South Florida's Amazing Race

No car, no cellphone, no help from friends - and that's just the beginning.

It's Broward House's take on the amazing race. Unlike they do in CBS's Emmy-award-winning Amazing Race, contestants in this version will only race in three cities: Fort Lauderdale, Wilton Manors and Oakland Park. It all happens on April 21.

"If anybody's seen the television show, we're going to follow it more or less - only not worldwide," says Nikki Adams, Broward House's community liaison. "We're always looking for ideas for fundraisers that are outside the box - not just dinners.""

The tasks will be challenging, but "doable," according to Adams. Director of Marketing and Events, Terry DeCarlo, emphasized that contestants shouldn't expect a silver platter in this contest.

"This won't be simple - it won't be an easy day for them," he said about the contestants. "They're going to go into places they would never go into. Even to get to their locations, they have to solve a clue."

The event is DeCarlo's brainchild, who said that "I would look at and say - 'oh my god, that looks like fun, I want to do that.'"

Like other Broward House events, this one will raise funds for the HIV/AIDS community, which is how they landed the grand prize: A ride for two in the Goodyear Blimp, invaluable since it cannot be purchased regularly.

"Because we are a charity, [Goodyear was] open to our idea." Adams said, adding that the winner will also get two flight tickets from JetBlue to any domestic destination.

Adams said that events like these, other than providing a positive outlet for the community to interact and challenge itself, offer a way to fill in funding gaps at a time when "government spending has been cutting back and back."

It costs $25 for a team to sign up, and each team is expected to raise a minimum of $400. Broward House will help in that department, showing contestants how to start a donation site.

There's no deadline to sign up for the April contest, but there is a capacity limit of 50 teams, and it's fast approaching. As of press time, over 20 teams have signed up .

The kick-off party is on Feb. 24 at 6 p.m. at The Manor nightclub (during happy hour), where Broward House staff will be answering questions. They're also going to come equipped with a computer so people can sign up on the spot and (hopefully) make a sober decision.

To sign up now, go to www.browardhouse.org.