The Amazing Race Season 17, Episode 12
By Daron Aldridge
December 13, 2010
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Where did we leave off? Oh yes, on the southern part of the Korean peninsula. Let’s get to our final leg of the season. I will refrain from trying to force in a “Thomas is the sole man left in Seoul, man” pun but only because I can’t make it work to my liking.
It’s 3:57 a.m. and Jill & Thomas rip into the clue and find out that their final destination city is Los Angeles. The teams are directed to the Port of Long Beach for their first of the final clues. And for the second time in three seasons, the producers use a Katy Perry song as background music when discussing the final destination city. They must like her as much as the webmaster for BOP’s sister site, HowWellDoYouKnow.
(By the way, if you feel so inclined, jump on over and take the quiz I created about this season - after reading the recap, of course.)
Ever the gentleman, Thomas proudly declares that he has no interest in letting the other two teams make history as the first female teams to win the race. Since he has a vested interest in that not happening, it isn’t entirely a sexist statement but with him, it still sounds jerky.
Next, Team HSN Brook & Claire leave the mat at 4:23 a.m. and the doctors Nat & Kat are hot on their heels only four minutes back. It’s time to see all the teams patiently waiting for the Korean Air ticket counter to open and both teams of ladies once again pointing out that they need to beat Thomas. I fear they will be more focused on beating one team specifically instead of focusing on beating both teams. That may just prevent either of them from winning it all.
All three are on the same flight and “California Gurls” is queued up again. The song awkwardly plays under Phil’s voiceover and the teams’ voices upon landing. It’s like they were obligated to play exactly 20 seconds of the song to get their money’s worth.
The teams land and are each in a cab within minutes of one another heading to the port. As they approach, Nat, who is petrified of heights, immediately views it as a worst-case scenario with the giant cargo container cranes staring at her. Upon opening the clue, it turns out that it really is the worst-case scenario. The teams have to drop 150 feet on a bungee swing to get their next clue. You may remember she barely survived the death-defying gondola ride that many children wouldn’t be bothered by. I have no idea how she will do this one.
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The other two teams show up and get prepared as Kat is ready and waiting for Nat to step out on the platform. With a pained, panicked expression on Nat’s face, the producers cut to commercial. My blessed DVR allows me to get back to the race and not sit through a Yogi Bear trailer.
Nat is slowly making her way out on the platform and sits next to Kat on the swing. At this point, Jill is voicing her own apprehension and Brook is feeling the same fear. With a simple 1-2-3 count, the doctors are plummeting 150 feet and then swinging back and forth. As they are lowered to a raft in the water, Nat happily proclaims, “I didn’t pee myself.” The audience at home is happy to hear it too. Nat opens the clue to learn that they will have to ride in a helicopter to a "surprise destination." I guess after the bungee drop, a helicopter is nothing because Nat jumping up and down with excitement.
Jill & Thomas take the drop just a few minutes after the doctors and Team HSN is waiting for their turn, which happens as quickly as it did for the others. All three teams are neck and neck in the helicopters and enjoying a nice aerial, scenic view of LA.
The doctors touch down first at the Rose Bowl for their final Roadblock. Nat chooses to do it and it is surprisingly not football related. The player has to decorate three sections of an official Rose Bowl float to the satisfaction of the floral director (a job I didn’t know existed). Nat is making pretty good progress as Jill & Thomas land.
The dating couple had a strategy to work the Roadblocks, so that Thomas would have the last one (not sure why), and he takes this one but immediately regrets the decision. Brook, on the other hand, is jumping with joy at the prospect of decorating the float and dives right in.
Nat’s first pass in incomplete with one section of roses not done correctly. She has to redo the same group as the other two are working on it but even with the setback, she is still two sections completed and approved. She is successful on the second go-round and gets the clue.
The producers get back into the riddle clue mode with the clue consisting of the following three statements.
I am Sancho Panza’s master.
I am the place to hear the Symphony in the Glen.
Monroe’s Year of the Itch.
Phil enlightens the audience that the three answers will be combined for the location of their clue. The doctors have the brilliant strategy to borrow someone’s iPhone to search for the answer. Apparently, the LA cab industry is boycotting Apple because they are unable to find a cabbie with an iPhone and therefore, can’t execute their plan.
Despite his apprehension about the decorating task, Thomas is careful to do it right the first time and it pays off. He is done and with clue in hand, they jump in a cab. The doctors have also given up on the iPhone search and are pleading with some customer service rep on the other line to look something up on the Internet.
Think you're an Amazing Race know-it-all? Test your knowledge of TAR 17 in our season recap quiz!
Jill & Thomas convince their driver to just call dispatch and see if they will help, which they can’t. This is not surprising, since further discussion with their cabbie reveals that not only does he not know what Google is but admits that he is not familiar with this Internet they speak of. In fact, he thinks that his GPS is the Internet.
The doctors finally get someone to find out that Sancho Panza is from the novel Don Quixote and there is a Quixote Studios in LA.
Instead of the fruitless endeavor of using the cabbie for information, Team HSN simply asks they be taken to a hotel with Internet. This is much wiser move than Jill & Thomas, who are in a cab that is just driving around aimlessly (literally, they have not given the driver an address) and a cabbie who won’t let them use his phone again.
Nat & Kat find out that the answer to the second clue points to Griffith Park, which is where one location of Quixote Studios is and that it will be on Stage 7 per the Marilyn Monroe clue. They are the first ones to arrive and get to play a game show within what is essentially a game show. How meta?
After being greeted by quintessential game show host Bob Eubanks, the teams stand in front of a giant board with 38 numbered pictures of people with hats. They have to identify the 11 that were at each of the Pitstops and put them in the correct order before Eubanks will give them their next clue.
Nat & Kat begin to systematically go through the tasks and refer to some very detailed notes they kept along the race. They wisely think it through and use each other's memory to figure out if the face selected looks familiar to their teammate. This challenge is the perfect example of why Nat & Kat have blown away the competition this season. They remain calm and collected, while trusting and supporting each other. While not as entertaining as the drama of the Nicks and Chads of the world, it is comforting to know that not all reality show people are vile.
Jill & Thomas get out in a random neighborhood and find that the people there are about as forthcoming with Internet access as their cabbie. The hotel pays off for Team HSN, who is now on their way to the studio. But before Brook & Claire get there, Nat & Kat have solved the puzzle and get their final clue. The finish line and Phil await them at Greystone Mansion.
As the doctors are presumably heading to Amazing Race history, Brook & Claire show up at the studio. Of course, the sneaky producers edit it so that we think that the traffic has stalled out the progress of Nat & Kat and that Team HSN blazed through the game show challenge. They can’t keep the ruse going for too long. Following a series of quick cuts from one cab to another, the camera races past the eliminated teams to the mat with…
Nat & Kat as the winners of The Amazing Race 17. This means that they are officially the first all-female team to win the race. Based upon how well they worked together, their sentiments about what the race and each other means to them seems all the more real. While I didn’t pick them to win or even get past the first few legs, I think that they are possibly one of the most deserving teams to win the Amazing Race.
Of course, Brook & Claire claim second place, since Jill & Thomas haven’t even deciphered their clue yet. Team HSN says they hope they showed that women can be strong and still feminine. This is accompanied by the footage of Claire’s signature move – taking a watermelon to the face.
We don’t see Jill & Thomas complete the game show task, so we assume the producers just intervened and told them to go directly to the mansion.
So another season has been recapped and now it’s time for a quick review. This one started out strong with high entertainment and drama but over the last couple episodes, it has gotten predictable and, dare I say, boring at times. Overall though, I am very pleased with how it played out because the best team truly did win.
Well, in 2011, I get the best birthday present on February 20th – the premiere of the new season. It is essentially an All-Stars version but with the subtitle “Unfinished Business,” there will be no previous winners in the mix. If Internet sightings and reports are to be believed, I am looking forward to another chance to watch some of my favorite teams from the past few years, including the Globetrotters and the cowboys. I can’t wait but until then, have a safe holiday and a happy New Year.
Think you're an Amazing Race know-it-all? Test your knowledge of TAR 17 in our season recap quiz!