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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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Take Down That Million
(Part 2) PIT
STOP #11 Jaymes & James have been enjoying playing with the new Ford Escapes they've won. But here in the wee hours of the morning in the French countryside, they are focused on winning this final Leg of the twenty-first Amazing Race. They rip 'n' read the clue to find out exactly where in the US they're ending up:
The dancers have already figured out that the postcard is directing them to Coney Island...they think. Eleven minutes later, at 1:44am, Trey & Lexi leave, loving each other more than when they started and ready to "take down that million". At 3:06am, Josh & Brent learn they're heading home, where Josh has worked for five years to help pay off the farm. This would be the biggest challenge they have every faced...and they hope they can finish it off with the money to pay the mortgage and live together on the farm again. PARIS
CHARLES de GALLE
AIRPORT The first two teams await to see who they are Racing home against...as, again, they were not informed whether it was Team Beekman Boys or Team Jersey Twins kicked to the curb by Phil. They seemed happy the see Josh & Brent walk into the airport and the Final Three hug it out. It doesn't seem to matter that the Great Race Equalizer has struck one last time and everyone is on the same flight to the NYC. They just seem happy to have made it this far and that it'll be every team for themselves when they arrive at: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, USA(This is the fourth time the FINISH LINE!! has been in New York, including twice when it was also where the Starting Line was. It's been nine Races, though, since NYC has been the final destination for a Race.) Ah, Lady Liberty, Times Square, the nearly-completed Freedom Tower...all welcome the American Airlines flight which lands at JFK Airport in Queens. The Vegas dancers, the Texas lovers and the upstate New York farmers run like crazy through the terminal to get one of the world-notorious New York City cab drivers to take them to the place on the postcard signed "WISH YOU WERE HERE!" The cabbies take off to Brooklyn, Team Full Monty! in first, Team Texas Two-Step in second and Team Beekman Boys (as always) in the rear. CONEY
ISLAND BOARDWALK (Yeah, needless to say that this was taped BEFORE Hurricane Sandy made a mess of things. They're getting better thanks to all the support.) Like The Warriors before them, the teams make their way to the amusement park and beach of the south shore of Brooklyn. Jaymes & James hit the Boardwalk first and try to get in the right frame a view to match the picture on the postcard. They look for anything red-and-yellow...unaware that the clue this time is actually BLACK-and-yellow. Trey & Lexi then arrive and look around carefully...not seeing anything and even running right PAST the clue and into the amusement park. . Josh & Brent complete the threesome...and THEY miss it! Who will "come out to play-i-ay" and find the clue first?! Well, Lexi sees SOMETHING on the Houdini poster and points it out to Trey. One of the smaller signs (right under the "The Amazing" part of "The Amazing Houdini") on said poster says:
Take a quarter from them because they just bought themselves a clue! They remember the clue (and another sign saying "Clinton Avenue Gate") and walk away casually...but not casually enough to stop Josh & Brent from finding it. The teams run for their cabs, leaving a dumbfounded Jaymes & James in the dust...or in the SAND, anyway. After agonizing and agonizing for 15 minutes...they get smacked with a clue-by-four and find the sign! BROOKLYN
NAVY YARD Everyone is thinking that, with the signs having been on a Houdini poster, they'll have to perform some escape like the great Harry Houdini did. Team Texas Two-Step arrive first and find the Clue Box in the middle of the yard. And it's the Race's penultimate:
Well, they called it. Trey does NOT like heights...at ALL! (Where do they FIND all these acrophobes?!?) But Lexi "volunteers" him. So they run to the cranes and Trey gets the straightjacket while Lexi just gets a safety helmet. As he gets saddled, Team Beekman Boys arrive at the 'BLOCK and Brent offers to do it. When they arrive, they see Trey being ratcheted up to 150 feet above the dry dock. And, when Team Full Monty! arrive, Jaymes is EXCITED of the prospect! Once Trey is in position, an air horn sounds and Trey gets to work. He's seen films of Houdini doing this trick so he knows he has to get his arms over his head first. Sure enough, he does (losing his headband in the process but relatively freeing his hands). He uses his teeth to get his hands free of the buckles and then works to get the rest of the jacket off by unbuckling the back. Finally, the jacket slips off Treys arms and falls to the ground. He did it! Erich Weiss (Houdini's real name) would've been proud. Oh,...the clue didn't mention HOW Trey would be "brought to the ground". He assumed he'd just be slowly lowered. Uhhhhh,...no. His legs are attached to a bungie cord...and his ankles are released to let Trey go SCREAMING down to about 30 feet above the dry dock before bouncing back up. Still, he survives and, getting the accolades of Brent and Jaymes, he runs to join Lexi with the next clue:
ILexi's hoping she doesn't
have to chow down on a whole pizza (she knows she'll have to do
the final 'BLOCK) as they split. Meanwhile, Brent is in position
and starts to work his way out. Team Texas Two-Step use the cabbie's
smartphone to find out about Lombardi's and asks him to take them
to the isle of Manhattan. As Brent starts to get an arm over his
head, Jaymes is cranked up. But Brent overcomes the panic in his
heart and gets his arms free, using his teeth to get his HANDS free
and reaching back to get his TORSO free. Before Jaymes is in position,
Brent plummets. As he's being unstrapped from the bungee, Jaymes
literally PULLS the arms apart from the jacket and works on his
hands. Team Beekman Boys may be leaving in second, but Team Full
Monty! is mere minutes behind as Jaymes gets out of the jacket and
falls to terra concreta. Well...that is, they WOULD be mere minutes
behind if they didn't let their taxi go! DOH!! It takes some time
for them to get another and make their way to... LOMBARDI'S
PIZZA This 100-plus-year-old restaurant is actually considered the first-ever pizzaria in the United States (not just NYC), but this famous place just north of Little Italy and Chinatown is about to get even busier. Trey & Lexi arrive first and it seems John is the only person there. The clues are actually under some pizzas that Lombardi's offers. Lexi is scared that she'll have to eat a whole pie...but she relaxes when she sees it's:
Ah, well,...that doesn't seem hard...save for the memory part. Team Texas Two-Step decide to divide the memory work. Trey would handle LaFayette St. pies while Lexi says she can hack the others. As they march down the street with the ten pies - getting help from the oh-so-friendly New Yorkers - Jost & Brent notice them and get an idea what needs to be done. They find the pizzaria and get the clue. Josh decides to memorize the pizzas and Brent the addresses. First stop for Trey & Lexi is the Italian museum on Mulberry St. First for Josh & Brent is a salon on Prince St. Both are delivered sans hitch. The bike shop at LaFayette works for the couple. But the Mulberry St. one for the farmers...not correct. And that means the dry cleaners on Broom St. gets the wrong ones, too. Good thing the Ja(y)mes Boys are still stuck in busy Manhattan traffic; they can make up time. Trey & Lexi finish their correct deliveries and make their way back to John. They are then handed a blue tag with the symbol of a globe (as seen from above the North Pole) and olive branches surrounding it. Were it a paper clue, it would read::
As they leave, Team Full Monty! arrives to do their task. While the couple takes a cab to the East River, the Chippendales work out their delivery route. And when the farmers arrive, John informs them of their mistakes. So...they grabs a few more pizzas and try to work out their goofs. Meanwhile, Jaymes & James drop off their first at 27th. Mistakes corrected, Josh & Brent head back where they leave for the U.N. in second...quietly arguing on the way. Jaymes & James get their Elizabeth Street delivery right as well as their Rivington St. job. They get back to John and get the clue in third. Off they go to... UNITED
NATIONS HEADQUATERS After World War II, the world wanted to avoid a third global war and, as such, the United Nations was born to keep the peace. People may not think much for the organization these days...but, hell, the globe isn't a nuclear wasteland so they must be doing SOMETHING right. Anyway, Team Texas Two-Step pulls up and feel VERY excited for their last task of the Race, which is the final...:
As stated, Lexi MUST do this without help from Trey. The official brings her to the spot where the eight flags of the nations visited - China, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Turkey, Russia, the Netherlands, Spain and France - fly high. The other flags have the words for the greetings in bold letters. Lexi chooses to go backwards in the Race. They just left France, who say "bonjour" and "au revoir". But, before she raises that, she gets the more obvious Spain out of the way with "hola" and "adios". The official says she is right with those under the red and white Spanish flag. Josh is excited to enter the grounds of the building he's been driving by for the last twenty years. Not sure how excited he is when he learns the ROADBLOCK task he must do..but seeing Trey & Lexi kicks his competativeness into high gear. He gets the Spanish greetings done, no problem. Lexi gets the French greetings under the blue-white-and-red flag, but Josh is right behind. James is set for his seventh and final 'BLOCK as he goes to the third station. But damned if HE remembers the greetings; they thought the greeters were just being cordial. But, of course, HE gets Spain and France rather quickly. Russian is "do svidaniya" for "good-bye"...but NOT "olga doma" for "hello", Josh. Get that down from under the white-blue-and-red flag. James blows Bangladesh and has to lower from the green-and-red-circled flag. And Lexi goofs on the red-and-white flag of Indonesia...and then the Russian. No, James, "Hai" is not Chinese for "hello"; the red flag with yellow stars has to be bare again. After ANOTHER mess-up with Indonesia, Lexi lowered the flags right onto her head.. She starts to cry, being so close and having to falter like this. Trey tries to comfort her to get her back in the game. It takes a good while...but someone FINALLY gets one RIGHT: Josh gets the Chinese "ni hao" and "zai jian" (though he had the flags reversed the first time). But for Turkey, he goofs, meaning the red flag with the white star-and-cresent is still bare beneath. But at least they're ahead of everyone else. Josh then turned it into a "math problem", working out which one is "hello" and then just going flag-by-flag for "good-bye". And he gets the Netherlands' red-white-and-blue flag with the right Dutch words: "hallo" and "tot ziens". James then LUCKS OUT with a guess on Russian: "zdravstvujtye" and "do svidaniya". So it's Team Beekman Boys: 4; Team Full Monty!: 3; Team Texas Two-Step: 2. Er...make that Beekmans: 5...Josh gets Russian as well. Two and a half hours into the ROADBLOCK. The sun starts to set on the Big Apple...and the teams are getting close to finishing. Josh gets #7: Turkish is "merhaba" and "hoscakal". James gets Bangladesh: "shagotom" and "aabar dekha hobe". Team Full Monty! needs Turkey, Team Beekman needs Bangladesh. Both got Indonesian earlier ("hai" and "selamat tinggal"). Lexi seems to be out of the running as they're not going to her. Finally, Josh hauls up "shagotom" and "aabar dekha hobe" under the green flag with the red circle...and the official gives him the thumbs-up! Josh jumps up and down in joy and then runs to the final flagpole to hoist the light blue flag with the white globe-and-olive-branch design of the United Nation. Up goes the flag of world peace...down goes a red-and-yellow-stiped clue...the final clue...the million-dollar clue:
Josh & Brent tell the others not to give up as they head out the gate to procure a cab to the landmark building. Lexi breaks down into tears, though Trey lets her know that it's all right. James apologizes to Jaymes for not getting it right fast enough...but his friend knows he tried his best. And besides, they're not down yet. Team Beekman Boys are having troubles finding a cab who knows Gotham Hall. This gives James enough time to hoist the Turkish words up, strike the colors of the U.N. and get the final clue. So there's still a chance. Well,...for Team Full Monty!, there's still a chance. For Team Texas Two-Step, there are only tears. Two cabs...four men...a million-dollar check on the line... FINISH
LINE!! Now...I missed a few Races so I'm not 100% sure...but I think this might be the first time EVER in TAR history that a FINISH LINE!! was indoors. The former banking hall is certainly big enough for it. There's the usual giant raised mat. There's Phil standing by his lonesome in the middle of it. And there are the sixteen Americans who were Philiminated during the last few weeks. From monster truckers to rockers, snowboarders to besties, couples to twins, they line each side of a makeshift aisle and applaud. Two men come through the doors, run up to the mat and collapse in exhaustion, relief and overwhelming joy. Phil then gives them the news they raced around the world to hear: "Three continents, nine countries, twenty cities and more than 25,000 miles...Josh & Brent,...you have won the million-dollar prize and you are the official winners of The Amazing Race!!" They had been behind almost the entire Race, being either last or next-to-last at the last seven PIT STOPs. But they were the only team to overcome a SPEED BUMP and stay in the Race...and they won the Leg that truly counted: the LAST one. The two men kiss each other lovingly as they celebrate. they hope this proves that, no matter what straits you may be in, if you keep plugging away, you will win! And now they can stay on the farm together...forever! That's the best prize of them all! Although they're the official "silver medalists" of this Race, Jaymes & James still run with enthusiasm. They're happy for the Beekmans and had a great time travelling around the world. And, hey, James got his ma the car she needs so...that's great, too. And maybe the world will have a different view of Chippendale dancers now...though whether for better or worse is still up in the air. Who knows if Trey & Lexi ever finished that last ROADBLOCK...but here they come anyway, all a-smiles and waves as they jog to the mat and get checked-in as the third-place team. Hugs all around and tears from Lexi as she says how much the Race meant to her. Trey agrees that the three-time Leg winners have grown closer during the last few weeks...and, who knows? He could be ready for the "next step". The twenty-two people who started out nearly 3000 miles away on the opposite coast on a trip around the world all gather on the mat for a massive group hug and to congratulate the goat farmers from just upstate. Rob (of Married Monster Truckers) has changed his mind about people with "alternate lifestyles"; he won't ever look down on them again. Alright, people, you know the drill! Everyone one the mat facing forward...start applauding and waving...one last word from the winners about "nice guys finishing FIRST"...aaaaaaaand...CUT!! See you on February 17th for THE AMAZING RACE 22!!
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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