ARCHIVES: The Amazing Race 2
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Eleven teams of two, joined by friendship or relationship, competed in a frenetic race around the world for a pot of $1,000,000.

The only things that get in their way? Several physical and mental tasks, a few language barriers, and perhaps each other.

Recaps by Gordon Pepper, GSNN


FACT FILE:
Airdate:
March-May 2002, CBS
Host:
Phil Keoghan
Creator: Elise Doganieri, Bertram van Munster
EP: Jerry Bruckheimer, Bertram van Munster
Packager: Jerry Bruckheimer TV, Worldrace Prods., CBS Prods., Amazing Race Prods., Touchstone TV


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April 3, 2002

In a shocking twist last week, one of the favorites was eliminated as Shola and Doyin took the express jeep out of the game (but don't ask them to do it in shift gear). But the game will shift again as another team will be shifted out of the competition.

Once again, we start the action before the teams leave to start the next leg - and the focus is on Blake and Paige, who seem to be pissing off all of the teams. The latest ones were the sisters, who accused the siblings of cutting them and are yelling at them for making the grannies cry when they cut in front of them.

According to Wil, "Blake and Paige have done everything under their power to disrupt this race. ..If that's the way that the game is going to be played - I'll feed him to the tiger." Blake overhears Wil saying this, and we get Wil Vs. Blake, Round 1. This ends with the teams yelling at Blake for not playing by the rules, and Blake simmers off.

Oswald and Danny (and their healing feet) go first and they see that they have to go to Bangkok, Thailand - they have to get there from Windhoek. Remember when Wil accused Gary and Dave of speeding last episode? Sure enough, Gary and Dave did speed - as did the bouncers. Ooooh - lots of cheating - so they get penalized 42 minutes. So Wil and Tara get the second spot, followed by Gary and Dave.

The siblings and sisters go next, and it seems like Blake may have had a change of heart. Blake, 'I'm going to let them go first, since we jumped in front of them'. That tune changes when Blake and Paige get into their taxi. 'If we cut in front of them, then we cut in front of them'. Chris and Alex leave around 4 hours after Danny and Oswald, including their own penalty for speeding. They all get the plane tickets to Thailand. When the teams get to Johannesburg, the teams finagle to get to the front of the plane. All of the teams get on the same airplane - 'It's an even level playing field'.

And since all of the teams are waiting at the airport, we all get a dose of Will and Blake round 2 - they get involved in the airport, and absolutely nothing gets solved. Both teams say things are patched up, but neither team is happy. Gary and Dave may be selling tickets to that celebrity boxing match that was proposed last episode.

Once in Bangkok, the teams have to find the temple dancers. Gary and Dave get there first, followed by Blake and Paige. Meanwhile, Tara and Wil are waiting for Chris and Alex to get their stuff - and WIl wants to end this alliance. Tara stops him, which leads to even more squabbling. When Tara reminds Wil that the bouncers waited for them at the airport, Wil responds with, 'I don't want to play anymore' and he storms off.

After bitching and moaning with Tara, Wil brings his happy game face back to the bouncers - they rent a van to their next destination and Wil takes all of the credit. Tara looks like she wants to pull the Survivor Twist game and switch Wil off for a bouncer - or for a Buddha Statue, for that matter. The sisters take a skyvan with the pastors. Meanwhile, the gay friends and the Pastors are still stuck at the airport trying to find the sky train.

Gary and Dave get to the temple dancers first - and get a Detour. The decisions the team has to make are as follows:

Confusion now - teams have to go to a water taxi dock - and find a bird shop - but it will be easy to do what they have to do (release a bird cage full of sparrows).
Confusion Later - take a taxi cab to China Town, but they have to figure out that they have to burn a paper car in a specific area.

Gary and Dave decide to go to China Town and find the cars. Wil/Tara, the bouncers, and Blake and Paige all get to the Temple dancers at the same time. The couple and the bouncers decide to water taxi it, While the siblings go to China Town.

The Pastors and the gay friends still can't find the Temple Dancers. "We really need a lot of help", says Danny. Personal or Professional? But Danny and Oswald do a game-saving thing and find a native who is more than willing to play hooky for the day. The Pastors don't do anything of the sort and get a Dumbass-Award of the episode for wandering around aimlessly looking for the
dancers.

Gary and Dave get the car first, and get a car for Gary's late grandfather. 'I'm sorry we sent you a BMW' - they burnt it - but they burnt it at the wrong place. So they have to go back and get another BMW for Gary's grandfather.

Danny and Oswald catch up to the siblings and the NY Geeks, thanks to their guide. Panicking, the siblings pick the wrong place to burn their car - again - and have to get a third car. Meanwhile, Gary and Dave finally burn the second car in the right place, and they get the next clue - go to the Temple at Ratchaburi and find a temple in Waikokong there - you can only take the public buses to get there.

While that's going on, the bouncer/couple alliance released the sparrows and they are going to the temple. The sisters get there right afterwards. Blake and Paige finally get the third car burnt and they are on their way. The pastors finally get the water taxi - but they are now in last place.

Gary and Dave get the first bus to Ratchaburi, and Chris and Alex get the second bus. Wil thinks that they got put at the bus station, but they are no where near it, and Tara and Wil squabble again. They recover and get the 4th bus out there, but they get overtaken by the sisters, who get the 3rd bus to Ratchaburi. Blake and Paige get the 5th bus, Oswald and Danny get the 6th bus, while the Pastors are now getting to the bird market. You think, for the third straight episode, that a team may not finish all of the exercises on a leg?

Gary and Dave are caught by the Bouncers, and Gary and Dave start a little rivalry between Boston and the Yankees. 'The kid is on a crack pipe', says Chris. But its the bouncer's taxi that has a cracked pipe, and a radiator leak forces them to stop while Gary and Dave take the lead.

The New York Geeks go to the temple first, with Chris and Alex right behind. But Gary and Dave stop in the wrong monastery in the temple and the bouncers find the flag first and get there first to the roadblock. One member of the team has to find a flag in the cave - the flag is surrounded by millions of BATS and COCKROACHES. Chris and Alex get done first, and get the directions to the Pit Stop - Ban Plai Bon Pang.

Gary and Dave can't find the flag at the temple, and both the sisters and Blake and Paige go past the NY Geeks. Peach gets into the cave first before the other 2 teams - but the other 2 teams get out first, causing Mary to worry. Peach finally comes out and they get moving.

Chris and Alex get a long boat and they are well on their way to their check in at first, meanwhile, their alliance buddies, Tara and Wil, are well on their way to 5th, but they are ahead of both the Pastors and Danny and Oswald, who get to the Bat Temple before the Pastors.

Wil, 'My karma payback started today. If we get back in the race, I promise I will not be anything except humble. praise to Allah.' yeah, ok. Mary and Peach come in second, Tara and Wil do come in third, and Blake and Paige come in fourth, with Gary and Dave coming in fifth.

The race is coming down to the Pastors and Danny and Oswald. The Pastors finally get done with the bat cave but Oswald and Danny squeak it out for the sixth and final spot. The Pastors slow start comes to haunt them as they will have plenty of time to hang out with Allah in Bangkok - because that's as far as they are going in this race.


April 10, 2002

We no longer have the favorite for anyone in the high heavens, since the pastors have experienced the book in the Old Testament called 'Exodus'. We are down to Danny/Oswald, Mary/Peach, Alex/Chris, Gary/Dave, and the lovebirds Tara/Wil and Blake/Paige.

We start by seeing flashbacks of Wil being modest and humble, Blake and Paige being lost, and the bouncers moving into first place. And that's where they start when they leave their Pit Stop - got to Bangkok and find a flower vendor in Ampawa - which is located in the biggest flower district in Thailand. Chris and Alex run into the great equalizer - the non-understanding Taxi Driver. The sisters go next - and they find a driver that knows where the place is. Tara and Wil are third, and after Wil's promise to be humble, Wil immediately reverts back to Ill Wil and yells at the boat driver. So much for Wil trying to be more modest. 'He didn't even last 10 seconds into it' says Tara.

The siblings are next, and then Gary and Dave. All of the teams get into town, which kills the first place lead. Gary and Dave start spewing venom about Blake and Paige. 'I think the only thing they ever cared about was their sorority slots.' Ouch.

While all of the teams are in the town, Oswald and Danny finally leave Pai Plong - and they already used their Fast Forward, so they need another team to make a massive mistake to get them back into this. 'It is so frustrating, that it really makes it hard to compete.' They are already in danger of being an afterthought in this episode.

Meanwhile, Gary and Dave are still talking trash. 'In order to win this race, you need 2 people with the killer instinct. Peach can't kill anything except maybe a pink margarita.' This sisters, meanwhile, seem to be gaining ground on everyone, and seem to be the first team that has some sort of notion on where the flower vendors are.

Gary and Dave on Chris and Alex - 'The bouncers are completely out of their element. There are no beer bongs here...and there are no drunken women.' The NY Geeks may be correct on this analysis, since Chris and Alex seem to actually be moving away from the flower vendors. Meanwhile, Danny and Oswald do wind up at the party - and now everyone is at the market, making this a brand new ballgame.

The first team that finally finds the flower vendors is Chris and Alex, but the sisters, seeing the bouncers leaving, are right behind them. As for the clue? Find the Old Bridge in Chiang Mai - take a train to get there. Tara and Wil are third, Wil 'It took good eyes to find the flag'. Tara 'You giving me props now?' Wil'....' Tara 'Nah, didn't think so'. Following the pattern of people, the siblings are next, then Gary and Dave, and finally Danny and Oswald, who are starting to become bitchy because they are in last and they don't have time to shop.

But Tara and Wil find out that there is only one train - for a 15 hour ride - so once again all of the teams are equalized, thanks to the train leaving. All of the teams are on the same train, and with the extra time, they all go SHOPPING!!!! Oswald and Danny are now happy again. Meanwhile, Gary and Dave are trying to figure out how to take advantage of the fact that 4 of the teams are shopping together, while Tara looks like she is trying to take advantage of the bouncers, much to the chagrin of Wil - yo, Wil - Tara ain't yours anymore. Get over it.

The siblings by some shades and fashion accessories, while Mary and Peach get into a fight over shopping vs. bartering. CAT FIGHT! Didn't they learn about bartering a few episodes ago? 'I think it could affect the race, the tension between us', say Peach. What's tension filled is the 98 degrees, non-air conditioning ride for a lovely 15 hour ride. 'The race has only made me realized that 5 star hotels are worth every penny that you pay for' says Oswald, Mr. 'once you drink Champagne, you don't want to drink Pepsi', who is apparently sick of the whole thing. 'He's in a bad place, so if he doesn't want to stay in, I can't make him stay' retorts Danny. Since this isn't a Mark Burnett show, we are looking at some major foreshadowing here and after this episode, we may have run out of Minority Teams.

Oswald and Danny kiss and make-up, while Wil seems to be spending more attention to the 6 year old boy who wants to play walkie-talkie then with Tara. After the train ride from Hell, the siblings get the first taxi, while other teams pair up to split the cost. All of the teams gather to the next clue - a Detour:

Travel by:
Boat - Use a bamboo raft and navigate the current
Beast - navigate via an elephant

The speeds can vary via how well they use their respective transportation.

Gary and Dave and the sisters do the boat, followed by the siblings, and Oswald and Dave, who also take the raft. Wil/Tara and the bouncers also decide to go rafting - and all 6 teams are on the same river. Danny and Oswald get their raft grounded, when Danny jumps in the water, gets the raft out, and steers past the siblings into third. 'I have a bitch bone in my body', explains Danny. Meanwhile, the sisters get past Gary and Dave and take the lead. On the reverse side of the spectrum, Wil and Tara are in last place, and Wil, by not listening to Tara, is steering the boat into trees. Wil, 'If the communication continues to be going the way it seems to be going, then we're going to lose'. Well, maybe if you would be a bit more humble, like you promised you would be...

Mary and Peach get to the next flag first and its time to go to Mae Ping Village. A home for elephants that take part in major religious ceremonies. Gary and Dave, the siblings, Danny and Oswald, the bouncers, and Tara and Wil complete the order. Gary is yelling at Dave to not break the speed limit, Dave tells Gary to shut up - will they take another speed penalty?

Meanwhile, Wil and Tara pass the bouncers and get out of the dangerous last place position. Mary and Peach get to the roadblock - have one person wash all of the traditional markings off of an elephant. The sisters finish first and Dave, who is bribing the elephant with peanuts to stand still, come in second. The Pit Stop is to go to Karen Village, near Chai-Dong 'It was great until the elephant took a dump on my foot' says Blake, who finishes in third. Danny and Oswald are right behind them.

It's a neck and neck race between Tara and Wil and the bouncers to avoid coming in last. The bouncers are done first and they go past Tara and Wil into 5th place. All of the the teams are within minutes of each other.

The sisters wind up in first in this leg, with Gary and Dave 30 seconds behind them. The siblings come in third, followed by Dave and Oswald.

But it's the ending of the last 2 teams that made this episode controversial. Tara and Wil and the bouncers all walk together to the finish line. And they all knew that it was a non-elimination lap - since the clue did not say that the last team would be eliminated. Even though the bouncers were leading all the way, and even though that the teams walked together, Wil makes the dumbass move of the episode by walking in front of the Bouncers right at the end to grab 5th place. Sure enough, the lap was a non-elimination one, but that pisses off the Bouncers and the only team that didn't want to throw Wil into a dumpster has just grabbed a hefty Bag. 'We will have to show Wil and teach him a lesson, a lesson in humility, and we will do that by taking his woman' says Alex. Someone will be taught a lesson next week, as the next lap is an elimination lap.


April 17, 2002

After an uneventful episode that basically pissed all of the teams off at Wil, we're off again to an elimination episode - you come in last this time, and you get to start working on Survivor 5 application a little bit earlier than you would like.

Mary and Peach start off this leg first - they have to go to the Seven Spires in the city of Chang Mai. The Seven Spires is one of the most sacred temples. Gary and Dave go next 'You're tired, you're not eating right, you're not sleeping right, you're whole system is out of whack - you have to deal with it' says Gary. Truer words were never spoken in this episode, and that will come to haunt a team big-time.

The brother and sister team are next out of the shoot, followed by Oswald and Danny. The once-friends, and now enemies Tara and Wil and the bouncers leave within a minute of each other.

Mary and Peach, not knowing where they are, decide to play some strategy and let Gary and Dave pass - so they can follow them. The strategy works as both teams get there and read the next clue - go to the top floor on the tallest building in Hong Kong. The tallest building in the city is called Central Plaza, and the first 2 teams hail a cab to get to the airport. How much do you want to guess that the airplane is going to be a bother great equalizer?

Tara and Wil pass Danny and Oswald, who get confused and need directions. But they are both in front of the last place bouncers. Sure enough, the airport opens at 6am and the first flight leaves at 7am, as Gary and Dave find out the hard way. All of the teams attempt to make the reservations via phone.

Dave screws up the reservations, gets a 10:40 flight, and gets chewed out by Gary, while Tara just gets chewed out by Wil for whatever reason that Wil feels like chewing Tara out for. The bouncers decide to make nice-nice with Tara and Wil again - 'keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer', as the bouncers are trying to figure out when is the right time to make the puncture wounds in Wil and Tara's backs.

But back to the plane flights. All of the teams get on the flight to Hong Kong together in one group as Gary and Dave get the early lead out of the airport. Next stop? Train tickets, and Gary and Dave is the only team that gets the first train. The bouncers, the siblings, and Tara and WIl take the second train, while Danny and Oswald take the third train. The sisters make the dumb-ass move of the episode early, and lose the map while they get into the fourth train.

Gary and Dave find Central Plaza and get the next clue - using binoculars, find the green and white colors of the Star Ferry Terminal - which will take them across the harbor to the next clue. The newly patched up Bouncer and Tara/Wil alliance are next. And they are on the way up while Gary and Dave are still trying to find the green and white colors. Gary and Dave get sick of looking and elect to go to the Fast Forward.

A team can only use the Fast Forward once during the trip - but it gives them the directions to the Pit Stop without having to do any more challenges for the leg. This Fast Forward is in Wai Son Temple - they have to find Fortune Teller Amelia Chow, and each team member gets a reading (one member a palm reading, the other member a face reading). Gary and Dave decide to do this and leave just as the threesome arrive. 'This is like finding a needle in a haystack', says Paige, as they are looking for it.

Oswald and Danny are trailing, but at least they know where they are going - unlike the sisters, who are telling the Taxi Driver the wrong place to go - 'There is no central - it's center' says Mary, when they find out that it is Central, Peach looks like she wants to shove Mary under the taxi. After getting frustrated in failing to find the building (how can you not find the biggest building in Hong Kong?) they also elect to go for the Fast Forward, whch is described by Gary and Dave like this, 'Using the Fast Forward is like losing your virginity - you can only use it once and you can never go back to it. That's why we're a little scared but also a bit giddy.' You better hurry, or it will be Mary and Peach that will pop your cherry.

Chris and Wil find the ferry - and all six leave right as Danny and Oswald get there - and they find it much quicker than the six pack - so much quicker that they meet them down there while they are waiting for the next ferry. Meanwhile, Gary and Dave get to the Wai Sin Temple first, but the sister don't know this and proceed down there, pretty much wrapping their fate, barring disaster befalling one of the other teams. 'You don't have to be a mind reader to read what's on our face'. What about you're screwed?

The 4 pack of teams hit a detour -

Wishing Tree - Go 18 miles to find a tree, write a wish on it, and toss it in the center of the area.
Herbal Tea - find a Tea shop in a crowded marketplace and drink a foul smelling tea.

Danny and Oswald decide to find the tree. The rest go market shopping.

Gary and Dave find Amelia Chow, get the reading done - which is her saying that they are competing against other teams (wheeeee). They get the Fast Forward - go to Hong Kong Harbor and find a junk with that orange flag in it.

Mary and Peach find Amelia Chow - 10 minutes after Gary and Dave do. 'Today has been nothing but negatives - it's been nothing but one big mistake.' Well the big mistake will culminate in you getting ejected from the race.

Mary ' The number one rule is never quit, so we'll continue to see what happens'. What happens is that Mary is not using her head and panicking - instead of following the clue, she is asking for directions. Duh. Meanwhile, Gary and Dave get to the harbor and find the galleon that they are looking for. They come in first place for the leg.

Mary and Peach finally get to the detour - but Tara and Wil have gotten to the tea place at 3:05. 'There were 18 ingredients and I didn't recognize any of them'. They get the next clue - go to the Hong Kong Container Port - specifically the HIT Terminals. The Bouncers get there at 3:12pm. Meanwhile, Danny and Oswald get to the tree at 3:18. 'I wished for love. I wished for good health for the entire family' Awwwwwwbarf.

Blake and Paige get to the tea, and away they go to the Container Ports. But Wil and Tara are first, followed by the bouncers. While they're are at it, Danny and Oswald have a great exchange.

Danny - 'You haven't let me eat?'
Oswald - 'No, I I haven't let you eaten - we're trying to finish this leg, we can not stop for food.'
D: You're not even letting me go to the bathroom...there's food over there'
O: You have been eliminated (silence) I do not want to hear those words.
(Silence)
D: OK

We now know who wears the pants in the team, so to speak. Not that they have anything to worry about, since Mary and Peach are still stuck in the town looking for the tea.

Roadblock time - the person selected has to get up into a crane and move a container off of a truck onto the ground. Once the crane is back in place, the teams can take the clue that's on the container that they just moved onto the ground.

The bouncers and Wil and Tara make thie s friendly competition. 'We have to beat Wil and Tara' But it's Tara that has taken the quick lead. 'She's good' says Wil. Where are these compliments in front of Tara? Meawhile, it's the bouncers turn to bitch at each other, as Alex is yelling to Chris. 'What the hell are you doing?....NOOOOO!!!!!' Tara completes the stunt first 'My greatest achievement of the race so far has been that I beat Chris at the roadblock. He's the biggest guy here - and I whooped him.' Wil, of course, has no problems rubbing that in as he trash talks to Alex. 'Sometimes girls are better than guys. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.'

Tara and Wil get the final clue - get to that junk in Hong Kong Harbor. And they run to a taxi - which just got flagged by someone else. The bouncers take the first taxi out of the construction area. Danny and Oswald get there next, and they are joined by Blake and Paige. Danny finishes first. 'I was starting to feel just a big masculine' uhhhh...yeah. Ok.

Mary and Peach are still looking for the Tea Shop - but Blake doesn't know that, and he thinks that they are in last , so he tries to rush it, which backfires on him big-time and he has to redo the whole thing. This gives Mary and Peach a possible back door into gaining some ground, but Peach, who's sick, tired, and hungry, finds the wrong time to make a power play. She refuses to drink it, and her stalling is costing the team whatever chance that they had into getting back into the race. Mary convinces Peach to drink it, and she does - but she gets even sicker and throws up, which costs the team even more precious time.

The sun is starting to set - and maybe set on Blake's chances, but he does get it done and they get the directions to the Pit Stop, This pretty much deep sixes the sisters, as Mary consoles Peach, but Peach has had enough and wants to quit. Yes, she contributed, but if Mary didn't lose the map, then they woudn't have gotten so ragged out in the first place and maybe Peach
could have stayed physically able to continue.

The Bouncers, thanks to the aid of a lone Taxi, come in second place. Wil and Tara come in third, as both teams at the bottom have catapulted themselves back to the top. In the sunset, despite getting lost, Oswald and Danny come in fourth, despite Danny's promise to throw up on Phil's shoes if he gets sea-sick. Blake and Paige come in fifth, and for the fourth time in the show, a team does not get to finish the final challenge as the sisters come in last. And for the second time ever, a team jumps from first place to eliminated in one single episode. History may repeat itself next week with another team going bye bye.


April 24, 2002

So after watching a Survivor Episode which was mostly used to generate higher rating... I mean to catch-up everyone as to what's going on, we have a Amazing Race which will be used to generate higher rating... I mean have a 2 hour special episode. If you follow the pattern of the episodes from last season, this episode should be a non-elimination lap, but would they really have a 2 hour special if they didn't eliminate anyone at the end of it? Or could it be 2 episodes combined into one big one? Well, let's find out together...

Last week, Peach lost...well, her Peaches...as well as the rest of her lunch, as her and Mary throw themselves up and out of the race. This leaves Gary and Dave (New York Geeks), Tara and Wil (estranged couple), Chris and Alex (bouncers), Danny and Oswald (gay friends) and Blake and Paige (siblings) left in the race.

The first clue for this leg is at the statue of Tien-Hou is Rifalse Bay. 'Our Fast-Forward lead has been destroyed by the luck of the clue.' That is has, since the park doesn't open until 8am - more than enough time for all of the teams to play catch-up. The Bouncers go next - and they wait for the first bus to leave to get to Rifalse Bay - at 6am.

Wil and Tara are next - and Wil starts to decompose. Wil wants to go to use the Fast Forward - which is in Po Lin Monastery. You can only use one Fast Forward for the duration of the race, and Wil wants to use it now - but Tara told the Bouncers that they were going to use the Fast Forward, and since Wil knows this, he second guesses Tara and they decide to turn around and not use it, thinking that the Bouncers have already used it. 'Wil is so worried about the other teams that he is not playing his own game'.

Oswald and Danny's strategy is to go against what all of the other teams are doing and going - do all of the different detours, staying at the hotels - basically ignoring the strategy that the rest of the teams are following. Blake and Paige are in last - and they know it. 'We can't afford to make any more mistakes' says Paige.

Wil and Tara and Blake and Paige take the same bus to get to the statue - and when they get to the statue - and see the Bouncers there. Wil talks about continuing the alliance, while Tara continues to chew out Wil. D'oh! Oswald and Danny stay at the hotel next door, and just get there before the park opens. The next clue - go to the Murray House. During this trip, Gary and Dave create a new nickname for Danny and Oswald - Team 'Cha-Cha-Cha'. Meanwhile, the rest of the teams have a nickname for Gary and Dave - 'Itchy and Scratchy'. Can't you feel the love?

The Bouncers get to Murray House first, and they hit a detour: Dragon or Lion - Either paddle a Dragon boat, which will be harder to maneuver, but on a shorter course, or walk around the village in a Lion Costume, which will be easy to maneuver, but the course is 4 times as long.

All of the teams are there - except Blake and Paige, who are taking a long Taxi ride to nowhere. The great equalizer has struck again, and the siblings are the latest victim of the Taxi Driver from Hell.

The first 3 teams decide to take the Dragon Boat, and Danny and Oswald see this - so of course, following their own strategy, they decide to put on the Lion costume. Meanwhile, Blake uses the Taxi driver's cell phone to realize that they are going in the complete opposite direction, and the costume they want to put on the driver (who had a face of uh-oh when he heard Murray
House) is the Dumbass costume.

After a quick call to the tourism board, who gives the taxi driver directions, they are on the way to Murray Hill, but all of the other teams are well on their way through the course - the bouncers finish the course and get the next set of instructions - go to the Opera House in Sydney, Australia. Benefitting with their bizarre do whatever the other teams don't do mentality, Oswald and Danny are in second, followed by Wil and Tara, while Gary and Dave, who were the first people at Murray Hill, are the last people out of the hill. But they are doing better than Blake and Paige, who play with the Lion costume in last place.

The teams are calling ahead to get the airlines. Danny and Oswald get themselves in stand-by, while Gary and Dave attempt to get a flight as well. They run into Oswald and Danny, who blatantly lie to the New York Geeks and say that they didn't make any reservations. The gay pals continue their strategy and go to the 5 star hotels for a recommendation on the best travel agency to use. Tara and Wil run into the bouncers at the airport. Meanwhile, Danny and Oswald get to the travel agency, who say that they can get them the flight in an hour. So while they're waiting, they decide to do what any other pair of gay friends would do - SHOPPING!!!!!

Danny and Oswald, or team 'Cha-cha cha', as they are being called by the rest of the teams, saunter to the airlines as the teams make the plans to go to Australia. The Bouncers and Tara and Wil get the quickest flight out of there. And when they are done, Gary and Dave start to rant. 'We would like to get the same flight that the 2 deceitful ugly teams just got on'. But they are not alone in venom distribution. Blake, 'Gary and David are definitely the ugliest Americans that I have ever seen'. If Rosie O' Donnell decides to do the Amazing Race reunion special, she may want to think about giving each team their own bleacher.

All 4 teams take the first flight out - with Danny and Oswald taking the next flight 2 hours later. But don't they loook so marrrrrrrvelous? But thanks to the travel agency, Danny and Oswald make it there first, but none of the other teams realize this as they make fun of Team 'Cha-Cha-Cha' Roadblock time - one member of the team has to go on a scavenger hunt - but the clues
are all in Australian slang.

Team Cha-cha-cha go first - and Oswald first has to 'Check out the surfie in the Lairy Daks (guy in a surfboard) - then find an ankle biter (no, I will not make any gay jokes here - it's a kid in a bike), find a Sheila in an Aussie Cozzie (girl in a bathing suit) and then a bushie (someone in the country side with a parrot) - then go to the Pit Stop - the Museum of Contemporary Arts. The first team that gets there wins a Caribbean Cruise Vacation (oooooooooooohhhhh).

Neither Blake or Wil will be going to the Caribbean, as they both pull the dumb-ass move of the episode and NOT READ THE CLUE, which said to find a whole set of clues before returning to their partner. They both return to their partners, who in turn both yell at them. Then both people bring their teammates with them, also a definite no no to the rules. In the words of Gary, 'What an Idiot'

Oswald and Danny get there first - and they win the vacation. The Bouncers get there second, followed by Gary and Dave. Tara and Wil get to the Bushie before reading the clue which says RETURN TO YOUR PARTNER - and Tara realized that Wil screwed this up too. 'Wil, we have to do this all over again. You (BLEEPED) this up.' You have that feeling that Tara probably wishes that she could be an honorary member of the Bouncers?

That being said, there has been no mention of the last team being eliminated, so it looks like this series will be true to form and it will be a non-elimination lap, which is a good thing, since this part of the race has been nothing short of a comedy of errors for Wil/Tara and Blake/Paige. Blake has to do it again as well as Tara and Paige are waiting on the steps.

Paige, 'I can't believe this.' Tara, 'I can, with Wil'

The women vow never to have the guys do a roadblock ever again. 'Wil, you never read them', and both Tara and Wil are squabbling all the way to the Museum of Contemporary Art. But Wil and Tara get to squabble another day, as they get to be in fourth place. Blake and Paige get another taxi from hell, and they get sent to the wrong Museum. That gets them put into last place. However, they also get to squabble for another day as this is a non-elimination lap.

But this episode transitions into the next episode - which starts off in Sydney. Sydney Harbor Bridge is the first location of the clue, and in order to get that, you need to get register with the Sydney Bridge Climb (and of course, climb across the Sydney Bridge). The Sydney Bridge Climb doesn't open until 5:45 am, so this brings all of the teams back together again - well, almost all of them. Chris and Alex decide that now is the time to use the Fast Forward. Harry's Cafe is the site of the Fast Forward, and each person on the team has to eat a meat pie. Gary and Dave are next out of the blocks, followed by Wil and Tara and Blake and Paige.

Wil finally seems to be getting it (or is at least starting to feel the pain of Tara smacking Wil over the head with her pocketbook). 'I've been thinking so much about what all of the other teams have been doing that our own game plan has been slipping.' Blake 'All of the sacrifices that we've made have been for this point'.

The Bouncers have told Blake and Paige that they are going for the Fast Forward, but Blake and Paige decide to go for it anyways. Chris and Alex get the Fast Forward - which tells them that the Pit Stop for this leg is in the Aboriginal Bush Camp in Koober Pidy - in the Australian Outback.

Gary and Dave, while waiting for the Bridge to open, decide to beg for money while they were hanging out outside. The siblings find out that Chris and Alex did take the Fast Forward so they go sign up at the bridge. Blake and Paige and Gary and Dave sleep outside - and it's raining. Oops. Team Cha-Cha-Cha of course stayed in the poshy hotel and all of the teams convene by the bridge.

Go to Adelaide to Coober Pidy and go to the Metal Tree - which is located next to the Big Wench. Meanwhile, Chris and Alex are staying out in Melbourne and they get the first flight to Adelaide. Danny and Oswald use the taxi driver's cell phone to get a 710 flight - and away they go. Wil, who freaks out over heights, gets over it, traverses the bridge, and gets to the airport, where they purchase 8:10 tickets along with Gary and Dave - but Blake and Paige get stand-by tickets, and if they don't get on the 8:10 plane, those stand-by tickets could turn into bye-bye tickets. But they do find a flight and the bottom 3 teams are all on the same flight.

The teams have to fly to Coober Pidy via the National Jet Service - which hosts teams - but 2 teams at a time. Danny and Oswald get to the Service for the 1pm flight - which is the same plane as the Bouncers. It's a furious race to get to the 1:15 flight - Tara and Wil and Blake and Paige get it. Gary and Dave get the last flight, and Gary smacks his fist on the floor in frustration. Oswald and Wil call for instructions on how to get to the Big Winch (Wil to Tara - 'I thought you were the big Wench' - WINCH, Wil, WINCH - well, we see how Wil screws up the Roadblocks now don't we?

All of the teams are within 30 minutes of each other. Danny and Oswald run to the Big Winch, while the Bouncers are running to the Pit Stop. All of the teams are griping about the weather. As the couple and the siblings get there next - but Danny and Oswald get to the detour first.

Coold Down - Dig for an opal in The Opal Quest Mine - it could take a while, but at least you'll be cool.
Heat Up - Play 3 holes of golf in the dryest course in the world. You just get a map to determine where you go in temperatures of 130 degrees.

Oswald and Danny and Wil and Tara decide to do some mining. Blake and Paige decide to go golfing. Gary and Dave go mining. Chris and Alex get to the Bush Camp in first, win a vacation to Cancun, and immediately get eaten by the natives....well, they don't, but that's the last of them that you will see for the episode.

Wil starts second guessing again, but Tara 'It's too late for that now' stops him, and they descend into the caves that Danny and Oswald are currently exploring, 'It looks like everyone that is here are all dressed up out of the Village People'. Wil, 'It's going to take forever' Tara, 'Of course it's going to take forever, you're just sitting there.'

From the Bundy's to the Siblings - Blake and Paige think that they will make up some massive time with this - but they did not complete the hole, so they have to redo it. Tara and WIl think they found one - but they didn't. 'Why are we doing this? I'm not a miner' Tara - 'You're not a miner, you're an idiot!' But they are doing better than Blake and Paige, who haven't completed a hole.

Futility continues to go all around - Danny and Oswald think that they have found an opal - but they haven't and the miner sends them back to the mines. Danny - 'We're never going to finish'. Blake and Paige have completed all 3 holes - and they get to go to Lookout 2 of the Breakaways National Park and follow the trail of valleys to the next clue.

Oswald and Danny finally get an opal and they get to go to the Breakaways. Gary and Dave finally give up mining and decide to go golfing. Tara and Wil stay at the mines while Wil is still checking for Opals - is he looking for the dumbass move of the episode too?

Gary and Dave may have, as Tara and Wil get the opal and are on their way. Oswald and Danny ask for and get directions, while Gary and Dave finally get to the golf course. Blake and Paige get to the Lookout first and get to the Roadblock - throw a boomerang from a circle and make sure the boomerang lands inside the circle. Tara and Wil and Danny and Oswald are now going neck and neck to the Roadblock and all three teams get there just as Gary and Dave complete their third golf hole.

Since there is one circle, all 3 teams alternate throws - and none of them are completing it, which prompts fears that Gary and Dave will catch up to them. WIl 'If itchy and scratchy catch up...' Blake 'We're going to kill you all'. Blake and Paige do finish the boomerang throw first - and they have to hike to the Aboriginal Camp. Blake and Paige come in second.

Tara - 'You''re limp-wristed too.' Oswald 'Shut up, Bitch'. Tara does complete it, and her and WIl come in third. Tara bitch-slaps Wil for 'quitting ten times today', but all is well in the bickering Bickersons camp. Things are good in the limp-wristed camp as well, as Danny and Oswald complete the stunt and come in fourth.

This leaves Gary and Dave - whose change of heart to go golfing does become the Dumb-Ass move of the episode. 'Can you just give me one more chance for old-times sake?' asks Gary. Uhhhhhhh.....no - as this New York team finishes one space worse than the Frat Pack from Amazing Race 1. And then there were four - which will stay four after next week (non-elimination lap #3) - but at least the recap will be sort of entertaining....I hope....

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