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Episodes September 30 - Leg 1 October 7 - Leg 2 October 14 - Leg 3 October 21 - Leg 4 October 28 - Leg 5 November 4 - Leg 6 November 11 - Leg 7 |
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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...and, quite possibly, even TWO million! Who will be the first to cross the finish line? Recaps by Chris Wolvie, GSNN
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We Was Robbed Previously on THE AMAZING RACE...six teams went from the warmth of Istanbul to the cold of Moscow, Russia. Abbie & Ryan (Team Dating Divorcees) and Josh & Brent (Team Beekman Boys) took a flight with a one-hour layover...which was DELAYED for an hour. As such, they missed their connecting flight and arrived in Moscow over half-a-day behind everyone else. Upon arriving, most of the teams tried synchronized swimming, but Trey & Lexi (Team Texas Two-Step) decided to look for books in the biggest library in Russia. This enabled them to make it to the ROADBLOCK and unlock locks faster and win the Leg. James & Abba (Team Hair Metal) were the fourth team to arrive...but their cabbie at the ROADBLOCK drove off with their bags and their passports...and without passports, they can't go on! Six teams STILL remain as the seventh Leg continues...who will go home NEXT?! PIT STOP #7BOLSHOI THEATRE MOSCOW, RUSSIA Phil gives Team Hair Metal some GOOD news, as it were: they are NOT the infamous "last team to arrive"...yet. As long as they find those passports and get in before the other two teams, they won't have to suffer a SPEED BUMP or - worse - Philimination! So the rockers go to a nearby hotel (with automatic revolving door, no less) to make some phone calls. TRUD SPORTS
COMPLEX Meanwhile, Josh & Brent (Team Beekman Boys) are trying desperately to swim at the same time as six girls. This is because it is part of their:
They chose SYNCHRONIZE and have been epic failing ever since. What's more, Abbie & Ryan (Team Dating Divorcees) have been WATCHING them epic failing because they made a pact back in Warsaw that the two teams would run this Leg together since a flight delay put them 13 hours behind the other teams. Once again, they get the thumbs-down from the coach. And they get even WORSE news: the pool is about to close for the night. They have ONE LAST CHANCE to nail this performance or they'll be sent away. This means that, in accordance to "Da Rules of Da Race", they must take a four-hour penalty for not completing a DETOUR before checking-in. So that last competitors for the TAR-lympics are Josh & Brent. They seem to do well...until the final underwater flip...when Brent just CAN'T flip fast enough. Their scores: 0.5, 0.5, 0.0, 0.5, 1.0...and a 6.0 from the Romanian judge...that's odd. The bottom line is...they must leave the pool. The judge hands them their next clue...and they must take the penalty. And the clue is as such:
As Abbie & Ryan have already FINISHED the DETOUR, they will NOT get a penalty. As such, Team Beekman Boys aren't sure why the dating couple are hanging around with them. Of course,...NEITHER team knows of the chaos happening near Bolshoi Theater. On that subject, James & Abba talk to the police, the concierge of the hotel...ANYONE they can to get info on where their bags (and passports) could be. James knows that, no matter how many times you fall, there is ALWAYS a chance to get back up! LUZHKOV MOST
The last two teams arrive at the Trees and at the:
Abbie and Josh choose to do the task in the middle of the nyet...er, night. While Abbie struggled, Josh found a pattern in the small rings holding the keys to the BIG ring. So while Abbie is ready to throw in the towel, Josh gets all ten locks undone. He pulls out the bank note with the picture of the PIT STOP on the back. Basically it says:
Josh & Brent come over to hug and...astonishingly, do the ROADBLOCK for Abbie. Not sure if THAT's breaking "Da Rules" but...whatever. They promised to stay together and staying together they will. Once Abbie's clue is out, the four head for the Bolshoi. Back at the Bolshoi, Team Hair Metal have been in contact with the U.S. Embassy to see about getting new passports issued to them posthaste...and they've pretty much resigned themselves to pulling a "Zev & Justin" and dropping out of the Race. As they walk, four Americans RUN to the mat where and the accordion player/greeter meet them. All four hit the mat at the same time. Phil tells Abbie & Ryan and Josh & Brent...that there is GOOD news! As there is still a team "struggling on the course", NEITHER of them are the "last team to arrive"! Team Dating Divorcees are Team # 4...and Team Beekman Bros are Team # 5 (and will have the four-hour penalty tacked on at the start of the eighth Leg). Though they rocked half-way around the globe, this could be the last curtain call for James & Abba. They hit the mat and tell Phil that they were not be able to get their passports. But...then Phil springs some good news on THEM as well. This is the second N.E.L. of the Race! So...they have more time to get passports! However, if, at any point in the next Leg, they REQUIRE a passport and they do not have them,...they will be Philiminated on the spot. Not only THAT, but they have a SPEED BUMP to encounter in the Leg. But, as James puts it, "Where there's breath, there's hope." And they may not be breathing WELL, but they ARE still breathing! > z TIME PASSES... (They do not give depature times for the teams for this Leg...) A rainy morning in the largest city in the Commonwealth of Independent States (forgot that still existed, right?) and Trey & Lexi start Leg 8 as such:
Team Texas Two-Step gets
in a cab with a driver who says he knows the place...but he drops
them off at a graffitied underground tunnel. So...they get ANOTHER
cabbie to take them. The cabbie...is unusual for a cabbie: pink
shirt and tie, wizened look, smoking and drinking coffee while driving
(with windows rolled up, mind you). But one thing that IS usual:
HE brings them to the wrong place, too! As they continue, Jaymes
& James (Team Full Monty!) are second to depart the PIT STOP,
determined to "stay at the top" as they get their cab.
STUDY
BUILDING #6 Because of the cabbie issues, Team Full Monty! reach the building first. They reach the room...but a man is sitting in front of the door and is denying entry until 8am local time (which it obviously ain't right now). So...they wait. But their taxi driver has no other place to be, apparantly so he waits WITH them. They seem to have plenty of breathing room as Trey & Lexi are STILL getting the run-around - or, rather, DRIVE-around - from their cabbie. So they stop at a hotel so that someone who's bilingual can hit the cabbie with a clue-by-four on where they need to go. And, sure enough, the language barrier is broken and the daters meet the Ja(y)mes Boys in front of the door. As 8am approaches, James & Abba wake up in the hotel where the PIT STOP teams chilled overnight. They're packing early (what little they HAVE) and hoping the U.S. Embassy can either find their passports or send them NEW ones tout de suite. DING-ING-ING-ING-ING-ING-ING-ING! 0800 and school is in session! The two teams enter the auditorium and find that James & Abba have the SPEED BUMP waiting for them when THEY arrive (though they don't know why)...and a professor's bag filled with clues. They open them to find their next:
Lexi and Jaymes decide time's on their side and sit in adjacent seats. The first slide says: "THE TIME IN MOSCOW IS 2:15". This is followed by a map of the time zones. Moscow is in the time zone "UTC+4" (which means it's four hours ahead of Greenwich, where all time zones originate), but Russia stretches from "UTC+3" (Kalingrad) to "UTC +12" (Vladivostock). The next slide was the SAME map...only with several cities pointed out like Irkutsk, Tomsk and Khanty-Mansi. The two worked out what needed to be done: add the right hours to the 2:15 and come up with the right times. But as soon as they figure it out...the map disappeared. They both laugh at this and try their best...but when the professor says "pencils down" the papers were collected and the professor flunked them both. They started again with a NEW Moscow time ("4:00") and NEW cities. But, again, they flunked. They try again...and again...and again...and...you get the idea. As they struggle, Nadiya & Natalie (Team Jersey Twins) leave the PIT STOP in third. They STILL have their EXPRESS PASS, which they MUST use in this Leg or they lose it completely. They decide that they won't hesitate; when they WANT to use it, they'll USE it! So they make their way to the auditorium (unaware they have a HUGE lead over the next team). Apparantly, it's all right to CHEAT in this class because Jaymes and Lexi decide to help each other. They concentrate on half of the maps and then tell each other what times they have. But...they're BOTH wrong. The PROBLEM (which they haven't worked out until Test #12) is that they assumed that "UTC+4" meant they had to ADD four hours to the Moscow time...but they had to play it OFF Moscow time so that "UTC+6" means you add TWO hours and so on. Finally Lexi worked it out and they BOTH felt rather stupid. Test #12 popped up and the two worked together again. And, when the professor got the papers...he said, "I'm very sorry...BUT YOU WIN!" The two teams now leave in first and second. But no sooner do they leave the ROADBLOCK do they run into a:
Both teams decide to dance their "zads" off in MOVERS. Jaymes & James' cabbie is busy drinking coffee and having a danish and has to be ushered out the door to his cab. But Trey & Lexi let their pretentious cabbie GO upon arrival...so Team Full Monty! does a nice thing and stops THEIR cab to help call for ANOTHER cab for Team Texas Two-Step. AWWWWW... Meanwhile, Team Jersey Twins are having issues with THEIR cabbie. They try to argue with him but he yells back that he's been a cab driver for 37 years and knows what-the-yebat' he's doing! So the normally mouthy sister shut their yaps. PETROVSKY
HALL Jaymes & James and Trey & Lexi arrive at their DETOUR...and are immediately given a demonstration as to what they're in for. They change into Russian soldier uniforms, each choose an instructor and get to steppin'. Uh,...there's a problem, though. James sprained his ankle way back in Shanghai. He's been careful not to do too many stenuous things throughout the Race...but, when he starts to do that famous Russian "squat kick", the pain flares up. He starts to sweat and wince. He doesn't WANT to "self U-TURN" because they WANT to win this Leg. But Jaymes & he have learned the moves...so they decide to give it a try before the pain gets even worse. So out into the main hall they go. First kicks, OK. Squat kicks, fine. "Coffee grinder"...not so much. The lead instructor gives it a miss. With Team Full Monty! out of it, Team Texas Two-Step step up. You'd think that Lexi - being a cheerleader and all - wouldn't have a problem with this. And she doesn't. You'd think that Trey - being a football player - WOULD have trouble. And, man, DOES he. No clue for you! Back at the ROADBLOCK, Natalie & Nadiya finally arrive at the Study Building and encounter the task. I'm guessing they just choose Natalie at random to do it...but, when they read what needed to be done, both were like "HELL, NO!" Time to pull out their "Get Out of Task Free Card":
They hand the PASS to the professor (who looks at it almost like it's a forged hall pass) and he accepts it, handing them the clue for the DETOUR. They, too, decide to be MOVERS. Speaking of, Jaymes & James decide to give it another go (though James is hobbling by know). They do stay in snych to the music - though not with each other - and James grits his teeth through it. And, amazingly, the lead instructor approves! Team Full Monty! are first out of the DETOUR with this clue:
They don't have a heck of a lot of time to strip off their uniforms and get on their street clothes: Trey & Lexi give it a go right afterwards. And, despite Trey's slight lagging behind, the lead instructor says it's good enough for state work and allow them to leave in second. After they change, the Ja(y)mes Boys decide they're STILL helping the Longhorn couple...but the couple run off to the front of the hotel to hunt for a cab, leaving the dancers to haul off on their own. And LOOK who shows up in a cab Team Texas Two-Step flags down! It's Team Jersey Twins! But they are adamant that their cab will STAY "their cab" for the rest of the Leg. So Trey & Lexi get the next one while Natalie & Nadiya go inside...and Natalie rips her soldier pants while practicing the moves. Back at the PIT STOP hotel - just a few hours before their departure time - James & Abba wait. There are still options...so they're not out of the Race yet. They will fight and scratch and claw to stay in it. At said PIT STOP, Josh & Brent sit on the steps of the ballet theater, waiting out their four-hour penalty from the previous Leg. Of course, since THEY'RE waiting, Abbie & Ryan are departing (officially breaking the BBDD INTERSECTION formed in the last Leg). Now that they've been to rock-bottom, they have a greater appreciation for the Race...and a greater taste for victory than ever! After all, they have something the other teams DON'T: a chance to win two million dollars instead of just one! PIT
STOP #8 In the park named for the falcon hunts once performed there by the Grand Dukes of Muscovy (when Moscow was a mere Duchy of the Golden Horde), two teams run around the expansive grounds looking for Phil. It's Jaymes & James (sore ankle and all) who find him first on the stage with a greeter in full opera diva get-up. Phil gives them the great news: for the first time, THEY are Team # 1! And they are off to the "Rich Coast" or Central America: Costa Rica! Five nights, golf, massages, cuisine...thanks to the Travelocity Roaming Gnome(TM). Minutes later, Trey & Lexi arrive as Team # 2. Pants changed over and dignity restored, Team Jersey Twins give the soldier dance a whirl. They're a LITTLE off but they perform quite well. Well enough, anyway, for the instructor to hand them the clue and let them leave in third. As they leave for the PIT STOP, Team Dating Divorcees arrives at the ROADBLOCK. Ryan decides to work out the time zones. He knows he's good at puzzles and memorization he figures it'll only take one go to get out of this 'BLOCK. In fact, he FINISHES the quiz before the professor even says "Penicls down!". He's SO confident that, as the paper is handed in, he stands up, ready to get his clue. However, the professor sends him back to his seat: he flunked the test somehow. He can't believe it. And he can't believe it when it happens again. And again! AND AGAIN!! Were he Russian, I'm sure Ryan would be muttering, "Chto za khren'?!?". Natalie & Nadiya are Team # 3. They're not ecstatic...but they're fine with having made up time with the EXPRESS PASS. Back to the Bolshoi...the four-hour penatly is done and Team Beekman Boys finally head out on the eighth Leg. As they head out in their cab, James & Abba depart in last. But their first priority is to get passports, just in case they have to leave the country during the Leg. (They don't notice the single dollar in their clue, meaning they'll most likely NOT be leaving...but, then again, if they check-in with Phil WITHOUT passports, they're screwed anyway.) They ask someone for a cell pohne and call the Embassy...but they can't issue temporary visas. So they head to the police station to see if their thieving cabbie has been found yet. It seems that Ryan fell victim to the same trap as Jaymes and Lexi did: he's adding hours based on the "UTC+" numbers. After try #18 is a fail, Abbie whispers that the "UTC" must mean something else. At try #21, Ryan COMPLAINS to the professor about the "misleading" numbers. The professor says, "Try to relax. I'm on your side." (something a Russian would NEVER have said to an American 30 years ago, I'm sure.) After a few more tries...it finally CLICKS! After saying "I'm so stupid!" about five times, he attempts for the 25th time...and NAILS it! They get the DETOUR clue and choose MOVERS. MOSCOW
POLICE STATION One thing the fall of Communism has not dimished in Moscow: the need for police reports. And Team Hair Metal have to fill out one...in Russian. They ask a local citizen walking by for help in that regard. After filing it, the rockers decide to return to the Race course, hoping the police will return it to the CBS film crew before they finish this Leg. Brent decides to do the ROADBLOCK (albeit reluctantly). Brent had NO issue with the "UTC"; he knew that Moscow represented "UTC+4" and that other cities were ahead based on that. And he nails it ON THE FIRST TRY! They leave the 'BLOCK in fifth and, when given the DETOUR, decide to be SHAKERS (looks like the Russian aristocracy won't have to drink their cocktails alone). Unfortunately, the coaches will NOT allow the INTERSECTION to perform as half of an eight-person squad; each team must choose a coach and do their own. Abbie wasn't nervous; having been a dance instructor, she's used to chroeography. Josh is not used to swimming and doesn't think he has what it takes. Ryan thinks having the national team nearby helps perk them up. At MOVERS, Abbie turns back into the dance instructor she is back in the States. And Ryan tries to keep up. After a few practices under the watchful eyes of Abbie (and the instructor), they give it a go. And the lead instructor likes it (not LOVES it, based on her expression...but likes it enough) and lets them depart for the PIT STOP still in fourth. It's as if Bill & Ted had a Russian history paper due and used their telephone booth to bring the best (and worst) of Russia's leaders together for a big to-do...and then Rufus let them know that it'd be better to have violin music instead of air guitar. Josh & Brent enter the party and IMMEDIATELY recognizes Gen. Leonid Brezhnev (Soviet leader, 1964-1982), checking him off the list. Next up is Josef Stalin (Soviet leader, 1925-1953), then the "father of Communism" Vladimir Lenin (Soviet leader, 1922-1924) and the final Tsar, Nicholas II (Russian Tsar, 1894-1917). Lenin warns Josh about "vodka and Russian women" before the boys meet Peter I and greet him as "Mr. Great" (Peter the Great, first Russian Tsar, 1721-1725). Josh even gets to waltz with Catherine the Great (Catherine II, Russian Tsarina, 1762-1796). They get Leon Trotsky (Soviet Commissar of Military and Naval Affairs, 1919-1925) before going to Alexander Pushkin. They get a courtly "da" from the poet and receive their PIT STOP clue. They're glad to have done this; they know James & Abba a) were behind them and b) had the SPEED BUMP so they had decided to have fun with this task. They thank the leaders with an empty-glassed toast and headed for the PIT STOP... ...where Abbie & Ryan check-in as Team # 4. they vow to start the climb back up for two million starting in Leg 9. Some time later, Josh & Brent find themselves in familiar territory: FAR back in the Race...but still IN it. They are Team #5 and still Racing. And that leaves the stranded rockers (who, during the Leg, got ONE of their passports back). They do their SPEED BUMP (escorting a priest somewhere via limo), and their ROADBLOCK (Abba did it though it wasn't shown). Apparantly, their clue sends them straight to the PIT STOP instead of the DETOUR...and that can only mean one thing: they're last...and they're out. They had a great time, though. It's been a great road trip...but "they was robbed" (literally) and, added on top of the sore knee and the missing money a few Legs back, it was just too hard of a road to travel. Do svidaniya, comrades...and rock on. (Hey,...think that, while they wait for the other passport, they can join the Leningrad Cowboys for a set?)
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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