Chip & Kim find a taxi and head off, saying, "'Chip Time' is over. Now... it's 'Kim Time'... time to go for the jugular!"

A mere eight minutes later, Team Bowling Moms take off, excited that they're the only all-woman team left and confident they can win. But, as always, they have trouble finding a cab. And that's bad... because three minutes later, an equally confident team of Dating Models depart and have NO trouble finding a cab.

At 4:02am, 26 minutes behind the leaders, Team Type A depart, laughing at the "$0" part of the clue since they HAVE money. They want to prove that, despite the YIELD, they can STILL beat Chip & Kim at the very least.

At the park, Chip & Kim arrive first, run up to the large lit monument and get their next clue:

As the Married Parents leave, the Dating Models arrive and get their clue. As they give directions to their cabbie, Team Bowling Moms arrive and get the same clue. And, as the mothers take off, (you guessed it) Team Type A shows up. So the order for the flights seem to be set... barring traffic.

At A. Sorbiano Aviation Hanger, where the charter flights are taking off from, Chip & Kim arrive and have no trouble signing up for the first flight. They're told to wait in the room for the flight to start boarding, a roughly six-hour wait. Mild traffic held back the other teams a bit, but Brandon & Nicole arrive in second, joining Chip & Kim on the first flight. Linda & Karen and Colin & Christie arrive to take the plane going 45 minutes later.

10:45am Charter: Married Parents, Dating Models
11:30am Charter: Team Bowling Moms, Team Type A

The sun, as it must, rises over the small runway. Chip & Kim and Brandon & Nicole board the first charter, happy and feeling blessed to be in the lead pack. 45 minutes later, Colin & Christie and Linda & Karen board THEIR flight, worried about which one of them will be eliminated at leg's end.

EL NIDO ISLAND, PHILIPPINES

An hour after the flight takes off, it lands on the island village in the westernmost province of the Philippines. The four Racers are greeted with native music and singing. They find Geepney cabs heading towards the harbor...and enjoy the scenery along the way. Once they GET to the harbor, however, they get back to business. They each find boats with flags on them and head out towards the buoy. The other two teams follow suit when their charter arrives 45 minutes later: take in the music, find Geepney cab and enjoy the view en route to the harbor. Well, actually, they CAN'T enjoy the scenery because they're all yelling at their drivers to go fast and try to catch up to the other teams.

Both the Married Parents and the Dating Models get to the buoy at just about the same time, which means they're close when they open the next
clue:

Kim and Brandon get out the binoculars and look around (Brandon with only one eyepiece open). There are three different flags on beaches, but they all have the same style: a triangle on the left with different-colored stripes down the rest of the flag:

(Thanks to 1upTravel.com for the flags)

Chip & Kim spy flags A and B and decide to go for "A". Brandon & Nicole (the ones who thought Indonesia was just ONE island) decide to just tail the other team and, if they find the right one, they'll jump off and get the clue right behind them. Chip jumps out of the boat and runs to the Route Marker. When he opens the clue:

That flag was the national flag of Equatorial Guinea, a small nation in the northern part of South America. Hearing this as Chip returns to HIS boat, the Dating Models continue to follow the Married Parents on the 20-minute ride towards flag B.

Meanwhile, the last two teams arrive at the pier. They get on their boats and plead with the drivers to move their afts! Linda & Karen's boat has some trouble starting, but they catch up to Colin & Christie in quick order.

Back out at sea, Chip & Kim know there's something fishy and don't want to give the younger and stronger team a chance to catch them. They approach the island, saying to each other that they won't let Brandon & Nicole know if it's the right one. Sure enough, when Chip jumps out again, Brandon doesn't. And the clue says:

As he returns to the boat, Brandon & Nicole ask if it's the right one... and Chip says, "No!" The Dating Models turn around... and the Married Parents take off down the shore. This makes Brandon VERY suspicious... and he tells the driver to turn back. Boy, is he angry when he finds out they had the right flag all along, and that Chip - who had played moralistically for most of the Race - actually lied to them.

At the buoy, Team Type A and Team Bowling Moms reach their clue and Colin immediately looks for flags. Linda & Karen - who haven't clue one what the Filipino flag looks like (despite having BEEN there for a day-and-a-half) - follow the same strategy as the Dating Models and play "follow the smart and aggressive leader". Colin sees flag "A" and, LIKEWISE not knowing what the Filipino flag looks like, gets frustrated.

Chip & Kim find the next Route Marker on a beach, next to eight sets of snorkel gear. They hit the beach, jog to the box and read the next clue.

Brandon and Chip decide to do the job of actually looking for the clams (especially since Kim can't swim). Kim and Nicole are there to help SPOT the clams and guide their men to them. Brandon forgoes the mask and snorkel and swims without them. Nicole finds a clam rather quickly and yells for Brandon to get over there (especially since she feels she's going to drown since she doesn't have a life vest on her). A call for help is answered... by Chip, who makes sure Nicole's all right. But Brandon tells Chip to back off from their clam, which Chip wasn't aiming for to BEGIN with. Brandon dives down, gets the clam open and grabs the clue. The two models swim to sure to find that it's a:

Of course, neither of these runway stalkers have ANY clue what "vertigo" is. While they debate, Chip finds a clam of his own and gets the clue. Chip decides to do the ROADBLOCK... which makes up the Dating Models' mind since Nicole OBVIOUSLY can't match physical strength with Chip. So both teams get their boat captains to take them to Lagen Wall.

Meanwhile, Colin & Christie arrive at the island with flag "A"... only to find that they're at the wrong island. Unlike the Dating Models, though, Team Bowling Moms actually go to the island to make SURE it's the wrong one. They first take off after Team Type A... but then Karen spies another flag on another island and Karen tells their captain to veer towards that one. ONE of the teams has it right... and the OTHER will have problems. They approach their respective islands... Colin and Linda jump out and grab their clues...

And it's Team Type A who gets to flag C and the clue saying:

Colin & Christie had found the flag to the Czech Republic. Team Bowling Moms had found the right flag and starts around the island to find the next clue. And Colin... he knows it's his fault for not having have a guidebook or something that showed them what the Filipino flag looked like.

Linda & Karen hit the right beach and start to don their snorkel gear as Colin & Christie near the correct island. They start to snorkel and look for the clams. Linda swims out and finds the clam before Karen barely gets wet. Upon being confronted with the ROAD BLOCK, they elect Karen and head off... just as Team Type A shows up on the beach and don their gear.

"God! Do we have to climb up there?!" shouts Chip as soon as he sees just how high 150 feet really is...and how relatively thin the robe that'll be holding his weight actually is. Brandon's not to keen on heights, either, but he's concentrating on winning, not his acrophobia. The two men get strapped in, get simple instructions on how the "ascender" works... and start off at the same time. But, of course, Brandon has an easier time since he has less bulk to haul up than Chip does. Add that to the fact that it takes a little more time for Chip to learn how the thing works. Kim tells him to take his time since they're still in second place... for now, anyway.

Team Bowling Moms approach the cliff as Brandon gets about two-thirds of the way up the rope... and Chip is only about ONE-FIFTH of the way. Team Type A soon finds the last clam with a clue in it and decide that Colin will do the ROAD BLOCK. Brandon reaches the top first. He gets the clue (with instructions not to read it into he's with his partner down below) and repels down past Chip. They exchange "Keep going, Chipper!" and "Hi, B-Dog!" as Chip rests about half-way up. Brandon lands and he and Nicole open the last clue of the leg:

As Linda & Karen arrive at the Wall, Brandon & Nicole take off in their kayak, confident that they will win this leg... and hoping Chip gets passed by BOTH other teams. Karen starts off on her climbs... as Chip rests again, muttering, "It's killing me, but I got to do it... for a million dollars!" Karen is already tired about a fourth of the way up (though Linda thinks it's half-way)... when Colin & Christie show up in Kim's sights.

Chip FINALLY makes it to the top and thanks God for the strength to make it. Chip drops down and he and Kim get the clue and start their kayak run.

PIT STOP: LAGON ISLAND BEACH, PHILIPPINES

Meanwhile, the Dating Models FINISH their run and spy Phil and a native on the beach. They are given kelp leis as Phil says, "Brandon & Nicole, you are team number one! You are one of the three teams who will be racing to the FINISH LINE for a million dollars!" Not only THAT, but they won a Caribbean vacation courtesy of AA.com. They're just happy to have won ONE leg of the Race.

As Karen rests again about two-thirds-way up, Colin LEAPS from his boat and tells the workers there to harness him up quickly. He's very sure he can pass Karen and vault into third, thus keeping them in the hunt for the FINISH LINE. "Linda, this is all can do!" shouts Karen as she starts to cry. Christie cries as well as she states that she believes in Colin and eggs him on as he starts his ascent... just as Chip & Kim kayak out. Colin is like Spider-Man(TM) as he uses the ascender like a pro, quickly going head-and-foot up the rope. Linda yells at Karen to move it... but Karen is all but spent.

"Chip & Kim, you're team number two!" That's what Phil announces to the Married Parents as they arrive at the PIT STOP. Kim tells Chip as they kiss, "I really do appreciate you."

Karen is exhausted... and lets Colin slip on by. She finds SOME strength to try and keep up with him... but it's not enough. Karen yells, "Linda, I'm sorry," as Colin gets to the clue first and repels before she can even make it to the top. Christie is so happy... and Colin shouts it out. Linda says they gave it 110%... then yells at Karen to take the last story or two up. She finally makes it, and Linda says Karen's kids will be proud of her. Team Type A has trouble getting on the kayak, but they are quick to head out and towards the PIT STOP, with Team Bowling Moms left behind as Karen repels slowly.

"Colin & Christie, you're team number three!" They are the final team to go to the FINISH LINE back in the U.S. of A! Colin just wants to stretch his arms and legs out and rest!

Karen is upset as Linda paddles by herself towards the PIT STOP... but she knows that there's so much she can do once all her kids are grown and left the nest. Linda's proud of Karen for putting up with her. But the hard reality hits them when Phil says those tragic words:

"Linda & Karen, you're the last team to arrive. I'm sorry to tell you that you've both been eliminated from the Race!"

They bowled a lot of strikes... but they left one standing today. But Linda refuses to let Karen take the blame. Karen hugs her teammate and says, "I love Linda! I love her forever!" (AWWWW-BARF!) But the several hundred miles they're traveled is all that's left in their frames. So close... and, yet, so not.

So what do the Final Six have to say this close to a million bucks?!

Christie: "Going into the 13th leg, EVERYONE wants to win!"
Kim: "Whatever it takes us to win, that's what we're gonna do!"
Brandon: "If the Lord has it in mind for Nicki and I to win, then NO
ONE is going to stop us!"
Colin: "We're the strongest team!"
Brandon: "They're not even gonna see us coming!"
Chip: "It is on like Donkey Kong, baby!"
 

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