The Amazing Race 23: Episode 8
By David Mumpower
November 17, 2013
Remember back when we discovered that Tim used to play baseball with Kim’s husband, David? Back then, Tim promised to be her ally to the end. In Tim’s defense, that was like 96 hours with Marie ago. It must feel like an eternity of screaming and yelling has happened since then. Last week’s promises shouldn’t count. As such, the baseball wives are in a world of hurt. Marie mentions an airport incident as justification for the decision. We’re guessing that Marie doesn’t have a lot of female friends.
The Race grows a bit more interesting when Nicky & Kim arrive at the same area as the Afghanimals. The women grow confidence that they have a chance to survive the round. The men are their primary challenge because the hockey dancers absolutely destroy the camel dressage challenge. They are in and out faster than a slapshot. Sorry, we hadn’t done any hockey references yet this season.
The situation grows grim for the Bunnies when their male companions complete the challenge. At this point, the baseball wives will need a miracle again this week to live to fight another day. Right on cue, Ally & Ashley are shown getting lost on their way to the rapids. Meanwhile, Nicky and Kim finish their meal only to discover the bad news about the U-Turn. “I think Tim and Marie turned on us because…they’re mean.” Words of wisdom indeed.
There is a lot of faux tension during the final segment. The ice queens drive in circles as Jason & Amy and Tim & Marie reach the finish line in second and third place. Marie provides this illogical bit of gibberish about her feelings toward the Nicky & Kim. “We don’t want to see the Bunnies go because we like them, but after they screwed us over in the airport, that was their payback.” She later adds, “The Bunnies just did not deserve to survive another leg. Like, enough already.” Suffice to say that we doubt Tim and David Dejesus remain buddies after the events of The Amazing Race.
When Jamal and Ashley are shown navigating the Rapids, we realize that Nicky & Kim are in last place for certain. The news becomes grimmer when Phil reminds us that since the duo finished last in the previous episode, they are required to complete a Speed Bump. Nicky & Kim are free-spirited, likable women but they are only mediocre competitors on The Amazing Race. Even the strongest teams in the history of the game would struggle to survive a leg wherein they received a U-Turn AND a Speed Bump.
The producers of the show accidentally kick Kim while she is down. Mrs. Dejesus is afraid of heights. The challenge requires the women to traverse a series of waves in a wave pool by jumping into water. Then, they must climb a fairly tall ladder to exit on the other side. Kim is almost reduced to tears before the challenge begins. Nicky volunteers to go first, leading by example. Kim follows bravely before having a bit of an emotional meltdown at the ladder on the other side. She really does not want to climb it, but she overcomes her fear long enough to ascend.
As Kim does the impossible (thereby making her mighty), the Afghanimals reach the finish line. They spout some nonsense about how tough they are. Their words are negated by the arrival of Ally and Ashley, who started 43 minutes behind the dudes while also managing to get horribly lost along the way. Had Marie not randomly chosen to feud with the wife of her partner’s friend, the Afghanimals would have been neck and neck for elimination this week.
Instead, the Bunnies are sent packing. The good news is that they seem to be in great spirits about their adventure. Unlike so many competitors, money was not their motivation. They wanted to have a life changing experience, and they accomplished just that. They were a fun team who never experienced conflict with any other human in the competition.* They will be missed.
* = Marie is a diabolical succubus, not a human.
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