Blend tool not working as it should

[aliceb36740390]

Help! 

I have work due TODAY ahhh!! I need to use the blend tool however it isnt working right. If I use warped text it doesn't follow straight down and if I use normal text it fills in some areas with black. I'm trying to create a 3D warped effect following Adobe's tutorial online. I have tried grouping it, ungrouping it, expanding it, not expanding it but it seems to be something systematic. 

Thanks in advance!

[Monika Gause]

What are we looking at?

Which effects exactly have been applied?

Please show how this looks in the layers panel or upload the AI file.

Also: the blend function will sometimes create these gaps. It's just not always working exactly.