Amazing Race 14 - Episode 2

Hi everyone at Blogger.com!!! I'm going to be recapping The Amazing Race Season 14 - sorry I didn't get in on it sooner, but better late than never, huh? Hopefully you'll enjoy reading as much as I enjoy watching the show and blogging later ... let me know. Let's get some rousing discussion going - tell your friends, and they'll tell friends, and so on .....

Just in the first two episodes so far, I think we knew that Linda & Steve weren’t long for this Race. As of last night, they proved it and off they go into the sunset, back to Hicksville.... *snif!*

The clue at the Pit Stop told teams to fly to Munich, Germany, then drive to the town of Ruhpolding and ride a cable car to the top of a mountain where they would find their next clue. All the teams except Margie & Luke and Mark & Michael used their cab driver’s phone to call ahead to the airport to book a flight. There were two flights to Munich, one leaving at 7:10 a.m. and the other at 8:45 a.m. Even Linda & Steve thought about calling ahead, and managed to get the earlier flight. Steve (to his credit) said he was sorry for treating Linda like he did. Linda was excited about going to Germany because "Germany has beer and we hope there’s a beer challenge." Margie & Luke and Mark & Michael got to the airport at pretty much the same time, and Blondies Christie & Jodi called the airport as they left the Pit Stop at the same time also - all three teams trying to get the earlier flight. Margie & Luke managed the last two seats, leaving the Stunt Brothers and Blondies together on the later flight.

Tammy & Victor were the first out of the airport and up the mountain in the cable car. Their clue was a Roadblock. "In it, one team member had to choose an instructor and, in tandem, paraglide off the mountain to the ground 6,000 feet below. The other teammate had to ride the gondola back down the mountain and wait for their partner in the designated landing area. In the event of unsafe wind conditions, teams could wait an undetermined amount of time for conditions to improve or choose a 60-minute hike down the mountain." After Tammy gets all geared up, she is told by the instructor that the wind is not safe and they would have to wait. Figuring the wind wouldn’t change in a quick amount of time, she un-geared and took off down the mountain.

Cara & Jamie, Margie & Luke, Kris & Amanda and Mel & Mike got up to the top of the mountain, with Brad & Victoria joining them shortly after. Cara, Margie, Kris, Mel and Victoria all geared up, and as they stood waiting for the wind to die down, began thinking about the hike. Mel didn’t even entertain the idea, saying that with his groin injury he wouldn’t make it. Mel tried to convince the others to wait with him but one by one they all deserted him down the mountain. Linda showed up and after assessing the situation, took off to hike as well. Kisha & Jen (who, by the way, got lost on their way to the village - a harbinger of things to come, methinks) Christie & Jodi, and Mark & Michael showed up and Mel tried his best to convince them to wait with him, telling them not to be chicken, and talking them into the experience of paragliding. [It was kind of brilliant: who wants to be less courageous than the old guy with his groin in a sling? Although he pushed his luck when telling the stuntmen not to be afraid. ''You're telling me that?" said Mark, incredulously.] It didn’t work and Jen, Christie and Mark all left him to hike down. Mel was depressed and afraid they would end up being eliminated because of his inability to walk down the mountain. An ex-pastor, Mel said he couldn’t "pray for God to intervene with the wind, because he has other more important things to do" but lo and behold, the clouds parted, the birds started chirping, and the wind died down! (Okay, I get dramatic. But the wind did settle down). As Mel paraglided down, he remarked how beautiful the countryside was and "I’d stay up her all day if I had a sandwich."

Just as Mel took off, Tammy made it to the bottom of the mountain and she and Victor grabbed a clue. They were to drive 25 miles to Schonau Am Konigsee. One by one, all the other hikers made it to the bottom, except for Linda - who had missed an arrow and turned the wrong way. Feeling more and more lost, she realized she was in trouble when she heard traffic and then saw a road. Figuring Steve would blow a gasket, she started crying and then decided to buck up and fix her problem - she flagged down a car, rode back up to the beginning, and retraced her steps down the mountain but this time going the right way. (I was wondering if they would end up with a penalty, but it turned out to be moot when they came in last place). Steve mentioned that Linda wasn’t good with directions (duh) but I give him credit, when she showed up at the bottom, he reassured Linda, telling her they weren’t that far behind. (Well, lying to her isn’t the best thing, but considering the alternative......)

The next clue was a Detour: Balancing Dolly or Austrian Folly. "In Balancing Dolly, teams had to ride a Segway transporter along a 2-mile obstacle course. In Austrian Folly, teams had to enter a party tent and throw traditional Austrian pies at a target. What they didn’t know was that the target was their partner’s face. They had to smack each other in the face with pies until they found one with cherry filling." Tammy & Victor got there first and decided to throw pies, and got the cherry filling in five tosses. They got their next clue and were told to go on foot to the Holzsäger, find mechanical Tyrolean woodcutters, and have them cut a small piece of wood. The wooden disc would then be stamped with their next clue. (Just what you want to do after creaming each other with pies and cakes, run through a village. Wouldn’t do much for American reputations in Europe!) Amanda & Kris also tossed pies, and Margie, despite Luke’s protests, started tossing pies also. All the teams that took part in the Austrian Folly seemed to have a good time (and also commented on the good taste of the pastries, so that helped) except for Luke, who was getting frustrated with the fact that it was taking so long. Mel & Mike decided on the Segways, saying they used them all the time.

Tammy & Vicor’s stamped clue told them to find the Pit Stop in the Austrian city of Salzburg at Schloss Hellbrunn. They easily finished in first place, with Mel & Mike getting to the mat second (although they couldn’t open the gate to get in to the courtyard where Phil waited. They asked a local who walked up and pulled the gate open with no problem. Another great view of Americans!) after Amanda & Kris got lost on the way, and Margie & Luke spent lots of time (as Luke predicted) tossing pies. [Remark from Phil’s blog: "Why is it that pies in the face always get a laugh? Not so funny for Margie and Luke, who got seriously creamed for longer than any one, and so funny for me when they arrived at the mat covered in sour smelling cream! Just be thankful that you didn’t have to smell the scent of racer's sweat mixed with cherry and stale cream."]

Kisha & Jen again got lost, with big sister Kisha giving directions badly all day. Jen was complaining that "just because she’s the big sister she thinks everything she says is right." (Is there a big fight in their future?) That allowed Steve & Linda to creep up a bit, as did our Blondies - they tossed their pies and found the cherry filling quickly, but couldn’t find the woodcutter and wandered all over town, going into a barn and grabbing a wooden board, thinking they had to get it stamped. Steve & Linda had fun with the pies, saying that it helped "let off steam." Our lovable hicks ended up at the woodcutter just moments behind Christie & Jodi, who mentioned "I’ve never felt so blonde in my life" after finally finding the wood cutting station. The Blondies managed to beat Steve & Linda to the mat, and when Phil told them they were eliminated, Steve started sobbing on Linda’s shoulder. Definitely different, those people! According to Phil’s blog, [Steve and Linda's weeping didn't end when the cameras turned off. In fact, they may still be crying right now....]

Here’s the order of finish:
1 - Tammy & Victor
2 - Mel & Mike
3 - Amanda & Kris
4 - Margie & Luke
5 - Brad & Victoria
6 - Jamie & Cara
7 - Kisha & Jen
(Jen’s remarks about big sister Kisha are interesting - "It’s getting to the point where
every time she talks it’s annoying.")
8 - Mark & Michael
9 - Christie & Jodi
10 - Steve & Linda - eliminated

So what do you think? Can Mel & Mike keep up the 2nd-place pace? Will Kisha & Jen kill each other before the Race is over? Will Tammy & Victor keep up the good job? Who’s going home next?