The Amazing Race – A missed clue and a double elimination shakes things up

This was another pretty good episod of The Amazing Race as teams felt the the pressure of a double elimination, and faced a challenge that required them to do probably one of the hardest things ever … beg for money.

It was interesting that no one knew whether Bill & Cathi had been eliminated at the airport equalizer. Usually, these equalizers are a bit annoying, but in this case since Bill & Cathi were so far behind, I was glad it gave them a chance to catch up and actually get back into the game. Had they not made the flight to Indonesia, they would have been automatically out.

It’s interesting to see on the second leg of the race how some teams are already starting to fall apart. I’m surprised at all of the little mistakes Ethan & Jenna have made and the bickering that ensues, but they always seem to have a smile on their faces once they get over it. Justin & Jennifer, however, are another story altogether. Talk about sibling rivalry. They both admit they’ve always had a tense relationship, so I don’t know that going on national television under such a high-pressure and stressful situation was the best move for them to work out or resolve their issues. I truly thought Jennifer was going to quit while they debated on waiting for the train or making a phone call (and I wish she had since two of my favorite teams were eliminated).

I have to say that the Road Block was awesome to watch. As a team member had to lower themselves down into a dark cave, listening to their comments and seeing the view they saw on the way down really made you want to be there. That’s one of the strengths of this show and one of the reasons I continue to watch even when challenges get too pedestrian. Of course, once they were in the cave and had to “search” for a mask and sword, well, they weren’t too hard to find as they were all mounted on posts (the guy with the gong was a bit startling there in the dark). And while the drop down was stunning, the climb straight up on a bamboo ladder took a lot of strength and skill … especially for the shorter team members. If the masks had been harder to find, this would have been an all-around great challenge.

The Detour required teams to make money either by dancing or parking motorbikes. Now, if you saw that the challenge required you to raise 30,000 rupiahs or 15,000 rupiahs, why would you take the one with the larger amount? Especially if you have to dance in the middle of the street and hope passers-by give you money? Most of the teams parking motor bikes finished their tasks quicker (because everyone with a motorbike has to pay to park!) and made their way to an orphanage to donate the money raised and get the clue to the Pit Stop.

But, as we’ve seen in the past, The Amazing Race also requires teams to be able to read. It’s not all physical. We’ve seen teams miss important words in clues (like “walk”) and this time a sign screwed almost everyone up and had a huge impact on the final check-ins. Teams were required to donate ALL of their money, everything they had in their pockets, to the orphans before they could check in. Ernie & Cindy went from 1st to 4th, Bill & Cathi — making a nice recovery from last place and a Speed Bump — went from 2nd to 7th. Andy and Tommy saw the sign and benefited, going from 4th to 1st place. Lawrence and Zak also saw the sign and went from 8th to 2nd while other teams had to backtrack to the orphanage. The biggest upset was Kaylani & Lisa who checked in 10th — the first elimination spot — but were saved because they saw the sign and got bumped to 3rd place. Unfortunately, this simple mistake resulted in the elimination of Ethan & Jenna, who were 10th, and Ron & Bill (11th), who were already so far behind that the mistake probably had no impact on their elimination.

It was an interesting way to spice things up, but the question amonst the fans now will be: Was it fair? Did that one not very obvious directive artificially manipulate the teams’ placement in the game, or was it all part of the competition that teams should know that they have to pay attention to everything? Sound off below.

Highlights

• The teams seemed threatened by Ethan & Jenna’s Survivor past. They weren’t such a threat after all.
• Locals were actually riding on top of an overcrowded train!
• Indonesian taxi drivers are nuts. Every team looked terrified as they sped through the city streets barely missing a passing motorbike.
• The Speed Bump required Bill & Cathi to untangle a rope. Seriously? Anyone who’s put up a Christmas tree can work their way through that in minutes … as did Bill & Cathi.
• Jennifer’s eye-roll was spectacular when Justin said he wasn’t there to attack his sister.

Clacked by Chuck Duncan
on Oct 02, 2011 @ 23:57 EST5EDT