
Episode 4
Season 6 Episode 4 | 55mVideo has Closed Captions
After a slingshot challenge, DeShae plays mini-golf with family. JD makes a connection.
The competition heats up as "creative" texts begin to fly between the teams. A physical challenge pushes all the teams to their limits, and one team over the edge! Anitra's family continues to grow. Ray meets an important relative with connections to his mother. JD discovers his closest relative yet. DeShae takes a huge step in finding out who her parents are.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback

Episode 4
Season 6 Episode 4 | 55mVideo has Closed Captions
The competition heats up as "creative" texts begin to fly between the teams. A physical challenge pushes all the teams to their limits, and one team over the edge! Anitra's family continues to grow. Ray meets an important relative with connections to his mother. JD discovers his closest relative yet. DeShae takes a huge step in finding out who her parents are.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
How to Watch Relative Race
Relative Race is available to stream on pbs.org and the free PBS App, available on iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Android smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Tablet, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and Vizio.
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipDan: Previously on Relative Race.
The competition ramped up as tempers flared.
- You don't tell me that there's other streets, so... - Don't turn unless I tell you to turn, it's that simple!
Dan: Anitra learned that she wasn't forgotten by her family.
Lashonda: My grandmother tried to adopt you, but somewhere along the lines, that didn't happen.
Dan: DeShae met an uncle, narrowing the search for her mom or dad.
DeShae: One of these names is my biological parent.
Dan: Jenn's cousin Shawna shared photos of their grandfather, and Ray saw a photo of his brother for the very first time.
- This is Lamont.
Ray: Finally, I see a picture of the man that was chosen over me.
Dan: Team Black beat the pack to first place.
- Tomorrow, no city selfie.
Dan: And Team Red picked up their first strike.
- Day Four.
- We're coming for you.
- We will not lose.
Dan: DNA tells us who we are and where we came from.
Following their own DNA, four teams are racing.
- It's on.
- Boom!
[crashing] Dan: To win $50,000.
- Let's get 'em!
Dan: And to find their family.
[knocking on door] - ♪ Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh!
♪ ♪ Whoa-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh!
♪ ♪ Whoa-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh!
♪ ♪ The sun rises on a new day of competition as Team Red prepares with Raymond's cousin Hunter.
Ray: So after the strike last night, I slept terribly.
I probably slept four hours.
Woman: Good luck to you.
- Thank you.
- Thank you!
Give me that roller one so you can get those other two.
- I knew what it was, though, it was just that burning fire inside of me.
I knew it wasn't gonna let me sleep.
I'm so uncomfortable with coming in last that I didn't expect to sleep much.
We will make you proud, I promise you that.
- I know that, there ain't no doubt in my mind.
- Thanks for rockin' the Team Red with us.
- Team Red, yep.
- And you will see us again.
Ray: So the idea this mornin' is to load the car, wait for the text from Dan, and put the pedal to the metal so we don't waste any time.
- Okay.
- Thank you so much!
- Okay.
God's peace and blessings be with you and safe journey and everything, love you guys.
- So hopefully, that'll buy us that four minutes time that we lost yesterday.
Dan: The morning of Day Four finds Team Red refusing to take any chances as they prepare to depart from Greensboro, North Carolina.
Up north, Team Blue begins their day in Salem, Virginia.
Team Black is starting in Colby, Kansas, and Team Green will begin in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
DeShae: Woke up this mornin', and it's so beautiful here, and my Uncle David took me down by the water, and it was just really awesome.
Just two days ago, I heard the Love name for the first time, so, just to be able to hear the history of the name and stuff is just really, really cool.
- Yeah, it's, it's fascinating.
- Yeah.
- I started doin', uh, family research on our family shortly after my dad passed away, 'cause I feel like it's very important to know where you come from, to know where you're going.
- The fact that you researched all this is just amazing.
- Well, I just want you both to know that it was really out of God's love that put it in my heart to do it, because I knew the importance of learning about where you came from to get-- [sobbing lightly] - It's okay!
It's okay.
- To get to the place where you're really supposed to be in life.
Because God has a plan and purpose for all of us.
I'm just so thankful that he's brought us all together.
- Me too.
- And we can share this moment.
- Me too.
Seeing my Uncle David get so emotional over meeting me was really touching, so I'm just ready to get on the road and hopefully meet all of the Love family, because there's so many people I have to meet.
[soft music] ♪ Dan: In Colby, Kansas, Jenn sits down with her newest cousin Shawna to learn more about their great-grandmother.
- So there's something I wanna give to you that was special for me.
JD: Oh, boy.
I'm gonna cry in the morning.
Shawna: Yeah, it's gonna begin.
Jenn: And it was this beautiful needlework that Grandma Sides, my Great-Grandmother Sides, had done.
- This was some of her last work.
[sighs emotionally] JD: It just makes her real.
- Yeah.
- It makes her-- - To know that was hers, and she held it, made it, and I'm so happy to have it.
Dan: As the emotions of the morning motivate Team Black, Team Blue does a little motivating of their own with Anitra's cousin Lashonda.
Anitra: You need to stay down here and dance with us.
- Negative.
[Anitra laughs] Lashonda: Just one dance!
Anitra: One dance, come on!
- Okay, I'll tell you what I'll do.
I will record said dance.
Anitra: All right, fine.
Lashonda and I love to dance, so we throw on some music and we did some old-school dances.
[song plays while everyone laughs and shouts] ♪ I'm a good dancer.
[laughing and shouting intensifies] - Okay.
Y'all are crazy, but I love it!
They got to dance, it was pretty good.
I was proud of 'em.
[laughing] [intense music and clock ticking] [phone chimes] - Good morning teams and welcome to day-- - Four of Relative Race.
JD: Team Black will be traveling to Denver, Colorado.
- All right!
- Team Red will be traveling to Arden, North Carolina.
Anitra: Team Blue will be traveling to-- Both: Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
- Team Green will be traveling to Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
- Hattiesburg!
- Today's first-place winner will get-- - A tip that may help them-- - Complete their challenge.
Both: Your time starts now.
[squeals] - All right.
- See ya later!
- Awesome.
- We gotta go!
Chris: Hey, I think we even know how to go there!
Paul: Gotta get the bag.
Anitra: Gotta get the bag?
Paul: Yeah.
We run into the house and I realize we're not even packed all the way.
- You didn't pack!
Paul: We gotta go, you got everything?
Ray: Let's get to this.
We're gonna have a better day.
Much better.
- It was wonderful!
Jenn: Sorry we just have to dash out so fast.
- You can drive.
Anitra: Huh?
- You can drive!
- 40 East, 40 West.
- 40 West, baby.
- Let's go, let's go.
Go, go, go, go, go!
- Ah!
Toothbrush!
Jenn: Let's get out of here.
- Wait, your phone!
Your phone!
Jenn: Oh, my goodness, we almost forgot the phone!
- Oh, love you!
- Bye!
- Bye!
- Bye!
[dramatic music] ♪ Dan: Each of our teams are off, scrambling to find a new family member without the use of their smartphones or GPS.
All of the teams will be racing against a different allotted time.
The team that goes over their allotted time the most will receive a strike.
Three strikes, and you are out of this race.
Nicole: ♪ Oh, do it baby, do the hop-de-hop, ♪ ♪ ay, ay, do the hop-de-hop.
♪ Dan: Today, Team Red will be traveling with their first strike to Arden, North Carolina.
They have an allotted time of three hours and 27 minutes.
And as Team Red dances towards their destination, Team Blue's progress comes to a halt.
- What?
A funeral procession?
Paul: We can't pass them.
- No, we can't.
- Because that's disrespectful.
[dramatic music] ♪ Dan: Team Blue navigates around the funeral, and must find their way today from Salem, Virginia to Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Their allotted time for the day is two hours and 11 minutes.
Anitra: They're going the direction we need to go in.
- Okay, so we need to... - You wanna go 220?
- I mean, it's right there.
- All right, let's go.
[whistling "Für Elise"] - Whenever you're ready to not do that anymore.
[whistling] [laughing] Dan: Team Green is whistling without a strike on their way to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, with an allotted time of three hours and 13 minutes.
- Don't do it.
Don't do it!
[laughing] Don't do it, I know you.
[rock music] ♪ - We ain't in Kansas anymore, Toto.
Dan: And Team Black also has one strike, as they journey out of the prairies towards Denver, Colorado, with an allotted time of four hours and three minutes.
Once our teams arrive in their relative's hometown, they'll have to take a selfie to prove that they've made it, and complete a common challenge in order to receive their relative's address.
However, with a first-place prize from yesterday's win, Team Black will get to skip their selfie today, which means that they somehow need to be given the address of today's challenge.
JD: I feel every-- [phone chimes] Ohh, we got another text.
- Oh, it's from Dan.
I always get nervous.
JD: Dan sends us a text; we think it's gonna be directions to the challenge.
Jenn: But!
JD: Dan didn't tell us where in the car.
- You hold still, you drive.
- Feel, just see if you can feel something under your seat.
- Boyfriend.
- Yeah?
- I see nothing.
It's probably somewhere so obvious.
I feel like an idiot right now.
- That's how I've felt the whole trip.
♪ ♪ - Ah!
There it is.
Okay, we found it, we found it, we found it, get this back in.
"Your challenge is located at 2710 South, Monaco Parkway."
- Awesome.
[clock ticking] Dan: As the day heats up-- - Okay, sooo, let's send a fun text to Team Green.
- All right.
- What should we say?
Dan: Team Blue shares some shade with the competition.
[phone chimes] - New text from Team Blue!
Let's see.
- Wow.
- Ohh, no they didn't!
- I mean, I give 'em props.
That was a good.
- That was a good one.
- That was a good one!
Okay, one point for Team Blue.
- Wait, didn't you mean one strike for Team Blue?
- Oh!
- Ohh, mad burn.
- Nice!
[laughing] Niiice.
- Boom!
- Flames!
[laughing] - Ha ha.
Anitra: For the most part, we really don't miss our cell phones.
But we do miss one part or our cell phones.
Um, Siri?
[imitating Siri noise] - Yes?
- How do you get to Moncap Trail?
[imitating Siri noise] - You don't.
[laughing] Paul: I wanted to give Anitra a little taste of what it would be like if Siri gave directions the way she gives direction.
Anitra: Siri, can you tell me how to get to the pho place?
- So, what you're gonna do, is you're gonna head down about, I dunno, somewhere between about half a mile and three miles.
[laughing hysterically] Keep driving until you see a dog barking.
There's always a dog barking on the right side of the road.
Anitra's direction giving.. let's just say that if you ever see her anywhere and you need directions, ask the person standing next to her, 'cause you're not gonna get where you need to go.
- That's accurate.
Dan: While Team Black gets to head straight to their challenge-- Paul: Selfie time.
- All right, so I'm gonna be your eyes.
Dan: The rest of the pack hunts for a city selfie.
- All right, here we go.
Nicole: We're going south.
Ray: Right, so we're going in the right direction.
- What do you see, what do you see, what do you see?
Chris: But we're not actually in the city limits yet.
- Yes, Chris, I know that.
- 'Kay, just checking.
- No city selfie, no city selfie, no city selfie, no city selfie.
- There it is!
- Okay, okay, okay, good, good, good!
Anitra: Yes, yes, yes!
Chris: Hattiesburg.
DeShae: Hattiesburg, turn in.
Ray: There's Arden's, Arden's First Baptist Church, pull on.
Yep.
Anitra: Let's go.
- In the city selfie, the first thing we see was a church.
No, no, no, no, go too far, don't go too far!
Thank the Lord.
- Perfect sign, perfect sign.
- Right there.
[camera shutters] [lively music] ♪ - All right.
- Okay.
- C'mon, let's do it!
- Okay, there's our flags.
JD: Go, go, go, go, go.
We arrive at the challenge.
- First to arrive.
- Probably first.
- I believe first.
- And then, we read the challenge title.
"Sling and Fling.
"Fling your teammate across the gymnasium floor.
"Throw balls at all eight targets "to complete this challenge.
"Your allotted time for the day includes 10 minutes to complete this challenge."
- Oh, no.
- Let's go!
Dan: Day Four's challenge is Sling n Fling.
Teams take turns sitting on a small four-wheeled kart and, using a giant slingshot, launch each other across a gymnasium floor.
The teammate on the cart must throw balls at targets.
Teams must hit all eight targets to complete the challenge.
- This is kinda scary.
Flying forward on a go-kart type thing, I was scared.
[screaming] JD: Ugh!
I don't think it's terribly difficult to aim when you're moving, as long as you're moving-- - As long as the kart's going in the right direction.
JD: Yeah, that, that helps.
Jenn: Yeah.
That, sorry.
That was my fault.
JD: I wish that I was in better shape, so that I didn't feel like I was-- - You think?
Sorry.
- Like I was gonna die.
That's all right.
[electro swing] ♪ Dan: Back on the road-- - Oh, it's right here.
I see it.
Chris: I got it, I got it, I got it.
DeShae: Right there?
- Another church.
- Another church, we need a blessin'.
Dan: Team Black's competition finally catches up to the challenge.
- Let's see what we got today.
- All right, Sling 'n Fling.
We get to the challenge, and it's a human slingshot.
A human sling.
[indistinct] DeShae: That's when we found out that we went from launching projectiles to becoming projectiles.
- Oh yeah!
Paul: First round, and I'm like, okay, interesting.
I wonder how this is gonna work out.
♪ ♪ - Ugh!
- She hit nothing, but-- - I hit the wall!
I did hit the wall.
- That was way faster than I was expecting.
Anitra: Listen, I don't know if y'all caught it on film, but I almost died.
- Ah!
♪ - Just try to keep me... straight as possible.
Go.
Music: Break time!
- I see the whole gym in a 360, because that thing started just spinning.
I did hit one.
[ding] So that's 100 percent improvement, so I'm totally stoked.
- Did you hit that top one?
- Yeah, I got that one.
- My guy, he came through for me on this one, 'cause I was no good.
[ding] [ding] Yes!
Okay, come on.
Music: ♪ One, two, three, break time!
♪ Paul: You know, we get our pull, we get two, and I'm like, "I think we might be all right!"
- That feels good!
[ding] [ding] Nicole: Yes, babe, yes!
- Ready?
- Nope.
Chris: I think part of the problem is neither one of us really had any idea how fast we'd be goin'.
DeShae: I hated it, I absolutely hated it.
- It's not easy.
- We can gather balls as we come back.
DeShae: Watch it!
♪ Nicole: Okay, come on!
[ding] Paul: Yes!
All right.
- Angle me, please.
- Out of eight targets, JD got seven.
[ding] Okay, good.
And I got one.
[ding] JD: Girl, get one!
- I think we did okay.
- I think we crushed it.
Nicole: Come on.
Yes!
[ding] Yes.
- Anitra came through in the clutch that last toss and hit it perfectly.
[ding] Oh!
[ding] Yes!
- We did it, we did it, let's go.
- Let's see what we got.
"Your relative lives at--" - "2390--" - "Tuscan Way."
- "84 Pine Grove", let's go.
- Hey, let's go.
♪ [dramatic music] ♪ - Try it!
[wheels sreeching] So, again and again, flinging down the floor, miss after miss, it's starting to get a little frustrating.
There you go, there you go!
[crashing] - I'm gonna set that thing on fire.
♪ I'm ready to be done.
You knew I was checked out, we all knew I was checked out, I was over it.
- You gotta try and throw somethin'.
- No, I don't!
- Better-- - It's, we're wasting time!
- I think the stress of everything really got to her, and um, you know, we just, we had to take a moment.
♪ [clock ticking] [breathing heavily] ♪ Dan: As the day rolls on... JD: Thank you.
Dan: Teams move closer to their newfound family.
- We finished the challenge, and the nerves switch from worrying about where we're going to who we're meeting.
About twelve years ago, my grandmother told me that my father wasn't my biological father, and on the first day of the race, my cousin told me that my biological father had already passed.
And I realized, that's what I'm now looking forward to, is how many actual connections can I make between now and the end.
[emotional music] ♪ Anitra: Uh... - We're going this way.
- Go, go to the right.
Okay.
Paul: Got our relative's address, and we're hoping that today, we won't get lost.
- Make a left, last left, we going back.
So, we're on our way from the challenge.
Ray: And I just see her point to me and say, "look."
Nicole: Oh my gosh.
Baby, look at-- - Oh, no!
Nicole: What time is it?
Ray: Traffic.
Something we really hadn't encountered up to this point.
[sighs] - We stopped somebody, as soon as we left out of our challenge at the YMCA.
Do you know how to get to Peters Creek Parkway?
Okay, thank you!
- Well, we're making good time, actually.
Jenn: Driving to our relative's house, we know exactly where we're going, and we're gonna come in probably under time today.
That's nice, you can see exactly where we're at.
- Yeah, I'm happy.
Ray: We're stuck with absolutely nothing to do.
- But we can watch the dog in the car ahead of us.
Oh, the dog 'bout to throw up!
Baby, the dog 'bout to throw up!
- There's [indistinct]!
There's [indistinct], right there, right there, right there!
- Okay, okay, okay.
- Oh, the dog is gon' throw up!
- 391, okay it's right here, it's right here.
[triumphant laugh] [excited scream] - Ready?
- Yep, yep, yep, stop, stop.
- I just don't want the chunks to get on the car.
'Cause it's going to go back this way.
- I bet they'd be on there till we get to the relative's house.
[intense music] ♪ Chris: We just had to take a second, because DeShae was really hyperventilating.
Sit up and drink some water.
Slow.
We'd probably been back there for five or ten minutes, and at this point, we've actually only hit one target.
So we finally pick ourselves up and go back into the gym.
[grunting] Got it?
You're good, go!
Oh, geez.
[ding] [ding] - Good job, babe!
- Okay, now we're getting somewhere.
DeShae: And at that point, I realized that we need to rely on Chris and there is no reason for me to keep hurting myself, so I said, "Just fling me, I'm gonna throw one, "I'm gonna put my feet down midcourt, and we're going back to throw Chris down the floor."
[shoes squeaking] - Hey, good stop!
So I've really gotta hone in and, you know, just hit the target.
[ding] [ding] [ding] [ding] [ding] Ooh, got it!
Finally got the challenge finished.
"Your relative lives at 1613 Middle Lane Drive."
Let's go.
Now I'm feeling a little bit more confident, but we definitely lost a lot of time.
[soft music] ♪ Dan: As the clock winds down, Team Blue gears up to meet another family member.
- Go, go, go!
Paul: There's something about that moment when you're running up to that relative's door, knowing your life is about to change forever.
- 303.
[knocks] - Hi!
- Hi!
- Hi!
- I'm Paul, this is Anitra.
- Hey, nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you too!
- Whose relative are you?
Anita: Anitra, I'm your second cousin on my dad's side.
[laughing] Paul: So awesome!
Anitra: So good to meet you!
Anita: Good to meet you too!
Aw, man, I'm cryin'!
My name is Anita Harvell, I'm kin to Anitra on my dad's side, and I'm a social worker.
When I heard the knock on the door, I felt excited.
I was like, I'm really doing this, I'm gonna meet my cousin, she's here!
I was really excited, almost in tears.
- We met Andre.
- Cousin Andre.
- Cousin Andre.
- Kirsten.
- Cousin Velarie.
- Yeah, ah yeah, okay!
[laughing] Anitra: When I hugged my cousin Anita for the first time, I felt just an instant electricity, an instant connection.
- Now we're here with you, visiting!
- Okay!
[laughing] Y'all wanna come in?
- Sure!
- Absolutely!
- Come on in, come on in!
- I'm incredibly grateful.
I get fuller and fuller every day.
Dan: As Team Blue prepares for an evening with newfound family-- JD: Let's go, let's go.
Dan: Team Black prepares to stop their clock.
Jenn: So we pulled up to the relative's house.
- Oh, we're excited, couldn't be more excited.
We know we're there, we know we've made it in record time.
- Except the house numbers aren't matching up.
- We cannot find the house number.
So I pull out the map and I start looking closer.
- What if it's the wrong address?
'Cause that said Tucson Ave., right?
JD: I realize we have been navigating for 20 minutes to Tuscan Way.
The card reads "Tucson".
Jenn: And that is a huge problem, because we are on the wrong street.
- Tuscan Way.
Or Tucson way.
T-U-C-S-O-N. - Then I suddenly feel like the dumbest person in the world.
Your relative lives at 388 Tuscan Way.
So let's look for Tuscan.
JD: We were so far away that we were gonna go from what we thought might be a first place finish to a fourth place finish.
♪ DeShae: Go back out to the main highway that we came in on.
- I think so too.
- Take a left.
'Cause there is nothing out this way.
Chris: We, uh, finally get done with the challenge, and uh, you know, our normal plan is to figure out where we are so we know where we're goin'.
DeShae: Do you know where Meadow Lane Drive is?
Man: No.
- Do you know where Meadow Lane Drive is?
- Meadow Lane Drive?
Woman: I don't, dear.
- All right.
- You have no idea?
Okay.
Saturday at five.
No mail carriers, FedEx is closed, UPS is closed, we don't know where we are, we just were literally driving in circles.
That was just a waste of time for us.
Like a gut punch when you're already kicked on the ground.
- We decided to change drivers.
DeShae was gettin' a little frustrated with trying to navigate.
- Let me drive.
I mean, let me drive, because I'm not doing this anymore.
I'm no good right now.
At that point, I was just drivin'.
I didn't know where I was goin', it was just like looking for a needle in a haystack, because who can find a street with no direction?
♪ - You wanna go home because of one bad day?
♪ - Is that what this is, just construction?
- I don't know, bae.
Ray: It seems like we're in traffic for an eternity.
Nicole: At least the dog didn't blow any chunks.
- All right, well, we survived the spew.
We get off the freeway, we're on the way to our relative's house.
This is no outlet, so this better be it.
- It better be.
Ray: To get to our relative's house, we pretty much have to travel up a half-mountain, half-volcano.
- Oh, slow up!
Ray: And it was a trek where you either know you're right or you're completely out of the race.
- Oh!
Babe!
- Soon as I meet this relative, I'm hugging 'em.
Being adopted and knowing that I have a brother out there who wasn't put up for adoption, that's hard.
I mean, I've had to face a lot of hard truths on this journey, so I'm hoping that whoever I meet can give me more answers.
Right here?
Nicole: Yeah.
- Hey!
How you guys doin', come over here!
Ray: Hey!
Hey, what's going on?
Nicole: Okay!
- We go around back, and I could just kinda see in his eyes that I knew he was family.
- Do you know how good it is to see you, brother?
- I'm Ray, this is my wife Nicole.
- Hey, Nicole.
- Hi, nice to meet you!
- Nice to meet you.
- I'm Michael.
First cousin.
- So you're, you're my first cousin as well?
- That's correct.
My man.
- Okay.
- Brother!
It's good to see you!
- Good to see you.
- Man!
I can't believe it.
My name is Michael Turner.
I was a sergeant in the military for 13 years, and Ray is my first cousin.
I've been wondering and wondering and wondering, uh, you know, who's he gonna look like?
What's this, what's that, what's this?
- Who do you think he looks like?
[piano music] ♪ - Grandma.
Nicole: Mmm.
- Mm-hmm.
Yeah, you do.
Most def.
- My cousin Mike is really ecstatic to meet me.
I mean, right off the bat, he tells me I look like my grandmother, so I'm really excited to learn more.
- I know you guys just got here, but trust me.
I've got something really cool planned for us.
- All right.
- And I know you'll enjoy it.
- Okay.
- We're down.
- Ready, we're ready.
- All right.
♪ [suspenseful music] ♪ [sniffles] - Hotel 65.
- Yeah.
Hotels are in which direction?
I guess it doesn't matter.
Babe, it's okay.
Just sit in here, I'm gonna run into the hotel, get a city map, and we're gonna get there.
Basically the reason to stop at a hotel was there's not a whole lot of stuff that's open, but hotels are pretty much always open.
Hey, uh, if it's got Meadow Lane, I will take it.
DeShae: So we tried hotel, Chris has found a map, and we headed towards that general area, and it turns out we really weren't that far away.
Is it on my right or left?
- It's gonna be on the right.
Today was a really big struggle.
We both got frustrated, we both, you know, made it through together, um.
You know, we just have to let it go and remember why we're actually doing this in the first place.
- Say hi, say yay!
- Aw, man!
Look at these guys!
- Heck yeah!
- Hi!
- Hi there, I'm Chris, this is my wife DeShae.
- I'm DeShae!
- I'm Gary.
- Gary.
- These are my children.
- Are you our relative?
- I am your relative.
Both: Whose relative are you?
- Chris, I'm DeShae's relative, I'm your Uncle Gary!
[laughing] - You almost got me!
- I'm your uncle!
- Hi!
Gary: Oh, look at you, gosh, you're so beautiful.
[emotional music] ♪ Just look at you.
You're gorgeous.
- Thank you.
- So gorgeous.
♪ Gary: I'm Gary Love, and I'm DeShae's uncle.
I have known about DeShae for almost two months now, and I just wanted to meet her so bad, and today, it happened, and I can't tell you how elated and happy I am.
- I hear the Love genes are strong, huh?
Gary: Girl, you just don't know!
DeShae: Gary is amazing, and all of his kids, which are my cousins, were there to welcome me into the family.
I was just surrounded by love.
Gary: This is Hunter, and Mackenzie.
- Hi, I'm Mackenzie!
- I'm Garrison.
- Hi, nice to meet you!
It was really emotional, and every time I meet a Love family member, they truly exemplify that.
I feel loved and, just like a big family reunion.
- Good to meet you.
- So good to meet you guys!
Gary: You just don't know... you don't know.
DeShae: I'm learnin'.
Gary: You're learnin'.
- I'm learnin'.
Gary: You're in for a treat, girl.
DeShae: I'm happy to be here, it's been a rough day.
Gary: Welcome to the family, brother.
Chris: I'm glad to be a part of it too!
- He knew I'd had a stressful day, and he said, "Isn't it worth it?"
And I said, "Yes, it is", and nothing else that happened that day, good or bad, even mattered at that point, 'cause we were with our family having a good time.
- All right, guys, well, let's shake that off, man!
DeShae: Yeah.
- Let's go have fun as a family!
Chris: Sounds good!
Gary: Aw, man!
♪ [dramatic music] Dan: Back in Denver.
- We were so proud of ourselves.
- I know.
- Just a little too proud.
- It's my fault.
Dan: Team Black is still correcting course after navigating to the wrong address.
JD: It ended up being about 20 miles in the wrong direction.
Jenn: It was my fault.
JD: It wasn't your fault.
- It was my fault, just own it with me.
- No.
- It was my fault, I found the wrong Tucson Way on the map.
388.
JD: 388, baby.
Jenn: All right.
[clapping] We found it.
- Nice job.
♪ Jenn: Hi!
- Hi, how're you?
- I'm JD.
- JD, my name's Angie.
- Angie.
- Nice to meet you.
- I'm Jenn.
- Nice to meet you.
- And who are you related to?
- JD, I'm your sister.
- Oh, my goodness.
[piano music] ♪ Are you okay?
- Yeah.
♪ Are you?
- Yeah.
I'm just real glad to meet you.
- Glad to meet you.
- You guys look alike!
- I'm sorry that you have to look like me.
- No, no!
I'm Angie Johnson.
I am a medical assistant from Denver, Colorado, and I am JD's sister.
- You have no idea who's on the other side of the door and how it's gonna impact your life forever.
But I had no idea it... it was gonna be my sister.
- Yeah.
JD: She tells me that she's my sister, and then the world changes.
For a moment it was hard to think, and breathe, and hold myself upright.
I haven't on this entire trip allowed myself to think that this was even a possibility.
- Yeah.
- And it was incredible.
- This is my husband James.
- Awesome, hey, James!
Angie: JD.
- I'm JD.
- Nice to meet you, JD.
- Nice to meet you!
- Hi, I'm Jenn.
- And this is Jenn.
- Nice to meet you!
- Yes.
- Thank you for doing this.
Thank you for allowing us to come.
It means the world to me.
♪ I can't wait to hear what you know.
- We can talk.
- All right.
There's this moment where I felt... at peace, and more complete than I knew I could feel.
- So excited.
[James chuckles] I need another brother.
- You need another sister!
- So you have a brother?
Angie: I have three brothers.
- Do I have three brothers?
Angie: You have one brother.
JD: Okay.
- You have a brother.
- I have a brother?
Angie: And you look a lot alike!
JD: Is that right?
James: Yes.
- I don't have any words.
I didn't expect that there would be these other puzzle pieces that would create so much significance in my life.
This is one of those moments where I know for sure lives will be changed.
♪ Dan: In North Carolina, Anitra finally gets to sit down with her cousin Anita.
- This is my nephew, Vernon Harvell Jr., and um, Deja Harvell.
[clapping] - I love it, Harvells!
I love it!
It's so easy, like... it doesn't feel awkward, it doesn't feel fake, it's not like that.
That's nice.
Are you growing a garden?
- Yes!
- Can I see it?
Anita: It's a community garden.
Anitra: Is it really?
- So I grow 'em here, and then I go to the garden and I plant 'em.
- I don't have a green thumb at all and everything I plant dies, but I think it's so cool that she has a garden.
So what do you do?
- Um, social work.
- Really?
- Yeah!
Anitra: I was in foster care for the first 18 months of my life, and then I got adopted by my mom and dad, but our shared grandmother tried to adopt me back into the family.
- That's my dad's sister!
- Oh!
- That's who my dad's sister is.
- Oh, nice!
- Yeah!
Paul: I feel like that meeting, that, that was meant to be, that was, that was meant to happen.
- We're trying to adopt a child, we want to.
- Oh, man, that'll be good!
- Yeah.
And really, part of the reason we're on the show is to get up some money so we can adopt.
It's really cool that as we're starting this process of adopting, we meet Anita, and she can tell us everything we need to know.
- The idea, is uh, it's a long process.
- It is!
- It is, yeah, and it takes so long.
[laughing] That kid just be waitin', they just waitin'.
- That's all they want.
Stability and love.
I can feel the Harvell identity, honestly strengthening me.
- Would y'all like to see the garden?
- Absolutely.
- Yeah.
- Okay.
♪ [funky music] ♪ Gary: Let's go play some golf!
DeShae: My Uncle Gary actually brought us to play glow-in-the-dark mini-golf.
One, two, three.
All: Yay!
- Hey, Finley!
I knew it was important after a stressful day that we needed to go do something to relax, and the mini-golf was just the right thing to do.
Show us how it's done, DeShae.
Ooh, close, so close.
Chris: So close.
DeShae: It's gonna take you four to get through the little dinosaur.
Chris: Probably so.
I'mma come right back.
All: Oh!
[laughter] DeShae: After the day we had, it was really nice to be able to kick back with Uncle Gary, and all of my cousins, and just have a good time.
♪ It just made me happy, and just... really turned my whole day around.
♪ [laughing] - Oh!
- Whoa!
Gary: There you go, Happy Gilmore!
Dan: Back in North Carolina, Ray heads outside with his cousin Michael.
- We go sit down, talk a little bit, and he gives me some pictures.
Michael: I wanna show you some pictures.
- Mmm.
- Your grandmother, Ms. Nettie Lee Moore.
See the resemblance?
Ray: Here, let me see?
Michael: Yeah.
Nicole: Strong.
Mm-hmm!
Ray: You still see it?
Nicole: Mm-hmm!
Ray: It was perfect, with my grandmother there, that was the first I'd ever seen a picture of her.
It was like meeting up with an old friend that you've known for years, it just felt so familiar, so good.
So what was she like, I mean, what was grandmother like?
- Oh, she was always pleasant.
Always.
Strict, but she was always pleasant.
Ah, a great woman to be around.
Ray: The light's shining down on me, the breeze is good, I'm looking at my grandma for the first time, it was a perfect day.
- Hey, I, I appreciate this, I saw my mom for the first time a couple days ago, I'm seeing my grandma for the first time today.
Just introducing me to yet another leg of the family, so I appreciate it.
- Hey, my brother.
It's all good.
- Now, now I get to add another name to my chart.
It just feels awesome to fill out this tree day by day, it's a great feeling.
I could sit here all day and try to explain how grateful I am.
Michael: This is history.
Ray: And I appreciate that.
[gentle music] ♪ Dan: As Team Red adds another name to their family tree, Team Black finally gets to sit down with JD's sister.
- You're still shaking.
- Yes.
JD: While I'm learning about my family, the question that's burning on my mind is, "What do you know about my dad?"
I found out on the first night of the race that our dad had passed.
What can you tell me?
- Unfortunately, he died when I was only seven, and I really don't have any memories.
- Okay.
Jenn: You were so young.
- Yeah, I was so young.
So young.
Jenn: It's sad.
JD: Angie didn't really have the answers for me that I was looking for.
What my sister can tell me about is her life, and learning about my sister is pretty incredible.
Angie: I played volleyball and basketball, didn't love track.
- Well, we have that in common.
[laughter] Angie: Talking and getting to know JD has meant the world to me.
He's a brother I didn't know I had, but I'm so excited to move forward with that.
Jenn: Do you guys see the resemblance?
- Complete resemblance.
JD: Of each other?
Jenn: Oh, yes, like-- JD: She's way prettier than me.
Jenn: It's so there.
Angie: I see the resemblance because of our younger brother Tony.
He and Tony look just alike.
And I actually brought something to give to you, because he couldn't be here.
So this is your brother.
- Wow.
Jenn: Oh boy.
♪ Angie: This is Tony.
JD: It's hard to describe what it feels like.
At almost 50 years old, to get not only a sister, but a brother?
Truly remarkable.
- And I know you both like to coach, and I just loved this picture, I thought that it would very much resemble you.
JD: We coach from the ground, huh?
Jenn: That's exactly how you coach.
Looking at the picture of Tony, to see that there's an incredible resemblance blows my mind.
JD: I hope I get a chance to meet my brother.
This is an incredible gift, and I'm grateful to be included in your family.
That means a lot to me.
[piano music] ♪ DeShae: I know that my parent is one of six people in the Love family.
I've been crossing their names off day by day.
Today I found out that Gary is my uncle, not my father.
So, do you know where I fit into the family?
- I, I do not know.
But what I do know is that unfortunately, there's members of this family that you're not gonna get to meet, 'cause they're not with us anymore.
There was my brother Rick.
DeShae: Rick is one of three possibilities that could be my parent.
Unfortunately, he is deceased.
- Everybody loved Rick.
DeShae: Yeah, I've heard his name.
Gary: Quite the character.
Too many stories to tell.
DeShae: Is Rick my father?
- I don't know.
I wish I did know.
I hope you find out.
I really hope you find out.
The possibility of DeShae being my brother Rick's is very high.
You know, he had children show up at his funeral that we didn't know were his children already, so there's a possibility that this could be another one of his children that we didn't know.
If you knew Rick, you knew that, you know, Rick had a heart as big as Texas.
- Rick sounds amazing, but I'm a little nervous, because if he is my father, I'll never get to meet him, but I would still like to know everything about him.
- The picture here, that's, that's Papa Zeb.
They both worked for Amtrak.
That said, I wanna give y'all something.
A little token of appreciation, and a memento.
Amtrak hats.
DeShae: Aw, that's awesome!
Chris: Just so happen to have somethin' for you too!
- Ohh!
DeShae: It was a really special moment.
♪ Dan: All four teams reflect back on their journey, reminded of how far they've come in only four days.
- The past couple days were filled with hurt, rejection, abandonment, all these things, but today, I was able to kinda take all of that in, and say, you know what, I'm done with this negativity.
I just wanna look at the good in anyone.
Michael: Man, this is awesome.
Nicole: Yes, I've never been on a trolley before.
Ray: So many years I've not been able to sleep at night, or I've had my moments, and now I can finally begin to start to feel that peace.
Angie: I wanted you to remember this moment forever, and so we have pictures for you two.
- Aww.
- Oh, wow.
Wow.
It's hard to describe how meeting a person that's supposed to be in your life that hasn't been in your life changes you.
- Each family member has given me different pictures of relatives at different times in their lives, so it's really neat to see them go through time and be able to kind of share in those memories.
Anitra: So this is the garden!
Anita: Yes.
Anitra: I love it.
All the cousins that I have met have been positive, have been happy, and I can feel a lot of negative feelings that I've carried along with me lifting, now that I know more about my identity, I know more about my DNA, I know more about who my family is.
Ray: So now, hearing these glowing things about my grandmother kinda made me feel good.
It's about the perspective I was looking.
For the first time, it was just like, the heavens had opened up and just kinda smiled on me.
JD: I felt at peace and more complete than I knew I could feel.
[laughing] [pensive music] ♪ Dan: As the day winds to a close, all four teams anxiously await the official results.
JD: Skipping our city selfie could have saved us, but I'm expecting a strike today.
DeShae: Today wasn't our best day, so I'm really just hopin' to avoid a strike.
[dramatic music] ♪ Dan: It's Day Four of Relative Race, and all four of you have overcome challenges, you have navigated to new relatives without any GPS, but I wanna start with Team Green.
You got to the challenge, and the challenge was challenging.
- It was not our best look, but we got through it, we finished it, and at that point, we were just ready to meet family.
- Exactly.
Well, I wanna talk to Paul and Anitra.
Since your phones don't have GPS, they do not have internet, you decided to do what?
- We made our own Siri.
So Paul decided to do the Siri directions as me.
Siri, how do we get to our next challenge?
- You will take a long drive to a green light.
If the light is red, you will turn left.
If it is green, you'll turn right.
Next, look for a barking dog.
If it's there, turn left.
If there is a man on the corner named Ron, you will find your destination.
- Okay, I especially liked the barking dog.
All right, guys, most importantly, who did you meet tonight?
Team Green.
- Tonight Dan, I actually got to meet my Uncle Gary!
This is my uncle!
Dan: Hey, Gary!
DeShae: So we did have a challenging day, but as soon as we pulled up to our relatives', it was like a switch flipped, and all of the stress just went away.
Dan: You know, DeShae, as you were talking, I can see Anitra especially just nodding her head.
Who did you meet tonight?
- I just keep meeting awesome, awesome cousins on my dad's side.
I mean, really, everyone in this family is an educator, or involved in the arts and music, and it just, it's mirroring me, so it's, it's incredible, man.
Dan: Raymond, who did you meet tonight?
- This is my first cousin Mike.
Dan: Mike!
- Today was probably the best that I've had in my entire adult life, and I'm truly grateful for it.
Because he's my first cousin, we share a grandmother.
For the first time I was able to not only get her name, but to see a picture of her.
Absolutely amazing.
Dan: Uh, I see JD shaking his head.
I gotta imagine that today was a very good day for you.
- This was an incredible day for me, Dan, thank you.
I'd like to introduce you all to my sister, Angie.
Dan: Your sister.
JD, when your sister said, "I'm your sister," what were you thinking?
Can you share that with us?
- I was feeling more complete than I know how to describe.
In an instant, I knew it was true, and I knew we belonged together.
- JD is always so giving, he's the first one to cry for someone else, so when I saw that he met his sister, and how it affected him, I was completely happy for him.
Dan: It's at times like this that I really wish we didn't have to hand out a strike.
But it is that time.
Team Red, Team Black, and Team Blue, you each have one strike.
Team Black, you had a really tough time once you got to the city.
Team Green, there were some challenges.
Who will pick up the game day benefit?
That benefit for tomorrow is a challenge benefit that should help you in advance of reaching your challenge location, and the team that will have that challenge benefit for tomorrow, finishing 20 minutes over their allotted time, Team Red.
Congratulations!
[clapping] Ray: I know that not only did we do our best and give our best effort, I felt like we performed the best.
Dan: Tomorrow, on your way to the challenge, there'll be a little extra something for ya.
It should help you with your challenge.
Finishing in second place, 23 minutes over their allotted time, only three minutes behind Team Red, you may not have Siri, but you make up a pretty good Siri and you finished in second place.
So now, Team Black, you have one strike.
Team Green, you're blemish-free.
Team Black, you were able to skip your city selfie.
Was that enough to save you?
I can tell you this: the difference between third place and finishing in fourth was only six minutes.
And so, finishing in 24 minutes over their allotted time, you are very fortunate that you were able to skip your city selfie, because that's what saved you.
You finished in third place.
Congratulations to Team Black.
Team Green, you finished 30 minutes over your allotted time, and you have picked up your first strike on Relative Race.
[dramatic music] ♪ DeShae: I knew we were getting a strike tonight, I just did.
I knew we were getting a strike, I was ready for it to be over with, I'm ready to stop talkin' about it.
Dan: Chris and DeShae, think about what you might be able to do a little better tomorrow, because the game and the race rolls on.
Goodnight, everybody, and good luck.
- Goodnight, you guys, love you!
- Love you guys!
They just shut their screen so fast.
- Yo, they shut their thing down so fast!
- Boy.
♪ - This is about meeting family.
I didn't know anybody from my biological family, nobody.
And I've met three cousins, four now with you, from my dad's side.
- Holy smokes, we avoided the strike!
- Yay!
- I'm so glad!
What a good, good, good day.
- Yes.
- Yes!
- Hey, that one you put through in our challenge was the difference, babe.
- Cousin!
- Boom!
[laughing] - You got it, brother!
Most def, man.
My mom, my grandma, my cousins all looked out for us today.
- Yes!
- Everybody.
- I can see similarities in our faces, and even like, our professions and personalities, and...
I wouldn't trade this for anything, so.
It's really cool, yeah.
Dan: The results of Day Four are in, with Team Red picking up their first win and Team Green picking up their first strike.
[piano music] ♪ Chris: It wasn't our best day.
Until we got here.
DeShae: It was a downward spiral all day, and I wanna move on, and I wanna get back to where I was when I first got out of the car and met my family, and I'm done with talking about the bad day.
That's it.
Gary: Amen.
Chris: I think that's a good idea.
- I met my sister today, that was pretty cool.
- I mean, just to hear those words, sister?
- First place feels good!
- All in all it was a good day.
- Yes.
- We're tired now.
- Yes.
DeShae: Feeling a little defeated today, but we are in a better mindset now than we were a couple hours ago.
- Truly beautiful, remarkable experience.
- To sleep we go.
- Yes.
Ray: To everybody out there, Team Red, thank you.
We love you.
♪
Support for PBS provided by:













