|
|
GSNN
Primes |
|
Previous Episodes |
|||||||||||||||||
|
Bonds will be forged, tested, and strained, as twelve teams of two, joined by family or relationship, follow a path of twists and turns in a frenetic race around the world for $1 million. Who will be the first to cross the finish line? Recaps by Chico Alexander & Chris Wolvie, GSNN
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
Copyright Statement Powered by 1&1 Internet |
|
They
Don't Call It The Amazing Race for Nothin'! By now, you've seen the video... a helpless contestant... a watermelon... a slingshot... and a blow heard 'round the internet. Now you get to see the whole thing as she, her partner, and 10 other teams bound by family, friendship, and relationship, are thrust on the adventure of their lives. This is the 17th running of The Amazing Race! And here come the Racers! - ANDIE DeKROON & JENNA SYKES (The Biologicals);
a Georgia student and her natural birth mother, meeting together for only the
THIRD time. By now, you know all that is expected... Find the route markers. Follow the tasks. Get to the Pit Stop as fast as possible. The 17th Race has 12 legs, eight of which are elimination legs. The 17th Race also has something new, a game-changing new wrinkle. The first team to finish a leg usually wins a prize. This is perhaps the greatest prize of all short of the $1 million...
We now go live to the starting line, where the action is about to begin.
STARTING LINE There are two flights available, but only the first three teams at the airport will receive tickets to the first flight, leaving half-an-hour earlier. But for now, the eleven words that we've waited all summer to hear... Phil Keoghan, it is all yours... "The world is waiting for you... "Good luck... "Travel safe... ... ... ... "GO!" And like that, The 17th running of the Amazing Race is ON! The first clue is...
And the 11 teams get going in their tiny SmartCars and head to Logan International. Some get directions from the locals. Some get completely lost. But all ultimately arrive at the route they're looking for... Route 125. Ron & Tony had a compass... Pay attention, this is relevant. Thomas thinks that his book smarts are going to help him & Jill get to the end first. Jill thinks her street smarts are more valuable. Connor & Jonathan... just hope that they get out of America. Over at Logan International, Ron & Tony are the first to the American counter, which means that they have seats for the early flight. The Erwins and the HSN hosts arrive at the airport at the same time, but it's not before Chad & Stephanie and Jill & Thomas... and Katie & Rachel. It's a race from the start. Chad & Stephanie have a bit of an issue... with the TSA lines... at the wrong counter. Airport travel is so complicated nowadays. Meanwhile, Jill & Thomas get the second batch of tickets on the American flight. That leaves Chad & Stephanie, who find the proper gate, and Katie & Rachel, who are already on their way there. Who'll be the first to make their flight to Blighty? 1st FLIGHT to LONDON
(American) Boo-yah. 2nd FLIGHT to LONDON LONDON, ENGLAND Welcome to Heathrow, gents. Time to find the marked Bentleys and head to Stonehenge. Once at the car park, we soon are reminded that Britons drive on the left side of the road, so the cars are made for a) people who drive left-handed and b) people who drive stick. It's a lesson that Andie, who lands later along with the others, learns first-hand, as their car starts burning from giving it too much clutch. Another thing we learn is that Nick & Vicki ... and Ron & Tony... get lost easily. A third thing we learn: Nat is a type I diabetic. That doesn't let her stop her from doing... well, anything. Chad & Stephanie stop at a petrol to ask for directions, while Andie finally stops riding the clutch so much and gets her car back in order. So two things that make us happy. One, the car-replacement rule, wherein a Racer's car can be replaced if it should malfunction, and two, the car is actually moving forward much to the delight of all of the honking cars. But Nat & Kat are the first to arrive at Stonehenge (be careful not to tip the thing over! I know it's tempting!) and get this clue...
The clue will lead you to Eastnor Castle. Katie & Rachel team with Nat & Kat on the road, but the former team is busying themselves with, of all things, a hill. But they're probably better off than, say, Nick & Vicki, who are... lost. Michael & Kevin... are also lost. Kentucky & Dad and Team Glee get their hands on clue #2, and both are rooting each other on to Eastnor. The teams make their way to Stonehenge, one by one, but making their way back proves to be problematic. Remember... Ron & Tony have a map and compass. The Triforce should be a cakewalk... Approaching Eastnor now, and the first up are the (No) I'm Rights, the Rhyming Doctors, and the HSN hosts. All three get this...
What the clue fails to mention is that while you are climbing up the castle walls, not-so-happy locals will be pelting you with buckets of... well, at first we CHOSE to believe it was water. Over time, though, it was revealed to be... era-appropriate... filth. Don't get me wrong, if I was a British peasant and I saw 11 teams of ghastly Yanks that flew in from the colonies scaling my castle walls, I'd be pelting them with filth, too. Brook & Claire are the first to make it to the top of the ziggurat, lickety split, and get their flag in kind. Right behind them, Nat & Kat. Back on the road, Gary & Mallory are the first team to get the scourge of all Amazing Racers... a flat tire. Connor & Jonathan, rather than wait for their alliancemates... decide that it's much more profitable to just go on ahead. At the head of the pack, Brook & Claire, Kat & Nat, and Jill & Thomas find the brookside and the boats... which are more like slightly shallow soup bowls than anything else. Water gets in easily... Boats go under easily. Ron & Tony finally find Stonehenge, but they're the last to do so. Chad & Stephanie get on the boat... and Chad is busy yelling and berating Stephanie. Remember, he wants to propose to this woman. He's probably doing this all wrong. Andie & Jenna look for "Northwest Castle", only to find a Toad saying that "Your clue is in another castle!" Still, it's better than Nick & Vicki, who are... still lost. Jill & Thomas are the first to the Knights That Say .... Roadblock!
If you have seen the pre-Race footage on CBS and YouTube, then you know what happens, but more on that later. Right now, though, Thomas is going to battle. Claire will follow, seeing as she's ridden a horse before. Nat will follow those two. Connor & Jonathan head to the castle, while Chad & Stephanie are still trying to cross the moat and get to the Steps of Knowledge. Katie & Rachel have gained ground and are now in this little melange of Racers. Chad & Stephanie are now on their TWELFTH attempt to ford the stream.... and they sink for a TWELFTH time. In the Roadblock, Thomas takes his shot and clobbers the knight, earning this for him and Jill...
So we know this is an elimination leg.
PIT STOP Phil and his companion greet Thomas & Jill as... TEAM #1! As Team #1, they now control the Express Pass. Use it wisely. Connor & Jonathan... and Katie & Rachel pass Chad & Stephanie as Nat kicks some knight butt. She and Kat cross... another moat (no boat this time) to clock in at #2. Claire and Rachel are still at the Roadblock trying to knock over their evil enemy knight. Brook cheers on Claire, saying "Right in the kisser!" ... and RIGHT IN THE KISSER IT GOES. I don't care what temporal era you pretend to be from, that's GOTTA HURT! <Dan Patrick> I'd like to see that again, please.</DP>
As you have seen, Claire can't get that tended to until she arrives at the Pit Stop for whatever reason. She take s abreak... then returns to firing. That is chutzpah you have to respect, and ultimately, Katie & Rachel respect it. Chad finally gets to play the Roadblock, while Gary & Mallory are just gettng to the castle. Andie & Jenna are still lost... but at least they aren't Ron & Tony, who're.... where ARE Ron & Tony, anyway? ... oh, there they are. Connor & Jonathan and Claire & Brook are heading to the Pit Stop at the same time, Team Glee in third, team HSN in fourth. The Spikers take the five-spot. Chad & Stephanie finish the Roadblock and head to the other side of the castle... where the grounds end and the inside begins, mostly. Meanwhile, on the outside, more climbing as Kevin & Michael are scaling walls, Gary & Mallory are balancing their boat, and Vicki & Nick... are still lost. At least they're sent in the right direction by the locals. Kevin & Michael reach the moat. Nick & Vicki finally reach the castle, but don't have any idea what a battlement is, so they can't find their flag. Never mind the fact that there's a perfectly valid flag RIGHT NEXT TO THEM. And it gets better. Once they figure out that the battlements are those big things with the flags on 'em, they can't find their boats... which are RIGHT BEHIND THEM! Jenna goes for the Roadblock. One shot. Done deezy. Nick & Vicki, for finally finding their boat, are rather quick about getting it to the other side. Gary & Mallory clock in at sixth, followed by Michael & Kevin. How about the dads? After finding an arrow in Race colors (finally), Chad & Stephanie make their way to the mat in eighth. Ron & Tony finally reach the boats as Nick & Vicki assault their knights with fruit and Jenna & Andie take their place in ninth. Now it's a race to avoid last... a race that Nick & Vicki would win. Phil asks them what country they're in... "We're in London right?" Say it with me, now... LONDON IS NOT A COUNTRY! Unfortunately, the mood turns dour and serious as Tony & Ron arrive at the Pit Stop... the last team to do so and the FIRST team to be eliminated. Ron is happy that he got to hel Tony live his dream... even for this short a while.
To see this episode in its entirety, or to apply to be a contestant on "The Amazing Race", visit the official website at www.cbs.com/amazingrace. |
|||||||||||||||