
Episode 7
Season 6 Episode 7 | 55mVideo has Closed Captions
DeShae and Raymond both finally get the tearful reunions they've been waiting for.
With immunity in hand, Team Blue plays a new game. Boxing gloves, goggles and crazy costumes help the teams act their way through a zany challenge on stage. Anitra meets a close connection to her father. DeShae finally solves the mystery of the family photograph. Jenn learns more about her great grandfather. Ray sees the person he's wondered about since childhood.
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Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback

Episode 7
Season 6 Episode 7 | 55mVideo has Closed Captions
With immunity in hand, Team Blue plays a new game. Boxing gloves, goggles and crazy costumes help the teams act their way through a zany challenge on stage. Anitra meets a close connection to her father. DeShae finally solves the mystery of the family photograph. Jenn learns more about her great grandfather. Ray sees the person he's wondered about since childhood.
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipDan: Previously on Relative Race-- Chris: A relative ticket?
Dan: The teams were given a golden ticket.
- If we are eliminated, we can meet our next relative.
- Oh.
Dan: Team Blue used their next day benefit.
- We have step-by-step directions.
- And sealed the win for immunity.
- Immunity is a gift.
- While Team Black picked up their second strike.
You are one strike away from having to use your golden ticket.
DeShae came closer to narrowing down who her parents are.
- I'm Debbie.
- Hi, Debbie.
- I'm DeShae's aunt.
Dan: Raymond received another photo of his brother, Lamont.
- That's the one person that I haven't met that I really, you know, anticipate meetin' and look forward to meetin'.
- And Anitra was given a chance to visit her mother's grave.
Dan: DNA tells us who we are and where we came from.
Following their own DNA, four teams are racing-- - It's on.
- Boom!
[grunting] Dan: To win $50,000-- - Let's get 'em!
- And to find their family.
[knocking] ♪ As the sun rises on the morning of Day Seven, Team Blue has immunity while Teams Red and Black both have two strikes.
- There's a lot on the line today.
We can't get another strike, because then we'll be out.
Raymond: We survived yesterday.
But today, we're gonna win.
Dan: A last place finish for either team today means they're headed home with no chance at $50,000.
In Davidson, North Carolina, Team Blue, Paul and Anitra, are saying their goodbyes to Anitra's aunt, Omega.
- To meet you and to meet your wonderful husband, it has been more than a delight.
You will be hearing from me often.
Anitra: Great!
We had an incredible day yesterday.
Meeting my auntie Omega and winning immunity.
I'm fired up!
I didn't think we would make it this far, so I'm ready to finish.
Dan: In Bedford, Texas, DeShae sits down with her Aunt Debbie to receive a special piece of her family history.
- Again, I can't tell you how great it is to meet you and see you.
And I have a gift for you that I want to share.
That's a little angel.
DeShae: That is so pretty.
Oh, wow.
- They call that heart the Heirloom Heart, which is a gift passed from one generation to the next.
- Yes.
- So I hope you like it.
- I love it.
- I hope it fits you.
- That is beautiful.
Thank you so much.
- You're so welcome, sweetie.
We're just so happy.
- Cherish this stuff forever.
I've been searchin' for six days, and findin' out that Debbie is my aunt, not my mom makes it really clear that I'm connected to the Love family on my father's side.
So that means that it's either Rick or Mike that's my dad.
Dan: In York, South Carolina, Raymond and Nicole are feeling the pressure of two strikes.
Raymond: Bein' one of two teams with two strikes is not ideal.
So all we can do is prepare the best we can to avoid comin' in last.
No matter which way we go, we're good.
We're mapped out, right?
Seventy-seven, eighty-five.
We got major highways which are 77 and 85.
- So we have all our possible routes mapped out, so we're feeling good about today.
Dan: In the mountains of Central Utah, JD and Jenn say goodbye to JD's great uncle and his cousins around the campfire.
JD: Thank you, guys, for taking time out of your life.
This was really special.
- Well, go Team Black.
Jenn: Thank you.
- I know you can do it.
- All of this new family is so eager to watch us succeed and cheer us on and show us love.
It's been a good morning.
JD: We're ready for Day Seven.
- Yeah.
Let's hit the road.
[intense music] Nicole: And then you did say there was traffic a little bit-- [text notification] Raymond: Oh.
- And I just cried laughing-- - Hey, got a text, text from Dan.
- Oh, oh, oh!
Jenn: Here's our text, you guys.
- Good morning teams and welcome to Day Seven of Relative Race.
Nicole: Team Red, you will be travelling to Burlington, North Carolina.
Paul: Blue Team will be travelling to-- Both: Winston-Salem, North Carolina!
- Team Black will be travelling to Logan, Utah, and Team Green will be travelling to-- Both: Mineola, Texas!
- Today's first place winner will receive-- - Five minutes of GPS!
- Your time starts now.
- All right, let's go.
- Let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go.
Thank you!
Jenn: We love you guys!
DeShae: We gotta go.
- Oh!
- We gotta go.
- It's been amazing.
- All right.
- That's worth it.
- We love you, can't wait to see you again.
Be safe!
Take care!
[groaning] JD: Thank you!
Love you guys!
- I love you!
- See you.
- Be careful, okay?
Dan: All of our teams are racing to find new family.
With no help from smartphones or GPS, they must find the city, complete a challenge, and find their relative's address.
The team that goes over their allotted time the most will receive a strike.
Three strikes and you're out.
JD: We're going to Logan and we know how to get there, that's not really the hard part.
Jenn: The hard part for me is we are going to be driving right past our own home.
On the road.
- We get off at the 30 on 80.
That's what we got on to the 30 from yesterday.
- Right.
So we're going back the way we came.
- Correct.
- Here we go, baby.
- Do you know what we're looking for?
- I know exactly what we're lookin' for.
Nicole: Do we know how long we gonna have to be on 77 before get to 85?
- Nope, but I can use predictive analysis.
- All right, baby, do it.
Do it!
Dan: Team Red, Raymond and Nicole, are departing York, South Carolina and are headed towards Burlington, North Carolina.
Their allotted time for the day is two hours and thirty-four minutes.
- I just feel in my gut this is gonna be a good day.
♪ - Can you see, I'm sorry.
- It's all right.
It's kind of important to see out the windshield and see the mirrors and all that kind of stuff.
- Nah, it's fine.
Dan: Team Green, Chris and DeShae, stay in the Lone Star State driving from Bedford to Mineola, Texas with an allotted time of two hours and twelve minutes.
- Look at the sign, I can't read that far away.
- Yes, 80 East to Terrell.
I was right!
- Good job, babe.
♪ Dan: Team Black, JD and Jenn, are traveling from their relative's campsite in the mountains west of American Fork, Utah, to Logan, Utah.
Their allotted time is three hours and fourty-four minutes.
- We've driven over 2,000 miles in 7 days.
And now, we're back home.
- JD, there's your old office.
- I can't believe how close we are to our old office.
- Like if we just go, if we go straight, we drive home.
Like, if we go straight right here-- - We drive home.
- We drive home.
Hi, kids.
- Hi, fam.
- I just gotta buck up.
- Buck up, little camper.
- Buck up.
Anitra: Really would be unfortunate if Black or Red got another strike today.
- Yeah.
- That's means they wouldn't be able to see all their relatives.
- Yeah.
But they got their ticket.
- Yeah, but-- - So they would see one more.
- Yeah, just one more.
- I guess somebody has to lose.
- Yeah.
Dan: Finishing in first yesterday means Team Blue, Paul and Anitra, have immunity today and will not receive a strike.
They're headed from Davidson, North Carolina to Winston-Salem with an allotted time of one hour and thirty-one minutes.
Anitra: Even though we have immunity today, five minutes of GPS, we can't pass that up.
So we're gonna go hard today.
- It's still anybody's game.
- It is.
Chris: The main thing that we're shootin' for today is that first place win.
- Every single turn we make has to be strategic.
- Yeah.
Raymond: For me, going back to Burlington means it could be one very significant person.
Or like five people.
Because everybody's there.
- That's like the motherland for you.
- Yup.
So I was born in D.C. to a single mother.
She kept me for about three weeks and then I was given up for adoption.
From what I understand, I had an older brother who was 18 months older than me, and they wanted to give him the best, so I was the fallout.
I had to be given up for adoption.
I can never get it in my mind and help myself understand how that happens, so that bothers me.
I'm still four years old, three years old, a baby, seven years old, I'm still that age trying to understand, where's my mom?
Or me being given away for adoption and a brother who was kept, that child lives in you all the time.
So every time I come in second, I'm adopted and put up for adoption again.
We goin' home!
Burlington.
Over the past six days my relatives have been telling me that my whole family is from Burlington, so I feel like I'm going to a home I never knew.
Dan: With their destination cities fast approaching, all of our teams begin searching for a city sign.
Jenn: 'Kay, we're getting close.
- Burlington City Limit, right there.
I'm home!
Oh, baby boy has returned home.
The prodigal son is here.
Anitra: All right, keep my eyes open.
- First Mineola sign we see.
[moaning nervously] Anitra: Winston-Salem State University is to the right.
- To the right, okay.
- Yeah.
DeShae: Tyler Mineola.
- Yup, that's where we're goin'.
- Winston-Salem State University, next left.
- We can take a picture right here, baby.
- Yup, we can!
- This picture right here.
- Okay, pull over.
- Right here, Logan High School.
Just find a place to park.
- Right there, Burlington Imaging Center.
[grunting] - Sit down, sit down.
- All right, get it out, frame it up!
- Right here.
Jenn: Okay, okay, right here.
- Hold your hand out.
Chris: And cheese!
Got it.
Oh, perfect.
Raymond: Perfect.
Nicole: Send it.
- Good.
- Beautiful!
Sending!
Hey!
Message sent.
- All right!
- All right.
[funky music] Anitra: Come on, Dan.
Paul: Let's go Dan.
Come on, Dan.
Come on, Dan.
Come on, come on.
[beeping] Oh!
Yes!
- All right, let's go!
- Let's go!
[groaning] Jenn: Are we gonna have to be real actors?
♪ - Where is it?
- It's at another theater.
- Ooookay.
- What the heck, two theater days in a row?
- Okay, awesome, pull in right here.
DeShae: Mineola Civic Center.
- Oh, in here.
- All right, let's see what we got here.
- Come on, come out of there.
Both: Animal Antics.
Dan: Day Seven's challenge is Animal Antics.
Using quirky props on a stage, teams take turn acting out animals with a specific trait or action.
For example, a crying buffalo.
One teammate acts and the other must correctly guess the animal and action within 60 seconds.
Ten correct guesses and you pass this challenge.
The allotted time for Animal Antics is ten minutes.
[majestic music] Jenn: This is cool.
JD: Here we go.
DeShae: As we run into the theater, we see this big wall of props, and I'm just excited.
Chris: I think I go first, yeah?
- Go ahead.
[posh growling] - Um, fancy lion?
Paul: Hm.
Goat, angry goat.
Sassy goat.
[disappointed growling] Raymond: Uh, screamin' lion.
[dignified roaring] - Um, a confident monkey?
[roaring continues] - It's not like charades, we can't just egg somebody on.
We have to stay in character the whole time.
Jenn: Pretty lion.
Um-- [laughing] [contented growling] Oh, man.
[growling] - Do something else!
Um-- [sassy growling] Turning your nose up.
Tiger.
Lion.
Lion!
DeShae: Snobby tiger.
We just kind of communicated in our own way and it really worked out well.
[snobby growling] Snobby lion.
- Yes!
- Screamin' lion.
[buzzer] - Snobby lion.
- Snobby lion.
- This might be harder than we think.
[laughing] [braying] Nicole: A kangaroo.
Boxin'.
Anitra: Fighting goat.
Angry goat.
Focused goat.
[braying and laughing] - Boxing donkey.
- Yes!
[rhythmic braying] - Boxing donkey.
- Yup.
Anitra: Uh, athletic donkey.
Boxing donkey.
Paul: Yes!
Nicole: Boxing, walkin'.
[buzzer] - Boxing donkey.
[sighing] Come on.
- Well, let's just say, the first few were a little rough.
Chris: Ugh, how do I get all these?
Ummmm-- Nicole: Yeah, I can be crazy.
I can act crazy.
But how does a dolphin act crazy.
Raymond: Aqua.
Swimmin'.
Fish.
Fish.
Snorkel.
[twisted chirping] [laughing] Chris: Uh-- Wah!
[laughing] - A happy hyena?
[blubbering] - Happy whale?
Clowning whale?
[squeaking] Paul: Dolphin!
[squeaking continues] Snorkeling dolphin.
Um, cold dolphin.
Um-- [laughs] - Uh, uh, oh dolphin.
[strained blubbering] Barking dolphin, barking dolphin, angry dolphin!
- Ahhh!
DeShae: A spastic dolphin.
- Come on, give me some more.
[trilling tongue] - Um-- We were kind of a wreck.
On many, many levels.
[nasally scream] - Screamin' dolphin!
Screamin' dolphin, yelling dolphin!
Angry dolphin.
Uh, bionic dolphin.
Dol-- - I didn't know if it was a whale, Free Willy-- Panicked dolphin.
Hatin' on dolphin.
[taunting sputtering] DeShae: Crazy dolphin.
- Yes!
[strange squeaking] - Crazy dolphin.
[ding] [calm trilling] - Man, whale-- [buzzer] - Crazy dolphin.
[cautious mooing] Anitra: Scared buffalo!
[snarling] - Vampire.
[distressed moaning] - Shy... dog.
[screams] Chris: A scared... a scared monkey.
A scared deer?
- No-- [snarling] [timid screaming] - Scary, ghost!
Ghost, scary!
[grunting approvingly] - Scared!
Scared-- cow!
- Yes!
[cautious mooing] Anitra: Scared cow!
- Yes!
[laughing] Chris: Neigh.
- [laughing] The prop Chris chose totally threw me.
Horse.
But you're-- Luckily I just blocked the prop out of my mind and was tryin' to focus on his face and what he was tryin' to tell me.
[creepy neighing] - Uh... a sexy horse.
A really confused pig-horse.
What is happening?
- The problem was it made sense in my head, and very rarely does my wife like to go in my head.
- That is so true.
[inviting neighing] - Uh, flirty horse!
[pained neighing] - Old horse.
[stinted neighing] - Dog.
[boistrous neighing] - Uh, sexy horse!
Jenn: Lethargic horse.
Slow horse.
[tired neighing] - Creepy horse?
Anitra: Yes!
Correct!
[buzzer] - Creepy horse.
- Yeah, that was creepy, all right.
- Well see, there you go.
It was creepy.
[buzzer] - Creepy horse.
- Oh my goodness.
Chris: Seriously?
Seriously.
Ummm, let's go... - Think about how my brain works.
- Please, if I knew that-- - You can do it.
You know how I think.
Most of the time.
[shivering noises] Paul: Cold... dolphin.
Cold fish.
Raymond: Cold water.
Cold ground.
- Sick dolphin.
Sneezing dolphin.
[weak whimpering] Paul: Cree-- Uh-- Shivering spider!
[squelching] [laughing] - It's literally gonna be the same thing back and forth.
Raymond: Crab, cold-- [buzzer] - A cold squid.
- A cold duck.
[buzzer] - Cold squid.
How do you do a squid?
[depressed moaning] Chris: Oh, so sad.
Nicole: Crying fish!
Emotional fish!
[lowing] - Dolphin.
Whale.
Nicole: Angry whale.
Angry whale, sad whale!
- Yes!
[melancholy groaning] Anitra: Sad whale.
- Yes.
JD: Oh, sad whale.
- Yes.
Chris: A sad whale?
DeShae: Yes!
- Yeah!
Both: Your relative lives at 509 County Road 2311.
Dan: Team Green is the first team heading off to find their relative while the others are still sounding off.
[wheezy trumpeting] Anitra: Drunken elephant!
[rhythmic grunting] Nicole: Singin', rappin'.
[synchopated blubbering] - Rapping dog.
Anitra: Uh, clown elephant.
Beatboxing elephant!
- Yes!
- Oh, we did it!
- Let's go!
- Rappin'-- beatboxin' elephant!
- Yes!
JD: DJ elephant.
Uh-- [buzzer] - Beatboxing elephant.
- Sure.
Both: 6000 Ashley Park Drive.
- All right, let's go.
- Laughing, laughing bat.
Laughing bird, laughing chicken.
Man, I don't know who came up with these things.
Laughing rooster.
Laughing ostrich-- - Yes!
Laughin' ostrich.
- Giddy ostrich, happy ostrich.
Talking ostrich, laughing ostrich.
- Laughing ostrich.
- 2116 N Ashland Drive.
- I think we went through almost the whole stack.
[carefree humming] JD: Dancing whale.
- We need to be here.
- We are trying to get to County Road 2311.
- Dancing dolphin.
[buzzer] - Dancing caterpillar.
Blind kangaroo.
Clumsy kangaroo.
JD: Blind kangaroo.
Jenn: Your relative lives at 2004 East Sheridan Road.
- I'm guessing we can get out up here too.
Dan: All four teams are back on the road and racing to find their relatives' address.
- Let's be aggressive people, go, go, go.
Geez, let's do this.
Anitra: Why don't we ask the gas station the best way to get to Kernersville?
DeShae: This lady knows exactly how to get to our relative's home.
Chris: You are the best.
- Like it could not have worked out any better.
Nicole: You wanna stay here or you wanna ask people in the parking lot?
- I'm gonna ask people in the parking lot.
- Okay.
JD: Wow.
Painful.
[car horn] - Let's go.
Chris: I mean, seriously?
DeShae: How do you like them apples?
- Hey!
Anitra: So we're lookin' for Main, right?
- Mmhm.
Jenn: Yes, finally.
Honestly, was he asleep?
Nicole: We got it!
We got it.
Dan: Safe with immunity, Paul attempts to sharpen Anitra's map skills for the days to come.
Paul: My intention was to purposefully get turned around to see if she could navigate us to the right point.
- We need to ask somebody, I'm not seein' it anywhere.
- This looks like East Mountain.
- Well make a left right here.
- No, I'm gonna make a right, because that would be us coming down this way.
- I think we need to make a left on East Mountain.
- If we make a left, then we're going back the way we just came.
Now it turns into West Mountain, remember?
You said that.
- Oh.
[laughing] - Twenty whole minutes driving around in a circle!
- What-- You didn't like that?
- Twenty whole minutes riding around in a circle!
Dan: As Team Blue finishes their navigation training, Team Black is honing in on their relative's address.
Jenn: What am I looking for?
- 1300 South.
We're doin' great, we're doin' great.
- So right here and then second right?
- Right here and second right.
- Here we are on Sheridan.
Twenty what?
- Just keep goin' 'til you see 20.
- It's 2000-- - It's right here.
- Aha, we made it.
Here we go again.
[car doors closing] - Hey!
- Hi!
- What's up?
- How are you?
- I'm Jenn.
- Hi Jenn!
- I'm JD.
- I'm Marjorie.
Hi JD, I'm Marjorie.
- I'm Brad.
Bradley Lowder.
Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you as well.
Are you our relative?
- We are third cousins all on your mother's side.
- Oh, wow!
I thought I knew everybody on my mom's side!
- I guess that makes us cousins!
- Hey cousin!
- Great to meet you!
[cross talking] - I thought I knew everyone on my mom's side, so that's a surprise!
- So nice to meet you!
So, Marjorie?
- My name is Marjorie Lowder, and this is my husband Brad.
And I'm Jenn's cousin on her mother's side.
- Well listen, we got some fun stuff in store for you, and Marjorie found a treasure trove of artifacts and photos about your common ancestors.
- That's awesome!
- This should be really fun.
So come on in, come on in.
- Thank you!
JD: Thank you.
- This is fun for us!
I really didn't plan on meeting anyone else on this journey.
I was very surprised to find out it was my relative today.
Anitra: I can't believe you!
If you hadn't taken us on that circle we would've been able to get everything on time!
Hold on.
This is Ashley Park.
[triumphant laughing] Ashley Park, my directions.
Ha-ha-ha!
6000 Ashley Park.
You owe me because we could've got first place!
♪ - Oh, wow.
- How y'all don'?
- Good, how you doin'?
- Good, my name is Paul Lewis, this is Anitra Lewis, my wife.
- Paul, I'm Shawan, this is my daughter, Erin.
- Hey, how are you doin'?
Nice to meet you.
- Hi!
- So whose relative are you?
- Well, I'm Anitra's relative.
- How are we related?
- Well, my father and your father are first cousins.
- Oh, really?
- Yeah.
- Oh!
Wow!
- My name is Shawan Gabriel and I'm Anitra's second cousin on her father's side.
I live in Kernersville, North Carolina, and I'm President CEO of Big Brothers, Big Sisters Services.
How's your day been?
Paul: It's been good.
Can't complain.
Can't complain.
Anitra: I'm really excited to get to know Shawan, and I can't wait to ask him more information about my dad.
- Y'all wanna come inside, it's a little warm.
Paul: Sure!
- Well come on in.
- Just go slow, 'cause that says 2311.
- There it is.
- Yes!
- What's the number?
Five oh-- - 509.
- 509.
- Yeah.
- Oh, there it is!
509!
509.
- Huzzah!
[car doors slam] - Come on down.
- Hi!
- Hello!
- I'm Chris.
- DeShae.
- I'm Donna.
- I'm Mike.
- Mike.
- Yup.
Both: Nice to meet you.
Chris: Who are you related to?
- Who am I related to.
- It's me.
- I'm related to her, we're built about the same, yeah.
Share the love, because I'm your dad.
Yup.
Alive and in the flesh.
[laughing] Inn't that cool?
Wow.
Hey, you're shorter than me.
DeShae: As much as you try to prepare for it, until you hear those-- "I'm your dad."
You just don't know how that's gonna hit you until you're in that moment, and it's a moment that I didn't know would ever be possible for 34 years.
And here we are today.
It's just absolutely crazy.
- That's Donna, she's my boss lady.
Chris: Wow.
Mike: She is a sweetheart.
To share that with her, it was almost scary because I didn't know.
I did not have a clue.
It was quite a blessing.
Wow.
[exhaling] Whew.
- Having met the rest of the Love family prior to meeting him really set the stage for the family [choking up] 'cause they're so amazing.
[exhaling] I always focused so much on my biological mother, but until you stand in front of someone who says, "I'm your father," and you see the emotion and you just see the love from the whole family just welcomin' me with open arms, I just can't describe it.
Mike: Oh man.
- This is awesome.
- Yeah, this is nice.
Wow.
You're not gonna believe all we got to do today.
[laughing] We're gonna have some fun.
- I'm excited.
- I guess you know I'm a little, wild kind of a guy.
- Now I know where I get it from.
- It's rainin', you guys come in!
Chris: Let's do all this stuff in the dry.
- Yeah, let's do it in the house.
♪ ♪ [car doors slam] Raymond: The second that I get out of the car, I know exactly who it is.
It's my man.
♪ ♪ - [sigh] I just don't know.
- Yeah, man.
Without a brother, never had no brother.
- I just don't know.
♪ - Been a long time.
[crying] - Man, I'm so happy to-- to finally, to finally meet you.
I'm Lamont Moore, I'm from Burlington, North Carolina and I am Ray's brother.
- Golly, I always knew or heard that you existed.
- I never knew.
Never.
I grew up the only child, I mean I didn't know.
- Me too.
- You grew up the only child?
- Yeah, I grew up by myself.
- We got a lot of catchin' up to do.
- Yeah, absolutely.
- [laughs] Oh boy, you just don't know.
You just don't know how this feels right here, oh.
Lamont: As soon as we looked at each other, it was like all right, I know what to do.
I just hold a hug and hold him and let him know that I'm there for him.
- It's your sister-in-law.
- I heard so much about you.
- Hi brother-in-law, so nice to meet you.
- I'm Lamont, as you probably already know.
- Right, you [indistinct] right.
- For somebody to want to meet you and to look up to you has just been amazing.
- Man, this has got to be one of the best days of my life.
- [laughing] Well.
- Aw, it's just, man, you just don't know.
[sniffle] Hold on one second.
Nicole: Come on, we got more family to meet.
- [sniffling] Hold on.
- This is a great thing.
- Just give me a sec, let me thank God.
[crying] I never cried so much in my life.
- Look man, you ain't gotta be strong.
- Man.
- I'll tell you right now.
Nicole: We got your back.
- You ain't gotta be strong, I'm-a hold you if you need it.
You ain't gotta be strong.
If you need somebody to lean on, I'm the man, I'm tellin' you, I'm your man.
Nicole: Even just him showin' that compassion for Raymond, huggin' him and makin' sure that he was okay, it's just like even if there was no DNA I'd know that that's his brother.
- Twenty years ago we wouldn't have received it like this.
- No, no, no, no, no, no.
- I was in a different place.
- I was, too.
I was angry, man.
- Yeah, I wanna take all the anger away.
I did this for you because I wanted you to be loved by me and everybody else.
Everybody did this for me so that you could be a part of us.
It is really happening.
You just don't know it's happening, but it is happening, it is happening, it is happening.
- This is something I dreamed about for so long, so long, and it's here.
And I gave my hug, I closed my eyes, man, and I just, I-- It was, it was the best feeling that I can remember having probably since my daughter was born or something.
Just amazing.
- Come on in.
- Thank you so much.
♪ ♪ Dan: In Winston-Salem, Anitra sits down to talk with her cousin, Shawan.
- I've had a lot of questions about my father's involvement in my birth and in my adoption, and even when my mother passed away.
I'm wondering where he was.
Do you have any stories about growin' up around my sister and my father?
- There's a lot of stories around sports 'cause that's just what I did and Mike was always around and tryin' to think he was a shooter but he wasn't.
- [laughs] - Michael Harvell, he was one of the guys in the neighborhood, he was the guy in the neighborhood who always supported me, made sure that I stayed on the narrow.
- Shawan's account of my dad is completely different than I would expect.
Apparently he's a nice guy who's really cool and inspiring and motivating.
I love hearing all these stories.
I mean, really, this whole journey has been about me finding family and putting faces with names from day one 'cause cousin Andrea gave me this really cool scroll and actually I'd love to show it to you, if you don't mind.
- Yeah, we'd like that.
- Yeah.
Shawan and his wife Keisha were shocked at how big the scroll was.
- [incredulously] Oh my gosh.
- Oh my gosh.
- [laughs] It's still going.
It's so big.
- Wow!
Keish look, that's us right there!
- [laughs] - My eyes went straight to it.
My eyes went straight to it.
Anitra: It's so neat to see it from like now when I know where we go.
Here is Michael Anthony Harvell and Andrea Elaine Graham, that's my mom!
- Yes.
- So I would be right there.
When I first started this journey, I didn't know where I fit on the list.
I didn't know, but I found out, and so I felt it only right to add my name.
Shawan: Wow.
- That's neat.
♪ ♪ Jenn: Okay, are you gonna teach me some stuff?
- [giggling excitedly] Yes.
- Good.
- Okay, your great-great- grandfather Charles Christian Nelson... - Okay.
- ...is this man and he is brothers with my great-grandfather, Andrew Clarence Nelson.
- Okay, perfect.
- And their parents obviously would be our first linked, connected, um, mutual ancestors.
[indistinct] Peter Neilson and Gretta.
- My cousin Marjorie showed me some really amazing photos of my great-great-grandfather.
And did you say his name was... - Charles.
- ...Charles.
- Charles Christian Nelson.
- Okay.
♪ DeShae: We came and sat in the backyard.
- [exhaling] Whew.
Wow.
- Crazy day?
- Rough day at the office, yeah.
Hey, you little cutie.
I can't get over it.
- Like lookin' in the mirror?
- Yeah, kinda sorta.
I didn't know I had a daughter, another daughter, 'til she got a, [choking up] she got a half sister.
- Wow.
- Yeah, you got a half sister that's 41... - 41.
- ...and she lives in Austin and you know, maybe we'll hook you up one of these days and-- - That's awesome.
It's just really neat to know that I have a half sister.
- How 'bout you guys?
I mean you know, you're- Yeah, we do have a son.
- [laughs] Congratulations to you!
Oh, no.
- And you, 'cause now you have a grandson.
- I know.
- We prepped him a little bit, he's three years old.
- Oh!
[laughing] To have a three-year-old grandson that I now get to share and, you know, there's a swing over here to do with and a boat out there.
You know, there's things for us to do and share now that we've discovered each other.
- I'm looking forward to being able to come back with Houston really soon and makin' up for some lost time.
- Wow.
Guess what, one more.
I got something for you to share.
DeShae: Oh goodness.
- But wait... - He says he has one more surprise for me.
Aww.
- Hello.
- Hi.
Mike: This is Grand Mary.
- Grand Mary!
- [laughs] - This is Grand Mary.
Honey, I have waited and waited to meet you.
- Me too.
- Oh, how wonderful.
[laughs] - Throughout this journey I've seen pictures of Grand Mary and I've heard stories about how amazing she is.
From what everyone tells me, she is the most loving, sweetest, kindest, um, woman that is out there and I've gotta say, it's all true.
- That's the glue to the family right there on this side for sure.
- Well, we've all been very happy about this all along, ever since we found out and I'm just so sorry we missed so much of your life, but um-- - We still have time to catch up.
[laughs] - And yes, we have.
[laughs] - And you guys may not know it, but she does a little writing as well.
- You do?
- Yes, I wri-- I write poetry.
- Ohh.
- And I have written a poem for you and it's about our joy in, in having you come into our family.
The title of my poem is "Wonders."
[reading poem] The wonders of God, they never cease.
And wonderful blessings often increase.
- The poem was beautiful.
It was more than I can imagine um, anyone has ever gotten as a welcome to a family.
- [continuing reading poem] So having shared this, here is what we want to say.
Welcome to our family, beautiful DeShae.
- [crying] ♪ - It was beautiful.
It was written for my wife, by somebody that didn't know my wife, didn't know how much I know she's beautiful, and it was just really touching.
- [laughs] - And so, I will-- I will always remember that.
Grand Mary: Well, I'm, I'm, I hope that you liked it and I was so pleased that I could write something that had meaning and would mean something to you.
- Chris and I have said from the beginning that you have to know where you are to know where you're going, and now I know where I came from and I've always known where I'm going thanks to, you know, the family that I grew up around.
Now I have two amazing families.
[kissing] [laughter] Dan: After meeting his brother, Raymond and Lamont take the opportunity to sit down and share stories about their past.
- Man, I always knew that I had a brother, like, 'cause I was always told that my whole life.
- Right.
- Had they not told me, I probably never would've known.
It was that tight.
Bein' honest and bein' real is everything to me and in that moment I felt like we could talk about anything.
- Your mom is so protective of me.
- Mm.
- So protective of me, she didn't allow me to do certain things.
She would never bring anybody around, she never got married, she never drove.
- I was gonna ask did she ever got married, never got married?
- Never got married.
- Hearing stories about my mom and how things were between her and Lamont, it really just answered so many questions that had been in my head for such a long time.
- I don't think that she could face tellin' her mom and dad that she had a second child.
I just don't think that she could've done that because she had so much respect for them that she would not do anything to hurt them.
So that's why I feel like she told, she had to give you up.
- Hearin' from Lamont and why my mom gave me up for adoption, that's the answers I've been searchin' for my whole life.
I really just wanted to know, why?
- We don't have the same dad.
- Yes.
- Did you know that?
- I always thought we did.
- We don't.
[sigh] So when I was tryin' to figure out, it's like man, we don't have the same dad and that's a problem 'cause I wanted us to have the same dad.
- Me too.
- I do feel like whoever your father is doesn't know.
- So as we're talking, Lamont tells me we don't have the same father and I always believed that we did and that he chose my brother over me, and when I hear that I'm like, man.
So all these years I'm holdin' on to the story that this guy threw me away and that's not the case.
- Hey guys, this is the original depot where I went to work.
- My dad wanted to show us the train station where he and my grandpa Zev worked.
[train horn blows] I really love to learn about all of the family's history because they have some really deep roots here in Mineola.
- This is the Zev Love memorial.
The building is actually the place where Papa Zev would go to work, Uncle Rick would go to work.
And we worked together a lot, so we have a whole lot of Love trains goin' around, workin' for the railroad.
- There's actually even a memorial waiting room for Papa Zev, and it's just amazing.
They have his picture hanging, his name is on the wall on the plaque, and they have on the other side in the museum an entire display of his uniform and things he did and articles.
It is truly legendary.
- I was real proud whenever the Amtrak corporation decided to name it, you know, in his honor.
- That's amazing.
♪ Raymond: So my brother Lamont tells me he wants to go for a ride, and when we pull up, I knew exactly where we were and why we were going there.
Man, I had a feeling he was gonna do something like this to me.
- But you gotta le-- gotta let me know, man.
- I thought I was prepared for it.
I told myself it was a possibility, but being there, it became something very real.
- This is it.
Nettie Lee Katrine Moore, in loving memory.
- This is just something else.
It's all I got, right here.
♪ Mommy, I know it can't be easy to give up a child.
Having a child of my own, I know it's not easy to give up a child.
You gave me the best life I could have, maybe better than what you thought you could do and that's okay.
I'm sorry for blaming you.
You did what I know you felt was right, 'cause bein' a parent is the hardest thing to do, even when it's making a selfless decision.
You gave me a chance.
Thank you.
You can rest easy now 'cause both of your kids here and we found each other, we here.
Just thank you.
In just seven days I realized a lot.
I realized that the anger and the bitterness and resentment that I had was more about me feelin' empty than what somebody did.
It was about me allowing that to fuel me to be angry all the time.
I never, ever, ever considered how someone else would feel.
I never considered how a mother would feel to have to give away a child and I didn't know that she did it in silence.
So in seven days, I've gained so much perspective.
I have no bitterness and no negative resentment.
All I wanna do is build, be more positive and gain more family.
[crying] - It was amazing and I was so glad to be there.
♪ - I appreciate it.
- Yeah.
Nicole: I think that their mom was probably in heaven just smiling.
♪ Dan: As Day Seven comes to a close, Teams Red and Black both know they have two strikes.
One more and either team will be headed home.
- I'm feelin' cautiously optimistic.
- It'll be okay, whatever it is.
I mean, it is what it is.
- It is what it is.
I just can't, I don't feel optimistic.
- You know, if we get a strike today and that means that all the teams get to move on and meet more family, then that's what this is about.
[mouse clicks] Dan: Welcome, teams.
We are rapidly coming to the close of Day Seven on Relative Race and all four teams are still in it.
Team Blue, today no pressure really as you earned immunity.
Team Green, let's start with you.
You guys crushed that challenge today.
- It was a lot of fun.
I mean, what other time can you do something like this and have it all recorded so you can remember how ridiculous you are?
So, it was a lot of fun and I think we did really good.
- And we had a blast, we laughed so hard I couldn't even hardly do the next one because I was just literally layin' on the floor laughing.
I mean, we had a blast.
- Well that is not the case for Team Black.
- [laughs] - Have you never played charades?
JD?
- It's a game, no.
We... Charades, no.
- I just wanna see Team Green's mantis.
What does a mantis look like?
Swimming camel?
- Swimming camel?
- To me, this is my favorite time of each and every day.
To be able to talk to you about who you met.
Who did you discover?
JD, Jenn, this has been this back and forth.
You think that this entire trek will be about JD, but sometimes there's a surprise on the other side of the door.
Was that the case today?
- It absolutely was the case today.
I got to meet a cousin on my mom's side, and this is her husband.
So this is Marjorie and Brad.
Dan: Hi Marjorie, hi Brad.
Good to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.
- You never know who you're gonna meet.
Anitra, this has mostly been a journey about you.
A journey of discovery for you.
Did you find more answers today?
- I did!
This is my cousin... Shawan.
- How are ya?
- Hey man, this has been great.
This has been a great experience.
- Look at that grin.
Anitra, you just-- Your grin gets as wide as the room.
- [laughs] - Team Red.
Raymond, was there someone on the other side of the door that was important on this path of discovery?
- For the first time today, [indistinct] day for me and for the first time ever for you all, meet my brother Lamont.
[astonished gasps] - Heyyy, all right.
[laughter and clapping] Dan: That is awesome!
What was that moment like for the two of you?
Can you, can you describe that moment?
- Well for me, it was amazing.
I'd never known that I had a brother but now that I have a brother, it's like I can't let him go.
It's almost like we hugged forever and we just wanted to be around each other.
We just wanted to share stories with each other, talk to each other, learn about each other.
It's gonna be a uniting that nobody can express.
I, it's amazing.
All I can say, this has been the most amazing day I've had in a long, long time.
- That is so amazing to hear.
It's these kinds of memories that we cherish as we follow each of your journeys.
- This experience has kept me up so many nights, so many three hour sleep nights, two hour sleep nights, no sleep nights wonderin', guessin', trying to figure out.
And now, this has been the best day that I've had in forever.
Thank you, thank you.
- We're so happy for you and we're so grateful that you would allow us to be a part of this.
Raymond, I think you're gonna love hearing DeShae's story.
DeShae, Raymond wasn't the only one that had uh, somebody very important today.
DeShae, tell us who was on the other side of that door for you.
- [exhales] Today I met my dad.
Mike, my dad.
♪ - Yeppers.
[crying] Thanks for enterin' the race and thanks for stayin' in that long and thanks for Relative Race puttin' all these families together.
We appreciate it.
- I also got to meet my grandmother, Grand Mary.
It's my grandmother.
- Hello.
I'm so happy to be a part of this, so thrilled to meet DeShae.
We, we didn't know we had a DeShae and when we found out, we were just all, all gung-ho and fired to go find her and meet her and we just thank everyone that had anything to do with helping us to meet DeShae and Chris.
- Well, it's fair to say that today has been a really good day.
Yet, it is that time once again.
It's time to find out if all four teams have somehow survived or if somebody's heading home.
Team Blue, you don't have to worry about a strike today.
You had immunity.
But I can tell you this, you finished 51 minutes over your allotted time and if you did not have immunity, you would've finished in last place.
Finishing in first place, and receiving tomorrow's game benefit, which is five minutes of GPS time and that could be incredibly helpful.
Finishing just 15 minutes over their allotted time...
Team Green.
- Yay!
- And so now, unfortunately, it means that either Team Red or Team Black, their journey in the race ends tonight.
I can tell you this-- Only four minutes separated the two of you.
One team finished 16 minutes over their allotted time.
The other team finished 20 minutes over their allotted time.
Finishing 16 minutes over their allotted time, and still a part of this race... is Team Red.
And that means Team Black, Jenn and JD, your race has ended.
You finished 20 minutes over your allotted time.
But you do have your relative ticket and I think it goes without saying that you probably wanna use that to continue on tomorrow and be able to discover one more relative.
- Absolutely.
- All right.
Then tomorrow you won't have the pressure of the clock, but you'll have all of the anticipation and ultimately, the joy of discovering another family member.
Unfortunately, tonight we say goodbye to Team Black.
So who will make it all the way to Day Ten?
Who will discover more family?
We'll find out tomorrow as Day Eight of Relative Race is right around the corner.
Goodnight and good luck on behalf of all of us, Team Black.
Thank you for letting us be a part of this journey.
- Love you guys.
We couldn't be happier for you.
- We love you, Jenn and JD.
- We're so excited.
- [exhales] Whew.
- Mm.
- That stuff is intense.
- Man, that's a lot.
That's a lot.
- Guess what, they get to keep goin'.
- I know.
- They get to find more relatives.
- If I were picking, I would pick Team Red to stay in over us.
We're here at the end and it's been brilliant and beautiful to meet cousins and my sister and to find out about my brother and to find out about my dad.
Meet some of Jenny's family.
It's been a remarkable blessing in our life.
Even watching the other teams meet their family and connect with their people has meant so much to me.
Jenn: We pray for their happiness and their success [choking up] as much as we pray for our own.
This race has absolutely changed our lives.
♪
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