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).
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
Brent & Caite Don't Have to Worry About Those Mean Lesbians Any More! And the World is Right...
Many apologies for being late ... I didn't set my TiVo to tape longer and TAR started late, and the ending got chopped! Had to wait to watch the end online today....
The teams begin in Malaysia at a 100-year-old mansion. Jet & Cord leave at 10:02 a.m. They will travel by bus and train to Singapore to the Victoria Concert Hall and look for Allan Wu, who is the host of the Asian version of the Amazing Race, to get their clue. Carol & Brandy leave next, and their clue warns them that a U-Turn is on this Leg of the Race. (Uh-oh, will Caite get her wish to U-Turn Carol & Brandy?) They talk about working well together, which is a big turnaround from the way they started. Jet & Cord manage to get the first bus out of town. Dan & Jordan tell us they decided at the beginning of the Race that they wouldn’t “throw elbows” and they want people to like them. They end up on the bus with Brent & Caite and Michael & Louie, and ask who they would most want to U-Turn. Michael says “the girls, because they’re the most world-traveled.” Caite says they’re going to U-Turn the lesbians, and Dan asks if it’s because they’re lesbians (yay Dan - make her think! Oops, we’re talking about Caite, right? Sorry), and Caite says “no, it’s because they’re mean to me.”
Jet & Cord get to the train station and find out the train doesn’t leave until 9:30 p.m., and realize that all teams will be on the same train. On the train, Dan sees that it's not the cleanest, and uses a disinfectant wipe and is surprised at the filth on it. The train has no seats (at least where our teams are) but has sleeping bunks. As the train gets close to their destination, Michael & Louie and Brent & Caite are standing in the aisle as Carol & Brandy try to get through to get closer to an exit, but they stubbornly refuse to move to let them by. Brent says “ladies get through, bitches don’t.” (My, isn’t he obnoxious! Totally uncalled for. Then cosmic justice as Caite falls flat on her face outside the train station.) Jet & Cord and Brent & Caite have problems getting a cab outside of the train station, and Jet & Cord have the most trouble and end up leaving last. At the concert hall, the teams end up running inside looking for Allan Wu, but Dan & Jordan stay outside and find him relaxing and reading a paper and get their clue.
The Singapore Flyer is a giant ferris wheel (although Phil says it’s the “tallest observation wheel in the world,” and will be the Fast Forward on this Race. The team who attempts it will wait until their car is at the top (541 feet up), then have to leave it and walk across to another car next to it, then they’ll get the “Fast Forward Award” which will probably say “go to the Pit Stop.” Dan & Jordan decide to go for it, and it turns out to be a great move.
Michael & Louie go outside to look for Allan Wu as Jet & Cord show up, and the two teams get their clue as Brent & Caite and Carol & Brandy look through the building inside for Mr. Wu. The clue from Mr. Wu is a Detour, which entails an ethnic challenge - Pounding the Drums, or a more modern one: Pounding the Pavement. For Pounding the Drums, teams must go to Speakers’ Corner and learn a routine on traditional drums. Their drum teacher will let them know when they are ready and they will have to perform it correctly to get their clue. (And all I can see with this challenge are young, cute kids, so this may be interesting!) For Pounding the Pavement, the teams must go to a pedestrian mall (read outdoor square) and pick up supplies and 10 boxes of ice cream. They must then sell 25 ice cream sandwiches which they will make with wafers or bread (ick! Ice cream sandwiches with white bread?) - and ice cream - and the “ice cream uncle” will give them their clue.
All the teams except for Dan & Jordan head off for Pounding the Drums. Jet & Cord have problems getting the beat down but are having fun and laughing, and Michael & Louie aren’t doing much better. Carol & Brandy get a very young man and he’s not counting, so they go off to find another drum teacher who will count. Michael & Louie realize they’re way in over their heads (Michael says “I’m white as white can be - I have no rhythm.”) and decide to go try the Fast Forward - thinking that Dan & Jordan went to sell ice cream. Jordan gets to the giant wheel and finds out he has to wear a harness, and realizes that he’s not thrilled about the challenge. As they go up, Jordan tells Dan “maybe this is a good time to tell you I’ve discovered I have an intense fear of heights.” Michael & Louie get there and ask the elevator lady if Dan & Jordan are there already, and she says “you’ll find out when you get up there.” They’re bummed they can’t find out first. They get up to the floor and see a sign saying “Fast Forward in progress” and decide to go sell ice cream. As they get back to their taxi, they can’t find their driver - he’s in the bathroom. They’re bummed again but hey, cabbies gotta pee too!
Jordan is freaking out as they get to the top and Dan, ever the great brother, says “hey if you fall and die I love you.” We see Jordan getting out of the car and shaking as he crawls across. He keeps repeating "This is for a million dollars." I don’t see why he’s that scared - he’s all harnessed up and I’m sure the release they sign at the beginning of the Race doesn’t cover death from a challenge!
Back at the drums, Brent is having problems, and Jet & Cord aren’t doing all that well either. Carol & Brandy debate whether they can “get it” or not. Back at the wheel, Jordan gets to the other car and says that is the scariest thing he’s ever done, and he’s surprised he didn’t pee himself. He says he couldn’t do the Race with anyone but his brother. They finish the task and their clue tells them to go to the Pit Stop, which they can see from their perch - and Jordan says “Phil, we’ll be right there.”
Michael & Louie get their supplies of an umbrella, chairs, and their ice cream and find their cart. Louie yells “buy some ice cream from some crazy Americans!”
Jet & Cord are allowed to go by their teacher and hit the stage, drumming by some puppet-looking things and finding out they're pretty bad. Brent & Caite see Jet & Cord trying and decide they can do it while Jet & Cord go back to practice. Brent & Caite get through the routine and get their clue, which will make them figure out they have to go to Istana Park at the intersection of Penang and Orchard Roads.
Dan & Jordan make it to the Mat and Phil tells them they are team one, each of them winning a motorbike. They tell Phil that they won’t ever get on them, their mother would never let them ride the motorbikes. (What nice boys!)
Brent & Caite get to the clue box and find the U-Turn - which is not anonymous this time, they will have to put their picture on it to let the team know they are the ones doing the U-Turning. And, as Phil says “suffer the consequences of having their identity known.” Brent & Caite will U-Turn the Lesbians, because of a couple of comments about a tiara ‘way back at the beginning of the Race. Brent says “sometimes it is personal” and something tells me they need a bit thicker skin! (I'll have to watch the Elimination Station videos if Brent & Caite get eliminated next - might be some fireworks!) Back at the mall, Michael & Louie are trying their best to sell their ice creams and they convince their cabbie to buy the last ten to get them over the top. Carol & Brandy hit the stage to try their drumming and manage to get their clue...they have a surprise coming! Michael & Louie get dropped off at the intersection and miss the signs and decide they have to go one more block. Carol & Brandy get to the clue box and see they’ve been U-Turned, and say that Caite U-Turned them because Brandy “is prettier than she is.” They say Caite is an idiot, and on U Tube to prove it - “it’s stupid, and let’s face it, she hasn’t built a career on intelligence.” They toss insults Brent & Caite’s way, and end up calling them “Brent & Caite Gump” among other things. Michael & Louie get to the box and see the Lesbians have been U-Turned and say “great job, Brent & Caite.” (Sure, it’s not their ass on the line for the dirty deed!)
Brent & Ciate get to the clue box and it’s a Roadblock. One team member has to work the docks and inspect an enormous anchor chain. They have to count all the links in a chain (521). There is noise, with people banging on iron, someone yapping on a speaker, and Brent is getting aggravated and saying “shut up!” (Like they’re gonna listen to him). Jet & Cord finally finish the drumming and get their clue, while Carol & Brandy are back to sniping at each other as they gather the materials to sell ice cream. (It doesn’t look like they have a cooler for their ice cream, hopefully it isn’t mush by the time they get set up). Michael & Louie say that they “trained their little wolf cubs” and they’re happy that Brent & Caite U-Turned Carol & Brandy, because they convinced everyone that the Lesbians were a bigger threat.
Brent manages to get the correct number of chain links and gets his clue. They have to find Mega Zip on an island for their next clue. Carol & Brandy are barking at everyone to buy their ice cream sandwiches. Michael & Louie get to the docks and Michael will do the challenge - after he gets his pitch counter out of his bag. (I guess he umpires little league games, but what on earth would give him the idea to bring a pitch counter on the Race?) Jet is counting links and Carol & Brandy finish selling ice cream sandwiches and run back to the park.
Brent & Caite get their next clue and find out they have to do a zip line “above a jungle canopy” of Mt. Enbia. Carol & Brandy are still sniping at each other, and at Caite once they get back to the clue box with the U-Turn picture on it. Brent & Caite have a great time on the zip line, and their clue tells them to find the Marina Barrage across town, which is the Pit Stop.
Michael gets the correct number of links, but since he didn’t grab the clipboard, he has to go back and get it and submit his number. Jet goes to the supervisor and gets the number right on his clipboard, and just beats out Michael for the clue. Michael & Louie’s cab had taken off and they try to steal Carol & Brandy’s, telling the driver “they said it was okay” and “they’re very mean, they’ll just be mean to you” but the driver wouldn’t budge. After searching a bit, they offer a woman $20 American money to take her cab, and she accepts.
Brent & Caite find the Mat and Phil, who mentions that they used the U-Turn. Caite gives her whine about how “mean” Carol & Brandy have been to her, and Phil says “looks like they picked on the wrong team.”
Carol & Brandy finish counting (and every team got the right number the first time...I’m surprised!) and find out from their cab driver that the Detectives tried to steal their cab. Jet & Cord are having fun going down the zip lines, and they’re not wearing their hats! I thought a cowboy never takes his hat off, boys! They make it to Phil at the Mat in third place, where Phil teases them about their drumming, saying “I heard it was pathetic.” Jet says “the closest we’ve come to playing a musical instrument is a radio.”
The editors are making it look like Carol & Brandy have a shot at getting ahead of Michael & Louie. They arrive at the park at what looks like pretty much the same time and Carol & Brandy seem to be right on their heels at the zip line. Michael tells Louie he has to step it up and hurry, and Louie, panting all the way, says he’s trying. BUT after the zip line ride, Louie sees the beautiful girl giving out the clues and beats Michael to her - I guess all Michael has to do to get Louie moving faster is to have a gorgeous woman run ahead of him!
Carol & Brandy complain some more about Brent & Caite as they ride toward the Pit Stop, and it looks like they get to the Pit Stop as Michael & Louie do - but Michael & Louie get fourth place and Carol & Brandy are eliminated. Brandy tells Phil “there’s no reason they should have U-Turned us. There were two other teams that did consistently better than us. Dumb did us in.” Carol adds that they’ll get over the bad day and "enjoy the richness of the experience - and then I’ll translate that into first grade language for Caite.”
So, after all the back-and-forth sniping from Carol & Brandy at Brent & Caite, and Brent & Caite at Carol & Brandy, and Carol at Brandy and Brandy at Carol, do you think like I do that Brent & Caite used a tool to their advantage and got rid of a good team? Or should they have U-Turned the Detectives or Cowboys? We’re down to four teams (and one girl) - who’s got the best shot? We’ll find out next week!
The teams begin in Malaysia at a 100-year-old mansion. Jet & Cord leave at 10:02 a.m. They will travel by bus and train to Singapore to the Victoria Concert Hall and look for Allan Wu, who is the host of the Asian version of the Amazing Race, to get their clue. Carol & Brandy leave next, and their clue warns them that a U-Turn is on this Leg of the Race. (Uh-oh, will Caite get her wish to U-Turn Carol & Brandy?) They talk about working well together, which is a big turnaround from the way they started. Jet & Cord manage to get the first bus out of town. Dan & Jordan tell us they decided at the beginning of the Race that they wouldn’t “throw elbows” and they want people to like them. They end up on the bus with Brent & Caite and Michael & Louie, and ask who they would most want to U-Turn. Michael says “the girls, because they’re the most world-traveled.” Caite says they’re going to U-Turn the lesbians, and Dan asks if it’s because they’re lesbians (yay Dan - make her think! Oops, we’re talking about Caite, right? Sorry), and Caite says “no, it’s because they’re mean to me.”
Jet & Cord get to the train station and find out the train doesn’t leave until 9:30 p.m., and realize that all teams will be on the same train. On the train, Dan sees that it's not the cleanest, and uses a disinfectant wipe and is surprised at the filth on it. The train has no seats (at least where our teams are) but has sleeping bunks. As the train gets close to their destination, Michael & Louie and Brent & Caite are standing in the aisle as Carol & Brandy try to get through to get closer to an exit, but they stubbornly refuse to move to let them by. Brent says “ladies get through, bitches don’t.” (My, isn’t he obnoxious! Totally uncalled for. Then cosmic justice as Caite falls flat on her face outside the train station.) Jet & Cord and Brent & Caite have problems getting a cab outside of the train station, and Jet & Cord have the most trouble and end up leaving last. At the concert hall, the teams end up running inside looking for Allan Wu, but Dan & Jordan stay outside and find him relaxing and reading a paper and get their clue.
The Singapore Flyer is a giant ferris wheel (although Phil says it’s the “tallest observation wheel in the world,” and will be the Fast Forward on this Race. The team who attempts it will wait until their car is at the top (541 feet up), then have to leave it and walk across to another car next to it, then they’ll get the “Fast Forward Award” which will probably say “go to the Pit Stop.” Dan & Jordan decide to go for it, and it turns out to be a great move.
Michael & Louie go outside to look for Allan Wu as Jet & Cord show up, and the two teams get their clue as Brent & Caite and Carol & Brandy look through the building inside for Mr. Wu. The clue from Mr. Wu is a Detour, which entails an ethnic challenge - Pounding the Drums, or a more modern one: Pounding the Pavement. For Pounding the Drums, teams must go to Speakers’ Corner and learn a routine on traditional drums. Their drum teacher will let them know when they are ready and they will have to perform it correctly to get their clue. (And all I can see with this challenge are young, cute kids, so this may be interesting!) For Pounding the Pavement, the teams must go to a pedestrian mall (read outdoor square) and pick up supplies and 10 boxes of ice cream. They must then sell 25 ice cream sandwiches which they will make with wafers or bread (ick! Ice cream sandwiches with white bread?) - and ice cream - and the “ice cream uncle” will give them their clue.
All the teams except for Dan & Jordan head off for Pounding the Drums. Jet & Cord have problems getting the beat down but are having fun and laughing, and Michael & Louie aren’t doing much better. Carol & Brandy get a very young man and he’s not counting, so they go off to find another drum teacher who will count. Michael & Louie realize they’re way in over their heads (Michael says “I’m white as white can be - I have no rhythm.”) and decide to go try the Fast Forward - thinking that Dan & Jordan went to sell ice cream. Jordan gets to the giant wheel and finds out he has to wear a harness, and realizes that he’s not thrilled about the challenge. As they go up, Jordan tells Dan “maybe this is a good time to tell you I’ve discovered I have an intense fear of heights.” Michael & Louie get there and ask the elevator lady if Dan & Jordan are there already, and she says “you’ll find out when you get up there.” They’re bummed they can’t find out first. They get up to the floor and see a sign saying “Fast Forward in progress” and decide to go sell ice cream. As they get back to their taxi, they can’t find their driver - he’s in the bathroom. They’re bummed again but hey, cabbies gotta pee too!
Jordan is freaking out as they get to the top and Dan, ever the great brother, says “hey if you fall and die I love you.” We see Jordan getting out of the car and shaking as he crawls across. He keeps repeating "This is for a million dollars." I don’t see why he’s that scared - he’s all harnessed up and I’m sure the release they sign at the beginning of the Race doesn’t cover death from a challenge!
Back at the drums, Brent is having problems, and Jet & Cord aren’t doing all that well either. Carol & Brandy debate whether they can “get it” or not. Back at the wheel, Jordan gets to the other car and says that is the scariest thing he’s ever done, and he’s surprised he didn’t pee himself. He says he couldn’t do the Race with anyone but his brother. They finish the task and their clue tells them to go to the Pit Stop, which they can see from their perch - and Jordan says “Phil, we’ll be right there.”
Michael & Louie get their supplies of an umbrella, chairs, and their ice cream and find their cart. Louie yells “buy some ice cream from some crazy Americans!”
Jet & Cord are allowed to go by their teacher and hit the stage, drumming by some puppet-looking things and finding out they're pretty bad. Brent & Caite see Jet & Cord trying and decide they can do it while Jet & Cord go back to practice. Brent & Caite get through the routine and get their clue, which will make them figure out they have to go to Istana Park at the intersection of Penang and Orchard Roads.
Dan & Jordan make it to the Mat and Phil tells them they are team one, each of them winning a motorbike. They tell Phil that they won’t ever get on them, their mother would never let them ride the motorbikes. (What nice boys!)
Brent & Caite get to the clue box and find the U-Turn - which is not anonymous this time, they will have to put their picture on it to let the team know they are the ones doing the U-Turning. And, as Phil says “suffer the consequences of having their identity known.” Brent & Caite will U-Turn the Lesbians, because of a couple of comments about a tiara ‘way back at the beginning of the Race. Brent says “sometimes it is personal” and something tells me they need a bit thicker skin! (I'll have to watch the Elimination Station videos if Brent & Caite get eliminated next - might be some fireworks!) Back at the mall, Michael & Louie are trying their best to sell their ice creams and they convince their cabbie to buy the last ten to get them over the top. Carol & Brandy hit the stage to try their drumming and manage to get their clue...they have a surprise coming! Michael & Louie get dropped off at the intersection and miss the signs and decide they have to go one more block. Carol & Brandy get to the clue box and see they’ve been U-Turned, and say that Caite U-Turned them because Brandy “is prettier than she is.” They say Caite is an idiot, and on U Tube to prove it - “it’s stupid, and let’s face it, she hasn’t built a career on intelligence.” They toss insults Brent & Caite’s way, and end up calling them “Brent & Caite Gump” among other things. Michael & Louie get to the box and see the Lesbians have been U-Turned and say “great job, Brent & Caite.” (Sure, it’s not their ass on the line for the dirty deed!)
Brent & Ciate get to the clue box and it’s a Roadblock. One team member has to work the docks and inspect an enormous anchor chain. They have to count all the links in a chain (521). There is noise, with people banging on iron, someone yapping on a speaker, and Brent is getting aggravated and saying “shut up!” (Like they’re gonna listen to him). Jet & Cord finally finish the drumming and get their clue, while Carol & Brandy are back to sniping at each other as they gather the materials to sell ice cream. (It doesn’t look like they have a cooler for their ice cream, hopefully it isn’t mush by the time they get set up). Michael & Louie say that they “trained their little wolf cubs” and they’re happy that Brent & Caite U-Turned Carol & Brandy, because they convinced everyone that the Lesbians were a bigger threat.
Brent manages to get the correct number of chain links and gets his clue. They have to find Mega Zip on an island for their next clue. Carol & Brandy are barking at everyone to buy their ice cream sandwiches. Michael & Louie get to the docks and Michael will do the challenge - after he gets his pitch counter out of his bag. (I guess he umpires little league games, but what on earth would give him the idea to bring a pitch counter on the Race?) Jet is counting links and Carol & Brandy finish selling ice cream sandwiches and run back to the park.
Brent & Caite get their next clue and find out they have to do a zip line “above a jungle canopy” of Mt. Enbia. Carol & Brandy are still sniping at each other, and at Caite once they get back to the clue box with the U-Turn picture on it. Brent & Caite have a great time on the zip line, and their clue tells them to find the Marina Barrage across town, which is the Pit Stop.
Michael gets the correct number of links, but since he didn’t grab the clipboard, he has to go back and get it and submit his number. Jet goes to the supervisor and gets the number right on his clipboard, and just beats out Michael for the clue. Michael & Louie’s cab had taken off and they try to steal Carol & Brandy’s, telling the driver “they said it was okay” and “they’re very mean, they’ll just be mean to you” but the driver wouldn’t budge. After searching a bit, they offer a woman $20 American money to take her cab, and she accepts.
Brent & Caite find the Mat and Phil, who mentions that they used the U-Turn. Caite gives her whine about how “mean” Carol & Brandy have been to her, and Phil says “looks like they picked on the wrong team.”
Carol & Brandy finish counting (and every team got the right number the first time...I’m surprised!) and find out from their cab driver that the Detectives tried to steal their cab. Jet & Cord are having fun going down the zip lines, and they’re not wearing their hats! I thought a cowboy never takes his hat off, boys! They make it to Phil at the Mat in third place, where Phil teases them about their drumming, saying “I heard it was pathetic.” Jet says “the closest we’ve come to playing a musical instrument is a radio.”
The editors are making it look like Carol & Brandy have a shot at getting ahead of Michael & Louie. They arrive at the park at what looks like pretty much the same time and Carol & Brandy seem to be right on their heels at the zip line. Michael tells Louie he has to step it up and hurry, and Louie, panting all the way, says he’s trying. BUT after the zip line ride, Louie sees the beautiful girl giving out the clues and beats Michael to her - I guess all Michael has to do to get Louie moving faster is to have a gorgeous woman run ahead of him!
Carol & Brandy complain some more about Brent & Caite as they ride toward the Pit Stop, and it looks like they get to the Pit Stop as Michael & Louie do - but Michael & Louie get fourth place and Carol & Brandy are eliminated. Brandy tells Phil “there’s no reason they should have U-Turned us. There were two other teams that did consistently better than us. Dumb did us in.” Carol adds that they’ll get over the bad day and "enjoy the richness of the experience - and then I’ll translate that into first grade language for Caite.”
So, after all the back-and-forth sniping from Carol & Brandy at Brent & Caite, and Brent & Caite at Carol & Brandy, and Carol at Brandy and Brandy at Carol, do you think like I do that Brent & Caite used a tool to their advantage and got rid of a good team? Or should they have U-Turned the Detectives or Cowboys? We’re down to four teams (and one girl) - who’s got the best shot? We’ll find out next week!
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Sweating Through Malaysia with Snakes and Coconuts
The teams begin in Seychelles, where half of its island land is protected as a national park. Steve & Allie got a great reward for their first-place finish of dinner on the pirate's beach during the Pit Stop - but I wonder where Allie got that pink sarong-towel thingy she was wearing? Remember, last leg their backpacks were left with the turtles. Maybe it was a bedsheet!
The clue tells them to fly to Penang, Malaysia and go to the Snake Temple, which is a house of worship where snakes live. (Ooh, I want to see Carol & Brandy and Caite roam around there with the snakes! They have to take the 2:00 a.m. ferry to another island to the airport. Steve tries to buy a hotel employee’s shirt off his back, but only gets some plastic bags to carry their extra stuff. They do some checking and find out Malaysia is a warm country, so they’re not worried about freezing. Dan & Jordan are psyched to be as far in the Race as they are. Michael & Louie like working with Brent & Caite, saying they’re respectful and “someone you’d be proud to call your own kids.” (As long as you don’t want kids with brain cells!) They all discuss going to the Snake Temple and Caite says she likes snakes. Caite calls the Detectives “the Daddies.” The two teams talk about wanting to get rid of Carol & Brandy - Brent & Caite because “they’re mean” and Michael & Louie because they see the lesbians as threats. They plan to U-Turn the girls at the next opportunity. The Cowboys realize they have a second chance and say they aren’t out of it unless they quit, and that won’t happen.
At the ferry, Michael & Louie give Steve some underwear and a little clothing. All the teams are on the same ferry and same flight, and the Cowboys say that once again, they’re tied for first place. Brent & Caite get out of the airport and on their way first, and their driver tells them the Snake Temple is five minutes away. Dan & Jordan get a cabbie that passes every single other team and gets them to the Snake Temple first.
The clue is a Detour: Buddhist Tradition or Chinese Custom. For Buddhist Tradition, the teams must go to a Temple, choose 12 very large incense sticks (which actually look like bottle rockets for the Jolly Green Giant) and lug them up 150 steps. At the top they must place the incense into holders, light them, and then a ceremonial fire to get their next clue. For Chinese Custom, teams go to a field and choose huge 32-foot flag poles, balance them on their foreheads, and walk 120 feet across the park for their next clue. (Doesn’t look like they get padding under the poles, either - wonder how long it will take for the dent in their foreheads to wear off after they do this one?)
Dan & Jordan were bummed that they let “the best cab driver in the world” go, and scrambled around looking for another cab. All the teams except Jet & Cord decide to do the Buddhist Tradition. The Cowboys’ taxi took off and they join Brent & Caite running the street looking for a cab. Brent & Caite manage to find one leaving the Cowboys to complain that they told their cab to stay and he didn’t. They manage to find a guy willing to call a taxi for them, telling them to wait for “maybe” five minutes. Looks like Michael & Louie end up with Dan & Jordan’s original cab driver and end up passing Carol & Brandy and the Brothers. Carol & Brandy end up being the first team there, and take two 8-foot sticks with Brent & Caite close behind.
Allie & Steve, Dan & Jordan and Michael & Louie get stuck in a traffic jam. Steve & Allie find out that it’s about five minutes away if they run, so they tell their driver to meet them there and take off on foot. (Steve also slings a small backpack over his shoulder, so obviously they spent some of their money on that....hope it doesn’t come back to haunt them!) Dan & Jordan follow suit, but Michael & Louie stay in their cab and decide to sprint once they get there.
As Jet & Cord get to the field with the flags, they marvel at the size of them and think that maybe they chose the wrong task. Cord flies across the field, figuring out that once you get the flag leaning the right way, and catch the wind, it’s all “gravy” from there. Jet doesn’t get it on his first try, but gets it figures out pretty quickly and the Cowboys get their clue.
They must now taxi to Teluk Bahang and find a temple with their next clue. They’re feeling pretty good about getting that task done so quickly, saying that even with the Speed Bump they “might be able to finish some place besides last.”
Back at the fireworks Temple, the teams are lugging their fireworks up the multitude of stairs. Brent remarks “I wish God would turn on the air conditioning.” In Teluk Bahang, Jet & Cord find their Speed Bump. They must go to a spice garden and find a lady sitting and crushing spices and making spiced tea. They must then determine which pot of tea was made with the lady’s spices and deliver it to a meditating guru. If they’ve made the correct choice, they will get their clue. They’re bummed that they have to drive to the spice garden about a half-hour away and hope everyone else is having trouble. I don’t know about trouble, but they are working pretty darn hard, dragging their incense up the steps in the hot sun. Louie & Michael, who made the wise choice to stay in their cab, are working hard and Louie ends up hacking away as he gets to the top, and Michael calls him “cardioman.” (Maybe “myocardial infarctionman!”)
The Cowboys sniff the spices and take a chance on a pot of tea, which isn’t the correct one. We are then treated to the sight of Steve & Allie and Dan & Jordan running up an inclining road to the Temple, with Steve saying “this was stupid.” Steve & Allie run into their cab driver about a block away from the Temple and get a ride the rest of the way. Unfortunately, they find out once they get there that it isn’t the right Temple, and Dan & Jordan try and take their cab but the cabbie tells them he’s waiting for Steve & Allie. As they take off, Dan & Jordan are bummed about having to walk further to find the correct location. The second pot of tea was the correct one and Jet & Cord realize they’re on even ground with everyone else now that the Speed Bump isn’t looming over them any more.
Steve asks their cabbie if he knows where he’s going, and he says “I don’t know.” Steve says “huh?” and the cabbie then tells him “no problem.” (Uh-oh, I see problems with this one!) They stop and ask for directions and find out they’re closer to the flag field and decide to change tasks.
Jet & Cord run back to the clue box and don’t see any other teams there, or cabs, for that matter. The clue is a Roadblock, and they must take place in two Hindu rituals to assure them good luck. They must first smash coconuts until they find one with a bright color inside. They must then use local materials and a chunk of their coconut and make a floating offering and present it to a guy in the water. He will set it afloat and give them their clue. Cord told Jet it was his Roadblock to do, and afterward we find out that Cord decided it was far too hot to attempt this task himself, so he sent his brother off without any discussion. Back at the Temple, Brent & Caite finish first and get their clue, followed by Carol & Brandy. I don’t think Louie is going to make it to the next location, he’s hacking so bad. Dan & Jordan show up as the Detectives are leaving, and Steve & Allie find the field. After a couple of what looked like lame attempts at balancing the flags, they decide to go back to their original idea - except now their cab is gone and they have to find another.
Jet managed to find a pink coconut and ran off to make his offering, laughing that it was “my first time for arts and crafts.” How he manages to concentrate at all with the singing going on there is beyond me - the women singing (with their hands clasped in prayer) sound very, very bad. I guess God just appreciates the effort (but I didn’t). He manages to get it to the guy in the water and gets his clue, saying “let it say Pit Stop, c’mon, baby” and gets his wish. They must go to a historic part of the island and find the Pinang Peranakan Mansion, a 100-year-old house built by one of the richest guys on the island of Malaysia. Jet & Cord are ecstatic, and Carol & Brandy see the Cowboys leaving as they are arriving at the coconut-smashing Temple, wondering how they managed to get that far ahead. Carol is doing the challenge smashing coconuts and looks as if she’s going to blow right past the colored one, until Brandy tells her she’s got it. As the camera follows her to the arts and crafts table, it’s splashed up with coconut juice and I can only imagine what the poor camera guy looks like - and smells like! Nice, sticky coconut juice in his hair, in 90-degree sunshine, lugging around a 60-pound camera.
Louie is doing the task and finds the colored one after smashing his second coconut, which cheezes Carol & Brandy off. As Caite starts smashing coconuts, Jet & Cord get to the Mansion and find Phil at the Mat. Phil tells them they are the first team to come in last, complete the Speed Bump and manage to place first. Carol gets her offering built and gets her clue, and Louie is behind her. Michael & Louie shout encouragement to Caite as they leave, calling her a “coconut smashing fool.” Carol & Brandy get to the Mat and Phil remains stoic, not giving anything away. Carol says “I’m waiting for the eyebrow to go up” and Phil obliges her. Obviously Phil isn’t in the mood to talk, so Carol & Brandy do it for him: “Carol & Brandy, you are team number.....” and Phil puts up two fingers.
Dan & Jordan finish their incense and take off. Steve & Allie get done and leave also, but then we see Dan & Jordan’s cab stopping for gas, and Dan again complaining that they let the best cab driver on the island get away. Steve & Allie seem to be having problems with their driver, and Steve is complaining that he wants a “rabbit, not a turtle.” Allie apologizes for him, saying they’re stressed. Michael & Louie get to the mansion and Louie gripes about “more steps” but not about being the third team to check in. Jordan, reading “who’s ready for some color?” laughs that he is going to do the task and gets a colored coconut pretty quickly, but then messes up building his offering and has to go back to fix it. They manage to leave before Steve & Allie show up, and Allie gets through the challenge (although I noticed that the guy in the water was up to his chest, making Allie go further out in the water than the other teams had to. She wasn’t wearing a white top to give the guys a wet t-shirt shot, so I have no idea why he did that). We see Dan & Jordan get stuck in a traffic jam, and Steve & Allie hoping their cabbie can drive fast enough to win the leg for them. But in the end, they were too far back and end up in sixth place and get eliminated. Steve compliments her, getting emotional and telling Allie that she’s pretty tough.
Here’s how they finished:
1 - Jet & Cord
2 - Carol & Brandy
3 - Michael & Louie
4 - Brent & Caite
5 - Dan & Jordan
6 - Steve & Allie - eliminated
The end is getting close! Only five teams are still around - who do you think will win? Can Brent & Caite think themselves out of a paper bag and surge ahead? Are Carol & Brandy together and poised to make a run at the million? We’ll find out next week!
The clue tells them to fly to Penang, Malaysia and go to the Snake Temple, which is a house of worship where snakes live. (Ooh, I want to see Carol & Brandy and Caite roam around there with the snakes! They have to take the 2:00 a.m. ferry to another island to the airport. Steve tries to buy a hotel employee’s shirt off his back, but only gets some plastic bags to carry their extra stuff. They do some checking and find out Malaysia is a warm country, so they’re not worried about freezing. Dan & Jordan are psyched to be as far in the Race as they are. Michael & Louie like working with Brent & Caite, saying they’re respectful and “someone you’d be proud to call your own kids.” (As long as you don’t want kids with brain cells!) They all discuss going to the Snake Temple and Caite says she likes snakes. Caite calls the Detectives “the Daddies.” The two teams talk about wanting to get rid of Carol & Brandy - Brent & Caite because “they’re mean” and Michael & Louie because they see the lesbians as threats. They plan to U-Turn the girls at the next opportunity. The Cowboys realize they have a second chance and say they aren’t out of it unless they quit, and that won’t happen.
At the ferry, Michael & Louie give Steve some underwear and a little clothing. All the teams are on the same ferry and same flight, and the Cowboys say that once again, they’re tied for first place. Brent & Caite get out of the airport and on their way first, and their driver tells them the Snake Temple is five minutes away. Dan & Jordan get a cabbie that passes every single other team and gets them to the Snake Temple first.
The clue is a Detour: Buddhist Tradition or Chinese Custom. For Buddhist Tradition, the teams must go to a Temple, choose 12 very large incense sticks (which actually look like bottle rockets for the Jolly Green Giant) and lug them up 150 steps. At the top they must place the incense into holders, light them, and then a ceremonial fire to get their next clue. For Chinese Custom, teams go to a field and choose huge 32-foot flag poles, balance them on their foreheads, and walk 120 feet across the park for their next clue. (Doesn’t look like they get padding under the poles, either - wonder how long it will take for the dent in their foreheads to wear off after they do this one?)
Dan & Jordan were bummed that they let “the best cab driver in the world” go, and scrambled around looking for another cab. All the teams except Jet & Cord decide to do the Buddhist Tradition. The Cowboys’ taxi took off and they join Brent & Caite running the street looking for a cab. Brent & Caite manage to find one leaving the Cowboys to complain that they told their cab to stay and he didn’t. They manage to find a guy willing to call a taxi for them, telling them to wait for “maybe” five minutes. Looks like Michael & Louie end up with Dan & Jordan’s original cab driver and end up passing Carol & Brandy and the Brothers. Carol & Brandy end up being the first team there, and take two 8-foot sticks with Brent & Caite close behind.
Allie & Steve, Dan & Jordan and Michael & Louie get stuck in a traffic jam. Steve & Allie find out that it’s about five minutes away if they run, so they tell their driver to meet them there and take off on foot. (Steve also slings a small backpack over his shoulder, so obviously they spent some of their money on that....hope it doesn’t come back to haunt them!) Dan & Jordan follow suit, but Michael & Louie stay in their cab and decide to sprint once they get there.
As Jet & Cord get to the field with the flags, they marvel at the size of them and think that maybe they chose the wrong task. Cord flies across the field, figuring out that once you get the flag leaning the right way, and catch the wind, it’s all “gravy” from there. Jet doesn’t get it on his first try, but gets it figures out pretty quickly and the Cowboys get their clue.
They must now taxi to Teluk Bahang and find a temple with their next clue. They’re feeling pretty good about getting that task done so quickly, saying that even with the Speed Bump they “might be able to finish some place besides last.”
Back at the fireworks Temple, the teams are lugging their fireworks up the multitude of stairs. Brent remarks “I wish God would turn on the air conditioning.” In Teluk Bahang, Jet & Cord find their Speed Bump. They must go to a spice garden and find a lady sitting and crushing spices and making spiced tea. They must then determine which pot of tea was made with the lady’s spices and deliver it to a meditating guru. If they’ve made the correct choice, they will get their clue. They’re bummed that they have to drive to the spice garden about a half-hour away and hope everyone else is having trouble. I don’t know about trouble, but they are working pretty darn hard, dragging their incense up the steps in the hot sun. Louie & Michael, who made the wise choice to stay in their cab, are working hard and Louie ends up hacking away as he gets to the top, and Michael calls him “cardioman.” (Maybe “myocardial infarctionman!”)
The Cowboys sniff the spices and take a chance on a pot of tea, which isn’t the correct one. We are then treated to the sight of Steve & Allie and Dan & Jordan running up an inclining road to the Temple, with Steve saying “this was stupid.” Steve & Allie run into their cab driver about a block away from the Temple and get a ride the rest of the way. Unfortunately, they find out once they get there that it isn’t the right Temple, and Dan & Jordan try and take their cab but the cabbie tells them he’s waiting for Steve & Allie. As they take off, Dan & Jordan are bummed about having to walk further to find the correct location. The second pot of tea was the correct one and Jet & Cord realize they’re on even ground with everyone else now that the Speed Bump isn’t looming over them any more.
Steve asks their cabbie if he knows where he’s going, and he says “I don’t know.” Steve says “huh?” and the cabbie then tells him “no problem.” (Uh-oh, I see problems with this one!) They stop and ask for directions and find out they’re closer to the flag field and decide to change tasks.
Jet & Cord run back to the clue box and don’t see any other teams there, or cabs, for that matter. The clue is a Roadblock, and they must take place in two Hindu rituals to assure them good luck. They must first smash coconuts until they find one with a bright color inside. They must then use local materials and a chunk of their coconut and make a floating offering and present it to a guy in the water. He will set it afloat and give them their clue. Cord told Jet it was his Roadblock to do, and afterward we find out that Cord decided it was far too hot to attempt this task himself, so he sent his brother off without any discussion. Back at the Temple, Brent & Caite finish first and get their clue, followed by Carol & Brandy. I don’t think Louie is going to make it to the next location, he’s hacking so bad. Dan & Jordan show up as the Detectives are leaving, and Steve & Allie find the field. After a couple of what looked like lame attempts at balancing the flags, they decide to go back to their original idea - except now their cab is gone and they have to find another.
Jet managed to find a pink coconut and ran off to make his offering, laughing that it was “my first time for arts and crafts.” How he manages to concentrate at all with the singing going on there is beyond me - the women singing (with their hands clasped in prayer) sound very, very bad. I guess God just appreciates the effort (but I didn’t). He manages to get it to the guy in the water and gets his clue, saying “let it say Pit Stop, c’mon, baby” and gets his wish. They must go to a historic part of the island and find the Pinang Peranakan Mansion, a 100-year-old house built by one of the richest guys on the island of Malaysia. Jet & Cord are ecstatic, and Carol & Brandy see the Cowboys leaving as they are arriving at the coconut-smashing Temple, wondering how they managed to get that far ahead. Carol is doing the challenge smashing coconuts and looks as if she’s going to blow right past the colored one, until Brandy tells her she’s got it. As the camera follows her to the arts and crafts table, it’s splashed up with coconut juice and I can only imagine what the poor camera guy looks like - and smells like! Nice, sticky coconut juice in his hair, in 90-degree sunshine, lugging around a 60-pound camera.
Louie is doing the task and finds the colored one after smashing his second coconut, which cheezes Carol & Brandy off. As Caite starts smashing coconuts, Jet & Cord get to the Mansion and find Phil at the Mat. Phil tells them they are the first team to come in last, complete the Speed Bump and manage to place first. Carol gets her offering built and gets her clue, and Louie is behind her. Michael & Louie shout encouragement to Caite as they leave, calling her a “coconut smashing fool.” Carol & Brandy get to the Mat and Phil remains stoic, not giving anything away. Carol says “I’m waiting for the eyebrow to go up” and Phil obliges her. Obviously Phil isn’t in the mood to talk, so Carol & Brandy do it for him: “Carol & Brandy, you are team number.....” and Phil puts up two fingers.
Dan & Jordan finish their incense and take off. Steve & Allie get done and leave also, but then we see Dan & Jordan’s cab stopping for gas, and Dan again complaining that they let the best cab driver on the island get away. Steve & Allie seem to be having problems with their driver, and Steve is complaining that he wants a “rabbit, not a turtle.” Allie apologizes for him, saying they’re stressed. Michael & Louie get to the mansion and Louie gripes about “more steps” but not about being the third team to check in. Jordan, reading “who’s ready for some color?” laughs that he is going to do the task and gets a colored coconut pretty quickly, but then messes up building his offering and has to go back to fix it. They manage to leave before Steve & Allie show up, and Allie gets through the challenge (although I noticed that the guy in the water was up to his chest, making Allie go further out in the water than the other teams had to. She wasn’t wearing a white top to give the guys a wet t-shirt shot, so I have no idea why he did that). We see Dan & Jordan get stuck in a traffic jam, and Steve & Allie hoping their cabbie can drive fast enough to win the leg for them. But in the end, they were too far back and end up in sixth place and get eliminated. Steve compliments her, getting emotional and telling Allie that she’s pretty tough.
Here’s how they finished:
1 - Jet & Cord
2 - Carol & Brandy
3 - Michael & Louie
4 - Brent & Caite
5 - Dan & Jordan
6 - Steve & Allie - eliminated
The end is getting close! Only five teams are still around - who do you think will win? Can Brent & Caite think themselves out of a paper bag and surge ahead? Are Carol & Brandy together and poised to make a run at the million? We’ll find out next week!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Mistakes Abound! Don't Forget Your Coconuts!
Wow, just .... wow. It seems that some of the teams were trying their hardest to see who could screw up the most! This time, they read the clues, but their execution was lacking:
Michael & Louie leave first from the Pit Stop but big deal, all the teams will be on the same flight. They will fly to an island called Mahe in the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean, and because the islands are so remote, flights are scarce. Once there, teams will have to find a kiosk with a clue box and numbers. Michael & Louie talk about not making mistakes and paying attention - which probably means that they’re going to make a huge mistake. Jet & Cord laugh about not knowing where they’re going, “but we’ll find it” and check a map to find out it’s an island. Cord quips that “it’s lucky we’re not driving.” At the airport, the Cowboys and Detectives decide to get a bite to eat before the flight and while they’re in the restaurant, the other teams get checked in and get seating assignments, with Brent & Caite getting row 7 seats, Steve & Allie getting row 10, and Dan & Jordan scoring some row 15 seats. Carol & Brandy don’t ask for seats close to the front of the plane, and it’s obvious that the Detectives & Cowboys didn’t either, because the close-to-the-front teams get to the kiosk first and get the first three numbers. The clue tells them that the first three teams will get to leave on helicopters one hour before the 4, 5 and 6 teams to the island of La Digue, where they will find their next clue. Brent & Caite are first with Steve & Allie and Dan & Jordan rounding out the top three. The view is breathtaking! Dan & Jordan get up close and personal with a rainbow during their flight. Caite keeps up her vendetta against Carol & Brandy, saying she “just wants to get those mean lesbians out.”
Brent & Caite land and get their clue, which is a Detour: Ox Trot or Turtle Toddle. In Ox Trot, teams will have to take an ox cart to an area with piles of coconuts, and fill the cart with a pile. Phil says “without losing any cargo.” (Uh oh! Someone is going to miss a few coconuts!) They will then get hooked up with an ox, and they must ride the cart and guide the ox to the harbor area and a fruit vendor to get their next clue. For Turtle Toddle, teams will use a banana to lure a 100-year-old turtle across a marked area of the lawn. They must then grab a bunch of bananas and deliver them on foot to the fruit vendor, which is 1½ miles away.
Brent & Caite head off to Ox Trot, while Steve & Allie decide to do the Turtle Toddle. Dan & Jordan run off for the Ox challenge as well. And here it is .... Caite throws some coconuts in the cart and one bounces out onto the ground. We see multiple shots of that lone coconut sitting on the grass with menacing music. As they drive their ox down the road, Brent & Caite argue, calling each other “dummy” and “frickin’ idiot.” (And I agree, wholeheartedly!) In the meantime, Steve & Allie find a pretty quick turtle, as turtles go, grab their bananas and head off to the fruit vendor, leaving their backpacks behind. They pass Brent & Caite on the road, who are trying to get their ox to move and the ox looks like he’d like to pound them both. Dan & Jordan are loading their cart and paying attention, making sure all their coconuts stay in the cart. They jump on the cart, ready to take off, and the ox decides it’s time to take a dump, which annoys Jordan to no end. The ox takes off and almost runs and the brothers decide to name the ox “Box” in honor of their father, who owns a packaging company making boxes for a living.
The second set of helicopters land and Carol & Brandy take off to the Turtle Toddle, finding a turtle who doesn’t seem real interested in a banana, or moving, or anything. Michael & Louie and Jet & Cord work hard filling their carts with coconuts.
Steve & Allie have delivered their bananas and get their clue, telling them to swim to a marked schooner which will take them to St. Pierre Island, where they will get their next clue. They get to the boat as we see Dan & Jordan pass Brent & Caite on the road. Jordan looks at the back of the ox and says “ooh, ooh, that’s a wet one, don’t swing your tail.” (He really cracks me up sometimes). Brent & Caite show up right after Dan & Jordan get their clue, but the clue-giver tells them that they don’t have enough coconuts in their cart. No matter how they protest, they’re not getting a clue. Out on the boat, Steve & Allie see Dan & Jordan reach the beach and both have their backpacks, and they’re hit with a sudden panic attack. Steve says they have their small pack with their money and passports, but Allie “can’t go on” without her backpack. Steve asks her if she wants to go back for it. Brent & Caite are at the fruit vendor, where Brent is having a hissy fit worthy of any snotty female, saying “I quit. I quit, whatever.” He doesn’t want to drive the ox cart back to pick up the dropped coconut.
On the boat, Allie is going to miss her makeup, hair brush and extra clothes. Steve tells her she doesn’t know how pretty she is and doesn’t need makeup. (He’s trying to not go back for the backpacks, but it’s a nice thing to say anyway). Neither of them are wearing shoes on the boat, I’m assuming they have those with them because while I suppose you can live without a change of clothes, you cannot run the Amazing Race without shoes!!! Allie finally lets go of the backpack notion and says “it’ll make us faster, that’s for sure.” Dan & Jordan get to the boat and take off, noting how beautiful the scenery is.
Brent & Caite quit whining and jump back on the ox cart to go back and get the coconut. Michael & Louie get their cart filled and take off (with one coconut looking like it’s ready to fall out of the side - will that end up making a difference?) Carol & Brandy get their turtle moving but it takes off in the wrong direction because they’re too afraid to get close enough to the turtle’s face to let him smell the banana.
Out in the water, Allie spots a small buoy with a Race flag on it and they stop for the clue. Phil tells us that the waters there are known for shipwrecks and treasure hunters are always looking for buried treasure. One team member will have to go underwater and search for a submerged case with seven bottles. They will untie one bottle and bring it to the surface. Back on the shore, they will then work together to assemble a map and follow the map to - the Pit Stop! Steve doesn’t even use the supplied goggles or flippers to dive in and find the bottle. As they leave, Dan & Jordan show up and Jordan decides to try the task. It takes Jordan three dives to get the bottle up to the surface, showing me that Steve may be older, but old guys rule sometimes!
Michael & Louie cross paths with Brent & Caite and find out the dating couple have to go back for a coconut they missed. Michael hopes they didn’t drop any on the way. Once they get back, Brent & Caite find the one coconut they left behind. Carol & Brandy give up on their turtle, who refuses to go in the proper direction, and run off to the Ox Trot and start filling a cart as Jet & Cord leave with their full (or so they think) cart. They left one behind. (This after seeing Brent & Caite come back for the one they missed, and talking about how they need to make sure they have all their coconuts! I really thought the Cowboys were smarter than this....tsk, tsk). Carol & Brandy realize they are in last place and hustle loading the coconuts, but Brandy ends up tossing a coconut and hitting Carol. Steve & Allie swim to the shore, expecting to see Phil but having to empty their bottle and put its contents together first, giving them a map to the Mat. They make it to the Mat and Phil looks amused when they tell him they have no backpacks or clothes. Dan & Jordan get to the Mat in second place.
Michael & Louie get to the fruit vendor and get their clue. Brent & Caite are plodding down the road, saying that they’re still ahead of the Cowboys - until the Cowboys come and pass them up. Somehow Brent & Caite manage to pass up Jet & Cord again, get to the vendor and get their clue. Unfortunately, Jet & Cord are told they don’t have enough coconuts and have to go back. Cord wanted to “grab him by the collar and tell him that we did have enough, but that’s probably against the rules.” Carol & Brandy take off, leaving a coconut behind as well. (I’m finally getting to the realization that in the Amazing Race, the things that sink teams are not the big mistakes, but the little ones. How hard would it be to look back as you drive away at 3 MPH in an ox cart, and check to make sure there are no coconuts left behind?)
Brent & Caite are on the boat where Caite says she’s happy they got wet, “I was feeling kinda dirty.” They’re on Michael & Louie’s tail, and the Detectives’ boat is sputtering and allowing them to catch up. Carol & Brandy get to the fruit vendor and are told they didn’t load all their coconuts. Talk about highs and lows - Brent & Caite thought they were doing great, then were worried about screwing up and falling too far behind, then realized they were still in a good spot. Carol & Brandy, knowing they were in last place, see the Cowboys going back and rejoice that they’ve got a shot - until they’re told they have to go back. The Cowboys are bummed that they are in last place, until they’ll see Carol & Brandy coming back. OH! The emotional turmoil this Race causes!!
As Carol & Brandy go back, Carol tells Brandy that some coconuts must have fallen out as Brandy was tossing them over the cart, basically blaming Brandy and setting Brandy off. Bicker, bicker, “oh, it’s my fault?” Brent & Caite reach the buoy and Caite asks Brent what it is, and he says “a dingy.” Brent grabs it on the first try, and the Detectives pull up and see them leaving. Michael dives in, gets the bottle, and drops it over the side of the boat getting back in, breaking it. They wisely don’t mess with its contents, saying they will check it out when they get to shore. No penalties for them! Jet & Cord see Carol & Brandy coming back and realize there’s still hope. They get their clue and head to the beach and start stripping, and we see some really cute gray knee socks on Jet. There’s a little banter about not swimming in jeans but that their suits are a happy medium between jeans and Speedos. (Okay, guys, you’re fit, but let’s not get carried away!)
Louie is having problems swimming back to the shore, but get there shortly after Brent & Caite. Brent & Caite have put their map together and tell the Detectives that they can all go together, thinking that they’d rather keep the Detectives and get rid of “some other teams.” (Read: Carol & Brandy). As they get to the Mat, Phil laughs and tells Louie “By the end of this Race, you may be thin.” Louie shows off his guns, which are pretty impressive, actually. He gets rid of the gut, he’d be a fine specimen! In a surprising continuing conversation, Phil asks Michael & Louie who’d they like to be with at the end of the Race, and they say Brent & Caite. “And who would you like to see gone?” asks Phil - and they say Carol & Brandy, because they’ve got chips on their shoulders and are negative people. “If you want to be negative, go somewhere else.” Brent & Caite chime in, saying that the lesbian couple is “mean and rude” and they’re the team taht should go next. Brent, ever the genius (NOT), says “from what I heard, it’s pretty anonymous. Throughout all the other teams.” Phil has no clue what he just said, but catches on and lets Brent know he should have said “Unanimous.”
Jet & Cord make it to the Mat in fifth place, but when Phil asks them how they knew where the Pit Stop was, they told Phil they just guessed. Phil asked if they didn’t notice something was in the bottle, and the brothers said yes, but it was hard getting it out. They realized that they left the bottle on the boat, and Phil tells them that in order to be checked in, they must retrieve the bottle and bring its contents to shore. (I guess if a team hasn’t screwed something up this leg, it’s just not a Race!) They ran off to swim the 300 yards or so back to the boat as Carol & Brandy’s boat putters close. Carol & Brandy swim to the shore and put their map together, but still can’t find the path to the Mat and wander around a bit. Jet & Cord, since they know where the Mat is, take off in the proper direction, and of course, with proper editing it looks like it’s a footrace to the finish! But Carol & Brandy get there first (with time to spare, it seems). Jet & Cord are told by Phil that they are last, but the next leg of the Race “will be a tough one.” It’s a non-elimination leg this time, but they’ll have a Speed Bump the next leg.
In their interview, Jet & Cord banter about how a champion isn’t the one who’s ridden the most bulls, but the one who gets bucked off and gets back up to try again. Jet tells Cord “you should write a country song.” I like their attitude, as well as Michael & Louie’s. Those two teams seem to be the most together, just working and not blaming each other when stuff goes wrong.
So here is the order of finish:
1 - Steve & Allie
2 - Dan & Jordan
3 - Brent & Caite
4 - Michael & Louie
5 - Carol & Brandy
6 - Jet & Cord - but not eliminated!
The preview for next week’s show looks like our Cowboys are having mega problems. Will they be able to get back on the bull and get it together? Who goes home next? We’ll find out next week!
Michael & Louie leave first from the Pit Stop but big deal, all the teams will be on the same flight. They will fly to an island called Mahe in the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean, and because the islands are so remote, flights are scarce. Once there, teams will have to find a kiosk with a clue box and numbers. Michael & Louie talk about not making mistakes and paying attention - which probably means that they’re going to make a huge mistake. Jet & Cord laugh about not knowing where they’re going, “but we’ll find it” and check a map to find out it’s an island. Cord quips that “it’s lucky we’re not driving.” At the airport, the Cowboys and Detectives decide to get a bite to eat before the flight and while they’re in the restaurant, the other teams get checked in and get seating assignments, with Brent & Caite getting row 7 seats, Steve & Allie getting row 10, and Dan & Jordan scoring some row 15 seats. Carol & Brandy don’t ask for seats close to the front of the plane, and it’s obvious that the Detectives & Cowboys didn’t either, because the close-to-the-front teams get to the kiosk first and get the first three numbers. The clue tells them that the first three teams will get to leave on helicopters one hour before the 4, 5 and 6 teams to the island of La Digue, where they will find their next clue. Brent & Caite are first with Steve & Allie and Dan & Jordan rounding out the top three. The view is breathtaking! Dan & Jordan get up close and personal with a rainbow during their flight. Caite keeps up her vendetta against Carol & Brandy, saying she “just wants to get those mean lesbians out.”
Brent & Caite land and get their clue, which is a Detour: Ox Trot or Turtle Toddle. In Ox Trot, teams will have to take an ox cart to an area with piles of coconuts, and fill the cart with a pile. Phil says “without losing any cargo.” (Uh oh! Someone is going to miss a few coconuts!) They will then get hooked up with an ox, and they must ride the cart and guide the ox to the harbor area and a fruit vendor to get their next clue. For Turtle Toddle, teams will use a banana to lure a 100-year-old turtle across a marked area of the lawn. They must then grab a bunch of bananas and deliver them on foot to the fruit vendor, which is 1½ miles away.
Brent & Caite head off to Ox Trot, while Steve & Allie decide to do the Turtle Toddle. Dan & Jordan run off for the Ox challenge as well. And here it is .... Caite throws some coconuts in the cart and one bounces out onto the ground. We see multiple shots of that lone coconut sitting on the grass with menacing music. As they drive their ox down the road, Brent & Caite argue, calling each other “dummy” and “frickin’ idiot.” (And I agree, wholeheartedly!) In the meantime, Steve & Allie find a pretty quick turtle, as turtles go, grab their bananas and head off to the fruit vendor, leaving their backpacks behind. They pass Brent & Caite on the road, who are trying to get their ox to move and the ox looks like he’d like to pound them both. Dan & Jordan are loading their cart and paying attention, making sure all their coconuts stay in the cart. They jump on the cart, ready to take off, and the ox decides it’s time to take a dump, which annoys Jordan to no end. The ox takes off and almost runs and the brothers decide to name the ox “Box” in honor of their father, who owns a packaging company making boxes for a living.
The second set of helicopters land and Carol & Brandy take off to the Turtle Toddle, finding a turtle who doesn’t seem real interested in a banana, or moving, or anything. Michael & Louie and Jet & Cord work hard filling their carts with coconuts.
Steve & Allie have delivered their bananas and get their clue, telling them to swim to a marked schooner which will take them to St. Pierre Island, where they will get their next clue. They get to the boat as we see Dan & Jordan pass Brent & Caite on the road. Jordan looks at the back of the ox and says “ooh, ooh, that’s a wet one, don’t swing your tail.” (He really cracks me up sometimes). Brent & Caite show up right after Dan & Jordan get their clue, but the clue-giver tells them that they don’t have enough coconuts in their cart. No matter how they protest, they’re not getting a clue. Out on the boat, Steve & Allie see Dan & Jordan reach the beach and both have their backpacks, and they’re hit with a sudden panic attack. Steve says they have their small pack with their money and passports, but Allie “can’t go on” without her backpack. Steve asks her if she wants to go back for it. Brent & Caite are at the fruit vendor, where Brent is having a hissy fit worthy of any snotty female, saying “I quit. I quit, whatever.” He doesn’t want to drive the ox cart back to pick up the dropped coconut.
On the boat, Allie is going to miss her makeup, hair brush and extra clothes. Steve tells her she doesn’t know how pretty she is and doesn’t need makeup. (He’s trying to not go back for the backpacks, but it’s a nice thing to say anyway). Neither of them are wearing shoes on the boat, I’m assuming they have those with them because while I suppose you can live without a change of clothes, you cannot run the Amazing Race without shoes!!! Allie finally lets go of the backpack notion and says “it’ll make us faster, that’s for sure.” Dan & Jordan get to the boat and take off, noting how beautiful the scenery is.
Brent & Caite quit whining and jump back on the ox cart to go back and get the coconut. Michael & Louie get their cart filled and take off (with one coconut looking like it’s ready to fall out of the side - will that end up making a difference?) Carol & Brandy get their turtle moving but it takes off in the wrong direction because they’re too afraid to get close enough to the turtle’s face to let him smell the banana.
Out in the water, Allie spots a small buoy with a Race flag on it and they stop for the clue. Phil tells us that the waters there are known for shipwrecks and treasure hunters are always looking for buried treasure. One team member will have to go underwater and search for a submerged case with seven bottles. They will untie one bottle and bring it to the surface. Back on the shore, they will then work together to assemble a map and follow the map to - the Pit Stop! Steve doesn’t even use the supplied goggles or flippers to dive in and find the bottle. As they leave, Dan & Jordan show up and Jordan decides to try the task. It takes Jordan three dives to get the bottle up to the surface, showing me that Steve may be older, but old guys rule sometimes!
Michael & Louie cross paths with Brent & Caite and find out the dating couple have to go back for a coconut they missed. Michael hopes they didn’t drop any on the way. Once they get back, Brent & Caite find the one coconut they left behind. Carol & Brandy give up on their turtle, who refuses to go in the proper direction, and run off to the Ox Trot and start filling a cart as Jet & Cord leave with their full (or so they think) cart. They left one behind. (This after seeing Brent & Caite come back for the one they missed, and talking about how they need to make sure they have all their coconuts! I really thought the Cowboys were smarter than this....tsk, tsk). Carol & Brandy realize they are in last place and hustle loading the coconuts, but Brandy ends up tossing a coconut and hitting Carol. Steve & Allie swim to the shore, expecting to see Phil but having to empty their bottle and put its contents together first, giving them a map to the Mat. They make it to the Mat and Phil looks amused when they tell him they have no backpacks or clothes. Dan & Jordan get to the Mat in second place.
Michael & Louie get to the fruit vendor and get their clue. Brent & Caite are plodding down the road, saying that they’re still ahead of the Cowboys - until the Cowboys come and pass them up. Somehow Brent & Caite manage to pass up Jet & Cord again, get to the vendor and get their clue. Unfortunately, Jet & Cord are told they don’t have enough coconuts and have to go back. Cord wanted to “grab him by the collar and tell him that we did have enough, but that’s probably against the rules.” Carol & Brandy take off, leaving a coconut behind as well. (I’m finally getting to the realization that in the Amazing Race, the things that sink teams are not the big mistakes, but the little ones. How hard would it be to look back as you drive away at 3 MPH in an ox cart, and check to make sure there are no coconuts left behind?)
Brent & Caite are on the boat where Caite says she’s happy they got wet, “I was feeling kinda dirty.” They’re on Michael & Louie’s tail, and the Detectives’ boat is sputtering and allowing them to catch up. Carol & Brandy get to the fruit vendor and are told they didn’t load all their coconuts. Talk about highs and lows - Brent & Caite thought they were doing great, then were worried about screwing up and falling too far behind, then realized they were still in a good spot. Carol & Brandy, knowing they were in last place, see the Cowboys going back and rejoice that they’ve got a shot - until they’re told they have to go back. The Cowboys are bummed that they are in last place, until they’ll see Carol & Brandy coming back. OH! The emotional turmoil this Race causes!!
As Carol & Brandy go back, Carol tells Brandy that some coconuts must have fallen out as Brandy was tossing them over the cart, basically blaming Brandy and setting Brandy off. Bicker, bicker, “oh, it’s my fault?” Brent & Caite reach the buoy and Caite asks Brent what it is, and he says “a dingy.” Brent grabs it on the first try, and the Detectives pull up and see them leaving. Michael dives in, gets the bottle, and drops it over the side of the boat getting back in, breaking it. They wisely don’t mess with its contents, saying they will check it out when they get to shore. No penalties for them! Jet & Cord see Carol & Brandy coming back and realize there’s still hope. They get their clue and head to the beach and start stripping, and we see some really cute gray knee socks on Jet. There’s a little banter about not swimming in jeans but that their suits are a happy medium between jeans and Speedos. (Okay, guys, you’re fit, but let’s not get carried away!)
Louie is having problems swimming back to the shore, but get there shortly after Brent & Caite. Brent & Caite have put their map together and tell the Detectives that they can all go together, thinking that they’d rather keep the Detectives and get rid of “some other teams.” (Read: Carol & Brandy). As they get to the Mat, Phil laughs and tells Louie “By the end of this Race, you may be thin.” Louie shows off his guns, which are pretty impressive, actually. He gets rid of the gut, he’d be a fine specimen! In a surprising continuing conversation, Phil asks Michael & Louie who’d they like to be with at the end of the Race, and they say Brent & Caite. “And who would you like to see gone?” asks Phil - and they say Carol & Brandy, because they’ve got chips on their shoulders and are negative people. “If you want to be negative, go somewhere else.” Brent & Caite chime in, saying that the lesbian couple is “mean and rude” and they’re the team taht should go next. Brent, ever the genius (NOT), says “from what I heard, it’s pretty anonymous. Throughout all the other teams.” Phil has no clue what he just said, but catches on and lets Brent know he should have said “Unanimous.”
Jet & Cord make it to the Mat in fifth place, but when Phil asks them how they knew where the Pit Stop was, they told Phil they just guessed. Phil asked if they didn’t notice something was in the bottle, and the brothers said yes, but it was hard getting it out. They realized that they left the bottle on the boat, and Phil tells them that in order to be checked in, they must retrieve the bottle and bring its contents to shore. (I guess if a team hasn’t screwed something up this leg, it’s just not a Race!) They ran off to swim the 300 yards or so back to the boat as Carol & Brandy’s boat putters close. Carol & Brandy swim to the shore and put their map together, but still can’t find the path to the Mat and wander around a bit. Jet & Cord, since they know where the Mat is, take off in the proper direction, and of course, with proper editing it looks like it’s a footrace to the finish! But Carol & Brandy get there first (with time to spare, it seems). Jet & Cord are told by Phil that they are last, but the next leg of the Race “will be a tough one.” It’s a non-elimination leg this time, but they’ll have a Speed Bump the next leg.
In their interview, Jet & Cord banter about how a champion isn’t the one who’s ridden the most bulls, but the one who gets bucked off and gets back up to try again. Jet tells Cord “you should write a country song.” I like their attitude, as well as Michael & Louie’s. Those two teams seem to be the most together, just working and not blaming each other when stuff goes wrong.
So here is the order of finish:
1 - Steve & Allie
2 - Dan & Jordan
3 - Brent & Caite
4 - Michael & Louie
5 - Carol & Brandy
6 - Jet & Cord - but not eliminated!
The preview for next week’s show looks like our Cowboys are having mega problems. Will they be able to get back on the bull and get it together? Who goes home next? We’ll find out next week!
Sunday, March 21, 2010
The Detectives Kick More Butt!
Tonight’s leg of the Race shows us some beautiful French countryside - and how dumb our Racers are. Between not knowing Joan of Arc is a woman and mashing a front bumper, this group of Amazing Race teams make me wonder how they manage to get through a day, let alone a Race!
Louie & Michael depart at 7:47 a.m. and must drive themselves to the city of Reims, France, which was liberated from the Germans by Joan of Arc. They’ll have to find the outdoor Joan of Arc statue and a street musician for their next clue. The clue tells them to “listen to what you saw” which gives them a clue as to the type of musician they’re looking for. As the teams leave they’re complaining about the cold weather. Jet & Cord have no idea where they’re going, so they’re going to “look for a 7-11" to get directions.
Dan & Jordan stop a local asking about the whereabouts of the statue. In a heavily-accented English, she tells them “cathedral” which the brothers translate as “Cathy Drone.” As they drive off, Dan complains that people “don’t speak good English here.” (With all the reports about rude French people, I think they’re lucky to find someone who will speak to them at all, let alone in English!) Louie & Michael go to the Office of Tourism for directions and Steve & Allie find the square and a young woman playing a saw with a violin bow. Sounds like Bela Lugosi should be stepping out from behind her or something. She hands Steve & Allie a cork, which is stamped with Leclerc Briant champagne. Jet & Cord get to the square and decide that “they put statues in squares” and find the statue as Louie & Michael get there. The Cowboys just take off, saying that they passed a city called Champagne, and the Detectives go back to the Tourism office. Dan & Jordan run into them there as they ask about directions. As they drive to the next location, Jordan says “how do you make champagne? Is it just wine and you put club soda in it?” Brent & Caite finally leave and Caite, ever the nuclear physicist, asks Brent if Joan of Arc was the “guy with all the animals.” (Yes, there are some very stupid people on this Race).
At the Leclerc Briant Champagne location, their clue is a Roadblock. “Who is ready to cave in?” The team member must rappel down 100 feet into the cave where they store the champagne. Once down there, they must find a marked bottle of champagne (among the thousands), slice off the cork with a saber, and their next clue will shoot out with the champagne. Jordan decides to do the challenge, saying he’s going to “pee myself.” He needs many assurances from the gentleman buckling him in, as Louie waits his turn. Jordan is crawling among the racks looking for the marked bottle, saying it’s harder than it seems. In the meantime, Jet & Cord stop for directions and find out they’ve gone to the wrong town, about 60 kilometers out of their way.
Jordan finds his bottle and heads up the stairs (no elevator?) to his brother. A winery guy shows them how to cut the cork off and jumps as Jordan hacks the bottle with the saber. The clue tells them to go to Taittinger La Marquetterie for their next clue.
Louie searches the cave for the marked bottle as Steve is lowered down. We then see Brent & Caite in a square (not the right one) and there is a statue with a man and animals, making Caite think she was right anyway. She keeps thinking that Joan of Arc is a man until Brent reminds her they are talking about “Joan.” Louie finds his bottle and Steve is examining the bottles as if the marker will be a pinpoint size. He gets his bottle and they leave as Carol & Brandy get to the winery. Brandy decides to do the task and Carol remarks that “hopefully she’s not in a piss poor mood when she gets done.”
Dan & Jordan stop and ask for help to find their next location and are told that they need to go to Reims again. In the meantime, Michael & Louie are told it is in Pierry, and the locals helping offer to let the Detectives follow them. Carol & Brandy are also told that the location is in Pierry. Jet & Cord finally make it to the winery and realize that there are four teams ahead of them. Asking a local for help, they are told to go to Reims. We find out that the Taittinger La Marquetterie is a chateau in Pierry as the Detectives find the clue box - a Detour: Tower or Terra. In Tower, teams must use 680 champagne glasses and stack them so there is one glass on top, to be filled with champagne. They will then get their clue. For Terra, they must look through a square kilometer for a tiny cluster of grapes marked with Race colors. Once they take the grapes to the foreman, they will get their clue.
Michael & Louie, saying they are “bulls in a China shop” decide to look for the grapes. Dan & Jordan get to the Taittinger in Reims but are told that what they’re looking for is a mansion in Pierry, which is a little village close to Epernay. Brent & Caite get to the winery, Brent rappels down and finds a bottle and they leave before Jordan & Jeff get there. Steve & Allie get to Reims and find out they’re not in the right place either, and to boot, Steve runs into something while parking and mashes up the front bumper of the car. As they drive off they can hear the broken piece rubbing on the tire as they drive, so they stop to try and pull it off. It’s stuck pretty good so instead of pulling it off, Allie gets duct tape out of Steve’s bag and they tape it up. Steve credits his wife with throwing the roll of duct tape in his backpack. Jordan finishes the champagne task, getting the clue and taking a sip of champagne. We see Brent & Caite getting erroneous directions to Reims for the Taittinger.
Michael & Louie use their detective skills to do a grid search in the vineyard, and Michael finds the marked grapes. “If I can find crack in someone’s rear end, I can find grapes in a vineyard.” (Okay?) They must now drive to the next Pit Stop, L’orrca, the administrative building in Champagne, France.
Jet & Cord find out they’ve gone to the wrong place. They interview that people pay thousands to get the tour they’ve had today, and they did it for free, in a Mercedes. Dan & Jordan get to the Detour and decide to try Tower, because they’ve seen “a few champagne towers at bar and bat mitzvahs” in their day.
Phil is standing at the Mat with a mime, who looks rather scary, and is holding a sign saying “welcome.” Michael & Louie find out they are team number one yet again. Carol & Brandy search the vineyard and find the marked grapes. Steve & Allie arrive and decide to search for grapes as well, as Dan & Jordan stack their glasses and Jordan wants to do so to the beat of the chamber music being played. (*rolling eyes*) Brent & Caite see Carol & Brandy asking a cop for directions to the Pit Stop and decide to follow the lesbians, and realize they’re in trouble once they get to the Mat because they didn’t get a Detour clue yet.
Steve & Allie find the marked grapes as Jeff & Jordan get to Reims and find out they’re in the wrong place. Brent & Caite go looking for grapes as Caite complains that Brent always picks what he thinks is the easiest (and this time, at least, he’s right). We see Dan & Jordan struggling to get their glasses piled up 16 layers high and having trouble, as Jet & Cord get to the Detour and decide to look for grapes as well.
Steve & Allie get to the Mat in third, and Steve tells Phil that their car needs looking at - “I hope you’re insured.” Phil looks as if he’ll be telling them the cost of any repairs will come out of their ass. Brent & Caite see the Cowboys find their bunch of grapes and Caite tries to convince Brent to go and stack glasses. They start bickering about whose fault it is that they can’t find the grapes.
Dan & Jordan have finished stacking glasses (their way, with the top four layers having only one glass each) and are given a huge bottle of champagne to pour into the glasses. Dan mutters that he wishes he were taller and gets on a chair to pour the champagne. The brothers are pretty nervous about pouring their champagne and how sturdy their tower is, but manage to get the whole bottle poured and get their clue. They interview how they will be available to build champagne towers but that they will be “very expensive.” They celebrate by drinking a glass of champagne and pronounce it very good. Brent & Caite decide to change to the Tower challenge and get their glasses stacked, still bickering all the way. Brent pours the champagne but about halfway through the bottle, the glasses started falling and they go back to look for grapes. Jeff & Jordan get to the winery and see another car and a team looking in the vineyard, and decide that maybe they couldn’t find the grapes and decide to try the Tower. Jordan says it doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be “in a pyramid.” Of course, we then see the glasses falling and Jeff & Jordan running out to the vineyard to search for grapes. It gets dark and they’re using flashlights and passing up marked clumps of grapes - but then Jordan finds one and off they go to the Pit Stop. They get to the Mat and Phil tells them they’ve been eliminated.
So here’s the order of finish:
1 - Michael & Louie
2 - Carol & Brandy
3 - Steve & Allie
4 - Jet & Cord
5 - Dan & Jordan
6 - Brent & Caite
7 - Jeff & Jordan (eliminated)
Are the Detectives unbeatable? Can the Cowboys get back their mojo and surge ahead again? The herd is thinning - do you have a favorite for the million?
Louie & Michael depart at 7:47 a.m. and must drive themselves to the city of Reims, France, which was liberated from the Germans by Joan of Arc. They’ll have to find the outdoor Joan of Arc statue and a street musician for their next clue. The clue tells them to “listen to what you saw” which gives them a clue as to the type of musician they’re looking for. As the teams leave they’re complaining about the cold weather. Jet & Cord have no idea where they’re going, so they’re going to “look for a 7-11" to get directions.
Dan & Jordan stop a local asking about the whereabouts of the statue. In a heavily-accented English, she tells them “cathedral” which the brothers translate as “Cathy Drone.” As they drive off, Dan complains that people “don’t speak good English here.” (With all the reports about rude French people, I think they’re lucky to find someone who will speak to them at all, let alone in English!) Louie & Michael go to the Office of Tourism for directions and Steve & Allie find the square and a young woman playing a saw with a violin bow. Sounds like Bela Lugosi should be stepping out from behind her or something. She hands Steve & Allie a cork, which is stamped with Leclerc Briant champagne. Jet & Cord get to the square and decide that “they put statues in squares” and find the statue as Louie & Michael get there. The Cowboys just take off, saying that they passed a city called Champagne, and the Detectives go back to the Tourism office. Dan & Jordan run into them there as they ask about directions. As they drive to the next location, Jordan says “how do you make champagne? Is it just wine and you put club soda in it?” Brent & Caite finally leave and Caite, ever the nuclear physicist, asks Brent if Joan of Arc was the “guy with all the animals.” (Yes, there are some very stupid people on this Race).
At the Leclerc Briant Champagne location, their clue is a Roadblock. “Who is ready to cave in?” The team member must rappel down 100 feet into the cave where they store the champagne. Once down there, they must find a marked bottle of champagne (among the thousands), slice off the cork with a saber, and their next clue will shoot out with the champagne. Jordan decides to do the challenge, saying he’s going to “pee myself.” He needs many assurances from the gentleman buckling him in, as Louie waits his turn. Jordan is crawling among the racks looking for the marked bottle, saying it’s harder than it seems. In the meantime, Jet & Cord stop for directions and find out they’ve gone to the wrong town, about 60 kilometers out of their way.
Jordan finds his bottle and heads up the stairs (no elevator?) to his brother. A winery guy shows them how to cut the cork off and jumps as Jordan hacks the bottle with the saber. The clue tells them to go to Taittinger La Marquetterie for their next clue.
Louie searches the cave for the marked bottle as Steve is lowered down. We then see Brent & Caite in a square (not the right one) and there is a statue with a man and animals, making Caite think she was right anyway. She keeps thinking that Joan of Arc is a man until Brent reminds her they are talking about “Joan.” Louie finds his bottle and Steve is examining the bottles as if the marker will be a pinpoint size. He gets his bottle and they leave as Carol & Brandy get to the winery. Brandy decides to do the task and Carol remarks that “hopefully she’s not in a piss poor mood when she gets done.”
Dan & Jordan stop and ask for help to find their next location and are told that they need to go to Reims again. In the meantime, Michael & Louie are told it is in Pierry, and the locals helping offer to let the Detectives follow them. Carol & Brandy are also told that the location is in Pierry. Jet & Cord finally make it to the winery and realize that there are four teams ahead of them. Asking a local for help, they are told to go to Reims. We find out that the Taittinger La Marquetterie is a chateau in Pierry as the Detectives find the clue box - a Detour: Tower or Terra. In Tower, teams must use 680 champagne glasses and stack them so there is one glass on top, to be filled with champagne. They will then get their clue. For Terra, they must look through a square kilometer for a tiny cluster of grapes marked with Race colors. Once they take the grapes to the foreman, they will get their clue.
Michael & Louie, saying they are “bulls in a China shop” decide to look for the grapes. Dan & Jordan get to the Taittinger in Reims but are told that what they’re looking for is a mansion in Pierry, which is a little village close to Epernay. Brent & Caite get to the winery, Brent rappels down and finds a bottle and they leave before Jordan & Jeff get there. Steve & Allie get to Reims and find out they’re not in the right place either, and to boot, Steve runs into something while parking and mashes up the front bumper of the car. As they drive off they can hear the broken piece rubbing on the tire as they drive, so they stop to try and pull it off. It’s stuck pretty good so instead of pulling it off, Allie gets duct tape out of Steve’s bag and they tape it up. Steve credits his wife with throwing the roll of duct tape in his backpack. Jordan finishes the champagne task, getting the clue and taking a sip of champagne. We see Brent & Caite getting erroneous directions to Reims for the Taittinger.
Michael & Louie use their detective skills to do a grid search in the vineyard, and Michael finds the marked grapes. “If I can find crack in someone’s rear end, I can find grapes in a vineyard.” (Okay?) They must now drive to the next Pit Stop, L’orrca, the administrative building in Champagne, France.
Jet & Cord find out they’ve gone to the wrong place. They interview that people pay thousands to get the tour they’ve had today, and they did it for free, in a Mercedes. Dan & Jordan get to the Detour and decide to try Tower, because they’ve seen “a few champagne towers at bar and bat mitzvahs” in their day.
Phil is standing at the Mat with a mime, who looks rather scary, and is holding a sign saying “welcome.” Michael & Louie find out they are team number one yet again. Carol & Brandy search the vineyard and find the marked grapes. Steve & Allie arrive and decide to search for grapes as well, as Dan & Jordan stack their glasses and Jordan wants to do so to the beat of the chamber music being played. (*rolling eyes*) Brent & Caite see Carol & Brandy asking a cop for directions to the Pit Stop and decide to follow the lesbians, and realize they’re in trouble once they get to the Mat because they didn’t get a Detour clue yet.
Steve & Allie find the marked grapes as Jeff & Jordan get to Reims and find out they’re in the wrong place. Brent & Caite go looking for grapes as Caite complains that Brent always picks what he thinks is the easiest (and this time, at least, he’s right). We see Dan & Jordan struggling to get their glasses piled up 16 layers high and having trouble, as Jet & Cord get to the Detour and decide to look for grapes as well.
Steve & Allie get to the Mat in third, and Steve tells Phil that their car needs looking at - “I hope you’re insured.” Phil looks as if he’ll be telling them the cost of any repairs will come out of their ass. Brent & Caite see the Cowboys find their bunch of grapes and Caite tries to convince Brent to go and stack glasses. They start bickering about whose fault it is that they can’t find the grapes.
Dan & Jordan have finished stacking glasses (their way, with the top four layers having only one glass each) and are given a huge bottle of champagne to pour into the glasses. Dan mutters that he wishes he were taller and gets on a chair to pour the champagne. The brothers are pretty nervous about pouring their champagne and how sturdy their tower is, but manage to get the whole bottle poured and get their clue. They interview how they will be available to build champagne towers but that they will be “very expensive.” They celebrate by drinking a glass of champagne and pronounce it very good. Brent & Caite decide to change to the Tower challenge and get their glasses stacked, still bickering all the way. Brent pours the champagne but about halfway through the bottle, the glasses started falling and they go back to look for grapes. Jeff & Jordan get to the winery and see another car and a team looking in the vineyard, and decide that maybe they couldn’t find the grapes and decide to try the Tower. Jordan says it doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be “in a pyramid.” Of course, we then see the glasses falling and Jeff & Jordan running out to the vineyard to search for grapes. It gets dark and they’re using flashlights and passing up marked clumps of grapes - but then Jordan finds one and off they go to the Pit Stop. They get to the Mat and Phil tells them they’ve been eliminated.
So here’s the order of finish:
1 - Michael & Louie
2 - Carol & Brandy
3 - Steve & Allie
4 - Jet & Cord
5 - Dan & Jordan
6 - Brent & Caite
7 - Jeff & Jordan (eliminated)
Are the Detectives unbeatable? Can the Cowboys get back their mojo and surge ahead again? The herd is thinning - do you have a favorite for the million?
Monday, March 15, 2010
A U-Turn and Morse Code Sink Joe & Heidi
Please excuse the lateness of the recap – I was on a train to New York state to spend the week with my just-turned-one grandchild (and her parents). I don’t have a laptop (although my TiVo is right next to my desktop at home) and it’s nice to be able to sit in the big recliner with their laptop, and a kitty on my legs, typing as I watch. With my angelic, beautiful granddaughter Hayley sleeping in her room after getting to see her first steps today! (ahhh, life is good.)
The teams begin in Hamburg, Germany but don’t start in Hamburg. Now that I’ve got your attention: (and no, Brent is not wearing his stupid off on me) the Pit Stop was in Hamburg but the teams boarded a bus and were taken to another “unnamed, secret” location to begin the next leg of the Race. Jeff & Jordan are determined not to be last again. Joe & Heidi talk about Joe’s bad knee and state that they’ve done really well even with Joe’s gimpy leg. The Detectives take offense, saying that there are other teams in this competition.
Michael & Louis get to leave first from what they think is France (using their highly honed detective skills they have surmised that they went south and west on the bus). From their “secret location” they are to drive themselves to the city of Ste Menehould and find the Boulangerie Defontaine and purchase a baguette to get their next clue. They stop and ask a postal worker for help with directions which turns out to be a good idea because they were headed the wrong way. Steve & Allie leave second, with Steve saying he feels a lot younger than he is, and Allie says “he’s rocking it!” As Jet & Cord take off from the start, they can’t figure out what a baguette is, but surmise it’s in the pastry family and wonder if they can eat it.
At the bakery, Michael & Louie get their baguette and ask the gentleman if he has a clue for them. Michael is breaking the bread in half as he asks and sees a piece of paper sticking out – their clue. (That would not be my first instinct, to break the bread in half. I would think that I would have to take it to the next location…but then, I guess there wouldn’t be one because I’d be sitting at the bakery waiting for my next clue! Okay, I guess I just wouldn’t cut it on this Race). The paper tells them to go to La Main De Massiges for their next clue. Louie thinks they’ll be getting a massage, but Michael says that would be too easy (you got it, buddy). Brent & Caite leave and ask someone for directions, and talk about how they’re doing things great but keep getting lost – “we think we know where we’re going but we don’t.”
Michael & Louie get to the correct location and find a Detour: In the Trenches or Under Fire. The location they are at was a site of a vicious battle during WWII between the French and the Germans. In the Trenches has them dress in American Doughboy uniforms (hey! That was our school mascot name – Doughboys. I always thought that was really weird and wished we could be tigers or something less dorky sounding) and go through the trenches built to find a communication device. Using a field manual, they must translate a message in Morse Code. For Under Fire, they must crawl in a muddy field under barbed wire to get a message from a French officer. In both tasks, once they get their messages they must attach them to a pigeon and they will get their next clue. Michael & Louie opt for Under Fire.
All the other teams get to the bakery and figure out the clue is in the baguette, and all are appreciative of its good taste. The Cowboys decide they have to step it up because Carol & Brandy were ten minutes behind and they arrive at the same time. Jeff & Jordan are finally leaving and talk about how they are still the team to beat – and then promptly get lost and start bickering about directions. They’re driving around in circles.
Back at the war field, Michael & Louie are watching the planes coming in really close and “bombs” going off and spewing dirt everywhere. Louie is huffing and puffing but happy that Michael is there to motivate him. Steve & Allie and Joe & Heidi show up and decide on Under Fire too. Louie is panting as they get their message and Michael wisely tells him to catch his breath before they go back (or Louie has a stroke). On their way back, Michael & Louie crawl past the two other teams. (Seeing this, I’m wondering if anyone has a possibility of war flashbacks – Steve, or one of the detectives may be old enough. Hopefully their rifles have blanks loaded!!)
Carol & Brandy and Dan & Jordan are going Under Fire as well, with the girls yammering about the uniforms and the hike. Jet & Cord aren’t far behind and decide that they don’t know Morse Code either so they will crawl.
Michael & Louie let their pigeon go and find out they must start walking down the road. They come to a Blind U-Turn, which allows them (if they choose to use it) to U-Turn any team and that team will not know who did it. The U-Turned team will have to go back and complete the other part of the Detour before they are able to move on. They discuss using the U-Turn on either Steve & Allie or Joe & Heidi, and ultimately choose Joe & Heidi because of Joe’s remarks on the bus earlier in the day, how he’s not worried about any teams in the Race. Louie decided Joe “needed to be taken down a peg.” Considering that Joe & Heidi may be the second team to the U-Turn I think they can figure out who did it.
We see Brent & Caite driving up to the battlefield and the planes flying, and Caite gets excited thinking they’ll be flying. (Nothing that cool, dippy girl!) As she gets changed she laughs that it seems as if she’s modeling Army clothes – “old Army clothes.” (Um, ok. WWII IS old!) Jordan and Dan decide that they are going to pretend that “the enemy is chasing us” and jog a little faster. Jordan then gets really tired and can’t keep up, and the brothers end up arguing. Carol & Brandy whine all the way about their uniforms.
Jeff & Jordan get to the bakery and Jeff proves once again what a dipwad he is. He gets the baguette and asks for the clue. Getting none from the shop owner, he re-reads his clue and then asks if the baguette is fresh. (No, you get a stale one. Doofus.) Jeff finally cracks his baguette in half and sees the paper inside. (And it just hit me. The paper clues inside the bread are encased in plastic. How did the plastic not melt when baked inside the bread?) Off Jeff & Jordan go again to get lost.
Joe & Heidi are indeed the second team to the clue down the road with Steve & Allie right behind. They see they’ve been U-Turned and are really bummed (of course). Steve & Allie shout encouragement to Joe & Heidi as they go on ahead. Heidi says she always thought the detectives were nice guys. (They still are, they’re just doing their best to win a million bucks. They did not cheat, but used a perfectly legit tool of the Race. Doesn’t mean they’re not nice, just …. Willing to do whatever it takes to win a million dollars!!!) Getting to the next clue box, Michael & Louie find out they have to change clothes yet again into period Tour de France uniforms and ride a bike through a 4-mile course to the Pit Stop.
Joe & Heidi are attempting to decipher the Morse Code and check to see if it is “Viva le Liberty” and it’s not. Carol is complaining about crawling around in the dirt, saying she never wanted to be a boy, she did not sign up for this, smart people do Morse Code. Caite passes the lesbian couple and it gives her motivation to move faster after the disparaging remarks Brandy & Carol made about Caite being a beauty pageant contestant. We see Steve & Allie riding off on their bikes and Allie has a moustache along with her uniform. Michael & Louie get to the Mat and Phil, and I see that while they both have their own moustaches, they have fake ones on too. Louie tells Phil “I’m gonna die” and is panting like he just might.
Dan & Jordan are leaving the battlefield and Jordan says he hates guns – he likes swords better. (Should I think that means something? Maybe I’m just looking too far into things….) Jet & Cord pass them up on the road saying that they want to get ahead and “I guess they’re happy with their position.” Dan & Jordan look ridiculous in their cycling outfits and moustaches, and Jordan asks “Do I look like Lance Armstrong or do I look like Lance Armstrong?” (Um, no.) Carol whines about biking, with Brandy telling her that she takes a spinning class so Carol should “kick my ass.” Carol thanks her for “that tone.” These women should just break up now before they kill each other!
Brent & Caite get their pigeon in the air and set off down the road. They are supposed to go southwest, and there is a sign with “N” and “S” pointing in the proper directions. Brent has a compass on his watch and Caite tells him to use it, and they see they are going north. They wander in the opposite direction down the road and Brent is wondering “if they meant south as a direction, or south, like, go that direction?” (Does this man even get through a day without someone telling him how to brush his hair? I think that has to be about the dumbest thing I’ve heard in multiple seasons of the Amazing Race. It’s so dumb I have no idea what he thinks he means by it!!)
Jordan is yapping all the bike ride to the Pit Stop and Dan is begging him to shut up. They manage to get to the Mat in fourth place. Jeff & Jordan are finally at the battlefield and get their Speed Bump. They must reinforce a wall of the trench with branches to get their next clue. Jordan’s shoes are too big and her hat keeps falling off, and she stops to fix things as Jeff tells her to get moving. They see Joe & Heidi there and Jeff is excited seeing another team, knowing they have a chance. Brent & Caite wander down the road and see the clue box by the church, and start off to the Pit Stop. (They’re gonna be pissed when they get to the Mat! Missing a clue gets Phil kinda cranky.) They arrive and Phil tells them they have to go back and read the clue. (I can almost figure out by Phil’s look that he agrees with me - they are amazingly stupid sometimes.) Joe & Heidi are still desperately trying to decode the message, coming up with all kinds of phrases and getting nowhere. Jeff & Jordan finish shoring up the wall and get the clue with the Detour and Jeff tells Jordan it’s her choice, and she chooses to crawl through the field. Jeff is trying to make her crawl a certain way to help time, getting overly frustrated. The message says “the war is over” and as they hand it to the soldier, “Brent says Because of this message or because it took us so long to get here?” They get their pigeon sent and take off, and see that Joe & Heidi were U-Turned, realizing they are still in the Race. Joe & Heidi take one more message to the soldier and find out they’re wrong yet again. It should have said “we will prevail, viva le France.” Joe says he’s not happy that they were U-Turned but they understand the rules and the Race. At least he’s graceful in losing!
So here’s our order of finish:
1- Michael & Louie
2- Steve & Allie
3- Jet & Cord
4- Dan & Jordan
5- Carol & Brandy
6- Brent & Caite (even after having to go back)
7- Jeff & Jordan
8- Joe & Heidi (eliminated)
Are Michael & Louie going to continue to kick butt or is another team due for a first place finish? We’ll find out next week!
The teams begin in Hamburg, Germany but don’t start in Hamburg. Now that I’ve got your attention: (and no, Brent is not wearing his stupid off on me) the Pit Stop was in Hamburg but the teams boarded a bus and were taken to another “unnamed, secret” location to begin the next leg of the Race. Jeff & Jordan are determined not to be last again. Joe & Heidi talk about Joe’s bad knee and state that they’ve done really well even with Joe’s gimpy leg. The Detectives take offense, saying that there are other teams in this competition.
Michael & Louis get to leave first from what they think is France (using their highly honed detective skills they have surmised that they went south and west on the bus). From their “secret location” they are to drive themselves to the city of Ste Menehould and find the Boulangerie Defontaine and purchase a baguette to get their next clue. They stop and ask a postal worker for help with directions which turns out to be a good idea because they were headed the wrong way. Steve & Allie leave second, with Steve saying he feels a lot younger than he is, and Allie says “he’s rocking it!” As Jet & Cord take off from the start, they can’t figure out what a baguette is, but surmise it’s in the pastry family and wonder if they can eat it.
At the bakery, Michael & Louie get their baguette and ask the gentleman if he has a clue for them. Michael is breaking the bread in half as he asks and sees a piece of paper sticking out – their clue. (That would not be my first instinct, to break the bread in half. I would think that I would have to take it to the next location…but then, I guess there wouldn’t be one because I’d be sitting at the bakery waiting for my next clue! Okay, I guess I just wouldn’t cut it on this Race). The paper tells them to go to La Main De Massiges for their next clue. Louie thinks they’ll be getting a massage, but Michael says that would be too easy (you got it, buddy). Brent & Caite leave and ask someone for directions, and talk about how they’re doing things great but keep getting lost – “we think we know where we’re going but we don’t.”
Michael & Louie get to the correct location and find a Detour: In the Trenches or Under Fire. The location they are at was a site of a vicious battle during WWII between the French and the Germans. In the Trenches has them dress in American Doughboy uniforms (hey! That was our school mascot name – Doughboys. I always thought that was really weird and wished we could be tigers or something less dorky sounding) and go through the trenches built to find a communication device. Using a field manual, they must translate a message in Morse Code. For Under Fire, they must crawl in a muddy field under barbed wire to get a message from a French officer. In both tasks, once they get their messages they must attach them to a pigeon and they will get their next clue. Michael & Louie opt for Under Fire.
All the other teams get to the bakery and figure out the clue is in the baguette, and all are appreciative of its good taste. The Cowboys decide they have to step it up because Carol & Brandy were ten minutes behind and they arrive at the same time. Jeff & Jordan are finally leaving and talk about how they are still the team to beat – and then promptly get lost and start bickering about directions. They’re driving around in circles.
Back at the war field, Michael & Louie are watching the planes coming in really close and “bombs” going off and spewing dirt everywhere. Louie is huffing and puffing but happy that Michael is there to motivate him. Steve & Allie and Joe & Heidi show up and decide on Under Fire too. Louie is panting as they get their message and Michael wisely tells him to catch his breath before they go back (or Louie has a stroke). On their way back, Michael & Louie crawl past the two other teams. (Seeing this, I’m wondering if anyone has a possibility of war flashbacks – Steve, or one of the detectives may be old enough. Hopefully their rifles have blanks loaded!!)
Carol & Brandy and Dan & Jordan are going Under Fire as well, with the girls yammering about the uniforms and the hike. Jet & Cord aren’t far behind and decide that they don’t know Morse Code either so they will crawl.
Michael & Louie let their pigeon go and find out they must start walking down the road. They come to a Blind U-Turn, which allows them (if they choose to use it) to U-Turn any team and that team will not know who did it. The U-Turned team will have to go back and complete the other part of the Detour before they are able to move on. They discuss using the U-Turn on either Steve & Allie or Joe & Heidi, and ultimately choose Joe & Heidi because of Joe’s remarks on the bus earlier in the day, how he’s not worried about any teams in the Race. Louie decided Joe “needed to be taken down a peg.” Considering that Joe & Heidi may be the second team to the U-Turn I think they can figure out who did it.
We see Brent & Caite driving up to the battlefield and the planes flying, and Caite gets excited thinking they’ll be flying. (Nothing that cool, dippy girl!) As she gets changed she laughs that it seems as if she’s modeling Army clothes – “old Army clothes.” (Um, ok. WWII IS old!) Jordan and Dan decide that they are going to pretend that “the enemy is chasing us” and jog a little faster. Jordan then gets really tired and can’t keep up, and the brothers end up arguing. Carol & Brandy whine all the way about their uniforms.
Jeff & Jordan get to the bakery and Jeff proves once again what a dipwad he is. He gets the baguette and asks for the clue. Getting none from the shop owner, he re-reads his clue and then asks if the baguette is fresh. (No, you get a stale one. Doofus.) Jeff finally cracks his baguette in half and sees the paper inside. (And it just hit me. The paper clues inside the bread are encased in plastic. How did the plastic not melt when baked inside the bread?) Off Jeff & Jordan go again to get lost.
Joe & Heidi are indeed the second team to the clue down the road with Steve & Allie right behind. They see they’ve been U-Turned and are really bummed (of course). Steve & Allie shout encouragement to Joe & Heidi as they go on ahead. Heidi says she always thought the detectives were nice guys. (They still are, they’re just doing their best to win a million bucks. They did not cheat, but used a perfectly legit tool of the Race. Doesn’t mean they’re not nice, just …. Willing to do whatever it takes to win a million dollars!!!) Getting to the next clue box, Michael & Louie find out they have to change clothes yet again into period Tour de France uniforms and ride a bike through a 4-mile course to the Pit Stop.
Joe & Heidi are attempting to decipher the Morse Code and check to see if it is “Viva le Liberty” and it’s not. Carol is complaining about crawling around in the dirt, saying she never wanted to be a boy, she did not sign up for this, smart people do Morse Code. Caite passes the lesbian couple and it gives her motivation to move faster after the disparaging remarks Brandy & Carol made about Caite being a beauty pageant contestant. We see Steve & Allie riding off on their bikes and Allie has a moustache along with her uniform. Michael & Louie get to the Mat and Phil, and I see that while they both have their own moustaches, they have fake ones on too. Louie tells Phil “I’m gonna die” and is panting like he just might.
Dan & Jordan are leaving the battlefield and Jordan says he hates guns – he likes swords better. (Should I think that means something? Maybe I’m just looking too far into things….) Jet & Cord pass them up on the road saying that they want to get ahead and “I guess they’re happy with their position.” Dan & Jordan look ridiculous in their cycling outfits and moustaches, and Jordan asks “Do I look like Lance Armstrong or do I look like Lance Armstrong?” (Um, no.) Carol whines about biking, with Brandy telling her that she takes a spinning class so Carol should “kick my ass.” Carol thanks her for “that tone.” These women should just break up now before they kill each other!
Brent & Caite get their pigeon in the air and set off down the road. They are supposed to go southwest, and there is a sign with “N” and “S” pointing in the proper directions. Brent has a compass on his watch and Caite tells him to use it, and they see they are going north. They wander in the opposite direction down the road and Brent is wondering “if they meant south as a direction, or south, like, go that direction?” (Does this man even get through a day without someone telling him how to brush his hair? I think that has to be about the dumbest thing I’ve heard in multiple seasons of the Amazing Race. It’s so dumb I have no idea what he thinks he means by it!!)
Jordan is yapping all the bike ride to the Pit Stop and Dan is begging him to shut up. They manage to get to the Mat in fourth place. Jeff & Jordan are finally at the battlefield and get their Speed Bump. They must reinforce a wall of the trench with branches to get their next clue. Jordan’s shoes are too big and her hat keeps falling off, and she stops to fix things as Jeff tells her to get moving. They see Joe & Heidi there and Jeff is excited seeing another team, knowing they have a chance. Brent & Caite wander down the road and see the clue box by the church, and start off to the Pit Stop. (They’re gonna be pissed when they get to the Mat! Missing a clue gets Phil kinda cranky.) They arrive and Phil tells them they have to go back and read the clue. (I can almost figure out by Phil’s look that he agrees with me - they are amazingly stupid sometimes.) Joe & Heidi are still desperately trying to decode the message, coming up with all kinds of phrases and getting nowhere. Jeff & Jordan finish shoring up the wall and get the clue with the Detour and Jeff tells Jordan it’s her choice, and she chooses to crawl through the field. Jeff is trying to make her crawl a certain way to help time, getting overly frustrated. The message says “the war is over” and as they hand it to the soldier, “Brent says Because of this message or because it took us so long to get here?” They get their pigeon sent and take off, and see that Joe & Heidi were U-Turned, realizing they are still in the Race. Joe & Heidi take one more message to the soldier and find out they’re wrong yet again. It should have said “we will prevail, viva le France.” Joe says he’s not happy that they were U-Turned but they understand the rules and the Race. At least he’s graceful in losing!
So here’s our order of finish:
1- Michael & Louie
2- Steve & Allie
3- Jet & Cord
4- Dan & Jordan
5- Carol & Brandy
6- Brent & Caite (even after having to go back)
7- Jeff & Jordan
8- Joe & Heidi (eliminated)
Are Michael & Louie going to continue to kick butt or is another team due for a first place finish? We’ll find out next week!
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Sauerkraut and Beer - Made in Heaven for New York Detectives!
Another exciting leg of The Amazing Race begins in Argentina! Leaving first, Jet & Cord open their clue to find out they must fly to Frankfurt, Germany then catch a train to Hamburg. They will then have to scour the city on foot for Jungernstieg Street and the clue box. They stop at a travel agency and find out the first flight leaves at 11:10 a.m. the next morning. They realize that most of the teams are going to be on the same flight.
Carol & Brandy decided that they are going to avoid the meltdowns - their word from now on is “respectful.” We’ll see how long that lasts..... Dan says he hates flying and he’s doing the Race for his brother Jordan.
All the teams end up leaving at the same time but taking different routes to get to Germany. No mention made of the landing times, so one can only conclude that they were pretty close together. (After seeing the landing times, the planes land within an hour of each other). Jet & Cord and Louie & Michael land first and get their tickets, and wait for the train. Dan & Jordan and Carol & Brandy land with time to catch the train, but have problems finding the correct gate and get to the landing as the train is leaving. They end up on the same train with all the other teams.
Jet & Cord (with the stupid plastic on his cowboy hat, he looks like a dork! C’mon, if they’re real cowboys, those hats are made to withstand all kinds of weather. Every cowboy watching this show is probably rolling his eyes out of his head.) make it to the clue box to find an Intersection. This means each team must join with another team to mutually complete the challenge. Of course, they talk to the detectives and team up for the Roadblock in the clue. “Who wants to reach new heights?” Working together, the two to perform the Roadblock will take a train to Hamburg Harbor and bungee 150 feet in the middle of the city to get their next clue.
Joe & Heidi decide to work with Steve & Allie, and talk to a guy they met on the train to point them in the right direction. Dan & Jordan will work with Carol & Brandy, with Dan saying that Carol is “like the lesbian aunt that I never had.” They grab an English-speaking local to lead them to the Harbor. That leaves Brent & Ciate and Jeff & Jordan to team up. The girls decide to try the task. Brent talks about how Caite has lived in New York and has a good sense of direction, and Jordan decides to let Caite “lead the way,” which (of course) means they’ll end up on the wrong train. They get on a train and it’s moving before they ask where it’s going. (All the young blondes watching this - if they have half a brain - are groaning that Jordan & Caite are adding to the stupidity stereotype. And they’re doing a fine job!) I suppose it never occurred to them to ask BEFORE they got on a train......
Michael & Jet get to the bungee drop and get geared up. The guys working the bungee tell Jet he’ll lose his hat, but he insists he won’t. Believe it or not, it doesn’t! They’re stuck/tied together to jump, and both are yelling as they do it. Michael is amazed that Jet’s hat stayed on, and Jet tells him that “a real cowboy’s hat never comes off.” (Never?) They get the clue and are told not to open it until they are reunited with their teammates.
Joe & Allie are on their way to the Harbor. Dan & Brandy are close behind and get to watch Joe & Allie do their jump and Brandy looks ready to pass out. “They’re upside down!” (Otherwise they’d have to tie the bungee cord to your neck, dipwad!)
Once Michael & Jet are back with Louie & Cord, the clue tells the teams to find Kaiser Wilhelm and find their next clue box. They must find a square with a statue of Wilhelm, and they are no longer helping each other (well, unless they want to, I suppose!) Michael & Louie take off in a cab and Jet & Cord hop on a train.
Dan spends his whole bungee jump assuring Brandy and telling her that she’ll be okay. Caite & Jordan show up so obviously their little train detour didn’t hurt them much. About this time, Michael & Louie are at the clue box and find a Detour: Soccer or Sauerkraut. (Mmm now I’m interested - and getting hungry!) In Soccer, teams must go to a 100-year-old stadium and kick soccer balls at five targets in the goal from the penalty line. Once they’ve hit all five, they get their next clue. For Sauerkraut, they must go to a restaurant and while a band plays the Sauerkraut Polka, they must finish a plate of sauerkraut together before the song ends to get their clue. If they don’t make it, they have to get another plate of sauerkraut and give it another try. Of course, we don’t know how long the song is....
Michael & Louie, no surprise, decide to eat the sauerkraut. They could probably finish it before the 4th bar of the song!! Jet & Cord realize that taking the train was a bad idea and the long way around. Joe & Heidi and Steve & Allie jump in cabs to find the Wilhelm statue. Caite & Jordan don’t scream as they bungee, which is interesting - all the other teams screamed on the way down and the two little blondies took it like men!
At the restaurant, Michael & Louie see the plate of sauerkraut and figure they have this in the bag. Michael says he’s “eaten things as big as Jet & Cord” so no problems with the plate of sauerkraut. (We still don’t know how long the song is). They blasted through the sauerkraut with time to spare, with Michael eating the lion’s share, and Louie even licked the plate! (Man, that stuff looked good, too!)
Their clue tells them to go to the Haifisch Bar and share a huge “boot” of beer. (Now, the cowboys may have had the advantage in Argentina, but it looks like our New York City detectives have found the leg of the Race that is right up their alley! Food and beer???!)
Jet & Cord run into Steve & Allie and Joe & Heidi at the statue, and all three teams decide to try the Soccer challenge. Brent & Caite and Jeff and Jordan ask a local how to get to the statue and are told to take the train, and Carol & Brandy and Dan & Jordan get the same erroneous advice.
Michael & Louie get to the bar and find out they’re drinking beer. Michael takes the first sip and calls it nasty - he doesn’t drink beer. Looks like Louie will have to kick ass on this one and grabs the beer and starts guzzling it down.
At the soccer field, Joe can’t kick because his knee really hurts. (He’d complained about it earlier. What made him think going to a soccer field was going to be conducive to a bad knee?) They get five balls each and once they kick the five balls, they have to retrieve them and line them up again. Steve & Allie get two targets pretty quickly and the cowboys are still trying to find the soccer field. Brent & Caite are going for the Sauerkraut and Jeff & Jordan head off to the Soccer field.
Joe & Heidi decide to switch tasks and yell to Jeff & Jordan to forget it, so they turn around and head off for sauerkraut. Jet & Cord kick their first ball over the goal, but get their rhythm and get two targets pretty quickly.
Back at the bar, Louie chugged the beer like a champ (a very bloated one, I’ll bet) and their clue says to go to Beatlers Platz, a monument honoring the Beatles who began playing their music in Hamburg. There, they must find the Indra Club, where the Beatles first played and is the Pit Stop.
Brandy & Carol go for Sauerkraut and Dan & Jordan will try the Soccer. Jeff & Jordan are wandering around trying to find someone to ask about directions, and Brent & Caite seem to be in a cab from Hell, going down a dark road with a non-communicative driver. They look resigned to the fact that they’re going to blow it big time on this leg of the Race. After some discussion, the driver realizes he’s input his information incorrectly into his GPS and refigures the directions.
Michael & Louie get a female cab driver, and she tells them that they’re going to an area of pubs, discos, and sex shops. They laugh at that idea and a few minutes later get to the “red light” district to find the Indra Club and a waiting Phil in first place. They jump for joy and are told they’ve each won a $5,000 gift card. (Now THAT’S my idea of a prize!)
Steve & Allie get to the bar and they interview that all through this leg of the Race, Steve has been saying he wanted a beer, but didn’t want to spend the money. (Be careful what you wish for....now you’ve got enough beer for three legs of the Race!)
Jet & Cord hit their next three targets in a row, saying that it’s the first time they’ve ever been on a soccer field. “One more thing on the list that we haven’t done....check.” (I just love these guys more every week.) Steve & Allie down their beer (with Steve drinking most of it) and he’s holding his stomach in the cab. Joe & Heidi get to the restaurant and ask how long the song is, but get no answer. They start blasting down the sauerkraut and finish in plenty of time. Carol & Brandy show up and start mowing down, with Brandy shoveling and Carol daintily picking through the sauerkraut. (Stuff that sauerkraut, woman! Something tells me they’re gonna have problems with the beer...) Dan & Jordan are at the soccer field and Jordan proves that he’s useless at kicking balls. Looks like Dan gets all the targets and they get their clue and head off to the bar. One of the cowboys says “I’ve never drank a beer in my whole life!” (Been out on the range a bit too long, buddy!)
Steve & Allie get to the Mat in second place. Joe & Heidi suck down the beer and Joe makes some nasty puking noises as if the beer is coming right back up. Jet & Cord complain about the taste but are getting through their boot pretty good. Jordan has to hold her nose to eat the sauerkraut and they’re not doing well and don’t finish - they leave a half-plate full. Brent & Caite are excited about the soccer challenge because Caite is good at soccer. She hits a target right away then slips in the wet grass and twists something in her hip. She’s crying “I’ve been playing soccer since I was five years old and it’s pissing me off.” (Now you know what getting older is about, Boopsie!) She refuses to switch tasks and coaches Brent to hit some targets.
Joe & Heidi find the Indra Club and are third. Jet & Cord finally finish their beer and Carol & Brandy watch them leave. Cord vows that he “never, ever in his life wants another beer.” Carol & Brandy finish and Carol is doing some major burping in the cab. Brent & Caite manage to hit all their targets as Dan & Jordan get to the bar, saying they’re going to be shitfaced by the time they finish their beer. Driving through the “red light” district to find the Indra Club, Jet tells Cord “we are no longer in the Bible Belt.” They get to the bar and Phil tells them they are in fourth place. Jeff & Jordan aren’t doing all that well at the soccer field, but they do get one target on their first set of balls.
Carol & Brandy make it to the Indra Club in fifth. Brent & Caite get to the bar and Caite says she hates beer. Dan & Jordan get to the red light street to find the club and Jordan announces “I’m drunk.” Jeff & Jordan finally finish hitting the targets and we see Brent trying to finish the beer as he walks off to puke in the street (no bathrooms in the bar?) We see Jeff & Jordan in the cab on their way to the bar with Jeff burping up sauerkraut - is he in for a treat! Caite makes Brent finish the beer when he gets back Jeff is happy he has to drink a beer and gets cheered by everyone in the bar as he sucks it down. Brent & Caite are wandering the street to find Indra Club as Jeff & Jordan arrive and both teams wander around looking for it. Brent & Caite get to the Mat first and tell Phil they’re expecting bad news, but find out that they’re still in the Race. As Jeff & Jordan show up, Phil tells them they’re the last team to arrive. Jeff says he feels sick, but he doesn’t know if it’s the sauerkraut or the fact that they came in last. “Four legs [of the Race] and a boot of beer.” Phil then tells them that it’s a non-elimination leg of the Race, but they will have to step it up because they’ll have a Speed Bump on the next leg.
So is this just a delayed end of the Race for Jeff & Jordan? Will everyone recover from the sauerkraut and beer? Can you begin a leg of The Amazing Race with a hangover? We’ll find out next week!
Here's the order of finish:
1 - Michael & Louie
2 - Steve & Allie
3 - Joe & Heidi
4 - Jet & Cord
5 - Carol & Brandy
6 - Dan & Jordan
7 - Brent & Caite
8 - Jeff & Jordan (non-elimination leg)
And excuse me for using this opportunity, but a dear friend of mine has been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and I’m going to walk and try and raise money for a cure and assistance to those with the disease. She’s in her early 30's and has a 2-year-old son and deserves to stick around to see her son grow .... so here’s the link to my fundraising page. If you enjoy these bogs at all, please find it in your heart and wallet to donate - no matter how much. Thanks!
http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Walk/MIGWalkEvents?px=7783693&pg=personal&fr_id=13983&s_tafId=148678
Carol & Brandy decided that they are going to avoid the meltdowns - their word from now on is “respectful.” We’ll see how long that lasts..... Dan says he hates flying and he’s doing the Race for his brother Jordan.
All the teams end up leaving at the same time but taking different routes to get to Germany. No mention made of the landing times, so one can only conclude that they were pretty close together. (After seeing the landing times, the planes land within an hour of each other). Jet & Cord and Louie & Michael land first and get their tickets, and wait for the train. Dan & Jordan and Carol & Brandy land with time to catch the train, but have problems finding the correct gate and get to the landing as the train is leaving. They end up on the same train with all the other teams.
Jet & Cord (with the stupid plastic on his cowboy hat, he looks like a dork! C’mon, if they’re real cowboys, those hats are made to withstand all kinds of weather. Every cowboy watching this show is probably rolling his eyes out of his head.) make it to the clue box to find an Intersection. This means each team must join with another team to mutually complete the challenge. Of course, they talk to the detectives and team up for the Roadblock in the clue. “Who wants to reach new heights?” Working together, the two to perform the Roadblock will take a train to Hamburg Harbor and bungee 150 feet in the middle of the city to get their next clue.
Joe & Heidi decide to work with Steve & Allie, and talk to a guy they met on the train to point them in the right direction. Dan & Jordan will work with Carol & Brandy, with Dan saying that Carol is “like the lesbian aunt that I never had.” They grab an English-speaking local to lead them to the Harbor. That leaves Brent & Ciate and Jeff & Jordan to team up. The girls decide to try the task. Brent talks about how Caite has lived in New York and has a good sense of direction, and Jordan decides to let Caite “lead the way,” which (of course) means they’ll end up on the wrong train. They get on a train and it’s moving before they ask where it’s going. (All the young blondes watching this - if they have half a brain - are groaning that Jordan & Caite are adding to the stupidity stereotype. And they’re doing a fine job!) I suppose it never occurred to them to ask BEFORE they got on a train......
Michael & Jet get to the bungee drop and get geared up. The guys working the bungee tell Jet he’ll lose his hat, but he insists he won’t. Believe it or not, it doesn’t! They’re stuck/tied together to jump, and both are yelling as they do it. Michael is amazed that Jet’s hat stayed on, and Jet tells him that “a real cowboy’s hat never comes off.” (Never?) They get the clue and are told not to open it until they are reunited with their teammates.
Joe & Allie are on their way to the Harbor. Dan & Brandy are close behind and get to watch Joe & Allie do their jump and Brandy looks ready to pass out. “They’re upside down!” (Otherwise they’d have to tie the bungee cord to your neck, dipwad!)
Once Michael & Jet are back with Louie & Cord, the clue tells the teams to find Kaiser Wilhelm and find their next clue box. They must find a square with a statue of Wilhelm, and they are no longer helping each other (well, unless they want to, I suppose!) Michael & Louie take off in a cab and Jet & Cord hop on a train.
Dan spends his whole bungee jump assuring Brandy and telling her that she’ll be okay. Caite & Jordan show up so obviously their little train detour didn’t hurt them much. About this time, Michael & Louie are at the clue box and find a Detour: Soccer or Sauerkraut. (Mmm now I’m interested - and getting hungry!) In Soccer, teams must go to a 100-year-old stadium and kick soccer balls at five targets in the goal from the penalty line. Once they’ve hit all five, they get their next clue. For Sauerkraut, they must go to a restaurant and while a band plays the Sauerkraut Polka, they must finish a plate of sauerkraut together before the song ends to get their clue. If they don’t make it, they have to get another plate of sauerkraut and give it another try. Of course, we don’t know how long the song is....
Michael & Louie, no surprise, decide to eat the sauerkraut. They could probably finish it before the 4th bar of the song!! Jet & Cord realize that taking the train was a bad idea and the long way around. Joe & Heidi and Steve & Allie jump in cabs to find the Wilhelm statue. Caite & Jordan don’t scream as they bungee, which is interesting - all the other teams screamed on the way down and the two little blondies took it like men!
At the restaurant, Michael & Louie see the plate of sauerkraut and figure they have this in the bag. Michael says he’s “eaten things as big as Jet & Cord” so no problems with the plate of sauerkraut. (We still don’t know how long the song is). They blasted through the sauerkraut with time to spare, with Michael eating the lion’s share, and Louie even licked the plate! (Man, that stuff looked good, too!)
Their clue tells them to go to the Haifisch Bar and share a huge “boot” of beer. (Now, the cowboys may have had the advantage in Argentina, but it looks like our New York City detectives have found the leg of the Race that is right up their alley! Food and beer???!)
Jet & Cord run into Steve & Allie and Joe & Heidi at the statue, and all three teams decide to try the Soccer challenge. Brent & Caite and Jeff and Jordan ask a local how to get to the statue and are told to take the train, and Carol & Brandy and Dan & Jordan get the same erroneous advice.
Michael & Louie get to the bar and find out they’re drinking beer. Michael takes the first sip and calls it nasty - he doesn’t drink beer. Looks like Louie will have to kick ass on this one and grabs the beer and starts guzzling it down.
At the soccer field, Joe can’t kick because his knee really hurts. (He’d complained about it earlier. What made him think going to a soccer field was going to be conducive to a bad knee?) They get five balls each and once they kick the five balls, they have to retrieve them and line them up again. Steve & Allie get two targets pretty quickly and the cowboys are still trying to find the soccer field. Brent & Caite are going for the Sauerkraut and Jeff & Jordan head off to the Soccer field.
Joe & Heidi decide to switch tasks and yell to Jeff & Jordan to forget it, so they turn around and head off for sauerkraut. Jet & Cord kick their first ball over the goal, but get their rhythm and get two targets pretty quickly.
Back at the bar, Louie chugged the beer like a champ (a very bloated one, I’ll bet) and their clue says to go to Beatlers Platz, a monument honoring the Beatles who began playing their music in Hamburg. There, they must find the Indra Club, where the Beatles first played and is the Pit Stop.
Brandy & Carol go for Sauerkraut and Dan & Jordan will try the Soccer. Jeff & Jordan are wandering around trying to find someone to ask about directions, and Brent & Caite seem to be in a cab from Hell, going down a dark road with a non-communicative driver. They look resigned to the fact that they’re going to blow it big time on this leg of the Race. After some discussion, the driver realizes he’s input his information incorrectly into his GPS and refigures the directions.
Michael & Louie get a female cab driver, and she tells them that they’re going to an area of pubs, discos, and sex shops. They laugh at that idea and a few minutes later get to the “red light” district to find the Indra Club and a waiting Phil in first place. They jump for joy and are told they’ve each won a $5,000 gift card. (Now THAT’S my idea of a prize!)
Steve & Allie get to the bar and they interview that all through this leg of the Race, Steve has been saying he wanted a beer, but didn’t want to spend the money. (Be careful what you wish for....now you’ve got enough beer for three legs of the Race!)
Jet & Cord hit their next three targets in a row, saying that it’s the first time they’ve ever been on a soccer field. “One more thing on the list that we haven’t done....check.” (I just love these guys more every week.) Steve & Allie down their beer (with Steve drinking most of it) and he’s holding his stomach in the cab. Joe & Heidi get to the restaurant and ask how long the song is, but get no answer. They start blasting down the sauerkraut and finish in plenty of time. Carol & Brandy show up and start mowing down, with Brandy shoveling and Carol daintily picking through the sauerkraut. (Stuff that sauerkraut, woman! Something tells me they’re gonna have problems with the beer...) Dan & Jordan are at the soccer field and Jordan proves that he’s useless at kicking balls. Looks like Dan gets all the targets and they get their clue and head off to the bar. One of the cowboys says “I’ve never drank a beer in my whole life!” (Been out on the range a bit too long, buddy!)
Steve & Allie get to the Mat in second place. Joe & Heidi suck down the beer and Joe makes some nasty puking noises as if the beer is coming right back up. Jet & Cord complain about the taste but are getting through their boot pretty good. Jordan has to hold her nose to eat the sauerkraut and they’re not doing well and don’t finish - they leave a half-plate full. Brent & Caite are excited about the soccer challenge because Caite is good at soccer. She hits a target right away then slips in the wet grass and twists something in her hip. She’s crying “I’ve been playing soccer since I was five years old and it’s pissing me off.” (Now you know what getting older is about, Boopsie!) She refuses to switch tasks and coaches Brent to hit some targets.
Joe & Heidi find the Indra Club and are third. Jet & Cord finally finish their beer and Carol & Brandy watch them leave. Cord vows that he “never, ever in his life wants another beer.” Carol & Brandy finish and Carol is doing some major burping in the cab. Brent & Caite manage to hit all their targets as Dan & Jordan get to the bar, saying they’re going to be shitfaced by the time they finish their beer. Driving through the “red light” district to find the Indra Club, Jet tells Cord “we are no longer in the Bible Belt.” They get to the bar and Phil tells them they are in fourth place. Jeff & Jordan aren’t doing all that well at the soccer field, but they do get one target on their first set of balls.
Carol & Brandy make it to the Indra Club in fifth. Brent & Caite get to the bar and Caite says she hates beer. Dan & Jordan get to the red light street to find the club and Jordan announces “I’m drunk.” Jeff & Jordan finally finish hitting the targets and we see Brent trying to finish the beer as he walks off to puke in the street (no bathrooms in the bar?) We see Jeff & Jordan in the cab on their way to the bar with Jeff burping up sauerkraut - is he in for a treat! Caite makes Brent finish the beer when he gets back Jeff is happy he has to drink a beer and gets cheered by everyone in the bar as he sucks it down. Brent & Caite are wandering the street to find Indra Club as Jeff & Jordan arrive and both teams wander around looking for it. Brent & Caite get to the Mat first and tell Phil they’re expecting bad news, but find out that they’re still in the Race. As Jeff & Jordan show up, Phil tells them they’re the last team to arrive. Jeff says he feels sick, but he doesn’t know if it’s the sauerkraut or the fact that they came in last. “Four legs [of the Race] and a boot of beer.” Phil then tells them that it’s a non-elimination leg of the Race, but they will have to step it up because they’ll have a Speed Bump on the next leg.
So is this just a delayed end of the Race for Jeff & Jordan? Will everyone recover from the sauerkraut and beer? Can you begin a leg of The Amazing Race with a hangover? We’ll find out next week!
Here's the order of finish:
1 - Michael & Louie
2 - Steve & Allie
3 - Joe & Heidi
4 - Jet & Cord
5 - Carol & Brandy
6 - Dan & Jordan
7 - Brent & Caite
8 - Jeff & Jordan (non-elimination leg)
And excuse me for using this opportunity, but a dear friend of mine has been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and I’m going to walk and try and raise money for a cure and assistance to those with the disease. She’s in her early 30's and has a 2-year-old son and deserves to stick around to see her son grow .... so here’s the link to my fundraising page. If you enjoy these bogs at all, please find it in your heart and wallet to donate - no matter how much. Thanks!
http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Walk/MIGWalkEvents?px=7783693&pg=personal&fr_id=13983&s_tafId=148678
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