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Episodes February 20 |
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Eleven 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...again! They tried before and failed...so this is Unfinished Business! Who will be the first to cross the finish line? Recaps by Chris Wolvie, GSNN
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I Never Looked So
Foolish in My Whole Entire Life After a task at the Starting Line lead to Amanda & Kris (Team Amandakris) to earn an Auto U-TURN, they and ten other teams shot across the Pacific to the land of Aus. After swimming with sharks and sailing on the bay, Gary & Mallory (Team KY/Dad) arrived at a surfing beach to receive two things from Phil: an EXPRESS PASS to skip any task on the Race...and another clue, making this a "gas-and-go" PIT STOP! Nine others got their clue and sped off...but Jet & Cord (Team Cowboy Bebop) are stuck at a ROADBLOCK...and are already WELL behind. OCEANWORLD MANLY The cowboy bros are scratching their heads...or, actually, JET is...trying to decipher the clue that is the second half of this...
(The destination: "MANLY 16-FT SKIFF SAILING CLUB"; the person: "FIND THE COMMODORE"; the message: "I AM BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA") Jet figured out the destination and person...but twice flunked on the message.
PIT STOP #1 Meanwhile, Kent & Vyxsin (Team Dating Goths) reads the clue given to them (and the nine team in front of them) by Phil:
(The trick: figure out that "To Sail To Stop" is the name of a HUGE anchor monument beside Sydney's Town Hall.) Team KY/Dad hail a cab...and the cabbie has NO clue what "Sail to Stop" is. Team Amandakris - second out of the "gas-and-go" - Kisha & Jen (Team Cardinal Sisters) - third - and Zev & Justin (Team Puzzle Pieces) - fourth - likewise get clueless cabbies. "Flight Time" & "Big Easy" (Team Trotters, 5th) decides to take a ferry back to Sydney and they are joined by Jaime & Cara (Team Hollaback Girls, 6th) and their AR14 Alliance-mates Margie & Luke (Team Hear My Song, 7th). (I don't care what you say; I think it's cute that Luke calls the cheerleaders his "Race girlfriends"). Ron & Christina (Team Who's Your Daddy, 8th) argue between taxi and ferry...which was (one of) their folly(-ies) in AR12. Back at the ROADBLOCK, Jet thinks he FINALLY has it. He and Cord march to the Skiff Club, meet the commodore and say, "I am between the Devil and the deep blue sea." The commodore hands them the last clue out of the ROADBLOCK:
The men cowboy up and get ready for the high seas! SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA Back in the biggest city of the country-continent-island, the cabbed teams try figure out how they're going to figure out what "To Sail To Stop" means. Team Cardinal Sisters arrive at the Maritime Museum and get help from the information kiosk attendant. Team Puzzle Pieces join them and they all learn of the anchor at Town Hall, walking distance from the museum. Oh, wait...(makes mental count)...one other team, isn't there? It's Mel & Mike (Team West Hollywood, 9th)...and Mel is struggling physically, particularly in the legs, as they catch the next ferry, Team Dating Goths right behind. As the ferry takes off, Mel collapses on the seats, crying. Mike likewise cries for his father, not wanting to "kill him for...some joy ride". Mel says the choice to do this Race was his own responsibility...and he'll see it through. On the same ferry, Team Hear My Song finds a woman with a laptop and net-access and discover about the anchor sculpture and, of course, share the info with Jaime & Cara. SYDNEY TOWN HALL Anchor ahoy! The sisters and the friends find the monument and find the sign-up for the flight (courtesy of Regional Express Airlines: "Our heart is in the country"). They are the first to pen their names for the 6am flight...and to say Kisha & Jen are ecstatic is an understatement. Meanwhile, the ferry unloads the non-cabbed teams. they all head to separate people to figure out the clue. The AR14 Alliance, who ALREADY figured it out, are the 3rd and 4th teams on the early flight. Gary & Mallory are lost, not realizing that they've gone from the top of the heap...to more-than-likely the later flight out. Fortunately for them, they run into both Ron & Christina AND Amanda & Kris. Now they can ALL be lost TOGETHER...at least until a local tells them about Town Hall. And awaaaaaaay they GO! Mel & Mike hobble their way to the anchor and the first flight. And, from outta nowhere, Kent & Vyxsin arrive as the last team on the 6am flight! Also meanwhile, Jet & Cord get the hang of sailing (to a degree) and grab the clue from the buoy. They get back and read:
That last part has them worried...but they go anyway. Phil says those awful words: "I'm sorry to tell you that you are the last team to arrive." Then comes the GOOD news: this is the first non-elimination Leg of the Race, the first time EVER that the first PIT STOP in a Race didn't kick someone out! The bros are hyped to be still in it...though they have some hauling to do back to Sydney! The other teams start to filter in: Herb & Nate are first on the second flight, then the three other "lost" teams sign up. Team Cowboy Bebop...they're having a HECK of a time finding where "To Sail To Stop" is...and the sun is going down. As the other ten teams head for the regional airport, Jet & Cord pound the pavement at night for a clue. At last, they find a cabbie who knows where it is. They seem content that they went from HOURS behind...to only a HALF-hour behind after the long day they had. And, since they're on the same flight as the U-TURNed Team Amandakris, their odds have just become MUCH better. FIRST
FLIGHT (LEAVING 6:05am): BROKEN HILL, AUSTRALIA The first prop plane touches down in the mining town and the dozen Americans (including a much-better-feeling Mel) sprint out of the terminal and to the cars with the clues on the windshield. And that clue goes as such:
Team Hear My Song decides to follow Team Hollaback Girls' lead and get full directions at a gas station. Team Puzzle Pieces seem to know where they're going as do Team Cardinal Sisters. Team West Hollywood and Team Dating Goths find their own way as well. The Living Desert wasn't that hard to find; the fairly big sign on the road points it out. So while three teams make their way into the Outback, the three others make sure they get the RIGHT directions before going in. (Uh,...is it a good idea for Luke to drive?! Ah, well...) The second flight lands and the other ten Racers get THEIR clue to the reserve/ And, for ONCE, Team KY/Dad know EXACTLY where they're going. It's Team Who's Your Daddy that's clueless this time around) THE
LIVING DESERT RESERVE Zev & Justin are the first to spy the clue box, with Kisha & Jen and Mike & Mel right on their bumpers. And they open to find the Race's first...
(And, remember, Amanda & Kris must do BOTH tasks, having been Auto U-TURNed at the start of the Race.) Being that Zev is very artistic (according to Justin), the two friends opt for SPIRIT WORLD. Right behind them, the sisters and the father/son likewise opt for the mosaic. They start to outline their mosaic in the dirt as the didgeridoo man hums out his one-note song. The next three teams (Jaime & Cara, Margie & Justin and Kent & Vyxsin) all choose SPIRIT WORLD as well. The second-plane group starts to trickle in, starting with Gary & Mallory and the aforementioned Amanda & Kris. The dad/daughter team choose SPIRIT WORLD and the couple choose the same...for the FIRST part of their DETOUR, anyway. All right, all right...EVERYONE ELSE chooses SPIRIT WORLD as well. Only Team Amandakris will seemingly touch NATURAL WORLD as it stands. So twenty-two Americans transfer rocks and piece together mosaics. The stress is high...Mel has a cramp...and "Big Easy" is digging the dancing of the locals there. Who will be the first to finish and start doing the Aboriginal Watusi on it? Team Cardinal Sisters finish...but doesn't get the nod from the elder lady judge. It's Team Dating Goths who gets the approval first and gets set to dance. The issue: Kent is running around asking for "children", the younger Aboriginals in the dance circle (and, yes, it seems as creepy as it sounds). As they get set for their dance, other teams finish...but Team Hear My Song thinks they don't need other dancers and just flail on top of their mosaic. Team Puzzle Pieces do the same. And, y'know what? Those last two did it RIGHT! Zev & Justin are first out of the DETOUR and they get yet another mysterious clue:
(Said "Home" is the Central Football Club, a soccer/track field in the town). As they split, Margie & Luke depart in second...and Kent & Vyxsin wonder what the hell they're doing wrong. Kishi & Jen find out what's wrong with THEIR mosaic and set it right just as Team West Hollywood get the nod and start THEIR dance. The goths dismiss the children and try to dance themselves...but not ON the mosaic. Mel & Mike leave in third...and Kent & Vyxsin FINALLY get their @#$% together and leave in fourth. The sister are on their tails in fifth, leaving Team Hollaback Girls as the last of the first flight still working. The other five teams stress a bit more over the exactness of their mosaic, particularly Ron & Christina (who speak in Chinese as to not give anything away to the other teams). The cheerleaders leave in sixth. The other teams get the hint about dancing ON the mosaic. Team Cowboy Bebop leave in 7th, Team KY/Dad in 8th, Team Trotters in 9th. Team Who's Daddy STILL don't have the right mosaic as Amanda & Kris finish their dance. BUT...they still have NATURAL WORLD to do...so it's a race for last in the Race. Team Amandakris don't do spit takes well...and Ron & Christina get it right and start to dance. Kris is critical at Amanda's technique...Ron is confused about the "on top of mosaic" part...who leaves in 10th? It's Who's Your Daddy! BUT...they have to clean up the stuff Ron emptied from his jacket so that he could gather rocks and stuff...so Team Amandakris gets THEIR clue last...but are VERY close to 10th! They might be only the SECOND team in Race history to NOT be Philiminated after being U-TURNed! Back at Silent H...er, BROKEN Hill, Team Puzzle Pieces ask a local about the Magpies and get directions to...
CENTRAL FOOTBALL CLUB They ain't Heckle & Jeckle, but the friends find the Magpies' home field and run to the middle to find the clue box and this:
(The "map" is the periodic table of elements. Many of the streets in Broken Hill are named after such elements. The teams must use the table and find out what's so special about the two highlighted ones ("Hg" and "Bi"). Mercury St. [Hg] and Bismuth St. [Bi] are the only two "elemental" streets that cross each other in Broken Hill; the clue will be found at the intersection of the two streets.) As Zev & Justin get marsupialed up, Margie & Luke (AGAIN with Luke driving) find the field and the clue. The costumes come with "spring boots" to facilitate the "hopping" of a kangaroo...and Margie finds that hilarious on Zev. She ain't laughing when she dons it and pitches forward. Team Dating Goths arrive at the field in 3rd, Team West Hollywood in fourth. The first two teams decide to join forces to figure out what the heck needs doing. Jaime & Cara pass by the roo'd-up teams before finding THEIR costumes in fifth, and Jet & Cord arrive in sixth. Herb & Nate arrive in seventh (and I find it hard to believe they made kangaroo suits in their size). Meanwhile, the two front teams ask a passerby to work out the periodic symbols on her phone's net-access. They get "Mercury" as Kisha & Jen pass them by, hitting the clue in eighth (and going into the men's locker room by accident). When Team Puzzle Pieces and Team Hear My Song get "Bismuth", the passerby notes that the two are streets that intersect just a hop down the...I mean, just down the road. As Gary & Mallory arrive in 9th, Kent & Vyxsin...get lost. They run into Team Hollaback Girls, though, so...that should help? Turns out Kent knows the elements (which shock the redheads)...but can't make them click as the other 'roos stampede behind them. Meanwhile, the final two teams arrive at the clue box; Ron & Christina is 10th, Amanda & Kris still in last but minutes behind. Meanwhile, Margie throws a foot...or the foot covering of her roo-suit...but Luke yells (as only he can) to keep going. She stops, though, to turn back and pick it up...meaning that Zev & Justin reach the next clue at the corner of Bismuth and Mercury:
Getting the spring-boots off is NOT easy as they make it back to their car...and Justin mock-ows as his "tail" is slammed in a door...but they're off in any case. Meanwhile, Margie & Luke still scramble to find the foot covering. Upon arriving at Mercury St., the mob of kangaroos (and, yes, that IS what a group of roos is called) find it and Mel picks it up. He returns it to Margie with Luke giving him a thank-you kiss on the cheek. PIT
STOP #2 Out of the car and up to the mine the two "joey" friends go, hauling their bags uphill to find Phil and a miner waiting for them at the spot. Team Puzzle Pieces is declared the first Team #1 of this Race (right after Phil called them "ridiculous")! And their prize for winning the Leg? A five-night stay in Cancun courtesy of (who else?) the Roamin' Gnomes of Travelocity(TM)! Oh...and, just to be safe, Phil asks them if still they have their passports...which they do. For now, Zev needs a nap. Meanwhile the mob find the corner of Hg & Bi and snag the PIT STOP clue: "Flight Time" and "Big Easy" in 2nd, Kishi & Jen in 3rd, Margie & Luke in 4th, Mel & Mike in 5th, Kent & Vyxsin in 6th, Jaime & Cara in 7th, Jet & Cord in 8th. After disrobing the footwear, the teams hop in their cars and haul, with the cowboys passing several teams at once. But it's Team Trotters who takes Team #2 status. Then there are the other three NOT in the mob: Rob & Christina and Gary & Mallory try to work it out together, Amanda & Kris go off on their own. Mallory SWEARS the other teams turned and Gary follows her...but Ron has MANY doubts. Back at the mine, Team Cowboy Bebop pass Team Cardinal Sisters to check-in as #3 and the girls settle for #4. The doubts WERE warranted; as soon as Christina figure out the elements, they find they've been going the wrong way. BUT...they soon get back on course and find the clue, the Middle Americans taking 9th, the Chinese Americans 10th. Amanda & Kris arrive JUST as they take off...though Mallory doesn't know the way...and Ron & Christina are thinking of "cutting the cord" before THEY get lost. So they do...aaaaand they get lost! Team Hear My Song are Team #5, Team West Hollywood #6, Team Dating Goths #7, Team Hollaback Girls #8. Turns out Team KY/Dad knew where they were going all along; they end up as Team #9. So...will it be the U-TURNed couple or the father/daughter team who survives the Leg? Two Americans - one male, one female - get out of a car dressed as kangaroos...they run up the incline to the mine...they get the greeting from the miner...and they get the word from Phil (even when the male calls him "Bill" by mistake): "Ron & Christina...you're going to continue the Race because you are Team #10!" And the U-TURN curse strikes again for Team Amandakris. They are the last to arrive...and, once again, they've been eliminated. At least they can take comfort that the U-TURNing this time was of THEIR doing, not someone else's. And, hey, not too many people can say they've Raced twice...so THAT'S something. Would they do it a third time? In a heartbeat.
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. |
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