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

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!