The Amazing Race Season 17, Episode 11
By Daron Aldridge
December 6, 2010
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Well, that’s enough of that. We are off to the races to see who will be in next week’s final leg.
It’s 4:37 p.m. and we check in with Nat & Kat in first place. The teams will be leaving Hong Kong for Seoul, South Korea. To add to the drama/anxiety, upon landing, the teams have to drive themselves to the demilitarized zone near the North Korean border to find a bridge. Yikes. Kat then apparently reads another important part of the clue: “Do not cross the border.” Maybe this clue was written by Laura Ling and Euna Lee.
Next, Jill & Thomas leave in second place at 4:47 p.m. and Thomas compliments the doctors and Team HSN as being strong teams. Of course, the qualifier that they are women seems to turn this into a chauvinistic back-handed compliment.
Team HSN is in third and leaving at 5:25 p.m. They are equally as taken aback by their destination task and in true fashion, Brook tries to be funny in pronouncing the name of the bridge but it only comes across as borderline offensive. Displaying some race savvy that is more valuable that costume jewelry hocked on a basic cable channel, the girls head to a hotel to arrange a flight there instead of the airport. Not knowing what flights are available and being nearly an hour behind Nat & Kat, this seems to be the prudent choice.
The doctors and Jill & Thomas arrive at the airport together and both secure seats on the first direct flight to Seoul at 12:25 a.m. It looks as if bottom dwellers Nick & Vicki will potentially catch up and be on the same flight. This is bummer in my eyes because I don’t think they deserve to be in contention. At least, Nick doesn’t deserve it. Vicki should get to finish the race on her own.
Nat & Kat employ the femininity card in a way that makes sense (i.e. not Brook & Claire’s kiss count) by asking a man at the airport to buy them a travel guide of South Korea. Obviously, this works and the fellow even inscribes it as if he was the Birnbaum employee who wrote it.
We get a shot of nighttime in Hong Kong and Nick & Vicki’s onscreen text only says “Last to Depart.” There is no time listed, so I am just left to assume that the producers wanted the drama of "will they or won’t they" make the flight. By my math, in the best case scenario of them only being a few minutes behind Team HSN (which we know isn’t true), the six-hour penalty alone would have meant they could even leave the pitstop until 11:26 p.m. In their confessional, Nick’s greatest hits…er…tantrums and insults are played and he once again, says he promised he wouldn’t treat her that way again. Hopefully, the third, fourth, or fifth time’s the charm. (I honestly lost track of his hollow promises.)
Despite the dramatic music, Nick & Vicki do not get on the flight with everyone else. Their consolation flight is 9:30 a.m. Before Nick can erupt into a string of blurred words and throwing his backpack to the ground, we go to commercial.
Nick is remaining as composed as he is capable of and accurately sums up their chances. “It all comes down to a miracle.” Or, I might add, not incurring an unnecessary six-hour penalty the previous leg that cost you getting on the first flight. So, the last place team is now nine hours behind the others.
The first teams land and begin their approach to North Korea. Everyone is a bit on edge and because it is raining and they can’t read the signs, that tension is heightened. Jill & Thomas are the first to the clue box, which directs them to find a rafting guide, who will take them rafting down the river to a Humvee. The teams will end up at U.S. Army Camp Casey to get their next clue. Team HSN is right behind them and Nat & Kat are trailing by a little bit. Oh yeah, Nick & Vicki have boarded their plane. This makes me think that it is about a nine hour flight based upon the editing. Of course, they wouldn’t be sneaky with their editing, would they?
All three teams in actual contention are whooping and hollering down the rapids with Jill & Thomas getting ashore first. After they put on their army helmets, they are heading to the base. I am not sure how keen I would be doing a challenge that would require me to wear a helmet designed to stop or deflect bullets.
For the third time this episode, by my count, Brook (for comedic effect) says, “This is how we roll.” I originally pegged Team Glee to be annoyingly “Look at me, I am funny,” but Brook has easily secured that slot for me this season.
Jill & Thomas get to Camp Casey first and Thomas chooses to do the Roadblock. The person has to select a Tae Kwon Do headband and find its match amongst the 200 or so soldiers. And to complicate matters, the soldiers will be doing a martial arts routine, so the person as to avoid getting punched or kicked in the process. Is it wrong that I am hoping someone gets punched? Please be Thomas or Nick for their collective douchebaggery this season…Nick more so than Thomas.
As Thomas starts the search, Team HSN shows up and Brook elects to do the Roadblock. Thomas finds his match pretty quickly and has the next clue in hand. On the other hand, Brook “gives it to the wrong guy.” Interpret that as you wish but what she means with that quote is that she selected the wrong solider and must get another headband.
Jill & Thomas are directed to head on foot to the subway station and then take the subway to the Seoul World Cup stadium. The doctors have now arrived and Kat is trying her luck at the Roadblock. Brook finds the right soldier now and gets the clue but not before spastically kicking at the board that contained the clue. This girl is way too amped up.
Anxiously waiting for their train, Jill & Thomas are on the lookout for the pink-clad Team HSN. Fortunately for them, Brook can’t operate the turnstile and the couple is the only team on the first train to the stadium. The girls are joined shortly by the doctors. It’s time for the obligatory shot of Nick & Vicki asleep on their plane ride. Now we get back to the race part of the leg.
At the stadium, Jill & Thomas get their Detour clue. For Full Throttle, they have to go to a speed skating rink and skate 24 relay laps before getting their clue. For Full Bottle, teams have to head to a market and carry six bottles filled with liquid and a giant ginseng root to a pharmacy without breaking any of them. Then, drink a ginseng tonic.
Despite being in first, Jill & Thomas are going to feel the pressure because the doctors and Team HSN opt for Full Throttle also. There is the potential for conflict because Claire doesn’t feel confident skating but feels certain that Brook will yell at her to hurry. Instead of debating the chance they will fight, Brook & Claire should have read the part of their instructions that say to walk or take the subway to the Detour. They hop in a cab and give the freshly landed Nick & Vicki about the only time break they are going to get. There is no way that a 30 minute penalty would ding them too badly, though.
Of course, Brook & Claire get to the stadium first and suit up. Jill & Thomas show up and immediately begin to question their speed to the stadium. There’s no time to dwell on it, though. Both teams take the ice and with no style at all slowly trudge around the rink.
Meanwhile, Nick & Vicki are following a guy they met at the airport to the North Korean border, or so they hope. The lack of confidence by their guide doesn’t boost their faith in this course of action.
At the rink, Jill & Thomas are able to reclaim first place and get the clue to go to Han Riverside Park, albeit with a narrow margin, as Team HSN is also outside hailing a cab too. This leaves newly arrived Nat & Kat securely in third and hitting the ice.
Brook meets her Korean counterpart in the form of their cabbie to the park. He also thinks he is quite the comedian but he is more interested in making conversation with Claire. At the park, as the dating couple search, we get this wise nugget from Thomas: “You can’t ask old people for directions.” Jill beautifully fires back: “What about this guy? Is he in your age group?” They are not having any luck on finding the clue box beneath a giant airplane statue.
Brook & Claire have found it and are back in first. The clue directs them to the Temple of Heaven, which is the next Pitstop. The doctors have now finished the Detour, as Jill & Thomas finally find the cluebox.
Team HSN sprints to the temple and Phil does what we all knew was in store for them. They get to ride the pine for the next half hour and undoubtedly watch Jill & Thomas take first place and possibly Nat & Kat claim second. The girls don’t seem surprised by the news.
After ten minutes of dealing with a cabbie who can’t get directions to the temple, Jill & Thomas switch cabs and get to Pitstop as number one. To add insult to injury, Brook & Claire have to just watch as they also get the prize vacation from Travelocity for being first. Luckily, Team HSN are checked in as the number two team before Nat & Kat arrive. With the doctors checked in and officially rounding out the final three, it is time for the abbreviated tasks for Nick & Vicki.
Instead of rafting, they are driven to the Camp Casey and we get a glimpse of their Speedbump – washing a tank. This is a much more Amazing Race-worthy task than sitting on a block of ice. Next we see them getting the obvious news from Phil. They both reflect on their relationship as if it can only get better. Agreed, but only if Vicki’s positive attitude completely squelches Nick’s negativity, that is.
I am happy to report that I did accurately pick Nick & Vicki as making it to fourth place and that Jill & Thomas would be in the final three. And I will take the asterisk if the doctors or Team HSN wins this season because I did guess that this would be the first time an all-female team would win. Based upon the previews, I am re-predicting that it will be Brook & Claire. Too bad, I picked the inept volleyballers as my winners.
See you next week for another finale to the Amazing Race.