We begin this week’s episode with everyone still racing - and Kynt & Vyxsin are way, way behind all the teams after missing their flight out of Japan by getting lost on the way to the airport last week. They seemed to be making up some time, but when it goes wrong, it goes really wrong, and they’ve left their fanny pack with their money and passports on the gondola. They were getting pretty close to Zev & Justin after the Chinese Zodiac fiasco - but now what? Although a double-leg can be pretty exhausting, maybe, just maybe, they’ll be able to stay in it.
We see Zev & Justin on the Mat with Phil, who tells them they are still in the Race, and “as a matter of fact, you’re still racing.” They must take a train back to Kunming and then travel to Dounan Flower Market for their next clue. Kynt & Vyxsin get back to the gondolas and after riding back to the top, find that someone has turned in their fanny pack. Vyxsin says that sometimes “there are screws loose” in their brains.
Margie & Luke are at the train station at noon, and find out the next train leaves at 7:05 p.m. (So much for the lead!) Kynt & Vyxsin get to the Detour and choose to make the candy rather than trying to navigate through the streets (good idea). When they get to Phil, they are told that they’re still racing - BUT! They took the wrong flight and have incurred a 30-minute penalty, which they will wait out when they get to the next Pit Stop. (I swear, if they manage to stay in this Race with everything that’s gone wrong in this leg, they have somebody watching over them!) As they read their clue, we find out there’s a double U-Turn on this next leg.
As the teams wait around at the train station, Jet & Cord see a basketball hoop and since Flight Time & Big Easy have a basketball, they get a game going. Jet, Flight Time and Kisha will play against Cord, Big Easy and Jen. Cara & Jaime were performing cheers on the sideline, and there were a whole lot of locals watching. It looked like great fun, as we see Flight Time shoot a basket after he put the ball on the back of his neck! Kynt & Vyxsin show up and are immediately quizzed by the other teams. Kynt tells the teams their car broke down and they missed the flight in Japan. Mallory asks if they’re getting a penalty and Vyxsin tells her “we still don’t know what they’re going to do.” The teams all start talking among themselves that they should have received a penalty. Everyone is back together and leaving on the same train. The rooms in the train have bunks three high, and Zev & Justin are up on the highest one, saying that being up there gives them less chance of getting murdered. (Reading too many spy novels, guys!)
Once in Kunming, Ron & Christina tell their cabbie in Chinese to go fastest, and Zev & Justin are content to follow their cab. The flower market reminds me a bit of Eastern Market. Kisha & Jen get the clue first, which tells them to taxi to the Golden Horse & Jade Cock Memorial Arches to find the next clue. There are a lot of teams showing up at the flower market at once - the Cowboys, Globetrotters, Kynt & Vyxsin, Gary & Mallory, and Jaime & Cara. Each of them tells their cabbie to wait (I see a problem brewing). As they find the clue and get back to the cabs, the Globetrotters are the last team to find the clue and there is one less cab waiting - the Cowboys take off knowing they’ve taken someone’s cab, and it seems to be our basketball stars. They manage to find one after a little searching.
The clue at the Arches is a Detour. Honor the Past or Embrace the Future. For Honor the Past, they will watch a traditional Tibetan performance and count on their powers of memory. After the performance (and without taking notes) they will have to arrange dolls representing all the characters in the performance in the order they appeared on stage to get their next clue. Embrace the Future has the teams offloading a solar heating system, carrying it to the roof of a building and properly installing it to get their clue from the supervisor. Neither sounds easy!
Ron & Christina and Zev & Justin will Honor the Past, while Margie & Luke will Embrace the Future. Kisha & Jen will try the memory task. Jet & Cord and Gary & Mallory get to the Arches, and see a McDonald’s - thinking that the clue box will be by those “golden arches.” Flight Time & Big Easy will build the solar heating system. At the Tibetan performance, they must dress in costumes which include a headdress that is basically a graduation cap with a large circle on top and long fringe hanging off all around it. We see Margie & Luke get to the building and grab a large box to take to the roof - and they must use the stairs!!!! This is a really evil task to make them do after no Pit Stop, little sleep and little food. Evil, I tell you!
Jaime & Cara and Kynt & Vyxsin will try the solar panels, along with Jet & Cord. Gary & Mallory and Jen & Kisha go off to try their memories. At the performance, Zev & Justin get their first guess of dolls wrong, but go back to check and get the clue first, which tells them to go to the place in the photo they are given, which is the Chinese Minority Heritage Center. There is a double U-Turn waiting for them there. Kisha & Jen get their clue and join Zev & Justin in the street asking locals about the photo. Ron & Christina are wrong on their first try also but figure it out and see the other two teams still there. Zev asks if Christina knows what it is, and she says yes, telling the cab driver to go to the Yunnan Province Cultural Center. Might be the same place, might not.....
Margie & Luke finish their task as Cara & Jaime and Kynt & Vyxsin show up to start assembling. Jet & Cord get there too and begin lugging the equipment up the stairs as Kynt & Vyxsin squabble as they build. (Well, actually, it’s just Vyxsin trying to push Kynt around, yelling that he’s going too slow). Jaime & Cara are the next to finish.
Ron & Christina’s cab stops and the two teams following get out, racing around to try to find the clue box. Christina realizes that the cabbie took them to the Kunming Cultural Center and everyone gets back into their cabs to race to the correct spot, hoping that no other teams get there first. However, that’s not to be as Margie & Luke show up, grab their clue and tells us they will not U-Turn anyone. The clue says they have to find the Stone Forest, where their next clue is.
Jaime & Cara get to the Heritage Center next, but Jet & Cord find the clue box before they do. They also choose not to U-Turn anyone, and then tell Kynt & Vyxsin where the clue box is. They get to the clue box barely before Jaime & Cara, and decide to U-Turn the Globetrotters with urging from Jaime & Cara. Unfortunately for the Cheerleaders, Kynt decides to U-Turn them, apologizing as they run off, saying “sorry, guys, it’s the only way we’re gonna survive.” They remembered that on their last Race, they U-Turned a team that was already ahead of them, and Kynt knew 100% that the redheads were behind them. Jaime & Cara U-Turned the Globetrotters and took off to do the other task, hoping that they could sail through it and get on with the Race.
Zev & Justin, Ron & Christina, and Kisha & Jen catch up to Kynt & Vyxsin and Jet & Cord at the U-Turn, where Vyxsin says her cab driver knows where the Stone Forest is, so everyone will follow them. Gary & Mallory tag along in this caravan also. Jaime & Cara get to the theater as the Globetrotters find out they’ve been U-Turned and head to the theater also. The Cheerleaders manage to finish before they show up.
We see Jen & Kisha telling their cabbie to lose the other cabs, and Zev & Justin’s cab can’t keep up. They are aggravated that they didn’t stick with Ron & Christina. The Globetrotters make quick work of the dolls and take off, as we see Jaime & Cara’s cab having to stop for gas. Gary & Mallory are following Zev & Justin, who are not sure their cab is going the right way. Kisha & Jen get to the Stone Forest and their Roadblock clue asks “Who’s ready for a task 1000 years in the making?” This is a place where scientists found the largest amount of dinosaur relics in China. The team member doing the task must reconstruct a 20-foot dinosaur correctly to get their clue from the paleontologist. Kisha, Margie, and Christina will attempt the task. Kynt will do the task also, and Vyxsin hugs Kisha as they wait. Kisha asks why they U-Turned, and Vyxsin spills the beans that they have a 30-minute penalty to make up, telling Kisha that they didn’t want to lie, but just “fudged the truth a little bit.” Ron overhears and will tuck that away for future reference, saying that they are like Kibuki dancers, lying and hiding behind their masks.
Flight Time & Big Easy pass Jaime & Cara on the freeway, as we see Zev & Justin and Gary & Mallory stop and try to figure out where to go. Justin grabs a rock and shows his driver, then points to a tree, and the driver seems to get his meaning. Jet & Cord get to the dig site, and Jet will attempt this task also. Big Easy, and then Jaime will do it, and then Justin and Gary get to the site and will attempt it also. After looking at all the other teams there, and the task at hand, Gary & Mallory pull out the Express Pass and get their next clue. It allows them to skip the task and go to the next Pit Stop, which is Green Lake Park in Kunming.
Christina is told mid-build that her dinosaur is unstable. Kynt’s dinosaur is finished, but wrong. Jet is given the okay on his and off go the Cowboys. Flight Time asks Cara what the deal was with the U-Turn, and she says it started with Kynt & Vyxsin U-Turning them. Vyxsin then tells Flight Time that they had to make up for their 30-minute penalty, and Flight Time says “okay then, as long as you weren’t being mean.” He adds that he thinks the Redheads were being mean.
Jet & Cord manage to pass up Gary & Mallory, whose cab left. Margie & Luke get their clue after Margie’s successful build. At the park, Gary & Mallory arrive to see the Cowboys and it’s a mad dash to Phil at the Mat, which Jet & Cord win handily and get $5000 as their first-place prize.
Vyxsin is watching Kynt get another “no” on his build and sweating that they have to make it 30 minutes ahead of another team - and then Kynt’s stepladder collapses and sends him flying to the ground. All the others are having major problems assembling their dinosaurs as well, putting stuff in and taking it out. Jaime is exhausted and Kynt and Christina figure out what’s wrong with theirs. Kisha manages to finish hers correctly and gets the clue. Kynt then manages to get his correctly and off they go. In the parking lot, Kisha & Jen find out that their cab has left them and Kynt & Vyxsin leave ahead of them. Big Easy finishes his dinosaur and the Globetrotters take off celebrating - they got U-Turned and are still in the Race. Margie & Luke check in with Phil in third. Kynt & Vyxsin find out they’re the 4th team, but have to sit for 30 minutes before they can be checked in. They see Kisha & Jen get to the Mat, who are checked in 4th by Phil. Flight Time & Big Easy show up at the park as Kynt & Vyxsin’s penalty is up and Kynt & Vyxsin get 5th, with the Globetrotters 6th.
Christina finishes her dinosaur leaving Justin and Jaime as the last two at the Stone Forest. Justin gets a “no” from the paleontologist, and so does Jaime. Justin fixes his dinosaur and gets their clue, as Jaime realizes the wrong piece will make her take apart most of her dinosaur and is thinking she doesn’t have the strength to do it. Cara is thinking that their time on the Race is done.
Ron & Christina beat Zev & Justin to the Mat by a step, getting them 7th and 8th respectively. Back at the Stone Forest, Jaime is getting the dinosaur reconstructed with sore shoulders and total exhaustion, not willing to quit. They end up at the Mat where Phil tells them they’ve been eliminated. Sorry, Chris, and I’m not happy about it either!
Next week the teams are in Calcutta, India - which Zev calls “Cal-Crazy.” Tune in for our next elimination (or not)!
1 - Jet & Cord
2 - Gary & Mallory
3 - Margie & Luke
4 - Kisha & Jen
5 - Kynt & Vyxsin
6 - Flight Time & Big Easy
7 - Ron & Christina
8 - Zev & Justin
9 - Jaime & Cara - eliminated
Showing posts with label China. Show all posts
Showing posts with label China. Show all posts
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Models, Cowboys and Brothers Will Race for the Million!
The Amazing Race is nearing its end! Four teams left before next week’s finale!
As the teams leave, we hear that Jet was hit on the side of the head by a hoof and ended up with a crushed skull - they weren’t sure he was going to make it. Cord stayed at his hospital bed the entire time. Cord says Jet is the strongest guy he knows, and that gives them a good shot at winning the Race. They take off and the clue tells them to find the Garden Bridge, which locals know only by its Chinese name (and they didn’t put it up on the screen and I have no clue what Phil said!) They ask some locals, and finally find one who directs them to the Park Bridge.
Brent & Caite leave next, and Caite says she still gets negative comments from her stupid answer in the Teen USA pageant. If she finishes in the final three it will “show the world that I can accomplish anything I put my mind to.” Except that her mind isn’t all there, so....
Jet & Cord get to the destination they were told to go to and see nothing with the Race colors, so they decide to find out from someone else. Brent & Caite get lucky and find a local to search it on her phone, and she finds out it is called Waibaidu Qiao. She writes a note and tells them to go by taxi. Jet & Cord ask a taxi driver who tells them he can get them there, then once moving tells them he doesn’t know where the address is.
Dan & Jordan are leaving and Dan says he did the Race just for Jordan’s dream (like we haven’t heard that 100 times already) but now he wants to win it for himself too. They also can’t find anyone who knows where the Garden Bridge is.
Brent & Caite reach the clue box, and their clue says they must go to the Longhua Temple for their next clue - but they cannot travel by taxi. Jet & Cord get there shortly behind. Brent & Caite get a map of the bus routes and she decides they have to take Route 3, and the bus driver confirms it. Caite says that “obviously I know how to read maps....and in China. So you people can go screw yourselves.” (I’m impressed). Jet & Cord ask their cab driver the best way to get to the Temple and he tells them by train, and the station is a kilometer away. Dan & Jordan meet a local and ask him about the Garden Bridge, and he’s Mr. Clueless. Dan has decided he hates China and will never be back because of the language barrier. Two hours after their start, they still have no idea where they’re going so they decide to go back and team up with Michael & Louie. Their strategy is never to be alone and in last place - and with Michael & Louie having a Speed Bump, this would allow Dan & Jordan to go ahead. Michael & Louie think they’ve “caught up” to Dan & Jordan after walking a bit from the Pit Stop, although they have to feel better about being close to another team. They go up to a higher point, and Michael uses his little telescope to see if he can find the Garden Bridge. Because he’s a detective, he can see things better than most people (don’t think it’s going to help you here, buddy!)
Brent & Caite get to the Temple and the clue box. It’s a Roadblock. Phil explains that the word “Arhat” means “one who has attained enlightenment.” The teams must count all the golden statues in the Arhat Hall (523). If they’re correct, they get a clue - if not, they must wait ten minutes before guessing again. Caite will attempt the task and tells Brent to leave her alone while she counts. Brent says this is a good task to show everyone that Caite is more intelligent than everyone thinks. (I’m thinking she’s gonna do something incredibly stupid this leg of the Race...otherwise what’s all this talk about Caite not being as stupid as we know she is?) Her first guess of 520 is wrong.
Michael & Louie and Dan & Jordan spot some jackets hanging on a street sign and decide maybe the clues are in the pockets. After poking through them they find they’re wrong - and I think they’re lucky they didn’t get arrested for going through someone’s pockets (although they were hanging on a public street sign). Jet & Cord are still walking and haven’t found the train station. Ciate guesses again, this time 522. So much for showing people how smart you are!
Michael asks to borrow a cell phone and calls the translation number. The phone number is in every cab and when one has problems telling the cab driver where to go because of the language barrier, they will find out in English and tell the taxi driver in Chinese. He gives the phone to a cab driver and Dan & Jordan tell their cab to follow Michael & Louie’s cab. Dan & Jordan are having fits because their driver isn’t following the other cab close enough, and the front cab gets through a light and they’re stuck behind. Louie comments how it’s nice to have the boys with them, and Michael looks back and says “they’re not with us any more.” Dan & Jordan are practically trying to crawl in the front seat of the cab, telling the driver to follow the green cab, and not getting anywhere.
Caite says the statutes started blending together into one big gold statue after awhile. She guesses 524 this time. Jet & Cord get to the Temple and pass right by Brent as they look for the clue box. They finally find it and Cord is the one who will attempt the count.
Dan & Jordan manage to catch up to Michael & Louie’s cab at the bridge and get the clue. Back at the Temple, Cord notices that there are two statutes standing up, not of Buddha, but re-reading the clue he sees he must count “all the gold statues.” He figures he should count those too, and it turns out that he’s correct and gets his clue. Caite comes out just behind him and manages to have the right answer as well, finally. The clue tells them they must choose a motorcycle and ride it to the Yuyuan Gardens and find their next clue. One team member rides on the back of the bike and the other in the sidecar. Jet laughs that riding in a motorcycle through China was something for a country boy like him, from a town with one stop light.
The Brothers and the Detectives go to a hotel and ask how to get to the Temple and are told how to get to the bus stop. Michael says if they were going by taxi they would ditch the Brothers and go on their way. Brent & Caite and Jet & Cord are having problems finding the Gardens, and Caite is being accosted by vendors asking if they want to buy things, and being snotty about it. Jet & Cord find the clue box and it's a Detour: Pork Chops or Pork Dumplings. For Pork Chops, they must go to a store which sells elaborate carved stamps, which are called “chops.” They must find a stamp with a pig and one with their name and turn them in for their next clue. In Pork Dumpling, teams go to a restaurant and pick up ten orders of dumplings and make their way through the market to deliver them to get their clue. Jet & Cord decide on Pork Chops and find the store rather easily and start looking through the stamps as Brent & Caite find the clue and pick the same task. Brent can’t even concentrate because he has to go to the bathroom really bad. Caite tells him to “just go” and Brent says Caite can’t look while he’s in the bathroom, so Caite tells him to just hold it. He tries to convince her to go with him to the rest room and she says “I’m not going anywhere.” (Nice girlfriend. Although that’s what got the female basketball players eliminated a couple seasons ago, when one of them had to stop to pee.)
The other two teams get to the Temple and Michael & Louie get their Speed Bump. They will have to perform a local good luck ritual by tossing a coin into an incense burner. They’ll be able to continue from there “hopefully with enough good luck to make up the time.” The incense burner is right by the Temple so they don't have to go far. Louie gets his coin in pretty quickly. Dan is the one who attempts the counting and Michael & Louie make short work of the coin toss and join the Brothers at the Temple to count statues. Louie is a “mathematical genius” and he’ll kick butt, according to Michael - and Jordan asks “so you’re calling my brother stupid?” Back at the stamp store, Brent is still complaining about needing to go to the bathroom, and not looking for stamps at all, telling Caite if they went to the bathroom he would be able to help. They started arguing and finally went down the hall to the bathroom.
Dan decided the best way to do things is to take your time and it would be done right, and gets it right on the first attempt. Michael is bummed as he watches them leave. They take off on the motorcycle and Jordan says “you have these glasses, a helmet, and gloves, I had to hang onto this Chinese guy .... okay I liked that part.” Louie comes out with a guess of 521 and has to wait ten minutes. Michael says it’s “tortuous.” Louie reads the clue again and realizes he forgot to count ALL the statues.
Cord finds his name on a stamp and shoves it in his pocket, not wanting Brent & Caite to know he found one thinking they’d be more motivated. Caite found Cord’s stamp and of course, doesn’t say anything. Brent finds his and says it’s huge, “just like everything else.” Louie comes out with the correct number of statues and off they go on the motorcycles. Brent finds the pig and they get their clue, telling them to find the next Pit Stop, the Riverside Promenade, a park overlooking Shanghai’s waterfront. Jet & Cord find their next stamp and manage to get a cab before Brent & Caite, and Cord tells the driver “rapido” and then shakes his head, saying he doesn’t know any Chinese. They see Brent & Caite trying to find a cab as they take off and hope it will get them ahead.
It looks like a race to the finish as Jet & Cord and Brent & Caite look around the Promenade for Phil and the Mat, and Brent & Caite get there first, where Phil stands with the world’s tallest man. He’s a herdsman from Outer Mongolia and is 7 feet 9 inches tall. Caite decides that she’s proved she’s intelligent. (Good for you, honey!) Jet & Cord are told they’re second, and plan to get a new belt buckle if they win saying “Amazing Race Champs.” (*rolling eyes*)
Dan & Jordan decide to try the Pork Chops and Dan finds Louie’s stamp. Michael & Louie get to the clue box and decide to try Pork Chops also. Dan & Jordan had about 20 minutes on Michael & Louie and Michael is feeling pretty good. Jordan is fussing that “this is impossible” and Dan tells him to stop complaining and keep looking. He doesn’t want to hear excuses. Dan finds his stamp and we see Michael using a flashlight looking at the underside of the glass shelves. Jordan finally finds his stamp and they get their clue and take off. They ask locals for help to find the Pit Stop location and get some girls to come with them to show the way. Michael finds Louie’s stamp and Louie finally finds Michael’s as Dan & Jordan take off in a cab. The Detectives can only hope that the Brothers get a bad cab, and it seems like they do - they say that their cabbie may not know where he’s going. “He seems to lack any real motivation to help us.” It looks as if both the cabs show up very close together, and we see both teams looking for Phil all over the Promenade. It’s Dan & Jordan who make it to the Mat in third and are told that they’re in the finals. Jordan says Dan is an unbelievable brother and they’re going to win the million dollars. Phil has to tell Michael & Louie that they’re out of the Race. Michael says there’s no one he’d rather do the Race with, and Louie says there were a couple of instances when they had to share a full-sized bed.
So it’s models Brent & Caite, cowboys Jet & Cord, and brothers Dan & Jordan in the finals for the million bucks. Who’s got the best shot? Are the models smart enough? Are the cowboys tough enough? Are the brothers determined enough? We’ll find out next week!
As the teams leave, we hear that Jet was hit on the side of the head by a hoof and ended up with a crushed skull - they weren’t sure he was going to make it. Cord stayed at his hospital bed the entire time. Cord says Jet is the strongest guy he knows, and that gives them a good shot at winning the Race. They take off and the clue tells them to find the Garden Bridge, which locals know only by its Chinese name (and they didn’t put it up on the screen and I have no clue what Phil said!) They ask some locals, and finally find one who directs them to the Park Bridge.
Brent & Caite leave next, and Caite says she still gets negative comments from her stupid answer in the Teen USA pageant. If she finishes in the final three it will “show the world that I can accomplish anything I put my mind to.” Except that her mind isn’t all there, so....
Jet & Cord get to the destination they were told to go to and see nothing with the Race colors, so they decide to find out from someone else. Brent & Caite get lucky and find a local to search it on her phone, and she finds out it is called Waibaidu Qiao. She writes a note and tells them to go by taxi. Jet & Cord ask a taxi driver who tells them he can get them there, then once moving tells them he doesn’t know where the address is.
Dan & Jordan are leaving and Dan says he did the Race just for Jordan’s dream (like we haven’t heard that 100 times already) but now he wants to win it for himself too. They also can’t find anyone who knows where the Garden Bridge is.
Brent & Caite reach the clue box, and their clue says they must go to the Longhua Temple for their next clue - but they cannot travel by taxi. Jet & Cord get there shortly behind. Brent & Caite get a map of the bus routes and she decides they have to take Route 3, and the bus driver confirms it. Caite says that “obviously I know how to read maps....and in China. So you people can go screw yourselves.” (I’m impressed). Jet & Cord ask their cab driver the best way to get to the Temple and he tells them by train, and the station is a kilometer away. Dan & Jordan meet a local and ask him about the Garden Bridge, and he’s Mr. Clueless. Dan has decided he hates China and will never be back because of the language barrier. Two hours after their start, they still have no idea where they’re going so they decide to go back and team up with Michael & Louie. Their strategy is never to be alone and in last place - and with Michael & Louie having a Speed Bump, this would allow Dan & Jordan to go ahead. Michael & Louie think they’ve “caught up” to Dan & Jordan after walking a bit from the Pit Stop, although they have to feel better about being close to another team. They go up to a higher point, and Michael uses his little telescope to see if he can find the Garden Bridge. Because he’s a detective, he can see things better than most people (don’t think it’s going to help you here, buddy!)
Brent & Caite get to the Temple and the clue box. It’s a Roadblock. Phil explains that the word “Arhat” means “one who has attained enlightenment.” The teams must count all the golden statues in the Arhat Hall (523). If they’re correct, they get a clue - if not, they must wait ten minutes before guessing again. Caite will attempt the task and tells Brent to leave her alone while she counts. Brent says this is a good task to show everyone that Caite is more intelligent than everyone thinks. (I’m thinking she’s gonna do something incredibly stupid this leg of the Race...otherwise what’s all this talk about Caite not being as stupid as we know she is?) Her first guess of 520 is wrong.
Michael & Louie and Dan & Jordan spot some jackets hanging on a street sign and decide maybe the clues are in the pockets. After poking through them they find they’re wrong - and I think they’re lucky they didn’t get arrested for going through someone’s pockets (although they were hanging on a public street sign). Jet & Cord are still walking and haven’t found the train station. Ciate guesses again, this time 522. So much for showing people how smart you are!
Michael asks to borrow a cell phone and calls the translation number. The phone number is in every cab and when one has problems telling the cab driver where to go because of the language barrier, they will find out in English and tell the taxi driver in Chinese. He gives the phone to a cab driver and Dan & Jordan tell their cab to follow Michael & Louie’s cab. Dan & Jordan are having fits because their driver isn’t following the other cab close enough, and the front cab gets through a light and they’re stuck behind. Louie comments how it’s nice to have the boys with them, and Michael looks back and says “they’re not with us any more.” Dan & Jordan are practically trying to crawl in the front seat of the cab, telling the driver to follow the green cab, and not getting anywhere.
Caite says the statutes started blending together into one big gold statue after awhile. She guesses 524 this time. Jet & Cord get to the Temple and pass right by Brent as they look for the clue box. They finally find it and Cord is the one who will attempt the count.
Dan & Jordan manage to catch up to Michael & Louie’s cab at the bridge and get the clue. Back at the Temple, Cord notices that there are two statutes standing up, not of Buddha, but re-reading the clue he sees he must count “all the gold statues.” He figures he should count those too, and it turns out that he’s correct and gets his clue. Caite comes out just behind him and manages to have the right answer as well, finally. The clue tells them they must choose a motorcycle and ride it to the Yuyuan Gardens and find their next clue. One team member rides on the back of the bike and the other in the sidecar. Jet laughs that riding in a motorcycle through China was something for a country boy like him, from a town with one stop light.
The Brothers and the Detectives go to a hotel and ask how to get to the Temple and are told how to get to the bus stop. Michael says if they were going by taxi they would ditch the Brothers and go on their way. Brent & Caite and Jet & Cord are having problems finding the Gardens, and Caite is being accosted by vendors asking if they want to buy things, and being snotty about it. Jet & Cord find the clue box and it's a Detour: Pork Chops or Pork Dumplings. For Pork Chops, they must go to a store which sells elaborate carved stamps, which are called “chops.” They must find a stamp with a pig and one with their name and turn them in for their next clue. In Pork Dumpling, teams go to a restaurant and pick up ten orders of dumplings and make their way through the market to deliver them to get their clue. Jet & Cord decide on Pork Chops and find the store rather easily and start looking through the stamps as Brent & Caite find the clue and pick the same task. Brent can’t even concentrate because he has to go to the bathroom really bad. Caite tells him to “just go” and Brent says Caite can’t look while he’s in the bathroom, so Caite tells him to just hold it. He tries to convince her to go with him to the rest room and she says “I’m not going anywhere.” (Nice girlfriend. Although that’s what got the female basketball players eliminated a couple seasons ago, when one of them had to stop to pee.)
The other two teams get to the Temple and Michael & Louie get their Speed Bump. They will have to perform a local good luck ritual by tossing a coin into an incense burner. They’ll be able to continue from there “hopefully with enough good luck to make up the time.” The incense burner is right by the Temple so they don't have to go far. Louie gets his coin in pretty quickly. Dan is the one who attempts the counting and Michael & Louie make short work of the coin toss and join the Brothers at the Temple to count statues. Louie is a “mathematical genius” and he’ll kick butt, according to Michael - and Jordan asks “so you’re calling my brother stupid?” Back at the stamp store, Brent is still complaining about needing to go to the bathroom, and not looking for stamps at all, telling Caite if they went to the bathroom he would be able to help. They started arguing and finally went down the hall to the bathroom.
Dan decided the best way to do things is to take your time and it would be done right, and gets it right on the first attempt. Michael is bummed as he watches them leave. They take off on the motorcycle and Jordan says “you have these glasses, a helmet, and gloves, I had to hang onto this Chinese guy .... okay I liked that part.” Louie comes out with a guess of 521 and has to wait ten minutes. Michael says it’s “tortuous.” Louie reads the clue again and realizes he forgot to count ALL the statues.
Cord finds his name on a stamp and shoves it in his pocket, not wanting Brent & Caite to know he found one thinking they’d be more motivated. Caite found Cord’s stamp and of course, doesn’t say anything. Brent finds his and says it’s huge, “just like everything else.” Louie comes out with the correct number of statues and off they go on the motorcycles. Brent finds the pig and they get their clue, telling them to find the next Pit Stop, the Riverside Promenade, a park overlooking Shanghai’s waterfront. Jet & Cord find their next stamp and manage to get a cab before Brent & Caite, and Cord tells the driver “rapido” and then shakes his head, saying he doesn’t know any Chinese. They see Brent & Caite trying to find a cab as they take off and hope it will get them ahead.
It looks like a race to the finish as Jet & Cord and Brent & Caite look around the Promenade for Phil and the Mat, and Brent & Caite get there first, where Phil stands with the world’s tallest man. He’s a herdsman from Outer Mongolia and is 7 feet 9 inches tall. Caite decides that she’s proved she’s intelligent. (Good for you, honey!) Jet & Cord are told they’re second, and plan to get a new belt buckle if they win saying “Amazing Race Champs.” (*rolling eyes*)
Dan & Jordan decide to try the Pork Chops and Dan finds Louie’s stamp. Michael & Louie get to the clue box and decide to try Pork Chops also. Dan & Jordan had about 20 minutes on Michael & Louie and Michael is feeling pretty good. Jordan is fussing that “this is impossible” and Dan tells him to stop complaining and keep looking. He doesn’t want to hear excuses. Dan finds his stamp and we see Michael using a flashlight looking at the underside of the glass shelves. Jordan finally finds his stamp and they get their clue and take off. They ask locals for help to find the Pit Stop location and get some girls to come with them to show the way. Michael finds Louie’s stamp and Louie finally finds Michael’s as Dan & Jordan take off in a cab. The Detectives can only hope that the Brothers get a bad cab, and it seems like they do - they say that their cabbie may not know where he’s going. “He seems to lack any real motivation to help us.” It looks as if both the cabs show up very close together, and we see both teams looking for Phil all over the Promenade. It’s Dan & Jordan who make it to the Mat in third and are told that they’re in the finals. Jordan says Dan is an unbelievable brother and they’re going to win the million dollars. Phil has to tell Michael & Louie that they’re out of the Race. Michael says there’s no one he’d rather do the Race with, and Louie says there were a couple of instances when they had to share a full-sized bed.
So it’s models Brent & Caite, cowboys Jet & Cord, and brothers Dan & Jordan in the finals for the million bucks. Who’s got the best shot? Are the models smart enough? Are the cowboys tough enough? Are the brothers determined enough? We’ll find out next week!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Noodles in the Cold and Puzzles on a Windy Day
Four teams left in the Race! They all leave from Singapore for the 10th leg. Dan & Jordan leave first, flying to Shanghai, China. They will have to taxi to the town of Zhujiajiao, which is the “Venice of China.” They will take gondola boats to their next clue box. Brent & Caite leave next, and Caite is happy she’s the last girl standing. Jet has a wife and a 17-month-old child, and Cord got engaged before he left, so they’re a little homesick. All the teams meet up at the airport and get to hear Caite tell the gripping story of how she U-Turned Carol & Brandy. (It was mesmerizing, I tell you!) Dan & Jordan interviewed that it was a stupid decision and based on personal reasons, and that Jet & Cord are much stronger competitors and they should have been the ones to be U-Turned. The first flight leaves at 12:55 a.m. and they’re all on the same flight.
Everyone grabs a taxi out of the airport - Michael & Louie get one that understands no English, and they’re following Dan & Jordan, whose cab stops to confer with Michael & Louie’s driver. Jet & Cord get to Zhujiajiao and Jet leaves his backpack in the cab (Cord takes his along, seems like the smarter move. I wouldn’t leave my worldly belongings unless I was positive I was coming back!) Brent & Caite get to the gondolas first and float down the channel. Brent, rocket scientist that he is, says he feels like he’s in “Sicily.” (Really, just get yourself a lobotomy and get it over with already!) Jet interviews that it was a “tranquil” ride and Cord has to have him explain the meaning of the word. (Brent & Caite are rubbing off on him!) In the meantime, Michael & Louie and Dan & Jordan are stuck with cabbies who cannot speak English and are lost. Michael says that he spoke to someone on the plane who said that 1/3 of the people speak English “But we met the other 2/3 right away in China.”
Brent & Caite get to the clue box first and the clue is a Roadblock. Phil tells us that noodles have been an important staple of China for 2000 years. They will have to go to a noodle house and learn how to make noodles by hand. Once they’ve made 1 kilo of noodles, the smallest man in the world, He Pingping, will give them their next clue. Caite thinks he’s “adorable” and Brent says he’s as large as Brent’s foot to knee. Caite and Jet start making noodles, and we see Dan & Jordan and Michael & Louie bemoaning their fates with the lousy cab drivers. They end up in some deserted place and find someone who speaks English and tells the drivers where to go. Jet realizes that sprinkling flour keeps the noodles from clumping and seems to be making good headway. The little guy has a cigarette in his mouth and it looks the size of a cannon. Caite is having mega problems with her noodles, and Brent says he’ll never ask to her make some homemade spaghetti. (*eyes rolling*) Jordan volunteers and Louie says he used to help his grandmother make pasta. (Kiss of death, I bet!) Jet is doing great and gets his pasta done, with “gentle hands” according to Jordan. Caite’s noodles keep clumping and she keeps getting “no, no” from the local in charge. In the cab, the Cowboys talk about the little guy’s cigarette, and say “apparently smoking will stunt your growth.” Louie gets 15 grams of good noodles and says “my Grandma is probably turning over in her grave right now.” The Cowboys luckily can go back to their cab so Jet is safe this time. Their clue tells them to go into the fashion house and work together. They will choose a model who has a sketch of a design. They will have to find all the pieces of the outfit from the many racks, and if the model is dressed correctly, they will get their next clue. They start looking through the racks...
And Caite finishes her noodles. Jordan is complaining that his hands are freezing and he’s not going quickly at all. Louie gets a big clump and Jordan asks “how did you do that?” Louie yells “it’s because I’m Italian!”
We see Cord seeing a model with a shirt that looks like his sketch and asks the model if he can have her shirt. (Had she understood English, he may have gotten clobbered). As their model gets dressed, they banter about how fashion conscious they are. Louie finishes his noodles and they yell “good luck” to Jordan as they take off. Jordan gets another clump of noodles done but he’s far from finishing and is getting upset. Dan goes over and gives his brother a hug and a pep talk, telling him “I know how hard this is, but you’re doing great.” You know Jordan’s hands are freezing, because we can see everyone’s breath. Jet & Cord find out their model is dressed incorrectly and go to pick another shirt, which is the right one so they get their next clue, which tells them to go to Hongkou Stadium for their next clue. Brent & Caite then get to the fashion house and Caite thinks it’s funny that they’re usually the ones getting dressed, not picking the fashions. Michael & Louie get their clue (which is right in front of the fashion house) and go wandering off looking for the building. Jordan finally gets done with his noodles and off the Brothers go to find the next clue box. Caite, after hating Carol & Brandy the whole Race for talking about a tiara, asks the model if she needs her tiara to help her change clothes.
Jet & Cord get to the Stadium and find another Roadblock. This is a first, having two Roadblocks on one Race - and the person who didn’t do the first Roadblock has to do this one. And Phil tells us “It won’t be easy.” They will have to take 96 cards and build a puzzle with them, working off of a little picture. They will then give the cards to people in the stands, and once the cards are flipped over, it will give a seat number where their next clue is hidden. Cord started laying the pieces out and says they all look alike. Jet says that Cord isn’t talented in everything, but he makes up for it in “try” and he’s glad Cord is his teammate. Brent & Caite get their model dressed correctly and head to the Stadium. Michael & Louie finally wander back to the correct place and laugh “what kind of detectives are we?” As they get their clothes together, Dan & Jordan walk in and Michael says “being a gay male, this is right up Jordan’s alley.” Michael & Louie are wrong and Michael yells “can we have a shooting challenge please?” They find out they’re wrong again. Dan & Jordan are wrong, also, and they realize that each model is wearing the other’s stockings. Michael & Louie’s model gets dressed first and they take off with Dan & Jordan right behind them. Michael complains that he’d like a challenge where they could “kick a door in” or “chase a crackhead.” Brent is making good headway over Cord, and the wind kicks up and starts blowing their pieces away. Cord starts taking clothes off to hold down his pieces, throwing his jacket and hat and shirt on top of them, then laying on them till the wind quits. Brent is getting pretty ticked and starts yelling to Caite “I was halfway done.” Cord interviews that “having a fit and kicking and screaming isn’t going to help.” The teams are using their backpacks to hold down the pieces as they build the puzzle. Cord gets done and passes out his pieces and they’re correct, because the readable answer is Section 20, Row 16, Seat 33 and there’s the clue! The clue tells them to go to the Shanghai Science & Technology Museum, which is the Pit Stop on this leg of the Race. Dan is building the puzzle like his Dad used to, getting the corners and border first, then the middle. Brent finally gets done and finds his clue. Michael is looking through the individual pieces trying to find them one by one, and getting fixated on finding one piece.
Jet & Cord make it to the Mat first, and poor Phil looks freezing. Speaking of which, the Cowboy brothers win a trip to Alaska. They’ve won three trips so far, and they both say they’re not going with each other. Brent & Caite are second to the Mat. The crowds at the Stadium are cheering their puzzle makers on, and Dan finishes his puzzle and runs off to get his clue. Michael is bumming and “not seeing this.” He’s not giving up, though. Dan & Jordan get to the Mat in third, and Jordan thinks the girls with Phil are cute. Michael is taking so long that the lights are on at the stadium. Louie says he’s sad, but he’s proud of his partner and gives Michael a hug after he finishes. They get to the Mat last, and Phil tells them that “you are the last team to arrive, and you are out.” (This gave me the hint that this was a non-elimination leg, or else the show just became Project Runway.) Phil smiles and says “...in the cold!” and tells them while they have a Speed Bump next leg, they’re still in the Race. He tells Louie, “don’t make me eliminate you.”
The show ends with “In memory of He Pingping.” The little guy obviously died, and after looking him up on Wikipedia, I found this:
He Pingping was, according to the Guinness World Records, the world's shortest man who was able to walk. He was admitted to a hospital on March 3,2010 in Rome, Italy after complaining of chest pains. He died on March 13, 2010 of heart complications. The Guinness World Records editor-in-chief, Craig Glenday, said that he was "an inspiration to anyone considered different or unusual." He measured 74 cm (2 ft 5 in) tall, and was the third child of a family in Huade county, in the city of Ulanqab in northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. He had two sisters, one who stands at 7 feet tall. According to his father, He Yun, at birth He Pingping was small enough to fit in the palm of his parents' hands. When it became apparent the child was growing very slowly, doctors diagnosed the cause as the bone deformity osteogenesis imperfecta, which hinders normal bone growth and body height. His name "Pingping" means wine bottle. He was a chain smoker.
So here are the standings, getting pretty darn close to the end:
1 - Jet & Cord
2 - Brent & Caite
3 - Dan & Jordan
4 - Michael & Louie
So there is one more show before the finale on May 9th. Who will our last three teams be? They all seem capable (as long as there are no tasks needing brains for Brent & Caite).
Everyone grabs a taxi out of the airport - Michael & Louie get one that understands no English, and they’re following Dan & Jordan, whose cab stops to confer with Michael & Louie’s driver. Jet & Cord get to Zhujiajiao and Jet leaves his backpack in the cab (Cord takes his along, seems like the smarter move. I wouldn’t leave my worldly belongings unless I was positive I was coming back!) Brent & Caite get to the gondolas first and float down the channel. Brent, rocket scientist that he is, says he feels like he’s in “Sicily.” (Really, just get yourself a lobotomy and get it over with already!) Jet interviews that it was a “tranquil” ride and Cord has to have him explain the meaning of the word. (Brent & Caite are rubbing off on him!) In the meantime, Michael & Louie and Dan & Jordan are stuck with cabbies who cannot speak English and are lost. Michael says that he spoke to someone on the plane who said that 1/3 of the people speak English “But we met the other 2/3 right away in China.”
Brent & Caite get to the clue box first and the clue is a Roadblock. Phil tells us that noodles have been an important staple of China for 2000 years. They will have to go to a noodle house and learn how to make noodles by hand. Once they’ve made 1 kilo of noodles, the smallest man in the world, He Pingping, will give them their next clue. Caite thinks he’s “adorable” and Brent says he’s as large as Brent’s foot to knee. Caite and Jet start making noodles, and we see Dan & Jordan and Michael & Louie bemoaning their fates with the lousy cab drivers. They end up in some deserted place and find someone who speaks English and tells the drivers where to go. Jet realizes that sprinkling flour keeps the noodles from clumping and seems to be making good headway. The little guy has a cigarette in his mouth and it looks the size of a cannon. Caite is having mega problems with her noodles, and Brent says he’ll never ask to her make some homemade spaghetti. (*eyes rolling*) Jordan volunteers and Louie says he used to help his grandmother make pasta. (Kiss of death, I bet!) Jet is doing great and gets his pasta done, with “gentle hands” according to Jordan. Caite’s noodles keep clumping and she keeps getting “no, no” from the local in charge. In the cab, the Cowboys talk about the little guy’s cigarette, and say “apparently smoking will stunt your growth.” Louie gets 15 grams of good noodles and says “my Grandma is probably turning over in her grave right now.” The Cowboys luckily can go back to their cab so Jet is safe this time. Their clue tells them to go into the fashion house and work together. They will choose a model who has a sketch of a design. They will have to find all the pieces of the outfit from the many racks, and if the model is dressed correctly, they will get their next clue. They start looking through the racks...
And Caite finishes her noodles. Jordan is complaining that his hands are freezing and he’s not going quickly at all. Louie gets a big clump and Jordan asks “how did you do that?” Louie yells “it’s because I’m Italian!”
We see Cord seeing a model with a shirt that looks like his sketch and asks the model if he can have her shirt. (Had she understood English, he may have gotten clobbered). As their model gets dressed, they banter about how fashion conscious they are. Louie finishes his noodles and they yell “good luck” to Jordan as they take off. Jordan gets another clump of noodles done but he’s far from finishing and is getting upset. Dan goes over and gives his brother a hug and a pep talk, telling him “I know how hard this is, but you’re doing great.” You know Jordan’s hands are freezing, because we can see everyone’s breath. Jet & Cord find out their model is dressed incorrectly and go to pick another shirt, which is the right one so they get their next clue, which tells them to go to Hongkou Stadium for their next clue. Brent & Caite then get to the fashion house and Caite thinks it’s funny that they’re usually the ones getting dressed, not picking the fashions. Michael & Louie get their clue (which is right in front of the fashion house) and go wandering off looking for the building. Jordan finally gets done with his noodles and off the Brothers go to find the next clue box. Caite, after hating Carol & Brandy the whole Race for talking about a tiara, asks the model if she needs her tiara to help her change clothes.
Jet & Cord get to the Stadium and find another Roadblock. This is a first, having two Roadblocks on one Race - and the person who didn’t do the first Roadblock has to do this one. And Phil tells us “It won’t be easy.” They will have to take 96 cards and build a puzzle with them, working off of a little picture. They will then give the cards to people in the stands, and once the cards are flipped over, it will give a seat number where their next clue is hidden. Cord started laying the pieces out and says they all look alike. Jet says that Cord isn’t talented in everything, but he makes up for it in “try” and he’s glad Cord is his teammate. Brent & Caite get their model dressed correctly and head to the Stadium. Michael & Louie finally wander back to the correct place and laugh “what kind of detectives are we?” As they get their clothes together, Dan & Jordan walk in and Michael says “being a gay male, this is right up Jordan’s alley.” Michael & Louie are wrong and Michael yells “can we have a shooting challenge please?” They find out they’re wrong again. Dan & Jordan are wrong, also, and they realize that each model is wearing the other’s stockings. Michael & Louie’s model gets dressed first and they take off with Dan & Jordan right behind them. Michael complains that he’d like a challenge where they could “kick a door in” or “chase a crackhead.” Brent is making good headway over Cord, and the wind kicks up and starts blowing their pieces away. Cord starts taking clothes off to hold down his pieces, throwing his jacket and hat and shirt on top of them, then laying on them till the wind quits. Brent is getting pretty ticked and starts yelling to Caite “I was halfway done.” Cord interviews that “having a fit and kicking and screaming isn’t going to help.” The teams are using their backpacks to hold down the pieces as they build the puzzle. Cord gets done and passes out his pieces and they’re correct, because the readable answer is Section 20, Row 16, Seat 33 and there’s the clue! The clue tells them to go to the Shanghai Science & Technology Museum, which is the Pit Stop on this leg of the Race. Dan is building the puzzle like his Dad used to, getting the corners and border first, then the middle. Brent finally gets done and finds his clue. Michael is looking through the individual pieces trying to find them one by one, and getting fixated on finding one piece.
Jet & Cord make it to the Mat first, and poor Phil looks freezing. Speaking of which, the Cowboy brothers win a trip to Alaska. They’ve won three trips so far, and they both say they’re not going with each other. Brent & Caite are second to the Mat. The crowds at the Stadium are cheering their puzzle makers on, and Dan finishes his puzzle and runs off to get his clue. Michael is bumming and “not seeing this.” He’s not giving up, though. Dan & Jordan get to the Mat in third, and Jordan thinks the girls with Phil are cute. Michael is taking so long that the lights are on at the stadium. Louie says he’s sad, but he’s proud of his partner and gives Michael a hug after he finishes. They get to the Mat last, and Phil tells them that “you are the last team to arrive, and you are out.” (This gave me the hint that this was a non-elimination leg, or else the show just became Project Runway.) Phil smiles and says “...in the cold!” and tells them while they have a Speed Bump next leg, they’re still in the Race. He tells Louie, “don’t make me eliminate you.”
The show ends with “In memory of He Pingping.” The little guy obviously died, and after looking him up on Wikipedia, I found this:
He Pingping was, according to the Guinness World Records, the world's shortest man who was able to walk. He was admitted to a hospital on March 3,2010 in Rome, Italy after complaining of chest pains. He died on March 13, 2010 of heart complications. The Guinness World Records editor-in-chief, Craig Glenday, said that he was "an inspiration to anyone considered different or unusual." He measured 74 cm (2 ft 5 in) tall, and was the third child of a family in Huade county, in the city of Ulanqab in northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. He had two sisters, one who stands at 7 feet tall. According to his father, He Yun, at birth He Pingping was small enough to fit in the palm of his parents' hands. When it became apparent the child was growing very slowly, doctors diagnosed the cause as the bone deformity osteogenesis imperfecta, which hinders normal bone growth and body height. His name "Pingping" means wine bottle. He was a chain smoker.
So here are the standings, getting pretty darn close to the end:
1 - Jet & Cord
2 - Brent & Caite
3 - Dan & Jordan
4 - Michael & Louie
So there is one more show before the finale on May 9th. Who will our last three teams be? They all seem capable (as long as there are no tasks needing brains for Brent & Caite).
Monday, April 27, 2009
Not So Fast! First Place is Still an Illusion....
Wow! The Redheads Cara & Jamie were thinking that they finally managed to come in first place, and Phil hands them a clue and says "keep racing!" Lucky for Keisha & Jen, who had a major meltdown at a task, meaning they won’t be eliminated this leg and have a chance to catch up.
Our teams are told to fly to Beijing, China and find a foot massage spa. Tammy & Victor were excited since they were just to Beijing for the Olympics and had a familiarity with the city. After the Mat argument last week, Luke is saying "It’s done with Keisha & Jen. We’re going to finish in the final three and kick their ass." Margie & Luke get to the airport first and as Keisha & Jen wait behind them to book tickets, they all find out that particular counter doesn’t accept foreign credit cards. Margie gets upset and mumbles that Keisha & Jen get to the other counter first rather than "go in the order that they were there in the first place." It doesn’t matter in the end, as they are all on the same flight. Tammy & Victor, using their language skills, ask the seating agent to give them seats as far up front as possible and put the other teams as far back as possible (leaving the Redheads in the last row). Tammy mentioned that "we will bring shame to our family" if they didn’t make it through this leg of the Race.
Once in Beijing, Luke and Keisha bumped into each other as they were running for taxis, but luckily nothing came out of that - I’m sure neither wanted to end up arrested in China for fighting at the airport. Keisha & Jen ended up with a slow cab driver and Cara & Jamie passed them up, even though they were the last off the plane after being stuck way in the back. Tammy remarked that she didn’t like feet, and was hoping that the task at the foot massage spa didn’t involve having to give foot rubs. Cara & Jamie make it to the spa first and find a Road Block. "One team member had to first drink a Chinese medicinal tea. Then, they would sit back and "enjoy" a foot massage, known for its therapeutic powers, which walked the fine line between pleasure and pain and lasted ten minutes. If the racer could endure the therapeutic massage for the entire ten minutes, they had to drink another cup of tea to receive their next clue. However, if the pain was too intense, the racer could say, "Uncle", to stop the massage, but if they did, they had to restart the massage from the beginning." Cara wasn’t thrilled with anyone touching her feet but I’m sure she would have welcomed a regular foot massage over what was to come. She was reduced to tears, squirming all over the chair as Jamie threatened her not to say "uncle." Keisha had to bite on her jacket to get through the "massage." As Tammy went in and saw the two of them, she asked "is it really that bad?" and Cara told her "having a baby has to be easier than this!" After a few minutes Tammy admitted that she’d much rather mess with someone else’s feet than endure the pain. Luke overruled Margie, who offered to do the task, and was sorry, signing "ow" over and over again. He and Tammy ended up holding hands for courage, and after Tammy left, he bit on his cap to get through the rest. (I don't even want to know what the "happy ending" at this spa was!!! Plus, the shots of the local spa ladies grinning creeped me out.)
The teams had trouble finding a taxi to take them to the Guangcai Natatorium which allowed Margie & Luke to catch up. Keisha & Jen were first to leave, and Cara & Jamie were going for the same cab as Tammy & Victor, who were telling the cab driver where they needed to go. Jamie bulldozed her way to the cab, telling Tammy "not this time, sister," and Tammy decided to let it go because "Jamie scares me." (All Tammy would have to do is scream in Chinese that Jamie had a gun or drugs and she’d be a bit delayed, I’d think! Of course, I can only imagine the penalty Phil would give her for that....)
At the Natatorium, Tammy & Victor get there first and get the clue, which is a Detour - Sync or Swim. "In Sync, teams would try to master the skill of synchronized diving by jumping off the three-meter springboard and hitting the water in perfect unison. When they performed a jump where they hit the water simultaneously, and received a passing score of five from the judges, they would receive their next clue. In Swim, teams had to change into the revolutionary Speedo laser suit, the same type of suit worn by Michael Phelps when he won 8 gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Then, they had to swim eight lengths of the pool in a 400-meter relay with team members alternating every two lengths, and competing against Michael Phelps’ time of 04:03.84 in the individual medley. While teams did not have to beat Phelps’ time, each team member had to complete 200 meters of the relay to receive their next clue."
Tammy & Victor decide to try the diving after watching a diver bounce twice on the board and jump in feet first, thinking it would be easier than the swimming. Victor looked embarrassed walking out of the locker room with the bathing suit they gave him, a little Speedo, saying "this is skimpy." It was funny watching them try to "dive" in unison - they were getting scores of 1's and 2's - they couldn’t even jump off the boards at the same time! Keisha & Jen had gotten there by this time and decided to try the diving because Jen had a huge fear of water and figured this would be easier to take than swimming. Jen walked out to the edge of the board and said "I can’t do this" so they decided to switch tasks. As they changed into the laser swimsuits, Keisha mentioned that "I don’t think these are made for someone with these thighs," trying hard to squeeze into the suit. She jumped in first to swim the first leg, and while I thought she was taking so long and grabbing onto the lane markers on the way back, I realized she was doing that after about 10 meters (which isn’t like a skip in the park, but c’mon already!) I was a swimmer in high school, but we swam yards - when I got to college I visited the pool and jumped in to do a few laps, and realized it was a meter pool - and meters are much longer than I expected! Still, the teams were not expected to go fast or look pretty doing it, or not even stick to one stroke (they could dog paddle if they wanted). After her first lap, Jen convinced Keisha to go back to the diving board for another crack at that.
Cara & Jamie had decided to do the swim, and while they weren’t anywhere near graceful in the water, they kept at it and finished the 400 meters in 9:53. They got their clue and were told to head to the Pit Stop at Drum Tower. They were excited, thinking that this was finally the leg they could come in first, but knowing that they’ve been first to leave tasks before and something always managed to screw them up like bad drivers or directions kept them anxious.
In the meantime, Margie & Luke did the swim and while Margie complained that it was hard to breathe in the swimsuit, they finished the race with a time to beat of 8:05. Talking in the cab about the troubles Keisha & Jen were having, Margie said "Jen and Kisha, bye bye. They’re tough on land, but in the water, they’re nothing."
Tammy & Victor finally decide to stop attempting to dive after failing miserably on numerous tries and switch to swimming. After two dives, Jen started falling apart, crying that she didn’t want to do the task any more. Keisha tried her best to convince Jen to keep moving, saying "we want to go out strong," and pretty much resigning herself to the fact that it was the end of the line for them. After their swim was over with a time of 10:29 and Tammy & Victor found a cab, Victor started having horrible cramps in his legs and they had to take some time for the cramps to stop so Victor could bend his legs and sit in the cab. By this time Keisha had convinced Jen to go back for the swim, and they Keisha put on a flotation jacket to show solidarity with Jen, and they managed to get through the 200 meters each. (Okay, if one can’t swim this makes sense, and they had to know it would be available - I just can’t fathom someone being that petrified in a pool [as opposed to a lake or river] and wearing a life vest! A definite advantage over the other teams not using the life vests.)
With Victor having cramp trouble, I figured this gave the producers a chance to show a little mystery - maybe Keisha & Jen had time to catch up (their swimming time was 18:19). Would there be an actual race to the Mat for 3rd place?
Well, no. As Cara & Jamie proudly jump on the Mat in front of Phil, pretty sure they finally finished a leg in first, Phil pulls out a clue and tells them "this leg of the Race is not yet over. Keep racing!" I almost felt sorry for them - almost. Maybe if they’d been a bit nicer to people along the way.....
So we find out next week who our final three teams are! Got a favorite? Who do you want out next week? Let's talk!
Our teams are told to fly to Beijing, China and find a foot massage spa. Tammy & Victor were excited since they were just to Beijing for the Olympics and had a familiarity with the city. After the Mat argument last week, Luke is saying "It’s done with Keisha & Jen. We’re going to finish in the final three and kick their ass." Margie & Luke get to the airport first and as Keisha & Jen wait behind them to book tickets, they all find out that particular counter doesn’t accept foreign credit cards. Margie gets upset and mumbles that Keisha & Jen get to the other counter first rather than "go in the order that they were there in the first place." It doesn’t matter in the end, as they are all on the same flight. Tammy & Victor, using their language skills, ask the seating agent to give them seats as far up front as possible and put the other teams as far back as possible (leaving the Redheads in the last row). Tammy mentioned that "we will bring shame to our family" if they didn’t make it through this leg of the Race.
Once in Beijing, Luke and Keisha bumped into each other as they were running for taxis, but luckily nothing came out of that - I’m sure neither wanted to end up arrested in China for fighting at the airport. Keisha & Jen ended up with a slow cab driver and Cara & Jamie passed them up, even though they were the last off the plane after being stuck way in the back. Tammy remarked that she didn’t like feet, and was hoping that the task at the foot massage spa didn’t involve having to give foot rubs. Cara & Jamie make it to the spa first and find a Road Block. "One team member had to first drink a Chinese medicinal tea. Then, they would sit back and "enjoy" a foot massage, known for its therapeutic powers, which walked the fine line between pleasure and pain and lasted ten minutes. If the racer could endure the therapeutic massage for the entire ten minutes, they had to drink another cup of tea to receive their next clue. However, if the pain was too intense, the racer could say, "Uncle", to stop the massage, but if they did, they had to restart the massage from the beginning." Cara wasn’t thrilled with anyone touching her feet but I’m sure she would have welcomed a regular foot massage over what was to come. She was reduced to tears, squirming all over the chair as Jamie threatened her not to say "uncle." Keisha had to bite on her jacket to get through the "massage." As Tammy went in and saw the two of them, she asked "is it really that bad?" and Cara told her "having a baby has to be easier than this!" After a few minutes Tammy admitted that she’d much rather mess with someone else’s feet than endure the pain. Luke overruled Margie, who offered to do the task, and was sorry, signing "ow" over and over again. He and Tammy ended up holding hands for courage, and after Tammy left, he bit on his cap to get through the rest. (I don't even want to know what the "happy ending" at this spa was!!! Plus, the shots of the local spa ladies grinning creeped me out.)
The teams had trouble finding a taxi to take them to the Guangcai Natatorium which allowed Margie & Luke to catch up. Keisha & Jen were first to leave, and Cara & Jamie were going for the same cab as Tammy & Victor, who were telling the cab driver where they needed to go. Jamie bulldozed her way to the cab, telling Tammy "not this time, sister," and Tammy decided to let it go because "Jamie scares me." (All Tammy would have to do is scream in Chinese that Jamie had a gun or drugs and she’d be a bit delayed, I’d think! Of course, I can only imagine the penalty Phil would give her for that....)
At the Natatorium, Tammy & Victor get there first and get the clue, which is a Detour - Sync or Swim. "In Sync, teams would try to master the skill of synchronized diving by jumping off the three-meter springboard and hitting the water in perfect unison. When they performed a jump where they hit the water simultaneously, and received a passing score of five from the judges, they would receive their next clue. In Swim, teams had to change into the revolutionary Speedo laser suit, the same type of suit worn by Michael Phelps when he won 8 gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Then, they had to swim eight lengths of the pool in a 400-meter relay with team members alternating every two lengths, and competing against Michael Phelps’ time of 04:03.84 in the individual medley. While teams did not have to beat Phelps’ time, each team member had to complete 200 meters of the relay to receive their next clue."
Tammy & Victor decide to try the diving after watching a diver bounce twice on the board and jump in feet first, thinking it would be easier than the swimming. Victor looked embarrassed walking out of the locker room with the bathing suit they gave him, a little Speedo, saying "this is skimpy." It was funny watching them try to "dive" in unison - they were getting scores of 1's and 2's - they couldn’t even jump off the boards at the same time! Keisha & Jen had gotten there by this time and decided to try the diving because Jen had a huge fear of water and figured this would be easier to take than swimming. Jen walked out to the edge of the board and said "I can’t do this" so they decided to switch tasks. As they changed into the laser swimsuits, Keisha mentioned that "I don’t think these are made for someone with these thighs," trying hard to squeeze into the suit. She jumped in first to swim the first leg, and while I thought she was taking so long and grabbing onto the lane markers on the way back, I realized she was doing that after about 10 meters (which isn’t like a skip in the park, but c’mon already!) I was a swimmer in high school, but we swam yards - when I got to college I visited the pool and jumped in to do a few laps, and realized it was a meter pool - and meters are much longer than I expected! Still, the teams were not expected to go fast or look pretty doing it, or not even stick to one stroke (they could dog paddle if they wanted). After her first lap, Jen convinced Keisha to go back to the diving board for another crack at that.
Cara & Jamie had decided to do the swim, and while they weren’t anywhere near graceful in the water, they kept at it and finished the 400 meters in 9:53. They got their clue and were told to head to the Pit Stop at Drum Tower. They were excited, thinking that this was finally the leg they could come in first, but knowing that they’ve been first to leave tasks before and something always managed to screw them up like bad drivers or directions kept them anxious.
In the meantime, Margie & Luke did the swim and while Margie complained that it was hard to breathe in the swimsuit, they finished the race with a time to beat of 8:05. Talking in the cab about the troubles Keisha & Jen were having, Margie said "Jen and Kisha, bye bye. They’re tough on land, but in the water, they’re nothing."
Tammy & Victor finally decide to stop attempting to dive after failing miserably on numerous tries and switch to swimming. After two dives, Jen started falling apart, crying that she didn’t want to do the task any more. Keisha tried her best to convince Jen to keep moving, saying "we want to go out strong," and pretty much resigning herself to the fact that it was the end of the line for them. After their swim was over with a time of 10:29 and Tammy & Victor found a cab, Victor started having horrible cramps in his legs and they had to take some time for the cramps to stop so Victor could bend his legs and sit in the cab. By this time Keisha had convinced Jen to go back for the swim, and they Keisha put on a flotation jacket to show solidarity with Jen, and they managed to get through the 200 meters each. (Okay, if one can’t swim this makes sense, and they had to know it would be available - I just can’t fathom someone being that petrified in a pool [as opposed to a lake or river] and wearing a life vest! A definite advantage over the other teams not using the life vests.)
With Victor having cramp trouble, I figured this gave the producers a chance to show a little mystery - maybe Keisha & Jen had time to catch up (their swimming time was 18:19). Would there be an actual race to the Mat for 3rd place?
Well, no. As Cara & Jamie proudly jump on the Mat in front of Phil, pretty sure they finally finished a leg in first, Phil pulls out a clue and tells them "this leg of the Race is not yet over. Keep racing!" I almost felt sorry for them - almost. Maybe if they’d been a bit nicer to people along the way.....
So we find out next week who our final three teams are! Got a favorite? Who do you want out next week? Let's talk!
Monday, April 20, 2009
No Melting Mat, But Plenty of Bickering While the Stunt Guys Go Home
Well, after the much-hyped "mat meltdown" previews, it didn’t live up to the billing for me, although what led up to the arguments at the Mat seemed pretty childish and really rough for the Race! Luke and Jen got pretty physical going after the clue boxes, and it ended up with really bad feelings for both teams. Will they manage to settle down and behave like competitive adults or keep up the schoolyard fighting? We’ll see ....
The teams begin from Bangkok, Thailand and are told to fly to Guilin, China and then taxi to Qing Xui Lu to a hair salon and look for the clue box. Margie & Luke, leaving the Pit Stop first, find a flight leaving at 11:20 a.m. and no other teams can catch that flight. Tammy & Victor were excited about going to China - Tammy can speak fluent Chinese and they’re finally going to be able to communicate. It seemed like an omen when Jen said "With only five teams left, it’s getting tight and if someone’s in front of me I’m gonna knock ‘em over."
Tammy & Victor and Cara & Jamie caught up to Margie & Luke at the Guangzhou airport for their connecting flight, which was delayed. Kisha & Jen were on another flight leaving at 9:10 and ended up being first out of that airport. They were a bit worried, though, saying "We haven’t seen another team all day, we don’t know what the hell is going on." While Tammy & Victor easily tell their driver where they want to go, Luke says he’d like to go to a country where everyone is deaf, so they could have the advantage.
Kisha & Jen ended up with a cabbie who couldn’t find the hair salon and let them off in the wrong spot, killing what lead they had. Tammy & Victor see them and hope to pass them up, but their cabbie can’t find the salon either. Tammy laughs that "Even if we can speak the language, it just means we can understand that he doesn’t know where he’s going." Cara & Jamie have a great driver and are first to clue box, which tells them to go to the #24 Bridge. Tammy & Victor find the salon right after and are hot on the trail of the Redheads. Kisha & Jen jumped in another cab and said" We don’t trust Margie & Luke, they gave us wrong directions before." Margie & Luke get to the salon just before Kisha & Jen, and together they roam around like blind rats, with neither team seeing the clue box (and Luke could have stepped on it, he was so close). As they meander around, they manage to spot it from a couple doors down at the same time and took off running - and here comes the schoolyard behavior. Luke got there a hair before Jen, who pushed him a little (I think from the momentum of running, it didn’t look purposeful at all). Luke tries to keep Jen from getting her clue and Luke brought up his elbow and got really close to biffing Jen in the head. (Like getting the clue an extra second or two before Jen would really give them an advantage!) Jen calls him a bitch (and while I like Margie & Luke, I’m blaming Luke for this one, he maybe wasn’t a bitch, but he was acting like a real butthead). After his Mom tells him that the girls called him a bitch, Luke said "calling the deaf guy a bitch is not nice." (You know, Luke, you can’t have it both ways. Either you’re just like everyone else except you can’t hear, or you deserve special treatment. If the deaf guy acts like a bitch, he can be called a bitch!) Each team is yapping up a storm in their cabs, blaming the other team. Yeah, whatever. Get over yourselves, play nice kids!
At the bridge, Tammy & Victor and Cara & Jamie get their clues and find a Roadblock.
"In it, one team member had to take a raft out to the middle of the Li River and, with the help of a local, train birds known as cormorants to retrieve fish. Once they got their cormorant to return with a fish ten times, they would receive their next clue." Tammy and Jamie elect to try the task and as they take a boat out to the rafts, round two begins for Kisha & Jen and Margie & Luke, as they get to the clue box at the same time at the bridge. Jen is in front this time and Luke bumps into her at clue box and knocks her into it. (There. Now you’re even, each one of you got the clue first. Now settle down & race nice!) The complaining continues, as Kisha & Jen tell Victor as they pass his boat that "Luke pushed me into the clue box." (Wah, wah wah).
Mark & Michael left a good 4 hours behind all the other teams and are just getting to the salon, where they must perform the speed bump task. They have to wash and dry two little old ladies’ hair. Obviously they couldn’t go into the salon without being licensed in China, and the stunt guys get to perform their task out in front of the salon on the street. (Really, I think that was just the producer's way of giving back to the locals, by letting them laugh at the two little Americans "massaging the scalps" of two poor Chinese ladies). The ladies sit in chairs with a little towel on their shoulders and the guys just dump shampoo on their dry hair and start scrubbing. Mark said "It’s like I’m giving my Mom a shampoo," and if that’s how they do it at their house, it’s definitely wierd!
Back in the water, Tammy’s birds are not cooperating in finding fish. Victor tells her to stop speaking English and speak Chinese to the birds. Jamie is pretty grossed out with the fish but was surprised that "they could teach the birds to get them and not eat the fish. If somebody put filet mignon in my mouth, I’d eat it." (Hear, hear, sister!) Jamie’s birds were fighting over the fish. Luke doesn’t see his bird coming and puts his hand out holding a fish and the bird bites him on the hand. Luke says "dumb bird" (yes, that’s right Luke - the deaf guy isn’t dumb for holding out a fish that birds are trained to go after). Tammy’s birds don’t seem into their work and keep flying away. Jen gets done first with Jamie a close second.
The clue instructs the teams to go to the Ancient South Gate. Jen mentions on the way that "I really believe in karma" with Luke getting bit by the bird. Thanks to her birds, Tammy lost the lead and they finished last at the task, but since Margie & Luke had the slowest boat pusher (no engines, they used long poles to push off from the bottom of the river) they left the task in third place. As Victor jumps into his waiting cab, he tries to get an advantage and tells Margie & Luke’s cabbie in Chinese to "slow down - you’re driving too fast."
Mark & Michael get done with their Speed Bump and take off from the salon, hoping to catch another team at the #24 Bridge. No such luck, and here’s where we realize that unless something really drastic happens to another team (like Luke throwing Jen off a bridge) they’re pretty much toast. And after hearing Mark say "fowl is fish" (referring to the clue at the Roadblock saying "Who’s ready for some fowl play?") I’m figuring that gives us the clue as to why they kept getting themselves in trouble with the rules - a little ditzy, guys.
At the Ancient South Gate, the clue is a Detour: Choreography or Calligraphy. "In Choreography, teams had to make their way to the central island, and join a group of locals performing their morning dance routine, a popular form of exercise in Guilin. After learning the dance, the team had to perform it for a pair of judges who would hand them their next clue after they executed the steps correctly. In Calligraphy, teams had to make their way across the twin bridges and find the first of four calligraphy stations. Once there, they had to copy a series of Chinese characters that form the name of their next artist’s station. When they successfully reached the fourth and final station, the artist would hand them their next clue." Cara & Jamie race off to choreography, with Jamie saying "I have the most atrocious handwriting - in college I couldn’t even read my own notes."
As Cara & Jamie learned the dance, they joked that their teachers were "manhandling us" as the couple pushed them into position. Still thinking this would be a piece of cake, they stated "We’re cheerleaders. We pick up choreography at a quicker pace, this is our advantage." So much for an advantage, they were stepping on other dancers and crashing into couples as they did the routine. Their teachers were having a great time on the sidelines laughing at them. After two attempts they are told they still don’t have it right, and Jamie is getting frustrated with the judge, who doesn’t speak English (imagine!) and can’t tell her what they’re doing wrong. (I keep wondering how long it will take to sink in to Jamie’s head that other countries speak different languages and it is not unusual for them not to speak English!) They stomp off to switch tasks, but decide to give it another shot by dancing until the music stops, not when they’ve been through the routine once. This was what they were doing wrong and they finally get their clue.
At the calligraphy station, Tammy & Victor are chattering in Chinese as the teams try to copy what he is drawing. They get done and tell the calligrapher to stamp them first, which the calligrapher goes along with - after all, he can understand them! Tammy & Victor try to garner sympathy from the artist, telling him that "if we don’t win our parents will cry themselves to death." The drawing wasn’t really that difficult, but finding the next station was the problem, and since Tammy & Victor easily found out where to go, Kisha & Jen and Margie & Luke stayed right on their tails and followed them through the challenge.
Mark is in the boat covered up with a blanket and looking quite comfortable while Michael throws fish to his bird. I know it’s fun watching the birds retrieve the fish, but Michael was tossing the fish really far from the boat and wasting a lot of precious time. Maybe he knew they were done for and figured he’d have fun while he could.
Tammy & Victor finish the calligraphy task first and get their clue to go to the Pit Stop on foot. Margie & Luke and Kisha & Jen are close behind. Phil sees them all running and mentions it to the Chinese couple eating noodles and sipping tea at a table next to Phil, and they are more impressed with their lunch than the fact that a bunch of crazy Americans are barreling toward them. Kisha & Jen make it to the Mat first (running is their specialty, after all), with Tammy & Victor second and Margie & Luke third.
Phil looks at the teams and mentions that "things are getting a little more tense now, as we get closer to the finish." Victor smiles and agrees, but says "it’s a good spirited competition." This whole time, Margie is signing to Luke not to say anything, and Luke arguing that "I’m angry," After Victor’s remark, though, Margie blurts out that Jen "bashed into Luke" shoving him from behind - twice! - and then called him a bitch. Kisha & Jen babbled back to Phil, giving their side of the story about what happened. (Victor and Tammy are beginning to look worried, standing between the two teams on the Mat. Victor is probably thinking that he should keep his thoughts to himself from now on!) Luke gets pissed and walks away but Phil calls him back to "get your side of the story." He signs that "it’s my turn to talk now" and Kisha gives what is described as a "nervous giggle." This sets Margie off again, and she yells "don’t laugh at my son when he signs." Kisha says no, she smiles during tense situations, but Margie gets more pissed. "He’s signing and they’re laughing at him." Phil tries to calm her down and says "I don’t think that’s what they meant" but Margie’s on a roll and starts lecturing. "He’s lived with this his whole life and he doesn’t need it from people like you. You should understand oppression because you’re black and you’ve lived with it." Nice comment, empathetic, but lost on the sisters. You can’t make good points while screaming at someone (should have learned that from Jamie through the whole Race!) Of course, all this while they’re showing replays of the clue box battles, slow motion and all. Every time I saw the clips it fortified my feeling that all that drama and yelling was just overblown and ridiculous.
Cara & Jamie finally get their clue after the dance and made it to the Mat in fourth place. Cara asked Phil "were there five on this leg?" and felt very relieved when Phil confirmed it. Mark & Michael are shown doing the dance and looking hilarious with the teachers giggling even more than when watching the Redheads. Of course, they couldn’t make up the penalty time and ended up eliminated. They were nice enough guys, but their dumb mistakes and lack of knowledge of the rules eventually killed their chances. (And I really don’t mind - Michael’s nipples were starting to bother me. They’re really pointy and it was just ... weird.)
It’s getting interesting and close to the finish. Who’s got the best shot? Will Cara & Jamie actually be able to make it through the next leg so they can race in their own country (but don’t send Jamie down south, she’ll probably yell at people’s accents down there too!) Can Kisha & Jen and Margie & Luke play nice, or will they start a war in another country? Will Tammy & Victor keep up their good relationship and cruise in to win? The end is near!
1 - Kisha & Jen
2 - Tammy & Victor
3 - Margie & Luke
4 - Cara & Jaime
5 - Mark & Michael - Eliminated
The teams begin from Bangkok, Thailand and are told to fly to Guilin, China and then taxi to Qing Xui Lu to a hair salon and look for the clue box. Margie & Luke, leaving the Pit Stop first, find a flight leaving at 11:20 a.m. and no other teams can catch that flight. Tammy & Victor were excited about going to China - Tammy can speak fluent Chinese and they’re finally going to be able to communicate. It seemed like an omen when Jen said "With only five teams left, it’s getting tight and if someone’s in front of me I’m gonna knock ‘em over."
Tammy & Victor and Cara & Jamie caught up to Margie & Luke at the Guangzhou airport for their connecting flight, which was delayed. Kisha & Jen were on another flight leaving at 9:10 and ended up being first out of that airport. They were a bit worried, though, saying "We haven’t seen another team all day, we don’t know what the hell is going on." While Tammy & Victor easily tell their driver where they want to go, Luke says he’d like to go to a country where everyone is deaf, so they could have the advantage.
Kisha & Jen ended up with a cabbie who couldn’t find the hair salon and let them off in the wrong spot, killing what lead they had. Tammy & Victor see them and hope to pass them up, but their cabbie can’t find the salon either. Tammy laughs that "Even if we can speak the language, it just means we can understand that he doesn’t know where he’s going." Cara & Jamie have a great driver and are first to clue box, which tells them to go to the #24 Bridge. Tammy & Victor find the salon right after and are hot on the trail of the Redheads. Kisha & Jen jumped in another cab and said" We don’t trust Margie & Luke, they gave us wrong directions before." Margie & Luke get to the salon just before Kisha & Jen, and together they roam around like blind rats, with neither team seeing the clue box (and Luke could have stepped on it, he was so close). As they meander around, they manage to spot it from a couple doors down at the same time and took off running - and here comes the schoolyard behavior. Luke got there a hair before Jen, who pushed him a little (I think from the momentum of running, it didn’t look purposeful at all). Luke tries to keep Jen from getting her clue and Luke brought up his elbow and got really close to biffing Jen in the head. (Like getting the clue an extra second or two before Jen would really give them an advantage!) Jen calls him a bitch (and while I like Margie & Luke, I’m blaming Luke for this one, he maybe wasn’t a bitch, but he was acting like a real butthead). After his Mom tells him that the girls called him a bitch, Luke said "calling the deaf guy a bitch is not nice." (You know, Luke, you can’t have it both ways. Either you’re just like everyone else except you can’t hear, or you deserve special treatment. If the deaf guy acts like a bitch, he can be called a bitch!) Each team is yapping up a storm in their cabs, blaming the other team. Yeah, whatever. Get over yourselves, play nice kids!
At the bridge, Tammy & Victor and Cara & Jamie get their clues and find a Roadblock.
"In it, one team member had to take a raft out to the middle of the Li River and, with the help of a local, train birds known as cormorants to retrieve fish. Once they got their cormorant to return with a fish ten times, they would receive their next clue." Tammy and Jamie elect to try the task and as they take a boat out to the rafts, round two begins for Kisha & Jen and Margie & Luke, as they get to the clue box at the same time at the bridge. Jen is in front this time and Luke bumps into her at clue box and knocks her into it. (There. Now you’re even, each one of you got the clue first. Now settle down & race nice!) The complaining continues, as Kisha & Jen tell Victor as they pass his boat that "Luke pushed me into the clue box." (Wah, wah wah).
Mark & Michael left a good 4 hours behind all the other teams and are just getting to the salon, where they must perform the speed bump task. They have to wash and dry two little old ladies’ hair. Obviously they couldn’t go into the salon without being licensed in China, and the stunt guys get to perform their task out in front of the salon on the street. (Really, I think that was just the producer's way of giving back to the locals, by letting them laugh at the two little Americans "massaging the scalps" of two poor Chinese ladies). The ladies sit in chairs with a little towel on their shoulders and the guys just dump shampoo on their dry hair and start scrubbing. Mark said "It’s like I’m giving my Mom a shampoo," and if that’s how they do it at their house, it’s definitely wierd!
Back in the water, Tammy’s birds are not cooperating in finding fish. Victor tells her to stop speaking English and speak Chinese to the birds. Jamie is pretty grossed out with the fish but was surprised that "they could teach the birds to get them and not eat the fish. If somebody put filet mignon in my mouth, I’d eat it." (Hear, hear, sister!) Jamie’s birds were fighting over the fish. Luke doesn’t see his bird coming and puts his hand out holding a fish and the bird bites him on the hand. Luke says "dumb bird" (yes, that’s right Luke - the deaf guy isn’t dumb for holding out a fish that birds are trained to go after). Tammy’s birds don’t seem into their work and keep flying away. Jen gets done first with Jamie a close second.
The clue instructs the teams to go to the Ancient South Gate. Jen mentions on the way that "I really believe in karma" with Luke getting bit by the bird. Thanks to her birds, Tammy lost the lead and they finished last at the task, but since Margie & Luke had the slowest boat pusher (no engines, they used long poles to push off from the bottom of the river) they left the task in third place. As Victor jumps into his waiting cab, he tries to get an advantage and tells Margie & Luke’s cabbie in Chinese to "slow down - you’re driving too fast."
Mark & Michael get done with their Speed Bump and take off from the salon, hoping to catch another team at the #24 Bridge. No such luck, and here’s where we realize that unless something really drastic happens to another team (like Luke throwing Jen off a bridge) they’re pretty much toast. And after hearing Mark say "fowl is fish" (referring to the clue at the Roadblock saying "Who’s ready for some fowl play?") I’m figuring that gives us the clue as to why they kept getting themselves in trouble with the rules - a little ditzy, guys.
At the Ancient South Gate, the clue is a Detour: Choreography or Calligraphy. "In Choreography, teams had to make their way to the central island, and join a group of locals performing their morning dance routine, a popular form of exercise in Guilin. After learning the dance, the team had to perform it for a pair of judges who would hand them their next clue after they executed the steps correctly. In Calligraphy, teams had to make their way across the twin bridges and find the first of four calligraphy stations. Once there, they had to copy a series of Chinese characters that form the name of their next artist’s station. When they successfully reached the fourth and final station, the artist would hand them their next clue." Cara & Jamie race off to choreography, with Jamie saying "I have the most atrocious handwriting - in college I couldn’t even read my own notes."
As Cara & Jamie learned the dance, they joked that their teachers were "manhandling us" as the couple pushed them into position. Still thinking this would be a piece of cake, they stated "We’re cheerleaders. We pick up choreography at a quicker pace, this is our advantage." So much for an advantage, they were stepping on other dancers and crashing into couples as they did the routine. Their teachers were having a great time on the sidelines laughing at them. After two attempts they are told they still don’t have it right, and Jamie is getting frustrated with the judge, who doesn’t speak English (imagine!) and can’t tell her what they’re doing wrong. (I keep wondering how long it will take to sink in to Jamie’s head that other countries speak different languages and it is not unusual for them not to speak English!) They stomp off to switch tasks, but decide to give it another shot by dancing until the music stops, not when they’ve been through the routine once. This was what they were doing wrong and they finally get their clue.
At the calligraphy station, Tammy & Victor are chattering in Chinese as the teams try to copy what he is drawing. They get done and tell the calligrapher to stamp them first, which the calligrapher goes along with - after all, he can understand them! Tammy & Victor try to garner sympathy from the artist, telling him that "if we don’t win our parents will cry themselves to death." The drawing wasn’t really that difficult, but finding the next station was the problem, and since Tammy & Victor easily found out where to go, Kisha & Jen and Margie & Luke stayed right on their tails and followed them through the challenge.
Mark is in the boat covered up with a blanket and looking quite comfortable while Michael throws fish to his bird. I know it’s fun watching the birds retrieve the fish, but Michael was tossing the fish really far from the boat and wasting a lot of precious time. Maybe he knew they were done for and figured he’d have fun while he could.
Tammy & Victor finish the calligraphy task first and get their clue to go to the Pit Stop on foot. Margie & Luke and Kisha & Jen are close behind. Phil sees them all running and mentions it to the Chinese couple eating noodles and sipping tea at a table next to Phil, and they are more impressed with their lunch than the fact that a bunch of crazy Americans are barreling toward them. Kisha & Jen make it to the Mat first (running is their specialty, after all), with Tammy & Victor second and Margie & Luke third.
Phil looks at the teams and mentions that "things are getting a little more tense now, as we get closer to the finish." Victor smiles and agrees, but says "it’s a good spirited competition." This whole time, Margie is signing to Luke not to say anything, and Luke arguing that "I’m angry," After Victor’s remark, though, Margie blurts out that Jen "bashed into Luke" shoving him from behind - twice! - and then called him a bitch. Kisha & Jen babbled back to Phil, giving their side of the story about what happened. (Victor and Tammy are beginning to look worried, standing between the two teams on the Mat. Victor is probably thinking that he should keep his thoughts to himself from now on!) Luke gets pissed and walks away but Phil calls him back to "get your side of the story." He signs that "it’s my turn to talk now" and Kisha gives what is described as a "nervous giggle." This sets Margie off again, and she yells "don’t laugh at my son when he signs." Kisha says no, she smiles during tense situations, but Margie gets more pissed. "He’s signing and they’re laughing at him." Phil tries to calm her down and says "I don’t think that’s what they meant" but Margie’s on a roll and starts lecturing. "He’s lived with this his whole life and he doesn’t need it from people like you. You should understand oppression because you’re black and you’ve lived with it." Nice comment, empathetic, but lost on the sisters. You can’t make good points while screaming at someone (should have learned that from Jamie through the whole Race!) Of course, all this while they’re showing replays of the clue box battles, slow motion and all. Every time I saw the clips it fortified my feeling that all that drama and yelling was just overblown and ridiculous.
Cara & Jamie finally get their clue after the dance and made it to the Mat in fourth place. Cara asked Phil "were there five on this leg?" and felt very relieved when Phil confirmed it. Mark & Michael are shown doing the dance and looking hilarious with the teachers giggling even more than when watching the Redheads. Of course, they couldn’t make up the penalty time and ended up eliminated. They were nice enough guys, but their dumb mistakes and lack of knowledge of the rules eventually killed their chances. (And I really don’t mind - Michael’s nipples were starting to bother me. They’re really pointy and it was just ... weird.)
It’s getting interesting and close to the finish. Who’s got the best shot? Will Cara & Jamie actually be able to make it through the next leg so they can race in their own country (but don’t send Jamie down south, she’ll probably yell at people’s accents down there too!) Can Kisha & Jen and Margie & Luke play nice, or will they start a war in another country? Will Tammy & Victor keep up their good relationship and cruise in to win? The end is near!
1 - Kisha & Jen
2 - Tammy & Victor
3 - Margie & Luke
4 - Cara & Jaime
5 - Mark & Michael - Eliminated
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