The Amazing Race Blog » TAR – Episode Recap

Karma’s a bitch…

Couchtime — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 21:36:26 +0000

…even if she’s not very smart.

This week’s Amazing Race recap comes to you courtesy of Jill at http://couchtimewithjill.blogspot.com – hope you like it!

This week had another exciting episode of The Amazing Race, and again we saw teams swap spots, making me think there really isn’t a clear front runner this season. This is anybody’s race, and I like that.I think people will be pretty divided on this week’s results, either arguing for Team Beauty Queen or Team Lesbian. I’m somewhere in the middle.

Did dumb do them in?

This week, Brent and Caite were the downfall of the lesbians. We knew this was coming for weeks – Caite has been talking about the elimination of the lesbians with more glee than a new mom describing the first time her baby smiled. Only, you know, more vindictive. It wasn’t because Caite saw the lesbians as particularly threatening. Caite was simply holding a grudge against the lesbians, and Louie and Michael took advantage of that by convincing her that the lesbians were a threat.

There isn’t a lot of strategy that goes into running The Amazing Race, and I like that. I watch Survivor to see cunning, strategy and backstabbing. But this was a brilliant move on the part of the detectives. They’re an obvious threat, and by working Brent and Caite the way they did, they ensured that a team they found to be threatening would be u-turned and not themselves. It was smart.Caite will take a lot of heat for getting so psyched up to u-turn a team that actually wasn’t that threatening, and had yet to even win a leg. I get it. But I don’t hate Caite. I hate the U-turn.

To me, the U-turn and the non-elimination legs are the Hidden Immunity Idol of The Amazing Race. A facet of the game that’s meant to create suspense, but instead just rewards undeserving players and hurts the strong. Would Russell be so successful on Survivor if he’d played in a season that didn’t have hidden immunity idols? I doubt it. Would Joe and Heidi and the lesbians still be in the competition if they hadn’t be u-turned? It’s very likely, and it’s a little unfair.

I respect teams who get to the U-turn and don’t use it. They’re in the lead, so let the chips fall where they may. The only time I would use it, if I were on the race, would be if I were in second-last place and felt I had to U-turn the team behind me to avoid elimination.

So did the lesbians deserve to be eliminated? No, but I don’t think the cowboys exactly deserve to still be competing in the race, either. But just as a team can be saved by non-elimination, a team can be done in by another team for no other reason than a personal grudge. That’s the game.It’s a good lesson in “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all” (something, if you’ve read this blog, I obviously don’t practice). The only clip we’ve seen on The Amazing Race that shows the lesbians being rude to Caite wasn’t even face-to-face. The brothers (who made fun of Caite on their own) told Caite that the lesbians had been mocking her. I’ve got to wonder if a little more went on behind the scenes, at pit stops and in airports. If not, that was one hell of a grudge held by Caite. But in a race where another team can U-turn you and cause your elimination, it pays to be nice.

Singapore Sling

This was a great episode for me because my favorite team catapulted to the front of the pack with the fast forward. Unlike the U-turn and the non-elimination leg, I actually like the fast forward. It takes skill. Teams have to decide if it’s prudent to go for it or not, and they have to complete the task – which is usually pretty difficult.

All the teams had to take a bus and a train to Singapore. On the bus, Caite rambled on as per usual about how she was “100% U-turning the lesbians”. “Because they’re lesbians?” asked Dan. Caite actually seemed a little surprised that someone would read into her statement like that. I actually don’t think Caite is U-turning the lesbians because of their sexual orientation. I just think she’s young, immature and sensitive about her Miss Teen USA public embarrassment and hates them for mocking her. She was also pretty psyched at the idea of being the last woman standing.

The lesbians tried to push through the other teams to get off the train first, but the other teams were having none of it. “Ladies get their way, bitches don’t,” one guy said. I mean, really Brandy and Carol? Did you really think all the other teams would be like “Oh go ahead, exit the train first, we’re not trying to win a million dollars or anything”? Come on. It didn’t matter anyway, because the lesbians screwed up the task enough that it didn’t matter when they got off the train. The teams had to find Amazing Race Asia host Allan Wu. While most of the teams were looking indoors, Dan and Jordan found him first and decided to go for the fast forward. It was a smart move.

Touch the Sky

Jordan and Dan headed to the fast forward, which Phil described as a “giant wheel of fortune” but I did not see Pat Sajak or Vanna White anywhere. It was actually a massive Ferris wheel, much like the London Eye.

Jordan and Dan had to ride the wheel up to the top, at 541 feet, then get out of their capsule and crawl to the next capsule. I’m not particularly scared of heights, but it did look really, really terrifying. At least bungee jumping happens quickly. Poor Jordan didn’t even know what the task was until he was up there. “I thought we were just going for a ride,” he said. Oh come on, Jordan. You’re an Amazing Race fan, you know better.

Jordan was terrified. His entire body was vibrating with fear as he crawled out onto the wheel. I was worried he wouldn’t be able to do it and they’d end up in last place. He kept telling himself “A million dollars. You’re in a race for a million dollars” as he made his way across the wheel, and it worked. He made it all the way across and summed up the experience with “I’m just surprised I didn’t pee myself”. Dan had an easier time with the task and described it as “amazing”.

The brothers made it to the pit stop well ahead of the other teams and arrived in first place, to deliver the funniest reaction to a first-place prize ever. They’d won a couple of motorbikes, Phil informed them. “There is no chance either of us would even step on that for a second,” Dan said. “Our mother would kill us,” Jordan added. Ha! Hilarious! Phil didn’t laugh, he clearly has never met a Jewish mom before. I bet the brothers will be able to sell their motorbikes to Michael and Louie.

The Beat Goes On

All the other teams had to choose between pounding the drums or pounding the pavement. In drums, they had to learn a drum routine from an adorable child and then correctly perform it on stage to get their next clue.

In pounding the pavement, teams had to set up an ice cream sandwich station and sell 25 classic Singapore ice cream sandwiches. This was disgusting. In singapore, ice cream sandwiches are not delicious treats made of ice cream wedged between two cookie-like slabs of chocolate. Their ice cream sandwiches consist of ice cream wedged between two wafers and then wrapped in bread. BREAD! Not even special bread, white slices of Wonderbread! If there was ever an appropriate time for Phil to use his favorite word, “literally”, it was in describing this. They are literally sandwiches made of ice cream. Gross.

Originally, all the teams opted for drum. It was a tough choice, because both tasks seemed questionable. If you’re not rhythmically inclined, learning a drum routine could be difficult. But selling stuff relies a lot on factors outside of your own control.

Michael and Louie bailed on the drumming quickly, after Michael declared he has no rhythm and can’t even dance. “I’m white as white can be,” he said. They were “off like a prom dress”. Ha! Good one. The humor was totally lost on the kid, though. They detectives headed for the fast forward only to find out Dan and Jordan were in the process of completing it. Time to sell some ice cream and bread!

Brent and Caite were doing pretty well at the drumming. The cowboys struggled, but kept at it, despite Cord declaring “Music is one of those things that doesn’t come natural for us.” Neither is grammar, apparently. Balancing a large flagpole on one’s chin is a much more useful natural ability anyway.

The lesbians bailed on their first kid, because apparently he was going to fast. He was so cute though! I got the feeling that neither Brandy or Carol particularly care for children.

Brent and Caite were first to complete the task, followed by Carol and Brandy and eventually Jet and Cord.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream (with bread)

Michael and Louie reprimanded their cab driver for abandoning the car while they were checking to see if they could do the fast forward, but it ended up being a blessing. They guilted him into agreeing to purchase an ice cream sandwich, and he bought ten!

Meanwhile, Brent and Caite arrived at the clue box first (because Dan and Jordan scooted past it) and U-turned Carol and Brandy. I thought Caite might actually throw up from excitement. When Carol and Brandy arrived and saw what Brent and Caite had done, they were furious. “She’s an idiot, she’s on YouTube to prove it,” snarled Brandy. True. “She U-turned us cause you’re prettier than she is,” Carol barked. Um, much less true. Then we were treated to a lovely video confessional where Brandy did an over-the-top Caite as Cruella Deville impression (no wonder her acting career has gone nowhere) and compared Brent to Forrest Gump. Gee, I wonder why Caite didn’t like them?

Carol and Brandy had to turn back and complete the ice cream challenge as the other teams headed to the road block.

After selling the remainer of their ice cream sandwiches to their cab driver, Michael and Louie were thrilled to see that Carol and Brandy had been U-turned. “We trained our little wolf cubs,” they chuckled. It was well-played. Had Carol and Brandy not been U-turned, it very well could have been lights-out for the detectives.

Chain Chain Chain, Chain of Fools

The road block seemed like it would be more difficult than it was. One team member had to count the links on a giant anchor chain. It doesn’t sound hard, but with all the background noise, random numbers being barked out of a loudspeaker, and the way the chain was coiled, I thought it would take more than one try for some teams to get the correct number.

Brent went first, and got it right away. He and Caite headed to the last location, the MegaZip, where they went on an amazing zip line ride. They ended up in second place – did anyone ever think Brent and Caite would be so successful this season? They’re in the top four, and they were the first team to complete the detour and roadblock this leg!

Brandy and Carol bickered for the entire ice cream challenge. “I refuse to be in the sun,” Brandy sniped to Carol. What are you doing on the race, Brandy? You don’t like heights. You don’t like dirt. You don’t like sunshine. You don’t like your own girlfriend. What do you like?

Jet and Cord finished the road block third, as the failed fast forward and selling of ice cream sandwiches had set the detectives back a bit. I was shocked, they actually took off their hats for the zip line. They don’t take their hats off for bungee jumping, but they do for a zip line? Anyway, they arrived at the mat in third place – not as strong as last week, but respectable nonetheless. It wasn’t their leg, as they told Phil, “The closest thing to a musical instrument that we play is the radio.”

Bertram van Munster, that old trickster, tried to make it seem like the detectives and the lesbians were in a race for last place but it was obvious the lesbians had no chance of catching up. Michael used his little clicky counter thingy (the official term for the thing used to track baseball pitches) and counted the correct number of chain links. They arrived at the mat in fourth place, and the lesbians were last.

Bitter is as bitter does

Not only did Carol and Brandy not have anything nice to say about Brent and Caite upon elimination, they didn’t have anything nice to say for each other either. I didn’t expect any sort of “no hard feelings” speech from them, but a few words on what it was like to run the race together would have been slightly redeeming. But no, they went out in true Brandy and Carol style – abrasive and self-involved.

Was it a stupid move for Brent and Caite to U-turn the lesbians? Maybe. It was certainly unnecessary. But plenty of teams have been eliminated in the same way, and at the end of the day Carol and Brandy were eliminated fair and square. Their poor sportsmanship far outshone Brent and Caite’s low IQ’s when it came to being unlikable.

Well guys, we’re down to a final four! Did I hear correctly, or are we not getting a new episode for another two weeks? That sucks. Who do you want to win, and who do you think will win? I’m rooting for the brothers, but I think the million bucks could go to anyone at this point. And were you on Team Beauty Queen, Team Lesbian, or Team I Hate Them Both?

Time to get caught up with The Amazing Race!

BBBlogger — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 20:46:33 +0000

Episode 2

As always the teams were jockeying and trying to align with other teams (which in my opinion never ever works) but they still try. Usually it ends up with teams hating other teams.

As you all know the great bus shuffle caused a lot of stress. And our favorites, Jeff and Jordan were stuck missing all buses along with Brent Caite. As usual, very clever editing since they ended up being there in 5 and 6th place.

The detour is llama vs. condor. I think the llama one was the easier of the 2 but the condor thing would have been fun. Sing with me….FLY LIKE AN EAGLE…so it was entertaining to say the least.

The front of the pack was a lot of the stronger teams but the back of the pack had the usual amount of lost drivers, people who kept saying they had not seen any other teams lately, and people who cannot drive. I love the fact that the brothers (Dan & Jordan) had to push their car backwards instead of using reverse….too funny!

I am starting to really get impressed by the cowboys. Milk….straight from the cow! LOL I loved it when the cowboy said “This isn’t the first cow I have milked.” Good stuff. Bottom line….the cowboys made this task look easy.

Meanwhile, while all of this was happening, Grandma was just enjoying and soaking it all in. The cops were the second to get lost…and miss a sign. But ended up being ok since Grandma was moving a little too slow this leg and was the last team to arrive at the pit stop.

So after episode #2…the standings were…
1 – Jet and Cord (who each won a sailboat)
2 – Joe and Heidi
3 – Carol and Brandy
4 – Brent and Caite
5 – Monique and Shawne
6 – Jeff and Jordan
7 – Steve and Allie
8 – Dan and Jordan
9 – Louie and Michael
ELIMINATED 10 – Jody and Shannon

Then on to episode #3…

Episode #3

More buses and even a trip for Caite and Brent to the ER. After getting some rest and fluids they were lucky to have really not lost any ground in the race.

After a high stakes game of 5-card stud they all went to do some steer roping. Nothing like your favorite Goucho festival. The cowboys were able to rope the steer on the 2nd try (i am disapointed it took them 2 times) but others struggled with this task. Brent also did it on the 2nd time just like the cowboys but Shawne needed some divine intervention to get the roping task completed! It was fun watching that roadblock!

The race started to get on a few people….and emotions were starting to show early on.

Once at the detour. (Horse Sense or Horse Power) They even do polo or find buried treasure using an old compass. I think the polo one is the easier of the 2 but again…it would be fun to search for burried treasure!

The polo part of the challenge was difficult for the brothers. Having to go back a few times. I do like the fact that they did not give up and the third time was the charm! The moms just could not keep moving that horse and went to the Horse Sense challenge. The finished that one and ended up coming in last and being eliminated. So here are the standings after the 3rd leg…

So after episode #3…the standings were…
1 – Jet and Cord (who each won a trip via Travelocity)
2 – Steve and Allie
3 – Carol and Brandy
4 – Joe and Heidi
5 – Jeff and Jordan
6 – Dan and Jordan
7 – Brent and Caite
8 – Louie and Michael
ELIMINATED 9 – Monique and Shawne

So tonight it is on again…..down to 8 teams and lots of drama. The cowboys have surprised me as a strong team and Jeff and Jordan have dropped back to the middle of the pack.

So who do you like? Who is going to be the first in a race around the world.

They do not take Brazilian money in Chile

BBBlogger — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 04:49:08 +0000

The cowboys are going to be giving us a wild ride. I am not really sure what made them think that converting their money to Brazilian currency would be ok to accept in Chile. Way too funny! Even with that keeping them from getting on one of the busses in Chile and late to the first Road Block….they ended the first leg strong in 2nd place.

Jeff and Jordan, who I am really hoping do well during the race ended up in first. I was impressed with Jordan doing the high wire and not letting other teams or nerves really stop her. I do think Jeff is going to need to keep her motivated to keep going and not give up. The Amazing Race is definately NOT Big Brother!

Over the years I know that people have missed so things but I do not remember seeing 2 penalties right off the bat. Lucky for both Brent and Kaite and Dan and Jordan it did not cost them much and might be a good reminder for them to keep their heads in the game and READ THE CLUES!

As far as teams that are rubbing me the wrong way…well….I just hope Brandy stops talking so much. LOL….she really was bugging me. Maybe I will change my opinion but after one episode…..she was on my last nerve. I think when she was done with the wires course, she was a little too much for me.

My favorite by far…the fact that Steve and Allie went into a house/apartment and painted a complete strangers house. Their RED matched! Too funny. I keep thinking about someone coming into my house and just painting away. TOO FUNNY! When Allie was asking the painter guy for a clue….he just stared at her blankly. It was funny.

Oh…and Louie and Michael painting over the graffiti. Nice guys…nice cops…but the color did not match. Way too funny. It was a great challenge in my book.

So we are going to cover all the happenings this season. Please comment and let the world know your favorite teams and why. We are a fan driven blog so please share your thoughts.

Also, we will be updating our blog a few times a week (hopefully) and the standings weekly so be sure to come back and visit often.

Enjoy the race everyone!

Peace, BBBlogger

The Detour & You – Epi 2

Mandee — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 03:07:42 +0000

If you were on The Amazing Race which one of the two choices at the Detour would you have chosen and why?

Child Play = Transport a concert animal around a local park while collecting 5 balloons from vendors & deliver to play area for next clue.

Word Play = From a hotel observation deck , scan crowded intersection below, spot 6 letters moving around, then they may go ask locals to help figure out Doc Lap , word of independence

Recap Epi – 2

Mandee — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 02:56:45 +0000

A Fall Sunday night, means another leg of The Amazing Race! In a first, the pit stop moved while the teams were aboard it, Bassac 3 Riverboat. I didn’t hear how much money they got for this leg of the race but here is the order and times each team left the pit stop.

1 Gary & Matt 545am
2 Sam & Dan 555am
3 Globe 556am
4 Lance & Keri 557am
5 Zev & Justin 604am
6 Meg & Cheyne 610am
7 Maria & Tiffany 611am
8 Mika & Canaan 614am
9 Marcy & Ron 615am
10 Brian & Erika 629am

The teams had to travel to Ho Chi Minh City and search for golden dragon water puppet theater. Once there they had to grab the clue from mouth. Which was not easy,you have to be quick! The clue was a bullet w/ stamp inside and nothing else. The teams needed to figure out they were looking for building on stamp Ho Chi Mihn city post office, for next clue. Almost everyone figured out quickly the clue but not Lance & Keri. They didn’t even see the stamp inside the bullet & even when they did, they were still confused.

Once the teams made it the post office clue, it was time for a Detour (a choice of 2 tasks) In this detour they could choose Child Play – @ a local park, the teams had to transport a concert animal around the park while collecting 5 balloons from vendors. Once all balloons had been collected them teams had to deliver them to play area for next clue. The other choice, which only Marcy & Ron chose was Word Play – From a hotel observation deck ,they had to scan crowded intersection below. Once they spotted the 6 letters moving around below, they could then go ask locals to help figure out the word. Doc Lap , word of indepence, was what they needed to figure out.

The standing after the detour were:
1 – Trotters
2 – Meg & Cheyne
3 – Matt & Gary
4 – Sam & Dan
5 - Brian & Erika
6 – poker
7 – Zev & Justin
8 – Lance & Keri
9 – Mika & Can
10 – Marcy & Ron

From the detour they headed off to the Road Block at Dien Co 008 @ intersection Durong Vinh Vien & Durong Ly Thurong Kiet. In this Road Block (a task only 1 team member can complete) they had to take apart 2 VCRs and put the parts in the correct piles. Flight – Cheyne – Matt - Brian – Sam – Tiffany – Justin – Canaan – Lance (who used mostly his hands) – Ron represented for their teams.

After the road block the standings were:
1Trotter
2 Cheyne
3 Matt
4 Sam
5 Brian
6 Tiffany
7 Canaan
8 Lance
9 Justin
10 Ron

The Pit Stop for this leg of the race was the Reunification Palace,were end of Vietitnam war happen after a tank crashed down gate. First place came down to a foot race between the Globetrotters and Meg & Cheyne, with Big & Flight just beating them. And the choosing the word play in the detour landed Marcy & Ron in last place.

Pit Stop Standings:
1 – TROTTER – TRIP TO Aruba
2 – Meg & Cheyne
3 – Gary & Matt
4 – Bri & Erika – team Zebra
5 – Sam & Dan
6 – poker
7 – mika & Canaan
8 – Zev & Justin
9 – Lance & Keri
10 – Marcy & Ron – Eliminated

What did you think of this leg of the race?

Episode 1 Recap ..The 2nd Hour

Mandee — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 06:16:10 +0000

As part of the premier, we got 2 hours tonight, the second destination was Vietnam. After leaving the pit stop several of the teams went to a local hotel and booked flights from there. But Brian/Erika , Gary/Matt, Cheyne/ Meg, and the poker girls went the to airport,were a guy outed the girls real jobs. No one was very happy to find out they had been lying about helping homeless teens. The second flight ended up landing only a half hour later. Once they got there they discovered the streets were completely flood to add to their troubles.

From the airport they had to take a taxi to the bus station. Bus 1 had the Maria & Tiffany, Sam & Dan ,Globetrotters, Mika & Cannan, and Marcy & Ron. The 2nd bus was not scheduled to leave for another hour after the first bus. All the teams on that bus put in $100 to buy up the rest of the seats so they could leave early. But it didn’t really pay off, once they got to task & it was closed and would open at 7am. With all teams caught up they had some dinner, hung out and got to know each other.

The next morning the race was back on! The teams had to go to mud pits by boats using a map. Once there they had to dig mud out of the river bed & fertilize a near by fruit tree covering root system to marked red line. The poker gals had to complete their speed bump first before starting the mud pits. They find a marked soup stand, collect ingredients to make the soup to the dock master liking. They mange to get it quickly, as Maria had it many times before. Everyone got really muddy & it was pretty funny. Megan & Cheyne were done 1st. Garrett & Jessica 2nd -Brian & Ericka 3rd – Gary & Matt 4th- globetrotters 5th - Sam & Dan 6th – Marcy & Ron 7th – lance & Keri 8th – zev & Justin,who jumped over boat & fell in water, lost clue had to go back, it was on side of boat 9th – Mika & Canaan 10th -Maria & Tiffany 11th which was last.

Next up they had to return the boats and then by foot head off to Dai Be Field for the next clue. Which this time is a road block: a task only 1 member of the team can complete. In this road block they had to help rid the rice patties of damage insects w/ ducks. The team member, using flags had to get 150 ducks over a bridge & back in their pen under 10 mins. If they do not get it in the time limit, they give up spot & let next team try. Sam, Matt, Gary, Zev and Tiffany all had a really easy time completing the task. But Jessica, Megan, and Ericka all had a really hard time & had to try more than once. Sam and Ben were the first to complete the road block and head to the pit stop for this leg of the race: Bassac 3 Riverboat .

Pit stop Order:
1. Gary & Matt – won kayaks
2. Sam & Dan
3. Globetrotters
4. Lance & Keri
5. Zev & Justin
6. Megan & Cheyne
7. Maria & Tiffany
8. Mika & Canaan
9. Marcy & Ron
10. Brian & Ericka
Last: Garrett & Jessica – 2nd eliminated from race.

What Did You Think Of This Leg Of The Race?

Episode 1 Recap… The 1st Hour

Mandee — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 04:42:43 +0000

After a late start, about 15 minutes, we were on our way to a amazing trip around the world once again. (This is your reminder now, if you have to rec set it for an extra hour, football always seems to run long & no matter how much I complain they wont skip Andy Rooney lol.) The starting line this year was the LA river in the middle of the city. After we meet each of the teams we see our host, Phil, looking great as ever in dark pants & a light blue button up shirt. Phil tells the teams that for the first time ever there is a challenge right off the bat & one team wont make it pass the challenge.

The first challenge is a long chain link fence with tons of licence plates, the first 11 teams to find the plates with the correct design (that was on the top of their clue but wasnt told to them) will receive a ticket to one of two flights to Tokyo. Maria & Tiffanny were the 1st team to find a plate, followed by Marcy/Ron, Meghan/Cheyne, Globetrotters, Gary/Matt, Zev/Justin, Sam/Dan, Mika/Canaan, Garrett/Jessica, Brian/Ericka, Lance/Keri in that order. That left our yoga team of Eric & Lisa the first team to be elimated of season 15. They were bummed but seemed to handle it very well. Lance & Keri the second to last team were already fighting, as I had expected.
The rest of the teams headed to the airport and were off to Tokyo to compete in a Japanese game show, Sushi Roulette. The host spun the wheel & the teams had to eat what was in front of them. What the teams wanted to stop in front of them was a wasabi bomb. The team member had to completely eat the roll in under 2 minutes. Then they were able to leave and start the second half of the task: bringing 20 audience members that matched the color of their flag to the first pitstop of the season – Konno Hacnimangu Shrine.

The 1st two that got the bombs were Ron for his team and Cheyne for his. Ron struggled a bit but both managed to get it down. Justin and Garrett got them down for their teams while Maria was not able to finish her’s in time and had to eat a 2nd one on her next turn. Big, Lance, Justin,and Cannan all complete theirs while Brian was unable to eat of of his under 2 minutes, almost puking even. Dan was up next and ate it down in 2 bites, he said he eats sushi everyday. That just left Brain & Ericka, he finally got it down & they were able to start the second half of the task and were headed to the pit stop. And they got there pretty quick, quicker than almost all the teams !Who seem to have a lot of trouble with all the people on the streets and the language difference. And one of poor Zev & Justin’s people had a broken shoe, so Justin carried her to the pit stop.

First Pit Stop Order:
1 -Meg & Chyene -for being 1st they won a trip to both Aspen & Veil
2- Zev & Justin
3 -Lance & Keri
4- Ron & Marcy
5 -Big & Flight (Globetrotters aka Herb & Nat)
6- Brian & Ericka
7- Gary & Matt
8 – Garrett & Jessica
9- Sam & Dan
10 – Mika & Cannan -were missing 1 person found her & he carried her to finish so still the 10th team.
Last – Maria & Tiffany- (aka Poker girls) lost 2 people accrued 2 hour penalty. But lucky for them is was a non-elimination leg, however they would have speed bump on the next leg (task only they have to complete).

What did you think of the this leg of the race?

“Alright Guys, We’re at War!” – Episode 6

Crazysah — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:38:56 +0000

The seven teams fresh from last weeks non-elimination leg, set of from Novosibirsk, Siberia, and heading off to Jaipur, India, the “Pink City.” Luke was happy with how well Margie was doing their team’s communication. Jaime and Cara’s differences were becoming more and more glaring between them. Mel was aware that the race would be tough on a man his age. Mark and Michael were wary about the fact that all three women’s teams were still in the race. Kisha and Jen felt like they were getting along better. And Christie and Jodi were worried about the Speed Bump ahead. All seven teams connected in Moscow and New Delhi before flying to Jaipur.

The teams reached Jaipur and Mel & Mike and Christie & Jodi had cab problems while Jamie & Cara, Margie & Luke and Mark & Micheal were saddened by what was around them. At the base of the big tree in Dula Village, the teams had to dial one of seven numbers to get their next lcue. The clue was the voice of an Indian man telling them, to go to Amber Fort.

There they reached a Roadblock. The Roadblock saw one member of each team choosing a camel and loading enough food and water in a basket (for the food) and a bucket (for the water) to satisfy it. The food would have to cross the line of a stake to satisfy a herder, and the water would have to rise enough to reach the hole of a camel trough to satisfy him. Victor, Mel, Kisha, Margie, Jaime, Mark, and Jodi all took the task for their teams. Only Victor and Mel figured out on their own to use the baskets to carry the food, helping them to finish much faster than the other racers doing the Roadblock, who continued using the buckets until they saw Mel using the basket. Upon completing the Roadblock, teams set off for a puppet store in the Johari Bazaar.

After the Roadblock came the Speed Bump which was a task that had to be completed only by Christie & Jodi. The Speed Bump involved using coloured paints at a temple to decorate an elephant for an upcoming festival.

The other teams meanwhile had to comeplete a Detour. The Detour was a choice between Movers and Shakers. Movers involved riding a cycle to transport nine large barrels one-and-a-half miles to a gate and searching through them for a small, metal elephant they could exchange for their next clue. Shakers involved putting on costumes and dancing in the streets for rupees with a dance troupe. Once they had one-hundred rupees, they could turn it in to a band leader, who’d give them their next clue. Mark & Michael chose and completed Movers. Tammy & Victor, Mel & Mike, Kisha & Jen, Margie & Luke, Jaime & Cara, and Christie & Jodi all chose and completed Shakers, with Jaime & Cara running into trouble at the end of the task when their cab driver drove away with their backpacks. He turned out to have just parked far away from where they’d done the task.

Finally, after all of this, came the Pit Stop. Tammy & Victor got to first place! They each won a Kayak as their prize. Mel & Micheal came in second thanks to Mel finishing the Roadblock surprisingly early. Mark & Micheal and Christie & Jodi were left to fight it out for the last spot. Unfortunately Chrsitie & Jodi lost out by a few minutes to Mark & Micheal and were eliminated this week.. becoming the fifth team to get eliminated.

The teams finished in the following order:

#1. Tammy and Victor (Prize: One Ocean Kayak Each)
#2. Mel and Mike
#3. Kisha and Jen
#4. Margie and Luke
#5. Jaime and Cara
#6. Mark and Michael
#7. Christie and Jodi (ELIMINATED)

Kisha & Jen, Margie & Luke and Jaime & Cara arrived in a virtual dead heat and all three teams stood on the mat together. Mark & Michael arrived just ahead of Christie & Jodi and could see them climbing to the top of the fort while being checked in.

Mel: Today, when he said “You really smoked ‘em, dad,” that was better than a million dollars. And I love this kid anyway, but when I make him proud, that’s the prize for me in this race

Jaime: I have hay all down my chest and my boobies. I used my boobies to transport the hay.

Mike: My Dad just smoked the Roadblock.
Mel: (coughing) I got “hay fever.”

What did you guys think about the Indian leg of The Amazing Race?
Who do you think is going to win the season?
Who is the next team to get eliminated?

Post all your comments and questions in the comments section.
I am Sahil Bhalla. Adios!

“She’s a Little Scared of Stick, But I Think She’ll Be OK!” = Episode 5

Crazysah — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 17:08:23 +0000

The fourth elimination was last week. This week the teams continued their joruney through SIberia, heading from Krasnoyarsk to Novosibirsk. They traveled via the Trans-Siberian Railway (which is from Russia to China) and got off the middle of nowhere… a journey of approximately 400 miles. Christie and Jodi were still on a high from winning the previous leg. Kisha and Jen were sure of their speed and their ability to beat any team in a footrace. The other teams departed from the Pit Stop, but for the first time ever, their departures weren’t shown. On the train, some of the teams like Mike & Micheal realized how strong Luke & Margie are as they U-Turned power players Amanda & Kris. On another front, Tammy and Victor were aware that alliances and allegiances had to go out the window at some point or other.

They then had to take a taxi to Pundt Tehnicheskogo Osmotra for their next clue. Upon arriving, the teams faced a Detour. The Detour was a choice between Russian Bride or Russian Snowplow. Russian Bride saw the teams driving themselves to an apartment building, where a bride was waiting for them, and driving her across town to a church, where her waiting groom was. Russian Snowplow saw the teams driving themselves to a parking lot near a stadium and each member plowing the full length of a marked area — in both directions. Mel and Mike, Kisha and Jen, and Christie and Jodi all chose and completed Russian Bride. Margie and Luke, Tammy and Victor, Jaime and Cara, and Mark and Michael all chose and completed Russian Snowplow. While trying to make their way to their Detour, Margie and Luke and Jaime and Cara stopped at a gas station to ask for directions from someone who didn’t know where to go. Tammy and Victor, on the other hand, asked a cab driver if he knew where to go, and since they now had an advantage, they made the choice to ditch Jaime and Cara and Margie and Luke. This angered both teams, who thought they were all allies. It finally dawned on them that Tammy and Victor (especially Victor) liked using other teams for their own needs and then tossing them aside when they didn’t need them anymore. They were no longer sure if they wanted to keep working with them, thinking they were sneaky. On another front, all of the other teams needed help in getting to their separate destinations and had to ask for directions several times. Christie and Jodi got help from a local who took them to the completely wrong church. Other teams had trouble in the form of members who were unable to drive stick-shift cars, such as Jen.

After completing the detour, teams had to drive themselves to the Bibliotekah, where they were tasked with the Roadblock. This Roadblock, saw one member of each team stripping down to their skivvies and after taking a ten-minute warmup period, they had to run 1.4 miles from the Bibliotekah to a ballet theater, where their team mate was waiting. The ballet theater was the Pit Stop for this leg of the race. Luke, Tammy, Cara, Mike, Mark, Jen, and Christie all took the task for their teams.

Margie & Luke finished first with Tammy & Victor second. Jamie & Cara finished at their highest position which was third. The last leg’s top two finishers had to settle for 6th and 7th. Kisha and Jen finished 6th leaving last leg’s winners to finish 7th. But… they were not eliminated. This was the first of three non-elimination legs. The bad news for them is that suometime during the next leg, they have to complete a Speed Bump. It is a special task that only they have to complete and they must complete it before they can continue racing.

The teams finished in the following order:

#1. Margie and Luke (Prize: Five Night Trip for Two from Travelocity to St. Lucia)
#2. Tammy and Victor
#3. Jaime and Cara
#4. Mel and Mike
#5. Mark and Michael
#6. Kisha and Jen
#7. Christie and Jodi (Must complete Speed Bump at some point during next leg)

During Luke’s underwear run, soundalike music to Bill Conti’s “Gonna Fly Now” (AKA “Theme from Rocky“) is played, comparing his run to the training montage depicting Rocky Balboa running through the neighborhoods of Philadelphia.

Margie: Luke is, uh, running a little marathon in his underwear. It is freezing and icy. We probably would have had to forfeit the race if I had been chosen to do this one. Russia’s not ready for that.

Mark: Two Russian marathon runners, they were surprised this little guy could really fly like that. Come on, guys, let’s go. They had a pretty good time like keeping up with me.

Phil: Just goes to show you in this race, you can go from first to last just like that.
Christie: We do best when we’re in last. We crawl– we climb up. We start fighting.

Jen: People were whistlin’ at me and I didn’t find it embarrassing– not one little bit. I looked hot in my underwear. I can’t lie. Do I not look hot in my underwear?

So I hope you enjoyed this episode as much as I did. Season 14 is really rocking.

If you have any questions, comments or anything, then please do post them in the comments sections.

Thanks and Goodbye,
Sahil

“I’m Not Wearing That Girl’s Leotard!” – Episode 3 & Epiosde 4 – “It Was Like a Caravan of Idiots”

Crazysah — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 14:15:32 +0000

Leg 3: The 9 remaining teams left from the Pit Stop at Schloss Hellbrun in Salzburg, Austria and recieve a clue instructing them to travel by train to Munich and then fly 700 miles to Bucharest, Romania. Tammy & Victor scored the early flight at 3:20 PM. There lead though evaporated as their flight was forced to return and so they caught the last flight. Flight problems were also there for Brad & Victoria who missed their connecting flight as their flight into Munich was delayed. Hence, the only flight to Romania that they could take was the one next morning at 9:15 AM. This put them seriously behind the rest.

Upon arriving in Bucharest, teams go to Sala Gymnastica, where one member of each team had to perform three different feats of gymnastics practiced by three different disciplines. Mike, Amanda, Kisha, Margie, Mark, Jodi, Cara, Tammy, and Victoria all took the task for their teams.

After this, all teams were equalized when they all boarded a train to Brasov, Transylvania. Only Brad & Victoria were left behind. Once at Brasov, they were faced with a Detour. It was a choice between Gypsy Moves and Vimpire Remains. Gypsy Moves saw the teams loading a gypsy family’s belongs onto a horse-drawn cart and navigating it to their new encampment. They’d get their next clue after unloading the cart. Vampire Remains saw the teams dragging a vampire’s coffin through some woods after following a marked path to them, unlocking a series of small chains to open it, revealing several small, wooden frames, and impaling them on a stake until they’d found a hidden race flag. Once they’d found it, they could get their next clue.
Mel and Mike, Amanda and Kris, Kisha and Jen, and Mark and Michael all chose and completed Gypsy Moves, while Margie and Luke, Christie and Jodi, Jaime and Cara, Tammy and Victor, and Brad and Victoria all chose and completed Vampire Remains.

Taxi problems plagued Jamie & Cars and Margie & Luke. Also, Amanda & Chris nearly screwed themsleves as Kris lost their fanny pack containing their money and passports at the gypsy village, they found it though in the cart where they loaded their chosen family’s belongings. Also, Tammy & Victor followed a completely different path once at the site of the coffins and wound up making their way up a mountain and through the woods. They were being led by Victor and got lost until Tammy interviened and convinced VIctor to go back down. Once they got the coffin, they lost one of the keys. This lost them even more time.

After the Detour, the teams travel to their Pit Stop Vila Panoramic.
In the end though, Mel & Mike reached the Pit Stop first. Tammy & Victor were saved by Brad & Victoria’s bad flight luck.

The teams finished in the following order:

#1. Mel and Mike (Prize: Trip to two to Costa Rica, Courtesy Travelocity)
#2. Amanda and Kris
#3. Kisha and Jen
#4. Margie and Luke
#5. Mark and Michael
#6. Christie and Jodi
#7. Jaime and Cara
#8. Tammy and Victor
#9. Brad and Victoria (ELIMINATED)

Mark & Michael and Christie & Jodi arrived in a virtual dead heat and stood on the mat together. Brad and Victoria ended up on a flight that arrived many hours after all of the other teams. They arrived at the Pit Stop well after dark, but were surprisingly spared a clue telling them to skip the leg’s remaining tasks and proceed directly to the Pit Stop.

Leg 4: The eight remaining teams, set off from Bran, Romania, and headed off to Krasnoyarsk, Siberia. Amanda and Kris were sure their youth would help them win the race. Mark and Michael learned from their mistake on the second leg and borrowed a cell phone from their driver to reserve seats on the earliest plane… but they ended up calling Jaime and Cara, who pretended to be ticket agents to throw them off, instead. Christie and Jodi stopped by an Internet cafe to look up and book flights before heading to the airport. After all the flight arrangements were made, the teams would be connecting through four different cities — Munich, Germany (Tammy and Victor, Margie and Luke, and Jaime and Cara), Frankfurt, Germany (Mel and Mike and Amanda and Kris), Sofia, Bulgaria (Kisha and Jen and Mark and Michael), and Istanbul, Turkey (Christie and Jodi). However, they’d all meet up in Moscow before connecting to Siberia. Unfortunately, flight problems in the form of tight, missed connections stopped five teams from connecting there — Tammy and Victor, Margie and Luke, and Jaime and Cara, Mel and Mike, and Amanda and Kris. Christie and Jodi, Kisha and Jen, and Mark and Michael were all left to push their way into the top three.

Once in Krasnoyarsk, the teams first stop was on the back of a ten-ruble note. They had to go to the Soviet Era Krasnoyarsk Hydroelectric Dam. Once theur arrived there, they recieved a clue telling them to head to the Church of Saint Innokenty. There they recieved a Detour. It was a choice between Stack and Construct.
Stack saw teams stacking up a pile of firewood to the satisfaction of a local expert. Construct saw teams heading to a woodshed and using provided materials to build a set of “traditional wood shutters,” followed by taking them to a house, distinguished by a “Repairs Needed” sign, and properly installing them. Christie and Jodi, Kisha and Jen, Tammy and Victor, Margie and Luke, Jaime and Cara, and Amanda and Kris all chose and completed Stack, with Jaime and Cara having the biggest struggle with it (at least of those who finished it). Mel and Mike, Mark and Michael, and Amanda and Kris all chose and completed Construct (and took a really long time to do it, as they continuously missed the house they were seeking), but only after they’d all tried and failed to complete Stack.

After the Detour, the teams had to trevel on foot to the museum of the novel The Last Bow. Waiting there was the first of only two U-Turns on the race. This season, however, there was a twist. The teams ran into a Blind U-Turn. Fearing Amanda and Kris’s physical strength (especially Kris’s) and their ability to win a footrace, Margie and Luke U-Turned them, which forced them to go back and complete Stack after completing Construct.

The teams then made their way to a nearby amusement park called the Bobrovy Log Park, where they were tasked with the Roadblock. It saw one member of each team completing a one-man bobsled ride in four minutes or less. Along the way, they’d have to find various Siberian letters along the way and unscramble them to form the name of a Russian playwright, Chekhov. Christie, Kisha, Victor, Luke, Jaime, Mel, Michael, and Kris all took the task for their teams. Kisha and Michael each had to do the bobsled portion twice when they didn’t find all of the letters on their first runs. But Luke struggled more than any other racer at that task, as he was the only one (other than Jaime) who’d never heard any Russian words before, and thus didn’t know which letter combination to use.

After this was The Pit Stop. It was the first indoor Pit Stop after a long time on the Race. It was at the Krasnoyarsk Theater of Musical Comedy. And in a stunning turn of events, Christie and Jodi finished first! Kisha and Jen almost finished first, but the directions on the clue said to go in through the main entrance of the theater, and they just missed it, going in through a different one. So they wound up finishing in second place instead. Tammy and Victor rebounded from their previous near-elimination, landing in third place. Despite Luke’s struggle at the Roadblock, Margie and Luke stayed in the race, finishing in fourth place. Jaime and Cara finished in fifth place in spite of their troubles at the Stack Detour. Things were then left down to the three teams who’d fallen behind looking for the ending point of the Construct Detour, with Mel and Mike taking sixth place due to Mel finishing the Roadblock quickly. Mark and Michael ran into some trouble when they lost the rest of their money paying off their cab driver… and still not having enough, to boot! They got their driver to agree to just take what he got, though, so they managed to get out of that jam unscathed, finishing in seventh place. And as a result of the U-Turn, Amanda and Kris finished last, a long way behind the other teams, and became the fourth team eliminated.

Amanda and Kris’s elimination marks the first time in The Amazing Race history that a dating/married couple will not be represented in the final 3, excepting the Family Edition, which did not include two-person teams.

This is the first time since the eleventh season (and the fourth time in the show’s overall history) that two all-female teams have taken the top two places in the standings of a leg. Christie and Jodi finished first, with Kisha and Jen right behind them in second. This follows the three times in the eleventh season that Dustin and Kandice and Charla and Mirna had one-two finishes.

Christie and Jodi are the eighth all-female team to win a leg of the race, following Charla and Mirna from the eleventh season, Dustin and Kandice from the tenth season, the Godlewski Family from the eighth season, Debbie and Bianca from the seventh season, Tian and Jaree from the fourth season, Mary and Peach from the second season, and Pat and Brenda from the first season.

Tidbits: The segment at the beginning of the episode once again gave a brief preview of events to come in the episode, revealing the Blind U-Turn twist. At the start of the leg, teams had to travel to Siberia through a flight connecting in Moscow. Mark & Michael, Christie & Jodi and Kisha & Jen all caught an early flight, allowing them to get in ahead of the other teams. Much of their lead was eaten away by an 8:30 A.M. opening time at the hydroelectric dam, but they still had enough of a lead to pretty much assure that they would not be eliminated, barring any major screw-ups. At the end of the leg, Mark and Michael did not have enough money to pay their taxi driver. They managed to get the driver to forget their debt and avoided elimination.

Roadblock: Teams racing in this leg were given a clue reading “Who’s ready to speed read?” to help them to determine which team-member should complete this leg’s Roadblock. Those that completed it had to ride a bobsled along a three mile course at speeds of up to 55 miles an hour. They had to complete the course in no more than 4 minutes and look for 7 letters along the way. Upon completing the task, they were then given this letters, which they had to assemble to make the name of a famous Russian playwright, Chekhov (Anton Chekhov, author of plays such as The Seagull and The Cherry Orchard and also a famous writer of short stories.) Kisha, Christie, Victor, Luke, Jaime, Mel, Michael and Kris completed this task for their respective teams. Both Kisha and Michael had to complete the course twice, as they failed to spot all of the letters on their first go.

The teams finished in the following order:

#1. Christie and Jodi
#2. Kisha and Jen
#3. Tammy and Victor
#4. Margie and Luke
#5. Jaime and Cara
#6. Mel and Mike
#7. Mark and Michael
#8. Amanda and Kris [ELIMINATED]

I hope you enjoyed these two episdoes. I am so looking forward to the next episode.

Here is till tomorrow, Sahil.