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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 November 18 - Leg 8 |
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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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Fishy Kiss Previously on THE AMAZING RACE...a dozen Wacky Racers continued their trek around the former Soviet capital city of Moscow, Russia. James & Abba (Team Hair Metal) lost their bags and passports in the previous Leg but were spared Philimination thanks to an N.E.L. But they HAD to produce their passports by the next PIT STOP. Meanwhile, the other teams worked out time zones and, while most did a Russian soldier dance, Josh & Brent (Team Beekman Boys) - having sat out four hours for not completing a DETOUR - mingled with Russian leaders. In the end, Jaymes & James (Team Full Monty!) won their first Leg of the Race...and James & Abba, who could find only ONE passport, were taken out of the Race. Five teams remain in this turkey trot around the globe...who will tryptophan out NEXT?! PIT STOP #8SOKOLNIKI PARK MOSCOW, RUSSIA 1932 LOCAL TIME Did you know more billionaires live in Moscow than in any other city in the world? Well, the Ja(y)mes Boys are trying to become CBS' next MILLIONaires and they continue said trek with this clue to start Leg 9...which comes with a red-white-and-blue flag, though NOT the American flag:
The Chippendales head straight to a hotel, ask someone for an iPad to look up the flag...and they find out it's Holland (technically, the official name is the Netherlands) and the capital of Amsterdam (over 1300 miles away as the jumbo jet flies). Jaymes is psyched; he could use the money to help with his father's cancer treatments. The other teams deaprt at (local time): Trey & Lexi (Team Texas Two-Step):
1949 When Trey & Lexi hail a cab, they ask the cabbie what the country of the flag is...and the cabbie (incorrectly) assumes "France" (whose flag, while they have the same stripes, are in order of blue-white-and-red from top to bottom. Ut oh...they think they're going to Paris. Natalie & Nadiya make the same mistake and assume it's a French flag until corrected at the same hotel. All they care about is for Abbie & Ryan NOT to be in the Final Leg to Race for TWO million. SHEREMETYEVO
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT Fortunately, Team Texas Two-Step run into Team Full Monty! at the airport and the boys straighten their friends out. UNfortunately, they learn that there are no flights to the Dutch capital tonight. The next avaliable flight is a direct flight at 10:45am that lands at noon ZULU...and there are ONLY THREE SEATS available! So, obviously, only one team is getting on THAT flight. As Jaymes & James were first to the airport, they decide to give them the seats. ("Da Rules of Da Race" state that, when teams book their flights with credit cards supplied by CBS, they must book FOUR seats: two for them, one for their cameraman and one for their sound guy following them around. But, obviously, they edited it from "five" or "six" because, otherwise, Jaymes & James would be breaking "Da Rules".) The NEXT one arrives at 1:05pm on Cyprus Airlines...and Trey & Lexi need to go to THAT ticket window for available seats. There's a 45-minute layover in Larcarna, Cyprus on that flight, but the lovers book it and take their chances. But, when Team Jersey Twins arrive, THEY find an earlier flight via Rome, arriving at 11:30am...but the layover is only one hour so the ticket agent cannot, in good conscious, sell them the tickets. But these two refuse to give up the ghost: they argue and plead with the agent that they can make the layover...and, finally, she consents.. As the first three teams sleep and wait somewhere, Team Dating Divorcees depart the PIT STOP. They're not sure if the flag is France or the Netherlands but they leave to find out. They SO want that two mil! And they're hoping there's no DOUBLE U-TURN on this Leg because two of the three teams ahead of them HATE them. But at least they have a BIG lead on Josh & Brent. When they arrive at the airport they look up flights...and Abbie is AGAINST routing through Frankfurt given that the LAST time they did was how they got so behind in the FIRST place. But Ryan decides to book TWO connecting flights through there to cover their bases. Ah, but it's not just Survivor where alliances form. The first three teams make a plan. Should there BE a 2xU-T on this Leg, the first team to arrive will use it on Team Abbie & Ryan...and the second will use it on whoever used it ON Abbie & Ryan. But...Jaymes is not comfortable with the plan (though James is fine with it); he doesn't want to lose them as friends. Team Beekman Boys are the ONLY ones who know it's a Dutch flag from the start and head straight to the airport. Of course, by this time, all the other flights have deaprted and the best one they can book to Amsterdam is through Oslo...putting them in the back of the pack as usual. SCHEDULED
ARRIVAL TIMES AT AMSTERDAM: AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS Ah, yes. The European hub for many a vice verboden in many civilized cities (pot use, brothels, health care for both). Not to mention a "sister city" to Moscow. It is hear that Team Jersey Twins touch down first and they take the train to... AMSTERDAM
CENTRAL STATION Thery're happy to be the first team to arrive and, when they open the clue from the Clue Box, they find not only a ROUTE INFO but also this:
Well, hell, anything to keep Abbie & Ryan from catching up. The sisters decide to try for it. They find a rickshaw taxi who can take them there. As Jaymes & James arrive on their direct flight and take the train to Central, the sister arrive at the bus and hop on board. FRANKFURT
AM MAIN AIRPORT Freaky flashbacks for Abbie & Ryan as they land...but they run briskly through the airport again. they arrive at the gate...but, as they were not checked-in, they cannot board. The boarding agent gets on the line to try to get them on this earlier flight. But no-can-do. Unlike last time, though, they're OK with it; they DO have another flight booked...and THIS time, they make SURE they get on it. Aaaaaaaaaaand the plane has mechanical difficulties. Aaaaaand planes need to be switched! If it ain't one Frankfurt-in' thing... And, once again, the once cocky team feels their shot at $2M slipping away as they board another flight. Back in Amsterdam, Nadiya & Natalie wonder why the bus isn't letting them off by the river...and the bus then drives INTO the river from a docking ramp. And it FLOATS. A waiter then shows up with a covered dish. The task required is to eat five boned herring (a common food in the Netherlands) each before the bus finishes its river tour and returns to the land...which is seven minutes. Failure to do so will result in the bus returning to the cafe and waiting ten minutes before taking off again. Uh...yuck...Natalie to slip it down her throat without chewing it. The sisters start to argue about eating habits. Meanwhile, Team Full Monty! arrive at Central and find the FAST FORWARD along with:
Not being able to make heads or tails of the ROUTE INFO's instructions, the men decide to try the FAST FORWARD. They ask around for where the cafe is located. But that might be a problem because, once the arguing has cut down, Team Jersey Twins have got to some SERIOUS munching. With 4 1/2 minutes to go, each have downed two herring. Natalie is on her fifth and Nadiya her fourth with 2:30 to go. And, with less than 50 ticks of a Timex remaining, the girls gulp down the last of the herring! The waiter wants to shake their hands...but they won't allow their slimy hands to touch anything...not even the clue the waiter hands them. They open it with their teeth and read:
The bus returns to the cafe (so the twins can wash their hands) and they run right into Jaymes & James. Upon hearing that the FAST FORWARD is done-and-done, they head back to the station and get directions to Herenmarket. They find the dock and enjoy the boat ride, calling it "the calm before the storm".. The flight from Larnaca
hits the ground and Trey & Lexi head from it to the train to
Central Station, not sure where they are in relation to the other
teams. Assuming (correctly) that someone DID do the FAST FORWARD,
they make their way to the docks. PIT
STOP #9 Well ahead of everyone else, Nadiya & Natalie find the rustic house and run out to meet Phil and a Heidi-looking greeter on the dock of a pond behind it. With a "hallo" from the greeter, Phil announces them as Team # 1...and the girls shake their chests in a "#1 dance". Bad news: no trip. Good news: five grand US for each of them! "All the clothes we wanted," they laugh as the greeter sends them to rest with a "tot ziens" (good bye). MAGERE
BRUG (SKINNY BRIDGE) The "ducks" (actually swans) can't tell Team Full Monty! where the "poffertjesboot" is...but theres a big white sign that says that on the side of a boat so...that must be it. The lady delivers them some pastries on a paddle and underneath the dishes is the next:
They decide to ORGAN GRIND...and are THRILLED about the 2xU-T coming up...that is, thrilled to run RIGHT PAST IT when they get to it. As they head to the DETOUR, Team Texas Two-Step step onto another boat heading for the pofferjesboot. James starts grinding while Jaymes starts begging. Now...you'd think someone who dances for money would have a better time GETTING money from bystanders. But...you'd be wrong. It takes a while for Jaymes to get his first two Euros. Meanwhile, Trey & lexi reach the pancake boat, get the clue and choose to, also, ORGAN GRIND. Half-way to their goal, the people just stop coming. Jaymes decides to take immediate action...as in taking his shirt off and putting on his Chippendale "bowtie collar" and "cuffs". James does the same and, while he cranks it again, Jaymes "cranks" himself along the calliope. Slowly but surely, the crowds came back and the money started to come in. Then a gandmother pushing her two grandkids steps up...and donates 10 Euros! And that makes thirty! They hug and thank the woman before running to the grinder, who gives them this clue:
As they split in second, Team Dating Divorcees FINALLY touch down in Amsterdam, making their way to Central Station. Right behind them, though, is Team Beekman Boys. Ah, the INTERSECTION Alliance, together again. And, in fact, they decide to, once again, run this Leg together. After all it worked LAST time for both of them, right? MUSEUM
GEELVINCK This house is named for the upperclass guy for whom it was BUILT in the 1680s. Now the gardens and some of the rooms are open to the public. And it is here that Team Full Monty! arrive. They look throughout the gardens...and the first thing they find is...
Well,...they thought Team Jersey Twins or Team Texas Two-Step would arrive first and they wouldn't have to deal with it. But now it's decision time: lose a friend...or gain two enemies? After agonizing about it over a commercial break...they do it...
Jaymes' sick dad won out over friendship; he & James don't think they can beat Abbie & Ryan to the FINISH LINE!! and - let's face it - the men need the money more than the couple does. That being done, they reach down to the bushes to find this clue:
As they look for a bus, the INTERSECTION Alliance arrives at Central, get the clue and walk to the docks. And Trey & Lexi arrive at ORGAN GRINDER and get to work, Trey cranking and Lexi playing the part of fezzed monkey. Of course, Lexi being a cheerleader, she so energetic that people start to converge and drop coins into her till. RANSDORP, THE NETHERLANDS Jaymes & James arrive at the village...and they see some people vaulting over a ditch using a pole. They've seen this before (as have long-time TAR viewers). Sure enough, when they find the field, they find the second-ever:
(For those not in the know, the FIRST time was in Season 15 when teams needed to find a clue in a multitude of haystacks; the first time this 'BLOCK was used was in Season 6 and the team quit after searching for TEN HOURS!) James elects to do this hilarious task. He's nervous as all heck about it. He plants the pole, runs up to it and vaults...and CLEARS it on the first try! He grabs the shoes, tosses them across the ditch and goes himself, landing on his butt but still relatively dry. If the clue was on paper instead of wooden shoes, it would read as such:
As they haul, Trey & Lexi continue their DETOUR. The enthusiam of Lexi works as she gets her thritieth Euro and the two depart in third to the museum and the 2xU-T. Meanwhile, the INTERSECTION Alliance make their way up the river and find the DETOUR. They both decide to go BACK IN TIME. Jaymes & James may have slipped from the top spot, but they are still in the hunt as Team #2! As the church bells chime 6pm, Jaymes explains his actions at the 2xU-T... ...at which Team Texas Two-Step are just arriving. They are relieved that Team Full Monty! stuck to the plan. And, now, they will finish it:
This is not only perfectly legal, it prevents Abbie & Ryan from U-TURNing Josh & Brent and making it an even game again. This pretty much makes the rest of the Leg anti-climatic...but I'll continue. They get the clue to head to Ransdorp and head out. They know Team Dating Divorcees will be PISSED...and that makes them happy. RIJKSMUSEUM As the rain, rain, rain, came down, down, down, Teams Dating Divorcees and Beekman Boys arrive to find Rembrandt waiting for them at the front door. They get their costumes on and look at the masterpiece carefully. Fortunately for them, there are TWO sets of "models" so they don't have to take turns this time. Back and forth the Racers run between the painting and the enclosed area where the models are, remembering one or two people and then putting them in position. Abbie & Ryan are the first to get reviewed by Rembrandt...and he says, "It's a good show." And, like before, the team waits for Josh & Brent. Rembrandt gives them the nod as well and the INTERSECTION Alliance leave in 4th and 5th. Later, in Runsdorp, Trey opts to do the SWITCHBACK. HE nails it on the first try, runs to get the shoes and gets back over. It's a short run to the PIT STOP, where Phil under an umbrella) proclaims them Team # 3. And, at last, the truth comes out. Arriving at Museum Geelvinck, Team Dating Divorcees find out that they have to do ORGAN GRIND while Team Beekman Boys get to continue. The couple leaves with hugs from the life partners. At this point, Abbie & Ryan know that the two million bucks are out of their reach. And Josh & Brent feel almost as terrible as their friends. They even consider waiting for them to return or even HELPING them with the DETOUR. But, as Ryan starts to grind and Abbie hopes for some brave people to hand them coins, they decide that they can't risk the other team barging ahead of them at the PIT STOP, regardless of friendship. They grab a cab (it's after 6pm) and sigh en route to Ransdorp. They vow that, if the other teams think they're the weaker team, they'll prove them WRONG! At least Abbie has fun on this last ride. She collects coins from brave souls and even dances with one native to the sounds of the grinder. The dancer then completes their quota and Team Dating Divorcees FINALLY leave the DETOUR in fifth. Now...can they catch up to Team Beekman Boys? At Ransdorp, Josh says it's his turn to do the SWITCHBACK. He turns his ankle a bit as he falls in the wet grass...but he's able to clear the ditch without too much difficulty. The return jump is a little harder but he clears it... ...and that's when Abbie & Ryan return to the 2xU-T and get their clue to Ransdorp. Needless to say, Josh & Brent are Team # 4 and STILL (above all odds) Racing! After starting off the Race with a first Leg win and earning the one-and-only shot at two million dollars, Abbie & Ryan ran into obstacle after obstacle and made many an enemy on the Race route. But, now, it seems all over thanks to men who they thought were their friends. Ryan does the SWITCHBACK after several failures and the couple hit the mat in the waning hours of light. And Phil tells them the bad news: they're last and they're out. They feel very disappointed that they couldn't do what they had set out to do. "It's just wrong," says Ryan as they head back to their lives (probably no richer - in money or experience - than they were when they started the Race).
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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