7x03 - The Scavenger Vortex

Yesterday and today the cast and crew taped episode 3 of the new season! Due to the especially high number of scenes in the episode, taping was split into multiple days, as opposed to their usual one.

My friend Alexandra was there today, and she kindly wrote up this summary of what she saw them tape:

Here is my report on this weird taping. The episode is called The Scavenger Vortex. It has about 30 small scenes, that's why the taping has been split into two days. Yesterday they shot only two scenes. They shot more today but they went on taping after we left. The cast were all there yesterday, but today Mayim and Simon were missing.

[First they showed us the two scenes from yesterday.]

Cheesecake factory:

Everybody is here. Raj talks about the Mystery Dinners he always wants to organize but nobody seems to be on board. So he says he can organize a scavenger hunt. Howard says they used to have them every year at MIT. Leonard says they did the same at Princeton. Howard jokes about Princeton... and of course Sheldon jokes about both MIT and Princeton.

Guys apartment:

Everybody is here for the scavenger hunt. Sheldon has a whole backpack ready, including a bowling bowl because if the scavenger hunt brings them to a bowling alley, he wouldn't what to put his fingers into a rented bowl. Raj says that they will have to locate a coin. He explains the game and provides special effects like smoke, music (90's techno music, I can't remember which song but Amy is really into it... Penny is really not!).

Then they discuss teams. Someone says they can maybe do couples, but Leonard says they can draw names from a hat. Penny gets mad because Leonard doesn't want to team up with here. Amy comforts her. Penny asks Amy if she wants to be on her team and Amy brings back the hat idea!

[Then they shot live scenes. I'll write them in order of the story (they shot the end at the beginning of the taping).]

Penny's apartment:

Penny enters her apartment with a box and a walkie talkie. She tells Sheldon to close the door so they others won't hear them. He enters slowly, clearly not happy about his team. He asks her if she knows the probability of him picking her name, she says no. He says 'One in five. That's why I'm not happy'.

[the warm-up guy, Mark, told us that the teams where Penny and Sheldon, Leonard and Bernadette, Howard and Amy]

Penny's apartment:

Penny and Sheldon are still in her apartment. The first task is to complete a jigsaw puzzle. Penny starts quickly. Sheldon says she has to begin with the corners. She says she's already assembled a few pieces, he asks her to start again, from the corners.

Penny's apartment:

Later. Penny looks at the jigsaw puzzle, about half done, and says 'it's the comic book store, that's where we have to go'. But Sheldon wants to finish it because maybe in the middle of the image it says 'it is not at the comic book store, it is at the model train store' (or something like that).

Penny's apartment:

Later !

The jigsaw puzzle is almost complete. Penny bangs her head on her door saying 'it's the comic book store, it's the comic book store, it's the comic book store'. She is really angry at him. He finishes, looks at it for a long beat and says 'it the comic book store'. They run out.

[apparently there will be car scenes between those but they were not taped in front of us. Amy and Howard find out they are both fans of Neil Diamond. Leonard wants to quit because Penny is mad at him. Bernadette gets extremely competitive and tells Leonard that if he quits it will just confirm what Penny thinks of him: that he is a pussy. Leonard gets mad and is back in the game]

Geology lab:

[Penny and Sheldon get a clue from the comic book store which lead them to the geology lab. We did not see the scene at the comic book store].

Penny grabs an envelope and discover the new clue: 'do not leave any rock unturned'.

They start checking under rocks (which are placed on shelves).

Penny asks Sheldon how he got 'geology lab' from the clue. He goes into a long scientific explanation about atomic numbers (which I really can't remember!). Then she says something about how she doesn't understand but she can drink an entire beer under water. Sheldon says 'your parents must be so proud' (and on another take 'I have no doubt').

Then Penny looks at the door and says she got it. There is a poster of the Rolling Stones. She looks under it and find out the new clue: map coordinates. Sheldon looks at them for a second and says 'got it. Let's go'.

Laundry room:

Penny and Sheldon run into the laundry room. There are three bags on the washing machine. They are the first ones there. Sheldon looks into one bag and says 'it's dirty laundry, you do it'. She asks why and he replies that she is used to it, she spends all her life on dirty laundry.

Leonard and Bernadette walk in and grab a bag.

Penny says 'it's all pants' and Leonard says the exact same thing. Then she has another line which he repeats exactly (I can't remember, sorry). She says that he doesn't want to be in her team but he wants to copy her answer. Then Leonard confronts her about calling him names but he does not want to say the word in front of Sheldon. She does not understand what he is talking about. Then Bernadette says it was not true, she made that up to man him up. Leonard says he can be a man like Penny!

Sheldon finds a shirt in the middle of all the pants. Leonard finds a shirt too and says it's Sheldon's. Sheldon says no, it has a spot on it. Leonard and Bernadette quickly get it and run out. Penny needs more time but then realize it is Sheldon's spot! She asks Sheldon to come but he says he has to presoak the shirts first.

Stairway/guys apartment:

Leonard, Bernadette and Penny run in the stairway and fight to get in first. Penny is the first and they all fight on the couch: Leonard jumps on it, Bernadette pushes Penny out of the way. But no coin.

Raj enters, wearing a red silk jacket and sipping on a glass of brandy (I assume). Very stylish. They tell him there is no coin in Sheldon's spot. He says he knows and they should look in their pocket. Each of them find a coin in it. They look at him, they are really pissed off. He says everybody wins, he didn't want anyone to be sad, plus he didn't know who would end up with Penny. Penny gets closer to Raj him and says 'run'. And then 'run to India'.

Stairway:

Raj runs down the stairs as Sheldon goes up, with a coin in his hand and all happy saying 'I won!'.