J.R. Martinez's Atlanta | Plugged In - Yahoo! Screen

J. R. Martinez’s Atlanta: Get Plugged In!

In this episode of the online competition series “Plugged In,” actor, motivational speaker, and “Dancing with the Stars” winner J.R. Martinez takes viewers to his hometown of Atlanta, where he puts our six contestants to the test with new challenges of stamina, problem solving, and driving skills. The contestants, working in teams of two and using the all-new 2012 Ford Focus Electric, unravel J.R.’s clues about his favorite Atlanta locations and activities, which lead them on adventurous challenges, uniquely linked to J.R.’s personal life. The teams compete to earn “butterfly” points, with the ultimate goal of representing Atlanta in the finale and competing with winners in nine other cities for a chance to win the all-new Focus Electric.
J.R. Martinez is a former U.S. Army Soldier who, in 2003, suffered severe burns to more than 40 percent of his body after the Humvee he was in was attacked while he was deployed in Iraq. After returning home, J.R. was nervous about how friends and society would accept him and his physical appearance. Atlanta welcomed him back with open arms, and many of the locations in this week’s episode played a special role for J.R. in his process of integrating back into his hometown.
Our first challenge takes the contestants to Andretti Indoor Karting, which features over 50,000 square feet of straightaways and tight turns. Each team will test their driving skills on the go cart track, and the team with the best collective time will take home the most butterfly points.
For the second challenge, J.R. Martinez sends the participants on a scavenger hunt to visit some of his most beloved locations in the Atlanta area. The contestants must try to reach as many as possible during the allotted time, taking a picture in each location and uploading their photo to Flickr Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/groups/fordpluggedin/.
The first location is Piedmont Park, a beautiful local park in Midtown Atlanta where J.R. loves to walk his dog Romeo. Teams must first find Romeo, and then snap a photo with him. Fellini’s Pizza, another stop on the scavenger hunt, shares its name with the famous film director Federico Fellini. Our contestants must snap a picture of themselves eating a slice of pizza to get butterfly points. Whole World Theater is one of J.R.’s favorite comedy clubs. After his injury, humor was a big way for him to break the ice whenever he met new people. Teams must take a photo outside with the marquee in the background to earn this location’s points. The final landmark on the scavenger hunt is the Ballroom Dance Clubs of Atlanta . Located inside the historic King Plow Arts center, contestants must snap a photo taking a dip with the instructor.
The final challenge takes contestants back to Andretti Indoor Karting where they will test their fear of heights. Each team will have to walk a tightrope as quickly as they can on Atlanta’s only indoor high ropes course. The team with the fastest combined time wins the challenge and will move on to the finale for their chance to win a brand new Ford Focus Electric