Russia is proving to be a terrific location for The Amazing Race for a second week. The challenges this week were all pretty challenging from learning how to spin plates — and keep them spinning — to learning a little ditty on an accordion with a group of hyperactive, maniacal circus clowns frolicking all around.
Last week, Nick and Vicki had some issues, but by the end of the leg Nick said he had gotten better at controlling his temper … and I set a timer on exactly how long that would last. And it lasted pretty much until the Road Block where Nick lost his cool and really never found it until the end of the leg. At least the Detour involved throwing a large stick at some artfully arranged pieces of wood — the Russian version of bowling? — and Vicki was relieved that he was able to take out his frustrations there. It’s times like these that makes one worry about the well-being of these couples when they’re not on TV!
And speaking of Nick and Vicki, they arrived last at the Pit Stop on the last leg which was a non-elimination round. When this happens, the team is usually faced with a Speed Bump, an extra challenge that only that team has to complete. We saw Kevin and Michael sit on blocks of ice for ten minutes earlier in the race for their Speed Bump, but for some reason Nick and Vicki did not have the extra task which would seem to have given them an unfair advantage. So the question on everyone’s mind as of the end of the episode is why was there no Speed Bump?
I went on my own little Amazing Race myself trying to find an answer. My first clue took me to Twitter, where the topic is very hot at the moment of this writing. One post there said to go to the IMDb page for the show and the answer would be revealed. What I found was an alleged explanatation — that Nick and Vicki had found the correct sheet music in last week’s Road Block, but the person examining the music said they were wrong and thus sent them back to re-try the task which led to them being last. This was supposedly posted on Nick and Vicki’s Facebook page but I didn’t see anything posted there to corroborate this. It certainly sounds plausible, but also a little to coincidental for this to happen on a non-elimination leg. Was this a scheduled non-elim leg or was it added to keep them in the race? Until CBS or Phil Keoghan fesses up — which I’m sure they will have to do very soon — we’ll have to assume that the story is true. But even if it is, they should have made mention of it at the start of the show.
As a result of all of this, we’ve lost the team I was pulling for: Michael and Kevin. Okay, the lack of a Speed Bump is not all to blame for their elimination. As I mentioned way back in my episode three post, you have to read the clues! Michael and Kevin were so gung-ho this week after last week’s strong showing that Kevin just got a little cocky and careless … twice! At two locations the clues specifically said they had to walk to the next clue, and they could not pay a cab to lead them. So Michael and Kevin did walk to the first clue but they paid a cab to lead them. Penalty number one = 30 minutes. The second clue said they had to make their way on foot to the next clue. Michael and Kevin hopped in the cab that lead them to the first clue. Penalty number two = 30 minutes. The guys were almost saved by Chad and Stephanie, who also cabbed it to the clue, but they only made one error and received a 30-minute penalty which trumped the 60-minute penalty. Interestingly, Brooke and Claire saw their mistake, went back and re-did all of the walking and still managed to finish second!
I’m really sad to see Michael and Kevin get eliminated because I’m not sure who I want to win now. Nat and Kat are back in first, but sometimes they’re just to smug and superior. Of the dating couples, it’s hard to root for any of them because they keep having their moments of dysfunction that is a real turn-off. I think the last of the underdogs in the race are Gary and Mallory, so I am going to start rooting for them and hope they don’t get horribly lost next week. Who are you rooting for?
“I don’t think Nick would lie to us ’cause he’s, like, awesome.” – Kevin after Nick claimed to not know the answer to a clue
“I think Nick may have lied to us, though.” – Kevin realizing the obvious
“It was right in front of your freakin’ face, a little figurine.” – Chad gloating after Stephanie failed to see the clue
“God, I love it when he rubs it in.” – A sarcastic Stephanie
Clacked by Chuck Duncan 
on Nov 07, 2010 @ 23:48 EST5EDT
Thanks for finding out about the missing speeding bump. I was wondering what happened there. Definitely disappointed that Kevin and Michael are gone.
it just said in the show “walk to the next destination”, not “walk to the next clue” kevin and michel did that.
and who believes the music task mistake.
i think they kevin and micheal were set up.
If you’re referring to them being led by the cabbie, Phil said in his voice over when they started that leg of the race that teams could not pay a cab to lead them to the next destination where they would find their next clue.
The music task explanation isn’t confirmed though, but that was all I could find about it online.
I was going crazy last night! I kept yelling out, “where is the speed bump?!” I hope they do clarify that because I SOOOO wanted Michael and Kevin to continue on. I agree with you, I don’t know who I want to win now. Definitely not Chad and Stephanie, all because Chad is an ass.
There were some clues at the start that there had been some kind of production problem like no mention of departure times for anyone and the fact that there was an equalizer right at the start to get all the teams together at the same time and place to really start the leg. But even with the Speed Bump, I don’t know if it would have been enough to make up for Kevin and Michael’s 60 minute penalty.
All of the couples are hard to root for because the guy will say how he’s growing during the race and then falls back into old habits the minute things get tough.
I just figured they did the Speed Bump but it was so quick/boring they didn’t show it. They do editing tricks like that on reality shows pretty frequently. The explanation you found makes sense too, though.
As for Kevin and Michael, I think it wasn’t the lack of reading the clue but the old guy’s complete inability to knock down those damn pins that got them. It really seemed like they were there a long time. Again, could have been clever editing, but if I recall correctly every single team came and went in the time that he was working on throwing sticks properly. That was painful to watch. Okay, it was pretty clear by late in the episode that they really stood no chance because of the penalties, but they easily could have overcome them and had a decent finish if they’d performed as well as the other teams. I thought the 30-minute penalties were actually pretty light, considering.
But yeah, I’m bummed that my first choice team (acapella nerds) and now my second choice team (father and son) are both gone. As for the teams left, I’m really starting to warm up to Brook and Claire (which is pretty surprising to me, actually). They’re so friendly and enthusiastic about everything, and the “kiss count” is really starting to crack me up. Not to mention, one of them really took that melon to the face back in the premiere like a champ (and even won the next leg). I like Gary and Mallory okay, but mostly Gary – I’m finding the gal a bit annoying. Nat and Kat, I could take or leave – sometimes I like them, but others they come off a bit cocky. Of the three couples still hanging around, two of them have borderline(?) abusive guys, and Jill and Thomas are kind of bland. So yeah, I guess I’ll take the salesladies if these are my remaining options. Any way we could get back a few teams from last season?
Nat and Kat are total bad asses, I don’t see how you can’t cheer for them. I picked them week one. I also like Brooke & Claire and Gary & Mallory too. They crack me up.
If they could be bad-ass a little more humbly, I might like them a little more. But when one team is so dominant week to week, they start getting a arrogant and that makes me want to root for the underdogs, and now that is Gary and Mallory.
According to https://www.realitytvworld.com/news/the-amazing-race-leg-omitted-speed-bump-due-production-issues-11697.php there were “production issues” that made Nick and Vicki late the in previous episode. The sheet music thing is an online rumor that was not corroborated.
*POST AUTHOR*
I did say that wasn’t corroborated, but it certainly could be plausible since that was one thing that could have resulted in several teams being delayed if more than one team had gotten the wrong information at that task. But either way, the non-elimination leg was apparently planned for that leg anyway so it worked out for Nick and Vicki. It’s just annoying that something so obvious as not having the Speed Bump was never addressed on the show. I suppose we’ll get some answers after the finale.
The speed bump never took place because during the previous leg, during the Classical Music Detour, when Nick & Vicki had submitted their music to the maestro, he said it was wrong, when it really was. This caused Nick & Vicki to spend more time at the place than they should have. I guess that makes up for the omitted Speed Bump. Hope that answers your questions.
(Found on Nick’s Facebook page)