Here's Bucky on last night's The Amazing Race:
OK, no DVR again this week. Watching a foot of snow fall back home in Colorado (I love The Weather Channel) was too much to bear, so we extended our stay in California. But I think I got most of the twists and turns (of which there were many.)
This week's leg begins and we learn that all the teams will be flown together to the next stop, the Seychelles, together. So it's back to even-steven again. Well, almost. When the teams land, they will have to scramble for a number and the next clue. The teams who get the first three numbers will get a one-hour head start on the last three teams.
At the airport, the Detectives and the Cowboys decide to go eat before booking their flight, since they know everyone is flying together. Brent & Caite, in a rare moment of strategic lucidity, rush to book their flight and get seats near the front of the plane.
The lead teams turn out to be Brent & Caite, Steve & Allie and the Brothers. The Detectives, Carol & Brandy and the Cowboys end up with the one-hour handicap.
The directions take the teams to the Detour where they choose between:
Turtle Toddle – the teams will have to lure a turtle (maybe it's a Terp, I'm not sure) across a course using a banana. Then each member must carry a bunch of bananas to the harbor, where they will get the next clue.
Ox Trot – teams must load a pile of coconuts into an ox-cart, and then drive it to the harbor, without dropping any coconuts. They will get their next clue there as well.
Steve & Allie finish Turtle Trot without any trouble, except they forget to bring their backpacks with them to the harbor. Brent & Caite and the Brothers choose Ox Trot. Brent & Caite get into their normal race rhythm by leaving one coconut at the starting line, and select a recalcitrant ox, as well. The Brothers select what appears to be a thoroughbred racing ox and move into 2nd place on the way to the harbor.
When the second group gets to the Detour, the Detectives and the Cowboys choose Ox Trot while Carol & Brandy pick out a turtle. (Maybe it's a tortoise, I'm not sure.) They give new meaning to the phrase "herding turtles" while the other two teams begin loading ox carts with coconuts. The Cowboys also miss one coconut. Eventually Carol & Brandy switch challenges and begin loading their ox cart, too. Guess what? Yep, they also leave one coconut at the starting line.
The next clue tells Steve & Allie to take a boat out in the ocean where they get the Roadblock clue, instructing them to dive down to the ocean floor and retrieve a bottle that has components for a map inside. Then they need to swim about 300 yards back to shore, assemble the map correctly and they will have directions to the Pit Stop. They head out and as they do, they notice the Brothers arriving, with backpacks.
Steve & Allie discuss whether to retrace their steps and get their backpacks. Steve tells his daughter, "It's only clothes; we have our passports and money here" (indicating a fanny pack he is carrying.) In a decision that I'll designate as the Jeff & Jordan Memorial Moment of the episode, they decide they can run the rest of the race in swimwear, and they abandon their backpacks. I can't wait to see them running through the next airport, catching a plane to somewhere really, really cold and snowy—maybe Colorado—in swimwear.
Meanwhile, back at the ox track, the harbor guy tells Brent & Caite they missed a coconut and have to drive the ox cart back to get it. "It's just not fair," Caite says, maybe five times. Hey, Caite, "fair" is where Grandma takes her peach pies in August. Follow the rules, get your backside up in the cart and go get the coconut you missed.
The Detectives drive their cart to the harbor and get the Roadblock clue. I won't go into it in detail, but the Cowboys, Carol & Brandy and Brent & Caite create the Seychelles' first rush hour gridlock, driving back and forth retrieving missed coconuts.
The Brothers get their bottle and map while Steve & Allie arrive at the Pit Stop. The Brothers are not far behind, checking in with Phil.
Brent & Caite show up at the harbor with all their coconuts and head for the Roadblock, not far behind the Detectives. Both get their bottles; Brent & Caite win the swim meet back to the beach. When the Detectives arrive, Brent & Caite help them with their map and all four head for the Pit Stop. Getting confused about which reality show she is watching, Mrs. Bucky says, "I didn't know they were in an alliance."
Arriving at the Pit Stop together, they chat with Phil who asks them which team they hope is eliminated on this leg. They are unanimous that they want Carol & Brandy gone. (OK … maybe Mrs. Bucky isn't confused. This is a lot like Tribal Council, it seems to me.)
The Cowboys retrieve the bottle but, inexplicably, swim back to shore without it. Without the assistance of a map, they find the Pit Stop, where Phil tells them they have to swim back to the boat and get their map before he can check them in. This error allows Carol & Brandy to catch up and the Cowboys finish last. However, Phil informs them the tribe has not yet spoken and that this is a non- elimination leg. Next week, they will have to do a Speed Bump—a task the other teams don't have to do.
So, the final order of finish this week is:
1st – Steve & Allie, who win $7,000 each and all the 7up soda they can drink. I wonder how soon they get the money? Soon enough to buy some clothes?
2nd – the Brothers
3rd – Brent & Caite
4th – the Detectives
5th – Carol & Brandy
6th – the Cowboys
I think this was a good episode. How about you?