The Amazing Race Season 20 Recap
The Amazing Race Season 20 Recap
By Daron Aldridge
April 16, 2012
BoxOfficeProphets.com
In a risky move that is sure to bite me in the rump, the usual deceptive commercials for this next leg have helped shape my power rankings more than I would like. The mere presence of a Double U-Turn this leg has the potential to turn this leg’s placements upside down.
(tie)Team Border Patrol Art & JJ and Army of Two Rachel & Dave - First, it took seven legs but Art & JJ finally had an oopsie that prevented them from claiming their usual first or second place. The guys ended up making a dreaded directional error but with that mistake Art & JJ remained in third place. Because the other teams just don’t seem to have a solution for the problem that is "how to defeat Border Patrol," I will keep them at the top but they have to share the spotlight with Rachel & Dave.
The married couple proved that they don’t need a Fast Forward to take first place (but that slip-up by Art & JJ was definitely to their benefit). The no-longer long distance couple seems to excel despite the recurring bouts of bitterness toward one another. The teased falling out between this team and Border Patrol suggests sneaky game play by Blonde Rachel & Captain Dave, which I believe is that the guys are U-Turned by the married couple. While I understand being angry about being U-Turned, Art & JJ have to understand that they are the most logical target of a U-Turn. Because of that, I am convinced to that they should be first and second in the rankings.
Bopper & Mark - At the beginning of the season, the departed clowns said they would happily rely upon the help of other teams to make it through the race. It seems that Team Justified has adopted the same strategy. Don't forget about the benevolent donation of prize money to Bopper by Border Patrol. Now last week, Big Brother threw them a bone by convincing them to do the easier of the two Detour options. I could see them riding this wave to the final three.
Vanessa & Ralph - I put them in the middle because I am split on how to think about this team, Anti-Big Brother. On one hand, I respected that Ralph took the high road last week when faced with Brendon’s middle finger and the subsequent angry exchange. Plus, I can’t dislike a team with a common enemy as me. Our shared distaste of Big Brother is such a common ground. On the other hand, Vanessa got a smidge too "bully-like" when dealing with Bad Rachel. It made it hard for me to root for them when Bad Rachel was embarrassingly outwitted and had to turn on the crocodile tears again. Because of my conflicted outlook, I will put them in the middle.
Team Un-Fed Nary & Jamie - A woeful experience setting up their campsite should’ve spelled doom for our fake Kindergarten teachers but they were spared by the nonelimination. Coupled with the fact that they were called out for lying about their profession, last week was not a good one for Nary & Jamie. With a looming Speed Bump in their future, it would make sense to place them in last but the Double U-Turn is bound to be played against the unsavory team of…
Big Brother’s Brendon & Rachel - A race littered with histrionics and made-for-reality TV drama has left Big Brother as not only the least favorite among viewers (or at least this viewer right here) but least liked by fellow racers. By winning this un-popularity contest and thanks to last week’s tension-filled layover with TWO teams, Brendon & Rachel are destined for a U-Turn, which leads me to believe that they will be finally going home this week.
That’s how I see them heading into the eighth leg of the Amazing Race. It’s time to pick back up in Tanzania, Africa, to see who will be eliminated next.
First out of the chute is the Army of Two, who Phil nicely reminds viewers had a difficult time getting along last leg but still got first place. The teams get to take a safari through a crater and head to village junction to find a “Hillary Clington.”
Dave lets us know that with the Double U-Turn in play, they will consider using it on the Big Brother if they get there before Art & JJ, who apparently have said they want Brendon & Bad Rachel U-Turned. We’ll see how that works out. I stand by guess that a U-Turn is what divides these two aligned teams.
Team Justified heads out next and despite a knee injury that Bopper suffered last leg (bad pun intended), they are dead set on finishing the race. Somewhat founded is their observation that the other teams now see them as less underdog and more threat.
Well, that alliance to U-Turn Big Brother extends way beyond the two teams that I thought. A "flashback" to the fifth leg in Germany shows at least one other team (couldn’t tell which one but it’s probably safe to assume that it was Anti-Big Brother Vanessa & Ralph) conspiring to get rid of the malcontents, as JJ describes them. Art & JJ leave in third just ahead their U-Turn mark.
Their cup of overconfidence and ignorance runneth over for Brendon & Bad Rachel, as they are weary of the U-Turn but think that they will still persevere. Or as Rachel says, “It makes us more stronger.” Sorry Microsoft Word but I can’t correct your noted grammar error because it is a direct quote.
Given the huge target on their back (because of extreme dislike and not because they are a threat), it’s a safe bet they will be getting a chance to prove how much "more stronger" it will make them. Their other archenemies Vanessa & Ralph are behind them (leaving at 7:18 a.m.) and giddy at the prospect of the U-Turn.
With the likelihood of much unpleasantness between teams on the horizon this leg, it’s nice to see them enjoy the safari ride into town. Every one of them is in awe of how unspoiled this land is and served as a distraction to the race itself. There was genuine joy on these people’s faces.
Rachel & Dave and Team Justified are the first ones to reach the clue and must decide between Water Supply or Air Supply for this Detour. For Water Supply, the team has to head to a specific address and get nine water jugs and then go to the local watering hole to fill them up. The catch is that they have to stand in line just like the locals do daily. This one looks way too time-consuming, especially with the U-Turns in play and predictably on the other side of this task. For Air Supply, they have to go to a local bike repair shop and fix a flat. The catch on this one is that it has to be fixed without removing the tire itself, which means they have to just get the inner tube out and re-air it up to find the leak.
Just as I would, both Team Justified and Army of Two go with Air Supply. Border Patrol is not far behind. They hit the Detour next and somehow rationalize that Water Supply will be quicker. It's something to do with number of holes in the tires and spokes. Last week saw Art & JJ make their first notable error and they keep the streak alive with this choice.
As expected, Bopper & Mark and Rachel & Dave get under way quickly with Air Supply and seem to be making progress. Meanwhile, the reality of the Water Supply task sets in for Art & JJ as they roll up on the line for the water hole. By their own estimates, they are about 40 minutes back in line but they STILL rationalize that they are going to stick with this task. This is not looking good for our frontrunners.
Big Brother recognizes the difficulty of Water Supply and opt for the bikes also. Do you remember a couple of legs ago, when Vanessa & Ralph failed to see the clue in plain sight in the rug shop? If you don’t, then you get a new example of their obliviousness when they appear to walk right on by the big painted sign with “Hillary Clington Shop” written on it.
Hey, where’s Nary…& Jamie? (That was for you Phineas & Ferb fans.) Not sure because they haven’t left the Pitstop yet.
Here’s where teamwork comes in handy. Team Justified and their blue collar background come through with a speedy repair of the bike. Bopper, his "mechanic hands" and Mark are the first ones out of the Detour. Just a few bikes over, Rachel & Dave exchange their own encouraging words of “jackass” and “shut up” as they struggle to get their repair to hold.
The next clue sends them to a local pub where the Double U-Turn awaits. Unfortunately, Mark is unable to get the local at the Air Supply task to understand his request for directions. But another friendly local points out that it’s about three kilometers up the road. Their lead isn’t too great, so Bopper’s bum knee may give Rachel & Dave a chance to reclaim first place, as they are now finishing up their bike.
Big Brother shows up in time to see that at least Rachel & Dave are in front of them. Undercutting all her big talk at the beginning of the leg, Bad Rachel starts to focus on the fact they will definitely be U-Turned. Surprisingly, Brendon takes the clear-headed approach that they just need to focus on their task and go with it if they are U-Turned.
It’s now 9:21 a.m. or a full two hours since the second-to-last team left the pitstop and Team Un-Fed are finally leaving. The only thing that makes their elimination not a foregone conclusion is that the Water Supply wait-in-line challenge will significantly slow down at least a couple teams. This may be enough to let them finish their Speed Bump. Of course, that relies upon them also NOT choosing Water Supply.
Bopper & Mark are the first ones at the clue box and choose to not use the U-Turn. Following their lead, Army of Two also elects to not use the U-Turn. Dave acknowledges their pact with Border Patrol but the married couple feels like there is no need to use the U-Turn. Little do they know that this opens up Art & JJ for a U-Turn themselves if Big Brother gets there first. I guess that’s what sets them off against Rachel & Dave, which is a much less dramatic action to elicit the advertised Border Patrol meltdown.
The Wanderers (otherwise known as Vanessa & Ralph) have successfully found the Air Supply challenge that is being done by Big Brother but unsuccessfully found the clue that points them to it. Therefore, they have a whole lot of walking to do as they return to the safari dropoff site, which the fake teachers are quickly approaching. The gap is officially bridged between teams as Nary & Jamie roll up when the divorcees get the clue and head back to Air Supply.
Art & JJ are now done with the waiting and going back to their "home" with the water. The front of the pack remains the same with Rachel & Dave and Team Justified getting the next clue that sends them to another village and more specifically a place called Margaret’s Farm. This clue location seems to only serve the purpose of being where Nary & Jamie will be doing their Speed Bump.
Poor, deluded Art & JJ think they are in first place because they see that Brendon & Rachel hadn’t been U-Turned yet. They "keep their word" and administer said U-Turn upon Big Brother. Thus, this violation of a promise is what sets them off against their alliance. So, Rachel & Dave viewed that it was unnecessary to use the U-Turn and create even more ill will for a team that is far behind them but they instead created the same ill will within their alliance. Oops.
Art & JJ get to the next clue and it sinks in that they are actually in third, which means that Dave didn’t honor his word. JJ seems more upset by this than Art, who pretty much just shrugs his shoulders.
Vanessa & Ralph see Big Brother leave the task and fully expect they too will be U-Turned. The pressure of that situation is boiling up with snippiness toward one another. As Big Brother jogs up to the U-Turn, let’s pause for a second. Here’s my strategy. If I was Brendon & Rachel (which would make me the most self-loathing person ever) and I saw that I was U-Turned. I wouldn’t waste my U-Turn on the petty feud I have with Vanessa & Ralph. Instead, I would U-Turn the team that is clearly in last and still has another additional task to do. But that’s just me. Un-pause.
What do they do? Of course, they U-Turn Vanessa & Ralph. Fools. But that doesn’t surprise anyone. So, doing both parts of the U-Turn are Big Brother and Anti-Big Brother. The situation gets even more grim for the divorcees when they see that Team Un-Fed is also on their way to the Detour. So we are looking at three way race for last place. The U-Turned teams have about 40 minutes of waiting ahead of them, which may be enough to let Nary & Jamie finish Air Supply and get to work on their Speed Bump.
Plus, at this point, who knows what Roadblock awaits them at Margaret’s Farm, as no one has arrived there yet. The line that Art & JJ waited in has grown, which spells good news for Team Un-Fed and bad news for Big Brother and Anti-Big Brother.
So what does Margaret’s Farm have in store for teams? A beekeeping Roadblock. One person has to suit up and collect 500 grams of honey before they get their clue. I don’t think that the producers would be allowed to unleash actual African Killer Bees (or even WWF’s "Jumpin" Jim Brunzell and B. Brian Blair for that matter), so there really isn’t that much risk.
JJ is still going on and on about how disappointed he is in Rachel & Dave but rejoicing in the fact that the Big Brother team will have to do Water Supply.
On the farm, Mark and Dave suit up and start to work on ticking off some bees. Army of Two also learns of the injury that Bopper has sustained and are probably thinking, “Excellent, we stay with them and we will definitely win in a footrace to the mat.”
Water waiting game is over for Big Brother and shockingly, Bad Rachel messes up and drops a jug of water which prompts yelling, crying and the cart being knocked over. This could spell “redo” for them when they reach the house but that seems cruel at this point. Essentially, that would mean they have done three tasks on a single Detour.
At the Roadblock, Mark is the first one done and they get the news that the Pitstop awaits them on foot. That lets the "first place" wind out of Bopper's sails but Mark points out that they just need to do it.
If you have felt deprived of a little drama this episode, here’s your helping. Border Patrol arrives at the farm and are none-too-pleased to see that Dave didn’t U-Turn Brendon & Bad Rachel. As Art suits up for the task, JJ comes right out and asks the married couple why they didn’t do what they agreed. Rachel explains that the “teachers” were three and a half hours behind them, so there really was no reason to do it. But JJ said they did it because they thought that Rachel & Dave were trailing.
This says to me that the Border Patrol guys are a bit too arrogant in believing that waiting around for 45 minutes just to get water and probably a total walking time of another 30 minutes was quicker than fixing a flat tire on a bike. Either that or they think that Rachel & Dave are so inept that it would take them well over an hour just to fix the tire. Also, I don’t quite understand why they are fixated on Dave for not doing the U-Turn.
JJ then proclaims that they are no longer sharing information with them and they will just do the race themselves to win it. Well, winning this leg at least is going to come down to Team Justified and Army of Two as they run to the Phil and his impossibly white hat.
And first place goes to…Bopper & Mark. Despite limping his way to the mat, they are first and rewarded with a trip to Hawaii. A disgruntled Dave is called out by Rachel on the mat as being a sore winner for only making it to second place. When Dave questions Rachel’s hustle to the pitstop, Mark and Phil both defend Rachel and use their four first place finishes as evidence.
There is no way to prove it but based upon the conversation that Bopper and Rachel were having during the Roadblock, I would like to think that Rachel intentionally didn’t push herself too much, so Team Justified could take home first one time. She knew she could outrun Bopper but just didn’t.
While JJ seethes on the sidelines of the Roadblock, Art loves the beekeeping. He proclaims that he feels like Winnie the Pooh and this is how Winnie rolls. As they run to the Pitstop, Art tries to get JJ to just stop worrying about what happened or didn’t happen at the U-Turn. That doesn’t prevent JJ from continuing to go on and on with Phil about it.
I don’t quite see how they were “screwed” by Rachel & Dave because they didn’t U-Turn Big Brother. Isn’t the point to not be last and both their U-Turning and Army of Two’s NOT U-Turning achieved the same ‘not last’ result. This is the first time I have seen anyone get so pissed off that a U-Turn wasn’t used. It’s usually the other way around and I have to defend the U-Turn element as being part of the game.
Big Brother doesn’t get docked for the lost water and has their clue. While Vanessa & Ralph are filling the last of their water buckets and Team Un-Fed sends their repaired bike on a test run. Big Brother throws Nary & Jamie a bone and lets them know they might still be in it because they U-Turned the divorcees and point them to the pub clue box.
Similar to Joey & Danny declaring they are wearing their lucky sunglasses on the same leg they are eliminated, no sooner does Vanessa say “we have the best luck with cabs” then their cab gets a flat. Mental note: Never say anything is good luck or lucky on the Amazing Race. The universe doesn’t like or reward that.
Nary & Jamie are given a bit of an open door to catch up but there is still a Speed Bump in their immediate future that they haven’t mentioned, which makes me think they forgot about it. With only 10 minutes or so less, there is a lot of race to still cover.
Luckily (oops…maybe I shouldn’t have said that), Anti-Big Brother’s cabbie moonlights as a NASCAR pit crew member and gets them back on the road quickly. Meanwhile, Brendon & Rachel get their clue at the gallery that sends them to the beekeeping farm. Shortly after, the divorcees give a tinge of hope to Team Un-Fed by showing at the gallery clue simultaneously. Alas, the Speed Bump dashes such hope.
For the Speed Bump, they have to use a display guide to properly arrange around 20 pieces of art. Seems straightforward enough but we will see.
Bad Rachel steps up for her team at the Roadblock and explains her strategy as “respect the bee” but the "bee" could be replaced with just the letter "B" and still apply to Bad Rachel. And she also draws a comparison to Winnie the Pooh that likely would drive Art crazy, knowing that he shared a thought with Bad Rachel. Big Brother is officially checked in as number four.
Ralph reluctantly does the Roadblock for his team, and gets it done without incident. Anti-Big Brother claims the fifth spot before Team Un-Fed are even at the Roadblock, despite finishing the Speed Bump quickly. So, it’s a given that Nary & Jamie are eliminated. And, according to Phil,…
They are. Nary & Jamie are appreciative of the experience and being able to do it with their best friends. We are down to five teams with enough animosity between them for 10 teams.
That hostility appears to manifest itself for JJ next week with Rachel & Dave as the target. Also, Mark struggles with a Bollywood Roadblock. Until next week, have a good one.