentrelle for the first time, it seems like he gives off good energy, good vibes.

- I felt Jon's energy, and I was just like, okay, this can work.

- I'm Nolin Sherick.

- And I'm Leah Hill.

- And we are siblings through adoption.

- We live outside South Bend, Indiana.

Both: And we're Team Green.

♪ Nolin: I'm 20 years old.

I'm a junior at Bethel University.

I love sports.

I run track and play basketball.

I recently got engaged to my fiancée, Kara.

Leah: I'm 32 years old.

I'm a wife and a mom of three.

I have a few part-time jobs.

My favorite job is uploading pictures on a puppy website.

♪ Nolin: I am excited about the opportunity to meet my biological family.

I'm excited to do it with a sibling.

I think it will be a great experience for both of us.

♪ - All right, now that we have the introductions out of the way, it's time to get down to business.

Now, remember, over the next ten days, there is $50,000 on the line, and it all gets real right now.

Let's remind everybody, we've already taken away your smartphones and replaced them with our iphones.

However, those iphones are permanently disconnected from the Internet and only has the ability to text each other.

Yeah.

They're not the kind of iphones you were hoping for.

Karen: [chuckles] Dan: Now, let's get to the competition.

Welcome to Diggerland, just outside Philadelphia.

♪ Behind you is a very unique construction site, filled with heavy equipment.

And this is the real deal, we're talking about giant excavators and huge front-end loaders that you're going to need to operate as a team.

So, with that in mind, quick question, do any of you have any experience behind any of these bad boys?

- No.

- No?

No?

Karen: Absolutely not.

- A little bit.

- No-Nolin, you do?

- A little bit.

I've driven the excavator with my dad when I was younger.

So I was familiar with that.

- I've worked on farm equipment before, so... - Oh, interesting.

Carolen: We are here using forklifts, and things with buttons and lights and switches, and lotta things I don't know about.

Dan: Are you ready for your Relative Race to begin?

All: Yes!

Dan: Good deal, all right, it all starts right now.

Turn around, get in that equipment and get ready for some heavy-lifting.

Singer: ♪ Whooo.

♪ ♪ Watch out.

♪ ♪ Watch out.

♪ ♪ Oooh, watch out, baby, now.

♪ [clack] [click] [engines rumbling] Dan: The kick-off challenge for season 11 is Heavy Lifting.

For the first part of the challenge, one teammate operates an excavator, the other a front-end loader.

The excavator must pick up and place two tires on a pole.

Then the front-end loader must do the same.

Once that's complete, the loader must carry a car into position to be smashed.

The excavator must then smash the car until it can drive over it.

Once finished, our teams will hit the road.

♪ Your Relative Race starts in three, two, one, GO!

- Oo-oh.

Tia: All right, girl.

Kentrelle: What am I doing?

- [laughing] Kentrelle: Working the excavator, a lot more difficult than I thought it would be.

Tia: Initially when I saw the equipment, I don't know this kind of like computerized system, and I was like, no.

- I look like the Ratchet, Bob the Builder.

[laughing] Karen: Go, go, go.

- We have the experience and good looks, but not construction, construction trucks, nothing of that.

♪ Leah: You're the first one out.

Nolin: Am I?

Leah: Yep.

Nolin: I thought we would do pretty well because growing up my dad had some of those.

Dan: Team Green's the first one to get that excavator moving forward.

Carolen: You gotta scoop it up.

Yup.

C'mon.

C'mon.

C'mon, Tia.

Thaddeus: [gasps] I moved it.

Karen: Yes!

Thaddeus: Okay.

Oh, oh, oh my goodness.

Now what?

Kentrelle: Jon in my ear really helping me and telling me, okay, go left.

Go right.

This next.

Jon: Try backing up, lifting the arm, and then putting it over.

Tia: She could see what I couldn't see.

Carolen: Lift it up more.

Lift your thing up more.

Tia: We wouldn't have been able to, to finish if we didn't communicate.

- Please stop playing with me.

Okay, now how do I... ooh.

- I'm shakin' so bad, girl.

I'm... Thaddeus: It's on.

Okay, release.

Karen: Is it on?

Is it— Did you get it on?

Thaddeus: Hold on, Mom, because this little tire wants to be stingy.

Carolen: Yes!

Okay, okay.

Nolin: There we go.

Dan: Nolin has dropped his first tire.

Team Red and Team Blue continue to struggle.

♪ Tia: Is it on?

Carolen: Yes!

Drop it now.

Yes!

Yes!

Yes!

- There we go.

Jon: Yessir.

Thaddeus: How's the other team's doing?

Karen: Well... Thaddeus: Okay.

Karen: You don't wanna know.

- Everyone's getting their tires on.

We are still on our first tire.

Ooh this is a struggle.

♪ Nolin: I had to pick two tires up, and then... - And then it was my turn.

All right, here we go.

Nolin: 'Kay, go left.

Dan: Tia from Team Black has dropped her tires in place.

Carol, her teammate can come out on the front-end loader and attempt to grab the other two tires.

Tia: Okay, you're up, girl.

Carolen: I did feel that the front loader may have been a bit easier.

Tia: Keep going, keep going, keep going.

Go ahead and lift your forks.

Nolin: 'Kay, now lift it up a little bit, see what happens.

Good, just keep going.

Just keep doin' what you're doin'.

You're doin' great.

Kentrelle: Black and Green both have their first two tires on.

I'm feeling a little stressed, but I'm like, Jon, we good.

Look at, look at Team Red.

Look at Team Red.

Both: [laughing] Thaddeus: The first tire, I was trying to pull the tire on the opposite end up.

Karen: We got it.

We got— Both: Woo!

Thaddeus: Okay, I gotta release it.

Karen: Yes, release that baby!

♪ Leah: So, we had the fourth tire on, and then we knew it was time to pick up the car.

- Now just go dive for it and go straight forward.

- Ahh, it went through.

Nolin: Yep.

Tia: Ah, yes, Carolen!

High five!

Good job, girl!

Dan: Now Carol can attempt to ram those forks through that car.

♪ [glass breaking] Carolen: Yes, yes, yes, yes.

♪ Tia: Go ahead and drop it.

Dan: Leah from Team Green has moved into the parking position, and here comes her brother, Nolin.

And he can start smashing.

Nolin: 'Kay, I'm going.

[crash] Leah: Yeah.

Yes, more, more, more!

[laughingly] Let's go.

- Smash, smash, smash.

Nolin: Yeah, I mean, it's not everyday that you get to smash in a car with an excavator.

Carolen: Yes, smash!

I felt, you know, in charge.

I felt powerful.

I felt like I had everything I needed to crush some stuff.

Yes!

[clapping] [laughs] [crash] Yes!

Kentrelle: Yes, yes, yes!

Luckily Jon kinda came through and saved the day.

Thank you, Jon.

Yes, yes, perfect!

Jon: I'm so goated.

I'm so goated.

Karen: Oh.

Thaddeus: Whoa, excuse me.

All right.

Is this tire stuck on us?

The difficult part was getting, like, the claw under the tire.

Yeah, it's not going.

Dan: Team Red has indeed been shut down for safety purposes, and their equipment has been shut down.

Thaddeus: I'm really, really disappointed that they shut down my machine.

Karen: But they let me take over with my machine, so hopefully we can catch up.

Oh gosh.

I'm not moving anywhere.

I thought this was gonna be easier than it was, but uh, it was not.

- Forward.

Karen: Okay.

Thaddeus: You're, you're going back.

Karen: Okay, hang on.

Thaddeus: You're going back.

Forward.

Karen: Forward.

Thaddeus: Okay, hold on.

Carolen: All right, Tia, come on.

Drive right over it.

Tia: Okay.

Once I had smashed the car, it was, like, going on top of it.

It was a little bit scary.

Carolen: Yeah, go, go, go, go, go.

Nolin: Here we go.

I'm rollin' over it.

I was a little nervous at first.

I thought it was gonna tip over.

Oh geez.

Leah: Yes, yes, yes, it's working!

[laughingly] Let's go.

Tia: Oh.

Ooh.

What do I do?

Keep going?

♪ [grunts] Leah: Yes, all right!

Nolin: So we finished first, and we get out, and we start runnin'.

Killed it, let's go.

Carolen: You got it!

Dan: Tia has climbed her car and is now down.

She and Carol will be off.

Carolen: We finished second.

Um, but yeah, I was just excited.

I was, you know, looking forward to getting in that car, seeing where we're going to go to meet our next relative.

Singer: ♪ Break time ♪ - What is it?

- "Your first destination is Las Vegas."

- Oh my gosh!

Yay!

Oh yay!

Nolin and Leah: "...is Savannah, Georgia."

- Let's go, okay.

- "Enjoy your flight."

Nolin: They said, "Enjoy your flight," so we knew, okay, we're gonna be taken to the airport.

Carolen: We have our smart phone.

Nolin: Hey, you know what we should do though... - Yeah, find Savannah on that map.

- Yay.

- Wait, our first photo on here.

[camera click] Love it!

Tia: Yes!

Carolen: [laughs] ♪ Kentrelle: Drop it.

Yeah.

- It's all you, dawg.

Kentrelle: Yes.

When it came to stabbing the car, I feel like a monster truck.

- Yeah.

Let's go, dude!

Yessir.

Kentrelle: I thought my stabbing was pretty, it was getting there, you know.

It did what it had to do, you know?

Jon: [laughs] ♪ [metal creaking] Dan: Kentrelle has done a great job of smashing his car so that he can drive up and over his vehicle, and that's the last thing they have to do to complete this challenge!

Jon: Keep goin', keep goin'.

Kentrelle: It was very stressful kind of, like, driving over the car, but so exciting, like, uh, yeah.

Come on.

Let's do it.

Jon: Oh, there you go.

Kentrelle: Yes, yes!

Jon: [indistinct] ♪ Dan: And just like that, Team Blue has finished and now will make a mad dash towards their awaiting vehicle.

Jon: Third place, it's not bad.

Uh, I'm ready to get on the road and make up for that lost time.

- We're going to Glennville, Georgia.

Karen: Oh, what am I doing?

I'm stuck here.

- Mom, tilt it up.

Tilt it up.

No, tilt it up.

[thunk] [splash] Karen: Whatever I did, I don't know.

Dan: Team Red, I know this a frustrating time for you, but your time is up.

Please exit your equipment and get to your awaiting vehicle.

Karen: Okay.

So we're done?

- Yeah.

We didn't get to the point to smash the car.

Um, this was a setback, but we're still gonna have that positivity.

Um, first destination, Baltimore, Maryland.

- Yes.

Thaddeus: After the challenge, we were expecting, okay, we're gonna fly out somewhere, but the limo driver just dropped us off, like, five feet onto our car.

Oh, we're here.

[laughingly] Okay.

And we got in.

♪ Dan: Well that's it.

All of our teams are off, and this race is officially on.

Each day, each team will be given a different allotted time to arrive at a new city, overcome a common challenge, and then find their relative's address.

Each day, the team that goes over their allotted time the most will receive a strike.

Three strikes and you're out of this race.

Tia: While we were on the flight, Carolen had the idea of pulling out the maps and kind of looking at our routes.

- I love flying and so yeah, that was exciting.

Dan: The race has begun.

Once Team Black lands in St. George Utah, they'll drive to Las Vegas, Nevada.

Their allotted time is 1 hour and 46 minutes.

Meanwhile, Teams Green and Blue are both headed to Georgia.

Team Blue will land in Savannah and drive to Glennville with an allotted time of 1 hour and 10 minutes.

While Team Green will drive from Charleston, South Carolina to Savannah, Georgia with an allotted time of 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Carolen: Tia, don't ever pack this much again, okay?

Tia: [laughs] - And it better not be flip flops in here.

Tia: [laughs] Jon: I think I know what I'm doin'.

I think.

Leah: All right, here we go.

- [laughs] Carolen: Where are we goin'?

Vegas.

- [laughs] ♪ Dan: Team Red is the only team not flying today.

They'll be driving from Diggerland in New Jersey to Baltimore, Maryland.

Their allotted time is 1 hour and 40 minutes.

♪ Carolen: Do you know if you have family close to Vegas?

- I don't know anything about my family.

Nothing.

- Oh.

Tia: Not a thing.

Initially I never wanted to look for my family because I never wanted to hurt my mom and dad's feelings.

- Okay, yeah, that's understandable.

- Those people raised me, but they didn't have the same respect for me, and I feel stupid even talking about it, but... - It's okay.

Yeah, I'm sorry.

Tia: I was adopted at five months old.

Growing up in my family was very hard.

I grew up with child abuse.

At 14 I was taken away from my adoptive parents.

I lived with my aunt and uncle for approximately 6 months.

A relative was abusing me, and then I was taken away and put in a foster home.

I dealt with a lot of abuse and confusion as to what love is for a kid.

But I feel like growing up like that is what set me up to be who I was.

Love is, maybe that's what I am looking for.

That's, you know, the missing piece.

Because I haven't been shown that my entire life.

I would love to find my mother and father.

I think I've, I've been ready for a long time.

It would mean everything to me.

It would— That, I think that would complete my life.

[whoosh] ♪ Carolen: Growing up in Chicago was bittersweet.

I have never had a real relationship with my mother.

I mean, I've met her.

I know who she is, but I always understood that she just never was in position to care for another human being.

So it forced my aunt to gain legal custody of me, and she took me and the rest of my siblings.

None of us know our biological father, so it was something that, growing up how I did, we're not— we're weren't taught to deal with our emotions.

I have decided to go on this journey to find my father now because I am realizing that even as an adult, you still need your parents.

I am looking for answers to who I am.

Kentrelle: I know absolutely nothing about my birth parents.

Um, the only thing I know is that I was adopted at five days old.

Having an opportunity to be on the show is basically having the opportunity to figure out a little bit more of myself, like, who I am.

If I were to meet a parent, I can't tell you what I would feel because I guess sometimes I can kinda bury my emotions I feel like they're not necessarily needed in the moment, you know.

I can be pretty emotional but it's more so to myself.

I wanted to go on this journey because I'm tired of having to walk around and feel like everyone else knew more about my life than I did.

Everything I've done and everything that I have done in the past, kinda like, holding myself back was for someone else.

But this is for me.

♪ Jon: So I was adopted at two years old.

Um, I had a really great childhood, uh, loving parents, supportive, uh, they raised me right.

They raised me well.

In life there are lots of things that people take for granted, and for me, one of the things that I see people take for granted is having access to family.

You know, it's one of those things that I've always wanted.

And it's left a little bit of a hole in me, you know, not knowing where I come from.

So on the journey I would really love to meet my parents.

I think I'd wanna let them know that I've missed them and that it's high time that we see each other again.

It gives me a lot of joy to think about, to like, my kids are gonna have something that I didn't.

And this show's gonna open up a lot of roads for me, uh, that I didn't have before, and I'm grateful for that.

♪ Nolin: I was adopted as a baby.

Leah: He came to live with us when he was just 12 days old.

I remember going to the airport, and my mom walked off with him, and we all fought over who was gonna be the first to hold him.

Nolin: My adoption, I don't really know anything about...

I was born in North Miami Beach, Florida.

But outside of that, nothing for sure.

I've heard that I might have an older brother.

Growing up I knew I was adopted.

My family's very open about that.

They made me feel very loved, and, like, I wasn't even adopted.

I was just always a part of the family.

It's just a reminder that I have people in my corner.

♪ Leah: Adoption is a very beautiful thing.

My youngest son is actually adopted, and we have an open adoption.

I think the open adoption experience has definitely made me think about Nolin's family even more.

I would just love to tell them that, like, he's okay.

I think they deserve to know that.

Nolin: Ultimately I would hope out of this I would just be able to build new relationships with family.

Leah: I hope that Nolin gets out of this.

It just really adds to his life.

He already knows who he is, and it doesn't change our family, but there's just more seats at our table, and we can invite them in and hopefully make new traditions with them all as one big family.

♪ Karen: What I wanna get most out of the race is for Thaddeus to be able to put the missing pieces of the puzzle together.

There are so many questions that he has that I personally cannot answer.

To be able to, to do this with him is so super special.

To me, because I know that it will help him.

Thaddeus: I know absolute minimum of my adoption.

I do know that my biological mother gave birth, kept me like she was gonna raise me, and unfortunately after six months a situation happened where I was taken away from her.

For the longest, as a child, never felt belong.

I felt like a disappointment.

I felt like a waste.

Karen: Having children was always important to me.

However, I was having some complications.

Thaddeus was the third child who came into my life through foster care.

Thaddeus: I am looking for anyone that looks like me, anyone that talks like me, my mom, my father.

I wanna look for my family.

Karen: If he's curious about where he's come from and who his family members are and who he looks like, why wouldn't I wanna be in this with him?

Just to be able to support him means the world to me.

Thaddeus: For me, I know this will be a best experience for me because I, I have so many questions on who I am.

- Yeah.

And you're gonna get a lot of answers.

♪ Dan: After a long day of travel, all four teams have arrived in their destination cities.

Thaddeus: Oh, Baltimore!

Nolin: Hey, look at that.

We're here.

[phone dings] Tia: "Welcome to Las Vegas, Nevada."

- "Your relative lives..." - "At 714..." Leah: "Barnard Street."

- Let's go.

Kentrelle: So we pull into Glendale, and I'm, like, John... where are we?

[laughs] Excuse me, sir.

Um, would you happen to know where Veteran and South Highway is?

Thaddeus: Coming down to Baltimore, I got happy.

[laughs] Like, I, that's my home, so I know the streets of Baltimore.

Oh.

Really, car?

Because I wanted to turn into there?

[croaks] Leah: So we saw a mile marker for a visitor's center coming in.

Nolin: Let's go.

Let's do it.

Let's do it.

Leah: And we decided to stop.

We ran in to grab a map.

Nolin: A map of... Savannah, right?

Leah: Savannah, yeah.

Nolin: And the map ended up being very helpful for us.

- Go, go, go, go.

Kentrelle: Two rights.

- Two rights?

- Yes.

Go.

Tia: No one knew where the address was, but they did have real estate magazines.

I picked up a realtor's magazine.

Because they wanna sell houses, so they give you a map.

- Okay.

- Oh!

There's a huge map right here.

And that realtor's map is exactly what we needed.

- This is West Street.

- Yes!

- Okay, what's the address?

- 1015, 1015.

Kentrelle: So, 714, 714.

Tia: Breton.

Stop, it's right there.

- Breton.

Okay, Breton.

- 21, 2100, so right here.

Karen: Yes!

Thaddeus: [exhales in relief] Karen: [laughs] Made it.

We made it.

Leah: Okay.

Nolin: You gettin' nervous yet?

Yeah.

[laughingly] So am I.

- Just a little bit.

[laughs] ♪ Kentrelle: This is... Jon: What is this?

Kentrelle: Oh yeah, that's right here!

Right, right here, right!

Jon: It's this, it's this, right?

- Yes.

- Yeah, okay.

All right, all right, all right.

A church, huh?

Kentrelle: Oh wow.

- I thought it would be a house.

[ding] Kentrelle: When we pulled up to the church instead of the house, I immediately got excited.

Jon: Yeah, um, I'm already wanting to know, like, is this Kentrelle's family, you know, is this my family?

Yeah, some sort of, like, family church?

I'm not really sure.

Kentrelle: There are so many emotions going on.

I don't, I can't wait to see who's inside.

[door squeaking] [door creaking] - Hi.

Kentrelle: Hey.

Woman 1: How are you?

- Good.

- Good.

Kentrelle: I'm Kentrelle.

This is Jon.

- Hi, and I'm Gossypia.

Kentrelle: So, who's relative might you be?

- Yours.

Kentrelle: Oh really?

- Yes.

Look at those teeth.

Don't you see?

All: [laughing] - I already know.

- Look at those teeth.

[laughs] - Oh, so it runs in the family.

Gossypia: Yes it does.

- How are we related?

- I am your great aunt.

Kentrelle: My great aunt.

Gossypia: Uh-huh.

Your mother's aunt.

And I'm your great aunt.

- Wow, you're my first family member.

Gossypia: First family member, wow.

Kentrelle: It's nice to meet you.

- So good to meet you.

So good to meet you.

She just came out with so much love and just affection and compassion and just, I, it was, I was very overwhelmed, but I gr— I got overwhelmed.

♪ Hmm.

So why we meeting at a church?

- Why?

Because I am the pastor of this church.

Kentrelle: Oh wow.

Gossypia: Your aunt, your great aunt is a pastor.

Kentrelle: Oh wow.

- And your other aunts are pastors as well.

Kentrelle: Oh wow.

- Uh huh, you have a lot of pastors.

- Hmm.

That explains it.

- You have a lot of our features.

Kentrelle: Really?

- Yeah, the eyes, the teeth, the nose.

You look so much like your mother.

- For real?

- Very much.

Kentrelle: Is she still alive?

- Beautiful.

Yes.

Kentrelle: When I heard that my mother is still alive, it was just hard to put into words.

Like, I was both relieved and stressed at the same time that I could possibly still meet her.

Gossypia: I could just feel, you know, the love and just knew that he belonged to us.

Because we look so much alike.

It was just amazing.

Come on.

I want t— y'all to come to my office please.

- Okay.

Gossypia: Okay.

I invited Kentrelle and Jon back into the office because I had a surprise for them.

Hi, I wanna introduce y'all to... my nephew Kentrelle and Jon.

When he entered the door, my sister, my brother, my daughters, all of them waiting on him to embrace and love him and to let him know that they love him.

This is your great auntie, Michelle.

Michelle: You look just like my niece.

[sniffles] ♪ [crying] Gossypia: It meant a lot to my sister to meet him.

This is true blood love.

We join happy and peace, finally.

- [crying] [emotionally] We love our babies.

We love our babies.

You look just like my niece.

You look just like my sister.

- Don't have me crying up in here, Auntie.

Michelle: [emotionally] You are our family.

[muffled, indistinct speech] Kentrelle: The love and the emotions I felt, like, especially when my aunt dropped down crying and telling me how much I looked like my mom and everything, and it was just, it's a moment that I'll never forget.

Michelle: We have so much love to give you.

You'll never ever be lonely another day in your life.

- Thank you.

Family is growing fast.

I saw uncles and my aunt and my cousin.

I was just overwhelmed with love and affection and I'll never forget this moment.

♪ [ding] ♪ Leah: I'm excited.

I'm honestly, but I'm guessing it's your relative.

- [laughs] - To me, that's why I'm not nervous.

I think I'm just very excited.

Nolin: Yeah.

All right, you ready?

Leah: You ready?

Nolin: [laughs] I'm ready.

- 'Kay, let's go.

Nolin: Let's do it.

So we pull up and we see someone walk out.

That's when I really started gettin' nervous.

Um, nervous and excited.

- Hey.

Nolin: Hey.

Leah: Hello.

Woman 2: I'm Kayla.

Nolin: I'm Nolin.

- I'm Leah.

- How are we related?

- I'm your sister.

- [laughs] ♪ Nolin: Sister.

- Brother.

Nolin: Wow.

Woman 2: I'm Kayla Forbes, and I'm Nolin's sister on his dad's side.

When I first saw him, already feel a connection like you, like you know the person.

Nolin: I think Kayla is super sweet.

She's quiet and shy.

I see a lot of myself in her.

Um.

And so seeing that, I kinda knew, like, okay, yeah we're, we're definitely siblings.

♪ Kayla: How old are you?

- I'm 20.

How 'bout you?

- I'm 20!

- You 20?

- Oh my gosh.

- That's crazy.

- Can I hug you?

- This is Leah.

Leah: Hi.

It's so good to meet you.

Nolin: I'm in shock.

That's crazy.

Leah: When she said, "I'm your sister," I was just shocked.

I mean, you could probably see it on my face.

I was excited for Nolin.

Nolin: [laughs] Leah: Yeah.

Wow.

Nolin: So did you know about me?

Kayla: I had no idea.

Nolin: You had no idea?

- Not until... Nolin: Not until recently when they reached out?

- Mmhm.

- Wow.

Kayla: So you didn't know about me either?

Nolin: No.

I, I didn't know about anybody in my biological family.

- No names, nothin', yeah.

Nolin: No names, nothing.

So this is the first time I'm meeting someone with the same blood as me.

Kayla: They made me feel very welcomed.

And I mean, it's like we were already... [emotionally] already family.

[sniffles] Leah: I'm trying to see the similarities.

- [laughs] Me too.

That's crazy.

Leah: Maybe the eyes.

- I kinda, I see you.

- The voice.

We're both kinda quiet.

Leah: [laughingly] Yeah, yeah you are.

Who woulda thought?

I was the loud one.

- Right?

Kayla: You guys wanna go inside and talk some more?

Nolin: Yeah, of course.

Kayla: Okay.

Nolin: Of course.

♪ [ding] Karen: Okay.

Thaddeus: Hold on.

Karen: Okay.

Thaddeus: Oh, goodness, goodness.

Someone's outside.

- Okay.

- Hoo, all right.

- Are you good?

Are you good?

- Yeah.

- I think I'm just as nervous as you [indistinct].

- Oh, someone's outside.

Hold on.

Thaddeus: Pulling up to the house, there was a guy outside on the porch, and it was just, um, bowl of emotions.

- Okay.

All right.

[door slams shut] ♪ Thaddeus: Hello.

- Hey, how you doin', brother?

Thaddeus: Hi, I'm Thaddeus.

Man 1: Ah, how you doin'?

First of all how you doin'?

- This is my mom, Karen.

Both: Nice to meet you.

- Who?

- Oh, oh wow!

Man: Yes.

Thaddeus: [laughs] Thaddeus: I'm good.

How are you?

I'm Thomas Dorsey.

I'm Thaddeus' father.

Finally getting to see him after all these years was beautiful.

You know, I just couldn't wait for this day.

Just couldn't wait for the day.

Nothing was gonna stop this day.

If I had to walk here, I was comin'.

Oh man.

Thaddeus: Hoo, ooh, hoo.

- Yes.

You okay?

- How are you?

Thomas: I'm good.

And you?

- I'm okay.

[laughingly] It's my father, which is still weird to say, "my father."

It's interesting.

It's my actual, biological father right in front of me.

[laughingly] I feel him now.

Like, I see him.

Thomas: Beautiful man.

- [laughs] Thank you.

- It's a special time for me.

Day of my anniversary, day I'm meeting my son.

My son.

My blood.

I don't know how to feel right now.

Karen: I'm really glad that Thaddeus has a chance to have a dad in his life.

And now he's got a chance to have a relationship with a father that we had a chance to meet on this journey.

Thomas: We have a lot to talk about, and we'll go inside and talk about it.

- [laughingly] All right.

Thomas: All right.

Thaddeus: This is what I'm looking for, like, my father right there.

♪ Carolen: This is it.

Do, okay, this is it.

This is somebody's house.

[ding] This is cute.

Tia: When we were out in the car we both were definitely excited.

Very much so.

♪ Carolen: I am feeling excited.

[laughs] It's like I have butterflies in my stomach.

[door creaking open] Hi.

- Hello there.

- Hi.

Carolen: How are you?

Woman 2: How's it going?

- Good.

- I'm Tia.

- I'm Carolen.

- Hi, I'm Miracle Watson.

I'm Erica Watson.

- Who are you related to?

Miracle: Carolen, I am your niece.

- Oh!

Nice to meet you!

Miracle: [laughingly] Nice to meet you.

Carolen: Hi.

- I'm your sister, love.

- Really?

♪ [emotionally] Nice to meet you.

- Thank you, baby.

I'm so blessed and thankful to meet you, my love, and have you in my life for the rest of my life.

Thank you so much.

Yes, thank you.

I know it's been a while, but we got a lifetime together, huh?

This is gonna be a lifetime journey for us.

Now and forever, sweetheart.

Now and forever.

Carolen: When Erica hugged me, she, you know, just, like, whispered in my ear that, you kn— I don't— It was just like she confirmed that, you know, she'd always be there.

Everything that I was missing, I really did feel like I got that when I hugged them.

♪ - Hugging Carolen for the first time was... it was, it was a moment.

It was something to embrace.

It was absolutely beautiful.

It's something that I've been wanting since the moment I found out about her.

I'm glad I had that opportunity to do so.

Erica: Let me see you.

You're beautiful.

Yes, you're my sister.

Of course you are.

Oh, wow.

You're beautiful, my love.

She's so pretty, huh?

Miracle: Like [indistinct].

- [laughs] Erica: You're beautiful.

- Thank you.

Miracle: I'm just gonna stop looking at her.

- I know, she's so beautiful!

I feel, I feel like I'm just, like, staring at you so awkwardly.

I'm sorry, but I just can't stop.

- It's 'cause you're so beautiful, wow.

- Thank you.

[laughs] Erica: And you see so much in that face, huh?

Wow.

Well, yeah, definitely.

I got a lot of questions.

I thought I wouldn't.

I was just, like, eh, I wanna meet people.

It's okay.

Erica: Wow.

So, I know you probably have a lot of questions.

We're gonna go ahead and head inside so we can get to learn each other.

- Yes, let's do it.

- Let's do it.

All right, give me your hand.

It's my sister.

♪ Dan: In Baltimore, Maryland, Thaddeus is welcomed into the life of his biological father, Tommy.

Thaddeus: Firstly, I wondered, did you know anything about me?

- Well, I'm gonna put it in this way.

I knew of you when you was one.

- Okay.

Thomas: You was took away from me.

People left my life knowing I have a son.

- Okay.

Thomas: And I thought you was in Atlanta with your mother.

That's all I knew.

About two months ago, I found that wasn't true.

If I had know what I know then, you'd have been with me.

And wow, what could I say to you.

You know?

But I'm sorry.

And today I want you to forgive me because there was no part of me.

- On his part, it was kinda like he was still fighting, and to know that someone's fighting for you, it's, it's a powerful feeling.

Thomas: It's a beautiful thing, man.

It's a beautiful thing.

Things that I missed, I'm gonna bring back, you know, as much as I can.

You know, I can't bring the past back, but I can definitely going through the future with going on.

Thaddeus: I knew nothing.

With the adoption, it was a closed adoption, so I don't know if I have [laughingly] any family.

That's all I found out.

- Yeah, well, let me tell you, you definitely got a lot of family.

On my side, you have a sister.

- I do?

Thomas: Of course, yes you do.

She's, um, 16.

Thaddeus: 16?

Thomas: Right.

And, um, pretty much that's that.

- Wow.

Thomas: That's your sister.

[indistinct] Ray Dorsey.

Thaddeus: It's crazy that I have a younger sister.

I have three older sisters, so to know that I have now a younger sister...

I hope she's ready.

- You know, all these years, man.

You know, nowadays in life a guy needs his father.

- Yes.

- Mmhm.

- You know, and to see that you're beautiful, you're shining.

You know, you have a mom there.

And I thank you, you know?

And I respect that.

You know, that's a mom.

- And I thank you for saying that.

You know, I'm grateful that we have this moment for me to meet you and how excited and how happy and delighted you are to meet him.

It does a world of good for me too.

Tommy told me several times that he thanked me.

He brought me in, just as much as he brought Thaddeus in.

For me that's a win-win because I get more family as well.

Thaddeus: I never had that connection with a father figure.

Tommy and Karen: Right.

Thaddeus: So, I'm, I'm happy that you're accepting me now so-- - Of course.

Thaddeus: I appreciate that.

- Of course.

Thaddeus: I thank you for that.

Tommy: I do love you too, son.

Thaddeus: [muffled speech] Thomas: Love you too.

- Thank you for accepting me.

♪ Gossypia: Have a seat.

It's so good meeting you guys.

- Wow, it's good meeting you too.

Gossypia: I'm so glad that this opportunity came to us.

'Cause I was so excited when I heard.

Kentrelle: Did you always know about me?

Gossypia: No.

Kentrelle: Okay.

Gossypia: If I woulda knew, I woulda took you for myself.

- And that was, that's, that was always my, my, my wonder, like, why couldn't a family member just get me?

Gossypia: We didn't know.

So it had to be something that she was going through, that she couldn't share this.

So when I found out, I'm immed— I'm in.

I'm all in.

You know, can he come now?

You know, I wanted you then.

When I heard about, it took me three months almost to process everything.

Because I wanted you now.

I want you now.

I want you now.

Kentrelle: I could really see, like, she genuinely cared about me.

She genuinely wanted me around, and, um, I felt the love from the beginning just looking at her eyes.

To be here and to see that you guys wanna get to know me, you know, even though you didn't know that I existed.

Yeah.

I'm excited.

Excited to kinda grow a relationship because, like I said, I really don't...

I don't have anybody.

Um, now I have people that actually wanna get to know me, I ac— actually can look at and see, and see myself and... Gossypia: Yeah.

- I'm really excited about that.

- Yeah.

Once I told him about the story and how we didn't know.

I began to look in his eyes, and I could see healing, that he wasn't just abandoned.

But that he was loved.

I want to let you know one thing is that I love your mama very dearly, so would like to see a picture of [indistinct]?

Kentrelle: Please.

- Okay.

This is me and your mama.

Kentrelle: What?

Oh wow.

I got a forehead.

Oh, I kinda look like this.

I had the, like, the little round nose and stuff too.

Oh wow.

Gossypia: When Kentrelle saw his mother face for the first time, that is the first time I've seen an emotion in his eyes.

It was like he was lookin' in a mirror at himself.

And I saw his eyes begin to tear up.

Because he knew that was his mother.

Now I don't want you to ever forget, your mama loved you.

She did the best thing for you at that time.

And your grandmother, wait till you meet her.

Kentrelle: The only grandmother that I, I mean, my dad's mom is still alive, but she never treated me like her grandson for real, like, the only one that really did, she passed.

So it's, like, I— [emotionally] I really don't have any, um, I really don't have anybody.

Like, my friends always saying, like, you know, they're there for me, but, like, it's different.

- It's different.

Kentrelle: It's different, so... - You have somebody.

You don't have to repeat those words anymore.

You have a grandmother.

Kentrelle: It was so touching talking to my aunt and knowing that I have grandmothers.

I'm so looking forward to it.

It's just a moment that I've always, uh, looked forward to in my life.

♪ Nolin: Meeting someone in my biological family for the first time, it's just, it's just all unreal right now, and it's so exciting, and I can't wait to learn more and more about it.

So, tell me about you.

How many siblings do you live with?

- So you have another sister that's 13-- - Good.

- and then you have 2 brothers, one that's 17 and one that's 18.

Nolin: One that's 18?

- Well, he's turning 19 this year.

Nolin: He's turning 19?

[laughs] - Let that sink in.

- Yeah.

Can't wait to meet him.

So apparently I have four siblings on my dad's side.

I would love to meet 'em.

Um, just to see 'em, hug 'em, and just to talk and just, just learn more about my family.

Kayla: Would you like to know our dad's name?

- Yeah, of course.

It's Quinton Forbes.

Nolin: Quinton?

Kayla: Yes.

- Oh that's cool.

- You wanna see a picture?

Nolin: Yeah.

Wow.

That's crazy.

Kayla: Now, you can't say you don't see... - [laughs] Kayla: ...the resemblance.

- That's wild.

- Yeah.

Seeing a picture of my dad for the first time was...

I can't put into words.

It was shocking.

It was awesome.

I kept looking back at it just because that's the first time seeing a biological parent.

So, how's your relationship with dad?

Kayla: We don't, mmm, we don't talk much.

Nolin: Don't talk much?

- Uh, he lives in the Turks and Caicos.

- Where's th— - It's an island by, like, Haiti and... Leah: Oh, okay.

Okay.

Nolin: I see.

So, have you, you've met him though?

- He was, uh, he was around when I was, like, ni— Till I was around nine.

And then he got into some trouble and was deported, so... Nolin: That was very hard to hear.

It was unfortunate, about her relationship with her dad, how she knew him some, and then hasn't seen him since she was nine.

Kayla: I grew up not having a, a connection with my dad, but, um, meeting Nolin and Leah and knowing that they're welcoming into their family and that there's more people that I can connect to is, is an experience, and I'm very thankful.

Leah: We really wanna embrace you into our family, and everybody else, like, even though we didn't know it was out there, we love you guys.

Like, all of us love all of you.

Like, I can't wait for you to meet everybody.

[laughingly] And we're just so excited.

Nolin: [laughs] ♪ Dan: In Las Vegas, Nevada, Carolen can't stop smiling about meeting her brand new sister, Erica and niece, Miracle.

- So good to finally meet with you guys.

- All right, likewise.

So happy to be here and meet you, hun.

Miracle: Let's dive into it.

You got any questions?

- [laughs] Miracle: [laughingly] Or anything like that?

Carolen: Yeah, I got a lot of questions.

- Right.

Carolen: Obviously you are my niece.

Miracle: Yes.

This isn't your daughter.

Uh.

Miracle: No.

All: [laugh] Miracle: No.

Carolen: I have another sister?

Miracle: Yes.

- Okay.

Miracle: Okay.

Erica: So you have a total of eight siblings.

Carolen: Okay.

Erica: So we'll just say seven girls, one boy.

Carolen: Okay.

Erica: Right?

- Hoo.

Erica: We outnumber.

Woop-woop!

Miracle: Yeah.

- That's a lot of sisters.

Erica: Yes, it is.

Miracle: A lot of sisters.

- That is beautiful.

Erica: That is a lot of love.

- Finding out I had eight sisters and one brother definitely blowed my mind.

I did not think that it was that many of us, but I'm excited.

I always wanted to feel like I come from a big family.

It's like, it's nice.

So, do you guys have any pictures or interesting stories?

Miracle: Yeah.

Erica: These are three of your siblings.

This is Renita.

That's LaChris, and this is Angela.

Do you see yourself in any of these faces?

- I do.

Miracle: Y'all look the same.

Look.

Erica: What I tell you?!

What I tell you?!

Miracle: The whole head shape, the nose, the eyes, like, every single thing.

Erica: She looks so much like us.

Miracle: All of our faces, trying to figure out who's eyes does she have and who does she look like and just basically just [laughingly] checking her out.

Checking her out.

Carolen: So, um, is my dad still alive?

- Tickin' and Tockin'.

Miracle: I was about to say rippin' and runnin'.

- Ooh.

[clapping] Erica: Yes.

- [laughs] Erica: He is, he is.

- Oh, that is so— I am so— [breathes] Erica: Yes.

- I am so happy.

Miracle: And when we say alive— Erica: I mean— Miracle: We mean— Both: Alive!

- Like, he is too much.

- I learned that I may have a chance to meet my father.

He's still alive, and he is full of life and energy, so I can't wait till I meet him.

- So would you like to see the first photo of your father?

- I will.

Erica: Okay.

Carolen: Yeah, he's so handsome.

Miracle: Do you see, like, your face structure and everything is kinda like... Carolen: Those eyes, yeah.

For the first time today, I saw a photo of my father.

He was so handsome.

[laughs] I felt happy.

[laughs] Just feel overwhelmed with joy.

I really do appreciate this, guys.

- You got it, baby.

- Thank you.

♪ Dan: After a crushing day... - Smash, smash.

Dan: ...challenges on the road... - Baltimore, really?

Dan: ...and new relatives found... ♪ ...all four teams anxiously await the results.

- I don't want to get in last place, but I don't— [sighs] I think we may get in third.

Leah: Really what it comes down to is how well the other teams did.

♪ Dan: Welcome, teams, to the end of Day One.

You started in a cold, wet, rainy Diggerland, and now you are sitting in four relative's homes.

How does it feel?

- [laughingly] It's real now.

- For sure.

Kentrelle: When we finally made it into the city, it's, like, oh... - Like, oh, it's actually happening, so that was crazy.

- Team Red, had to be a frustrating start for you today.

- Dan the man, it was a struggle.

Um, uh, it was a real struggle at first, but game on.

Like, let's do this.

Dan: So, Tia, Carolen, you guys fly into Utah, drive down to Las Vegas, and who was waiting for you?

- So, today I had the chance to meet my older sister, Erica and my niece, Miracle.

- Hi.

- Hi.

Carolen: I'm so happy right now.

- You can see it in your smile.

You can see it in your eyes, Carolen.

- You're so pretty!

Dan: You can see it in your eyes.

Oh, that's fantastic.

Well, congratulations to you, Carolen.

Carolen: Thank you.

Dan: Kentrelle.

Who was waiting for you?

Kentrelle: My great aunt... Gossypia.

And then, um, the rest of my family is also here.

Dan: You mean, you met a great aunt and then there was more?

Kentrelle: Yes.

A lot more.

I was thoroughly surprised.

Dan: And what a big, beautiful family you have after one day on Relative Race, Kentrelle.

- You see?

All their beautiful smiles, like yeah.

I'm excited.

I'm definitely excited.

- Team Green.

Nolin, Leah.

Who's reunion was it on this day?

- So today I got the opportunity to meet my baby sister, Kayla, who is actually 20 years old as well.

So, I'm a few months older than her, but we're both 20.

So I thought that was awesome.

Dan: Your sister is beautiful.

- Thank you, thank you.

Dan: Thaddeus.

Who was there for you?

Was this a good day for you?

- Oh, Day One was very, [laughingly] It was a great day.

Um, today I met... [laughingly] my father.

[laughing] [clapping] Dan: Oh, you two look very much alike.

Karen, you and Thaddeus's father had an opportunity to talk.

What was that like?

Karen: He thanked me, like, a million times for raising Thaddeus and he said that he could tell Thaddeus was raised by a strong woman, and as he embraced Thaddeus, he also embraced me.

So I feel like I wasn't left out, but I'm also a part of Thaddeus's family as well.

Dan: You're very much a part of Thaddeus's family, as Thaddeus has told me you will forever be his mother.

- [laughs] Dan: Teams, this show is ultimately all about the family, and yet every day, someone will finish in first, and someone will receive a strike.

♪ We have a first.

Something that's never happened before.

♪ Team Blue and Team Black, you tied for first place.

Jon: Let's go!

We tied, and, um, that was a shocker.

I wasn't expecting that.

Carolen: We came in fir— in first place.

Another team tagged along by default, but we came in first place.

Tia: [laughing] ♪ Dan: And so it comes down to Team Red and Team Green.

The difference between the two teams, two total minutes.

Safe on this first day of Relative Race... finishing 14 minutes over their allotted time... ♪ Congratulations, Leah and Nolin.

Team Red, Thaddeus and Karen, you finished in fourth place and have picked up your first strike of Relative Race.

Team Black and Team Blue, since you tied for first place, you will both receive the first place benefit.

What is that benefit for tomorrow?

You'll be given a point bonus in tomorrow's challenge.

What is the challenge?

Would you both like to know?

All: Yes.

- I'll bet you would.

You're gonna find out tomorrow.

All: [laughing] - Teams, remember that family is waiting for you, for all of you.

They're waiting to hold you, to hug you, to acknowledge you, to accept you.

Keep that in mind as we wrap up our first day of Relative Race.

All: [goodbyes] - Let's go!

[clapping] - Y'all did that.

Nolin: No strike, so that's good.

- Yeah, no strike.

Carolen: Couldn't have done it without you, girl.

Tia: I know, girl.

Karen: Well, we'll work harder tomorrow, 'cause we got this.

Kentrelle: I've been waiting for this my entire life.

Carolen: Erica and Miracle, they both made me feel complete.

Nolin: I'm hoping to build this relationship and just to grow closer and closer.

Thaddeus: My father, right there.

It really hits the core.

♪