Meanwhile, the other teams leave the PIT STOP for the bus terminal. Linda & Karen (Team Bowling Moms) and Chip & Kim (Married Parents) go the wrong way and all the others motor to make it to the long line waiting to by tickets. Marshall & Lance depart 2 hours and 34 minutes behind the leaders... and are shocked that they've agreed with each other all the way. By 6am, they all arrive at the station... and they all wait for the opening of the El Valle ticket counter.

Oh, wait... not QUITE all. Colin & Christie decided to see what OTHER bus companies are there. The same employee informs them that Via Bariloche has a bus that departs THREE HOURS SOONER that El Valle... but arrives at the same time since it had more stops to make. Still, it's more comfortable so they stand in front of that counter until it opens at 7am. At this, Team Pizza Brothers and Team Hi-Lo get on line behind them, followed swiftly by every other team. With all in the line, some decide to retain the order they had on the OTHER line. But other teams argue the point and a shouting match ensues between them.

Then Colin & Christie do a sneaky thing; they buy out the remaining eight tickets on the earlier bus, specifically to keep "Mirna and Shmirna" off the bus. They give the other tickets to Brandon & Nicole, Marshall & Lance and Chip & Kim. The four teams then decide to research and try to get on the same flight. Since they have three extra hours to kill, they walk to the nearest travel agent and book the best flight to Russia they can.

At 9:30am, Team Hi-Lo, Team Twins, Team Bowling Moms and Team Net-Widowers board the earlier (though slower) bus. Back at the travel agent, it turns out that ONE team can get on a slightly earlier flight. Lance has no problem letting Colin & Christie go on that earlier flight because they bought the bus tickets. The Married Parents agree... but the Models look like they don't like the idea. Like it or not, they board the 12noon bus and head off on their long bus ride to the Argentine capital.

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA

At 7:52am the next day, the El Valle bus arrives and the four teams get off and grab taxis to the Buenos Aries International Airport. 11 minutes later, the Via Bariloche bus arrives and the four teams on THAT bus depart... but the Models go their OWN way, leaving the other three scratching their heads... and hoping to get the earlier flight.

At the airport, Team Hi-Lo gets on a Swiss Air flight's priority list. Bob & Joyce get a flight to Madrid and look for another airline to book them from Spain to Russia. Kami & Karli and Linda & Karen form a temp alliance to get tickets on Iberia Airlines together. The conniving Models arrive alone and get on the phone to get on the earlier flight.

As a group of nuns descend on the escalator, they get a flight on British Airways... though it's not the one Colin & Christie are on.

Team Type A leave on the earliest flight, making connections in Sao Paulo, Uruguay and Paris, France. While the Married Parents and Team Pizza Brothers get THEIR reservations, in walks the Models to get THEIR spots on the British Airwaves flight (which is via Sao Paulo and London, England). When the other teams find out about this, Marshall retorts, "I ain't mad at 'em but... they're scumbags!" Charla & Mirna are out of luck with Swiss Air, since they have no seats left... and they scramble to find a flight while Team Pizza Brothers and Chip & Kim and Marshall & Lance depart for Madrid, then to Frankfurt, Germany and finally to St. Petersburg.

Meanwhile, Team Net-Widowers find out they reserved the wrong tickets for their Air France flight. See, they got "business class", the first-class seats of international travel... and the rules of the Race FORBID anyone from flying any way but "economy class". The BAD news is, if Charla & Mirna are right, there ARE no more economy tickets to St. Petersburg LEFT for the day. But the Net-Widowers don't give up... and find a Lufthansa flight there. They get booked on the flight... which happens to be the same one Kami & Karli and Linda & Karen are on. The three teams make their way to Madrid, where Bob & Joyce will jump on a flight to Frankfurt and let the other two teams connect via Paris.

This leaves Team Hi-Lo having gone from second to last in a Moscow minute. However, they check the flights one more time for cancellations... and they FIND one where a group has cancelled! Best of all, THEIR flight only has ONE stopover in Frankfurt... so they COULD jump back into the thick of it.

"Oh, my God..." is what Mirna mutters when she sees Marshall & Lance and Chip & Kim show up, waiting for the same flight in Frankfurt, Germany! They ARE back in the Race!

ST. PETERSBURG (formerly Leningrad), RUSSIA

It's a chilly day in the once-capital of Russian Empire and place of the death of the final Czar as Colin & Christie find a taxi to take them to the battleship "Aurora". Brandon & Nicole aren't too far behind. Team Type A arrives at the battleship, climb up near the turrets and find a...

DETOUR: BLOCK FIVE SHOTS OR DRINK ONE SHOT?

BLOCK FIVE SHOTS: Hockey is a big sport in Russia, so head down to a
nearby CKA Hockey Rink, put on protective gear and - working together -
block five slapshots by professional hockey players. Once the fifth
shot is deflected BY YOU, the coach will give you the next clue.
DRINK ONE SHOT: Travel a longer distance to the Anichkov Palace and
perform a Cossack tradition: balance a shot of vodka on a saber and
drink it without dropping or grabbing the glass. When both of you do
this correctly, the next clue is yours.

Team Type A say they HAVE to do DRINK ONE SHOT. As they hop into the taxi, the Models arrive and decide on BLOCK FIVE SHOTS since Brandon's uncomfortable drinking vodka...despite Nicole's objections.

At Anichkov Palace, Colin & Christie find a bunch of dancing Russians and a line of sabers. Colin takes a sword and a helper balances a shot glass of vodka on it. The idea is to tilt the sword so that the glass hits your mouth and still keeps contact with the sword until the vodka is gone. Colin does this without a hitch. Christie has a LITTLE difficulty, but is successful. They grab the clue to the cheering Russians and, departing, rip it open:

ROUTE INFO: Find the Bronze Horseman (a large statue of the founder of the city, Peter the Great) in the middle of the city to get your next clue.

Meanwhile, at the CKA Hockey Rink, the Models are arguing; Nicole REALLY doesn't want to have pucks slamming her while Brandon REALLY doesn't want to drink vodka. Nicole hasn't skated since she was 5... and it shows. "If this hurts," she says to Brandon, "you're in a LOT of trouble." Brandon falls on his ass after missing the first shot, but Nicole deflects the next one. Brandon misses the next one, but stops the next two. With confidence, they block two of the next four, get the next clue and "gets the puck outta there"!

While the Models were blocking shots, Team Type A find the Bronze Horseman where the next clue says:

ROUTE INFO: Hope you're hungry; head for the Old Tower Restaurant in the town of Pushkin to obtain your next clue.

Later, back at the airport, Team Hi-Lo, Team Pizza Brothers and the Married Parents touch-down at last and head for the battleship, with Chip & Kim (as always, as they say) bringing up the rear.

PUSHKIN, RUSSIA

As Brandon & Nicole find the statue, Colin & Christie arrive at the restaurant and run right into a...

ROAD BLOCK: ("Who's got a taste for the good life") You must consume one kilogram (2.205 pounds) of caviar (fish eggs). You may drink as much water and juice as needed but you must swallow all of the caviar.  Once you are finished, the waiter will give you your next clue.

The team is CERTAIN it's an eating task and Colin's certain that he can't keep it down. So Christie volunteers. Upon looking at the large bowl of black fish eggs, however, it makes HER stomach turn a bit. She swallows a huge spoonful reluctantly and Colin warns her about eating too much too fast. Spoonful by spoonful, sip by sip, she downs the caviar and chases it with water and juice (and a little rubbing from Colin)... and feels ill.

Meanwhile, Charla & Mirna and Marshall & Lance arrive at the battleship and grab the DETOUR, both deciding to DRINK (though Charla changes her mind and they decide to BLOCK instead). As both teams leave, Chip & Kim arrive, find the clue and choose DRINK as well. At the rink, Charla looks... rather cute in the kiddie hockey uniform, but it DOES give the shooters a few square feet more room to score. Meanwhile, Team Pizza Brothers arrive at the Palace and have no problem chugging the vodka down on the sword. As they leave with the clue, the Married Parents arrive and down THEIR shots. While the brothers have trouble finding the statue (and Marshall has trouble with his knees in the cold weather), the parents take a taxi and beat them there. Team Hi-Lo blocks THEIR five shots and grabs a cab to the statue, then to the restaurant behind the other two.

Back at the restaurant, the Models arrive and loudly announce that Nicole will do the task. This churns Christie's stomach even more than the caviar. Brandon thinks Nicole can swallow a kilo easy... until he actually SEES the bowl. And, when Nicole TASTES it... she frowns greatly. Christie's not doing much better, starting to cry as Colin tries to consul her. She's ready to give up with some ounces to go...and Nicole claims to be full. Brandon thinks the Race is over since NOBODY is going to get past this ROAD BLOCK... but Colin is confident EVERYONE will do it... INCLUDING Christie.

In comes the Married Parents, with Chip volunteering to "taste the good life". He freaks at all the caviar he has to gobble up, but he starts to rush through them while the "full" girls watch helplessly. As Marshall and Charla join the eatery crowd, Chip shovels the caviar down... and finishes first! The self-proclaimed "stragglers" have a chance to win a leg!

ROUTE INFO - PIT STOP: Choose a horse-drawn open sleigh outside the restaurant and ride it to Catherine's Palace (the 300-year-old palace built by Peter the Great for his wife, Catherine the Great), the next PIT STOP. WARNING: the last team to check in will be ELIMINATED!

Chip & Kim have no problem finding a sleigh and relaxing en route to the Palace, chanting "We're number one!" all the way. Back inside, though, the others are STILL choking down their caviar... though, for some reason, Marshall is handling it better that the ladies are. Christie has, in fact, given up...but Colin will hear NONE of it and all but demands Christie to finish, since Charla and Marshall are going to pass them! Christie takes the last spoonfuls begrudgingly... and everyone applauds her as she and Colin depart.

PIT STOP: CATHERINE'S PALACE, PUSHKIN, RUSSIA

The Married Parents jog up the steps and into the Palace to meet Phil, who tells them the news they NEVER thought they would hear: "Chip & Kim, you are team number one!" They are so happy to be in the lead... and they are determined to STAY there.

Meanwhile, the fish-egg eating contest continues between Marshall, Nicole and Charla... well, between Marshall and Charla. Nicole just feels sick after barely TOUCHING the caviar. She even curls up in a ball on the floor, feeling nauseous. Marshall cleans his bowl and he and Lance depart in third place while Charla struggles. Team Hi-Lo DOES finish, though, leaving the Models on the floor whimpering.

Colin & Christie arrive at the PIT STOP in second. Colin is very proud of Christie for sucking it up and downing that caviar. Marshall & Lance are happy with third and Charla & Mirna do their traditional hug of Phil after coming in fourth.

Uh, wait a second... (counts off teams)... that's only five teams... and
the Race currently has eight. Oh, yeah... Team Bowling Moms and Team
Twins arrive in St. Petersburg far behind the lead pack and race to the battleship. They both decide to DRINK on the DETOUR. Team Net-Widowers arrive at the airport in last, but still think positively (and rightfully so, since Nicole's STILL on the floor). THEY decide to BLOCK instead. Linda & Karen and Kami & Karli drink with little difficulty and go looking for the Bronze Horseman. Bob & Joyce manage to block five shots easily and, likewise, head for the Horseman. It's Twins, Moms and Net-Widowers heading towards the ROAD BLOCK.

At said ROAD BLOCK, Nicole is on her back in a makeshift bed inside the restaurant. She's still conscious and drinking herbal tea... but still fairly ill. Still, she decides to try another bite and see what happens. She shivers at the first spoon, but she trudges on with Brandon's encouragement. Finally, she chokes down the last spoonful and they take off for Catherine's Palace, assured of fifth place... and proclaiming their love on the sleigh.

That puts pressure on the last three teams. Team Twins and Team Bowling Moms arrive at the same time, nominating Karli and Linda respectively to choke down the fish eggs. Karli has problems after a while, but Linda RIPS through the bowl and passes them into sixth place. Karli manages to choke it down and she and Kami get to the PITSTOP... in seventh, but still in the Race.

Joyce shovels the caviar down (not knowing that the Race was over for
them before they even made the restaurant) and she and Bob arrive to
the bad news: the over 8000 miles they traveled over the last few days
is as far as Team Net-Widowers will be going. Still, they DID make it
to the Eastern Hemisphere... and they're blessed with "second love" and
the end of their loneliness.