The Amazing Race 16 Begins!

The Amazing Race 16 begins! Starting from a park on the outskirts of Los Angeles, we meet the teams:

Brent & Caite, the dating models (Caite was the dodo South Carolina Miss America contestant that said people don’t know where to find South America on maps because they don’t have any); Jet & Coy, Cowboy brothers; Steve & Allie, father & daughter; Dan & Jordan, brothers - Jordan is gay; Dana & Adrian are married high school sweethearts; Jordan & Jeff are dating and are ex-Big Brother contestants - Jordan won; Jodie & Shannon, grandmother & granddaughter who both train for triathalons; Louie & Michael, friends and undercover detectives; Monique & Shawn, best friends and attorneys; Joe & Heidi, married; and Carol & Brandy, the “token” gay couple.

Phil informs them that their clue is waiting on their backpacks, and the teams must get to the airport using public transportation. There are two flights, but there’s only room on the first flight for three teams. The second flight leaves almost an hour later. Given the instructions, the teams are ready to begin, so Phil sends them off:

“Good luck ... travel safe ... GO!”

The clue tells them they are going to Santiago, Chile. I notice that Carol & Brandy have huge backpacks - that’s gonna kill them eventually! The Cowboys are wondering how they’re going to manage the public transportation, saying their town has only one light, and it’s flashing yellow. Teams start asking bus drivers and cabbies where to go and are told to go to Union Station and take the Flyway Bus. Louie & Michael huff and puff as they run, seeing Jodie & Shannon get ahead of them and noting “Nanna is kicking your butt.”

Four teams get on the first bus to LAX - Joe & Heidi, Carol & Brandy, Dana & Adrian, Monique & Shawn. As they get to the airport, there’s a race to the ticket agent and Monique gets there first. As Jordan gets up to the desk she says “we need tickets to China.” (She definitely is a few bricks short of a load!) Carol & Brandy don’t make the first flight. While waiting for the plane, the Cowboys exchange their money and get Brazilian dollars. Brandy says that she’s hoping for either bad weather or a mechanical failure so the first three teams get held up; maybe she’s a witch, because there’s a very convenient mechanical problem with first plane. The airline agent says they will have to get another plane, and Dana & Adrian decide not to take a chance and get tickets for the second plane. Joe & Heidi and Monique & Shawn follow suit, and all the teams are on same flight. When they land in Chile, the clue tells them to go to Valparazo and find the Ascensor Villaseca. The first bus takes Jordan & Jeff, Brent & Caite, Dana & Adrian and Monique & Shawn. Getting on the second bus, the Cowboys can’t use the Brazilian money and have to go exchange it for Chilean money. It’s hysterical listening to everyone speak Spanish to their cab drivers - and seeing the cab drivers waggle their heads in laughter. (Silly Americans!)

The clue is a Roadblock, in which one team member has to do cable walking. On cables strung 120 feet above the ground, they will walk a cable the length of a football field. Caite does it (because Brent is afraid of heights), with Jordan following. Dan falls on his attempt but scoots down the ropes to the finish on his hanging clips. Brandy inches along, talking to herself ... “I can do this” and “don’t throw up.” She sits on the line, but Carol yells to her and she gets back up.

Caite gets done in admirable fashion and the clue tells them to take the Ascensor Artilleria, or Finacular (hillside train) down the hill to the next clue box. That clue is a Detour, “Time to Paint the Town.” The teams are to choose cans of paint in their color choice, supplies such as brushes and a ladder, and find a house matching their paint color with a block unpainted. Once they’re done the painter will give them their next clue. The task is easy enough, but as it turns out there are many problems trying to find the location of the houses (maybe because there’s a street sign with the name of the street going in two directions). Brent & Caite wander around, snipping at each other trying to find the house.

Joe decides to do the rope challenge because he has the strength. Louis does it as well, and starting after the two, Adrian passes Joe.

Brent & Caite are still walking around and see stairs - and since “it’s the only place we haven’t tried yet,” decide to take stairs. Jeff & Jordan find a house to paint first. As Carol & Brandy head off to find the house, they remark that “we’re looking for the Martha Stewart seafoam green from the 1997 collection - before jail.”

Joe & Jordan zip through the painting (I think it was all of a six foot by six foot white panel to paint) and get their clue, telling them to go on foot to the Palacio Barbarizza, which will be the first Pit Stop on the Race.

Back at the rope challenge, Granny Jodie says Shannon will do this Roadblock because “I have the balance of a drunken elderly person on stilts.” Joe, panting and sweating, falls off the ropes. He can’t get his legs back up or really move much, so a guy comes out and says they have to go back to the beginning. In the meantime, Louis finishes his rope scoot and Cord begins his. Adrian, huffing and puffing, gets out of the gear - will he quit? Wonder how much of a penalty they’ll get for that?

Monique & Shawn ask around and get directions up the steps to find their house to paint. Dan & Jordan realize they’ve dropped a paint brush and decide to look for it. Steve & Allie, wandering through the neighborhood, end up inside a house with half-painted red walls and start painting, with the work guys saying “I don’t know what they’re doing here.” (If only they had grabbed green or blue paint!) Dan & Jordan decide to keep going without their second paint brush even though they think there might be a penalty. Everyone gets done with rope challenge and after much goading from Dana, Adrian decides to try again. Steve & Allie are inside the house painting the walls and the worker guys are cracking up, saying “they don’t know how to paint.” Steve & Allie finish and watch the clueless looks on the painters - literally! They don’t have a clue for them. Michael & Louis end up painting a house with graffiti on it, covering the graffiti with a much different blue.

Jordan & Jeff get to the Mat and Phil first. Brent & Caite are second, but are told by Phil that since they didn’t take the Fanicular down the hill, they must sit for 30 minutes. Monique & Shawn are then awarded second place. As Brent & Caite sit and stew, Jet & Cord come in third, and Brent & Caite watch Dan & Jordan come to the Mat next. However, Dan & Jordan have a 15-minute penalty for losing one of their paint brushes. Steve & Allie obviously found the correct place to paint because they arrived at the Mat and weren’t given a penalty, ending up in 4th place. Joe & Heidi are 5th, Carol & Brandy 6th, and finally Brent & Caite are allowed to formally check in at the Mat and get 7th place. Dan & Jordan end up 8th, Louis & Michael seemed surprised to find out they were 9th, and Jody & Shannon are relieved with their 10th place finish.

Adrian falls again and it looks like curtains for them. We see Phil walking down the stairs at the rope challenge. Dana & Adrian hope it’s a non-elimination round, but find out otherwise - they’re eliminated. Dana is very sweet to her husband - “We have had life challenges that the cable can’t even come close to.” Aaww!

1 - Jordan & Jeff
2 - Monique & Shawn
3 - Jet & Cord
4 - Steve & Allie
5 - Joe & Heidi
6 - Carol & Brandy
7 - Brent & Caite
8 - Dan & Jordan
9 - Louis & Michael
10 - Jody & Shannon
11- Dana & Adrian - eliminated

So the previews for next week show that some teams are allying with each other and causing problems saving space in line for other teams. The cops seem pretty ticked, and I don’t think I’d want to aggravate them - they know a lot of dirty tricks dealing with criminals! Same time next week!