Real Fast! Quack Quack! - September 17
Leg 1: Seattle, USA - Beijing, China

12 teams take off on the tenth Amazing Race for a journey that host Phil Keoghan promises to full of unexpected surprises. The teams set off from Seattle Washington and are immediately directed to head to Beijing, China on one of two flights. The teams face heavy traffic as they scramble for position, and ultimately the lead of the first flight is dampened by a delay. Once in China, the teams travel to the Gold House Restaurant where one member of each team is required to eat fish eyes in a Roadblock. After completing the task, they travel to the Meridian Gate kiosk in the Forbidden City, where arriving teams grab one of three departure teams and spend the night. They also find their first twist --- the last team to arrive is eliminated on the spot. In the morning, the teams continue the race. They ride in the sidecars of motorbikes to 14 Hou Hai North Bank Road where they receive a Detour choice --- Labor or Leisure. Most teams choose Labor, which requires them to create a sidewalk pattern, but two choose Leisure in which they perform a relaxation routine in unison. Finally, the teams arrive at the Pit Stop at the Great Wall of China, where they must first complete a tough climb to reach the top. A second team is then eliminated.

 

STARTING LINE: THE EMERALD CITY, SEATTLE, WA, USA

 

Hello, GSNN visitors this is Brian Moore and after recapping "The Real World/Road Rules Challenge" and a few shortlived series, I've decided to take on recaps of TAR Season 10. Let's get started, shall we?

 

The seaplanes arrive with the twelve teams of two. And you ask WHO ARE THESE TEAMS?! Well, here they are:

 

PETER & SARAH (A): newly-dating triathletes from SoCal, Sarah was born with one leg shorter than the other and uses an artificial leg for the latter.

 

BILAL & SA'EED (B): two Muslim best friends from Cleveland, OH, their religion comes first irrespective of the race.

 

ROB & KIMBERLY (C): a dating couple from Los Angeles, there on this race to see how their relationship works under pressure.

 

DUSTIN & KANDICE (D): Beauty Queens from NYC, their competitiveness is the glue that holds their friendship toghether.

 

DAVE & MARY (E): married coal miner and housewife from Stone, KY.

 

ERWIN & GODWIN (F): brothers from the San Francisco Bay Area, they're hoping there won't be a problem they can't solve in the race.

 

DUKE & LAUREN (G): father and daughter from Rhode Island, they went through several months not speaking to each other after the latter came out of the closet and are trying to work out their relationship.

 

VIPUL & ARTI (H): Hindi husband and wife from Orlando, FL, this race will get the adventure out of their system before they have children.

 

KELLIE & JAMIE (I): best friends and cheerleaders from South Carolina.

 

TYLER & JAMES (J): recovering drug addicts and models from Hollywood, CA, their friendship blossomed when they met in recovery.

 

LYN & KARLYN (K): lifelong friends and single mothers from Birmingham, Al.

 

TOM & TERRY (L): boyfriends from NYC, in this race they'll be friendly, but they aren't looking to make friends.

 

You all know the rules by now: start with a Route Marker, go to a location, get ANOTHER Route Marker, go to THAT location, etc. En route, they run into DETOURs (where they'll have to choose between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons), ROAD BLOCKs (a task one team member must perform), FAST FORWARDs (where doing a task will send them straight to the PIT STOP) and maybe a YIELD or two (where one team can cause another to stop racing for a time). First team to cross the FINISH LINE wins that check with a one followed by six zeroes.

 

Phil meets our twelve Racers at the starting point and explains the rules to the folks. But the host also mentions that there will be surprises this season they won't expect.

 

And, now, Phil's mantra: "The world is waiting for you. Good luck... travel safe.......GO!"

 

And the tenth Amazing Race is on!!

 

The teams get to their bags and open up their ROUTE INFO folders.

 

ROUTE INFO

Fly to Beijing, China. You may only travel to one of these two flights: United Flight 875 departing @ 1:22 PM or Korean Air Flight #26 Departing @ 2 PM. First come, first serve. You have $86.00 for this leg of the race.

 

One by one the teams get to their cars en route to the airport. Teams D, E, and G are having trouble getting their car started, but eventually managed to get out of the parking lot. The teams then experience a traffic delay when they notice an accident as they pass by. Team A gets to the airport first after taking an alternate route. As team B goes through the slowdown, we hear a voiceover message from Phil that six teams may board United Flight 875 while six others may board Korean Air Flight #26 which is scheduled to land in China one hour later than the former. Teams A, D, G, H, J, K get to the United flight while teams B, C, E, F, I, and L take the Korean Air flight.

 

Team F goes to the men's restroom to fill up water guns and having fun which went out the window and one of the airport's security personnel had to confiscate them because they're considered armed weapons. After that brief moment of stupidity, the teams board the planes and head off to their first destination.

 

BEIJING, CHINA

 

The teams must now travel by taxi to the area known as Kwanman, once here they'll need find the Gold House Restaurant where they'll find their next clue. Team E finds that being in China is very overwhelming and Mary has never been anywhere outside Kentucky and Tennessee.

 

 

Team K completes the task first and is the first team to get the next clue.

 

One a team does what's mentioned above, they must then go to the kiosk at the entrance where they will pull one of three departure times for the next morning. It's there will the teams encounter the first surprise of the race.

 

Unfortunately a few of the teams got sent to the wrong location, but they have eventually found it. After the teams did the Road Block deed, they go the Forbidden City and find the kiosk. Here's what teams have pulled what cards...

 

7:00 - Peter & Sarah, Duke & Lauren, Lyn & Karlyn, Tyler & James
7:15 - Tom & Terry, Kellie & Jamie, David & Mary, Dustin & Kandice
7:30 - Rob & Kimberly, Vipul & Arti, Erwin & Godwin
LAST TEAM - Bilal & Sa'eed

 

Then host Keoghan reappears to tell Bilal and Sa'eed who got the "Last Team" card that they're the last team to arrive at this point in the race. He said at the outset there would be surprises. And although this isn't a Pit Stop, Phil tells the team they've just been eliminated from the race.

 

The other teams have to expect the unexpected and not take anything for granted as the first leg of the race continues.

 

FORBIDDEN CITY, CHINA

 

The 11 remaining teams will be departing Forbidden City in three groups, each spaced 15 minutes apart and based on the order they check in.

 

Teams must now ride in the sidecar of their motorbikes to get to the junction where they'll get their next clue.

 

David & Mary, Duke & Lauren, Dustin & Kandice, Lyn & Karlyn, Erwin & Godwin, Peter & Sarah, Rob & Kimberly, Vipul & Arti, and Tyler & James choose "Labor". The teams have to put the gray bricks in a border fasion before putting in the red bricks.

 

Tom & Terry and Kellie & Jamie chose "Leisure," but the Taiji Bailong proved to be difficult for Tom & Terry.

 

Team J completes their 'Labor' task to get their first look at this clue.

 

 

PIT STOP: JUYONGGUAN, BEIJING, CHINA

 

The aforementioned task proves difficult for Peter and Sarah, but Tyler and James complete it first and here's how the teams have finished:

 

#1. Tyler and James
#2. Duke and Lauren
#3. Peter and Sarah
#4. Dustin and Kandice
#5. Rob and Kimberly
#6. Kellie and Jamie
#7. Erwin and Godwin
#8. Tom and Terry
#9. Lyn and Karlyn
#10. David and Mary
#11. Vipul and Arti (ELIMINATED)

 

Because Tyler and James were first at the Pit Stop, they won a prize...and it's $20,000 in cash. And we also have to say good buy to Vipul and Arti who have been "Philiminated". So much for diversity in this race.

 

The remaining 10 teams continue with the second leg of the race next time.