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 winners of the mad taxi scramble in Phuket for the first flight is Ma & Pa. Bill & Cathi scored the most aggressive driver at the cab stand who blows past three sets of teams en route to the route marker on floating pier.

Their obliviousness to their placement is about to be shattered as Andy & Tommy and Laurence & Zac land in Thailand. The helpful taxi dispatcher at the cab stand confidently says she knows where they are headed because the others came through an hour ago. Cue the losing Price is Right music as we go to commercial.

Since all the teams hit the marina in the evening after it closed, the group is perplexed as to where the guys could be. Not too long after, both of them show up. Their sense of defeat is short-lived, though, because the next morning the teams aren’t in the order they arrive but rather queued up like race horses waiting for the rope to drop.

Their destination: A barrel with the clues at the end of a very long floating pier. Tommy shoots out front and Team Dude is back in the lead. So much for that extra stop in Bangkok. Man, Bangkok AND Phuket in one episode…this leg is making it hard for me to stay PG.

The clue is this leg’s Detour. Phil brings down the mood several sobering notches by reminding us that this city was the site of the devastating tsunami in 2004 and the Detour is designed with community-benefiting activities in mind. It’s either Coral Reconstruction or Beach Preparation. For Coral, the teams have to assemble a PVC pipe structure, load it on a canoe and then take it underwater. Finally, they must place coral into the structure to get their clue. For Beach, the teams have to locate ten umbrellas and 20 chairs with a matching symbol and then set them up on the beach to get the clue. Both tasks look physically demanding but if any team member has an aversion to swimming, the choice is clear.

Andy & Tommy blaze a trail for the others by choosing Coral. The only teams to opt for Beach are the twins and engaged Ernie & Cindy. Of course, that is the initial plan for teams but once again, Laurence & Zac overlook a detail (the very obvious signpost pointing to each Detour option) and end up on the opposite side of the beach at the Beach Preparation task. They decide to just try it since they are there. I am becoming more and more convinced that the only way these guys knew about the orphanage donation sign on the second leg is because Team Dude told them (a la how they tried to help Amani & Marcus on the previous Roadblock).

Speaking of Andy & Tommy, they are making short work of the Coral Reconstruction and are in the front. Even though others seem to be keeping pace with them, once in the water, Andy & Tommy separate from the pack. Their surfing background is invaluable to controlling their equipment and understanding that the current could quickly move them off target. As siblings Justin & Jennifer and Team Test Drive struggle and bicker, the snowboarders are back ashore with their clue, which is a compass and medallion.

Continued:       1       2       3       4       5