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

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!