"Rock the Kasbah:
Morocco" - December 14
Last time, a marriage that wasn't, a soccer match that
didn't, and a set of flags that were... then quickly
weren't, led to Michael getting the royal shaft. Next
up, Morocco, where Richard notes that whoever wins the
game will have to overcome language barriers and
differences in culture in order to be a success. The
next challenge: designed to do just that. Meanwhile,
more infighting leads us to believe that Candida, or as
Nicole put it, "Can-Diva", is "a walking paradox." She
and Erica make up what the girls call "The Brunette
Bully Brigade".
Candida is elected team
leader, as she elects Nicole as the opposing team
leader.
Team Candida: Heather,
Steve, Gabe
Team Nicole: Erica, Shawn, Sara
We'll get to the
challenge... after dinner at the Royal Palace. Richard's
notes: Steve's an "unusual animal" with a mean
backhand... a VERY mean backhand.. and drive to win at
all costs.
The next challenge:
Richard, as homage to the parents, is opening a new
Virgin resort, the Kasbah Tamadot Suites. Each team will
be given one suite, $5000, and 24 hours to.. yeah, you
know where this is going. It's Renovation Nation time
again. The catch, the Marrakech market where they must
shop is located an hour away from the resort. And no one
speaks the languages (French and/or Arabic). The winning
team keeps the room as it is... forever.
Nicole's team go with
"Mo-Rockin'", complete with drums for tables. Candida
goes for rugs, drapes, mirrors, lamps, a waterfall.
Steve: "Is there a Wal-Mart?" The objective: a great
splash, literally. Gabriel thinks that Candida is
focused too much on the "wow" items and the icing on the
cake before we even have cake. "She manages to get
everyone on the team to lose all respect for her as a
leader within the first hour of this challenge," Steve
said.
Things to know about
Moroccan bartering: prices are not set in stone all
around, so if you go, shop around. Candida sees
separation in her ranks as a hindrance, while Nicole
sees it as help. Sara, as a result, is stuck with Nicki...
So sorry for you. Meanwhile Shawn gets some carpenters
on his side, and already, they have the advantage...
more so. Steve and Heather, meanwhile, decide that it's
time for a mutiny in the market place. Meanwhile, the
girls on Nicole's team discuss pricey curtains.
"One more person grabs
me or grabs my hand, I'm going to scream." That from
Candida. The price wars ... and the grabbing...
continues.
Nine hours to go, and
now comes the decorating... well, a great deal of it..
we hope. Candida and Steve head to market while the rest
of the team stays behind. Meanwhile, Sara and Erica need
to get to Bouchra before closing, as she's closing in 10
minutes. And the race begins.
Candida and Steve...
can't stand each other. Meanwhile, Bouchra gets the
curtains in the Rockin' Team's hands before close.
Heather and Steve complain about Can-Diva's fetish for
blue. We don't have time and funds for fountains, and
Candida can't seem to grasp that concept.
Back at the hotel, Shawn
moves a ladder and... there goes the paint. Disaster!
They manage to clean that up, while Candida's team gets
the bed crooked. Fifteen minutes to go, and both teams
are scrambling. The curtains create problems for
Candida's team... and they end up looking like crap.
Meanwhile over with Nicole's team, it's coming
together... quickly. And here comes Tyler Harcott...
err, Richard, to see the finished product. Candida's
room... Okay. But all in all, it looks like a student's
pad. And he hates the curtains. Stevie Wonder would hate
the curtains.
Nicki's room... nice
lights. Tasteful curtains. Amazing. This one's no
contest, as Nicole, Erica, Shawn, and Sara get the win.
So Candida must now face elimination alongside... Steve?
Heather tries to put the thought in her head. Steve
tries to put the thought of challenging Gabe. In the
end... it's Steve who will compete against Candida.
The challenge: Find your
teammates via helicopter and memory... then find Richard
at the bazaar. Steve (who is confident and assured of
victory over Candida) & Candida go with Richard, while
respective partners Gabe & Heather go into the Atlas
Mountains. Gabe and Heather must guide their partners to
them via cell phone and walkie-talkie. Steve finds Gabe
first, and then proceeds to part two of the challenge:
"I hope you kept your
eyes open. Your challenge now is to find me. I will be
at one of these places: La Palais Bleu, Fantasia, The
Kasbah, Riad al-Fen. After you spot me, you must climb
down the ladder and get to me on foot."
By this time, both teams
have taken their helicopters, as Gabe and Steve hit up
the Blue Palace, while the girls go to the Riad. He's
not at Fantasia. Heather finds Richard at the Riad, so
now it's a race to get to him before the guys do. They
find Richard first, and get the handsome reward for
doing so... a pass into the next round. But there's more
to it than that, as we see at the tarmac.
Richard notes that
Candida has some weaknesses as a leader because she has
problems befriending people, but ultimately Richard
believes that Steve has become "too Machiavellian for
his own good". He loves that word.
Next time, Branson's big
adventure heads to Tokyo. Sayonara!
|