The Amazing Race Info Blog

Big Brother 13 Features Jeff and Jordan from The Amazing Race and BB

2011-07-10T14:12:00.000-07:00

The 13th Season of CBS reality show Big Brother has started, and features some old friends who should be familiar to fans of The Amazing Race. Jeff and Jordan, the couple who originally appeared on and engineered a winning season on Big Brother, and then became contestants on The Amazing Race, are contestants on Big Brother, again!

Proving many rumors true, Big Brother 13 features a twist called Dynamic Duos. In addition to 8 new houseguests in the cast, the Big Brother producers brought back 3 popular ( loved or hated) couples/duos from previous seasons. Jeff and Jordan might be the most popular and well-liked couple in Big Brother history, and they were one of the duos brought back.

So while it may be the offseason for The Amazing race, fans of reality tv still have some exciting viewing options during this down time.

Racing Through China - and the U-Turns Don't Hurt, But the Dinosaurs Do!

2011-03-20T19:28:00.000-07:00

We begin this week’s episode with everyone still racing - and Kynt & Vyxsin are way, way behind all the teams after missing their flight out of Japan by getting lost on the way to the airport last week. They seemed to be making up some time, but when it goes wrong, it goes really wrong, and they’ve left their fanny pack with their money and passports on the gondola. They were getting pretty close to Zev & Justin after the Chinese Zodiac fiasco - but now what? Although a double-leg can be pretty exhausting, maybe, just maybe, they’ll be able to stay in it.

We see Zev & Justin on the Mat with Phil, who tells them they are still in the Race, and “as a matter of fact, you’re still racing.” They must take a train back to Kunming and then travel to Dounan Flower Market for their next clue. Kynt & Vyxsin get back to the gondolas and after riding back to the top, find that someone has turned in their fanny pack. Vyxsin says that sometimes “there are screws loose” in their brains.

Margie & Luke are at the train station at noon, and find out the next train leaves at 7:05 p.m. (So much for the lead!) Kynt & Vyxsin get to the Detour and choose to make the candy rather than trying to navigate through the streets (good idea). When they get to Phil, they are told that they’re still racing - BUT! They took the wrong flight and have incurred a 30-minute penalty, which they will wait out when they get to the next Pit Stop. (I swear, if they manage to stay in this Race with everything that’s gone wrong in this leg, they have somebody watching over them!) As they read their clue, we find out there’s a double U-Turn on this next leg.

As the teams wait around at the train station, Jet & Cord see a basketball hoop and since Flight Time & Big Easy have a basketball, they get a game going. Jet, Flight Time and Kisha will play against Cord, Big Easy and Jen. Cara & Jaime were performing cheers on the sideline, and there were a whole lot of locals watching. It looked like great fun, as we see Flight Time shoot a basket after he put the ball on the back of his neck! Kynt & Vyxsin show up and are immediately quizzed by the other teams. Kynt tells the teams their car broke down and they missed the flight in Japan. Mallory asks if they’re getting a penalty and Vyxsin tells her “we still don’t know what they’re going to do.” The teams all start talking among themselves that they should have received a penalty. Everyone is back together and leaving on the same train. The rooms in the train have bunks three high, and Zev & Justin are up on the highest one, saying that being up there gives them less chance of getting murdered. (Reading too many spy novels, guys!)

Once in Kunming, Ron & Christina tell their cabbie in Chinese to go fastest, and Zev & Justin are content to follow their cab. The flower market reminds me a bit of Eastern Market. Kisha & Jen get the clue first, which tells them to taxi to the Golden Horse & Jade Cock Memorial Arches to find the next clue. There are a lot of teams showing up at the flower market at once - the Cowboys, Globetrotters, Kynt & Vyxsin, Gary & Mallory, and Jaime & Cara. Each of them tells their cabbie to wait (I see a problem brewing). As they find the clue and get back to the cabs, the Globetrotters are the last team to find the clue and there is one less cab waiting - the Cowboys take off knowing they’ve taken someone’s cab, and it seems to be our basketball stars. They manage to find one after a little searching.

The clue at the Arches is a Detour. Honor the Past or Embrace the Future. For Honor the Past, they will watch a traditional Tibetan performance and count on their powers of memory. After the performance (and without taking notes) they will have to arrange dolls representing all the characters in the performance in the order they appeared on stage to get their next clue. Embrace the Future has the teams offloading a solar heating system, carrying it to the roof of a building and properly installing it to get their clue from the supervisor. Neither sounds easy!

Ron & Christina and Zev & Justin will Honor the Past, while Margie & Luke will Embrace the Future. Kisha & Jen will try the memory task. Jet & Cord and Gary & Mallory get to the Arches, and see a McDonald’s - thinking that the clue box will be by those “golden arches.” Flight Time & Big Easy will build the solar heating system. At the Tibetan performance, they must dress in costumes which include a headdress that is basically a graduation cap with a large circle on top and long fringe hanging off all around it. We see Margie & Luke get to the building and grab a large box to take to the roof - and they must use the stairs!!!! This is a really evil task to make them do after no Pit Stop, little sleep and little food. Evil, I tell you!

Jaime & Cara and Kynt & Vyxsin will try the solar panels, along with Jet & Cord. Gary & Mallory and Jen & Kisha go off to try their memories. At the performance, Zev & Justin get their first guess of dolls wrong, but go back to check and get the clue first, which tells them to go to the place in the photo they are given, which is the Chinese Minority Heritage Center. There is a double U-Turn waiting for them there. Kisha & Jen get their clue and join Zev & Justin in the street asking locals about the photo. Ron & Christina are wrong on their first try also but figure it out and see the other two teams still there. Zev asks if Christina knows what it is, and she says yes, telling the cab driver to go to the Yunnan Province Cultural Center. Might be the same place, might not.....

Margie & Luke finish their task as Cara & Jaime and Kynt & Vyxsin show up to start assembling. Jet & Cord get there too and begin lugging the equipment up the stairs as Kynt & Vyxsin squabble as they build. (Well, actually, it’s just Vyxsin trying to push Kynt around, yelling that he’s going too slow). Jaime & Cara are the next to finish.

Ron & Christina’s cab stops and the two teams following get out, racing around to try to find the clue box. Christina realizes that the cabbie took them to the Kunming Cultural Center and everyone gets back into their cabs to race to the correct spot, hoping that no other teams get there first. However, that’s not to be as Margie & Luke show up, grab their clue and tells us they will not U-Turn anyone. The clue says they have to find the Stone Forest, where their next clue is.

Jaime & Cara get to the Heritage Center next, but Jet & Cord find the clue box before they do. They also choose not to U-Turn anyone, and then tell Kynt & Vyxsin where the clue box is. They get to the clue box barely before Jaime & Cara, and decide to U-Turn the Globetrotters with urging from Jaime & Cara. Unfortunately for the Cheerleaders, Kynt decides to U-Turn them, apologizing as they run off, saying “sorry, guys, it’s the only way we’re gonna survive.” They remembered that on their last Race, they U-Turned a team that was already ahead of them, and Kynt knew 100% that the redheads were behind them. Jaime & Cara U-Turned the Globetrotters and took off to do the other task, hoping that they could sail through it and get on with the Race.

Zev & Justin, Ron & Christina, and Kisha & Jen catch up to Kynt & Vyxsin and Jet & Cord at the U-Turn, where Vyxsin says her cab driver knows where the Stone Forest is, so everyone will follow them. Gary & Mallory tag along in this caravan also. Jaime & Cara get to the theater as the Globetrotters find out they’ve been U-Turned and head to the theater also. The Cheerleaders manage to finish before they show up.

We see Jen & Kisha telling their cabbie to lose the other cabs, and Zev & Justin’s cab can’t keep up. They are aggravated that they didn’t stick with Ron & Christina. The Globetrotters make quick work of the dolls and take off, as we see Jaime & Cara’s cab having to stop for gas. Gary & Mallory are following Zev & Justin, who are not sure their cab is going the right way. Kisha & Jen get to the Stone Forest and their Roadblock clue asks “Who’s ready for a task 1000 years in the making?” This is a place where scientists found the largest amount of dinosaur relics in China. The team member doing the task must reconstruct a 20-foot dinosaur correctly to get their clue from the paleontologist. Kisha, Margie, and Christina will attempt the task. Kynt will do the task also, and Vyxsin hugs Kisha as they wait. Kisha asks why they U-Turned, and Vyxsin spills the beans that they have a 30-minute penalty to make up, telling Kisha that they didn’t want to lie, but just “fudged the truth a little bit.” Ron overhears and will tuck that away for future reference, saying that they are like Kibuki dancers, lying and hiding behind their masks.

Flight Time & Big Easy pass Jaime & Cara on the freeway, as we see Zev & Justin and Gary & Mallory stop and try to figure out where to go. Justin grabs a rock and shows his driver, then points to a tree, and the driver seems to get his meaning. Jet & Cord get to the dig site, and Jet will attempt this task also. Big Easy, and then Jaime will do it, and then Justin and Gary get to the site and will attempt it also. After looking at all the other teams there, and the task at hand, Gary & Mallory pull out the Express Pass and get their next clue. It allows them to skip the task and go to the next Pit Stop, which is Green Lake Park in Kunming.

Christina is told mid-build that her dinosaur is unstable. Kynt’s dinosaur is finished, but wrong. Jet is given the okay on his and off go the Cowboys. Flight Time asks Cara what the deal was with the U-Turn, and she says it started with Kynt & Vyxsin U-Turning them. Vyxsin then tells Flight Time that they had to make up for their 30-minute penalty, and Flight Time says “okay then, as long as you weren’t being mean.” He adds that he thinks the Redheads were being mean.

Jet & Cord manage to pass up Gary & Mallory, whose cab left. Margie & Luke get their clue after Margie’s successful build. At the park, Gary & Mallory arrive to see the Cowboys and it’s a mad dash to Phil at the Mat, which Jet & Cord win handily and get $5000 as their first-place prize.

Vyxsin is watching Kynt get another “no” on his build and sweating that they have to make it 30 minutes ahead of another team - and then Kynt’s stepladder collapses and sends him flying to the ground. All the others are having major problems assembling their dinosaurs as well, putting stuff in and taking it out. Jaime is exhausted and Kynt and Christina figure out what’s wrong with theirs. Kisha manages to finish hers correctly and gets the clue. Kynt then manages to get his correctly and off they go. In the parking lot, Kisha & Jen find out that their cab has left them and Kynt & Vyxsin leave ahead of them. Big Easy finishes his dinosaur and the Globetrotters take off celebrating - they got U-Turned and are still in the Race. Margie & Luke check in with Phil in third. Kynt & Vyxsin find out they’re the 4th team, but have to sit for 30 minutes before they can be checked in. They see Kisha & Jen get to the Mat, who are checked in 4th by Phil. Flight Time & Big Easy show up at the park as Kynt & Vyxsin’s penalty is up and Kynt & Vyxsin get 5th, with the Globetrotters 6th.

Christina finishes her dinosaur leaving Justin and Jaime as the last two at the Stone Forest. Justin gets a “no” from the paleontologist, and so does Jaime. Justin fixes his dinosaur and gets their clue, as Jaime realizes the wrong piece will make her take apart most of her dinosaur and is thinking she doesn’t have the strength to do it. Cara is thinking that their time on the Race is done.

Ron & Christina beat Zev & Justin to the Mat by a step, getting them 7th and 8th respectively. Back at the Stone Forest, Jaime is getting the dinosaur reconstructed with sore shoulders and total exhaustion, not willing to quit. They end up at the Mat where Phil tells them they’ve been eliminated. Sorry, Chris, and I’m not happy about it either!

Next week the teams are in Calcutta, India - which Zev calls “Cal-Crazy.” Tune in for our next elimination (or not)!

1 - Jet & Cord
2 - Gary & Mallory
3 - Margie & Luke
4 - Kisha & Jen
5 - Kynt & Vyxsin
6 - Flight Time & Big Easy
7 - Ron & Christina
8 - Zev & Justin
9 - Jaime & Cara - eliminated

A Race Through Japan Leaves the Father-Son Team Out in the Cold (Mud)

2011-03-06T19:35:00.000-08:00

Our teams ended the last leg in the Australian Outback in the mining town of Broken Hill. Not much of a Pit Stop, because they immediately board a train for an overnight trip to Sydney. The teams will leave the station as they would the Pit Stop, with first-place Zev & Justin finding out they are to fly to Tokyo, Japan. They must then find a parking garage with a clue box. Justin remembers his last Amazing Race trip to Japan, having to eat a Wasabi roll. The Globetrotters and Cowboys are on the next train, although Jen & Kisha should have made that train too (tsk, tsk, can’t lollygag around, ladies!) Margie & Luke decide to go to a travel agency at the train station, and Mel & Mike join them. Mel says that every hour he gets to stay in one place makes him stronger. “I’m old, but we can make it.” Kynt is wearing a cowboy hat today, to show that Jet & Cord “aren’t the only ones that can rock a cowboy hat.” They’ll be checking Travelocity (how nice to mention one of the sponsors!) Jaime & Cara hit the travel agency, and Gary & Mallory take off for the airport. Ron & Christina are excited to be going to Tokyo, with Christina telling us that she’s engaged to Azaria, who she met on Season 12 (he raced with his sister and they placed 6th). In the taxi, Zev & Justin discuss that the Globetrotters and Cowboys are right behind them, and Zev says they need “a cool name. We’re the special kids.”

Mel & Mike find a flight that lands 15 minutes earlier than the one Margie & Luke are looking at, but it stops in Hong Kong. The teams will have 3 hours to make the connection in Hong Kong. At the airport, Flight Time & Big Easy catch up with Zev & Justin at a free internet kiosk and find out the same thing. Mel is a little apprehensive about booking the flight through Hong Kong, as is Justin, who says “what’s 15 minutes in the grand scheme of things?” Jet & Cord grab the direct flight, as do Jen & Kisha. It seems none of the teams are willing to take the flight that stops in Hong Kong - until we see Kynt & Vyxsin and Jaime & Cara doing exactly that. After some debate at the travel agency, Margie & Luke and Mel & Mike decide to try it as well, with Mel saying he’s thinking it’s a bad idea. The “Special Kids” and Globetrotters check with a travel agent to research the earlier-landing flight a little more, and find out there are only two seats left on it. Big Easy tells them to take it, because “we owe you one, remember?” Justin is still not sure it’s the best idea.

Landing in Hong Kong, the pilot announces that there will be a delay because there’s a problem with the engine that needs fixing. (I thought they were going to change planes - obviously not). They have a 3-hour window, so hopefully that’s enough time....

The straight-through flight lands first (so much for 15 minutes!) The clue at the parking garage tells them to drive themselves to Kamakura, locate the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, and go to the Yabusame Dojo for the next clue. The cars in the garage are on some kind of conveyor belts and they press a button to get their car to their level. Big Easy & Flight Time press their button for their car, and Jen & Kisha press theirs right after, and it ended up that the conveyor stopped at the girls’ car first. It’s a pretty small car, and Big Easy is scrunched in the driver’s seat. We find out the “first” flight landed an hour and a half after the one that landed at 6:15 a.m.

Kisha & Jen, Gary & Mallory and the Globetrotters are driving and have to stop because everyone is lost. Despite his snarky attitude and slow driving, Ron & Christina get to the Shrine - and the clue box - first. The clue is a Roadblock. The team member will have to find out if they are truly “arrow-dynamic.” They must dress as Samurai and learn to perform a Yabusame ritual and techniques for shooting an arrow from atop a wooden horse. They will learn the ritual (which looks like a karate kata, or form) and then will sit on a wooden horse and have to shoot arrows at a target as they are being spun in a circle. They get a clue once they hit a target.

Ron is going to attempt the task, but he’s already complaining that “I don’t have great eyesight. My daughter has better eyesight.” Gary will also attempt the task of doing a thousand-year-old ritual, because “I was born a thousand years ago.” Flight Time and Jen will try it as well.

The other 5 teams are driving through town and seem to be lost, too, and pull over to discuss their location and route. Back at the Dojo, Ron is having major problems with his form, saying the judges were being too strict, and none of the other folks are getting it either. Jen mentions that they are very “detail-oriented.” Zev & Justin show up and Justin will attempt the task.

Jen tells us she’s into detail also, and not only performs the form correctly, but hits her target on the first arrow. Their next clue tells the sisters to drive to Minami-Ashigara and look for the Diutsan Railway Station and locate the Kintaro Statue (a child riding on a bear) for their next clue. Justin and then Gary get through the task next and take off, and we see Kynt & Vyxsin, Mel & Mike and Margie & Luke arrive at the Dojo. Kynt, Luke and Mike will do the task. Kynt loves the Samurai outfit. Ron finally manages to get his form right and sounds like a wounded loon as he shoots his arrow and hits the target. Jet & Cord finally find the Shrine and Jet volunteers to try this task (especially after how wonderfully Cord did the last one). We see Jaime & Cara driving through town and Cara tells driver Jaime to move over a little, she seems to be hugging the left side of the road a bit too much. Next thing we know, their car smacks into something which turns out to be someone’s mirror. They offer to pay for the mirror (which only has a little chip out of the bottom and no mirrow) but the man wants to call the police - plus, the language barrier doesn’t help any either. The police show up and there’s no mention that anyone got a ticket, and after a “long time” Jaime & Cara finally get back on the road.

Zev & Justin and Gary & Mallory find the railway station (and it looks to be by accident) and get to the clue, which is a Detour. Phil tells us that the Japanese have many traditional rituals, with some having religious significance and others are “just for fun.” The two choices are Prayer of Purity or Frog of Life. For Purity, they will take part in a Shinto religious cleansing ritual by putting on proper clothing (which looks like a karate gi, or uniform) and learn not only the verbal prayer, but the physical part of it too. They will then have to stand underneath a waterfall that comes from the melting snow of Mt. Fuji - in 45-degree water - for one minute. In Frog, teams will have to strip down and go into a huge mud pit and search for a frog (not a real one) as onlookers pelt them with mud.

Zev & Justin and Gary & Mallory are off to the mud pits, while the Globetrotters and Ron & Christina will attempt the Prayer of Purity. Kisha & Jen finally get there and decide to search for the frog also. Jaime & Cara make it to the Shrine and Cara will attempt the Yabusame ritual and apologizes to the woman dressing her, saying “sorry if I smell.” Luke and Cord finish their task, and Kynt and Mike finish shortly after.

At the mud pit, Zev & Justin and Gary & Mallory hit the tents to change into their outfits. They’re laughing about wearing their underwear “with a diaper and a headband.” Zev says they look like “very skinny sumo wrestlers.” (I just love Zev. He’s got a quick wit and funny self-effacing humor. The autism he’s stuck with is obviously liveable...) Zev says “let’s find this frog and then eat its legs for good luck.” It does look like fun slopping around in the mud!

At the Shinto ceremony, the Globetrotters seem to get the wording right (I guess, none of them are making a whole lot of sense to me) and are allowed to attempt the physical part. They have to do what looks like another type of form with a bo, which is a stick about 6 feet long and maybe an inch or two in diameter, and kiai (yell) while doing it. (I studied martial arts for 8 years and the kiai is the best part. It’s called “spirit-letting” and is a great way to release frustration and get you moving again). Ron asks Christina if she has their backpack, meaning there will be something about that later.....

Zev & Justin find the frog and Justin does a muddy chest bump on the nice, clean Grand Master after they get their clue. (If I’m the Grand Master Justin is lucky to leave without broken legs!) The clue tells them to drive to Kurihama and find the landmark commemorating the landing of Commander Matthew Perry, which is the Pit Stop. Gary finds the frog and gets their clue from the now cleaned up Grand Master. As Mallory races off, she tells the locals “you’re gonna see a couple of redheads in these outfits and they’re gonna look good, don’t worry.” Zev & Justin spray each other off with hoses, and Justin didn’t want to take the time to put on pants. Zev tells us in an interview “he was wearing underwear. I’m not wearing any underwear.” Justin asks him “now?” Zev says “yeah.” Justin: “that’s hot.” (Okay, best buddies or ... what?) Kisha & Jen run out complaining that it’s freezing, and Jen tells us “it’s 30 degrees outside and I’m wearing a diaper.” Crawling through the mud, Kisha remarks “I guess I’ll remember to keep my mouth shut.”

Mel & Mike and Kynt & Vyxsin will try the Frog as well, and Jaime finally manages to shoot her arrow. Flight Time & Big Easy are in the cold water finishing their ritual, and as they try and leave the water, Big Easy falls down, and starts yelling “I want my mama! I want my mama now!” As they leave, they grab their “backpack,” which looks like Ron & Christina’s fanny pack. (Better that than losing it I suppose). Ron & Christina finish with the waterfall and go to get the fanny pack, and finding it gone, start asking the locals if they’d seen it. As Flight Time & Big Easy take off in the car, they talk about leaving the fanny pack inside the changing room, saying “that would not have been great if we’d have grabbed the wrong bag.” (I hope Ron & Christina find it - I’m not fond of Ron, but I’d hate for them to go out because of this). Ron asks if the Globetrotters took it by accident and wants to know why they would make such a stupid mistake.

Back at the mud pit, Kisha is telling us that “I’ve got dirt in places dirt shouldn’t be right now.” She finds the frog and hugs the Grand Master (I’m wondering if this guy is sorry he signed up for this now!) At the changing huts, Ron finds the fanny pack in the room.

Justin & Zev stop for directions and Justin still has no pants on. He says that he’s never talked to strangers in his underwear before. Jet & Cord fly into the mud pit thinking they’re looking for a real frog and want to spot it jumping and were bummed they weren’t live frogs.

Zev & Justin make it to Phil at the Mat in first place and win a trip to Costa Rica. The interview after has them telling us “we’re in it to win it this time” as Justin puts his arm around Zev and Zev says “don’t touch me.”

At the mud pit, Vyxsin finds the frog and Kynt gives the Grand Master “a big muddy hug.” (That poor guy!) As they leave Kynt mentions that his makeup still held up (sounds like a good opportunity for a commercial for whatever makeup he uses). Margie finds the frog as Gary & Mallory get to the Mat in second place, followed by Flight Time & Big Easy.

Jaime & Cara are racing to the mud pit where Mel & Mike are still looking for the frog and freezing. Mike wants to quit but Mel is pushing on. Ron & Christina get to the Mat in fourth and she tells Phil that the Globetrotters took their fanny pack, and had they taken it by mistake they should have returned it to the original spot, because it caused them a big delay. Phil tells them because the Globetrotters took their fanny pack, he would give them a 30-minute penalty and Ron & Christina were now in third place. Kisha & Jen then end up in fourth place, moving the Globetrotters to fifth. Jet & Cord get sixth.

At the mud pit, Mike is shaking and Mel is still going at it, and they end up in a medical van to warm up. Jamie & Cara show up and start sloshing around in the mud. Kynt & Vyxsin make it to the Mat (Kynt says “I’m still freezing”) and Margie & Luke are happy to find out they’re in eighth place. Jaime & Cara find their frog as Mel & Mike sit in the van, and Mike is till shaking uncontrollably. Jaime & Cara are sure they’re in last place, getting to the Mat and announcing for Phil that “you are the last team to arrive and you have been eliminated.” He tells them they are incorrect and in ninth place.

Mel & Mike make it to the mat and are eliminated, and Mike tells Phil he loved the experience of being able to run the Race twice. Mel says it’s brought them closer together and that’s the best part.

So here’s our order of finish:

1 - Zev & Justin
2 - Gary & Mallory
3 - Ron & Christina
4 - Kisha & Jen
5 - Flight Time & Big Easy
6 - Jet & Cord
7 - Kynt & Vyxsin
8 - Margie & Luke
9 - Jaime & Cara
10 - Mel & Mike (eliminated)

So what will the Globetrotters’ reaction be when they find out about their penalty? Previews tell us that next week “Ron comes unglued.” That was just a matter of time

A Romp Through Australia With a Bunch of Strange-Looking Kangaroos!

2011-02-27T18:55:00.000-08:00

The teams are still racing - well, ten of them are. Our Cowboys Jet & Cord are still at the flags trying to decipher the phrase for the Commodore. This should make Amanda & Kris feel better about their double U-Turn, at least!

The clue that everyone received from Phil at the Mat on Shelly Beach tells teams to make their way back to Sydney and get To Sail to Stop - which is an anchor next to City Town Hall. The first six teams to get there will be signed up for two charter flights that will take them to Broken Hill, a mining town.

We see some teams take a cab back to Sydney, and some go back to the ferry. Jet & Cord finally get the phrase and take off to sail the 16-foot skiff. Amanda & Kris and Gary & Mallory get to Sydney, except they have no idea where they’re going. Kisha & Jen are taken to the Maritime Museum, but go to the information center and ask to use the computer. Zev & Justin show up and Zev tells us that “we started Googling” and Justin deadpanned “that sounds dirty.” They find out it has to do with an anchor and Town Hall so they all decide to walk over. We see Mel & Mike on the beach, and Mel is telling Mike “I’m not gonna make it” - already! Mel's legs seem to go out and Mike is worried about his dad. Kynt & Vixsyn jump on the ferry right after Mike & Mel, and Mel is looking pretty shaky. Mike is crying that “I don’t want to kill you.” (Good, good.) Mel tells Mike that it will be his own decision on how far he’s going to go.

Back in the water, Jet & Cord are showing us that riding horses and riding skiffs are two different things as they both fall off the side. On the ferry, Margie & Luke borrow a woman’s computer and find out they need to go to Town Hall and tell Jaime & Cara. Kisha & Jen and Zev & Justin get to Town Hall and are elated to find out they are the first teams there. The teams jump off the ferry and between asking locals and checking computers, they find out they need to go to Town Hall also. Ron & Christina run into Gary & Mallory as do Amanda & Kris, and they end up asking locals about where they’re going. Jaime & Cara and Margie & Luke find the anchor, and Mel & Mike and Kynt & Vixsyn end up joining them as the six teams that will get the first flight out of town.

Jet & Cord show up at the Mat, finally, and Phil tells them the bad news, that they are the last team to arrive. He then pulls out the clue and tells them to go redeem themselves, because they’re still racing.

Oh, my gravy - our Cowboys are asking everyone about To Sail To Stop and no one knows enough to tell them. It’s getting dark, the first flight is leaving the airport, and Jet & Cord are still wandering around town. They find a cabbie who knows where to go and see there are other teams on the flight with them - now to find out if they’ve made the flight! At the airport, Kisha sees Mel and asks him how he feels, and ever the gentleman, Mel says “I feel all right. Seeing you makes it twice as better.” Jet & Cord manage to make the second flight and have caught up.

The first six teams land and their clues are on their cars. They must drive to the Living Desert and search for the clue box. Jaime & Cara are going to stop and ask for directions with Margie & Luke with Kynt & Vixsyn. Mike & Mel are following Kisha & Jen, and Mel is in the back seat saying that “a kangaroo can go faster than you Kisha.” Zev & Justin find the clue box and it’s a Detour, where teams can choose between two Aboriginal customs: Spirit World or Natural World. For Spirit World, teams use natural materials to create an Aboriginal mosaic that matches the sample, and then perform a dance on top of it for their next clue. For Natural World, they must recreate territory markers using a natural paint made with clay and water. They must pour the paint into their mouths and spary it out onto stencils to create the markers. Once they’ve done it correctly, they get their next clue.

Zev & Justin will do Spirit World, because Zev tells us that Justin is very artistic, to which Justin adds, “and autistic.” (heehee!) All the other teams are doing Spirit World as well - I guess no one wants to suck clay water (not that I blame them). Mallory ends up grabbing the materials in her shirt as other teams follow suit. Kisha & Jen get a “no” for their mosaic while Kynt & Vixsyn are approved to go dance. Kynt runs around saying they need children to dance with, sounding like a pedophile - “we need children!” Zev & Justin and Margie & Luke just jump on their mosaics and start dancing (badly, I might add). I guess they have the right idea, though, because Kynt & Vixsyn get a “no” and Zev & Justin get their next clue. They must drive back to Broken Hill and find the home of the Magpies - a stadium, Central Football Club, where the next clue box is.

After they see teams running off, they finally realize that they have to dance on top of the mosaic and get their clue. Ron is being a butthead again micromanaging Christina’s completion of the artwork. She tells him to speak in Chinese so the other teams don’t hear them and copy what they do. No worries about that, mate - the Globetrotters, Cowboys, Jaime & Cara and Gary & Mallory all take off ahead of them. Ron & Christina don’t get an okay, and Amanda & Kris take off to do the other Detour. It’s funny to watch Amanda trying to spray the paint, and Kris takes over and does a pretty good job. They’re using reddish paint and when they’re done, it looks like they’re bleeding from the mouth. They finish just as Ron & Christina finish grabbing all their stuff and taking off also.

Zev & Justin get to the stadium and the clue tells them “time for a ‘roo’d’ awakening.” Phil says this task will challenge their knowledge of high school chemistry (in which case I’d be dead meat!) They will have to do it dressed as kangaroos! All they will have is a paper with the periodic table of elements written on it. They will have to bounce through the mining town, looking for the streets named for the elements in the table - but the street names are the names, and the table has the abbreviations. There are only two streets that cross each other, Mercury and Bismuth, and they’re highlighted on the paper. When they get to that intersection, they’ll see the next clue box.

The kangaroo costumes have little bouncy things on their shoes and Margie has problems staying upright. She and Luke tag along with Zev & Justin as Jaime & Cara drive up, laughing that the teams are dressed as kangaroos. The two teams find a local with a handheld computer and she looks up the abbreviations and directs them to the streets. As they bounce through town, locals watch and laugh. Back in the locker rooms, Kisha & Jen go to the men’s locker room and are shooed out to the women’s, with Mel remarking “they’re always trying to get in the locker room.” Jaime tells us with a seductive grin that the kangaroo costume is “a far cry from a little green bunny suit.” Kynt & Vixsyn join up with Jaime & Cara, and Kynt knows the names of the streets they’re looking for. He tells us he got an “A” in Chemistry and it’s nice to know it finally paid off. One of the girls tells him “Brains and beauty! Go Kynt!” Mel is running ahead with the bouncy feet and decides that he wants them for the rest of the Race. As they bounce down the street with three or four other teams, we see an Animal Control truck parked!

Margie & Luke and Zev & Justin find Mercury Street, and Margie ends up dropping a part of her costume on the street. Luke tells her to “just go” and something tells me this is not a good idea. Would have taken her 2 seconds to pick it up! I guess she didn't know that she dropped it until later on, and she tells Luke that they have to go back to get it (smart lady) as Zev & Justin get to the clue box. It tells them to go to the next Pit Stop (in their kangaroo suits), which is Junction Mine, a former silver mine built in the 1800s. They are allowed to put their shoes on and as they get in the car, Zev slams his tail in the door and yells “ow!”

Mel finds the costume part and picks it up as Margie & Luke get back to the spot. Margie gives Mel a big hug in thanks. Zev & Justin get to the Mat where Phil tells them “I’ll give you the bad news - you look ridiculous.” The miner Phil is with tells Zev he’s the female (with the baby roo sticking out of his pouch). Justin says he’ll be the female as long they’re still in the Race.

Flight Time & Big Easy are second to the Mat and Phil asks the miner if he’s ever seen a kangaroo that big before. (I guess Phil is gonna have a field day with these costumes!)

Ron & Christina and Gary & Mallory are talking about teaming up, but Gary & Mallory take off in the direction that the other teams did, with anal Ron saying they need to get their bearings first and wondering why Mallory is just running off. Take a chill pill, dude!

Jet & Cord get to the mine just as Kisha & Jen do, and beat them in a foot race for third place.

Ron & Christina and Gary & Mallory figure out the streets they’re looking for, but aren’t doing a great job of finding them. Amanda & Kris get to the clue box right after they do, and Ron again complains that Mallory is “just impulsive.” At least she’s moving, buddy!

Margie & Luke get to the Mat fifth, and Mel & Mike are sixth. Mike tells us his Dad is his hero. Kynt & Vixsyn are seventh, Jaime & Cara follow and Phil tells them they’re the best looking things to hop into town. Gary & Mallory prove that impulsive isn’t a bad thing as they check in next. It looks like a foot race at the mine as Ron & Christina and Amanda & Kris pull up, but Ron & Christina make it to the Mat in tenth place. That leaves Amanda & Chris to get eliminated, and Kris is really bummed about it. They still love the opportunity and “would do it again.”

The previews for next week are interesting - “the teams are steeped in Japanese tradition” which includes flinging mud in their underwear. And it looks like Jaime & Cara end up hitting someone or something as they drive along. Hmmmm!

So have Jet & Cord redeemed themselves from that horrible start? The teams seem to be pretty cooperative with each other, how long will that keep up? You know someone’s gonna get cutthroat sooner or later!

1 - Zev & Justin
2 - Flight Time & Big Easy
3 - Jet & Cord
4 - Kisha & Jen
5 - Margie & Luke
6 - Mel & Mike
7 - Kynt & Vixsyn
8 - Jaime & Cara
9 - Gary & Mallory
10 - Ron & Christina
11 - Amanda & Kris (eliminated)

"Unfinished Business" - Let the Race Begin!

2011-02-20T18:28:00.000-08:00

11 of our favorite non-winning teams from seasons past (actually, seasons 12, 14, 16 and 17) are back this season for some "unfinished business." Kynt & Vixsyn and Ronald & Christina from season 12, Jaime & Cara, Margie & Luke, Kesha & Jen, Mel & Mike and Kris & Amanda from season 14. Season 15 veterans are Flight Time & Big Easy and Zev & Justin, and Jet & Cord are the lone team from season 16. Gary & Mallory will round out the field, doing 2 Amazing Races in a row. Can either Jet & Cord, Jaime & Cara or Ron & Christina pass up their 2nd-place finish in their season to take the million bucks this time around?

This season’s Amazing Race begins in Palm Springs, California, the 2nd-windiest place on earth. We see the teams gathered in the middle of a windmill field, wind blasting, and everyone is shivering. Phil starts explaining the new twists to the 11 teams waiting to take off, saying that the first team to check in on the first leg of Race gets an Express Pass, which will enable them to skip any task during the Race that they wish.

Zev & Justin are wearing Harlem Globetrotters t-shirts - they were in the same Race together, I guess they’re planning on teaming up with the basketballers again like they did the first time. This may be interesting, having some teams from the same seasons helping each other out....

To begin, the teams have to go across the road and “look for something in the desert” and bring it back to Phil for their clue. The first 8 teams to do so will be on the first flight out of town; the rest of the teams will be on a second flight landing about 1½ hours later. AND the last team to finish this task will receive an automatic U-Turn, requiring them to do both Detours on the first Detour of the Race. Phil tells them they’re looking for Queensland and Northern Territories Arial Services (Qantas, the Australian airlines). And then, of course, Phil has to begin their journey:

“The world is waiting for you. Good luck. Travel safe. GO!”

Running to the field of paper airplanes on sticks with various airline names written on them, Christina tells Ron that it’s Qantas that they’re looking for (after they take a PanAm flag to Phil and find out they’re wrong). Mel & Mike find a Qantas, followed by Zev & Justin and Jet & Cord. They find out they’ll be flying to Australia, and Cord tells us that “it’s a fantastic opportunity...again, again.”

In the meantime, Christina yells to her Dad that they’re looking for Qantas, helping out the other teams. They find the correct flag, followed by the Globetrotters, Margie & Luke and Jaime & Cara, which makes up the first flight teams.

Kesha & Jen are the first team on the 2nd flight, leaving Gary & Mallory and Kris & Amanda fumbling around in the field. Gary & Mallory manage to beat Kris & Amanda to Phil, leaving Kris & Amanda stuck with the U-Turn on the first leg.

The first flight is forced to land in Hawaii because of a man having a heart attack, evaporating their 90-minute lead. At least Big Easy mentions that “it’s good that the man was all right” rather than complain about the forced stop.

The teams will land in Sydney, take a train to Sydney Harbor and take a ferry to Manly Ocean World. The second flight teams found out from Mallory that the first flight had to land, although Kesha tells Mallory “I think you’re lying.” Mallory laughs and says “You’ve been to Kentucky, you know we don’t lie there.”

The first flight finally lands, and seven teams get on the train but Ron & Christina just miss it. On the beach, Gary & Mallory get to the clue box first and find a Roadblock: “Who wants to tank it?” Then we see sharks swimming.....that’s a way to eliminate some teams, let the sharks eat ‘em! Phil explains that team members will have to search for a compass in a million-and-a-half-gallon tank full of sharks and stingrays (as big as a queen-sized bed, no less!) Once they find the compass, they will have to decipher a sentence using flags hung outside, which will tell them they have to go to the Manly 16 Ft. Skiff Sailing Club, find the commodore, and tell him a secret phrase (“I am between the devil and the deep blue sea”) to get their next clue. Kesha volunteers, remembering Jen’s problems in their first Race with swimming. Amanda and Mallory are also doing this task.

On the ferry, Kynt says “We’re going to Manly!” Vyxsin adds “where he’ll fit right in!” Ha! They’re cute. Jaime & Cara are loving the scenery and saying they wouldn’t trade it for anything “except an Express Pass.”

Mallory and Amanda find the compasses and make their way out of the tank as we see Ronald & Christina catch up at the ferry with Mike & Mel, and end up leaving the Harbor first. Jet & Cord are close behind but miss the boat, and realize that they’re the last team. Mallory sits with her compass to figure out the phrases, and as Amanda joins her, Kris gives her the kiss of death by saying “Amanda is good at word puzzles.” Mallory finishes and they ask for directions to the Skiff Club. Justin, Margie, Flight Time and Cara find their compasses. It seems that the team members that don’t do the task are more freaked out by it. Jet tells us “I’m from Oklahoma, I don’t do water. I don’t even take baths.” (I'm hoping that means he at least takes showers!)

Gary & Mallory get their clue from the Commodore and find out they must sail a 16-foot skiff to a marked buoy that has a clue attached. They get a quick lesson on the beach and take off with a couple of sailors. Back at the flags, Amanda ends up working with Kesha, and they dash off to find the Commodore. Jaime tells Cara to work with Margie, and mentions that they’re back to working with Margie & Luke like they did on the last Race, and “we really care about them.” Gary & Mallory’s skiff is getting to the buoy, and Gary leans out as they pass to grab the clue, hanging by a set of wires. Back on land, the open the clue to find they must go to the Pit Stop, which is Shelly Beach, a hot surfing spot. Phil is wearing a Crocodile Dundee hat and looks quite dapper!

Vyxsin is having problems getting out of the tank, because she’s panicking a little and finding it hard to breathe correctly. To help herself she thought about Kynt’s Dad, who passed away suddenly, telling herself “it’s for Dad.”

Gary & Mallory are running toward the beach, and we see Kris & Amanda close behind, desperately wanting to get the Express Pass. It’s not to be as Gary & Mallory get to Phil and the surfer dude first. Phil gives them the Express Pass - and another clue, telling them to open and read it right there because they’re still racing. Mallory is standing there and chattering, so Phil has to tell her “stop talking and go!” Kris & Amanda meet Phil and get their clue, and Kesha & Jen are third to the Mat.

Margie & Luke get to the Commodore followed by Cara & Jaime, and find out their secret phrase is wrong by saying “I am the devil and the deep blue sea.” Flight Time and Big Easy don’t finish the puzzle so they don’t get too far behind, and catch Justin as he leaves the Commodore, asking him what the phrase is. They yell “I owe you one!” and Justin agrees - we’ll see how that pans out later in the Race. Margie & Luke and Jaime & Cara hope to overhear what Flight Time tells the Commodore, but he whispers it so the two wrong teams head back. They ask Justin if he can help them out, and he says “no, we already helped somebody.” Justin says he doesn’t know them from a hole in the wall, so it was easy not to help them.

Mike and Christina are helping each other and meet up with Margie & Luke and Jaime & Cara as they leave. They offer to tell them the correct phrase if they help them find the Commodore, and they’ll all just tell him together.

Jet thinks he has what he needs and takes off but they get to the Commodore and find out they need more. Vyxsin tells us that she figured she had enough, so off they went. Jet & Cord go back to re-figure, and Kynt & Vyxsin pass Margie & Luke, who tell them the correct phrase. Jaime & Cara’s skiff ends up tipping over, leaving them hanging from the boat “like shark bait.”

Zev & Justin get to Phil and get their next clue, as do Flight Time & Big Easy. Everyone is exhausted and are surprised they’re still racing. Jet & Cord give the phrase another stab, and are still wrong. Kynt & Vyxsin get to Phil and he tells them “I have some bad news.” Vyxsin hangs her head and asks “what did we do wrong?” Phil says “you’re still racing” and Vyxsin doesn’t think that’s bad news at all. Phil tells them they’re way behind so they have to get moving. In the meantime, Cord is still having great problems at the flags and I guess this makes up for the Roadblock from their Race, where they had to rope something. Give the Cowboys a mental challenge and it stops them dead in their tracks!

The hour is up and we don’t see what comes next ... it will be continued next week! So after Gary & Mallory’s sixth-place finish last season, does seeing them make first give you hope? Jet & Cord just missed out on winning their Race, and now it seems they’ll be lucky to make it past the first Leg of this one. Does all the cooperation between some teams make you think it will help or hurt in the long run? Looks to be a good Race, at least!

History is Made on The Amazing Race!!!

2010-12-12T18:50:00.001-08:00

Tonight begins the last leg of The Amazing Race! Will one of the all-female teams make history or will Thomas & Jill (and his superior Notre Dame intellect) pull it off? Let’s find out!!!!

The teams begin in Seoul, South Korea at the Temple of Heaven. Thomas & Jill leave at 3:57 a.m. The clue tells them to fly to their final destination, Los Angeles, California, go to the Port of Long Beach and find Pier J. Thomas says he doesn’t care about history and wants to keep a female team from winning. Brook & Claire say they deal with pressure all the time, and if they can communicate well, they can win. Brook says “we have to be more hungry than Thomas. And I’m starving.” Nat & Kat leave at 4:57 a.m. and know they can work together well when they’re stressed.

At the airport, the teams meet up at the ticket counter to wait for it to open. Brook & Claire are wearing cheetah-print pants, saying they saved the outfits for the last leg. All the females tease Thomas about being the last guy standing, making cracks about “being one of the girls” and going for pedicures later. Thomas didn’t look like he was going along with the jokes - lighten up, man!

All the teams are on the same flight. Nat & Kat get out of the airport first and as they get to the port, Nat notices all the cranes and platforms high above the water, and is getting tense thinking she’ll have to deal with her fear of heights once again. The clue tells them “Welcome to the drop zone.” Teams will ride an elevator to the top of the crane, get their clue, and then bungee off the side of the crane together (one wrong jump and they can crash into each other!) Once they get back to the pier and climb to dry land they can open their clue. Nat tells Kat that she doesn’t even want to think about it, to just get going. Getting into the gear, though, gives Nat time to think and she looks like she’s losing it already.

Thomas & Jill and Brook & Claire see the cranes and Jill looks like she’s not overly find of heights either, and Brook isn’t thrilled about the bungee jump, saying “I’ll just have to deal with it.” Kat gets strapped in and Nat stands with her eyes closed and tears dripping off her face. She’s a real trooper, even as she’s crying. They get dropped and as they swing slowly, Nat says “that’s the scariest thing I’ve ever done and I’m never doing it again.” Brook sees them drop and says “I’m feeling petrified.” Nat & Kat are lowered to a small raft in the water and Nat is proud that “I didn’t even pee my pants!” Their clue tells them they will ride a helicopter to a surprise destination. After Brook & Claire drop they spend their time swinging and screaming. Brook sounds like she’s going to hyperventilate.

I guess fear of heights doesn’t mean helicopters, because Nat seems just fine as they take off, with Thomas & Jill and the shopping hosts right behind. All the teams remark that it’s the best way to travel through LA, and not having to sit in traffic. They land at the Rose Bowl and the clue is a Roadblock. The teams will have to work on a float that takes 10,000 man hours to complete by decorating three sections of the float. If they do it correctly, they’ll get their clue from the Rose Queen. Nat dashes off to glue mums to the first section, hoping she’s doing it as well as the woman who is demonstrating. Thomas & Jill tell us that they’ve been working the Roadblocks so Thomas would do the last one, and when they saw what it was they realized Jill would have been better at it. Thomas says he’s never decorated anything before (what???!!!! Your Notre Dame education didn’t include interior decorating?) Brook is going to do this task, and is really excited about being able to decorate something. She says she’s been on a couple floats and “these are my people.” (She really is strange sometimes!)

Nat asks for a check of her work and finds out that she didn’t put water in her little rose tubes so she has to redo them, but still manages to finish first. Their clue is a mystery - they have to answer three questions:

1. I am Sancho Panza’s master.
2. I am the place to hear The Symphony in the Glen.
3. Monroe’s Year of the Itch.

They’ll have to go to that location for their next clue. They run off and ask the cab drivers if they have any ideas or an iPhone, and with all of the waiting taxis it doesn’t seem that any of them will be of any help. They grab a cab and use the driver’s phone, but the woman on the other end tells them she has a line of people and can’t help - but eventually tells Nat if she makes it fast, she’ll try to help. Thomas & Jill ask their cabbie to call dispatch and let them talk to them - and Jill grabs the phone but Thomas insists on talking. The other person on the end of the line doesn’t have Google and they can’t get their cabbie to understand that they need someone with an internet connection. Nat & Kat are told that Sancho Panza is a character in Don Quixote. She asks if there is such a place as Quixote Studios and is told yes. In the meantime, Thomas asks his cabbie if he knows what the internet is, and is told no.

Brook & Claire ask the cab driver to take them to a hotel that has internet, and Thomas begs his cabbie to use the phone while the cabbie talks on it. By the way, they’re driving right now. Somewhere. Racking up a fare. Smart? Not.

Nat, still on the phone, asks where to hear the Symphony in the Park and is told Griffith Park, and realizes they’re going the right way. Thomas’ cabbie keeps telling them that he has GPS and they keep trying to get him to understand that they need a computer. Why they haven’t dumped him for another cab is beyond me! Nat & Kat get to Quixote Studios and tell us that they figured out clue #3, that it was in reference to Marilyn Monroe’s movie, “The Seven Year Itch.” They pull up at Studio 7 and grab their next clue. Phil tells us that Hollywood game shows have tested people’s trivia knowledge, and now it’s time to find out if the teams have been paying attention to everything around them. They see a wall of 48 flashing pictures of people wearing hats. 11 of the people are the greeters from every Pit Stop. They’ll have to use a control pad to select the greeters in the proper order, and Bob Eubanks will give them their next clue.

Nat & Kat being picking people as Brook & Claire use the internet and figure out their destination. Thomas & Jill finally get out of the cab and go to a shop asking to use their internet. Nat & Kat had written down all their destinations and referred to their notes as they picked through the pictures. Thomas yells to some people asking about the internet and gets nowhere, so they jump back in the cab. Brook & Claire are on their way to the studio as Nat & Kat finish the task correctly and get their clue from Bob Eubanks, which tells them to go to the Finish Line. It’s the Graystone Mansion, where Phil waits on the giant mat with all the eliminated teams.

Brook & Claire get to the studio and the girls squeal to meet Bob Eubanks. They don’t have notes to refer to but still seem to be doing okay. Nat & Kat are hoping that the lousy traffic they’re in doesn’t last, and we’re shown shots of them sitting in the cab and Brook & Claire picking the photos - are we getting the sense of drama here? Don’t think so, looks like the doctors might have this all sewn up! (Or should I say “sutured up?” Haha, what a pun!)

Thomas & Jill are thinking they should have gotten another cab, with Thomas remarking that they have more of a language barrier in the U.S. than anywhere else in the world so far. Brook & Claire seem to be moving pretty well, and Nat & Kat finally get moving themselves. We see the back & forth shots of the cabs, and then Nat & Kat running to the final Mat, making history as the first female team to win The Amazing Race!!! Nat is happy that she finished the Race to show diabetics that they can do anything. Kat says they’ve bonded like no one can understand, except the other Racers. Brook & Claire show up and Claire says they literally “laughed their way around the world” and Phil says “I know.” Thomas & Jill, of course, are third, and Phil mentions that their Race has been pretty much mistake free, except for today. Jill gets teary talking about it and Thomas says “It’s been fantastic is what she’s trying to say.”

Phil tells us about the next Amazing Race - that former “favorite” teams will be back for another shot. We see glimpses of Brook & Claire, Gary & Mallory, Michael & Kevin and Connor & Jonathan from this season, plus quite a few from past seasons that sorry, I just can’t remember their names - but I know they’ll be liked! It will premiere on February 20, 2011. Until then, have a great Christmas and wonderful New Year!

The Final Three Teams Are Determined - Will an All-Female Team Finally Win the Race?

2010-12-05T19:24:00.000-08:00

With major apologies for missing my recap last week because of my Thanksgiving trip to New York, we’re getting down to the wire with this installment of The Amazing Race. Last leg, the four remaining teams went from Bangladesh to Hong Kong where Nick & Vicki (well, just Nick) seemed to implode. He’s been snippy here and there, but he proved himself to be a real ass on this leg. They took a penalty instead of doing a task and ended up in last place but were ?lucky? to find out it was a non-elimination leg. They have a 6-hour penalty and a Speed Bump to deal with on the upcoming leg, and I hope that they end up going home because of Nick’s attitude (although I feel bad for Vicki). I sure hope he’s embarrassed as hell when he’s sitting home watching himself be a total jerk!

Leaving the Pit Stop first, Nat & Kat open their clue to find out they are flying to Seoul, South Korea and then must drive themselves to the North Korean border - the Demilitarized Zone - and search for the Seungil Bridge for their next clue. Nat & Kat interview that they think they have what it takes to win the Race, but they’re pretty freaked about having to get close to the border of North Korea. Reading the clue we hear “do not cross the border.” (Duh! I admit I’m a little surprised that The Race is sending teams close to that border, especially with North Korea being stupid about nuclear weapons and such.)

Thomas & Jill leave second, and Thomas interviews that they’re the top contenders but there are hungry, smart and athletic women teams that are “forces to be reckoned with.” You betcha, buddy! This just might be the year that an all-female team wins The Amazing Race! Brook & Claire open their clue and don’t even try to pronounce the bridge or river names and head off to a hotel to try and get tickets for their flight, thinking that the hotel would have better connections. Claire interviews that she has a good feeling that they’re going to rock it and make history standing on the Mat first at the end. (Uh oh, are the producers giving us a peek at “say one thing and the total opposite happens?”) The woman at the desk finds them a flight leaving at 12:25 a.m. and will fax copies of their passports to the airport.

Nat & Kat meet up with Thomas & Jill at the airport and joke about getting close to the North Korean border. They get the same flight as Brook & Claire. Brook & Claire are sitting in the restaurant at the hotel sipping coffee and laughing at the way they’re dressed for the place - cute matching pink tank tops, black shorts and white and red striped kneesox. Back at the airport, Nat & Kat find a guy and tell him that they’re traveling but they don’t have any money and talk the guy into buying them a travel book - and he even autographs the cover with a good luck wish.

Nick & Vicki leave in the dark and Nick interviews that the Race has shown them some major flaws in their relationship. (No, just YOUR relationship. Butthead.) He says he feels like scum (he should) and promised Vicki he’s never going to blow up like that again. We’ll see. They get to the airport as the flight is boarding and are told that the flight left as they were at the ticket counter. The next flight leaves at 9:30 a.m. They realize it will take a miracle for them to stay in the Race.

The teams hop in the cars and everyone seems really tense trying to get out of the airport. Thomas is his usual snarky self and even Brook is telling Claire “don’t yell at me.” (For the record, she wasn’t.) Brook & Claire laugh about going to the border and getting the two leaders together and making peace. Kat notes that the signs are totally devoid of any English characters and hopes they are in the right direction. Thomas & Jill get to the bridge and get the clue as Brook & Claire pull up, and we see Nat & Kat having navigation problems yet again. The clue tells the teams to select a rafting guide and raft down the Hantangang River, grab a Humvee and drive to the U.S. Army Base Camp Casey. It’s pouring rain, so at least getting wet in the river won’t matter. Nat & Kat get there and Kat asks Nat “got the keys?” and Nat says yes - meaning, I bet, that they will NOT have the keys when they get back to the car. (The show is over, and it didn't mean a thing).

Everyone has to change into wetsuit-looking outfits to raft, and they’re two of the five people in the raft that paddle. Nat laughs that “we’re rafting down the DMZ” in Korea. Brook & Claire seem to be having the most fun but Nat & Kat are enjoying themselves too.

Once at the shore, Thomas & Jill have to put on helmets and climb in the back of the Humvee. I would definitely be freaked out having to wear a helmet! Everyone at the base is wearing orange vests as are the teams. At the base, the clue is a Roadblock. Phil explains that the soldiers at the base learn various martial arts. We see a field of soldiers throwing punches and are told that the teams must select a headband and then find the soldier wearing a matching headband walking through the soldiers and avoiding getting clobbered. Once they find the correct soldier, he will break a board and their next clue will fall out of the broken board.

Thomas runs up the steps of the stadium they’re practicing in to get his headband, and Brook & Claire show up and Brook runs through the soldiers apologizing “for being all up in your grill” as she compares headbands. Thomas finds the correct soldier and gets their clue, which tells them to go to the subway station on foot and travel to the Seoul World Cup Stadium and find the clue box.

Brook runs back up into the stands for another headband as Nat & Kat show up, and Kat runs off to attempt the task. Brook finds her soldier and has to kick the board herself before opening the clue. (She doesn’t break the board).

Thomas & Jill find the subway and keep a lookout for Brook & Claire but don’t see them running up. Kat finds her soldier and off she and Nat run to the subway. Thomas & Jill get on the subway train as Brook is having problems getting through the turnstile and they end up missing the subway. Nat & Kat show up and end up on the same train with Brook & Claire.

Thomas & Jill get to the stadium and the clue is a Detour: Full Throttle or Full Bottle. Phil tells us that South Koreans are major players in the world sports scene, and it’s time the teams find out why. For Full Throttle, teams go by foot or subway to the Mokdong Ice Rink and get into a speed skating suit, then run a two-person relay for 24 laps. Once completed, the coach will give them their clue. In Full Bottle, teams go to Dogdaemun Market on foot or by subway, put on delivery uniforms and carry 6 giant ginseng roots to a holistic wellness center. Once there, they have to drink a small bottle of ginseng tonic and then they will get their clue. I think that some team is gonna mess up and take a cab to their destination, because of the emphasis on the “by foot or by subway” in the clues. Jill asks right away if they can take a cab but Thomas has read the clue correctly. Thomas & Jill decide to try speed skating. Claire says she hasn’t skated since she was 7 but Brook tries to talk her into it, saying she’ll go extra fast to make up for it. Nat & Kat will skate also. After some bantering back and forth, Claire says she’ll do the ice skating but Brook can’t yell at her.

Right about now, Nick & Vicki are landing and find a local that offers to take them to the bridge. Brook & Claire seem to be arguing now about the ice skating task, and stupidly are calling for a taxi - maybe the break that Nick & Vicki need. Nat & Kat jump run to the subway but just miss a train. Brook & Claire get to the ice rink before Thomas & Jill and complain about the speed skating suit, saying it’s not their “flair.” Thomas & Jill can’t figure out how the shopping hosts beat them there. Nick & Vicki’s local ends up stopping at a market to ask for directions, and ends up buying some food and tells Vicki to take it, “for beautiful woman.” Nick tells Vicki that the guy wants her and “I knew you were good for something.” (Creep.)

At the ice rink, Brook & Claire are funny, but not more than Thomas, who looks like he’s walking on his skates and Brook & Claire interview later and get a good laugh out of it. Jill falls down and Thomas actually tells her it’s okay, that “we’re all going to fall a lot.” There are two speed skaters skating around the rink too, and it looks as if there’s a good chance someone’s gonna get run over!

Nick & Vicki’s local is now stopping near some military guys and asking them if they know where they’re going and the military doesn’t either. Looks like Brook & Claire’s mistake may not matter....

Jill keeps falling and Thomas tells her “stay on your feet.” (Duh once more). They manage to catch up and lap Brook & Claire, getting their clue and the lead once again. The clue tells them to go to Han Riverside Park (also known as Yeouido Hangang Park) and search for a statue that looks like an airplane, where the clue box is located. As Thomas & Jill and Brook & Claire leave the ice rink, Nat & Kat show up and start skating (very slowly).

In the taxi, Thomas & Jill are still wondering how Brook & Claire managed to catch up, while Brook & Claire’s taxi driver is asking Claire if she’s “solo.” She tells him she’s getting married and he then tells them he’s a comedian. Back at the rink, Kat says “I’m channeling my inner Apolo Anton Ohno.” Brook & Claire get to the park right after Thomas & Jill, who are asking a local about the statue and getting nowhere. Claire gives the cab driver a kiss (which Brook states is number 9 - slackers) and they find the statue pretty quickly. The clue tells them to go to the next Pit Stop, which the “Temple of Heaven” and is across town. It was built in 1897 for the first emperor.

Nat & Kat finish their laps and tell the coach “we’re available for the next Olympics.” They knew they were slow but they decided to have fun doing it.

Brook & Claire race to the Mat and Phil tells them that they’re the first team to arrive - BUT they took a taxi which was against the rule and will get a 30-minute penalty. Which, when you think about it, really isn’t that big a deal ... they won’t get first but they’ll be int the top three for sure. Thomas & Jill’s taxi driver doesn’t know where the Temple is and calls to find out but Thomas & Jill have no patience and find another cab. They get to the Mat and Phil tells them that while they are the second team to arrive, they get first place because of Brook & Claire’s mistake, and a trip to Argentina. They tell Phil they’ve worked hard and think they deserve to be in the final leg.

Nat & Kat get to the clue box and find a cab to get them to the Temple, but Brook & Claire’s penalty expires and are officially team number two and in the finals to race for a million. Nat & Kat get to the Mat shortly after and become one of three teams to race in the finals - and make the odds of an all-female team winning that much greater.

Nick & Vicki get to the bridge and raft, ride the Humvee, and their Speed Bump has them washing a tank. It’s dark now, and they interview that they’ve learned a lot about each other, and Nick says the hardest part is acknowledging the flaws (you got plenty, now be nice). They’re the last team to the Mat and Phil eliminates them. Nick says getting angry about things and being rude to people doesn’t get him anywhere, and Vicki says they got through the Race without her killing him, so that’s a good thing. Yeah, it is!

So here's how our teams finished:
1 - Thomas & Jill
2 - Brook & Claire
3 - Nat & Kat
4 - Nick & Vicki (eliminated)

The three remaining teams all interview about winning the million, and it will be a good last leg of The Amazing Race!!! Any of the teams can win this thing - it all comes down to who makes the least number of mistakes.

So next week promises to be exciting! Will Race history be made? Tune in and find out!

Racing Through Smelly, People-Packed Bangladesh

2010-11-21T19:02:00.000-08:00

Five teams left! Who will get ever closer to the million dollar prize? Can an all-female team finally win this thing?

Muscat, Oman is the beginning point for this Leg of the Race. Chad & Stephanie will be leaving first (and they’re not oversleeping today, they leave at 11:10 a.m.). They must fly to Dhaka, Bangladesh (the world’s most densely populated city) and find the Sundarban Square Supermarket. They have to find a sugar cane press, fill a glass with sugar cane juice, and one team member has to drink the glass before getting their next clue. (I’m feeling queasy just thinking about drinking pure sugar right now! Ick!) The clue tells them that somewhere on the Leg there will be a Double U-Turn. Chad & Stephanie say that if given a chance, they’ll U-Turn Nat & Kat because they are big threats. Chad doesn’t want to lose “to a pair of girls.” Thomas & Jill mention that they might be a team that’s U-Turned by other teams. Nick & Vicki leave next, followed by Brook & Claire. Nat & Kat bring up the rear (obviously a big threat, eh?)

Chad & Stephanie find a flight landing tomorrow at 12:00 p.m. as Thomas & Jill show up at the travel agency and get the same tickets. Nick & Vicki get seats on that flight also, as do Brook & Claire. Nat & Kat go to Oman Air for their tickets. Chad decides that he wants a cheeseburger and Blizzard so he and Stephanie wander off as Thomas & Jill hang around hoping they can get an earlier-landing flight.

Nat & Kat decide to fly to Dubai and take their chances on getting a ticket to Bangladesh because they didn’t have time to get other connections before their flight left. This could either be a big mistake or big reward - we’ll wait and see! Thomas and Jill may be getting tickets that land at 5:00 a.m. and Brooke & Claire see them and decide to find out what they were doing. The agent booked Thomas & Jill on Qatar Airlines but Brook & Claire find out the flight is full. The shopping hosts tell Nick & Vicki, who wonder if Chad & Stephanie got the same flight - but they’re off eating. Nick & Vicki find out from another ticket agent that there is a flight that lands at 8:40 a.m. - but there’s only one seat. Somehow a seat frees up and they get the tickets - and Brook & Claire find out in the travel agency they’re at that the one seat is gone and realize that Nick & Vicki got it.

Brook & Claire run into Chad & Stephanie sitting and waiting for the flight and feel better that they’re not alone. Nat & Kat are in Dubai and find a flight that lands at noon in Bangladesh.

Thomas & Jill land and are amazed at the number of people in the city at 6:00 a.m. as well as the heat. Jill remarks that it’s a normal rush hour amount of people and traffic. They’re grinding away on the sugar cane, and Thomas downs the full glass and as they read their clue, Jill grabs a swig to taste it. The clue is a Detour concerning some time-tested traditions in Bangladesh: Balanced Meal or Balanced Brick. They must pick up a snack call a “tiffin” (which after a perfunctory search online, couldn’t find out what it was, exactly - and it looks like mush) which is held in interlocking containers (I did find some places where I could buy the containers). They must take them to a ship and load 30 containers, and bring back ten empties for their clue. For Balanced Brick, they must put a loaded basket on their heads and take it from a supply barge to a shop. They have to deliver 100 unbroken bricks for their next clue. (I can imagine the headaches now!)

Jill loses her first load of bricks off her head, and gets laughs from the locals. Thomas remarks at how the locals are taking twice as many bricks and barely breaking a sweat.

Nat & Kat get to their next connecting airport and see Brook & Claire and Chad & Stephanie sleeping in some seats. They feel better that there are two other teams with them.

Thomas & Jill get their 100 bricks delivered and their clue tells them to go to Dhaka River Port. Back at the airport, the teams wake up and see Nat & Kat. Thomas & Jill find the U-Turn and talk about Brook & Claire. The Double U-Turn means that two teams can be U-Turned to do both Detour tasks. Thomas & Jill decide to U-Turn the shopping hosts. The next clue tells them to take a bicycle rickshaw to Nazira Bazaar. On the plane, Brook & Claire have some ESP because they say “If they U-Turn us they’re the biggest idiots in the world.” (Creeps, maybe, but not idiots. You two are a team to be reckoned with!)

At the Bazaar, the clue is a Roadblock. They must go to a bicycle shop and assemble a rickshaw. When the rickshaw maker is happy, they will get their next clue. Obviously they didn’t teach building/mechanics/how to use tools at Notre Dame so Jill takes this task on. She mentions there are a “lot of nuts and bullets.”

Nick & Vicki land and Vicki loves the “little buggies” and hopes that they have to rent one. (You’ll have to build one, honey!) They interview that it smells bad in Bangladesh - “everyone has nasty body odor.” Vicki mentions that the sugar cane juice looks good but when Nick asks “do you want to drink it?” Vicki says no. Jill is still working - and sweating - on her rickshaw and making pretty good progress. Nick & Vicki are taking off for the Detour Balanced Meal and she remarks that she feels bad for their rickshaw driver, because their “bags weigh almost as much as we do.”

Jill thinks she is done with the rickshaw, but she’s forgotten the chain and gets a thumbs-down from the shop owner. Nick & Vicki have their tiffin containers loaded and are off in the boat. Chad & Stephanie are the first to leave the airport, followed by Nat & Kat, while Brook & Claire are still hanging around looking for a taxi. Brook mentions that the people are staring at them a lot, and Claire says “you stick out like a sore thumb.” Jill finally realizes that she’s missing the chain, puts it on and gets their clue. They must go to Lalbagh Fort, a 300-year-old castle, which is the Pit Stop for this Leg of the Race.

Nick & Vicki get to the ship to deliver the tiffin, and are hoisting ten canisters at a time and feeling that they’re “on their game” today. They do hate the smell of it, getting it all over them. Kat, Brook & Chad are the drinkers of the sugar juice and they all decide to do Balanced Meal. Chad & Stepanie take off in the opposite direction as the female teams, after asking their driver if he’s sure he knows where to go. Somebody is gonna be wrong!

Thomas & Jill get to the Fort and are greeted by a horrible military-style band. Phil tells them they are team number one, and have won a $15,000 gift card.

Vicki sees kids swimming in the water and mentions that she wouldn’t do it - “the water is brown.” They make short work of the task and are off to get their clue. They see that Brook & Claire were U-Turned, and say that they’re surprised considering that everyone was so far behind from Thomas & Jill. Nick wants to U-Turn Chad & Stephanie, but Vicki talks him out of it saying it’s pointless because they were behind them - and Nick says she’s too nice.

Chad & Stephanie have to stop to figure out where they’re going, as do Nat & Kat, and the local the doctors ask says he’ll help them and leads them on foot. They get their boat loaded and are off as Brook & Claire get to the shop, and Chad & Stephanie can’t find anyone who knows where to go. They finally find someone and off they go.

Nick decides to build the rickshaw (he built bikes as a kid) and Vicki thinks that Nick listening to her about not U-Turning anyone is a big deal. Nat & Kat packed some extra stuff, and used straps they brought to hoist the containers to the ship. Chad & Stephanie finally show up to the shop as Brook & Claire start hoisting their tiffin containers to the ship. Nick thinks he’s done with the rickshaw but he also forgot the chain, and is told he’s not done. Brook & Claire see Chad & Stephanie show up and remark that they can U-Turn them.

Nick is having problems trying to figure out what he missed. Vicki tells him to stay calm - good advice, because he finds the chain and they get their next clue.

Nat & Kat finish their task and get to the U-Turn, and decide to U-Turn Chad & Stephanie. (Ooh, Chad’s gonna bitch something fierce!) They’re happy that they’re not on the U-Turn station. Brook & Claire get to the clue box and find out that Thomas & Jill U-Turned them, and see that Chad & Stephanie are in the same boat, and get moving to finish the Balancing Bricks before Chad & Stephanie can catch up. Brook is the eternal cheerleader, yelling at Claire to keep moving, “no complaining.”

Nick & Vicki make it to the Mat in second place, getting their best finish, and Vicki tells Nick that him being nice pays off.

Brook & Claire are shuffling bricks and Brook keeps yelling “c’mon Claire!” She’s been a little more toned down but I can see how Claire would want to stuff Brook’s mouth with a sock right about now. She’s getting really tired and Brook tells her that she’ll take more bricks the next time. Nat & Kat get to the rickshaw building, and Nat will be doing this Roadblock. Nat mentions that she buys things from Ikea so she feels that she can put this together. (?)

Brook mentions to Claire that she’s surprised that they haven’t seen Chad & Stephanie yet. That’s because they’re wandering around looking for the clue box. Their rickshaw driver offered to drive them, but the clue told them to go on foot - you’d figure they’d at least find out where they had to go from him! Chad is pretty ticked and they find someone who speaks English, and find out they’re in the right direction. They finally find the clue box, and Chad sees Brook & Claire have been U-Turned, but then notices that they are also. As they take off for the bricks, Brook & Claire finish the task and Claire pleads with Brook to just “speed walk” instead of running. “I’m not going to be a very good teammate if I’m passed out.”

Chad & Stephanie are lugging bricks and Chad is being positive again (not!) and yelling at Stephanie to keep moving. She finally tells him to “shut the hell up.” Brook & Claire get to the clue box and take off to the Roadblock, bickering a bit as they go. Claire tells Brook “I don’t run marathons like you. If you wanted a partner like that you should have picked someone different.” Brook interviews later that in the moment, it’s hard to be empathetic but later realizes that it’s really hard. They get to the clue box and see that Nat & Kat are still there building their rickshaw. Chad is being better and telling Stephanie to keep pushing, and not take so many bricks the next time.

Brook will build the rickshaw, and she’s pretty happy that after doing both Detours, they’ve caught up with Nat & Kat. Chad & Stephanie finish and walk off holding hands, with Stephanie apologizing and Chad telling her “don’t be sorry. You busted your ass.” (Good boy.)

Kat interviews that it took her forever to put the rickshaw together, and she gets a “no” from the shop owner because she forgot something on the wheels. As she goes back to check, Chad & Stephanie show up and Stephanie will do the task. (Two of our remaining three guys neglected to do this one. I’m a bit surprised). Chad gets snarky with the doctors after being U-Turned, yelling that Nat should be better with her PhD, and “big, smart doctor can’t put a bicycle together.” She tells Chad that it wasn’t personal, they were the only team behind them. Chad figures he’s trying to help by getting in someone else’s head. He yells to Stephanie that she’s doing great and they can pass Nat & Kat. Nat tells Chad “I love you” which doesn’t impress Chad. Brook is kicking butt and Claire says she’s proud of Brook. Nat finishes, and they take off telling the other teams good luck, and especially mentioning Chad, saying “no hard feelings.” Stephanie is having problems with the back seat and Brook is getting nowhere putting the bell on.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love TiVo and being able to blast through the commercials?

Brook manages to get the bell on the handlebars and gets her clue. She hugs the guy (what, no kiss?) Stephanie finishes shortly after and they ask where the Fort is. Brook & Claire see Chad & Stephanie right behind them and decide to run faster.

Nat & Kat get to the Mat (sounds like a Dr. Seuss book) and they tell Phil they have no regrets about using the U-Turn. It’s now dark as we see Brook & Claire and Chad & Stephanie running around looking for the Fort, and Brook & Claire make it to the Mat in fourth. Brook tells Phil she can’t believe that “two little girls” got U-Turned and Phil laughs. “Don’t tell me that you’re not a threat!” Chad & Stephanie finally show up, and Phil tells them they are eliminated from the Race. Chad says he wasn’t really surprised that they were U-Turned, being the last team there. He says he still feels rich because he has Stephanie. Awwwww!

Here are our standings:
1 - Thomas & Jill
2 - Nick & Vicki
3 - Nat & Kat
4 - Brook & Claire
5 - Chad & Stephanie (eliminated)

So two out of the four remaining teams are female. And our rocket scientists are still in this! After such a nice working-together week, the previews show Nick being a butthead and making Vicki cry so maybe this will be their undoing. When will teams learn, that the better they get along and work together, the better they finish? Tsk!

The Final Six Teams Race Around Mountains and Markets in Oman

2010-11-14T19:37:00.000-08:00

It's another Leg of The Amazing Race - let's get moving!

Nat & Kat leave first from St. Petersburg Russia, at the Peter and Paul Fortress. The clue tells them to fly to Muscat, Oman, and go to Burj Al Mubkharah. Once there, a man will give them an ingot with a time on it, which is when they can climb a multitude of stairs in a fortress to get their next clue. The Doctors will stop at a travel agency for tickets before going to the airport, and so will Brook & Claire, who leave second. Nick & Vicki leave third and Nick tells us that he’s always stressed out of his mind. (I’ll go along with the out of his mind part, anyway). We get to hear Mallory scream once again as she and Gary open their clue - she screams a LOT!

Brook & Claire and Nick & Vicki show up at the travel agency as Nat & Kat are booking their flight. The earliest arrival time is 8:55 p.m. on a flight through Amsterdam. Gary & Mallory are soon at the travel agent followed by Thomas & Jill. Chad & Stephanie are supposed to leave the Pit Stop at 2:45 a.m., but all we see is a hotel room door and hear major snoring (which I hope is Chad!) Brook & Claire get the same flight at the Docs, but as Nick & Vicki sit down to book the flight, they’re told it’s full. The remaining teams won’t make it to Oman until 10:35 p.m. Again we hear snoring and see that they’re 1 hour and 52 minutes late to the starting Mat. They wake up in a panic and finally get their clue open at 4:45 a.m. We see “highlights” of their various arguments and Stephanie tells us that the Race is taking a toll on their relationship. When they get to the travel agent, they find out there are no seats on the second flight. Chad tells us that they haven’t been beaten in a Leg so far, but they’ve beaten themselves. They manage to find a flight that lands at 10:45 p.m., only ten minutes behind the second flight.

Landing in Oman, the first two teams get a weather shock - it’s nighttime and Kat tells us “it’s 90 degrees and very humid. Just think of what it will be like during the daytime.” The other teams land and feel the heat too - and Chad & Stephanie find luck of the Race gods and their flight lands early, catching them up with the other teams from the second flight.

The Docs and the Shopping Hosts get to the guy with the ingots, and he gives them both one that says 7:30 - so they get to spend the night outside in Oman! Thomas & Jill get 7:45 as to Chad & Stephanie. Gary & Mallory and Nick & Vicki’s time is 8:00.

We see the teams in the morning - the Docs are stretching, Nick looks like ten miles of bad road, and Brook & Claire are doing their beauty routine with hair and makeup. Chad tells Stephanie to take a walk with him, and at 6:00 a.m. they wander off. Chad tells us that his mom passed away while he was in college and his stepfather gave him his mother’s ring, which he’s been dragging around this whole Race. He’s very sweet, telling her how he can’t spend his life with anyone but Stephanie, and gets down on one knee and asks Stephanie to marry him. The other teams see what’s going on and cheer them as they come back and congrats abound. I’ll admit, I got a little snuffly myself, it was very nice. Especially remembering what an ass Chad can be at times!!!!

The next clue tells the teams to drive to Jebel Shams, which is the tallest mountain in Oman. A safety driver will take them to the top because of the treacherous drive, and the clue box will be waiting. Chad & Stephanie stop and ask directions, and after sniping at each other, so do Thomas & Jill. They both seem to get the same directions. Thomas comments how nice the people are even though “we’re up in their face.” Nick makes one of his few-and-far-between smart comments that “it takes just as long to look at a map and try and figure it out as it does to ask a local who for sure knows where it is.” They stop at a gas station and Brook & Claire pull in behind to ask directions, and Vicki tells the Shopping Hosts that “it’s this way, we’re going in the right direction.” Nick then proceeds to tell her to shut up and that she has no common sense in her whole body.

Chad & Stephanie find the mountain first and the driver climbs in the car to take them up the road. Gary & Mallory are driving around and Gary is thinking they’re lost, and Mallory insists it’s right. The clue asks “Who wants to add a little magic to their life?” They’re 10,000 feet above the ocean floor, and the Roadblock has a team member rappel down the side 500 feet onto a narrow ledge, and search among hundreds of lamps to find one with Aladdin’s magic ring. Once they deliver it they will get their next clue. Stephanie tells Chad she wants no part of this one, and he walks off to do it. He tells us he has no problem with heights, but they’re “in the freaking Grand Canyon of Oman.” Thomas & Jill show up and Jill will attempt this task. Chad’s loving the scenery and Jill is almost hyperventilating as she goes down.

Nat & Kat are thinking they’re lost, as do Gary & Mallory. As Jill shows up to look through the lamps, Chad finds his and gets their next clue, which tells them to go to Nizwa and find a giant Stack of Books, which is a monument in the middle of a roundabout. Jill finds the ring shortly after, and they take off as Nick & Vicki show up. As they read their clue, a goat comes by and rips part of their clue folder off and eats it. Nick is petrified of heights (add that to the list with clowns) and Vicki tells us she’s not scared of anything but bugs, so off she goes. Brook & Claire read the clue and Brook is amazed that Claire wants to do it.

Nat & Kat stop for directions, and we see Gary asking locals while Mallory prays in the car. We see Vicki making short work of the rappelling, saying she feels like Spiderman - “or Spider woman, whatever.”

At the Stack of Books, Chad & Stephanie run for the clue with Thomas & Jill right behind. It’s a Detour - Water Table or Wedding Table. For Water Table, they’ll have to pump water from an ancient well. When their truck is full they’ll drive through Muscat to find the house to deliver it to and once delivered, they’ll get their next clue. In Wedding Table, they’ll go to a market to purchase 25 frozen chickens and other ingredients for a traditional wedding soup which symbolizes health and virility. Once they’ve made the soup and presented it to the wedding couple, they get their next clue. (Sorry, after a little internet searching, couldn’t find the name of it, which Phil pronounced as “maklouf.”) Chad & Stephanie will try Water Table, and Thomas & Jill will try and follow them.

Vicki has found the ring, and Claire is right behind her. Nick realizes that they have a leaking tire which really ticks him off, having to change it. Chad & Stephanie and Jill & Thomas get to the water trucks and Chad & Stephanie are just ahead of Thomas & Jill, filling their truck and taking off. They have a driver, and Chad asks if he’s going to help them but he says no. Thomas & Jill overfill their truck (way to waste water in a desert, folks!)

Brook & Claire get to the clue and decide cooking isn’t their thing either. Nat & Kat get to the Roadblock and Kat takes off to rappel down the side of the mountain, because they had a deal that Nat wouldn’t be involved in any heights-challenges. Gary & Mallory are still really lost.

Thomas & Jill stop to ask a local for directions and he offers to let them follow him to the location. Nick & Vicki find the Stack of Books and decide to try Water Table as well. Kat rappels down the mountain and says “I’m trying not to look down” as she looks down. Chad & Stephanie drive through a neighborhood and stop to ask a local, asking him to lead them to the location. The local that is helping Thomas & Jill tells them that their delivery house is that of his cousin. They hook up to the house and get their clue as Chad & Stephanie drive by and see them. The clue tells them to drive to Muttrah Souq, which is a large market, and search for a vendor who gives them Frankincense. They must take it to “the famed” Ali Baba and exchange it for their next clue.

Nick & Vicki get to the water pumping station and get their truck full as Brook & Claire start filling theirs. Gary & Mallory finally get to the base of the mountain and tell their driver they’ve been driving for almost 9 hours! As Thomas & Jill are driving away from the water pumping station, Chad & Stephanie show up and Thomas is amazed that they got done so quickly. Kat is having major problems finding the ring in the lamp as Gary & Mallory get up the mountain. Gary mentions he’d like to see just one team having problems with the challenge, and it looks like he’ll get his wish as Kat looks through the hundreds of lamps. She finds the ring, though and they pass Gary & Mallory on their way down, giving Gary some hope that they’re still in the Race.

Thomas & Jill get to the market with Chad & Stephanie right behind, and manage to find the correct vendor and then Ali Baba pretty quickly. We see Mallory start looking in lamps and Brook & Claire asking a local for directions to deliver their water. Nick & Vicki also get a local’s help as Nat & Kat get to the Stack of Books and decide to do Water Table. Mallory finds her ring as we see Thomas & Jill getting their clue from Ali Baba, which tells them to drive to the next Pit Stop. It’s the Al Alam Palace. Thomas & Jill tell a cabbie that he’ll pay to follow him and it seems Chad & Stephanie are not far behind - alas, they won’t get to the Mat first. But they may still make it in first place, as Phil tells Thomas & Jill they’ve incurred a 30-minute penalty. They broke a rule by paying a taxi driver to lead them to a location (I guess it must be a fairly new rule, because teams in Races past have done it without problem). And they do check in first, and hop around screaming when Phil tells them they’re first. They’ve won a trip to Belize - sounds like a good honeymoon!

Brook & Claire are driving around looking for Muttrah Souq market when they turn the wrong way down a one-way street. As they try and turn around a cop hits the lights and siren to pull them over. Nick & Vicki use this mistake to get ahead of them to the market, and get their Frankincense and go looking for “Ali Baba in a suit.” Somehow they find the correct shop and Brook & Claire are right behind. It’s a race to the Mat, and Nick & Vicki make it to the Mat in third place.

Gary & Mallory fill their truck with water as we see Nat & Kat get their clue after delivering theirs. Kat is soaked and says “that’s the best shower I’ve had in a couple of days.” Gary & Mallory see Nat a& Kat driving back and Gary is pretty happy that they’re not far behind. The Docs get their Frankincense and deliver it to Ali Baba as Gary & Mallory get theirs. It seems like the teams are really close together, but it could all be the magic of editing.....Nat & Kat are having problems finding the Palace and Gary & Mallory see it and drive right by the Docs. Nat & Kat make it to the Mat in fifth place, and Gary & Mallory are eliminated. Mallory says it’s been a very special experience because she did it with her dad. Hey, 6th place isn’t much to sneeze at (although it’s not a million bucks!)

1 - Chad & Stephanie
2 - Thomas & Jill
3 - Nick & Vicki
4 - Brook & Claire
5 - Nat & Kat
6 - Gary & Mallory - eliminated

With the teams all taking turns making the Mat first, they all seem pretty able to win this thing. Nick & Vicki may just stumble their way at least into the final three and have a great shot at the money. The previews show a “Double U-Turn” in the next Leg, and that should be interesting!

Running Through Russia, Clowning Around, and Mistakes Abound - our Internet Wonders Get Eliminated

2010-11-07T19:59:00.000-08:00

All our teams are leaving from Saint Petersburg, Russia and the St. Isaac’s Russian Orthodox Cathedral, which Phil tells us was forced to become a museum of Atheism during the Communist regime. Jill & Thomas leave first, and the clue tells them to go join the circus - they must taxi to Avtovo Circus. Brook remarks that she hopes she has to wear a leotard! All the teams catch up, however, because the circus doesn’t open that early. Once inside the clue is a Detour: Circus Band or Circus Clown. For Circus Band, they choose an accordion player to teach them a tune, and once both team members complete it correctly, they’ll get their next clue. For Circus Clown, the teams will have to learn how to keep 10 plates spinning on sticks for 10 seconds to get their next clue. All the participants have to wear big red noses during their tasks, and the Russians putting them on are very serious about it! Mallory practically gets accosted by a guy putting hers on. Thomas & Jill, Brook & Claire, Michael & Kevin, Chad & Stephanie and Nick & Vicki go for the Clown and try to spin plates. Thomas is ever so encouraging, yelling at Jill to spin her plates faster. Kevin is trying to get his going amid all the noise and clowns dancing around. Chad isn’t doing much better in the encouragement department (he and Thomas aren’t the best at that so far anyway!) Nick tells us that his grandmother had a clown room that he and his brothers slept in as kids and when they woke up at night time, they saw clowns staring at them and so they don’t like clowns. He tells a clown hanging over his shoulder “don’t touch me.”

Nat & Kat are over at the Band task and having problems figuring out the melody - until they come up with the idea to write numbers on their fingers and remember the tune by which fingers play next. They wrote down every note the guy played - sheer genius, if you ask me! Gary & Mallory and their big red noses are also learning to play accordion. They get through the first part of the song and find out that there are three parts to it and they have to learn all of them. Thomas & Jill decide to abandon the plates and go after the accordions, especially since the Band challenge was right next door. Brook & Claire take their time and focus and get all their plates spinning, and get their next clue - “Time to solve a Russian mystery.” They have to figure out that they’re looking for Bank Bridge, which is “guarded” by four creatures with golden wings.

Kat is laughing because her nose keeps falling off - and unintentionally insults her teammate saying “my nose is too small.” (I guess Nat’s is pretty big?) They get through their whole recital and are off with their clue. Gary says he can’t see the keys with his big red clown nose. Chad is complaining again that he can’t get the plates so they switch tasks. Nick & Vicki get theirs spinning correctly and leave the task with their clue. Thomas is having fits that they have to learn a second, and then a third song. Gary & Mallory finish their song and off they go, followed soon by Michael & Kevin.

At the bridge, Brook & Claire grab the clue, which tells them to travel on foot across the canal bridge to a historic building, Vladimirskiy Prospekt. They can ask locals to help them but can’t pay a taxi to lead them there. Once they find the building, only two team members at a time can climb the stairs to the top where there will be a figurine on the ledge - a clue to go to the Church on Spilled Blood. They will have to walk to that church for their next clue.

Brook & Claire, Nat & Kat, and Nick & Vicki get their clues and take off walking. Michael & Kevin get to the clue box and Michael tells Kevin to “Read the clue careful, okay? Don’t miss a word.” Of course we know this means they’re gonna screw up something - and they do it right off the bat, by following their cab driver.

Stephanie is proving herself to be the brains of that team yet again, telling Chad to use numbers for their fingers for the accordion playing. Thomas & Jill are having major problems playing their accordions - if they quit complaining so much and tried playing them, they might actually get somewhere. They quit that task again and run back to the plates. Chad & Stephanie finish playing and off they run to the taxi.

Brook & Claire get a local to help them find the building and give him kisses for his trouble - then run off saying “look at every doorway, it’s gonna be marked.” Of course, they run right by the marked door. Nick & Vicki see Nat & Kat walking down the street and join them.

Back at the circus, Thomas & Jill manage to finish spinning their plates and take off, knowing they’re in last place. Nick & Vicki interview that Nat & Kat are “very smart and athletic.” (Sounds like the team they should glom onto - Nick & Vicki need all the help with smarts they can get!) They find the building and Nat and Nick climb the stairs and use binoculars to look over the city. The little figurine is sitting on the ledge and Nick says the smartest thing he’s said this whole Race: “maybe we’re overlooking it - maybe we’re over thinking this.” Down the street, Brook & Claire see Nick and Kat up on the roof and run in that direction. Michael & Kevin show up and Kevin remarks that they carried their bags - and Nat tells him “you’re supposed to leave your cab and walk.” (Clue #1 to major screw-up). Up on the roof, Nick tells Kat that “you usually know what the clue is when you see it - they’re really obvious.” At that point he spots the figurine and laughs to Kat “look how dumb we are.” They find where they need to go and decide to purposely mislead the other teams by telling them they’re not sure but they saw something that said “DS 13" on it. Kevin says that Nick wouldn’t lie to him “because he’s awesome” but he and Claire can’t see what they’re looking for and talk about just going to DS 13. By chance, Claire spots the figurine and luckily they see where they’re supposed to go. Kevin says Nick lied to him and the two teams decide to go together. Thomas and Mallory are the next up the stairs and at least Thomas looks around the inside and sees the figurine. That leaves poor Chad & Stephanie on their own!

Kat & Nat and Nick & Vicki find the next clue box. They have to figure out where Peter the Great is buried, which is the Peter and Paul Fortress, and search the grounds for the clue box. Michael & Kevin and Brook & Claire have jumped in their taxis and as the first two teams leave the clue box at the church, they see the taxis pull up with the other two teams. Nick mentions it and Vicki says “it’s okay, they’ll get penalized.” Kevin yaps at Nick about lying to him and Brook shouts a little righteous indignation too. Kevin goes to ask his taxi driver about their destination, and Nat & Kat find a local to tell them it’s the Peter and Paul Fortress. Nick says there’s nothing in the clue that tells them they can’t take a taxi, so Nat & Kat run back to their original cab with their backpacks still in it and Nick & Vicki try to grab a cab. As they take off in their cab, Kevin says he wants to beat Nick & Vicki so he can tell them that lying doesn’t do him any good.

Stephanie goes up to look for their next clue, and Chad tells us that he’s trying more to let her make decisions - maybe because she’s much better at it than you are? Nick & Vicki are having mega problems finding a taxi, and Nat & Kat get back to their original cab. Nick starts complaining that Vicki runs down a side road to look for a cab as they walk next to a canal and calls her a moron. (Thought you were supposed to be nice from now on, buddy!) In their cab, Claire reads the clue, saying “you must walk to your next destination.” They tell their driver to go back to the tower, knowing (at least from past seasons of The Amazing Race) that Michael & Kevin will get penalized, so Brook & Claire will be able to make up the time.

Stephanie sends Chad up to see if he can manage to see the clue - and he does, telling her “it was right in front of your freaking face.” Make you feel better, macho man? He makes the decision to jump in the taxi, so there goes his smarts! Nat & Kat get to the Fortress first, and the clue is a Roadblock - “Who’s the real player?” Kat will do it by trying to mastering a centuries-old game. It’s a Russian version of bowling called Gorodki. A demonstration shows Phil on a small platform up on pegs, with a Russian tossing a 3-foot stick at the pegs and almost knocking Phil on his ass - he does catch himself and is able to tell us that the teams will have to clear pegs of three different formations with their sticks before they get their next clue. They have two shots at getting all the pegs cleared. Kat gets the first one in two shots.

We see Brook & Claire getting back to thetower on foot, then jumping in a cab. Thomas & Jill and Gary & Mallory find a local to tell them where they need to go, and neither team has their backpacks and Gary & Mallory run tack to get their original cab. Kat gets her next shot at the pegs on her first stick as Michael & Kevin show up, and Michael will do this task. As Michael starts slinging sticks, Brook & Claire show up and Brook will attempt it. Kat gets her third bunch of pegs and their clue tells them to “enter the Fortress and make your way to the next Pit Stop.” Inside the Fortress they must find the bastion where Phil and the Mat will be waiting.

Chad & Stephanie find a local to tell them where to go. Nat & Kat show up at the Mat and are happy to find out they are first - and get $5000 each for their trouble. Michael is still having major problems getting his pegs off the board, while Brook gets her first one. Michael’s sticks are bouncing everywhere but at the pegs, and Brook gets her next two and their clue. Kevin is getting discouraged watching them leave. Nick & Vicki show up - and Nick will do the task, with Vicki telling us “he can take out his aggression on this.” Chad & Stephanie are close behind, with Stephanie deciding to do the task. Nick clears the board with his first toss. After lousy tosses from Stephanie and Michael, Nick clears his second set of pegs. Thomas & Jill show up and Thomas insists this one is his. Nick clears the third set of pegs on two tries and off they go. Thomas gets his first set.

Brook & Claire make their way to Phil with Nick & Vicki right behind. Gary & Mallory show up to the challenge and Gary gets his pegs on the first try - and Michael finally gets his first set of pegs, followed by Stephanie. Gary is killing this task and gets set #2, and Thomas finishes and gets their clue. Gary then blasts his pegs with Mallory telling him what a champion he is, and they make their way to Phil in fourth place. Kevin sees everyone except Chad & Stephanie leave and worries that after getting there in first place, they’ll end up in last - although it doesn’t matter in the long run, they’d get a time penalty anyway so they’re SOL no matter what. Michael gets his pegs done and they run off, with Chad worrying that they’re in last place - but we see Thomas & Jill arguing with their taxi driver about money as they run back for their backpacks, and the driver trying to grab Jill’s backpack off of her. Michael & Kevin run back for their backpacks and find out they’re short of money too, and the cabbie closes the trunk and won’t let them take their one backpack out.

Thomas & Jill find some American money and give their cabbie $60 and he lets them go. They get to the Mat in fifth. Michael manages to find $40 in American money and the cab driver lets them leave as Stephanie gets her third set of pegs. They decide to leave their backpacks in the cab and just run for the Mat. Will they beat Michael & Kevin? Chad & Stephanie see Michael & Kevin running through the Fortress and hope to beat them - and they do, but at the Mat, Phil tells them they have to go back and pay their cab driver before they can check in. Michael & Kevin get to the Mat but Phil tells them they broke a couple of rules - they had a taxi lead them to the tower, and they took a taxi from the tower to the Church, which incurs a 30-minute penalty for each infraction and they can’t get checked in for an hour. They go and sit on the steps as we see Chad & Stephanie running back to their cab. They get back to Phil and he tells them that they also broke a rule by taking a taxi from the tower to the Church. They’ll also get a 30-minute penalty, but since Michael & Kevin were waiting out an hour penalty, that puts them in sixth place. Stephanie interviews later that the Race is moving them forward as a couple and Chad is getting more supportive. (Huh?) Phil then calls Michael & Kevin to the Mat and tells them they’ve been eliminated from the Race. They both say that they’ve come to know each other better because of the Race.

So here’s the order of finish:

1 - Nat & Kat
2 - Brook & Claire
3 - Nick & Vicki
4 - Gary & Mallory
5 - Thomas & Jill
6 - Chad & Stephanie
7 - Michael & Kevin - eliminated

There are two female teams left in the Race, and they both seem pretty together. Will an all-female team finally win? Or will one of our male/female teams keep the women out of the winnings? We’ll find out next week!

A Non-Elimination Leg Saves the Rocket Scientists - Music and Cinema in Russia Give the Teams Fits

2010-10-31T19:10:00.000-07:00

Narvik, Norway is the beginning point for this leg of the Race. Staying in the cold part of the world, the teams must go by car (to the train station), train (to Stockholm, Sweden) and plane to Saint Petersburg, Russia. Once there, they must find Vasilesvsky Ostrov Island and on the island, the Rostral Columns, and there they will find the clue box. Nat & Kat leave first, and it turns out that leaving first or last won’t be a big deal, because the train they need won’t leave until 10:26 the next morning. Time to even the playing field! We don’t get any pre-leg interviews with the teams, but we see them all boarding the train. Jill asks Thomas “have you ever slept on a train before?” and he answers “of course.” After all, the great Notre Dame University not only has gondolas but trains the students can sleep on as they travel about campus! This guy is really starting to get on my nerves with his pompous attitude. Nat & Kat share a train car with Brook & Claire, and for some reason they all start smelling each other’s dirty socks and shoes. They’s some sick puppies! Blech!

Once in Stockholm (which is absolutely beautiful from the few shots of the city we got) everyone jumps in a cab except Gary & Mallory and Chad & Stephanie, who for some reason can’t find one. Maybe it’s because they’re screaming at each other - Chad says Stephanie wasn’t ready to go when Chad said they should and all the cabs disappeared. Stephanie isn’t going to take it and yells right back. All that yelling means nothing, because all the teams are on the same flight.

In Saint Petersburg, all the teams remark on the beautiful architecture in the city. Nick & Vicki talk about how the Russians keep all their old buildings instead of “blowing them up” like they do in Las Vegas. Brook & Claire are first to the clue box, which is a Detour: Classical Music or Classic Cinema. For Classical Music, teams must go to a historic palace, find a maestro with three gramaphones and listen to three different compositions being played. They must then go into a ballroom where there are multiple people playing piano, and figure out which three are playing the same music as they heard on the gramaphones. Taking the sheet music from the top of the piano, they have to put it in a proper folder to match the gramaphone and they’ll get their clue from the Maestro. For Classic Cinema, the teams go to a film studio and the first place a movie was screened in Russia. They will have to go through mounds of film strips to find one that matches the movie playing on the screen - Sergei Eisenstein’s silent montage, “October.” If their choice matches, they will get their next clue from the director.

Brook & Claire and Michael & Kevin decide to try the Cinema, and Chad & Stephanie and Gary & Mallory will attempt Music. Thomas & Jill will go to Cinema, and Nick & Vicki and Nat & Kat (who are now in last place) will try Music. Brook & Claire’s cabbie has no idea where the studio is, and Michael & Kevin beat them there followed soon by Thomas & Jill. The teams are thinking it will be tough looking through all the film strips. Chad & Stephanie get to the Music palace and are a bit overwhelmed by all the pianos in one room and trying to pick out the music of just one. All the Music teams soon get there and rush around the room trying to find the music they need.

Brook & Claire are still in the cab, with their driver asking directions. Chad & Stephanie take their music and find out they’re wrong. Thomas manages to find some large Russian writing on a film strip and they get their clue, which is a large film reel container. There is a photo on it, which is the Palace Square (the Music teams get a record with the photo on it), and that’s where the next clue box is.

Vicki tells us that the Music task was mentally challenging (although I think putting on her socks would be mentally challenging to her!) All the teams take their music to the maestro and are told “nyet” over and over again. Brook & Claire find a piece of film strip with the Russian writing on it also, and Michael & Kevin watch yet another team leave before them. They finally find the Russian writing and are off.

Thomas & Jill get to the clue box at the Palace Square which tells them to go to the town of Alexandrovskaya. They will follow a marked road to a neighborhood store for their next clue. Gary & Mallory are the first Music team to give up and go to the Cinema, followed soon by Nick & Vicki and Nat & Kat. Chad sees everyone leaving and asks Stephanie what she wants to do, and she wants to stay and finish this task. Gary & Mallory get to the film studio and Mallory tells her dad to say a prayer (because of course, God has nothing better to do than worry about some Amazing Race teams). Nat & Kat laugh at the studio that this could be the faster task as they sift through the mounds of film strips. Chad is getting frustrated and Stephanie isn’t putting up with it, saying “I’m trying to be positive.” Thomas & Jill are stopping at what they think might be a store, and end up playing charades while asking some locals where some marked signs might be to drive to. Brook & Claire catch the red and yellow arrows and get to the store to see some little old ladies and get a Roadblock: “Who’s ready for a Russian drag race?” Phil tells us that Russian women known as Babushkas do the farmwork. One team member will have to work in the field. They’ll have to dress as a Babushka and plant a row of 50 potatoes - but! They’ll have to fertilize with a “generous helping” of cow manure.

Brook takes off after putting on her dress and scarf and following the directions, finding her potatoes and wheelbarrow to fill with manure. Kevin decides to do the Roadblock since they “needed to catch up” until he found out he had to wear a dress, and then wished his dad would have done it. He looks really cute in his dress and Babushka! He manages to find the field before Brook and the ladies speak to him in Russian as they show him what to do: first dig a hole, shovel in some manure, drop in a potato, and cover it up. Kevin is repeating the words and learning Russian as he plants, although he’s stepping on his dress as he moves. Back at the Cinema, Nick hopes that Chad & Stephanie are still having problems with the pianos - and he’s right as they once again hear “nyet” from the maestro. Chad then decides that “we’re done. We’re screwed.” when Stephanie asks if he wants to switch. Sure, why not give up, that’s the best idea! Stephanie asks if that’s what he’s doing, is quitting, and Chad says “Yeah, we’re done.” Stephanie doesn’t want to (of course) and they run off to listen to another piano. Getting it wrong once again, Stephanie asks if he wants her to just do it herself, that she wants to stay and work it out together. Chad is having problems letting Stephanie take the lead and interviews later that he had to let her direct them, and whaddaya know? With her lead they get it right! Stephanie interviews that she will teach him to let her lead now and again.

Nat finds the correct film strip and she and Kat are off. Nick complains that they got there last and they’re the first to leave - “those girls have the best luck.” Thomas & Jill finally get to the store and Jill will don the babushka and farm. The Russian ladies are remarking what a good worker Kevin is and Brook finally finds the farm to start planting. We see Kevin planting away as a Babushka shouts encouragement to him, telling Kevin “come on, come on! I love you!” in Russian and Kevin is laughing and really moving - and interviews later that “I think I fell in love a little bit.” Brook is yelling that “I stepped in poo!” and wiping her hands on the ground while the Russian ladies get a good laugh.

Mallory manages to find a film strip and she and Gary run off and yell “good luck” to Nick and Vicki. Nick & Vicki decide to go back to the pianos because “we’re not quitters.” Kevin has finished his planting and with a kiss to his Babushka gets his clue which tells him to go to the next Pit Stop at St. Isaac’s Cathedral, which is the largest Russian Orthodox cathedral in the city and took 40 years to complete. Brook finishes her planting and Jill is planting away while the Russian ladies remark that “these skinny girls can do everything.” As Brook & Claire leave in the cab, Claire complains that Brook “smells ripe.” Thomas is complimenting Jill on how fast she completed the task (even though she didn’t go to college! Imagine that!) Brook & Claire’s cab has to stop for gas as Nat & Kat show up at the store and Nat will plant the potatoes. Chad & Stephanie get there and Stephanie will do the task, and as she’s looking for “Duck’s End” and the wheelbarrows, Nat sneaks by Stephanie with her wheelbarrow full of poo. Back at Music, Nick & Vicki decide to concentrate on one song at a time and find it much easier. Nick interviews that he promised himself and Vicki that he would never blow up like he did with the hoops-in-the-field challenge again. Amazing what one can do when calm and composed, because they sailed through and got their clue.

Michael & Kevin get to St. Isaac’s and can’t find Phil and the Mat and soon after Thomas & Jill show up and run around too. Michael asks Kevin a couple of times about the park across the street but Kevin nixes the idea of looking there, but of course that’s where Phil is! Thomas & Jill take off to the park and get to the Mat in first place, winning a trip to San Paolo, Brazil. After circling the whole cathedral, Michael convinces Kevin to look in the park and they see Phil, but not before Brook & Claire get to the Mat in second place.

Back at the farm, Nat is planting away, but Stephanie can’t find the wheelbarrows and the poop. Mallory catches up and spends a bunch of time looking for the wheelbarrows and Stephanie manages to see the sign to Duck’s End and gets there. Mallory asks numerous locals who don’t speak English and quacks at them to no avail. She asks a gentleman who lifts her over his fence and she thought she was in the right spot - but it turns out that he was asking her if she wanted to hang out and drink vodka with him. Kat finishes her planting and as she runs back for the clue, she passes Mallory who asks where Duck’s End is, and Kat tells her “wrong way.” Stephanie is shoveling poo and when she’s done, she tosses the shovel up onto the pile of poop so the next person (Mallory) would have to climb onto the pile to grab the shovel. She does, and as Mallory turns to leave, her shoe sticks in the pile of poop and her foot comes out of it. She runs with her wheelbarrow yelling that she has cow poop all over her.

Stephanie runs back to Chad who tells her “good job” but adds that she looks good in the getup and “we have to take home that babushka and let you clean the house in it.” (Smack him right now!) Mallory finishes and in the cab, as she looks at her poop-stained hands, she remarks that she would chew all her nails off, cow poo and all, not to get eliminated. Nat & Kat make it to the Mat in fourth place.

Nick & Vicki finally get to the store and with the clue saying “Russian drag race” Nick decides to do the task - and remarks that it was “a race with a whole lotta drag - more queen than cars.” He’s asking the locals where Duck’s End is and all they want to do is pose for pictures with the guy in the babushka.

Gary & Mallory find the cathedral and Chad & Stephanie are right behind them. After running around the cathedral, Gary decides to check the park as Chad & Stephanie drive up and decide to go to the park first. They beat Gary & Mallory to the Mat in fifth place. Nick is planting potatoes, saying he never thought he’d be “planting potatoes in Russia wearing a woman’s dress.” Nick & Vicki tell us that they’re proud of each other as they leave the farm in the cab, and are bummed that they’ll be eliminated. However! Phil tells them that this is a non-elimination leg and they’re still in the Race. Of course, with their mental capacity, that’s enough of a Speed Bump, but let’s see how they do in the next Leg!

Here is the order of finish:

1 - Thomas & Jill
2 - Brook & Claire
3 - Michael & Kevin
4 - Nat & Kat
5 - Chad & Stephanie
6 - Gary & Mallory
7 - Nick & Vicki

Next week, the teams have to join a circus for a bit and Michael has problems throwing sticks. Sounds exciting! Can Nick & Vicki get lucky and overcome their last-place finish? Or will their brains explode and hold them back? Check in next week!

Dashing Through Norway - the Locals Don't Smile and the Vegetarian Eats a Sheep Head

2010-10-24T19:18:00.000-07:00

Our teams begin in the Swedish Lapland, far above the arctic circle. In the summer, the sun never sets! (I spent a summer in southern Alaska, and it doesn't get very dark there either - definitely different!)

Nat & Kat will leave the Pit Stop first, and must drive themselves to Narvik, Norway to a gondola station. They’ll ride the gondola to the top of the mountain to find the clue box. As Brook & Claire leave, Brook tells us she’s hyper and energetic. (Can’t say I’ve noticed that yet.) Michael & Kevin interview that Kevin is in college now, but he’ll be moving out when he’s out of college (and Michael makes a happy face with a thumbs-up. No empty nest problems there!) As they drive, Kevin tells his dad he gave him the clue but Michael can’t find it. Thomas interviews that he expected to be with someone who has gone to college since he went to Notre Dame (uppity, isn’t he?) and we get to hear Jill stating once again that she wants to prove that she’s smart even though she didn’t go to college, she doesn’t want to be following behind. Quit talking and do it woman! I think she’s got an inferiority complex, actually. She might as well give up now and find herself a plumber or something..... Michael ends up finding the clue and sheepishly apologizes.

Brook & Claire catch up to Gary & Mallory and they drive around a roundabout a few times talking to each other and trying to figure out which way to go. I guess stopping the cars to talk didn’t make much sense. Rachel interviews that it’s a race, and she and Katie want to win - “It’s not called Amazing Friends.” They also mention that Nat has a fear of heights and they’re hoping that will mess up the doctor team on the gondolas. As they take off she sits in the corner of the gondola and cries, with Kat trying to calm her down. They get to the top and the clue is a Fast Forward (should they choose to use it). For those of you unfamiliar, a Fast Forward is a special task, and if the team completes it they can skip all other tasks and go directly to the Pit Stop. The team will have to go to a restaurant and participate in a Norwegian Christmas festival - which they won’t know is to eat an entire roasted sheep’s head. Each team member will have to eat half the head.

Brook & Claire jump on a gondola just as Nat & Kat are getting off. Gary & Mallory miss the one and by the time they get on, Michael & Kevin have arrived. The non-Fast Forward clue tells the teams to drive to the Skjombrua Bridge (which Phil doesn’t even try to pronounce - he says “this” bridge. Sissy.) Michael & Kevin ask Gary & Mallory if they’re going to do the Fast Forward, and Gary says “no” but Mallory sees that it says “Christmas ritual” and yells “I love Christmas!” Well, if it involved snowball fights or mistletoe, I’d go along too. But NOT eating a sheep’s head! Blech!

On the way to the Fast Forward, Nat asks “What if it’s an eating challenge?” That’s when we find out that Kat is a vegetarian. Uh–oh! This will be interesting! They walk into the building and see the plates along with a glass of water, and Nat says they know that’s a bad sign to see the water there. Kat’s face is one of total disgust as they peel the meat off the skeleton (I’m not too thrilled either) and they decide to cut it into little pieces and then eat it. After a toast of “tastes like money” Kat tries to just swallow it and not chew it - and doesn’t look like she’s doing very well at it. There’s a woman there playing a violin-like instrument - looks really interesting. They say that the skin is thick and slimy - ew.

Gary & Mallory have teamed up with Michael & Kevin to find the bridge, and get there before Brook & Claire. The clue is a Roadblock. One team member has to step off the bridge and rappel down to the water. Once at the end of the rope, they have to call the boat to get their next clue, then use an ascender to get the 135 feet back up. Kevin and Gary decide to do it - Kevin says the clue asks “who has strength, stamina and guts” and Michael laughs saying “I don’t have guts.” Brook & Claire show up and Brook gives Claire the Roadblock to do and tells her she’ll do great. As she’s walking to the bridge all harnessed up, Claire says “it’s giving me a wedgie.” The guide asks her what a wedgie is, and she says “it’s like when it goes up your butt.”

Back to Nat & Kat, gagging down the sheep and saying it’s crunchy Romaine lettuce, or cucumbers. Kat again reminds herself that it “tastes like a million dollars.” Back at the bridge, Kevin goes down first, but Gary quickly catches up. He tells Kevin “my **** are already gettin’ it” and we’re not shown the word, but I’m thinking his "boys" are a little squished in that harness (if Claire’s getting a wedgie without even going down, can you imagine how the men will feel?)

At the “feast” a Norwegian is standing and staring at the doctors eating the sheep. They ask “how are we doing?” and get a cold stare. Nat asks “thumbs up?” Nothing. She looks at the guy and says “you’re very inspiring.” They manage to finish and the clue tells them to go to the Pit Stop - the Ankenes Marina. Kat says she wants to go to the Pit Stop and she’ll “get sick there.”

Nick & Vicki get to the gondola and decide to try the Fast Forward. They’re gonna be pretty bummed to find out it’s already taken!

Thomas & Jill get to the bridge as Kevin starts repelling back up. Claire is down below trying to figure out how to get back up and having major problems. Gary and Kevin still haven’t made it back up and Thomas is on his way up already. Meanwhile, Nick & Vicki get to the Fast Forward and there’s a sign on the door saying “Fast Forward Taken.” Our rocket scientist Nick says “I have no idea what that means.” Vicki doesn’t either, saying she didn’t know if it was “taken for right now, or just taken, period.” (OMG these two are sooooo dumb!) They don’t know if they should wait or not, and finally decide to go back to the bridge.

Nat & Kat get to Phil and the Mat and are greeted by another Norwegian who doesn’t know how to smile. (A high school mate of mine married a guy from Norway and moved there, and they’re not all like that - some actually smile sometimes!) Phil tells them that they’re in first place and will travel to Costa Rica. The first team to make first, twice!

Katie & Rachel show up to the bridge right after Chad & Stephanie. We see Kevin in first place rapelling up, followed by Gary, Thomas and Claire. Stephanie will do the challenge and I can only imagine the wonderful encouragement she’ll get from Chad when she’s like Claire - exhausted and trying to come up. Claire tells Brook to “shut up” as Brook shouts encouragement (and Brook’s not even being obnoxious about it!)

Kevin makes it up and the clue tells them to drive to Harvika and find a remote field for their next clue. Thomas is up and Claire is crying that her arms are dead - I’d kill Brook for making me do this challenge if I were her. Brook tells her she can do it, and “all I want you to do is finish this - I don’t care when.” She is making decent headway, albeit slowly. Brook tells Claire to call on her grandmother, who passed away four days before the Race started. Brook says “you think Claire & I are spicy? This woman beat us both.” She says Claire need to find the inner strength of her grandma.

Nick & Vicki show up and Vicki is excited about doing the challenge - she says “I’m the one who has the guts in this relationship.” Chad & Stephanie show up and Chad, of course, decides he’s the one to do the challenge. “I’ve got strength.” Michael &* Kevin make it to the next clue box, and the clue is a Detour. Phil tells us that when the weather gets warmer in this part of the world (and mind you, our Teams have winter coats and gloves on. So it’s all relative!) They like to get out and have a good time, but work still needs to get done. The teams can choose from Nike or Boat. For Bike, they choose bicycles and have to pay attention to the color of their bicycle lock. They ride to a sign and memorize a code that coincides with their lock color, which is the bike combination. They ride back, use the combination to open the lock and get their next clue. In Boat, they have to go to a fishing trawler, and use a map to direct the captain to a spot on shore, get off the boat, and deliver two large cod fish and a chain saw to a cabin to get their clue.

Michael & Kevin decide to try Boat, because Kevin doesn’t want his Dad to get overtaxed doing the bike ride on the terrain. Thomas & Jill and Gary & Mallory will do Bike. Brook & Claire will do the Boats. Brook says that this is so out of their realm of wearing makeup and going to parties - and Claire laughs “can we go get a manicure while we’re here?” Brook is cracking up about the life jackets, which go up through the crotch and snap, saying she’s wearing a diaper.

We see Vicki getting close to the top, and spinning around just under the bridge (and getting me dizzy!) Katie & Rachel show up just as Vicki, then Chad get done and are hopeful they can just “blast through this one and catch up.” Katie will do the task.

Michael & Kevin get to shore and climb up the slippery incline to deliver the fish and chain saw. Kevin is carrying the fish and Michael interviews later “that is why he smells so fishy right now.” I really am liking these two, they have a super relationship. We see Gary & Mallory slipping on part of the bicycle path and falling over, deciding to walk their bikes for a bit. Thomas & Jill get to the sign after Gary & Mallory but get back and open their locks first, finding out they get to drive to the Pit Stop at the Marina.

Brook & Claire pass Michael & Kevin on their way to shore in the boat, and Brook carries the fish. She laughs that the fish slung over her shoulder were slapping their tails against her butt. We see Thomas & Jill trying to find the Marina and saying they may have missed a turn - then Michael & Kevin in the car, saying the same thing. Gary & Mallory have a better sense of direction, and get to the Mat where Phil raises his eyebrow twice at the team to let them know they’re in second place. (Cute, Phil!)

Nick & Vicki decide to try the Bike challenge, and Brook & Claire give the cabin owner a kiss on the cheek. He looks pretty happy about it too! Thomas & Jill are so lost they pass Katie & Rachel on the bridge again. Katie & Rachel are ecstatic and Thomas is pretty pissed - “we just totally ruined ourselves!” Michael & Kevin end up right behind them on the road, as Katie & Rachel take off in the other direction. Nick, who allegedly rides bikes competitively, is having major problems getting up a hill while Vicki is cruising right along. They get to the sign as Chad & Stephanie find the place to dock. Katie & Rachel decide to do the Boat. Thomas & Jill stumble upon the marina with Michael & Kevin right behind. They beat the father & son team to the Mat for third.

Brook & Claire get to the Marina in fifth place, and Brook cut her eye on the car door as she was getting out. They get to the Mat and Phil is incredulous that Brook is cut, saying she’s a tough nut “all cut up and standing here like you’re going to sell jewelry.” Katie & Rachel pass Chad & Stephanie in their boat - the producers are really highlighting this, I wonder if the volleyball girls will actually catch up and beat Chad & Stephanie. Nick & Vicki get to the Marina and Nick says “I think we’re in second, dude” as they run to the Mat. (Yeah, okay.)

Chad & Stephanie stop someone on the road to ask if he knows where the Marina is, and the poor guy is a stutterer. Could this be the break that Katie & Rachel are hoping for? It seems as if Katie & Rachel get to the Marina as Chad & Stephanie do, but the dating couple gets to the Mat first. Phil tells them they’re the last team to arrive, and they’ve been eliminated. They’re happy they did it together, but they snuffle in being told to go home.

So here’s our order of finish:

1 - Nat & Kat
2 - Gary & Mallory
3 - Thomas & Jill
4 - Michael & Kevin
5 - Brook & Claire
6 - Nick & Vicki
7 - Chad & Stephanie
8 - Katie & Rachel (Eliminated)

Next week the teams “get immersed in Russian culture - music, cinema, and babushkas!” Looks like fun!

The Race is Less Musical as the Singers, Connor & Jonathan, are Eliminated

2010-10-17T19:25:00.000-07:00

The nine remaining teams begin in Ghana - but before they leave, they stay to paint the school (dripping paint all over from what I see). It underscores again how lucky we are in the US, and the teams work away with smiles and kisses for the kids.

Connor & Jonathan are the first team to leave the Pit Stop - and they rip open the clue to find out they’re going to the Arctic Circle. Actually, it’s Kiruna, Sweden, in Swedish Lapland. All teams have been given tickets for the same flight that flies from Ghana to Frankfurt and on to Sweden, but they’re not going to be forced to use them (making me think there are other ways to get there, and someone will try, and get stranded in some country somewhere.....). They must drive themselves to Jukkasjärvi and find the Icehotel, which is made from 10,000 tons of ice, and they’ll get their next clue there. The singers say they’ll be missing their college graduation on this Leg, and it’s a testament as to how bad they want to win it.

Gary & Mallory leave next, and Mallory screams to find out they’re going to the Arctic Circle. (She screams a lot!) Gary mentions they’ll be going from “a hundred to zero.” Chad & Stephanie leave and Stephanie asks “did I mention I hate freaking snow?” Katie & Rachel leave and Katie (I think, still can’t tell them apart) tells us she’s half Swedish but only knows a few words in Romanian, and the most mentioned is “dumb.” (Don’t think that saying “dumb” everywhere will help - nor will Romanian in Sweden!) Brook & Claire say they didn’t bring their snow boots, and Claire is bummed that they’ll have to put on more clothes (and no one will see her hot pink leopard shorts). Nick & Vicki, our resident brainiacs, get in the cab and Nick asks the cab driver if he knows where the Arctic Circle is. Michael & Kevin, leaving in last place and looking at a Speed Bump along the way, call the airport on the way and find out they can get a flight that leaves two hours earlier from Frankfurt to Kiruna. They decide to tell Gary & Mallory, because they can relate to them as a father/child team. They’ll have an hour between flights, so they hope that’s enough time to connect. Mallory sees an airport employee and asks him to check and see if they can get tickets. She laughs that they “need a girl” to help them out. Brook & Claire decide to check on an earlier flight also, and see an internet café and figure that’s where Nat & Kat are. Mallory’s “best friend” comes back and says they are all on the flight that leaves earlier. Mallory laughs that “I’m so glad I have blonde hair.” Connor & Jonathan are watching all this go on and think there’s an earlier flight and go to an information desk to find out. Nat & Kat bought tickets for the earlier flight, and decided to share that info with Brook & Claire (although how would they not - the Shopping Network gals showed up as they were buying the tickets!) Jonathan and Katie & Rachel find out that all the flights are fully booked and are nervous about some other teams getting a quicker flight. The teams that do have those tickets are preparing for a mad dash to the gate because of the one-hour window before their flight leaves. (Of course, if they miss it they can always use their original tickets - unless they had to give those up to get the new flight).

Nat & Kat make the flight, as to Gary & Mallory and Brook & Claire. We see Michael & Kevin in an elevator worried about making it on time - but the manage to get to the plane before it takes off. Gary & Mallory pass up the sign to the Icehotel, and with Michael & Kevin following them they have to turn around. Brook tells the woman standing by the clues that “my fiancé calls me an ice princess so I may have to borrow that [outfit] later. It’s very pretty.” The clues are blocks of ice with Swedish words etched in them that will lead them to Fjellborg’s Lodge - once they figure out the words. Michael & Kevin get their Speed Bump here. They have to sit on the furniture made from blocks of ice for ten minutes. Sitting for ten minutes sounds like a pretty easy thing to do - but to sit on solid ice with regular pants on? I dunno ‘bout that! Kevin is wearing soccer shorts, too! Michael laughs that he wishes they had that furniture in Ghana.

Nat & Kat ask a local what the words on their ice block say, and he tells them “it’s a camp. By a lake.” Mallory just wants to follow them (bad idea - you ALWAYS find out where you’re going before you decide to follow someone else!) Michael & Kevin get through their Speed Bump, but not before Kevin tells us that his butt is tingling. They get their block-of-ice-clue and say they should have brought gloves - “and butt pads.” A local gives them exact directions on where to drive.

Brook & Claire are following Nat & Kat on an unmarked trail through the (sparse) woods. Claire, in a sinister voice, narrates: “Four girls, traveling alone in the woods, and their car stalls ... and out come the ax murderers.” Michael & Kevin get to the clue box first (after leaving the Icehotel last) and it’s a Road Block: “Who’s feeling kind of mushy?” Dog sleds are the transportation of choice with snow eight months out of the year, but the other four months they have to stay in shape. They’ll have to mush their dogs with a summer training sled along a trail and pick up five different flags along the route. They’ll trade the flags for some pelts. For every flag they miss, they’ll have to do a penalty lap around the hunter’s camp. They then mush the dogs back to the start and exchange their pelts for the next clue. Michael takes off, yelling “good doggy” all the way. There’s a bear that jumps up next to the road - what—!!! Okay, it’s a guy in a bear suit. Cute. I’d like to think they’d find a way to keep real bears from getting that close to the contestants!

Mallory, Claire, and Kat will do the Roadblock too. As Michael gets all of his pelts the rest of the teams land in Sweden. Mallory misses the red flags but passes Kat up on the road, saying “I’ve got good dogs.” Kat’s dogs stop in the road and Claire passes her up as well. Mallory has to do a penalty lap and Claire gets her pelts with all of her flags, and kisses the hunter. I guess they’re doing a kiss count, and Claire’s was the sixth of the day. Wahoo! Germs from every part of the world!!!

The five remaining teams get to the Icehotel and some write down the words on the ice (as opposed to some other teams, who take the ice with them). Katie & Rachel ask a local, who says he can take them there. Thomas takes his ice but is having problems keeping a grip on it and uses Jill’s jacket.

Michael mushes back to the beginning and gets the clue, which tells them to drive to the Vassijaure Train Station for the next clue. All the mushers come back with mega smiles on their faces saying it was awesome.

Chad & Stephanie see all the other teams except for Jill & Thomas driving to the clue box. Katie, Connor, Stephanie and Nick race off to mush the dogs, and Jill & Thomas show up. Jill decides to do the task but they start running off in the wrong direction! We hear the familiar “zing” in the music that lets us know they’re making an AWFUL mistake. As Connor and Nick take off, laughing and urging their dogs on, Jill & Thomas keep running down a road to nowhere - but at least they’re thinking that maybe they screwed up, with Thomas asking “did we miss a sign or something?” (Yep.) If I’m them, I’m thinking about now that it shouldn’t take that long to get somewhere! They finally figure they’re off track and turn around, and Jill asks if they want to use the Express Pass. Thomas doesn’t want to make any decision yet but wants to check it out first.

Nick is hot on Connor’s trail, yelling “I’m coming, Connor!” as he catches up. Jill & Thomas get back to the dogs and off Jill goes.

Michael & Kevin get to the train station and the clue is a Detour. Phil tells us they're in a place where people can go to do extreme sports, but there are also people who follow the customs of their ancestors. They can do Sleds or Beds. For Sleds, they go to the top of the mountain and speed down a course on a tech sled. They both have to finish the course in less than a minute and 58 seconds. If they don’t make it, they have to go back to the top and try again. In Beds, they go to the camp of Sami people, descendants of Scandinavian nomads. Using the traditional tools, they must build a tent known as a ghoatti (if the internet tells me correctly). When the tent is up and the inside ready for sleeping with pelts and a fire, they’ll get their next clue. Kevin would love to do the sled, but he’s worried that his dad wouldn’t be able to do it. As they’re putting up the tent, and it’s flopping all over, the local Sami are cracking up watching them. (I think we have to have at least one set of locals laughing at a team or two every episode, or it just wouldn’t be The Amazing Race!)

Nat & Kat are next to the clue box and head off to Sleds. Back at the mush dogs, the teams finish their challenges and Nick tells the dog handler “your dogs are awesome!” They get their clues, and as Chad & Stephanie leave just before Jill & Thomas, Chad says that because of Jill & Thomas’ Express Pass, they’re running the Race as if they are in last place. After seeing what the Detour is, I wouldn’t blame them if they used the Express Pass!

Michael & Kevin are making better headway with the tent, but they tell us that they thought they’d be building a bed, not a tent. Nat & Kat get to the sled course and are loving the scenery sitting in the chair lift. They’re excited about trying the sleds, but Nat interviews that the turns were really icy and the course was fast, and pulling the brake didn’t do much. Kat misses a turn and gets tangled in a fence as Nat finishes in 1:48. Gary & Mallory start their run, and Gary takes off quickly but Mallory is kneeling on the seat and going slower. But! It looks like they make it - 1:58 on the dot. The guy tells them no, they have to BEAT the time. Back at the tent, Michael & Kevin have it up and are off to get pelts and firewood, and Kevin says his feet are frozen - he’s only wearing ankle socks. Nat & Kat make it in 1:55 on their second try. Their clue tells them to drive to the Pit Stop which is at the Norwegian Border. Brook & Claire make it in 1:48, and Gary & Mallory do 1:24 on their second try.

Chad & Stephanie decide to try the Sleds, but only Chad is excited - Stephanie wants nothing to do with it but says she’ll try for Chad. (Awwww). Nat & Kat find Phil and the Mat, and are the first team to arrive. They win a trip to Belize.

Michael & Kevin finish their hut and get their clue. Gary & Mallory then Brook & Claire get to the Mat and there are hugs all around.

Jill & Thomas are the last to the clue box at the train station and talk about using the Express Pass to just bypass the tasks and “kill everybody.” Jonathan & Connor are on the course, and Jonathan keeps falling over. Stephanie says she’s never been more scared in her life looking at the course. She ends up right behind Chad and yells at him to go faster, but ends up wobbling and tipping over. Chad yells at her to get back on. She hits a turn and flies off the sled and gets tangled in a fence. Ever the supportive one, Chad yells at her “well, don’t even try or anything!” Connor & Jonathan finish, but in 2:03 and have to try again. Stephanie crashes once again and tells Chad she can’t do it. At the bottom, Chad says Stephanie is letting her head get to her.

Jill & Thomas are attempting Beds and talking about using the Express Pass, saying it would be a shame to be eliminated and not use it. They decide it will take too much time and give the Sami their Express Pass and get the clue to go to the next Pit Stop. As Stephanie gets to the bottom of the course, she tells Chad she’s done. She doesn’t want to go again after crashing three times and the sled landing on top of her. She’s too afraid to try again. I’m looking at Chad’s face and thinking it reminds me of the old saying “if looks could kill....” She cries as they walk away and Chad thinks they’re giving up.

We see Connor & Jonathan trying again, and failing miserably, and Jonathan interviews that “saying Connor is batter at the sledding than I am is a gross understatement.” He kept going over and through the fences and was afraid he’d end up in Norway. Nick & Vicki begin the course and Vicki interviews that they’re a more physical couple than a mental one (you’ve definitely proved that!) and this challenge was more suited to them. They finish in 1:46 on the first try. Katie & Rachel are flopping all over and Rachel loses her sled down the hill, so they decide to switch tasks. After another disastrous run, Connor & Jonathan switch also.

As they get to the Beds challenge, Jonathan & Connor are happy to see the other teams, but Chad & Stephanie are soon finished. Katie & Rachel’s first check isn’t good enough, giving Connor & Jonathan some hope. Chad & Stephanie arrive at the Mat carrying their block of ice clue! Katie & Rachel get approval and drive off, and Connor & Jonathan get their clue. It looks like both teams get to the location of the Mat at the same time (and they have their block of ice also). The A Capella team sings their way to the Mat but Phil tells them they’ve been eliminated. From first to worst! They tell Phil they graduated from Princeton and graduated from the Race on the same day, and toss their baseball caps into the air. We’re treated to them singing about the Race and Phil sending them home.

1 - Nat & Kat
2 - Gary & Mallory
3 - Brook & Claire
4 - Michael & Kevin
5 - Jill & Thomas
6 - Nick & Vicki
7 - Chad & Stephanie
8 - Katie & Rachel
9 - Connor & Jonathan (eliminated)

Okay, yet another team finishes first. Are the teams that close? Do you see a clear front runner yet? Next week will only tell!

By the way, I've found a couple other "amateur" bloggers that are quite entertaining - you should check them out!
Sean - http://sfurfaro.blogspot.com/2010/10/amazing-race-recap-we-should-have.html
Josh - http://www.joshwolk.com/blogs/archive.php

A Non-Elimination Leg Saves Michael & Kevin

2010-10-11T06:47:00.000-07:00

Leaving from the Ghana Market, Brook & Claire open the clue and find out they have to travel to Jamestown and find the Akotoku Boxing Academy for their next clue. The clue doesn’t say “boxing” but just “Akotoku Academy.” Sounds like our teams may be punching each other out!!! The clue is a Road Block: “You’ve got a rocky road ahead.” One team member must properly wrap their hands, then use the punching bag for 60 seconds and jump rope for 60 seconds. Claire says “If she has to get in the ring with one of those guys I’m afraid for the other guys.” Chad & Stephanie show up second and Stephanie tells Chad “I want you to box.” (Is she pissed at him and hopes someone knocks him out?) Katie & Rachel show up right after and Katie runs off to do the task. She and Chad try to follow the hand-wrapper (who isn’t doing it slowly or helping them at all). By this time, Brook has blasted through the challenge (she says they train at a boxing facility) and they’re off to find a Supply Depot in the Dodowa District for their next clue.

Jill & Thomas’ taxi driver has to stop for directions, and Connor & Jonathan are singing to their cabbie to “please drive faster” and “we love Sampson (the cabbie).” I imagine that would help, their singing is very good and it makes a tense situation a bit lighter - and the locals probably get a kick out of it. Nick & Vicki tell us that they are going to keep communicating because that’s the key to a good Race (sounds like they’ll be having communication problems later).

Chad and Katie are jumping rope, and Chad starts showing off and trips on his rope and has to start over, leaving Katie to get ahead of him. Chad tells us, though, that “she didn’t look as good as me doing it.” Kevin and Connor will do the boxing challenge, as will Thomas. Connor flies through the challenge and Kevin is slower because he can’t wrap his hands correctly. Mallory & Gary show up and Gary will do the challenge, as will Vicki. Where are our doctors? Nat & Kat are in the cab, after giving themselves the kiss of death by saying “a good cab driver can make up time and a bad cab driver can make you lose the Race.” They’re lost. They see Chad & Stephanie and Katie & Rachel behind them, and stop the cab to block them from going anywhere so they can ask where the boxing academy is. The teams tell them it’s behind them just to get moving again, and Nat & Kat tell their cabbie to turn around, but he refuses, saying “this way.” Again, the cabbie has to stop and ask directions. Mallory & Gary get ahead of Jill & Thomas and so do Nick & Vicki.

Brook & Claire’s cab gets held up by some yaks crossing the road and Connor & Jonathan urge their driver to pass them up on the road, getting to the supply depot first. The clue tells them to load up a wheelbarrow with supplies and take it to the Asebi D/A Primary School and deliver them to the foreman. If they deliver all the correct supplies listed on the clue, they’ll get their next clue. They have a ways to go down a pothole-filled road and Jonathan complains about the heat, but it seems they do the task quickly. The clue says “It’s time for a pop quiz.” Phil tells us it may be a challenge for the teams to figure out exactly where they are. They’ll have to go to a classroom and figure out African Geography. Connor makes the first guess on where Ghana is, and is wrong - and the kids laugh at him.

Brook & Claire read the clue: “Choose a pair of wheelbarrows and load them with construction supplies.” So what do they do? Grab ONE wheelbarrow and supplies. Back in class, after about 7 incorrect guesses, Connor finally gets Ghana right and gets their next clue. They tell the kids “Princeton is a good school, honest. There’s an African studies major.” Their clue is a Detour: Bicycle Parts or Language Arts. For Bicycle Parts, they must use a stick to roll a bicycle rim around the bumpy terrain down a soccer field and back without letting it fall. In Language Arts, teams choose a proverb with eight highlighted phrases. Each phrase has a symbol in a native visual alphabet. They must go to a large wall with symbols and find the proper symbols in the proper order to get their next clue. Connor & Jonathan will try Language Arts.

Brooke & Claire get to the foreman and find out they have to get two wheelbarrows - and they have to take all the stuff back and get the other one. Katie & Rachel get to the supply pile and argue about the wheelbarrows, with Katie reading the clue saying “choose a pair of wheelbarrows” and watching Michael & Kevin take off with one. “They only have one. Well, they’re idiots.” Brook & Claire are on their way back and don’t tell Michael & Kevin that they should have two wheelbarrows, just answering “yes” when asked if they forgot something.

And we see that Nat & Kat have definitely cursed themselves - their cab with a different driver is now overheating. He fiddles with the engine and they take off again.

As the teams near the Supply Depot, they see the teams already there walking with their wheelbarrows. Chad jokes “run ‘em over” but quickly tells the cabbie he’s just kidding. (Not really. But being the cause of a run-over-by-cab death on the Amazing Race would NOT be pretty). Michael & Kevin get to the foreman and find out the girls didn’t tell them what was wrong, and they too have to go back. Katie & Rachel missed the trowels, and have to go back to get them.

Connor & Jonathan are at the symbol wall and find their symbols in consecutive order. The student gives them their clue, which tells them to go to the Pit Stop which is the home of Awusa Ntso on a rural farm. Connor & Jonathan get to the Mat and are ecstatic to be first, and finding out that they won $5,000 each.

Brook & Claire get their clue from the foreman and go to the school, where Brook says we in America have beautiful schools, whereas the Ghana children just have a shack. Nick & Vicki get to the foreman and find out they brought two bags of cement instead of one. Nick tells Vicki “It’s fifth-grade reading.” He’s ticked. Mallory & Gary are correct and head off to the schoolhouse. On the way back, Nick is blasting Vicki, telling her she has no common sense. (That’s communicating, all right!) He says he’s pissed and he won’t get over it “until we see Phil and he tells us we’re not last.” Mallory tells us that seeing these kids makes her know “how good we have it.” Gary gets Ghana correct on the first try, and they decide to try Bicycle Parts. Mallory is having major problems getting her bicycle rim to move and Gary gets across the field right away. She complains that it’s hot and she’s watching the kids just run like it’s nothing. Another one, Mallory, asking Jesus for help on the Race (much more important than world hunger or war, of course!)

At the classes, Chad & Stephanie, Brook & Claire, Katie & Rachel and Jill & Thomas all get Ghana on the map correct on their first try. (Lucky those Princeton boys were far enough ahead, huh?) All four teams decide to try Language Arts. Brook & Claire see the eight highlighted phrases and also see eight schoolchildren playing, and decide to draw a circle around the kids - and all the other teams do it too. The kids aren't paying attention to the teams and Brook & Claire see the symbol wall and realize the kids have nothing to do with the paper. Jill & Thomas as checking the kids’ textbooks for the decoder key, walking right by the key map on the wall.

Kevin & Michael get Ghana correct on the first try and take off to do Language Arts. We see Gary finish his turn with the bicycle rim and Katie & Rachel show up to try it. Chad & Stephanie are frustrated and decide to switch tasks. Nick & Vicki tell us “we’re the dumbest people on earth” because the African map is full of country names - except for Ghana, which they can’t place correctly. Nat gets it on the first try.

Mallory & Gary get to the Mat in second place, and Gary is happy that “nothing broke down today.” Katie & Rachel, Nick & Vicki, and Chad & Stephanie are watching the kids to get the gist of the bicycle rims. Chad says that he loves kids - “everywhere you go in the world, children are amazing. They see the world in such an honest way, that nothing is bad out there.” He zips through the challenge without a problem, while Nick & Vicki are communicating - Nick by throwing the bicycle rim, complaining “This is so stupid” and telling Vicki to shut up. His tolerance level is a bit short today! Stephanie gets her two passes done, and they’re off to the Pit Stop, where they meet Phil in third place. Katie gets her two passes done, and Nick manages to get to one side of the field as Brook & Claire walk by the decoder map to switch tasks. Nat & Kat give up at the symbol wall and switch also. Katie & Rachel finish and get to Phil in fourth place. Nick is done, and Vicki is having major problems with her asthma between the heat and the running and the frustration. Nick then decided to calm down to help her out.

Back at the wall, Thomas & Jill both walk past the decoder key and go to the Bicycle Parts, as do Michael & Kevin. Funny, but now that Nick is being supportive and encouraging, Vicki manages to get through the challenge. He says later that he feels crappy for treating her that way - okay, Nick, brownie points, but don’t do it again! They get to the Mat in fifth place, with Brook & Clair right behind, and Phil tells them that tomorrow they will be going back to the school with the other teams to do some remodeling and give back to the community.

Nat & Kat finish ahead of Michael & Kevin, because Michael is out of breath and doesn’t think he can make it. Kevin is a good kid, telling his dad that even if it takes 30 minutes, he has to try to finish it. Michael is panting and saying he can’t go back. He’s having trouble breathing and getting dizzy from the heat and medics had to be called in. Michael is crying, saying “I didn’t do it” and apologizing, but Kevin tells him it’s okay. As Jill & Thomas get to the Mat, Michael decides that he’s going to show his son that they are a team and he’s going to finish what he started. In the meantime, we see Nat & Kat getting lost looking for the Pit Stop - I guess the editors are trying to make it look like a race to the Mat but I don’t see Michael & Kevin beating them...or will they? As they leave the task, Kevin asks “are you ready, dad? And he says “I’m ready to be eliminated.” There’s the dramatic music, and Nat & Kat make it ahead of Michael & Kevin. Phil tells them they’re the last team to arrive - but he doesn’t say they’re eliminated. Phil tells them they’re still in the Race because it’s a non-elimination Leg. They will have to do a Speed Bump in the next Leg, but they’re still racing!

So here’s the order of finish:

1 - Connor & Jonathan
2 - Mallory & Gary
3 - Chad & Stephanie
4 - Katie & Rachel
5 - Nick & Vicki
6 - Brook & Claire
7 - Jill & Thomas
8 - Nat & Kat
9 - Michael & Kevin (non-elimination leg)

We've now had a different team finish first for every Leg of the Race. Will any of them double up? Who's the next first-place team? Can Michael & Kevin get over the Speed Bump and stay in the Race? Find out next week!!!

Ghana Makes Some Interesting Coffins!

2010-10-03T18:31:00.000-07:00

The Pit Stop on the last Leg of the Race was in Eastnor Castle in the English countryside, a beautiful place that leaves Andie & Jenna to say they felt like princesses. Jill & Thomas and their Express Pass get to leave first, and they open their clue to find they have to fly to Accra, Ghana and go to Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, which is a monument to the “Father of Ghananian independence.” Nat & Kat leave next, telling us that if there were two boats in the ocean, Kat would be the slow and steady ocean liner and Nat would be the dinghy bouncing alongside. Connor & Jonathan open their clue right before Brook & Claire and Rachel & Katie and decide to wait for them to pool their resources. They decide to ask someone and Brook tells a tractor driver she’ll give him a big sloppy kiss if the writes down the directions to the airport - and then just gives him a peck on the cheek. Cheater!

Once at the airport, the teams are all on the same flight to Ghana. There’s a mad dash to get a taxi outside of the airport, and the teams find out that their drivers have no care for anyone on the roads - including pedestrians and other vehicles, almost hitting them. At red lights, the cabs are inundated with people begging for money and Andie can’t resist the kid’s face and gives him a coin. She says “that’s somebody’s son” and Jenna hopes it will give them good Karma.

The clue tells the teams to go to Makola Market and find the clue box across from the entrance. It’s packed with people and finding the main entrance isn’t an easy task. The clue is a Roadblock: “Who thinks they can handle some shady dealings?” Since it is so sunny, sunglasses are a hot item and one team member has to sell enough sunglasses to make 15 Cedi (Ghana money), and they’re not allowed to sell the glasses for less than 3 Cedi. Brook is ecstatic since this is right up her alley. Chad tried flirting with the women and seemed to make good headway. Brook told a customer that “you look like a gangster!” Mallory & Gary are still in their cab as the other teams get to the market, and their cab dies but they seem to get another one pretty quickly. Nick is having big problems and Brook is selling away, offering cheek kisses with her sales. Jill and Nick seem to have a lot of lookers but no buyers. Of course, Brook gets done first and the clue tells them to go to the Peace Motor Spare Parts store in the June 4th area for their next clue. Connor’s tactic is to get on his knees but it seems to work, and they leave right behind Michael & Kevin. Jill and Kat are getting nowhere but frustrated.

At the Motor Parts store, the clue is a Detour: Tune In or Check Out. For Tune In, teams have to go to an electrical supply store and pick up television antenna system. They must then find a marked house and install the antenna to the owners’ specifications. If the house gets TV reception, they get their next clue. For Check Out, they have to go to a woodworking shop that makes unique coffins (lions, cameras and soda bottles, to name a couple). They choose a coffin and then must transport it through the back streets to the showroom.

Brook & Clair decide to install an antenna and it’s ridiculous to watch - and listen to, because Brook NEVER shuts up. The home is painted a bright green inside (maybe there was a special on the color at the Ghana Home Depot?) Michael & Kevin make it to the parts store but for some reason can’t see the clue box right in front of it. Connor & Jonathan’s cabbie doesn’t know where the June 4th area is and Chad & Stephanie get ahead of them. Chad is “good with electronics” so they decide to Tune In. Michael & Kevin see them getting their equipment for the task and ask where the clue box is. Rachel & Katie decide to Check Out and load a piano coffin to deliver onto a wheeled cart.

Back at the market, Jenna does a great job and gets more than 3 Cedi per pair so she doesn’t take long. Mallory freaks out when one guy tells her he’s going to buy the whole board’s worth of glasses and makes her count each one. There were 200 pair but he just takes one in the end but pays her 15 Cedi for them. Kat is still having major problems selling. Jill feels bad about selling glasses that are scratched to someone, and later Thomas tells her “why do you care? I hope you’re not going to be too nice to people on this Race.” Nick is on his last pair and a woman tells him she wants them for free and starts walking away, with Nick saying “I think I just got jacked for some sunglasses.” She actually comes back and pays him and off he and Vicki go, leaving Nat & Kat alone in the market. Kat says she’s not going to quit her day job to become a Ghanian sunglass salesman. Rachel & Katie are weaving through traffic with their piano coffin.

Despite her constant yapping, Brook manages to tweak the antenna to make the TV come in clear (although I think the homeowner accepted the job just to get his peace and quiet back.) Their clue tells them to go to the next Pit Stop, the Kaneshie Market, one of the largest in all of west Africa. They must get through the crowds and vendors to a bridge, where Phil and the Mat will be waiting. Rachel & Katie breeze through their delivery and dash off to the Pit Stop in second place. Chad & Stephanie are in a blue-walled house and turn the TV on to nothing but snow, and Chad is sounding surprised when the owner says “no good.” Michael turns out to be adept at antenna installing and he and Kevin leave ahead of Chad & Stephanie. Jill & Thomas decide to move the coffins also and grab the camera coffin. Brook & Claire get to the market just before Rachel & Katie and it’s a mad dash to find Phil and the poor woman standing next to him with a huge basket of fish balanced on her head. Brook & Claire are team one and win a trip to Hawaii.

Finding the antenna installation too rough, Connor & Jonathan decide to switch tasks and move a coffin. We see Nat & Kat and Gary & Mallory stopping for directions and Andie & Jenna do the same. They all find out they’ve gone too far and have to turn around. Jenna looks absolutely pissed as she watches the cab driver go for directions.

Connor & Jonathan grab a fish coffin and Nat & Cat grab a lobster, tying a surgical knot to keep it on the cart. Connor & Jonathan are bashing the heck out of their fish coffin on other coffins, cars, and whatever they get close to. The remaining teams are stuck in a major traffic jam and Nat & Kat manage to convince their driver to mash his way through the lanes of cars and pull ahead of everyone. Jonathan & Connor's cabbie follows them, and Jonathan says “these taxi drivers are nuts. We’re not complaining, as long as we’re not dying.” It’s scary enough watching, I can imagine what it looks like from the passenger’s perspective! Connor says he’s proud he hasn’t soiled himself (I imagine the cabbie is too). When they get to the market, Connor & Jonathan beat the doctors Nat & Kat to the Mat.

Nick & Vicki get to Phil and it’s a race to the end for Gary & Mallory, who are paranoid that they’re last. Mallory says they’re going to have a heart attack and die on the Mat - “Has that happened before?” Phil lets them sweat a little and tells them they’re in 9th place and still in the Race. Andie & Jenna make it to the mat last and are eliminated. They interview that they’re happy to finally know each other. Andie says her gift to Jenna was giving her to a good family who made her the person she is today, and wished she could have done that herself. (This is what adoption is all about and how it’s supposed to be!)

Here is the order of finish:

1 - Brook & Claire
2 - Rachel & Katie
3 - Michael & Kevin
4 - Chad & Stephanie
5 - Jill & Thomas
6 - Connor & Jonathan
7 - Nat & Kat
8 - Nick & Vicki
9 - Gary & Mallory
10 - Andie & Jenna

Next week, they’re still in Africa and it seems Nick shows his nasty side, and Michael shows his age. Who will be the next team to go home? Do Brook & Claire make you think an all-female team has a shot to win this? Or are you hoping they don’t, because they’ll have to add another hour to the finale just for Brook’s yakking?

The Amazing Race begins!

2010-09-26T20:22:00.000-07:00

The Amazing Race begins in Glouster, Massachusetts - on the East Coast for the first time! Lobster boats are taking all the teams to the starting line, and we get to meet them:

Brook & Claire tell us they are great communicators and can manipulate people to get their way. Chad & Stephanie just met eight months ago and already bought a house together. Chad says he is going to propose to Stephanie on the Race. Katie & Rachel want us to know they are smart, tough, athletic. But when the time comes, “We’re gonna be some bitches.” Connor & Jonathan, the a capella singers from Princeton, say they’ll sing to make other teams like them. They offer that tenors are tough guys and manly. (Okay.) Nat & Kat as doctors, they’re used to being stressed and sleep deprived so they figure they’ll have a leg up there. Michael & Kevin say they have conflicting cultures because Dad is an immigrant and Kevin is more Americanized. Nick & Vicki are full of tattoos but say those are deceiving because they’re very athletic. Ron & Tony met while doing “The Wiz” and are best friends, and it’s Tony’s dream to run the Race. Jill & Thomas tell us Thomas is outspoken and competitive - he’s gonna be a bulldozer and there might be some good arguments with these two. Mallory & Gary tell us that hard work and being a good person can get you anywhere. Gary says “Don’t let the pot belly and gray hair fool you.” Jenna & Andie are meeting for the third time and want to feel fulfilled after the Race.

Phil welcomes the teams and tells them there is a new element in this Race. The first team to check in on the first Leg gets a prize - an Express Pass they can use any time during a challenge they don’t want to complete. The Pass will allow them to skip the task, get the clue and move on. Phil also tells them that even though two flights are waiting, first flight has room for only three teams and will land 30 minutes earlier.

So now we begin. Phil? “The world is waiting for you. Good luck...Travel safe...Go!”

They’ll be flying to London & going to Stonehenge to find the next clue. There are Mini Coopers (at least I think they are, the cars might be Smart cars. Anyway, they’re really small). The cars must have cameras in the dashboards, because there’s no room for camera guys in them for sure! There’s also no air conditioning, because all the teams are sweating bullets as they drive.

Ron & Tony tell us they can navigate well. (Hmmm, does this mean they’re gonna get lost big time?) Connor & Jonathan find out they’re on the wrong side of the city and Connor laughs “I hope we get out of America.” Ron & Tony get to the airport first. Rachel & Katie know they’re in fourth behind the best friends, Chad & Stephanie and Jill & Thomas but decide to try to go to American to get on the first flight anyway. Gary & Mallory and Brooke & Claire jump on a shuttle bus and tell the driver to take off before Nat & Kat get on the bus, which he does.

Ron & Tony get the first flight. Chad & Stephanie go through a long line instead of to the flagged counter so Jill & Thomas get ahead and get on the first flight. Chad & Stephanie are told to go to another counter and Katie & Rachel are racing to the counter, but Chad & Stephanie beat them to it. Rachel says “son of a bitch” a lot.

Ron & Tony meet up with other teams on first flight. Ron says they may have been underestimated because “we’ve got a big fat guy on the team.” Tony tells him “It’s called healthy.” All the teams on the second flight are hugging and greeting each other.

Once they get to London, everyone forgets they have to get in the “passenger side” to drive. Stephanie laughs about driving a stick on the left side. Ron & Tony stop to get a map. Chad & Stephanie end up back by the airport and Chad snips a little, and these two are gonna argue a bit too. Nick & Vicki seems lost. Andie is driving and not doing well with the clutch - she’s burning the clutch and their car smells - Connor & Jonathan are behind them and can smell it. Connor & Jonathan try to help but end up leaving them stuck in traffic. Andie was riding the clutch and ended up trying to shift into reverse instead of forward gear. Nat & Kat get to Stonehenge first.

The clue tells them to “Find the castle that is the opposite of Nor’easter,” which is Eastnor Castle. They stop and ask a local and are told it might be near Tewksbury. Chad & Stephanie use the internet and Rachel & Katie ask a local - Brook & Claire just jump in the car and go. Rachel & Katie see Nat & Kat on the road and ask if they want to find it together. Rachel is trying to drive the stick and stalls it. Ron & Tony are lost. Gary & Mallory and Connor & Jonathan get their clues together at Stonehenge and Mallory tells Jonathan “c’mon Princeton!” as they try and figure it out. They ask a local who tells them Castle Ledberry at Hedfordshire (what that has to do with Nor’easter, I haven’t a clue!) As Nick & Vicki drive up, Vicki says it’s the first she’d ever heard of Stonehenge, “and I find out it’s a bunch of rocks.”

Jill & Thomas get to the Eastnor Castle first with Nat & Kat and Brook & Claire right behind. The clue tells them to “storm the castle,” meaning they have to climb a ladder being guarded by a mob of peasants and retrieve a flag. They then have to travel across the moat in an ancient boat and give their flag to a knight in shining armor to get their next clue. (I wonder if any of the peasants are going to tell them “Your mother is a hamster, and your father smells of elderberries!” - It’s from Monty Python’s “Search for the Holy Grail” movie. If you haven’t seen it, rent it. It’s funny.) The peasants are tossing muddy water on them as they climb up the ladders. Rachel & Katie manage to get the flag first and run off.

Mallory & Gary get a flat as they stop at a gas station and Connor & Jonathan, who are following, decide to take off instead of waiting for the tire to get changed.

Brook & Claire end up sinking, as do the other teams, so they all have to go back and try again. The boats look like turtle shells and are quite wobbly. Jill is in the boat with her back to the shore and doing all the pulling to get across, and Thomas just tells her how great she’s doing. Nat & Kat are pulling the rope together with Brook & Claire bringing up the rear.

Rachel & Katie are calling Stephanie “Tinkerbell” for some reason. They’re happy to see Chad & Stephanie, knowing they’re not far behind. Ron & Tony finally get to Stonehenge and ask how many teams are ahead, and the local tells them “lots and lots.”

It’s hysterical watching Chad & Stephanie trying to get into the boat without it tipping, although Chad is getting aggravated. He’s standing and she’s sitting, and they sink - twice.

Jenna & Andie think they’re looking for Norwest Castle. Ron & Tony are having major problems navigating because of the number of roundabouts and lack of marked roads on the maps. Vicki tells us she needs “kindergarten directions.” (I think Vicki is our dumb blonde this Race - and she’s a brunette!)

Jill & Thomas get their flag to the knight first and get the next clue. The knight tells them “Welcome to the tournament” and the clue asks “who’s ready to go into battle with a knight in shining armor?” I’m wondering if they will have to joust, but no, Phil says it’s a Roadblock where they have to team up with a knight and use a medieval weapon, a balista, to shoot watermelons at a knight figure 50 feet away. It looks like a giant slingshot. Once they knock over the knight, they have to find the jester and get their next clue. Thomas decides to do it, and jumps on the horse with the knight. Claire thinks she’s got it in the bag because she grew up with horses. As Nat rides off with her knight, she says “My knight in shining armor, finally!” As they start flinging watermelons, they realize it’s not as easy as they may have thought and Claire now knows it really has nothing to do with horses.

Rachel & Katie get to the boats at the moat as Chad & Stephanie are still crossing, and Stephanie is yapping the whole time, telling Chad to go slow. Connor & Jonathan start climbing the wall at the castle and Connor tells us they’re missing their graduation to do the Race because it’s their last chance “to be kids, in a way.” As Chad & Stephanie sink yet again, we see that it’s their 12th attempt. Rachel & Katie laugh that they” just passed Tinkerbell and Pan.”

Thomas finally blasts his knight with the watermelon and gets the clue from the Jester. It tells them to find the Pit Stop, which is on the grounds of the Castle in the Eastnor Castle Meadow. Oh wow, it looks like they get to sleep in tents?! They see Phil at the Mat, and are told they are team number one. The Express Pass can be used up until the eighth leg of the Race (nice that they can’t use it close to the end, let’s keep stuff fair!) Even winning the leg of the Race, I noticed Jill doesn’t really have a happy face - she looks really dour all the time.

Rachel & Katie start navigating their boat as Nat absolutely blasts her knight and gets their next clue. Nat & Kat get to the Mat in second place. Claire manages to hit the flag next to the knight, and in her next attempt as Brook tells her to hit the knight right in the kisser, the watermelon springs back and smacks her right in the face. Claire has a headache and says she can’t see right, but Brook tells her she has to keep going - “They don’t call this The Amazing Race for nothing.” Rachel & Katie feel that Claire is brave to keep going. After two more shots she finally gets the knight, and the Jester is even impressed as Brook yells “she just got hit in the face with a watermelon!” Connor gets his knight and Rachel hits hers right after. As they run through the field, Claire keeps saying “I can’t feel my face.” Connor & Jonathan get third (after slipping and falling on his ass onto the Mat) and Brook & Claire get fourth.

We get to Kevin & Michael and their many attempts to manage the boat, and at least they’re laughing as they sink. Andie & Jenna are still on the road as are Nick & Vicki and Ron & Tony, looking for the Castle. Mallory & Gary are cracking up as they get pelted with water going up the wall. They see Kevin & Michael and Gary says “they look like a couple carnies in a dunking booth.” Mallory & Gary seem to get the boat on the first try and give Kevin & Michael an idea how to do it. Andie & Jenna finally make to the Castle as Nick & Vicki stop for directions and Ron & Tony are really getting discouraged.

Chad & Stephanie are wandering around the grounds and can’t find the Mat. Michael & Kevin finally get across, slow and steady, with Michael saying that was the best moment of the Race for he and his son. (Considering it’s only been a day.....) Nick & Vicki actually make it to the Castle and as they read the clue to “retrieve a medieval flag from the battlements” they’re dumbfounded, asking people “are you the battlement?” I really hope they stick around for comic relief! They wander around in a stupor, walking right past a flag.

As Gary rides off to defeat the knight Mallory stands watching the Jester juggle as he stands on a ball, and seems to be in awe. She seems kinda ditzy too, but nowhere near as Vicki! Can’t wait to see them in the boats - as they wander right by the boats, saying that there are no more boats left and they’ll have to go across and get one. They finally realize where the boats are and I’m bummed, they figure it out on the second try. Kevin hits his knight just after Gary does, and as Chad & Stephanie still wander around the grounds looking for the Mat, Mallory & Gary get to Phil in sixth and Michael & Kevin are right behind. Somehow, Chad & Stephanie manage to find the Mat and admit in their interview that the arguing defeats their purpose.

Jenna finally hits her knight and they get to the Mat in ninth place. Ron & Tony’s boat sinks time after time as Nick keeps slinging watermelons, and they get their clue. They get to the Mat and Phil asks them “What’s the name of this country?” Vicki answers “We’re in London, right?” Phil shakes his head and says “That’s right, we’re in the country of London.” They do correctly guess that they’re in 10th place.

Ron & Tony seem to give up but get to the Mat, and Phil hates to tell them they’ve been eliminated. They’re very sweet, saying that their friendship is worth everything. Awwww, you’re still going home, fellas.

So here’s how they all ended up:

1 - Jill & Thomas
2 - Nat & Kat
3 - Connor & Jonathan
4 - Brook & Claire
5 - Rachel & Katie
6 - Mallory & Gary
7 - Michael & Kevin
8 - Chad & Stephanie
9 - Andie & Jenna
10 - Nick & Vicki
11 - Ron & Tony (eliminated)

Well, I get my wish, and Nick & Vicki, the rocket scientists, will still be around to give us a good laugh for at least another leg of the Race. Any teams jump out at you as frontrunners? Will Nick & Vicki manage to find their way out of the country of London? We'll find out next week!

We Have a Winner! Brothers Dan & Jordan Get the Million

2010-05-09T18:52:00.000-07:00

Okay, folks, tonight’s the night! One of the three remaining teams will win $1 million! Will it be airhead models Brent & Caite, cowboy brothers Jet & Cord, or brothers Dan & Jordan? Tell you what, it will be a fight to the finish, with the way things are starting out, that’s for sure!

The teams begin in Shanghai, China, and Brent & Caite lead the way from the Pit Stop. Their clue tells them to go to San Francisco, and find Battery Godfrey, a military outpost near the Golden Gate Bridge. Brent & Caite are looking forward to getting back to the States. Cord doesn’t know if he’s more excited to be in the Final Three or to be headed back to the US. At the airport, the marked counter doesn’t open until 10:45 a.m. Dan & Jordan arrive and meet up with the other two teams, and Jordan puts his backpack by Brent & Caite’s, and decides that puts them second in line for tickets. Dan & Jordan end up standing in front of Jet & Cord, and there is a bit of arguing. Quite low-key, thankfully (although if it got heated the Cowboys would definitely put Dan & Jordan out very quickly, I imagine). Jet wonders aloud how the brothers got in 6 hours after them but can get tickets ahead of them. Jet & Cord discuss “grabbing their backpack and throwing them backward” but say it could get them in trouble. Jet says “If that’s the way they want to run the Race, that’s fine with me. If they wanna drop the gloves, I’ll drop the gloves. As the Cowboys interview in line behind the Brothers, Jordan says “it’s a race, it’s a game, and there’s a million bucks at the end. You can hate the game but don’t hate the player.” The Cowboys just shake their heads and as they leave with their tickets, Jordan tells them “don’t hate” and Jet just tells them “get out of the way.” After not doing a dirty thing one time on the Race so far, (per Dan), they’re not being Mr. Nice Guy any more. It’s the Final Three, and they’re going for it. (I can’t really decide if this move was all that evil. Yes, they should have gotten their tickets in third place, and I think it was ethically nasty, but I think it was a smart move. If Jet & Cord hadn’t gotten tickets, now that would have been really evil of the Brothers. Besides, we’ll see if Karma catches up with them!) Dan got the idea to talk to a stewardess and see if they could move up to first class - and they did so rather than being in the back of the plane, they’re now getting off first. They make it out of the airport first and get a big jump on the other teams.

At Battery Godfrey, the clue is a riddle: “I was built in 1933. I’m 210 feet tall. My insides are lined with murals painted by 26 different artists. What am I?” The clue box will be at the Coit Tower at the top of Telegraph Hill, where you can see the city in all directions. Brent & Caite, in the meantime, are getting clues that their cab driver isn’t sure where he’s going. Jet & Cord are in the same predicament, when their cabbie says “almost somewhere now here.” Jet & Cord pass Brent & Caite as they look at a map on the side of the road, and tell their driver to go to Langdon Street. Dan & Jordan’s cab driver can’t help them solve the riddle so they run along a guy riding a bike and find out it’s Coit Tower. Jordan (who up till now I assumed to be somewhat bright) says “people who ride bicycles are smart. It’s a general rule.”

Jet & Cord pass Brent & Caite to the clue box. Back in Shanghai, they bought a travel guidebook to San Francisco, and as Jet read the clue Cord remembered it was in the book. They leave and we see Brent & Caite complaining because their Asian cab driver speaks little English. (Karma will bite you in the ass every time, kids!) Jet & Cord tell their cabbie to drive fast as they pass Brent & Caite’s cab so he won’t tell them where to go. Caite whines “now we’re gonna lose because of this dumbass.” At the Coit Tower, Jordan sees something hanging off a high window and tells Dan “you’re going to have to climb it for the clue.” Not really - it’s a Roadblock, and one team member must climb the side to grab the clue using a mechanical ascender (a rope thingy). Dan gets geared up and starts inching his way up the side of the Tower.

In the meantime, Ciate is being especially obnoxious and rude, now calling their cab driver a dumbass out loud. Brent tells her to chill out, and she tells Brent she wants to punch him in the face. (If they get married and have kids, Brent should stay out of the delivery room. Caite gets a little pain and she’ll kill him!) Jet & Cord get to the Coit Tower as we see Dan struggling to get up the Tower. Cord will attempt the challenge and Dan manages to finish and get back down with the clue before Jet gets moving up. (Was anyone else getting aggravated with Jordan’s encouragement to his brother - ending every sentence with “bro”?)

The clue tells them to go to Yoda Fountain which yes, is a fountain with a statue of cute little Yoda. It’s located in front of Lucasfilm Studios. As their cab takes off, calling someone to find out where the Yoda Statue is, Jet is making short work of the climb up the tower. Brent & Caite stop and ask someone to help them solve the riddle and their driver says he knows where Coit Tower is. Dan & Jordan get to the clue at Lucasfilm and it tells them they will “join forces with a special effects company." One team member will put on a motion capture suit and go to a sound stage. The other team member will sit in front of a computer dressed in a storm trooper suit and direct them through a virtual maze. Once they decide which role they’ll take, they’re escorted into the building by armed storm troopers. Looks ominous! As Cord descends the Tower, he says “riding bulls is much easier than that!”

I guess the “director” of the maze doesn’t have to wear a storm trooper suit - bummer. That would make it a bit harder, I would think, but the storm trooper was just for show. Letdown! Jordan keeps laughing that he’s wearing a “suit with balls on it.” They can hear each other, and Dan will have to make Jordan walk around a room as Dan watches a computer screen. Jordan has an avatar on the screen and there’s a maze he has to go through with Dan’s direction. Dan mentions that he’s a sports freak and not into video games. Dan first tells Jordan to “walk toward the blue light” but Jordan sees nothing but a plain room that almost looks like a gymnasium. It doesn’t take Dan long to catch on and he has Jordan turn in a circle so he can “see” everything around him.

Jet & Cord show up and as Jet is getting suited up, Cord hears Dan talking and starts barking orders himself (without his headset on yet) - telling Jet to jump up and down, and do ballet moves. Dan is getting peeved as Cord yells louder, telling Jet (who’s not even out there yet) to “do a two-step” and “sashay.” Dan gets his composure and gets Jordan through level one. Cord is finally on the headset telling Jet “you see that blue spot” and Jet tells him he can’t see anything like that. Jet’s Avatar on the screen is wearing a black cowboy hat! Dan gets Jordan to the end, but there are words circling on the screen and Dan has to read them. Back at the Tower, Brent does the climb and takes the time to enjoy the view on the way down. Jordan moves his head and Dan realizes that when he does that, the words slow down. Jet is getting close to the end of level one, but he has to move forward and Jordan is in the way. Cord slaps the wall next to him where Dan is, telling Dan to direct Jordan out of the way. Dan swears at Cord and Cord tells him “I’m gonna have these Star Wars guys take you out, man.”

Jordan is spinning around in circles so Dan can read the words, but telling Dan he’s about to throw up. Cord tells Jet to get out of the way so he doesn’t get puked on. Jet can step up enough for Cord to get to the second level. Jordan spins a bit more and Dan finally gets what he needs and Jordan is happy he doesn’t have to spin any more. As he leaves, Dan yells out instructions as he passes Cord. The Brothers leave as they read the clue: “A long time ago, on a hill, this Polynesian haven and they called it Tonga.” They must go to a Tiki Bar called Tonga for their next clue. (And they’re in San Francisco, so the “on a hill” part isn’t any help.) As they leave the building Jet gets to the end and Cord can’t figure out how to read the words (after all the spinning by Jordan you’d think they’d have figured that part out!) Brent & Caite get to Lucasfilm and Brent immediately says “I’m the director.” Cord is looking for the “slo mo” on the computer. He’s catching the beginning of the clue as Brent & Caite get through the first level.

Dan & Jordan get to Tonga. They must take a trunk that is there to their next destination. They’re not sure where that will be because there’s no clue box, but there’s a label on the trunk that says “The Great American Music Hall.” They bump into a local who has no idea where it is.

Back at the studio, Cord finally realizes that Jordan was spinning for a reason. Brent tells Caite to spin around pretty much from the beginning. Dan & Jordan finally find someone who knows where they have to go, and are told it’s a 10-15 minute walk away. Brent & Caite finish just behind Jet & Cord, but lose any hope of catching up when Caite asks where their “money and stuff’ is. They realize they have to turn around. Dan & Jordan are getting tired carrying the trunk and start arguing about moving the trunk the wrong way and bashing their shins. Jet & Cord are running through the streets with their trunk, telling a passing woman “excuse me, Ma’am. We got kicked out.” Dan & Jordan make it to the Music Hall and Phil explains that San Francisco was the heart of the psychedelic music scene. (So, what, they’re gonna have to drop acid and try and finish the race? Get through an orgy with 10 women? And two guys? Protest at a sit-in?) To get their final clue, they’ll have to “flash back to the Age of Aquarius.” In their trunk are 11 psychedelic posters. Eight represent the teams already eliminated and three represent the non-elimination legs. They will have to put the posters in the proper order to get their clue, and Jordan is ecstatic because after watching the Amazing Race for 15 seasons, he knows there’s a memory challenge involved. He wrote down everything as they progressed through the Race. He shouts out the order of teams to Dan as Dan hangs the posters and they finish in very fast fashion. Their last clue reads: “Jack be nimble, Jack be quick. To find the finish line, jump over to [blank].” As they put their posters back in the trunk, Dan figures out they need to go to Candlestick Park. They spend some time hugging before they dash off to find a taxi, which they have trouble locating.

Jet & Cord seem to be making good headway with the posters and Dan & Jordan still haven’t found a taxi. As the Cowboys finish, Dan & Jordan get a cab and what looks like right after, Jet & Cord hop in a cab. Their cabbie asks them if there’s a rodeo at Candlestick Park. Jordan sucks up saying they have the “best cab driver ever.” It looks very close, but I’m wondering exactly how close it is. Dan & Jordan emerge onto the field through the big helmet and jump on Phil at the Mat. They both talk about what an amazing experience it was, and how great it was to win. It seems like the Cowboys come running in shortly after, and find out they’re team two. They talk about traveling around the world with their brother and best friend, and “with my character and integrity intact.” A swipe at Dan & Jordan, for sure, but as it turned out it wouldn’t have made a difference, so they need to let it go. Brent & Caite show up and we see Brandy & Carol (talk about letting it go) watch them come in and Brandy doesn’t clap and Carol claps slowly. Phil asks her if there was anything Caite wanted to prove, and she says “that I’m intelligent” and we see Brandy snark something to Carol. Phil says she is the only woman to finish in the Final Three, “but there are two other women....” Caite turns to say something to Carol & Brandy and Brandy immediately jumps on her, saying “I don’t want to hear sorry. You purposely whacked us.” Carol is turning away in embarrassment. Caite tells her “maybe ya’ll should have treated people a little bit better.” Brandy tells her “if you can’t handle it....” and Ciate comes back with “I can handle it. Obviously I’m standing her and not you.” Sorry, folks, she’s a bitch (not that Brandy is any better). Jordan interviews later saying that he can now say that “hey, bro, when we’re on the same team, we’re unbeatable.”

So another season has ended, another race around the world is done. We’ll look forward to The Amazing Race 17 in the fall! Have a great summer everyone and thanks for your comments!

Models, Cowboys and Brothers Will Race for the Million!

2010-05-02T18:40:00.000-07:00

The Amazing Race is nearing its end! Four teams left before next week’s finale!

As the teams leave, we hear that Jet was hit on the side of the head by a hoof and ended up with a crushed skull - they weren’t sure he was going to make it. Cord stayed at his hospital bed the entire time. Cord says Jet is the strongest guy he knows, and that gives them a good shot at winning the Race. They take off and the clue tells them to find the Garden Bridge, which locals know only by its Chinese name (and they didn’t put it up on the screen and I have no clue what Phil said!) They ask some locals, and finally find one who directs them to the Park Bridge.

Brent & Caite leave next, and Caite says she still gets negative comments from her stupid answer in the Teen USA pageant. If she finishes in the final three it will “show the world that I can accomplish anything I put my mind to.” Except that her mind isn’t all there, so....

Jet & Cord get to the destination they were told to go to and see nothing with the Race colors, so they decide to find out from someone else. Brent & Caite get lucky and find a local to search it on her phone, and she finds out it is called Waibaidu Qiao. She writes a note and tells them to go by taxi. Jet & Cord ask a taxi driver who tells them he can get them there, then once moving tells them he doesn’t know where the address is.

Dan & Jordan are leaving and Dan says he did the Race just for Jordan’s dream (like we haven’t heard that 100 times already) but now he wants to win it for himself too. They also can’t find anyone who knows where the Garden Bridge is.

Brent & Caite reach the clue box, and their clue says they must go to the Longhua Temple for their next clue - but they cannot travel by taxi. Jet & Cord get there shortly behind. Brent & Caite get a map of the bus routes and she decides they have to take Route 3, and the bus driver confirms it. Caite says that “obviously I know how to read maps....and in China. So you people can go screw yourselves.” (I’m impressed). Jet & Cord ask their cab driver the best way to get to the Temple and he tells them by train, and the station is a kilometer away. Dan & Jordan meet a local and ask him about the Garden Bridge, and he’s Mr. Clueless. Dan has decided he hates China and will never be back because of the language barrier. Two hours after their start, they still have no idea where they’re going so they decide to go back and team up with Michael & Louie. Their strategy is never to be alone and in last place - and with Michael & Louie having a Speed Bump, this would allow Dan & Jordan to go ahead. Michael & Louie think they’ve “caught up” to Dan & Jordan after walking a bit from the Pit Stop, although they have to feel better about being close to another team. They go up to a higher point, and Michael uses his little telescope to see if he can find the Garden Bridge. Because he’s a detective, he can see things better than most people (don’t think it’s going to help you here, buddy!)

Brent & Caite get to the Temple and the clue box. It’s a Roadblock. Phil explains that the word “Arhat” means “one who has attained enlightenment.” The teams must count all the golden statues in the Arhat Hall (523). If they’re correct, they get a clue - if not, they must wait ten minutes before guessing again. Caite will attempt the task and tells Brent to leave her alone while she counts. Brent says this is a good task to show everyone that Caite is more intelligent than everyone thinks. (I’m thinking she’s gonna do something incredibly stupid this leg of the Race...otherwise what’s all this talk about Caite not being as stupid as we know she is?) Her first guess of 520 is wrong.

Michael & Louie and Dan & Jordan spot some jackets hanging on a street sign and decide maybe the clues are in the pockets. After poking through them they find they’re wrong - and I think they’re lucky they didn’t get arrested for going through someone’s pockets (although they were hanging on a public street sign). Jet & Cord are still walking and haven’t found the train station. Ciate guesses again, this time 522. So much for showing people how smart you are!

Michael asks to borrow a cell phone and calls the translation number. The phone number is in every cab and when one has problems telling the cab driver where to go because of the language barrier, they will find out in English and tell the taxi driver in Chinese. He gives the phone to a cab driver and Dan & Jordan tell their cab to follow Michael & Louie’s cab. Dan & Jordan are having fits because their driver isn’t following the other cab close enough, and the front cab gets through a light and they’re stuck behind. Louie comments how it’s nice to have the boys with them, and Michael looks back and says “they’re not with us any more.” Dan & Jordan are practically trying to crawl in the front seat of the cab, telling the driver to follow the green cab, and not getting anywhere.

Caite says the statutes started blending together into one big gold statue after awhile. She guesses 524 this time. Jet & Cord get to the Temple and pass right by Brent as they look for the clue box. They finally find it and Cord is the one who will attempt the count.

Dan & Jordan manage to catch up to Michael & Louie’s cab at the bridge and get the clue. Back at the Temple, Cord notices that there are two statutes standing up, not of Buddha, but re-reading the clue he sees he must count “all the gold statues.” He figures he should count those too, and it turns out that he’s correct and gets his clue. Caite comes out just behind him and manages to have the right answer as well, finally. The clue tells them they must choose a motorcycle and ride it to the Yuyuan Gardens and find their next clue. One team member rides on the back of the bike and the other in the sidecar. Jet laughs that riding in a motorcycle through China was something for a country boy like him, from a town with one stop light.

The Brothers and the Detectives go to a hotel and ask how to get to the Temple and are told how to get to the bus stop. Michael says if they were going by taxi they would ditch the Brothers and go on their way. Brent & Caite and Jet & Cord are having problems finding the Gardens, and Caite is being accosted by vendors asking if they want to buy things, and being snotty about it. Jet & Cord find the clue box and it's a Detour: Pork Chops or Pork Dumplings. For Pork Chops, they must go to a store which sells elaborate carved stamps, which are called “chops.” They must find a stamp with a pig and one with their name and turn them in for their next clue. In Pork Dumpling, teams go to a restaurant and pick up ten orders of dumplings and make their way through the market to deliver them to get their clue. Jet & Cord decide on Pork Chops and find the store rather easily and start looking through the stamps as Brent & Caite find the clue and pick the same task. Brent can’t even concentrate because he has to go to the bathroom really bad. Caite tells him to “just go” and Brent says Caite can’t look while he’s in the bathroom, so Caite tells him to just hold it. He tries to convince her to go with him to the rest room and she says “I’m not going anywhere.” (Nice girlfriend. Although that’s what got the female basketball players eliminated a couple seasons ago, when one of them had to stop to pee.)

The other two teams get to the Temple and Michael & Louie get their Speed Bump. They will have to perform a local good luck ritual by tossing a coin into an incense burner. They’ll be able to continue from there “hopefully with enough good luck to make up the time.” The incense burner is right by the Temple so they don't have to go far. Louie gets his coin in pretty quickly. Dan is the one who attempts the counting and Michael & Louie make short work of the coin toss and join the Brothers at the Temple to count statues. Louie is a “mathematical genius” and he’ll kick butt, according to Michael - and Jordan asks “so you’re calling my brother stupid?” Back at the stamp store, Brent is still complaining about needing to go to the bathroom, and not looking for stamps at all, telling Caite if they went to the bathroom he would be able to help. They started arguing and finally went down the hall to the bathroom.

Dan decided the best way to do things is to take your time and it would be done right, and gets it right on the first attempt. Michael is bummed as he watches them leave. They take off on the motorcycle and Jordan says “you have these glasses, a helmet, and gloves, I had to hang onto this Chinese guy .... okay I liked that part.” Louie comes out with a guess of 521 and has to wait ten minutes. Michael says it’s “tortuous.” Louie reads the clue again and realizes he forgot to count ALL the statues.

Cord finds his name on a stamp and shoves it in his pocket, not wanting Brent & Caite to know he found one thinking they’d be more motivated. Caite found Cord’s stamp and of course, doesn’t say anything. Brent finds his and says it’s huge, “just like everything else.” Louie comes out with the correct number of statues and off they go on the motorcycles. Brent finds the pig and they get their clue, telling them to find the next Pit Stop, the Riverside Promenade, a park overlooking Shanghai’s waterfront. Jet & Cord find their next stamp and manage to get a cab before Brent & Caite, and Cord tells the driver “rapido” and then shakes his head, saying he doesn’t know any Chinese. They see Brent & Caite trying to find a cab as they take off and hope it will get them ahead.

It looks like a race to the finish as Jet & Cord and Brent & Caite look around the Promenade for Phil and the Mat, and Brent & Caite get there first, where Phil stands with the world’s tallest man. He’s a herdsman from Outer Mongolia and is 7 feet 9 inches tall. Caite decides that she’s proved she’s intelligent. (Good for you, honey!) Jet & Cord are told they’re second, and plan to get a new belt buckle if they win saying “Amazing Race Champs.” (*rolling eyes*)

Dan & Jordan decide to try the Pork Chops and Dan finds Louie’s stamp. Michael & Louie get to the clue box and decide to try Pork Chops also. Dan & Jordan had about 20 minutes on Michael & Louie and Michael is feeling pretty good. Jordan is fussing that “this is impossible” and Dan tells him to stop complaining and keep looking. He doesn’t want to hear excuses. Dan finds his stamp and we see Michael using a flashlight looking at the underside of the glass shelves. Jordan finally finds his stamp and they get their clue and take off. They ask locals for help to find the Pit Stop location and get some girls to come with them to show the way. Michael finds Louie’s stamp and Louie finally finds Michael’s as Dan & Jordan take off in a cab. The Detectives can only hope that the Brothers get a bad cab, and it seems like they do - they say that their cabbie may not know where he’s going. “He seems to lack any real motivation to help us.” It looks as if both the cabs show up very close together, and we see both teams looking for Phil all over the Promenade. It’s Dan & Jordan who make it to the Mat in third and are told that they’re in the finals. Jordan says Dan is an unbelievable brother and they’re going to win the million dollars. Phil has to tell Michael & Louie that they’re out of the Race. Michael says there’s no one he’d rather do the Race with, and Louie says there were a couple of instances when they had to share a full-sized bed.

So it’s models Brent & Caite, cowboys Jet & Cord, and brothers Dan & Jordan in the finals for the million bucks. Who’s got the best shot? Are the models smart enough? Are the cowboys tough enough? Are the brothers determined enough? We’ll find out next week!

Noodles in the Cold and Puzzles on a Windy Day

2010-04-25T18:18:00.000-07:00

Four teams left in the Race! They all leave from Singapore for the 10th leg. Dan & Jordan leave first, flying to Shanghai, China. They will have to taxi to the town of Zhujiajiao, which is the “Venice of China.” They will take gondola boats to their next clue box. Brent & Caite leave next, and Caite is happy she’s the last girl standing. Jet has a wife and a 17-month-old child, and Cord got engaged before he left, so they’re a little homesick. All the teams meet up at the airport and get to hear Caite tell the gripping story of how she U-Turned Carol & Brandy. (It was mesmerizing, I tell you!) Dan & Jordan interviewed that it was a stupid decision and based on personal reasons, and that Jet & Cord are much stronger competitors and they should have been the ones to be U-Turned. The first flight leaves at 12:55 a.m. and they’re all on the same flight.

Everyone grabs a taxi out of the airport - Michael & Louie get one that understands no English, and they’re following Dan & Jordan, whose cab stops to confer with Michael & Louie’s driver. Jet & Cord get to Zhujiajiao and Jet leaves his backpack in the cab (Cord takes his along, seems like the smarter move. I wouldn’t leave my worldly belongings unless I was positive I was coming back!) Brent & Caite get to the gondolas first and float down the channel. Brent, rocket scientist that he is, says he feels like he’s in “Sicily.” (Really, just get yourself a lobotomy and get it over with already!) Jet interviews that it was a “tranquil” ride and Cord has to have him explain the meaning of the word. (Brent & Caite are rubbing off on him!) In the meantime, Michael & Louie and Dan & Jordan are stuck with cabbies who cannot speak English and are lost. Michael says that he spoke to someone on the plane who said that 1/3 of the people speak English “But we met the other 2/3 right away in China.”

Brent & Caite get to the clue box first and the clue is a Roadblock. Phil tells us that noodles have been an important staple of China for 2000 years. They will have to go to a noodle house and learn how to make noodles by hand. Once they’ve made 1 kilo of noodles, the smallest man in the world, He Pingping, will give them their next clue. Caite thinks he’s “adorable” and Brent says he’s as large as Brent’s foot to knee. Caite and Jet start making noodles, and we see Dan & Jordan and Michael & Louie bemoaning their fates with the lousy cab drivers. They end up in some deserted place and find someone who speaks English and tells the drivers where to go. Jet realizes that sprinkling flour keeps the noodles from clumping and seems to be making good headway. The little guy has a cigarette in his mouth and it looks the size of a cannon. Caite is having mega problems with her noodles, and Brent says he’ll never ask to her make some homemade spaghetti. (*eyes rolling*) Jordan volunteers and Louie says he used to help his grandmother make pasta. (Kiss of death, I bet!) Jet is doing great and gets his pasta done, with “gentle hands” according to Jordan. Caite’s noodles keep clumping and she keeps getting “no, no” from the local in charge. In the cab, the Cowboys talk about the little guy’s cigarette, and say “apparently smoking will stunt your growth.” Louie gets 15 grams of good noodles and says “my Grandma is probably turning over in her grave right now.” The Cowboys luckily can go back to their cab so Jet is safe this time. Their clue tells them to go into the fashion house and work together. They will choose a model who has a sketch of a design. They will have to find all the pieces of the outfit from the many racks, and if the model is dressed correctly, they will get their next clue. They start looking through the racks...

And Caite finishes her noodles. Jordan is complaining that his hands are freezing and he’s not going quickly at all. Louie gets a big clump and Jordan asks “how did you do that?” Louie yells “it’s because I’m Italian!”

We see Cord seeing a model with a shirt that looks like his sketch and asks the model if he can have her shirt. (Had she understood English, he may have gotten clobbered). As their model gets dressed, they banter about how fashion conscious they are. Louie finishes his noodles and they yell “good luck” to Jordan as they take off. Jordan gets another clump of noodles done but he’s far from finishing and is getting upset. Dan goes over and gives his brother a hug and a pep talk, telling him “I know how hard this is, but you’re doing great.” You know Jordan’s hands are freezing, because we can see everyone’s breath. Jet & Cord find out their model is dressed incorrectly and go to pick another shirt, which is the right one so they get their next clue, which tells them to go to Hongkou Stadium for their next clue. Brent & Caite then get to the fashion house and Caite thinks it’s funny that they’re usually the ones getting dressed, not picking the fashions. Michael & Louie get their clue (which is right in front of the fashion house) and go wandering off looking for the building. Jordan finally gets done with his noodles and off the Brothers go to find the next clue box. Caite, after hating Carol & Brandy the whole Race for talking about a tiara, asks the model if she needs her tiara to help her change clothes.

Jet & Cord get to the Stadium and find another Roadblock. This is a first, having two Roadblocks on one Race - and the person who didn’t do the first Roadblock has to do this one. And Phil tells us “It won’t be easy.” They will have to take 96 cards and build a puzzle with them, working off of a little picture. They will then give the cards to people in the stands, and once the cards are flipped over, it will give a seat number where their next clue is hidden. Cord started laying the pieces out and says they all look alike. Jet says that Cord isn’t talented in everything, but he makes up for it in “try” and he’s glad Cord is his teammate. Brent & Caite get their model dressed correctly and head to the Stadium. Michael & Louie finally wander back to the correct place and laugh “what kind of detectives are we?” As they get their clothes together, Dan & Jordan walk in and Michael says “being a gay male, this is right up Jordan’s alley.” Michael & Louie are wrong and Michael yells “can we have a shooting challenge please?” They find out they’re wrong again. Dan & Jordan are wrong, also, and they realize that each model is wearing the other’s stockings. Michael & Louie’s model gets dressed first and they take off with Dan & Jordan right behind them. Michael complains that he’d like a challenge where they could “kick a door in” or “chase a crackhead.” Brent is making good headway over Cord, and the wind kicks up and starts blowing their pieces away. Cord starts taking clothes off to hold down his pieces, throwing his jacket and hat and shirt on top of them, then laying on them till the wind quits. Brent is getting pretty ticked and starts yelling to Caite “I was halfway done.” Cord interviews that “having a fit and kicking and screaming isn’t going to help.” The teams are using their backpacks to hold down the pieces as they build the puzzle. Cord gets done and passes out his pieces and they’re correct, because the readable answer is Section 20, Row 16, Seat 33 and there’s the clue! The clue tells them to go to the Shanghai Science & Technology Museum, which is the Pit Stop on this leg of the Race. Dan is building the puzzle like his Dad used to, getting the corners and border first, then the middle. Brent finally gets done and finds his clue. Michael is looking through the individual pieces trying to find them one by one, and getting fixated on finding one piece.

Jet & Cord make it to the Mat first, and poor Phil looks freezing. Speaking of which, the Cowboy brothers win a trip to Alaska. They’ve won three trips so far, and they both say they’re not going with each other. Brent & Caite are second to the Mat. The crowds at the Stadium are cheering their puzzle makers on, and Dan finishes his puzzle and runs off to get his clue. Michael is bumming and “not seeing this.” He’s not giving up, though. Dan & Jordan get to the Mat in third, and Jordan thinks the girls with Phil are cute. Michael is taking so long that the lights are on at the stadium. Louie says he’s sad, but he’s proud of his partner and gives Michael a hug after he finishes. They get to the Mat last, and Phil tells them that “you are the last team to arrive, and you are out.” (This gave me the hint that this was a non-elimination leg, or else the show just became Project Runway.) Phil smiles and says “...in the cold!” and tells them while they have a Speed Bump next leg, they’re still in the Race. He tells Louie, “don’t make me eliminate you.”

The show ends with “In memory of He Pingping.” The little guy obviously died, and after looking him up on Wikipedia, I found this:

He Pingping was, according to the Guinness World Records, the world's shortest man who was able to walk. He was admitted to a hospital on March 3,2010 in Rome, Italy after complaining of chest pains. He died on March 13, 2010 of heart complications. The Guinness World Records editor-in-chief, Craig Glenday, said that he was "an inspiration to anyone considered different or unusual." He measured 74 cm (2 ft 5 in) tall, and was the third child of a family in Huade county, in the city of Ulanqab in northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. He had two sisters, one who stands at 7 feet tall. According to his father, He Yun, at birth He Pingping was small enough to fit in the palm of his parents' hands. When it became apparent the child was growing very slowly, doctors diagnosed the cause as the bone deformity osteogenesis imperfecta, which hinders normal bone growth and body height. His name "Pingping" means wine bottle. He was a chain smoker.

So here are the standings, getting pretty darn close to the end:
1 - Jet & Cord
2 - Brent & Caite
3 - Dan & Jordan
4 - Michael & Louie

So there is one more show before the finale on May 9th. Who will our last three teams be? They all seem capable (as long as there are no tasks needing brains for Brent & Caite).

Brent & Caite Don't Have to Worry About Those Mean Lesbians Any More! And the World is Right...

2010-04-12T16:22:00.001-07:00

Many apologies for being late ... I didn't set my TiVo to tape longer and TAR started late, and the ending got chopped! Had to wait to watch the end online today....

The teams begin in Malaysia at a 100-year-old mansion. Jet & Cord leave at 10:02 a.m. They will travel by bus and train to Singapore to the Victoria Concert Hall and look for Allan Wu, who is the host of the Asian version of the Amazing Race, to get their clue. Carol & Brandy leave next, and their clue warns them that a U-Turn is on this Leg of the Race. (Uh-oh, will Caite get her wish to U-Turn Carol & Brandy?) They talk about working well together, which is a big turnaround from the way they started. Jet & Cord manage to get the first bus out of town. Dan & Jordan tell us they decided at the beginning of the Race that they wouldn’t “throw elbows” and they want people to like them. They end up on the bus with Brent & Caite and Michael & Louie, and ask who they would most want to U-Turn. Michael says “the girls, because they’re the most world-traveled.” Caite says they’re going to U-Turn the lesbians, and Dan asks if it’s because they’re lesbians (yay Dan - make her think! Oops, we’re talking about Caite, right? Sorry), and Caite says “no, it’s because they’re mean to me.”

Jet & Cord get to the train station and find out the train doesn’t leave until 9:30 p.m., and realize that all teams will be on the same train. On the train, Dan sees that it's not the cleanest, and uses a disinfectant wipe and is surprised at the filth on it. The train has no seats (at least where our teams are) but has sleeping bunks. As the train gets close to their destination, Michael & Louie and Brent & Caite are standing in the aisle as Carol & Brandy try to get through to get closer to an exit, but they stubbornly refuse to move to let them by. Brent says “ladies get through, bitches don’t.” (My, isn’t he obnoxious! Totally uncalled for. Then cosmic justice as Caite falls flat on her face outside the train station.) Jet & Cord and Brent & Caite have problems getting a cab outside of the train station, and Jet & Cord have the most trouble and end up leaving last. At the concert hall, the teams end up running inside looking for Allan Wu, but Dan & Jordan stay outside and find him relaxing and reading a paper and get their clue.

The Singapore Flyer is a giant ferris wheel (although Phil says it’s the “tallest observation wheel in the world,” and will be the Fast Forward on this Race. The team who attempts it will wait until their car is at the top (541 feet up), then have to leave it and walk across to another car next to it, then they’ll get the “Fast Forward Award” which will probably say “go to the Pit Stop.” Dan & Jordan decide to go for it, and it turns out to be a great move.

Michael & Louie go outside to look for Allan Wu as Jet & Cord show up, and the two teams get their clue as Brent & Caite and Carol & Brandy look through the building inside for Mr. Wu. The clue from Mr. Wu is a Detour, which entails an ethnic challenge - Pounding the Drums, or a more modern one: Pounding the Pavement. For Pounding the Drums, teams must go to Speakers’ Corner and learn a routine on traditional drums. Their drum teacher will let them know when they are ready and they will have to perform it correctly to get their clue. (And all I can see with this challenge are young, cute kids, so this may be interesting!) For Pounding the Pavement, the teams must go to a pedestrian mall (read outdoor square) and pick up supplies and 10 boxes of ice cream. They must then sell 25 ice cream sandwiches which they will make with wafers or bread (ick! Ice cream sandwiches with white bread?) - and ice cream - and the “ice cream uncle” will give them their clue.

All the teams except for Dan & Jordan head off for Pounding the Drums. Jet & Cord have problems getting the beat down but are having fun and laughing, and Michael & Louie aren’t doing much better. Carol & Brandy get a very young man and he’s not counting, so they go off to find another drum teacher who will count. Michael & Louie realize they’re way in over their heads (Michael says “I’m white as white can be - I have no rhythm.”) and decide to go try the Fast Forward - thinking that Dan & Jordan went to sell ice cream. Jordan gets to the giant wheel and finds out he has to wear a harness, and realizes that he’s not thrilled about the challenge. As they go up, Jordan tells Dan “maybe this is a good time to tell you I’ve discovered I have an intense fear of heights.” Michael & Louie get there and ask the elevator lady if Dan & Jordan are there already, and she says “you’ll find out when you get up there.” They’re bummed they can’t find out first. They get up to the floor and see a sign saying “Fast Forward in progress” and decide to go sell ice cream. As they get back to their taxi, they can’t find their driver - he’s in the bathroom. They’re bummed again but hey, cabbies gotta pee too!

Jordan is freaking out as they get to the top and Dan, ever the great brother, says “hey if you fall and die I love you.” We see Jordan getting out of the car and shaking as he crawls across. He keeps repeating "This is for a million dollars." I don’t see why he’s that scared - he’s all harnessed up and I’m sure the release they sign at the beginning of the Race doesn’t cover death from a challenge!

Back at the drums, Brent is having problems, and Jet & Cord aren’t doing all that well either. Carol & Brandy debate whether they can “get it” or not. Back at the wheel, Jordan gets to the other car and says that is the scariest thing he’s ever done, and he’s surprised he didn’t pee himself. He says he couldn’t do the Race with anyone but his brother. They finish the task and their clue tells them to go to the Pit Stop, which they can see from their perch - and Jordan says “Phil, we’ll be right there.”

Michael & Louie get their supplies of an umbrella, chairs, and their ice cream and find their cart. Louie yells “buy some ice cream from some crazy Americans!”

Jet & Cord are allowed to go by their teacher and hit the stage, drumming by some puppet-looking things and finding out they're pretty bad. Brent & Caite see Jet & Cord trying and decide they can do it while Jet & Cord go back to practice. Brent & Caite get through the routine and get their clue, which will make them figure out they have to go to Istana Park at the intersection of Penang and Orchard Roads.

Dan & Jordan make it to the Mat and Phil tells them they are team one, each of them winning a motorbike. They tell Phil that they won’t ever get on them, their mother would never let them ride the motorbikes. (What nice boys!)

Brent & Caite get to the clue box and find the U-Turn - which is not anonymous this time, they will have to put their picture on it to let the team know they are the ones doing the U-Turning. And, as Phil says “suffer the consequences of having their identity known.” Brent & Caite will U-Turn the Lesbians, because of a couple of comments about a tiara ‘way back at the beginning of the Race. Brent says “sometimes it is personal” and something tells me they need a bit thicker skin! (I'll have to watch the Elimination Station videos if Brent & Caite get eliminated next - might be some fireworks!) Back at the mall, Michael & Louie are trying their best to sell their ice creams and they convince their cabbie to buy the last ten to get them over the top. Carol & Brandy hit the stage to try their drumming and manage to get their clue...they have a surprise coming! Michael & Louie get dropped off at the intersection and miss the signs and decide they have to go one more block. Carol & Brandy get to the clue box and see they’ve been U-Turned, and say that Caite U-Turned them because Brandy “is prettier than she is.” They say Caite is an idiot, and on U Tube to prove it - “it’s stupid, and let’s face it, she hasn’t built a career on intelligence.” They toss insults Brent & Caite’s way, and end up calling them “Brent & Caite Gump” among other things. Michael & Louie get to the box and see the Lesbians have been U-Turned and say “great job, Brent & Caite.” (Sure, it’s not their ass on the line for the dirty deed!)

Brent & Ciate get to the clue box and it’s a Roadblock. One team member has to work the docks and inspect an enormous anchor chain. They have to count all the links in a chain (521). There is noise, with people banging on iron, someone yapping on a speaker, and Brent is getting aggravated and saying “shut up!” (Like they’re gonna listen to him). Jet & Cord finally finish the drumming and get their clue, while Carol & Brandy are back to sniping at each other as they gather the materials to sell ice cream. (It doesn’t look like they have a cooler for their ice cream, hopefully it isn’t mush by the time they get set up). Michael & Louie say that they “trained their little wolf cubs” and they’re happy that Brent & Caite U-Turned Carol & Brandy, because they convinced everyone that the Lesbians were a bigger threat.

Brent manages to get the correct number of chain links and gets his clue. They have to find Mega Zip on an island for their next clue. Carol & Brandy are barking at everyone to buy their ice cream sandwiches. Michael & Louie get to the docks and Michael will do the challenge - after he gets his pitch counter out of his bag. (I guess he umpires little league games, but what on earth would give him the idea to bring a pitch counter on the Race?) Jet is counting links and Carol & Brandy finish selling ice cream sandwiches and run back to the park.

Brent & Caite get their next clue and find out they have to do a zip line “above a jungle canopy” of Mt. Enbia. Carol & Brandy are still sniping at each other, and at Caite once they get back to the clue box with the U-Turn picture on it. Brent & Caite have a great time on the zip line, and their clue tells them to find the Marina Barrage across town, which is the Pit Stop.

Michael gets the correct number of links, but since he didn’t grab the clipboard, he has to go back and get it and submit his number. Jet goes to the supervisor and gets the number right on his clipboard, and just beats out Michael for the clue. Michael & Louie’s cab had taken off and they try to steal Carol & Brandy’s, telling the driver “they said it was okay” and “they’re very mean, they’ll just be mean to you” but the driver wouldn’t budge. After searching a bit, they offer a woman $20 American money to take her cab, and she accepts.

Brent & Caite find the Mat and Phil, who mentions that they used the U-Turn. Caite gives her whine about how “mean” Carol & Brandy have been to her, and Phil says “looks like they picked on the wrong team.”

Carol & Brandy finish counting (and every team got the right number the first time...I’m surprised!) and find out from their cab driver that the Detectives tried to steal their cab. Jet & Cord are having fun going down the zip lines, and they’re not wearing their hats! I thought a cowboy never takes his hat off, boys! They make it to Phil at the Mat in third place, where Phil teases them about their drumming, saying “I heard it was pathetic.” Jet says “the closest we’ve come to playing a musical instrument is a radio.”

The editors are making it look like Carol & Brandy have a shot at getting ahead of Michael & Louie. They arrive at the park at what looks like pretty much the same time and Carol & Brandy seem to be right on their heels at the zip line. Michael tells Louie he has to step it up and hurry, and Louie, panting all the way, says he’s trying. BUT after the zip line ride, Louie sees the beautiful girl giving out the clues and beats Michael to her - I guess all Michael has to do to get Louie moving faster is to have a gorgeous woman run ahead of him!

Carol & Brandy complain some more about Brent & Caite as they ride toward the Pit Stop, and it looks like they get to the Pit Stop as Michael & Louie do - but Michael & Louie get fourth place and Carol & Brandy are eliminated. Brandy tells Phil “there’s no reason they should have U-Turned us. There were two other teams that did consistently better than us. Dumb did us in.” Carol adds that they’ll get over the bad day and "enjoy the richness of the experience - and then I’ll translate that into first grade language for Caite.”

So, after all the back-and-forth sniping from Carol & Brandy at Brent & Caite, and Brent & Caite at Carol & Brandy, and Carol at Brandy and Brandy at Carol, do you think like I do that Brent & Caite used a tool to their advantage and got rid of a good team? Or should they have U-Turned the Detectives or Cowboys? We’re down to four teams (and one girl) - who’s got the best shot? We’ll find out next week!

Sweating Through Malaysia with Snakes and Coconuts

2010-04-04T18:50:00.000-07:00

The teams begin in Seychelles, where half of its island land is protected as a national park. Steve & Allie got a great reward for their first-place finish of dinner on the pirate's beach during the Pit Stop - but I wonder where Allie got that pink sarong-towel thingy she was wearing? Remember, last leg their backpacks were left with the turtles. Maybe it was a bedsheet!

The clue tells them to fly to Penang, Malaysia and go to the Snake Temple, which is a house of worship where snakes live. (Ooh, I want to see Carol & Brandy and Caite roam around there with the snakes! They have to take the 2:00 a.m. ferry to another island to the airport. Steve tries to buy a hotel employee’s shirt off his back, but only gets some plastic bags to carry their extra stuff. They do some checking and find out Malaysia is a warm country, so they’re not worried about freezing. Dan & Jordan are psyched to be as far in the Race as they are. Michael & Louie like working with Brent & Caite, saying they’re respectful and “someone you’d be proud to call your own kids.” (As long as you don’t want kids with brain cells!) They all discuss going to the Snake Temple and Caite says she likes snakes. Caite calls the Detectives “the Daddies.” The two teams talk about wanting to get rid of Carol & Brandy - Brent & Caite because “they’re mean” and Michael & Louie because they see the lesbians as threats. They plan to U-Turn the girls at the next opportunity. The Cowboys realize they have a second chance and say they aren’t out of it unless they quit, and that won’t happen.

At the ferry, Michael & Louie give Steve some underwear and a little clothing. All the teams are on the same ferry and same flight, and the Cowboys say that once again, they’re tied for first place. Brent & Caite get out of the airport and on their way first, and their driver tells them the Snake Temple is five minutes away. Dan & Jordan get a cabbie that passes every single other team and gets them to the Snake Temple first.

The clue is a Detour: Buddhist Tradition or Chinese Custom. For Buddhist Tradition, the teams must go to a Temple, choose 12 very large incense sticks (which actually look like bottle rockets for the Jolly Green Giant) and lug them up 150 steps. At the top they must place the incense into holders, light them, and then a ceremonial fire to get their next clue. For Chinese Custom, teams go to a field and choose huge 32-foot flag poles, balance them on their foreheads, and walk 120 feet across the park for their next clue. (Doesn’t look like they get padding under the poles, either - wonder how long it will take for the dent in their foreheads to wear off after they do this one?)

Dan & Jordan were bummed that they let “the best cab driver in the world” go, and scrambled around looking for another cab. All the teams except Jet & Cord decide to do the Buddhist Tradition. The Cowboys’ taxi took off and they join Brent & Caite running the street looking for a cab. Brent & Caite manage to find one leaving the Cowboys to complain that they told their cab to stay and he didn’t. They manage to find a guy willing to call a taxi for them, telling them to wait for “maybe” five minutes. Looks like Michael & Louie end up with Dan & Jordan’s original cab driver and end up passing Carol & Brandy and the Brothers. Carol & Brandy end up being the first team there, and take two 8-foot sticks with Brent & Caite close behind.

Allie & Steve, Dan & Jordan and Michael & Louie get stuck in a traffic jam. Steve & Allie find out that it’s about five minutes away if they run, so they tell their driver to meet them there and take off on foot. (Steve also slings a small backpack over his shoulder, so obviously they spent some of their money on that....hope it doesn’t come back to haunt them!) Dan & Jordan follow suit, but Michael & Louie stay in their cab and decide to sprint once they get there.

As Jet & Cord get to the field with the flags, they marvel at the size of them and think that maybe they chose the wrong task. Cord flies across the field, figuring out that once you get the flag leaning the right way, and catch the wind, it’s all “gravy” from there. Jet doesn’t get it on his first try, but gets it figures out pretty quickly and the Cowboys get their clue.

They must now taxi to Teluk Bahang and find a temple with their next clue. They’re feeling pretty good about getting that task done so quickly, saying that even with the Speed Bump they “might be able to finish some place besides last.”

Back at the fireworks Temple, the teams are lugging their fireworks up the multitude of stairs. Brent remarks “I wish God would turn on the air conditioning.” In Teluk Bahang, Jet & Cord find their Speed Bump. They must go to a spice garden and find a lady sitting and crushing spices and making spiced tea. They must then determine which pot of tea was made with the lady’s spices and deliver it to a meditating guru. If they’ve made the correct choice, they will get their clue. They’re bummed that they have to drive to the spice garden about a half-hour away and hope everyone else is having trouble. I don’t know about trouble, but they are working pretty darn hard, dragging their incense up the steps in the hot sun. Louie & Michael, who made the wise choice to stay in their cab, are working hard and Louie ends up hacking away as he gets to the top, and Michael calls him “cardioman.” (Maybe “myocardial infarctionman!”)

The Cowboys sniff the spices and take a chance on a pot of tea, which isn’t the correct one. We are then treated to the sight of Steve & Allie and Dan & Jordan running up an inclining road to the Temple, with Steve saying “this was stupid.” Steve & Allie run into their cab driver about a block away from the Temple and get a ride the rest of the way. Unfortunately, they find out once they get there that it isn’t the right Temple, and Dan & Jordan try and take their cab but the cabbie tells them he’s waiting for Steve & Allie. As they take off, Dan & Jordan are bummed about having to walk further to find the correct location. The second pot of tea was the correct one and Jet & Cord realize they’re on even ground with everyone else now that the Speed Bump isn’t looming over them any more.

Steve asks their cabbie if he knows where he’s going, and he says “I don’t know.” Steve says “huh?” and the cabbie then tells him “no problem.” (Uh-oh, I see problems with this one!) They stop and ask for directions and find out they’re closer to the flag field and decide to change tasks.
Jet & Cord run back to the clue box and don’t see any other teams there, or cabs, for that matter. The clue is a Roadblock, and they must take place in two Hindu rituals to assure them good luck. They must first smash coconuts until they find one with a bright color inside. They must then use local materials and a chunk of their coconut and make a floating offering and present it to a guy in the water. He will set it afloat and give them their clue. Cord told Jet it was his Roadblock to do, and afterward we find out that Cord decided it was far too hot to attempt this task himself, so he sent his brother off without any discussion. Back at the Temple, Brent & Caite finish first and get their clue, followed by Carol & Brandy. I don’t think Louie is going to make it to the next location, he’s hacking so bad. Dan & Jordan show up as the Detectives are leaving, and Steve & Allie find the field. After a couple of what looked like lame attempts at balancing the flags, they decide to go back to their original idea - except now their cab is gone and they have to find another.

Jet managed to find a pink coconut and ran off to make his offering, laughing that it was “my first time for arts and crafts.” How he manages to concentrate at all with the singing going on there is beyond me - the women singing (with their hands clasped in prayer) sound very, very bad. I guess God just appreciates the effort (but I didn’t). He manages to get it to the guy in the water and gets his clue, saying “let it say Pit Stop, c’mon, baby” and gets his wish. They must go to a historic part of the island and find the Pinang Peranakan Mansion, a 100-year-old house built by one of the richest guys on the island of Malaysia. Jet & Cord are ecstatic, and Carol & Brandy see the Cowboys leaving as they are arriving at the coconut-smashing Temple, wondering how they managed to get that far ahead. Carol is doing the challenge smashing coconuts and looks as if she’s going to blow right past the colored one, until Brandy tells her she’s got it. As the camera follows her to the arts and crafts table, it’s splashed up with coconut juice and I can only imagine what the poor camera guy looks like - and smells like! Nice, sticky coconut juice in his hair, in 90-degree sunshine, lugging around a 60-pound camera.

Louie is doing the task and finds the colored one after smashing his second coconut, which cheezes Carol & Brandy off. As Caite starts smashing coconuts, Jet & Cord get to the Mansion and find Phil at the Mat. Phil tells them they are the first team to come in last, complete the Speed Bump and manage to place first. Carol gets her offering built and gets her clue, and Louie is behind her. Michael & Louie shout encouragement to Caite as they leave, calling her a “coconut smashing fool.” Carol & Brandy get to the Mat and Phil remains stoic, not giving anything away. Carol says “I’m waiting for the eyebrow to go up” and Phil obliges her. Obviously Phil isn’t in the mood to talk, so Carol & Brandy do it for him: “Carol & Brandy, you are team number.....” and Phil puts up two fingers.

Dan & Jordan finish their incense and take off. Steve & Allie get done and leave also, but then we see Dan & Jordan’s cab stopping for gas, and Dan again complaining that they let the best cab driver on the island get away. Steve & Allie seem to be having problems with their driver, and Steve is complaining that he wants a “rabbit, not a turtle.” Allie apologizes for him, saying they’re stressed. Michael & Louie get to the mansion and Louie gripes about “more steps” but not about being the third team to check in. Jordan, reading “who’s ready for some color?” laughs that he is going to do the task and gets a colored coconut pretty quickly, but then messes up building his offering and has to go back to fix it. They manage to leave before Steve & Allie show up, and Allie gets through the challenge (although I noticed that the guy in the water was up to his chest, making Allie go further out in the water than the other teams had to. She wasn’t wearing a white top to give the guys a wet t-shirt shot, so I have no idea why he did that). We see Dan & Jordan get stuck in a traffic jam, and Steve & Allie hoping their cabbie can drive fast enough to win the leg for them. But in the end, they were too far back and end up in sixth place and get eliminated. Steve compliments her, getting emotional and telling Allie that she’s pretty tough.

Here’s how they finished:

1 - Jet & Cord
2 - Carol & Brandy
3 - Michael & Louie
4 - Brent & Caite
5 - Dan & Jordan
6 - Steve & Allie - eliminated

The end is getting close! Only five teams are still around - who do you think will win? Can Brent & Caite think themselves out of a paper bag and surge ahead? Are Carol & Brandy together and poised to make a run at the million? We’ll find out next week!

Mistakes Abound! Don't Forget Your Coconuts!

2010-03-28T19:25:00.000-07:00

Wow, just .... wow. It seems that some of the teams were trying their hardest to see who could screw up the most! This time, they read the clues, but their execution was lacking:

Michael & Louie leave first from the Pit Stop but big deal, all the teams will be on the same flight. They will fly to an island called Mahe in the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean, and because the islands are so remote, flights are scarce. Once there, teams will have to find a kiosk with a clue box and numbers. Michael & Louie talk about not making mistakes and paying attention - which probably means that they’re going to make a huge mistake. Jet & Cord laugh about not knowing where they’re going, “but we’ll find it” and check a map to find out it’s an island. Cord quips that “it’s lucky we’re not driving.” At the airport, the Cowboys and Detectives decide to get a bite to eat before the flight and while they’re in the restaurant, the other teams get checked in and get seating assignments, with Brent & Caite getting row 7 seats, Steve & Allie getting row 10, and Dan & Jordan scoring some row 15 seats. Carol & Brandy don’t ask for seats close to the front of the plane, and it’s obvious that the Detectives & Cowboys didn’t either, because the close-to-the-front teams get to the kiosk first and get the first three numbers. The clue tells them that the first three teams will get to leave on helicopters one hour before the 4, 5 and 6 teams to the island of La Digue, where they will find their next clue. Brent & Caite are first with Steve & Allie and Dan & Jordan rounding out the top three. The view is breathtaking! Dan & Jordan get up close and personal with a rainbow during their flight. Caite keeps up her vendetta against Carol & Brandy, saying she “just wants to get those mean lesbians out.”

Brent & Caite land and get their clue, which is a Detour: Ox Trot or Turtle Toddle. In Ox Trot, teams will have to take an ox cart to an area with piles of coconuts, and fill the cart with a pile. Phil says “without losing any cargo.” (Uh oh! Someone is going to miss a few coconuts!) They will then get hooked up with an ox, and they must ride the cart and guide the ox to the harbor area and a fruit vendor to get their next clue. For Turtle Toddle, teams will use a banana to lure a 100-year-old turtle across a marked area of the lawn. They must then grab a bunch of bananas and deliver them on foot to the fruit vendor, which is 1½ miles away.

Brent & Caite head off to Ox Trot, while Steve & Allie decide to do the Turtle Toddle. Dan & Jordan run off for the Ox challenge as well. And here it is .... Caite throws some coconuts in the cart and one bounces out onto the ground. We see multiple shots of that lone coconut sitting on the grass with menacing music. As they drive their ox down the road, Brent & Caite argue, calling each other “dummy” and “frickin’ idiot.” (And I agree, wholeheartedly!) In the meantime, Steve & Allie find a pretty quick turtle, as turtles go, grab their bananas and head off to the fruit vendor, leaving their backpacks behind. They pass Brent & Caite on the road, who are trying to get their ox to move and the ox looks like he’d like to pound them both. Dan & Jordan are loading their cart and paying attention, making sure all their coconuts stay in the cart. They jump on the cart, ready to take off, and the ox decides it’s time to take a dump, which annoys Jordan to no end. The ox takes off and almost runs and the brothers decide to name the ox “Box” in honor of their father, who owns a packaging company making boxes for a living.

The second set of helicopters land and Carol & Brandy take off to the Turtle Toddle, finding a turtle who doesn’t seem real interested in a banana, or moving, or anything. Michael & Louie and Jet & Cord work hard filling their carts with coconuts.

Steve & Allie have delivered their bananas and get their clue, telling them to swim to a marked schooner which will take them to St. Pierre Island, where they will get their next clue. They get to the boat as we see Dan & Jordan pass Brent & Caite on the road. Jordan looks at the back of the ox and says “ooh, ooh, that’s a wet one, don’t swing your tail.” (He really cracks me up sometimes). Brent & Caite show up right after Dan & Jordan get their clue, but the clue-giver tells them that they don’t have enough coconuts in their cart. No matter how they protest, they’re not getting a clue. Out on the boat, Steve & Allie see Dan & Jordan reach the beach and both have their backpacks, and they’re hit with a sudden panic attack. Steve says they have their small pack with their money and passports, but Allie “can’t go on” without her backpack. Steve asks her if she wants to go back for it. Brent & Caite are at the fruit vendor, where Brent is having a hissy fit worthy of any snotty female, saying “I quit. I quit, whatever.” He doesn’t want to drive the ox cart back to pick up the dropped coconut.

On the boat, Allie is going to miss her makeup, hair brush and extra clothes. Steve tells her she doesn’t know how pretty she is and doesn’t need makeup. (He’s trying to not go back for the backpacks, but it’s a nice thing to say anyway). Neither of them are wearing shoes on the boat, I’m assuming they have those with them because while I suppose you can live without a change of clothes, you cannot run the Amazing Race without shoes!!! Allie finally lets go of the backpack notion and says “it’ll make us faster, that’s for sure.” Dan & Jordan get to the boat and take off, noting how beautiful the scenery is.

Brent & Caite quit whining and jump back on the ox cart to go back and get the coconut. Michael & Louie get their cart filled and take off (with one coconut looking like it’s ready to fall out of the side - will that end up making a difference?) Carol & Brandy get their turtle moving but it takes off in the wrong direction because they’re too afraid to get close enough to the turtle’s face to let him smell the banana.

Out in the water, Allie spots a small buoy with a Race flag on it and they stop for the clue. Phil tells us that the waters there are known for shipwrecks and treasure hunters are always looking for buried treasure. One team member will have to go underwater and search for a submerged case with seven bottles. They will untie one bottle and bring it to the surface. Back on the shore, they will then work together to assemble a map and follow the map to - the Pit Stop! Steve doesn’t even use the supplied goggles or flippers to dive in and find the bottle. As they leave, Dan & Jordan show up and Jordan decides to try the task. It takes Jordan three dives to get the bottle up to the surface, showing me that Steve may be older, but old guys rule sometimes!

Michael & Louie cross paths with Brent & Caite and find out the dating couple have to go back for a coconut they missed. Michael hopes they didn’t drop any on the way. Once they get back, Brent & Caite find the one coconut they left behind. Carol & Brandy give up on their turtle, who refuses to go in the proper direction, and run off to the Ox Trot and start filling a cart as Jet & Cord leave with their full (or so they think) cart. They left one behind. (This after seeing Brent & Caite come back for the one they missed, and talking about how they need to make sure they have all their coconuts! I really thought the Cowboys were smarter than this....tsk, tsk). Carol & Brandy realize they are in last place and hustle loading the coconuts, but Brandy ends up tossing a coconut and hitting Carol. Steve & Allie swim to the shore, expecting to see Phil but having to empty their bottle and put its contents together first, giving them a map to the Mat. They make it to the Mat and Phil looks amused when they tell him they have no backpacks or clothes. Dan & Jordan get to the Mat in second place.

Michael & Louie get to the fruit vendor and get their clue. Brent & Caite are plodding down the road, saying that they’re still ahead of the Cowboys - until the Cowboys come and pass them up. Somehow Brent & Caite manage to pass up Jet & Cord again, get to the vendor and get their clue. Unfortunately, Jet & Cord are told they don’t have enough coconuts and have to go back. Cord wanted to “grab him by the collar and tell him that we did have enough, but that’s probably against the rules.” Carol & Brandy take off, leaving a coconut behind as well. (I’m finally getting to the realization that in the Amazing Race, the things that sink teams are not the big mistakes, but the little ones. How hard would it be to look back as you drive away at 3 MPH in an ox cart, and check to make sure there are no coconuts left behind?)

Brent & Caite are on the boat where Caite says she’s happy they got wet, “I was feeling kinda dirty.” They’re on Michael & Louie’s tail, and the Detectives’ boat is sputtering and allowing them to catch up. Carol & Brandy get to the fruit vendor and are told they didn’t load all their coconuts. Talk about highs and lows - Brent & Caite thought they were doing great, then were worried about screwing up and falling too far behind, then realized they were still in a good spot. Carol & Brandy, knowing they were in last place, see the Cowboys going back and rejoice that they’ve got a shot - until they’re told they have to go back. The Cowboys are bummed that they are in last place, until they’ll see Carol & Brandy coming back. OH! The emotional turmoil this Race causes!!

As Carol & Brandy go back, Carol tells Brandy that some coconuts must have fallen out as Brandy was tossing them over the cart, basically blaming Brandy and setting Brandy off. Bicker, bicker, “oh, it’s my fault?” Brent & Caite reach the buoy and Caite asks Brent what it is, and he says “a dingy.” Brent grabs it on the first try, and the Detectives pull up and see them leaving. Michael dives in, gets the bottle, and drops it over the side of the boat getting back in, breaking it. They wisely don’t mess with its contents, saying they will check it out when they get to shore. No penalties for them! Jet & Cord see Carol & Brandy coming back and realize there’s still hope. They get their clue and head to the beach and start stripping, and we see some really cute gray knee socks on Jet. There’s a little banter about not swimming in jeans but that their suits are a happy medium between jeans and Speedos. (Okay, guys, you’re fit, but let’s not get carried away!)

Louie is having problems swimming back to the shore, but get there shortly after Brent & Caite. Brent & Caite have put their map together and tell the Detectives that they can all go together, thinking that they’d rather keep the Detectives and get rid of “some other teams.” (Read: Carol & Brandy). As they get to the Mat, Phil laughs and tells Louie “By the end of this Race, you may be thin.” Louie shows off his guns, which are pretty impressive, actually. He gets rid of the gut, he’d be a fine specimen! In a surprising continuing conversation, Phil asks Michael & Louie who’d they like to be with at the end of the Race, and they say Brent & Caite. “And who would you like to see gone?” asks Phil - and they say Carol & Brandy, because they’ve got chips on their shoulders and are negative people. “If you want to be negative, go somewhere else.” Brent & Caite chime in, saying that the lesbian couple is “mean and rude” and they’re the team taht should go next. Brent, ever the genius (NOT), says “from what I heard, it’s pretty anonymous. Throughout all the other teams.” Phil has no clue what he just said, but catches on and lets Brent know he should have said “Unanimous.”

Jet & Cord make it to the Mat in fifth place, but when Phil asks them how they knew where the Pit Stop was, they told Phil they just guessed. Phil asked if they didn’t notice something was in the bottle, and the brothers said yes, but it was hard getting it out. They realized that they left the bottle on the boat, and Phil tells them that in order to be checked in, they must retrieve the bottle and bring its contents to shore. (I guess if a team hasn’t screwed something up this leg, it’s just not a Race!) They ran off to swim the 300 yards or so back to the boat as Carol & Brandy’s boat putters close. Carol & Brandy swim to the shore and put their map together, but still can’t find the path to the Mat and wander around a bit. Jet & Cord, since they know where the Mat is, take off in the proper direction, and of course, with proper editing it looks like it’s a footrace to the finish! But Carol & Brandy get there first (with time to spare, it seems). Jet & Cord are told by Phil that they are last, but the next leg of the Race “will be a tough one.” It’s a non-elimination leg this time, but they’ll have a Speed Bump the next leg.

In their interview, Jet & Cord banter about how a champion isn’t the one who’s ridden the most bulls, but the one who gets bucked off and gets back up to try again. Jet tells Cord “you should write a country song.” I like their attitude, as well as Michael & Louie’s. Those two teams seem to be the most together, just working and not blaming each other when stuff goes wrong.

So here is the order of finish:

1 - Steve & Allie
2 - Dan & Jordan
3 - Brent & Caite
4 - Michael & Louie
5 - Carol & Brandy
6 - Jet & Cord - but not eliminated!

The preview for next week’s show looks like our Cowboys are having mega problems. Will they be able to get back on the bull and get it together? Who goes home next? We’ll find out next week!

The Detectives Kick More Butt!

2010-03-21T19:21:00.000-07:00

Tonight’s leg of the Race shows us some beautiful French countryside - and how dumb our Racers are. Between not knowing Joan of Arc is a woman and mashing a front bumper, this group of Amazing Race teams make me wonder how they manage to get through a day, let alone a Race!

Louie & Michael depart at 7:47 a.m. and must drive themselves to the city of Reims, France, which was liberated from the Germans by Joan of Arc. They’ll have to find the outdoor Joan of Arc statue and a street musician for their next clue. The clue tells them to “listen to what you saw” which gives them a clue as to the type of musician they’re looking for. As the teams leave they’re complaining about the cold weather. Jet & Cord have no idea where they’re going, so they’re going to “look for a 7-11" to get directions.

Dan & Jordan stop a local asking about the whereabouts of the statue. In a heavily-accented English, she tells them “cathedral” which the brothers translate as “Cathy Drone.” As they drive off, Dan complains that people “don’t speak good English here.” (With all the reports about rude French people, I think they’re lucky to find someone who will speak to them at all, let alone in English!) Louie & Michael go to the Office of Tourism for directions and Steve & Allie find the square and a young woman playing a saw with a violin bow. Sounds like Bela Lugosi should be stepping out from behind her or something. She hands Steve & Allie a cork, which is stamped with Leclerc Briant champagne. Jet & Cord get to the square and decide that “they put statues in squares” and find the statue as Louie & Michael get there. The Cowboys just take off, saying that they passed a city called Champagne, and the Detectives go back to the Tourism office. Dan & Jordan run into them there as they ask about directions. As they drive to the next location, Jordan says “how do you make champagne? Is it just wine and you put club soda in it?” Brent & Caite finally leave and Caite, ever the nuclear physicist, asks Brent if Joan of Arc was the “guy with all the animals.” (Yes, there are some very stupid people on this Race).

At the Leclerc Briant Champagne location, their clue is a Roadblock. “Who is ready to cave in?” The team member must rappel down 100 feet into the cave where they store the champagne. Once down there, they must find a marked bottle of champagne (among the thousands), slice off the cork with a saber, and their next clue will shoot out with the champagne. Jordan decides to do the challenge, saying he’s going to “pee myself.” He needs many assurances from the gentleman buckling him in, as Louie waits his turn. Jordan is crawling among the racks looking for the marked bottle, saying it’s harder than it seems. In the meantime, Jet & Cord stop for directions and find out they’ve gone to the wrong town, about 60 kilometers out of their way.

Jordan finds his bottle and heads up the stairs (no elevator?) to his brother. A winery guy shows them how to cut the cork off and jumps as Jordan hacks the bottle with the saber. The clue tells them to go to Taittinger La Marquetterie for their next clue.

Louie searches the cave for the marked bottle as Steve is lowered down. We then see Brent & Caite in a square (not the right one) and there is a statue with a man and animals, making Caite think she was right anyway. She keeps thinking that Joan of Arc is a man until Brent reminds her they are talking about “Joan.” Louie finds his bottle and Steve is examining the bottles as if the marker will be a pinpoint size. He gets his bottle and they leave as Carol & Brandy get to the winery. Brandy decides to do the task and Carol remarks that “hopefully she’s not in a piss poor mood when she gets done.”

Dan & Jordan stop and ask for help to find their next location and are told that they need to go to Reims again. In the meantime, Michael & Louie are told it is in Pierry, and the locals helping offer to let the Detectives follow them. Carol & Brandy are also told that the location is in Pierry. Jet & Cord finally make it to the winery and realize that there are four teams ahead of them. Asking a local for help, they are told to go to Reims. We find out that the Taittinger La Marquetterie is a chateau in Pierry as the Detectives find the clue box - a Detour: Tower or Terra. In Tower, teams must use 680 champagne glasses and stack them so there is one glass on top, to be filled with champagne. They will then get their clue. For Terra, they must look through a square kilometer for a tiny cluster of grapes marked with Race colors. Once they take the grapes to the foreman, they will get their clue.

Michael & Louie, saying they are “bulls in a China shop” decide to look for the grapes. Dan & Jordan get to the Taittinger in Reims but are told that what they’re looking for is a mansion in Pierry, which is a little village close to Epernay. Brent & Caite get to the winery, Brent rappels down and finds a bottle and they leave before Jordan & Jeff get there. Steve & Allie get to Reims and find out they’re not in the right place either, and to boot, Steve runs into something while parking and mashes up the front bumper of the car. As they drive off they can hear the broken piece rubbing on the tire as they drive, so they stop to try and pull it off. It’s stuck pretty good so instead of pulling it off, Allie gets duct tape out of Steve’s bag and they tape it up. Steve credits his wife with throwing the roll of duct tape in his backpack. Jordan finishes the champagne task, getting the clue and taking a sip of champagne. We see Brent & Caite getting erroneous directions to Reims for the Taittinger.

Michael & Louie use their detective skills to do a grid search in the vineyard, and Michael finds the marked grapes. “If I can find crack in someone’s rear end, I can find grapes in a vineyard.” (Okay?) They must now drive to the next Pit Stop, L’orrca, the administrative building in Champagne, France.

Jet & Cord find out they’ve gone to the wrong place. They interview that people pay thousands to get the tour they’ve had today, and they did it for free, in a Mercedes. Dan & Jordan get to the Detour and decide to try Tower, because they’ve seen “a few champagne towers at bar and bat mitzvahs” in their day.

Phil is standing at the Mat with a mime, who looks rather scary, and is holding a sign saying “welcome.” Michael & Louie find out they are team number one yet again. Carol & Brandy search the vineyard and find the marked grapes. Steve & Allie arrive and decide to search for grapes as well, as Dan & Jordan stack their glasses and Jordan wants to do so to the beat of the chamber music being played. (*rolling eyes*) Brent & Caite see Carol & Brandy asking a cop for directions to the Pit Stop and decide to follow the lesbians, and realize they’re in trouble once they get to the Mat because they didn’t get a Detour clue yet.

Steve & Allie find the marked grapes as Jeff & Jordan get to Reims and find out they’re in the wrong place. Brent & Caite go looking for grapes as Caite complains that Brent always picks what he thinks is the easiest (and this time, at least, he’s right). We see Dan & Jordan struggling to get their glasses piled up 16 layers high and having trouble, as Jet & Cord get to the Detour and decide to look for grapes as well.

Steve & Allie get to the Mat in third, and Steve tells Phil that their car needs looking at - “I hope you’re insured.” Phil looks as if he’ll be telling them the cost of any repairs will come out of their ass. Brent & Caite see the Cowboys find their bunch of grapes and Caite tries to convince Brent to go and stack glasses. They start bickering about whose fault it is that they can’t find the grapes.

Dan & Jordan have finished stacking glasses (their way, with the top four layers having only one glass each) and are given a huge bottle of champagne to pour into the glasses. Dan mutters that he wishes he were taller and gets on a chair to pour the champagne. The brothers are pretty nervous about pouring their champagne and how sturdy their tower is, but manage to get the whole bottle poured and get their clue. They interview how they will be available to build champagne towers but that they will be “very expensive.” They celebrate by drinking a glass of champagne and pronounce it very good. Brent & Caite decide to change to the Tower challenge and get their glasses stacked, still bickering all the way. Brent pours the champagne but about halfway through the bottle, the glasses started falling and they go back to look for grapes. Jeff & Jordan get to the winery and see another car and a team looking in the vineyard, and decide that maybe they couldn’t find the grapes and decide to try the Tower. Jordan says it doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be “in a pyramid.” Of course, we then see the glasses falling and Jeff & Jordan running out to the vineyard to search for grapes. It gets dark and they’re using flashlights and passing up marked clumps of grapes - but then Jordan finds one and off they go to the Pit Stop. They get to the Mat and Phil tells them they’ve been eliminated.

So here’s the order of finish:

1 - Michael & Louie
2 - Carol & Brandy
3 - Steve & Allie
4 - Jet & Cord
5 - Dan & Jordan
6 - Brent & Caite
7 - Jeff & Jordan (eliminated)

Are the Detectives unbeatable? Can the Cowboys get back their mojo and surge ahead again? The herd is thinning - do you have a favorite for the million?

A U-Turn and Morse Code Sink Joe & Heidi

2010-03-15T20:40:00.000-07:00

Please excuse the lateness of the recap – I was on a train to New York state to spend the week with my just-turned-one grandchild (and her parents). I don’t have a laptop (although my TiVo is right next to my desktop at home) and it’s nice to be able to sit in the big recliner with their laptop, and a kitty on my legs, typing as I watch. With my angelic, beautiful granddaughter Hayley sleeping in her room after getting to see her first steps today! (ahhh, life is good.)

The teams begin in Hamburg, Germany but don’t start in Hamburg. Now that I’ve got your attention: (and no, Brent is not wearing his stupid off on me) the Pit Stop was in Hamburg but the teams boarded a bus and were taken to another “unnamed, secret” location to begin the next leg of the Race. Jeff & Jordan are determined not to be last again. Joe & Heidi talk about Joe’s bad knee and state that they’ve done really well even with Joe’s gimpy leg. The Detectives take offense, saying that there are other teams in this competition.

Michael & Louis get to leave first from what they think is France (using their highly honed detective skills they have surmised that they went south and west on the bus). From their “secret location” they are to drive themselves to the city of Ste Menehould and find the Boulangerie Defontaine and purchase a baguette to get their next clue. They stop and ask a postal worker for help with directions which turns out to be a good idea because they were headed the wrong way. Steve & Allie leave second, with Steve saying he feels a lot younger than he is, and Allie says “he’s rocking it!” As Jet & Cord take off from the start, they can’t figure out what a baguette is, but surmise it’s in the pastry family and wonder if they can eat it.

At the bakery, Michael & Louie get their baguette and ask the gentleman if he has a clue for them. Michael is breaking the bread in half as he asks and sees a piece of paper sticking out – their clue. (That would not be my first instinct, to break the bread in half. I would think that I would have to take it to the next location…but then, I guess there wouldn’t be one because I’d be sitting at the bakery waiting for my next clue! Okay, I guess I just wouldn’t cut it on this Race). The paper tells them to go to La Main De Massiges for their next clue. Louie thinks they’ll be getting a massage, but Michael says that would be too easy (you got it, buddy). Brent & Caite leave and ask someone for directions, and talk about how they’re doing things great but keep getting lost – “we think we know where we’re going but we don’t.”

Michael & Louie get to the correct location and find a Detour: In the Trenches or Under Fire. The location they are at was a site of a vicious battle during WWII between the French and the Germans. In the Trenches has them dress in American Doughboy uniforms (hey! That was our school mascot name – Doughboys. I always thought that was really weird and wished we could be tigers or something less dorky sounding) and go through the trenches built to find a communication device. Using a field manual, they must translate a message in Morse Code. For Under Fire, they must crawl in a muddy field under barbed wire to get a message from a French officer. In both tasks, once they get their messages they must attach them to a pigeon and they will get their next clue. Michael & Louie opt for Under Fire.

All the other teams get to the bakery and figure out the clue is in the baguette, and all are appreciative of its good taste. The Cowboys decide they have to step it up because Carol & Brandy were ten minutes behind and they arrive at the same time. Jeff & Jordan are finally leaving and talk about how they are still the team to beat – and then promptly get lost and start bickering about directions. They’re driving around in circles.

Back at the war field, Michael & Louie are watching the planes coming in really close and “bombs” going off and spewing dirt everywhere. Louie is huffing and puffing but happy that Michael is there to motivate him. Steve & Allie and Joe & Heidi show up and decide on Under Fire too. Louie is panting as they get their message and Michael wisely tells him to catch his breath before they go back (or Louie has a stroke). On their way back, Michael & Louie crawl past the two other teams. (Seeing this, I’m wondering if anyone has a possibility of war flashbacks – Steve, or one of the detectives may be old enough. Hopefully their rifles have blanks loaded!!)

Carol & Brandy and Dan & Jordan are going Under Fire as well, with the girls yammering about the uniforms and the hike. Jet & Cord aren’t far behind and decide that they don’t know Morse Code either so they will crawl.

Michael & Louie let their pigeon go and find out they must start walking down the road. They come to a Blind U-Turn, which allows them (if they choose to use it) to U-Turn any team and that team will not know who did it. The U-Turned team will have to go back and complete the other part of the Detour before they are able to move on. They discuss using the U-Turn on either Steve & Allie or Joe & Heidi, and ultimately choose Joe & Heidi because of Joe’s remarks on the bus earlier in the day, how he’s not worried about any teams in the Race. Louie decided Joe “needed to be taken down a peg.” Considering that Joe & Heidi may be the second team to the U-Turn I think they can figure out who did it.

We see Brent & Caite driving up to the battlefield and the planes flying, and Caite gets excited thinking they’ll be flying. (Nothing that cool, dippy girl!) As she gets changed she laughs that it seems as if she’s modeling Army clothes – “old Army clothes.” (Um, ok. WWII IS old!) Jordan and Dan decide that they are going to pretend that “the enemy is chasing us” and jog a little faster. Jordan then gets really tired and can’t keep up, and the brothers end up arguing. Carol & Brandy whine all the way about their uniforms.

Jeff & Jordan get to the bakery and Jeff proves once again what a dipwad he is. He gets the baguette and asks for the clue. Getting none from the shop owner, he re-reads his clue and then asks if the baguette is fresh. (No, you get a stale one. Doofus.) Jeff finally cracks his baguette in half and sees the paper inside. (And it just hit me. The paper clues inside the bread are encased in plastic. How did the plastic not melt when baked inside the bread?) Off Jeff & Jordan go again to get lost.

Joe & Heidi are indeed the second team to the clue down the road with Steve & Allie right behind. They see they’ve been U-Turned and are really bummed (of course). Steve & Allie shout encouragement to Joe & Heidi as they go on ahead. Heidi says she always thought the detectives were nice guys. (They still are, they’re just doing their best to win a million bucks. They did not cheat, but used a perfectly legit tool of the Race. Doesn’t mean they’re not nice, just …. Willing to do whatever it takes to win a million dollars!!!) Getting to the next clue box, Michael & Louie find out they have to change clothes yet again into period Tour de France uniforms and ride a bike through a 4-mile course to the Pit Stop.
Joe & Heidi are attempting to decipher the Morse Code and check to see if it is “Viva le Liberty” and it’s not. Carol is complaining about crawling around in the dirt, saying she never wanted to be a boy, she did not sign up for this, smart people do Morse Code. Caite passes the lesbian couple and it gives her motivation to move faster after the disparaging remarks Brandy & Carol made about Caite being a beauty pageant contestant. We see Steve & Allie riding off on their bikes and Allie has a moustache along with her uniform. Michael & Louie get to the Mat and Phil, and I see that while they both have their own moustaches, they have fake ones on too. Louie tells Phil “I’m gonna die” and is panting like he just might.
Dan & Jordan are leaving the battlefield and Jordan says he hates guns – he likes swords better. (Should I think that means something? Maybe I’m just looking too far into things….) Jet & Cord pass them up on the road saying that they want to get ahead and “I guess they’re happy with their position.” Dan & Jordan look ridiculous in their cycling outfits and moustaches, and Jordan asks “Do I look like Lance Armstrong or do I look like Lance Armstrong?” (Um, no.) Carol whines about biking, with Brandy telling her that she takes a spinning class so Carol should “kick my ass.” Carol thanks her for “that tone.” These women should just break up now before they kill each other!

Brent & Caite get their pigeon in the air and set off down the road. They are supposed to go southwest, and there is a sign with “N” and “S” pointing in the proper directions. Brent has a compass on his watch and Caite tells him to use it, and they see they are going north. They wander in the opposite direction down the road and Brent is wondering “if they meant south as a direction, or south, like, go that direction?” (Does this man even get through a day without someone telling him how to brush his hair? I think that has to be about the dumbest thing I’ve heard in multiple seasons of the Amazing Race. It’s so dumb I have no idea what he thinks he means by it!!)

Jordan is yapping all the bike ride to the Pit Stop and Dan is begging him to shut up. They manage to get to the Mat in fourth place. Jeff & Jordan are finally at the battlefield and get their Speed Bump. They must reinforce a wall of the trench with branches to get their next clue. Jordan’s shoes are too big and her hat keeps falling off, and she stops to fix things as Jeff tells her to get moving. They see Joe & Heidi there and Jeff is excited seeing another team, knowing they have a chance. Brent & Caite wander down the road and see the clue box by the church, and start off to the Pit Stop. (They’re gonna be pissed when they get to the Mat! Missing a clue gets Phil kinda cranky.) They arrive and Phil tells them they have to go back and read the clue. (I can almost figure out by Phil’s look that he agrees with me - they are amazingly stupid sometimes.) Joe & Heidi are still desperately trying to decode the message, coming up with all kinds of phrases and getting nowhere. Jeff & Jordan finish shoring up the wall and get the clue with the Detour and Jeff tells Jordan it’s her choice, and she chooses to crawl through the field. Jeff is trying to make her crawl a certain way to help time, getting overly frustrated. The message says “the war is over” and as they hand it to the soldier, “Brent says Because of this message or because it took us so long to get here?” They get their pigeon sent and take off, and see that Joe & Heidi were U-Turned, realizing they are still in the Race. Joe & Heidi take one more message to the soldier and find out they’re wrong yet again. It should have said “we will prevail, viva le France.” Joe says he’s not happy that they were U-Turned but they understand the rules and the Race. At least he’s graceful in losing!

So here’s our order of finish:

1- Michael & Louie
2- Steve & Allie
3- Jet & Cord
4- Dan & Jordan
5- Carol & Brandy
6- Brent & Caite (even after having to go back)
7- Jeff & Jordan
8- Joe & Heidi (eliminated)

Are Michael & Louie going to continue to kick butt or is another team due for a first place finish? We’ll find out next week!

Sauerkraut and Beer - Made in Heaven for New York Detectives!

2010-03-07T18:40:00.000-08:00

Another exciting leg of The Amazing Race begins in Argentina! Leaving first, Jet & Cord open their clue to find out they must fly to Frankfurt, Germany then catch a train to Hamburg. They will then have to scour the city on foot for Jungernstieg Street and the clue box. They stop at a travel agency and find out the first flight leaves at 11:10 a.m. the next morning. They realize that most of the teams are going to be on the same flight.

Carol & Brandy decided that they are going to avoid the meltdowns - their word from now on is “respectful.” We’ll see how long that lasts..... Dan says he hates flying and he’s doing the Race for his brother Jordan.

All the teams end up leaving at the same time but taking different routes to get to Germany. No mention made of the landing times, so one can only conclude that they were pretty close together. (After seeing the landing times, the planes land within an hour of each other). Jet & Cord and Louie & Michael land first and get their tickets, and wait for the train. Dan & Jordan and Carol & Brandy land with time to catch the train, but have problems finding the correct gate and get to the landing as the train is leaving. They end up on the same train with all the other teams.

Jet & Cord (with the stupid plastic on his cowboy hat, he looks like a dork! C’mon, if they’re real cowboys, those hats are made to withstand all kinds of weather. Every cowboy watching this show is probably rolling his eyes out of his head.) make it to the clue box to find an Intersection. This means each team must join with another team to mutually complete the challenge. Of course, they talk to the detectives and team up for the Roadblock in the clue. “Who wants to reach new heights?” Working together, the two to perform the Roadblock will take a train to Hamburg Harbor and bungee 150 feet in the middle of the city to get their next clue.

Joe & Heidi decide to work with Steve & Allie, and talk to a guy they met on the train to point them in the right direction. Dan & Jordan will work with Carol & Brandy, with Dan saying that Carol is “like the lesbian aunt that I never had.” They grab an English-speaking local to lead them to the Harbor. That leaves Brent & Ciate and Jeff & Jordan to team up. The girls decide to try the task. Brent talks about how Caite has lived in New York and has a good sense of direction, and Jordan decides to let Caite “lead the way,” which (of course) means they’ll end up on the wrong train. They get on a train and it’s moving before they ask where it’s going. (All the young blondes watching this - if they have half a brain - are groaning that Jordan & Caite are adding to the stupidity stereotype. And they’re doing a fine job!) I suppose it never occurred to them to ask BEFORE they got on a train......

Michael & Jet get to the bungee drop and get geared up. The guys working the bungee tell Jet he’ll lose his hat, but he insists he won’t. Believe it or not, it doesn’t! They’re stuck/tied together to jump, and both are yelling as they do it. Michael is amazed that Jet’s hat stayed on, and Jet tells him that “a real cowboy’s hat never comes off.” (Never?) They get the clue and are told not to open it until they are reunited with their teammates.

Joe & Allie are on their way to the Harbor. Dan & Brandy are close behind and get to watch Joe & Allie do their jump and Brandy looks ready to pass out. “They’re upside down!” (Otherwise they’d have to tie the bungee cord to your neck, dipwad!)

Once Michael & Jet are back with Louie & Cord, the clue tells the teams to find Kaiser Wilhelm and find their next clue box. They must find a square with a statue of Wilhelm, and they are no longer helping each other (well, unless they want to, I suppose!) Michael & Louie take off in a cab and Jet & Cord hop on a train.

Dan spends his whole bungee jump assuring Brandy and telling her that she’ll be okay. Caite & Jordan show up so obviously their little train detour didn’t hurt them much. About this time, Michael & Louie are at the clue box and find a Detour: Soccer or Sauerkraut. (Mmm now I’m interested - and getting hungry!) In Soccer, teams must go to a 100-year-old stadium and kick soccer balls at five targets in the goal from the penalty line. Once they’ve hit all five, they get their next clue. For Sauerkraut, they must go to a restaurant and while a band plays the Sauerkraut Polka, they must finish a plate of sauerkraut together before the song ends to get their clue. If they don’t make it, they have to get another plate of sauerkraut and give it another try. Of course, we don’t know how long the song is....

Michael & Louie, no surprise, decide to eat the sauerkraut. They could probably finish it before the 4th bar of the song!! Jet & Cord realize that taking the train was a bad idea and the long way around. Joe & Heidi and Steve & Allie jump in cabs to find the Wilhelm statue. Caite & Jordan don’t scream as they bungee, which is interesting - all the other teams screamed on the way down and the two little blondies took it like men!

At the restaurant, Michael & Louie see the plate of sauerkraut and figure they have this in the bag. Michael says he’s “eaten things as big as Jet & Cord” so no problems with the plate of sauerkraut. (We still don’t know how long the song is). They blasted through the sauerkraut with time to spare, with Michael eating the lion’s share, and Louie even licked the plate! (Man, that stuff looked good, too!)

Their clue tells them to go to the Haifisch Bar and share a huge “boot” of beer. (Now, the cowboys may have had the advantage in Argentina, but it looks like our New York City detectives have found the leg of the Race that is right up their alley! Food and beer???!)

Jet & Cord run into Steve & Allie and Joe & Heidi at the statue, and all three teams decide to try the Soccer challenge. Brent & Caite and Jeff and Jordan ask a local how to get to the statue and are told to take the train, and Carol & Brandy and Dan & Jordan get the same erroneous advice.

Michael & Louie get to the bar and find out they’re drinking beer. Michael takes the first sip and calls it nasty - he doesn’t drink beer. Looks like Louie will have to kick ass on this one and grabs the beer and starts guzzling it down.

At the soccer field, Joe can’t kick because his knee really hurts. (He’d complained about it earlier. What made him think going to a soccer field was going to be conducive to a bad knee?) They get five balls each and once they kick the five balls, they have to retrieve them and line them up again. Steve & Allie get two targets pretty quickly and the cowboys are still trying to find the soccer field. Brent & Caite are going for the Sauerkraut and Jeff & Jordan head off to the Soccer field.

Joe & Heidi decide to switch tasks and yell to Jeff & Jordan to forget it, so they turn around and head off for sauerkraut. Jet & Cord kick their first ball over the goal, but get their rhythm and get two targets pretty quickly.

Back at the bar, Louie chugged the beer like a champ (a very bloated one, I’ll bet) and their clue says to go to Beatlers Platz, a monument honoring the Beatles who began playing their music in Hamburg. There, they must find the Indra Club, where the Beatles first played and is the Pit Stop.

Brandy & Carol go for Sauerkraut and Dan & Jordan will try the Soccer. Jeff & Jordan are wandering around trying to find someone to ask about directions, and Brent & Caite seem to be in a cab from Hell, going down a dark road with a non-communicative driver. They look resigned to the fact that they’re going to blow it big time on this leg of the Race. After some discussion, the driver realizes he’s input his information incorrectly into his GPS and refigures the directions.

Michael & Louie get a female cab driver, and she tells them that they’re going to an area of pubs, discos, and sex shops. They laugh at that idea and a few minutes later get to the “red light” district to find the Indra Club and a waiting Phil in first place. They jump for joy and are told they’ve each won a $5,000 gift card. (Now THAT’S my idea of a prize!)

Steve & Allie get to the bar and they interview that all through this leg of the Race, Steve has been saying he wanted a beer, but didn’t want to spend the money. (Be careful what you wish for....now you’ve got enough beer for three legs of the Race!)

Jet & Cord hit their next three targets in a row, saying that it’s the first time they’ve ever been on a soccer field. “One more thing on the list that we haven’t done....check.” (I just love these guys more every week.) Steve & Allie down their beer (with Steve drinking most of it) and he’s holding his stomach in the cab. Joe & Heidi get to the restaurant and ask how long the song is, but get no answer. They start blasting down the sauerkraut and finish in plenty of time. Carol & Brandy show up and start mowing down, with Brandy shoveling and Carol daintily picking through the sauerkraut. (Stuff that sauerkraut, woman! Something tells me they’re gonna have problems with the beer...) Dan & Jordan are at the soccer field and Jordan proves that he’s useless at kicking balls. Looks like Dan gets all the targets and they get their clue and head off to the bar. One of the cowboys says “I’ve never drank a beer in my whole life!” (Been out on the range a bit too long, buddy!)

Steve & Allie get to the Mat in second place. Joe & Heidi suck down the beer and Joe makes some nasty puking noises as if the beer is coming right back up. Jet & Cord complain about the taste but are getting through their boot pretty good. Jordan has to hold her nose to eat the sauerkraut and they’re not doing well and don’t finish - they leave a half-plate full. Brent & Caite are excited about the soccer challenge because Caite is good at soccer. She hits a target right away then slips in the wet grass and twists something in her hip. She’s crying “I’ve been playing soccer since I was five years old and it’s pissing me off.” (Now you know what getting older is about, Boopsie!) She refuses to switch tasks and coaches Brent to hit some targets.

Joe & Heidi find the Indra Club and are third. Jet & Cord finally finish their beer and Carol & Brandy watch them leave. Cord vows that he “never, ever in his life wants another beer.” Carol & Brandy finish and Carol is doing some major burping in the cab. Brent & Caite manage to hit all their targets as Dan & Jordan get to the bar, saying they’re going to be shitfaced by the time they finish their beer. Driving through the “red light” district to find the Indra Club, Jet tells Cord “we are no longer in the Bible Belt.” They get to the bar and Phil tells them they are in fourth place. Jeff & Jordan aren’t doing all that well at the soccer field, but they do get one target on their first set of balls.

Carol & Brandy make it to the Indra Club in fifth. Brent & Caite get to the bar and Caite says she hates beer. Dan & Jordan get to the red light street to find the club and Jordan announces “I’m drunk.” Jeff & Jordan finally finish hitting the targets and we see Brent trying to finish the beer as he walks off to puke in the street (no bathrooms in the bar?) We see Jeff & Jordan in the cab on their way to the bar with Jeff burping up sauerkraut - is he in for a treat! Caite makes Brent finish the beer when he gets back Jeff is happy he has to drink a beer and gets cheered by everyone in the bar as he sucks it down. Brent & Caite are wandering the street to find Indra Club as Jeff & Jordan arrive and both teams wander around looking for it. Brent & Caite get to the Mat first and tell Phil they’re expecting bad news, but find out that they’re still in the Race. As Jeff & Jordan show up, Phil tells them they’re the last team to arrive. Jeff says he feels sick, but he doesn’t know if it’s the sauerkraut or the fact that they came in last. “Four legs [of the Race] and a boot of beer.” Phil then tells them that it’s a non-elimination leg of the Race, but they will have to step it up because they’ll have a Speed Bump on the next leg.

So is this just a delayed end of the Race for Jeff & Jordan? Will everyone recover from the sauerkraut and beer? Can you begin a leg of The Amazing Race with a hangover? We’ll find out next week!

Here's the order of finish:
1 - Michael & Louie
2 - Steve & Allie
3 - Joe & Heidi
4 - Jet & Cord
5 - Carol & Brandy
6 - Dan & Jordan
7 - Brent & Caite
8 - Jeff & Jordan (non-elimination leg)

And excuse me for using this opportunity, but a dear friend of mine has been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and I’m going to walk and try and raise money for a cure and assistance to those with the disease. She’s in her early 30's and has a 2-year-old son and deserves to stick around to see her son grow .... so here’s the link to my fundraising page. If you enjoy these bogs at all, please find it in your heart and wallet to donate - no matter how much. Thanks!
http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Walk/MIGWalkEvents?px=7783693&pg=personal&fr_id=13983&s_tafId=148678