Dan: Previously on Relative Race, four new teams raced out of Virginia.

- Whoo!

Dan: DeShae met her first blood relatives and received clues about her parents.

- This is like the first piece of the puzzle.

Dan: Anitra saw photos of her distant ancestors that started it all.

- Somewhere on here is your mother and father.

Dan: And after an emotional meeting with his cousin, Raymond grows his family tree.

Ray: The answers I'm seeking are within arm's reach.

Dan: Team Black received the first strike of the race, and the heartbreaking news that JD's father had passed away.

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

Following their own DNA, four teams are racing... - It's on.

- Boom!

Ah!

Dan: To win $50,000.

- Let's get 'em!

Dan: And to find their family.

[knocking] - ♪ Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh.

♪ ♪ Whoa-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh.

♪ ♪ Whoa-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh.

♪ ♪ Dan: It's day two of Relative Race, and the journey to find new family is just beginning for all of our teams.

Today, Team Blue, Paul and Anitra, start the day in our nation's capital, Washington, D.C. 287 miles away is Team Red, Raymond and Nicole, in Graham, North Carolina.

Also in North Carolina is Team Green, Chris and DeShae.

They start their race in Charlotte.

And just over 11 hours to the west is Team Black.

JD and Jenn are waking up in St. Louis, Missouri.

♪ JD: Last night my cousin Lisa shared with me the information that my biological father Steven had passed away, and it was very difficult to process.

About 12 years ago, my grandmother told me that my father wasn't my biological father.

Now as I approach 50 years old, I started to think about the importance of my family and understanding who my biological father was.

This is beautiful, thank you.

Lisa: You're welcome.

JD: I'm excited.

Lisa also gave me a photo album to take on our journey, and we were able to place my dad's obituary in the photo album.

- I know that was hard to hear about your dad.

JD: Learning early on this news that my father had passed was very difficult to process.

But to find out that I have siblings and there's a potential that I could meet them is gonna really help me to move forward through this journey.

Jenn: It's a very sweet gift.

JD: It's the beginning.

Lisa: It is the beginning.

♪ Dan: In Washington, D.C., Team Blue, Paul and Anitra, enjoy the morning with Anitra's new cousin, Andre.

Andre: Paul, Anitra, it was such a pleasure meeting you yesterday and spending the day with you.

And cousin, you started on your journey learning about your family yesterday and what I shared.

Anitra: My biological mother gave birth to me when she was 16 years old, and she already had a child.

And she put me up for adoption.

I've always wondered why my mother made the decision to keep my sister and not me.

Hopefully that's a question that I can get answers to.

Andre: And so I wanted to leave you with a few things as you go.

One, I wanted to present you the family tree that we shared yesterday.

- That's awesome.

- That's so cool.

- Wow.

- And I also wanted to present you a photo of Hamilton and Caroline Harvell to take with you.

- Thank you!

- Oh, wow.

Anitra: Cousin Andre gave me a photo of our great-great-grandparents and this huge family chart.

It's gonna be exciting to see where I fit in as the race goes on.

This is the start of our family.

- Life is all about family and connections.

I feel like this has just been an amazing experience connecting me with new family that I look forward to staying connected with for the foreseeable future.

- Amazing.

- And go blue!

[laughter] ♪ DeShae: Yesterday, my cousins Tory and Jazzmyn gave me a lot of important names in my family.

So I'm gonna need the names of all the family members again so I can write them in my notebook.

- So there's Travis, there is Uncle Ricky, Mike.

DeShae: Tory and Jazzmyn start listing all of their dad's siblings, and at that point, I'm realizing that one of those names could potentially be one of my parents.

- And David.

DeShae: It's pretty incredible that after just one day on the show that I am starting to narrow down who my biological parent could be.

Dan: In Graham, North Carolina, Team Red, Raymond and Nicole, wake up this morning well rested after spending the first night of the journey in Raymond's cousin's RV.

- Another day.

Another day.

Team Red, we made it.

We-we-we dodged that X.

But today we're looking to not just dodge the X but to win.

Win this whole thing.

Nicole: So this morning we decided to get up just to spend that last little bit of time with cousin Isabel.

- Hold on, I got a text.

It's from Dan.

♪ [phone chimes] - Text from Dan.

- Text from Dan!

Paul: Let's see what we got here.

♪ Chris: Good morning, teams, and welcome to day two of Relative Race.

- Team Red will be traveling to Concord, North Carolina.

- Accokeek, Maryland?

- What?

Okay.

- Topeka, Kansas.

- And Team Green will be traveling to-- Both: Alpharetta, Georgia.

♪ - Today's first place winners will-- - Have their relative navigate them tomorrow.

- What?

- Ooh, nice!

- Your time-- - Starts now.

- Your time starts now!

- Your time starts now.

- All right, all right.

- Gotta roll.

- Go get them, go get them, love you.

- Bye, wish us luck!

[intense music] ♪ ♪ DeShae: You're gonna go up here and take a left.

Chris: I'm going left.

[laughter] Which is technically turning west but we're actually getting on the 85 South.

[mimics explosion] You need Tylenol yet?

- Yeah, it's too early for all that map talk.

- Map.

Map talk!

Dan: Using only their paper maps and with no access to a smartphone or GPS technology, our teams begin their journey on day two.

Team Green, Chris and DeShae, will race from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Alpharetta, Georgia.

They have an allotted time of five hours and five minutes.

♪ - [rapping] Sitting on Georgia Ave in traffic.

- No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

- It's too early for rapping?

- Yeah, it's too early.

Dan: Leaving our nation's capital, Team Blue, Paul and Anitra, have an allotted time of one hour and 10 minutes to navigate to Accokeek, Maryland.

Like the other three teams, they also must take a city selfie to prove that they've made it, complete a common challenge, and find their relative's address.

The team that goes over their allotted time the most will receive a strike.

And on this race, three strikes, and you're headed home.

♪ Ray: All right, I'm sending this text to Team Black.

All right, keep your heads up, cousins.

Today will be better.

We call the other teams our cousins 'cause we're all in this together.

And we're a Relative Race family.

JD: We just got a text from Team Red.

Keep your heads up today cousins.

Today will be a better day.

Let's take first and second place.

[laughter] I love receiving texts from the other teams.

Our cousins.

But I hate having to text them back.

[beeping] ♪ I'm old, I can't see well, and I have this stupid flip phone.

Ah, I didn't even do it right.

Holy flip, kip.

What's going on?

I look, I must look on the camera like I'm solving world hunger and the energy crisis all simultaneously while I'm trying to make one text on a phone from the dark ages.

Dan: Hopefully, navigation will be better than texting for Team Black today.

JD and Jenn are heading west to Topeka, Kansas.

Their allotted time is five hours and 12 minutes.

For Team Red, they'll be staying in North Carolina today as they travel from the city of Graham to Concord.

Their allotted time is one hour and 52 minutes.

[phone chimes] Ray: We just got a message from Team Black.

Sounds good to me.

Hope you don't mind second.

[laughter] I gotta respond.

[phone chimes] - Oh, stars, they are like on fire.

- That can't be happening.

- [laughs] You're like, I needed a break.

- Hey, Siri, text Team Red.

Texting Team Red, what do you want to say?

If I had Siri, I would text you like in 10 seconds, not in 10 minutes.

Peace out, love you, bye.

♪ Dan: As all of our teams hit the open road, the heavy news that JD received last night of his father's passing is still hitting close to home.

♪ Ray: Seeing that JD on the first day knew that his dad was gone, that teared me up.

I've never cried so much in my life, but being on this journey is just that.

You never know.

It might be the best story.

It might be something hurtful.

♪ ♪ - He would be.

♪ - I wondered if he would stare in awe at our kids the way that I stare in awe at them.

♪ It was difficult, finding out that I wouldn't meet my biological father.

But to find out that there's family associated with him and the potential of meeting them is incredible, and I'm excited for that.

♪ - Hey, guys.

Team Green here.

We have talked a lot about our pre-planning, and I just kind of wanted to flip through the notebook with you a little bit.

So this is what it looks like, our Team Green notebook here.

It has all the secrets.

Being a self-proclaimed Relative Race expert at this point.

We have been studying the show, past seasons.

I think we're on our third round of watching all of the seasons from the beginning.

So I am taking detailed notes on every season.

So I have about I'd say 40-50 of these little pages of notes from past seasons so that we could pull strategies, what worked, what didn't.

Chris: There is absolutely no doubt that we are the most prepared team in the history of this show.

[phone chimes] Oh.

- Here, I'm not gonna read it and drive at the same time.

Dan: But even the most prepared teams are susceptible to penalties.

- It is a new text message from Dan.

- New text message from Dan.

- Oh.

Dan: After yesterday's first place victory by Team Blue, the other three teams have a five minute penalty headed their way.

- It's great that the other teams have to pull over on the side of the road and wait for five minutes.

- Meanwhile, we're rolling down the road.

[laughter] ♪ [phone chimes] Jenn: Oh, no.

I bet this is our...

I bet this is our... - Penalty.

- This is our penalty right now.

- Love it, that's great.

That's great.

That's fine.

- Let's see what it says.

- It is now time to pull over-- - For your five minuts.

Wah-wah.

- We were in a good, we had a good groove.

- [vocalizing] - Man.

Look, we were in a good groove, no traffic.

- I just take this exit right here.

- The rain just stopped.

Nicole: So our driving's going great, and then we had one hiccup.

Five minute wait.

♪ - Would be nice to be racing right now and not waiting, but might as well use the time while we're here.

DeShae: As frustrating as it was, Chris and I were gonna make the most of it, so we took that time to really look at our map.

- I wouldn't want to backtrack.

It would be nice if there was an exit there, but I doubt there is.

Nicole: All right, so let's just go on and stop here.

Start our little tick tock.

- Yep.

We decided on our five minute penalty, since we had to take it, we would get out and just dance.

♪ [groaning] Anitra: ♪ Jesus is on the mainline, ♪ ♪ tell Him what you want.

♪ ♪ Jesus is on the mainline, tell Him what you want.

♪ I feel bad that our cousins have to pull over for five minutes, but this lead is gonna be awesome.

♪ Jenn: I wish we would have won first place yesterday.

- Well, we were only 40 minutes out of-- Jenn: Five minutes late.

[laughter] - Well, not quite.

I think it was 38.

- I can't remember.

We were a lot out.

- So, yeah.

- Team Blue, they just got to keep trucking down the road today.

- It's good for them.

- ♪ Now wait a minute.

♪ ♪ You know you make me wanna ♪ ♪ kick my heels up and throw my hands up ♪ ♪ and take my belt off and-- ♪ - What?

[laughs] Why-why are you taking your... - Stop coming up.

- Why are you taking your belt off?

[laughter] Why?

My wife's been singing since we left this morning, and I have no idea where she's getting all this energy from.

- I'm just in a good mood today.

Paul: So keep your eyes up in front.

Accokeek sign.

- Yeah.

I will.

- But, so... Anitra: Stop right, look, it says Accokeek Stop and Go.

Look, right there.

Paul: Oh.

- Can we get over?

We can get over.

So that was lucky.

I mean, we were having such a good time that we almost missed the Accokeek sign.

- [sighs] This is the longest five minutes ever.

- Hey, hey.

Text, text.

- Oh!

New text message from Dan.

View now.

Your five minutes are up.

You may continue.

Come on.

- Let's go.

- Go, go, go.

- Here, take that.

Got it.

- Your five minutes are up.

You may continue.

Let's go.

Jenn: Your five minutes are up.

You may continue.

Okay.

Let's do this.

- Concord.

- There's the city.

- We can't get that.

- Nope.

- Now it's time to kick it into gear and get our selfie.

- Yeah, 'cause we gotta make up that five minutes that we lost.

- Definitely.

Anitra: Oh, that's a perfect shot.

- Oh.

Boom!

- That is money!

- That's a cemetery.

Right there.

I bet it says city of Topeka on that cemetery.

- That said Alpharetta city limits.

Ray: Oh, Concord medical mall.

We could pull over right there.

- Alpharetta Commons.

- Go.

- Going left, going left.

Anitra: Right there.

Hold it.

Hold it right there.

- All right.

♪ [camera shutters] ♪ - There it is!

Welcome to Accokeek, Maryland.

Your challenge is located at Accokeek Park at 16000 Livingston-- We just passed Livingston Road, do you remember?

- No.

- You don't remember where it was?

- No.

- It's back up this way.

♪ - Let's go.

Go, go.

♪ [camera shutters] [camera shutters] - Take it.

[camera shutters] ♪ - Welcome to Alpharetta.

Your challenge is at-- - J.W.

Mickey McGee Park.

- Tinman Circle.

Okay.

- Let's go, go, go, go, go!

- Keep your eyes out, Raymond, so we can look where we need to turn.

- Yeah?

- We can make up a lot of time during the challenge.

- Now we gotta get out and crush it on our-- - Challenge.

- We gotta go hard.

Jenn: Let's do it.

[intense music] ♪ - Go, go, go, go, go.

- Medieval Mayhem.

♪ Dan: Day two's challenge is Medieval Mayhem.

Using a medieval catapult device, teams take aim and launch heavy balls at towers 25 yards away.

The towers are topped with team-colored flags that must be knocked over.

The catapult must stay within a designated area.

When all three flags are knocked down, the challenge is complete.

The allotted time for Medieval Mayhem is 10 minutes.

♪ - All right.

I'm gonna move it.

- Okay.

- Wait, we're stuck.

Okay, there you go.

- Okay, okay, okay.

- That's good.

- I read the card, and I'm thinking, okay, this is, it's like a little catapult sort of situation.

Medieval times.

We got this.

- I thought that said catapult.

This is obviously a trebuchet.

This is like Game of Thrones.

We have a medieval trebuchet, we're knocking down flags to rescue peasants behind the castle wall.

♪ Ooh, wow.

That ball goes flying.

When it hit the wall, man, I was not expecting that sound at all.

It was amazing.

Unfortunately, we didn't hit the flag.

- Fire!

Nicole: What?

It... - Ah.

- All right, move it over a little bit.

Jenn: Oh!

JD: It was exhilarating.

This catapult was an incredible piece of machinery.

And man, when that thing, when it whipped, it really just whipped.

- Fire when ready.

♪ [thud] Yes!

Watching a flag come down was awesome.

It was like, strike!

- Ready to fire?

- Fire at will.

Oh, you dirty ball!

- Fire when ready.

- Fire!

That went the wrong way.

So we shoot the first ball, and guess where it goes?

- Out the back.

Out the back.

- Yes.

- All right.

Let's try it again.

Paul: So we cue up the second ball.

And guess where that one goes?

♪ Okay.

- Out the back.

Again.

Paul: So we got the third ball cued up and I'm feeling really good about this one, but guess what happens to that one?

♪ - Ready to fire.

- Fire when ready.

♪ - Oh.

- Fire when ready.

- Firing.

Yes!

Good one.

Good, good, good, good, good.

- Ready to fire?

- Yep.

[groaning] - We keep trying to get these flags down, and we're connecting with the wall, we are hitting the wall, but these flags are just not moving.

Paul: So now we're thinking-- - What if we move the pocket lower?

- All right.

Let's pull the ball.

Let's see what happens.

Fourth try.

Anitra: Backward.

Paul: Fifth try.

Anitra: Same, just as bad.

- Sixth try.

♪ It just rolls on out the back.

All right.

- All right.

- So.

This isn't working.

- No, it's not.

Apparently the ball has to sit in the pocket a certain way and we're just not seeing it.

♪ - Fire!

♪ Yeah, we're two for four, we've still got two balls left.

We're feeling really good.

DeShae: Ready to fire?

Chris: Yep.

[thuds] - Yes!

- That fifth ball flies out of the trebuchet and hits that outside tower hard.

DeShae: Man, we really celebrated, because that was like so awesome.

And now we just have two more flags to go.

Dan: While Team Blue continues to struggle... Anitra: Oh golly, what just happened?

Dan: Team Red has only one flag remaining, and Teams Green and Black each have two flags to go.

♪ - Ready to fire.

- Fire when ready.

Ray: That's it, that's it.

Gah!

DeShae: Yes!

Chris: When we hit that second one and it fell down, I had that moment of, who does this?

I'm playing with a trebuchet knocking down a castle.

- Fire.

♪ JD: Boom.

Jenn: Huge explosion.

Anitra: Fire when ready.

[gasps] Paul: I'll be danged.

Anitra: Oh, what did you just do?

We figured it out!

You have to rotate the pocket so that the ball is held top to bottom and not on the sides.

- That's why it kept slipping out.

Fire when ready.

- Oh my!

[thuds] Paul: That would be a yes.

Anitra: Boom!

We hit the flag on our very next try.

- Two in a row.

♪ - Once we load this last one, I looked at him, like, babe.

Count me down.

This is it.

Fire!

Yes!

It let the wall stay.

It took the flag out.

- Fire.

- Yes!

- Yeah!

Boom.

Third flag goes down.

We're done and out.

- Good job.

- Come on, come on!

- Your relative lives at 8900 Flow Store Road.

- 152 Leon Avenue.

All right, let's go.

♪ - Firing.

[thuds] Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!

- Ha-ha!

- Please!

- Let's go!

- Now we need the [indistinct] envelope!

Okay.

- Fire when ready.

[thuds] Anitra: Yes, yes!

We did it!

Let's go, let's go!

We did it!

We did it.

- We did, yeah.

But it took us way longer than I wanted it to.

I hope it doesn't hurt us.

- Your relative lives at 8621 Long View Drive.

- Let's go, let's go!

- Your relative lives at 703 Wexford Way.

- Wexford Way, let's go!

- Oh!

Card!

♪ Dan: Now all of our teams make the final push to find their relatives and to stop their clocks.

- What time is it?

3:49 here.

All the major businesses are still open.

But we can go to the post office.

- Where is that?

- Right here.

It says post office this way.

Nicole: Speed out of the park, make a right onto the main street.

Ah, a post office.

Chris: Not knowing where we are it's hard to figure out where we're going.

So we got to a stoplight and I jumped out of the car.

Hey, do you know the way to Ponce de Leon Court?

DeShae: He literally jumped out of the car at a stoplight and just started running up on cars asking for directions.

Like I don't know that that's ever been done before.

- They said it's to the right.

Anitra: We've got to make up some time from the challenge, so instead of riding around looking for the address, we're gonna ask people right away.

May I ask you a question please?

Do you know where Rufford Court is?

[horn honking] - I have a question.

- Can you help us please?

Jenn: Can you help us really quick?

JD: We drive up and see a couple walking.

Jenn: And they gave us fabulous... JD: Phenomenal instructions.

Jenn: Please let him be right.

Nicole: So this awesome mail carrier at the post office gave us almost turn-by-turn directions.

He was awesome.

He saved the day.

The post office, our new go-to, definitely.

Dan: While three of our teams have solid directions in hand, Team Green is at a standstill and still searching.

- All of a sudden, we hit dead stop traffic, and I'm freaking out at this point, because we are on a mission and we just cannot get a strike today.

- There's a mail truck right there.

It's a red light.

Get out and ask.

For some reason I happen to look over my rearview mirror, and I saw a mail truck sitting out there.

So I told DeShae, grab the map, go ask her real quick.

DeShae: Can I ask you a question?

We're trying to find this place on a map.

Ponce de Leon Court.

- Okay.

- Not Avenue.

- Right, right.

- Court.

Mail Carrier: Yeah, Court.

'Cause this used to be on my route, so that's how I know.

DeShae: This mail lady knows exactly where our relative lives.

It used to be on her route.

How crazy is that?

Can you drive us there?

- Yeah.

- Can you?

- Yeah.

- I will love you forever and ever.

She's driving us there.

- [laughs] Yes!

You're the bomb.

- Thanks, babe.

♪ Nicole: 8900, that's it, babe.

[piano music] ♪ - Hi!

How are you all?

- I'm all right.

I'm Ray, this is my wife, Nicole.

- Hi, how are you.

- Nicole, hi, I'm Andrea, nice to meet you all.

- Hi, Andrea.

- So, Andrea, whose relative are you?

- Yours, Ray.

- You're mine?

- Yes, I'm your cousin.

- That's right.

- Nice to meet you!

Nicole: She's so tall!

- I am.

- You're just like, Reagan's gonna be this tall.

Hi!

- Yeah, she is.

- Nice to meet you!

- Nice to meet you guys.

- My name is Andrea Garisson, I'm from Concord, North Carolina, and I'm Ray's cousin.

- So, like, how are we related?

You're on my mom's side, dad's side?

Andrea: I'm on your mother's side, yes, absolutely.

- She's tall, she reminds me of my daughter.

She almost looks, complexion, hair just looks like her.

It's, to me, I could tell immediately that was family.

I want to know more, like... - Absolutely.

Well, should we come on in?

- Yes!

- Yeah, yeah.

I want to know more.

- She looks like you.

You guys look alike.

Ray: You think so?

- Yes.

The nose, the everything.

♪ [guitar music] ♪ Chris and DeShae: It's in this circle.

- 152, it's right there.

- The mail lady drove us straight to the driveway of our relative.

Thank you so much!

Hi!

- Hi there.

- I'm DeShae.

- Hi!

Chris: I'm Chris.

- I'm Patricia.

- I'm Kelly.

- Hi.

- Who's our relative?

Both: We're your relative.

- Really?

I feel like I recognized them, but I know I don't know them.

It's a really strange feeling.

- I'm your mother's first cousin.

- No way!

Patricia: Yes, Beverly's first cousin.

- So nice to meet you.

- Nice to meet you too.

- And I'm your second cousin.

Patricia: Hi, DeShae!

Chris: So cool!

DeShae: Nice to meet you!

- Nice to meet you.

- Very good to meet you.

- So awesome, hi!

Kelly: Nice to meet you.

- Nice to meet you too!

- That's so cool.

I was like, wow, that kind of looks really familiar.

Patricia: Really?

- Yes.

- Well, I definitely thought that Chris looked like part of the Schneider family.

- We have some more family for you to meet.

- Really?

Patricia: Yes we do.

- That's exciting.

- Yes, let's go in!

- Come on down!

- All of a sudden, her two girls come bebopping down the stairs, and it was just really awesome to see a young kid.

They brought a fun energy.

We were all just instantly clicking and just laughing, and I just immediately clung to those girls.

I like those blue nails, but we need to make them green, don't we?

Patricia: Oh, yes!

Green team, go green.

Chris: We'll let you get away with it for now.

- Yeah.

Chris: It was such a strange feeling to think that you actually know all of your family and all of a sudden you come up to a door and you actually have more biological family that you didn't really ever know about.

♪ [intense music] ♪ - We finally get really, really close, and we know we're close.

We feel we're close.

But it's taking way longer than we expected.

Anitra: I think this is it right here.

Paul: This is it?

Anitra: Yep.

Paul: Heyo!

- That's it, that's it!

- All right!

- [screams] - All right, 703, 703.

- Okay.

♪ ♪ - Hi!

Paul: Hey, hey.

- Hi.

- Hey.

My name's Paul.

This is Anitra, my wife.

- Hi, I'm Velarie.

This is my husband, Doug.

That's my son, Grant.

- Hi.

Velarie: It's nice to meet you.

- So whose relative are you?

- Anitra, I'm your relative.

You are my cousin on my father's side.

- Wonderful to meet you!

- You too!

I'm so excited to meet you!

Welcome.

My name is Velarie.

I'm Anitra's first cousin.

I live here in Accokeek, Maryland, and I work for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in the membership department.

You didn't have a hard time finding, I hope.

- No.

Velarie: Okay, good!

- No, it wasn't too bad.

It wasn't too bad.

Velarie: Looking at Anitra's eyes for the first time, I saw my family.

I saw the love of my family and all of our ancestors in the warmth that we share, even though I didn't know her when she was born and we're just meeting, she's your cousin, she's your family, and we bring her in, just like anybody else.

And I wanted to show that.

I wanted her to feel that.

Anitra: My new cousin Velarie tells me that she's not exactly sure which side of the family we're related on, but she's hoping she can point me in the right direction.

I'm just happy that we're family.

[soft music] ♪ Jenn: Hi.

- Hi!

I'm Cyndi Connelley-Eskine.

- Cyndi.

- Eskine, okay.

- This is Jenn, and I'm JD.

Cyndi: Hi, Jenn, hi, JD.

- How are you?

- I'm good, thank you.

How are you?

- I'm doing well.

A little nervous.

Cyndi: I bet you are.

- How are we related?

- I am your mother's cousin, first cousin.

- My mother's first cousin?

- All right.

- Awesome.

- That's so terrific.

- That's so awesome.

I didn't expect to meet you.

Jenn: I know, I didn't expect anything like it either.

Cyndi: I know!

My name is Cyndi Connelley-Eskine and I am JD's first cousin on his mother's side.

- Thank you for having us at your home.

- You're most welcome.

I'm excited.

This will be fun.

- Good to meet you.

- Good to meet you.

- Connelley.

Cyndi: Yes.

- Okay, I know Connelley name.

- That's a good thing, 'cause you have a lot of relatives that you don't know.

- That I don't know, but I know the name.

- Yep.

- Can I have a hug?

- Most definitely.

JD: There is something very comforting about meeting Cyndi.

I'm not sure what it is, but I feel like I've known her for a very long time.

- I know you guys have lots of questions.

- One or two.

- And I hopefully have some answers for you, so let's go inside and I'll share what I have.

- Awesome, thank you.

- Come on in.

- Thank you.

♪ Dan: As day two continues, the racing is over, but the discoveries are just beginning.

Velarie: I'm so glad you're here.

I want you to see what I've been working on.

I want to show this to you.

Anitra: My cousin Velarie invites us into the house and takes us to this massive family tree full of pictures, of names, color-coded, black and white pictures, color pictures, I mean, it-it was almost overwhelming.

Velarie: This is our family.

Paul: My goodness.

Velarie: You are a Harvell.

Welcome to our family.

Anitra: When you go for so long not knowing parts of your DNA, and then you have a last name to attach to that, I mean, that's huge.

Honestly.

That's huge.

I-I can't even really explain that kind of excitement.

Velarie: So you are my first cousin.

Anitra: So it's possible that one of the people in this photo could be my mom or dad.

Velarie: Yes.

♪ - I was shocked.

Really, to be so close to finding out more information, to finding out more about who I am.

Velarie: Watching Anitra touch the picture on the board, I felt like she was connecting to her parent.

To her birth family.

And I felt that it was very meaningful to her, and it meant a lot to her, and I was happy to be able to provide that opportunity for her.

♪ Ray: My cousin tells me she knows my mom, so we go sit down and I want to talk about it at this point.

This is like a question that's been, you know, on my mind since forever.

So tell me about my mom.

Andrea: Yeah, so, her name is Nettie.

We call her Aunt Katrine.

I call her Aunt Katrine.

And she has the most gorgeous smile.

Your eyes are kind of shaped like hers and your teeth as well.

Ray: She tells me that her name was Nettie but they called her Aunt Katrine.

She was beloved.

Andrea: This is her.

The '70s.

She was quite young.

Ray: And as she's saying this, I'm noticing she's saying was, was, was.

- And, uh, she actually is no longer with us.

She, um, passed of MS in '98.

You want to take a look at the obituary?

[soft music] ♪ ♪ Ray: Seeing that she passed away some 20 years ago, it just hit me hard.

I couldn't hold it in.

♪ Nicole: It's extremely hard to see someone that you love, there's nothing that you can do.

You want to make it better.

You know, the mom in me, the wife in me, wants to be like, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay.

You know, and do something or say something that'll take that hurt away.

It's okay.

♪ It's okay.

♪ Andrea: Being the person to provide him with information about my aunt Katrine in any type of way, I feel like that is gonna create a-a bond between us, and so that is an honor.

But what really hurt was that he's never going to get an answer, because she's no longer here with us.

Ray: What bothers me the most is just the why.

Like, why me?

Why was I chosen not to be a part of this family?

Why was I given up on?

What did I do to kind of cause that?

What did I do to make someone take a child who, I felt, hadn't done anything, but I-I...

I'm so stuck.

Like, what could I have done to make that right?

The hardest part of all this is that I'll never really get the answer that I wanted because she's gone.

♪ [guitar music] ♪ Patricia: I just wanted you to know I've been known pretty much as family historian.

And since we share mutual relatives, I've prepared this little album for you.

- Oh, wow.

- Have you seen anyone that looks like that in your family?

- I haven't seen anything that looks like this.

My new cousins, Kelly and Patricia, had this photo album with a bunch of old photos of relatives that I've never seen before.

Patricia: These would be your great-grandparents.

- This is a picture when they got married.

What year was this, Mom?

Patricia: 1907.

- Wow.

I've never seen a picture of my great-grandparents before.

It's amazing to see these old pictures and to know that these are actually my ancestors.

- And this is one of your great-great-grandfathers.

Chris: Wow.

Patricia: And he's Phillip John Schneider.

Being able to share all of these very old photos, family mementos, is, you know, it's part of me.

I... And part of our family, so I want to share it with everybody in our family.

DeShae: It was really fun to see Chris with family, because this whole time, he's always been focused on me, and so to be able to see him connect with family that he didn't know he had was just really awesome.

- I really appreciate that so much.

- You're very, very welcome.

Any time.

Enjoy it.

Thank you.

♪ Cyndi: This here, this is a book of your family genealogy.

JD: So Cyndi brings us inside, and she starts to show me the information that she's been putting together for me, and this is a four-inches thick binder.

Every page is full of incredible information.

Jenn: Pictures and stories and genealogy.

- There's stories and information about my grandmother who I know well.

Cyndi: This is a picture I thought you would treasure.

This was taken I guess about 10 years ago.

There's your grandma.

There's your mom.

JD: I was delighted to have the opportunity to meet with Cyndi, someone from my mother's side who I didn't expect to meet, help me see how much family I didn't know we had on my mother's side.

It was an incredible gift.

Cyndi: I was able to show JD a lot of family history, and there's a lot of stories that hopefully he can go through for many years to come.

Now, do you remember me at all?

- So I remember the name, but I don't, and I-- - You don't remember me babysitting you?

- No.

Cyndi: Well, when you were about six and seven, I would come over and your mom would go off and do her work and Roger would go, and I would stay with you during the summer.

- It's incredible to meet someone who you're so closely related to after believing that you knew everyone, and then to find out that she used to babysit you.

- Was he just trouble?

- No.

- He wasn't?

- He was a sweetie.

- I imagine him being a little naughty blondie.

Cyndi: Nah.

We had fun.

We had lots of fun.

Family, to me, is-is everything.

I am very, very blessed.

I have a wonderful family.

My life is complete, and it's wonderful to have JD back in my family.

Like, one missing piece of the puzzle.

♪ Dan: Back in North Carolina, Raymond is still processing the news of the loss of his mother.

♪ ♪ Andrea: Having watched Ray throughout this whole period, I feel like there's a lot of healing that needs to take place.

♪ Ray: I walked off.

I needed a moment to myself with my mom, right?

And even though it was just a picture, it really wasn't that.

It was like I was kind of in my own world though.

I was just looking at the pictures, I was kind of trying to put together this resemblance.

I was thinking, what were you thinking at the moment?

Like, all of these thoughts were running through my mind, and I was making a one-to-one personal connection almost with that picture.

I was there, but I wasn't.

I was kind of in this realm where it was just me and her, and I was trying to even get some answers maybe from her picture.

I'm all right, I'm okay.

- You sure?

- Yep.

I just needed a moment.

My wife is my champion.

She helped me get out of this dark place.

No matter how dark that place gets, she'll reach in and kind of pull me out.

That's what I needed at that time, and she got me out of that place.

Nicole: Nobody's perfect, baby.

- No.

- Nobody's perfect.

Ray: This is a grieving period from the beginning for me.

But I'm okay with that.

So I do know that one day we will get to meet again and I will get to talk to her.

♪ It's an empty feeling right now.

- I bet.

- Just 'cause I can't ask why I couldn't fit in the family.

I was reading the obituary, all the hosts and nieces and nephews and such.

Just, where do I... - Well, what I can say is that now that we know who you are, there's plenty of room for you.

Ray: So I am not at peace at the moment.

This is gonna take some time.

But I do at least know who my mom is, and she seemed like a wonderful woman, so.

That gives me some kind of solace in this whole thing.

♪ So I get to put the first name on the chart that cousin Isabel gave me, and it's a big name.

It's probably the biggest name.

That's my mom's name.

It's that whole bittersweet dynamic.

I mean, I know once I'm able to fully process this, it'll be a great thing.

I can finally get that name on there and understand and begin to build this tree of who I am and where I've come from.

♪ Dan: Day two has come to a close, and it's time, once again, to reveal the results.

DeShae: Going into the call, I think we nailed the challenge, and honestly, with the traffic and the five minute penalty, and I just feel like the odds were stacked against us.

JD: We're waiting for the call with Dan, and all I can think about is sitting there for that five minute penalty.

♪ Dan: How time flies, and we are already at the end of day two of Relative Race.

And I'm wondering, teams, was day two any easier?

Was it different?

Was it better?

Was it worse?

Team Black.

Yesterday, challenging day.

Today, you start off better, but was it better or worse than yesterday?

- We behaved better.

- We behaved a lot better.

We weren't near as panicked.

- But it was also very, very challenging.

Dan: What about Team Blue, Paul and Anitra?

What did you think about Medieval Mayhem?

It kind of created mayhem for you guys.

- Yeah, it really did.

It was pretty terrible.

- It took us a while.

- It took us a long time.

- It took us a while.

- We figured it out, though.

- Well, let's turn to Team Green.

DeShae and Chris.

You guys had a pretty good day.

- It was a pretty good day today, Dan.

We seemed to get out of our city this morning pretty quickly.

We seemed to figure out where we're heading.

It wasn't too bad.

- But you also got a text from me that says time to pull over.

- Yeah, that wasn't the best part of the day.

- Was there anything that you did during that five minute penalty?

- So we took those five minutes to kind of plan some strategy and get us to our relative's house hopefully quicker.

- I can't believe we just sat there.

That five minutes.

We should have been doing something productive.

I mean, here Team Green was mapping.

- And Team Red, you decided to have an impromptu disco?

- Why not?

We had five minutes to kill.

You can either sit in the car and be mad or... Ray: Give the highway a free dance show!

So that's what we did.

Dan: Let's get to the most important part of the day.

Raymond, yesterday was... a day of discovery.

Did that continue for you today?

- So, today, yes, it continued.

It was a day of discovery.

It was like a melancholy day, though, 'cause, um...

Teams, I found out today that I was able to identify who my biological mom was, but unfortunately, much like JD, she passed away some 20 years ago.

♪ DeShae: Hearing about Raymond's mom, I mean, that hits home to me, and it just, it's heartbreaking.

- Who gave me that answer, I am proud, honored, happy, to introduce my cousin.

This is Andrea.

Say hi to the world.

- Hi!

Dan: Oh, hey, Andrea!

- Hi!

Dan: Nicole, how can you support your husband in a moment like this?

- [sighs] I, it's no book for it.

I just... Just try to be there for him and just let him know that I was there for him and, you know, just try to just let him know that he's not alone, that, you know, my heart goes out to him and that any way that he needs me to support him, I will.

And that we have the opportunity, while we didn't have the opportunity to meet her face to face, this show, Relative Race, and who we've met gives us the opportunity to meet those who knew her most.

♪ Dan: JD, you just experienced this same thing less than 24 hours ago.

- That's absolutely true, and it's beyond just the shared experience of a lost parent, but the shared experience of this journey and this opportunity and the feeling around that.

And Ray, I love you, man.

- Love you too.

I could see in his eyes that his eyes were starting to kind of well up, and it made my own well up, but I knew that we had a bond.

Just over two days.

Dan: JD, yesterday, you discovered that your father had passed away.

Did you receive any more answers today?

Who did you meet?

- Yesterday, I showed you guys all that amazing picture of all the people that are a part of this new extended family on my father's side.

And today, I got to meet an extended part of my family on my mother's side that I never knew existed as well.

And this is my cousin Cyndi.

- Hi, everyone.

- She's brilliant and articulate and kind and has been a fan of genealogy her entire life.

Dan: Anitra, you've been looking for answers.

You've been hoping for answers.

Did anything happen today to help crack open a few doors, maybe give you a couple of answers?

Look at that smile.

- [laughs] Yes!

And I can actually show you who I get that smile from.

This is my cousin.

- Hi.

Dan: Oh, you do have the same smiles!

Oh my gosh.

That is amazing.

Oh, I am so happy for you, Anitra.

And this is only day two!

Anitra: I know!

I know.

It's incredible.

Dan: And so now I want to talk to Team Green.

DeShae, Chris, you-you come onto a show like this hoping to get the answers for DeShae.

And yet the great thing about doing the research on everyone is sometimes, there's unexpected answers.

Chris?

- Today I was actually able to meet some of my family that I never knew existed, really.

So I have my mom's first cousin, Miss Pat, and I have my second cousin Kelly and her daughter there on the end.

- Hello.

- All sporting Team Green, of course.

Dan: Chris, that is amazing.

You can see this journey holds surprises for everybody.

And now it's that time.

♪ Team Blue.

Yesterday, you guys killed it.

You picked up the next day benefit and all the other teams had to pull over for five minutes.

Today, the first place team will be led into their relative's home by the relative.

And the team gaining that advantage tomorrow...

The team that finished first, finishing 18 minutes over their allotted time...

Team Green.

[cheering] Tomorrow, let's hope your relative gives you good directions.

Chris: The drive from the challenge to the relative's house is definitely the hardest part of the entire day.

♪ - Finishing in second place, 23 minutes over their allotted time...

Team Red, congratulations.

- Yeah!

Ray: When I hear second place, I'm like, yes!

I mean, I thought we were good enough to do first place, but when I hear second place, I also hear no strike, so.

And I'm hearing that we got better from the day before.

I'm ecstatic about that.

♪ Dan: Team Black, you had a rough day yesterday, and you know what, it was a little better today, but not a lot.

Team Blue, your fortunes, they kind of did a 180.

But I can tell you this, the two of you were really close in the end.

Finishing in third place, 46 minutes over their allotted time...

Team Black.

And that means, finishing only two minutes behind Team Black, Team Blue, you go from first to worst in a 24-hour period.

But, Anitra, you gained family.

- I did.

Dan: I love the smile is back.

And so I ask each of you, keep those smiles going.

Keep the hope looking forward, because tomorrow, I can guarantee you this: You will face more challenges.

You will have more obstacles.

But you will also meet new family.

And so I wish you good luck, good night, and get that rest, 'cause you guys are gonna need it.

We'll see you tomorrow.

Ray: Today was a tough day.

Tougher than I could have thought.

But no days are guaranteed to be good.

- We weren't fourth and we weren't third.

We weren't even second.

We came in first place today.

- First place.

- Tomorrow's a new day.

- Word.

- And we'll see what happens.

Anything can happen.

It's Relative Race.

Anything can happen.

- Anything can happen.

- I wish nobody had to get a strike, but every day, somebody has to get one.

We don't want it to be us.

We on day 10, we're on a day 10 mission.

- #RedTeam.

Out.

- Peace.

♪