The Amazing Race Recap
By Daron Aldridge
October 24, 2011
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Based upon what they have shown us at this point, here’s how I’d rank the teams if this was the last leg:
Team Dude Andy & Tommy: Until further notice or undeniable epic collapse, our lovable snowboarders are the favorites. They have three straight first place finishes. If you disagree with this assessment, then you are likely watching a different show than me. Team Dude abides.
Bickering brother & sister Justin & Jennifer: Begrudgingly, I put these guys in second place. With so much hatefulness, I don’t understand how they finished so strongly last week. Maybe I underestimated the power of their mutual dislike and bitterness toward each other. That appears to be their fuel.
Engaged Ernie & Cindy: This Task Master Team has been smart for the most part. But their willy nilly boat excursion in the wrong direction last week surprisingly didn’t knock them down any notches. Despite being snuggly in fifth place, they are still sitting on the Express Pass (which I wonder if they forgot they have it) and they have shown they can race smart. They just may be a top three team.
Married Amani & Marcus : While not performing well enough to merit a spot in the top three, our retired NFL player and his wife still have the potential with Amani really showing strength on the rock climb. Alas, their error last week in overlooking the sign pointing to the stadium/Pitstop doesn’t seem big but actually cost them two spots. Therefore, I have can’t put them in the top but I can place them in front of…
Team Regatta Laurence & Zac: These guys are killing with their mistakes. If I am getting this frustrated just watching, I can only imagine their stress levels. They’ve gone in the opposite direction to find new ways to mess up. Before it was the non-clue reading that cost them first place; and last week, they completely overthought the boat navigation. While their fourth place finish is still good, I fear they will continue their progressive slide to the bottom of the pack.
Team Test Drive dating couple Jeremy & Sandy: Jeremy proved that I shouldn’t have given him the benefit of the doubt on his jerky capacity. Angry and belittling aren’t the types of traits you want to display while on a reality show, you are using to "figure out" your relationship. I predict they will use the opening interview to say they will not fight but be at each other before getting their first clue. Unlike Justin & Jennifer, who have had a lifetime to make their animosity work for them, Jeremy & Sandy will likely just implode.
Grandparents Bill & Cathi: Just like Team Dude but the opposite. They survive only because other teams race worse. Until they show me more than they have thus far, Ma & Pa will either be ranked last or second to last, depending on who else is still racing, like…
Twins Liz & Marie: Based upon my introduction, this shouldn’t be shocking. I cannot in good conscience ever put a team spared by non-elimination anywhere but at or near the bottom of the rankings. They don’t deserve to be here, any more than I deserve to be there and hopefully, the Race will right last week’s wrong.
Well, it’s time to find out. Rip open your clue and let’s see where we are heading.
Just after 10 a.m., Andy & Tommy get their clue open and are pointed to take a taxi to a spot on the river. At which point they will take the "local transportation" (elephants) to follow the river up the mountain for their clue.
It’s time for me to apologize for the stereotypical surfers-as-stoners comment a couple episodes ago because apparently Team Dude is all about the big Dude upstairs. The fellows even have Bible verses written on their backpack straps. It’s not just for show, either, as both of them recite the noted verse without hesitation. I will refrain from pot/weed references because these guys really are high on life.
They get to the pachyderms and as excited as they have been this entire race. With the same exuberance I had when I asked my mom in fourth grade to get me an orangutan (curse you, Any Which Way But Loose), Andy proclaims that if they win, he’s buying an elephant to do some serious “4-wheelin’” with. The guys also see that this where the twins will have their Speed Bump.
As their trunked transport ambles up the mountain, siblings Justin & Jennifer leave the mat at 11:01 a.m.
Forty-four, forty-five, fifty-two and fifty-three minutes later, Team Test Drive, Laurence & Zac, Ernie & Cindy, and Amani & Marcus all leave the mat. I like that they show Laurence pointing out to Zac about the "travel by local transportation" note in the clue. Maybe they have figured out that the devil in the details.
Andy & Tommy get the Roadblock clue and Andy’s "paper" is cut by Tommy’s scissors," so Andy is the one doing this challenge. The teams have to make their way into a pool of water on the mountain to search for their next clue. Andy got off easy with this task. After only a single plunge into the murky water, he readjusted where he would search to the bank near the local flutist. Bingo!
It was a ceramic koi with "break me" written on it. After said breaking, they are directed to a store where they have to disassemble a "spirit house" and then deliver it to a temple. I suspect that they will be reassembling the house, so they had better pay attention.
As Justin gets the clue and chooses to do the Roadblock, Ma & Pa leave the mat at 12:22 p.m. Unlike Andy, who literally dove right into the task, Justin just wades through the water. It is just as effective of a strategy as they are on their elephant and heading back down the mountain.
The giant clump of teams is now at the elephants and Andy & Tommy are at the store. Sage Andy suggests they make a mental note of the spirit house, in case they have to put it back together. Wow, it’s like I just typed that. If they truly do have to do that, I doubt many of the other teams will be as insightful.
At the next clue, they see Andy was correct but there’s a twist: another Roadblock. The reassembling must be completed by person who did NOT do the previous Roadblock. So for this team, that means Tommy is up and he was not as mindful of the pieces as Andy was. Since they don’t allow verbal assistance from teammates, it could be tricky for everyone.
At the first Roadblock, Sandy takes it for her team and Laurence does the task for his, which means hothead Jeremy and son Zac will be manning the reassembly tasks for their respective teams.
Tommy struggles with the reassembly as they each took a side when taking it apart. Resourcefully, Tommy jumps back in the taxi to return to the store to take notes, which he does without running into others. So their lead should remain intact.
FINALLY, twins Liz & Marie leave the Pitstop at 1:35 p.m. or about three and a half hours after Team Dude. I don’t think I have ever been more hopeful for a complicated Speed Bump to knock a team out of the race. It pains me that they are here and Ethan & Jenna are relegated to just clapping at the finish line.
Bill & Cathi arrive at the elephants and the editors and cameramen decide that a close-up of elephant dung would be a great shot as the grandparents get out of their taxi in the background. Gross…just gross.
Marcus and Cindy are fruitlessly searching the water for their clue at the first Roadblock, while Tommy successfully reassembles the house for their clue. They must travel to Bangkok via bus to a canal. I am fine with transportation, like planes and buses, leveling the playing field at the start of the leg but if it happens with the Roadblock and two other tasks already complete, that seems wrong.
Justin & Jennifer are in control of their emotions and Jennifer has the stroke of genius to ask their driver for his camera phone. Brilliant. They get to the temple and Jennifer is on a roll as she gets the reassembly job. She consults the photo and gets the clue. Around this time, Marcus and Cindy have rejoined Amani and Ernie at their elephants.
Jeremy & Sandy are scribbling notes as they take the house apart but Laurence tries a different method: Just rush through and hope they will be fine. Unfortunately, Zac was suggested taking notes and he will be the one stranded at the task with no clue what to do. This is EXACTLY why I think that they won’t make it to the end. Impulsiveness, thy name is Laurence.
As expected, Zac can’t get it right and Laurence, for the first time, deflects blame. When Zac says, “We should have taken notes, I have to go back,” dad says, “Don’t blame me, you’re responsible.” Let me rewind it….okay…I’m back. No, Laurence, you are to blame because you specifically told him to NOT take notes. The older, and supposed-to-be wiser Laurence appears to be their weakness. This is supported by the fact that he caps off his stance on the Roadblock with how confident he is that he could do the task yet he ignored his teammate’s opinion or suggestion.
Cathi has the 1st Roadblock done as the twins arrive. The girls are ridiculously giddy about their Speed Bump because they really like elephants (which I get) and they get to wash one and pick up dung (which I don’t get). It’s safe to say that I do not understand kids these days, with their love of Justin Bieber and elephant dung (you decide which stinks more).
Another two teams arrive at the disassembly and once again, one team takes notes and the other rushes out. This time it’s Amani & Marcus who are smart about it and Ernie actually prevents Cindy from going with her gut on taking notes. When they arrive at the temple, Ernie tells Cindy he thinks he remembers but without her in earshot, he admits, he doesn’t have a clue. Amani is making quick work of it.
With Ma & Pa leaving the first Roadblock, the twins have completed their Speed Bump with more giddiness than anyone has ever exhibited on this show ever.
Andy & Tommy hit the Phuket bus station and find out that the next one to Bangkok leaves at 4:30 p.m. That is enough time for Justin & Jennifer, dating Jeremy & Sandy and Laurence & Zac to arrive. All the teams except the father and son are on the same bus. Laurence & Zac are on a first class bus that leaves at the same time. We know that teams are prohibited from flying in first class but I don’t think we have ever seen a first class bus issue arise. Since Laurence is shown confidently saying it won’t be an issue, I wager that it will. I have no confidence in Pop at this point.
I feel like a broken record but Amani took notes and gets it right. Ernie did not and he does not. Off to the disassembly place he goes. While there, he sees Ma & Pa diligently taking notes.
Laurence decides to listen to Zac about the first class situation and they get off their bus not exactly near the bus station. It is particularly vindicating for a son to rightfully say to a father who clearly never listens to him, “I told you...”
Cathi and Cindy commiserate about it being a rough day and Cindy laments Ernie’s insistence upon hurrying. Their impromptu counseling session is interrupted as Ernie’s return visit paid off. They are just ahead of Bill & Cathi, who finish quickly.
Laurence is explaining to us the First Class rule as if we didn’t already heard his son earlier. You go ahead and try to save face, dad, but we know the truth.
Amani & Marcus are joined by Bill & Cathi on the 5:30 p.m. bus and it appears that Ernie & Cindy are traveling at the same time but on a different bus.
The different bus may just be because the engaged couple just had a run-in with a random local woman who took it upon herself to argue for their cabbie who didn’t want to be paid in US dollars. Yet, the real purpose was to bilk an extra $50 out of Ernie & Cindy. The lady even threw in the police threat, which I am pretty sure she just did to get on camera.
Laurence & Zac just miss the 5:30 p.m. bus and are stuck at the back waiting for the 8 p.m. bus. Another cabbie payment debacle befalls a team and Liz & Marie are left debating with their cabbie about how much to pay. The bus they just paid tickets for pulls off without them and cut to commercial for dramatic effect. But they get by with only paying him the money they have left and the twins are able to board the bus, which has stopped.
As the buses begin to pull into Bangkok, it’s anyone’s guess who is in front because of multiple stops on the 12+ hour bus ride for teams, other than to say it’s probably not Laurence & Zac or Liz & Marie.
Excitedly, Ernie & Cindy arrive first and they note that their Express Bus was pretty fast. I wonder if Express Bus is a synonym for First Class, if so, it’s not good news for them after all. The bus carrying Team Dude, the siblings and Team Test Drive Jeremy & Sandy get in next.
Amani & Marcus decide to get their cabbie to just stay with Bill & Cathi’s. They are the only ones on the third bus to arrive; like everyone else, they are oblivious as to their standing. Liz & Marie, on the other, hand are positive they are in last place because they have no money, will need to walk everywhere and haven’t seen another team in 24 hours. I tend to agree with this deduction.
Ernie & Cindy get to the canal first to feed the fish and get their clue. Surprisingly, it sends them to the Pitstop. With two dated Who Wants to Be a Millionaire references to Phone-a-Friend and Lifelines, Ernie explains that their cabbie is figuring out their destination. But he still doesn’t know so the couple pays him and start running. A weird strategy to just run in a strange city with no discernible plan, kinda like them on the speedboat last leg.
Bill & Cathi and Amani & Marcus are next at the canal and have their Pitstop clue in hand. Laurence & Zac have arrived in Bangkok, as well as Liz & Marie. A local tells the cash strapped twins that the canal is only three blocks away, so they hoof it.
Amani & Marcus give credit to Bill & Cathi for being deceptively fast. “They may look like Ma & Pa but they can run. They are fast.” The footrace between them doesn’t quite pan out because Amani & Marcus’ cab peels away from them. Mr. and Mrs. NFL take first place and Bill & Cathi arrive in time to hear that, so they know they have second. With the jubilation that Liz & Marie reserve for shoveling elephant poo, the two teams celebrate on the mat.
Anticlimactically, Ernie & Cindy stroll up to the mat and are checked in as number three. I guess their express bus trip didn’t result in a penalty.
Meanwhile, Liz & Marie are shell shocked when a local man tells them that their destination is too far to walk and it would take about five hours if they did walk it. So much for three blocks. But instead of begging for money from people in an already poor area, they take the admirable route and start walking.
Andy & Tommy and Jeremy & Sandy arrive at and leave the canal at the same time. While Team Dude waits for help from a local teacher, the daters jump in cab. The siblings and father/son have their final clue by now as well.
The twins don’t panhandle but do ask a cabbie for a free ride and he amazingly agrees. Unfortunately, the teacher the snowboarders asked for help has returned to her class with their clue. They are now doing some begging of their own. Begging the other school worker to get their clue back, which they do with a map as well.
Justin & Jennifer hit the mat in fourth but with an ungrateful, unjustifiably arrogant, “We were hoping for first but we’ll take fourth,” I instantly like them less. When a team hasn’t done much to merit confidence, it bothers me. This is just a case of overconfidence and I hope they get knocked down a peg more.
Showing that it pays to be a pretty girl, Liz & Marie secure another free cab ride. Jeremy & Sandy apparently got directions from the same person as the twins at the bus station because they get out of the cab and start walking a “couple blocks” to the Pitstop. A local man corrects them that it is actually thirty minutes walking.
Andy & Tommy and Laurence & Zac are numbers five and six. Phil takes this opportunity to clarify that the first class travel restriction only applies to flying. At this point, Laurence could rightfully chime in with “I told you so,” but perhaps he refrained because he was still the one that screwed up the second Roadblock.
The Taxi Cab Confessions serve as the eulogy for each of the remaining teams. Jeremy & Sandy express regret in not getting further and the twins explain how rough the day had been. Only one of these confessions is in vain. And it’s Jeremy & Sandy who are number seven and spared, while Liz & Marie are eliminated.
I am glad to be finally right but the girls did prove more resourceful than they previously showed. Next week, we head to Africa for more grueling fun that you get to enjoy from your couch. Have a good week.