'The Amazing Race 9' - Ep. 5 -or- "Lake is Just a Big Meanie Pants"

Do you know what "good television" would be? I personally think good television would be seeing Lake's head explode like in a cartoon! If I were more talented with digital imaging or knew someone with a cool digital imaging center, I could create it myself. Oh, what I'd have come out of his head! Bananas, cat excrement, boxes of Fiddle-Faddle ... the possibilities are endless. After all, what the heck is in his mind?

Here'a brief lowdown on what happened on last night's show:
The teams started out from their last Pit Stop in Munich, Germany. Jeremy and Eric (the HornDogz) had been the first to arrive there at 2:15 PM, so they were the first to leave at 2:15 AM. The last team to depart was Danielle and Dani (Double D's or Pinkies, though I hate the latter) at 7:28 AM. So, there was quite a time difference betwixt first and last and the DD's wouldn't be able to hook up with the Dogz this time 'round. Who would they hitch onto this week? Would they sink or swim on their own? I'm getting a bit ahead of myself here, but they sank a bit on their own and partly a Lake sank 'em. A mean, nasty despicable Lake.

While I find BJ and Tyler perhaps my most favorite team ever, they waited for Lake and Michelle while leaving the Pit Stop! Ack! Boys, boys, boys ... stay away from them! Lake is an evil meanie pants! He'll cut your throats while extracting your teeth with no Novacaine just to watch you bleed! He may have shot a man in Reno just to watch him die! Stay away from him. Wear garlic if you must be near him! I personally would love to see a team made up of Jonathon Baker and Lake. I know we'd be seeing exploding heads there, right?

The teams had to go to the airport to catch flights to Palermo, Italy. BJ/Tyler used those Ivy League brains and purchased tickets for the earliest flight on the Internet while Lake got ticked at Michelle because she couldn't understand enough German to pick up a ticket in the same manner. Ditzy Monica proclaimed how un-ditzy blonde she is by repeatedly pronouncing their destination as PAL-or-moe. Yeah, I know they probably edited that to make the situation look ditzier, but I snickered. Her oh-so-unditzy boyfriend Joe actually substituted a totally different word. Heh.

I know there are folks out there upset that Jeremy/Eric and BJ/Tyler played with the airport wheelchairs. Don't count me in as one of those folks. I've been around people in chairs for most of my life. I myself am a veteran of more than a few knee surgeries. Wheelchair sports are actually a big thing. They're fun for those involved and it's not in any way a mockery of those who need the chairs to get around. I don't know anyone in a chair who would have been offended by the guys racing and playing around in the airport's wheelchairs. Had they deprived someone who needed one to play, that would be another matter. I think they would have immediately handed over the wheelchairs if someone was in need. Pick your causes well and get over it (directed at those who think it was insensitive)!

The absolute best part of the airport waiting was watching Lake get madder and madder. I so wanted his head to explode! Now, you know the why behind my opening paragraph. He acted like a cornered cockroach frantically trying to figure a way out when he realized not only was he not on the first flight, he didn't make the second flight either. Heehee! Hmmm ... maybe I want him to stay in the race just to watch him implode. Perhaps I have a mean, evil streak myself.

Once the teams made it to Palermo, the next clue led them to a Detour. Their choices were Foundry or Laundry. In Foundry, the teams had to go to a metal works foundry to retrieve a 110 pound bell, load it onto a little truck thingee, drive it to a church and then carry it for quite a distance up steps to hand over to a priest for their clue. Laundry wasn't physical, but it could be time-consuming. The teams were faced with 2400 pieces of hanging laundry and had to find an Amazing Race label marked tag inside. There were only ten tags amongst the laundry, if memory serves. Most of the teams chose the laundry, but the teams who chose the bell seemed to make good time. Yolanda was so proud of Ray as he carried the bell solo. Joe also carried the bell solo, but Monica's reaction wasn't as sweet as Yolanda's. Over at the Laundry task, BJ and Tyler were so cute as they politely kissed the Laundry Woman and thanked her in Italian. (Is there a language these guys don't know?) The stragglers to Laundry were frantic and frustrated. Said stragglers would be Lori/Dave, Dani/Danielle and Lake/Michelle.

The clue teams received after the Detour warned them there is a Yield ahead, one of two in the race. BJ/Tyler, in the lead, clicked their heels and went on about Yielding the "Fratboys" - which would be Jeremy/Eric. However, once they hit the Yield, both in unison sang they chose to Yield ... nobody. It would have been a waste to use it, anyway. They had a good lead. They next hit a Roadblock, a task only one member of the team can complete. It was assembling the statue of David, but there was a hitch to it. Once properly assembled, there were two extra pieces. Eventually a team would cost themselves the race due to those extra pieces. Poor Lori had a breakdown trying to assemble the statue due to them. And, her equally poor David, lovebird that he is, cried actual tears because he had gotten frustrated with her as she freaked out over the statue. (Now, I'd like to see Lake go there, huh?) BJ/Tyler sailed through the task and were instructed to walk a mile to the Pit Stop where "one team may be eliminated."

No one was using the Yield until ... Lake came along. Michelle had told him she wouldn't use it; it was his decision. He knew that Dani/Danielle were a bit behind them, but also that Ray/Yolanda were even behind them. Out of some sort of pure mean dark soul kind of action, he used it on Dani/Danielle. Don't get me wrong -- I think they (DD) aren't a good team. I even had a cyberbet elsewhere that they would be eliminated this week as they're such a poor team overall. They hitch onto others, they frustrate easily, they aren't worldly. They had a lot going against them. But there was absolutely no need for Lake to use that Yield against them. They weren't a threat to him or Michelle. He's just plain mean. I bet he didn't use it on Ray/Yolanda because either one of them could whip his butt in the race (or elsewhere). He chose the girls because they're fairly defenseless in his mind. Nasty man, I tell you. Mean-spirited, sexist and plain ol' nasty.

Ray and Yolanda ended up passing DD at the Roadblock when DD furthered their woes with the two extra pieces of the statue. I watched The Early Show this morning. DD said that Ray/Yolanda had about ten minutes on them and it wasn't a race to the end at all as both R/Y are runners and they (DD) aren't.

Here's the finishing order at the Pit Stop:
1. BJ/Tyler - Won a digital imaging center. Maybe I can get them to digitally make Lake's head explode!
2. Jeremy/Eric
3. Monica/Joe
4. Fran/Barry
5. Lake/Michelle
6. Dave/Lori
7. Ray/Yolanda
Last and Philiminated: Dani/Danielle

My final thoughts on the remaining teams? Well, I want to know how many times we're going to see Fran and Barry walk by clues. I swear they have blinders on and no peripheral vision. I don't think we'll see them last a lot longer on the show. I'm pleased that BJ and Tyler are doing so well. Perhaps they're a bit of a gimmick, but they're enjoyable to watch. They're polite to the native folks in the various countries. They're respectful and even have a basic knowledge of most of the languages so far. They're nice to the other teams, but focus on doing well each leg. And, they're having fun with it all. I can take or leave the HornDogz. Yeah, they're male eye candy. I sort of wish they weren't as strong a team as they are -- the more I see of Ray and Yolanda, I'd like to see them take the reins up near the top. I still like the Nerds, Dave and Lori. I don't think they're a particularly stong team, but they're kind of like the representative of Normal Folks on the show - not too well traveled, not in fantastic shape, but in the adventure of a lifetime. As for Monica and Joe, they can go. I think they're a stronger team than the Nerds or Franberry, but they've done nothing to endear themselves to me. And, after all, it's all about me, right?

Heehee! What do you think?