The Amazing Race Season 20 Recap

By Daron Aldridge

February 29, 2012

Everyone loves a clown, Phil. Why didn't you?

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At this point, Brendon basically forces Mark to help Bad Rachel out because she is arithmeticly challenged. Not sure what benefit Mark gets out of this partnership other than he won’t have to hear her sobbing like a child when she inevitably stays stumped.

Team Un-Fed and the cousins are now at the clue box and with Nary and Stacy taking on the Roadblock.

Once again, the success of Big Brother is a byproduct of someone else’s work. Mark gets the right number and shares it with Bad Rachel. Then the waterworks start because Rachel failed to make sure their taxi was going to wait for them…or something like that. Brendon then has to turn on the coddle-mode to make sure that Rachel doesn’t turn into a blubbering puddle of snot and tears on an Argentinean street. High maintenance…emotionally fragile…childlike - all seem like fair descriptors of Big Brother’s Rachel. This just makes me grateful that I didn’t waste my summer subjected to this.

For the second leg in a row, Army of Two Blonde Rachel & Dave are team number one. Will they be like Meghan & Cheyne, who dominated leg after leg and won their season, or will they be Team Dude from last season that also racked up multiple wins but got bumped off right before the finale? I hope for the former and not the latter.

Border Patrol Art & JJ claim second place and Kentucky’s own Bopper & Mark move up the rankings quite a bit for a third place finish. Much to my chagrin, Team Big Brother hits the mat in fourth.

The final bus finally arrives. As a refresher, the teams fighting for not-last place are twins Elliott & Andrew (who have been noticeably absent this episode, similar to Team Un-Fed last time), the clowns Dave & Cherie (who I picked to go home this week), Vanessa & Ralph, and Jersey Shore wannabes Joey & Danny.




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Stacy and Nary both complete the Roadblock within minutes of one another with Stacy just ahead of her. Both teams still believe they are vying for last place, so the competitiveness is at its height.

Meanwhile, Vanessa, Joey, clown Dave and Andrew elect to do the Roadblock for their teams from the final bus. Only Elliott feels semi-confident in Andrew’s math skills. The other teammates all lament their partners’ ability to calculate.

At the mat, cousins Kerri & Stacy get the unexpected news that they are indeed team number five. Fortunately, they seem genuinely thrilled with the news. Unfortunately, it causes them to bust into a cheer about being "awesome." They just lost a few points with me. Phil pulls a similar fake-out with his patented “I’m sorry to tell you…” on Team Un-Fed Nary & Jamie, who may have wet their pants in excitement that they are actually team number six.

Vanessa credits her ability to "tune out men" as the secret to completing the Roadblock so quickly. If they were on that first bus, they could have easily overtaken Rachel & Dave for first place. That’s the optimistic outlook I am taking on why they deserve to be near the top of my rankings.

Andrew and Joey work together or rather against clown Dave and get their final clue. As expected, Vanessa & Ralph take the seventh spot, Joey & Danny take eighth and the twins take ninth. I plead with the divorcees and twins to keep me from regretting thinking so highly of them. I don’t think I can in good conscience keep in them tied for second my rankings for next week. As my son says, “Wha wha whaaaaaa!”

Back at the cattle yard, Dave’s struggles with math finally come to an end and hopes for a non-elmination are dashed by Phil, as they are eliminated from the race. With red noses on their face, our clowns walk off into the sunset and the race is down one likeable team that I wanted to root for but just didn’t think could be in it for the long haul.

Next week, we get the twins fighting, the Army of Two is battling one another and Bad Rachel is complaining about Vanessa, which makes me like Vanessa even more. Go anyone but Brendon & Rachel. Have a good week.


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