The Amazing Race 23: Episode 1

By Daron Aldridge

September 30, 2013

Phil, are you single? If not, would you like to marry my daughter?

New at BOP:
Share & Save
Digg Button  
Print this column


At Muelle Prat, Leo & Jamal are next to arrive but are now responsible for the second flub of the season. Jamal misreads the clue and assumes he must do this Roadblock. The Race's distinctive “uh oh...a team just screwed up” sound effect soon follows.

Rowan correctly gets in the boat for his team. Meanwhile, Jamal is making a fool of himself by not really rowing but rather falling over and being mocked by the locals. Travis has successfully completed the task and he is on his way back to Nicole with the clue. It's a picture clue. They have to determine that the picture is of the Teatro Municipal de Iquique, which is the location of the first Pitstop. In all the excitement of an Express Pass carrot dangling in front of them, the married docs mistakenly take a cab instead of walk to the Pitstop, so in the first episode, Phil gets to pull out his first "You are the ___ team to arrive...HOWEVER..." They have been slapped with a 30 minute penalty. To make it sting even more, Phil reminds them that the first rule on the Amazing Race is read your clue.

Back in the water, the remaining teams from the first flight are struggling with their boats and finding their fish. This may be the only glimmer of hope for Travis & Nicole to get first place still.

Ice Girl Ashley is the one to point out to Leo that he is supposed to be boat and not Jamal. But Jamal isn't listening to his cousin as he tries to summon him back to shore to switch places. Tim of Team Exes has finally located one of the boats, as does Rowan. Both are heading back to the dock with Tim getting there first.




Advertisement



And just like that, my least favorite team leaps in front of my predicted winner with Tim & Marie claiming first place and the two Express Passes. Not my favorite start to a season, I must admit. All I can do is pray that the exes make the same bone-headed mistake as John & Jessica did last season and got eliminated with an Express Pass in their pocket. Luckily, Travis & Nicole are able to be checked in before another team arrives, so they are at least in second.

Jamal has finally come back to shore but they might as well be part of the second flight's teams at this point. Chester and Kim have all their fish and finishing up, while Team Bingo is checked in as team number three. Shane's over-the-top yelling of "BINGO!!!!" at the mat better be a one-time thing or I may put this team higher on the annoyance list than the exes.

Looking backward at the first Roadblock, Team Beardo's Brandon is the last one to take flight because he ran down the cliff instead of jumping. The people in front of him are Jason, Hoskote and OK Tim. But given how quickly the teams bunched up at the next Roadblock, there shouldn't be too much concern for them. It's still anyone's Race to lose.


Continued:       1       2       3       4       5

     


 
 

Need to contact us? E-mail a Box Office Prophet.
Thursday, March 28, 2024
© 2024 Box Office Prophets, a division of One Of Us, Inc.