New at BOP: Review: Matrix Resurrections Movie Review: Moonfall Movie Reviews: Scream The #1 Movie in America November Forecast The Many Saints of Newark October Forecast New Trivia Question All site updates Share & Save   Tweet Print this column

The Amazing Race, bane of travel agents worldwide, provides us with yet another never-before-seen air travel route as we leave Africa and return to Europe for this leg.

Our leaders from the last leg, Azaria & Hendekea, open their clue to find they are being sent from Ouagadougou to Vilnius, Lithuania, two cities that have probably never been spoken in the same sentence before unless it ended with "...are two cities most Americans have never heard of." Once they get there, they'll have to find a church in the middle of the city for the next clue.

They have to get there first, of course. Nathan & Jennifer want to kill them and eat their brains to gain their knowledge, or something, judging by a really intense sideline interview with Jennifer. That'll teach them to win some off-road vehicles! The teams proceed to official ticket agents, as they're not able to book flights from the airport.

Various amounts of taxi wrangling ensue, as teams try to figure out a) where the hell they're going and b) how to get out of where they are. As it turns out, the battle will be for the best connection, as all the teams will easily make the same flight to Paris. Ronald & Christina, Nicolas & Donald and Kynt & Vyxsin have all reached the airport at this point and are researching frantically.

Shana & Jennifer are starting to show some internal strife, as Jennifer is really unsettled about using the U-Turn last leg. Shana has no such compunction, which apparently means she scores high on serial killer profiling tests. Repeat after me folks – it's in the rules of the game! They and TK & Rachel bring up the rear at the start, but it's all going to be about who can catch the fastest connection.

After leaving to go find an agency in town, Ronald & Christina are first to actually book a flight, going through Prague and arriving late the next day's evening. Christina is content to hold that and try and book a better one once they reach Paris, but Ronald flips out and starts to haranguing her about that decision. He has a point, but he never seems to be able to quit while he's ahead, and lays on the jerk sauce pretty heavily. Eventually they find one that arrives at 2:10 the next day, while at the same time, Nicolas & Donald have located a 1:25 p.m. arrival.

Booking the flight is another story. Nicolas attempts to be a super spy, not sharing information and encouraging their agent to give everyone else later flights – when has this ever worked? – but fails to notice that teams are standing right behind them, and only fostering ill-will towards themselves. Azaria & Hendekea manage to get on that same flight, which somehow locks out Nicolas & Donald in a rather swift swing of race justice.

I'm guessing the agent just didn't like Nicolas's face, as Nathan & Jennifer and Shana & Jennifer both get booked on the 1:25 arrival flight. TK & Rachel aren't able to get on that flight, but manage one ten minutes later, which Kynt & Vyxsin and eventually, Nic & Don grab.

Continued:       1       2