I never quite know how to number episodes such as this one - unfinished legs from the previous week. As you recall, the last clue we saw read, "Keep racing, this leg isn't over." But I'll call it episode ten anyway. I like to live dangerously.
At the risk of sounding repetitive -
Five teams remain. Who will be eliminated next?
We last left the teams in Helsinki where they were rappelling face-first down the 236 foot high tower at the Olympic Stadium. Yipes! Most have a fear of heights, and we know from previous episodes that the Cho Brothers, Erwin and Godwin, both are afflicted with that fear. I was on the edge of my seat cheering them on as they struggled down the tower, but they made it!
BoyToys James and Tyler had finished the rappel first, followed by Beauty Queens Dustin and Kandice. They only read the beginning of the clue last week. The end was that they had to fly to the capital city of the country where Chernobyl is located. Reading it prompted one of the Beauty Queens to comment, "That's where the atom bomb went off." A nice dunce-like sound effect was edited in. The BoyToys were a bit more on the money with one saying he didn't want to grow a third eye. For me, the problem was trying to remember whether it's in the Ukraine or Russia. It's the former. Make a dunce sound effect at me, please. Ah, but once I realized it was the Ukraine, I knew Kiev! Take away that dunce sound!
The teams ended up on two different flights and it was the Beauty Queens and BoyToys arriving first due to a delay for the other teams. As the shots focused on the BoyToys, it finally dawned on me exactly who Tyler reminds me of... Bob Geldof in his younger days, the Boomtown Rats or even as he played Pink in The Wall. That's been bugging me all season.
In Kiev, teams faced a Roadblock, a task only one member of a team can complete. This one was one of the best I've ever seen on the series - "Who's ready to take command?" They got to drive an armored tank through a muddy training course at the Oster Tank School, a military training school. Because they had such a lead, it was Dustin and James competing against each other on the course. Dustin won, girls rule and all that stuff.
The pace was already set at this point with the BoyToys and Beauty Queens apparently well in the lead as the clue received at the Roadblock merely told them to go to an apartment in Kiev to pick up their next clue. The ChoBros, 'Bama Moms, and Rob/Kimberly were woefully behind and it was obvious that one of them would finish last this leg, just not which of the three teams.
After finishing the tank drive, Rob (who's nice again now) said that Kimberly is "a superhuman creature from outer space." Okay, that's nice. Creature, eh? Well, it's better than when he yells at her.
And, while I love them dearly as much as one could love a team on TAR, the ChoBros are royally screwing themselves by waiting for the 'Bama Moms (Lyn and Karlyn) all the time. It's a RACE! Sheesh, Chos, you're real sweeties, but you're in a damn race. No other team would do for you with the exception of David and Mary who were eliminated already.
Rob and Kimberly had car troubles on their way to the apartment building in Kiev, but managed to make it there before the Chos and Moms. The Moms were following the Chos and fussing that they stopped too often for directions and were too indecisive. Yes, they're right. Argh, Chos! I like you so much, but you have to race in a race!
The clue at the apartment led them to a Detour, a choice of two tasks, this time dealing with the musical heritage of the country. Gee, I didn't know rap was part of said musical heritage. The choices were Make Music or Find Music. In Make Music, teams had to write and perform a rap song incorporating all the countries through which they've traveled. In Find Music, teams had to go to the National Music Academy, find sheet music for Tchaikovsky's "Concert Fantasy," then find a pianist to play it, and watch the performance.
Tyler and James surprised me by going for Find Music while Kandice and Dustin gave a memorable rap. When the other three teams made their lap through, they all wanted to do the rap. Alas, the 'Bama Moms blew off the ChoBros as the guys got lost once again. The alliance is over and, if you ask me, allia
nces do not work on The Amazing Race. So, the Moms did the rap while the ChoBros ended up going for Find Music as it was easier to find than the dive rap club. At least we got to see them wear tuxedos!From the Detour, it was a not-so-much of a race to the Pit Stop, the War Memorial at the Patriotic War Museum in Kiev.
The Pit Stop arrival order:
- Tyler and James - also won a trip for two to Mexico.
- Dustin and Kandice
- Rob and Kimberly
- Lyn and Karlyn
- Sigh... the ChoBros, last and Philiminated in the dark of night. They had been stopped by the police holding them up more.
Yes, the ChoBros were my favorite team, but I think it's more because they seem like such nice guys. And, we know the saying - "nice guys finish last." Well, they didn't finish last. They beat out many other teams, most more determined to win the race than they themselves were. They're probably very good p
Who am I cheering on now? Well, none of the teams left rock my world. I could go with the Evil Beauty Queens in hopes that a female team will win for the first time. I could go for the 'Bama Moms just for the fact that they're bound to be such unlikely winners as they're out of shape and not well-traveled. I don't know. I'll still watch, of course.
7 comments:
Hi Jackie, The beauty queens are making it look easy....irritatingly so. Drive a tank and don't even get a mud spatter?! She could have worn her evening gown through that one and still won it. So if I went with 'who is running the best race' and took that to mean just getting from point A to point B, they really are front runners. I prefer to have a little more humble/nice guy stuff though. I did wonder for the first time if the back seat Bama was right on target about the Cho's. What if they were hanging around for the other teams all along just because they questioned their own navigational skills. Maybe just tonight's editing. And, of course, I don't want to be so cynical and do want their motives to be that the are the good guys. But tonight their actions were more whimpy than inspiring. I am hard to please, I'll admit. Since Cho's are gone, then I will have to decide which I want least to win and work backwards for a team to support. Not the models (no reason, I just don't like them) Not the couple. (I have a reason, I just don't like them) I think the Bama's are a long shot, but would cheer if they made it. That leaves the models by default. Oh well, as you say, I'll still watch. Thanks, Sue
I am voting for the ex drug addict male models. Beauty queens are conceited. Boys are more lovable. Mom's aren't worthy.
What I found singularly annoying was the Bama team's continual complaining about how the Cho's were "leading." Well then, they should have stepped up and lead. All they did was complain, but when they got close enough to the destination they pulled away. That being said, the Cho's were particularly confused tonight and it was a dreadful mistake to have waited for the Bamas to complete the tank task. It wasn't just their "niceness" that did them in. They did the rappel, but it took them longer than the others and they lost precious time they didn't have there. Then they couldn't find the Rap place so had to delay and finally head to the music school...more delays...the coup de grace was getting pulled over by the police and not being able to explain their "race" situation and negotiate a release. All in all, I loved the boys but they were not aggressive competitors and it finally caught up with them. Don't like the Bamas...don't like their values...the beauty queens are arrogant, but have some reason to be. They rock almost every competition and seem to be having a ball. Not too bright clearly with the "atom bomb" remark...they'll hear plenty about that from family and friends and it might just get them to open a book once in a while rather than just looking in a mirror. Nevertheless their vanity, I'm rooting for them now as I'd love for female team to end up in first place and I think that they have been consistent in their game play. So sick of the toy boys and the Bamas.
GO LYN AND KARLYN! I thought they were goners last night, but they're still hanging in there. If they go next week then I'll root for the beauty queens. It's time for a female team to win!
I commented about deciding who not to win and then messed up the pick. I hate when that happens. I said I would have to take the models by default and I meant to say the beauty queens. The bq's are arrogant and really not that much fun to watch. But, (and maybe this is just true in the last few episodes because I wasn't paying much attention to them earlier when I had favorites to watch), they remain focused no matter what, they have tunnel vision when getting a task done,they can drive and read maps or find someone who will do it for them, they don't whine as much as the models, they don't cry and diva it up as much as some other years' contestants have. In fact some of that is true for all the remaining teams. The Chos and Bama neither wanted to do that rappel, but they got themselves in the groove and did it. We didn't see any of the coaxing and hysteria from the past seasons. Bama must have more going for them then we are seeing. Because they get it done every week. Has anyone heard if the Cho's will be on The View? Thank you Jackie, Sue
I commented about deciding who not to win and then messed up the pick. I hate when that happens. I said I would have to take the models by default and I meant to say the beauty queens. The bq's are arrogant and really not that much fun to watch. But, (and maybe this is just true in the last few episodes because I wasn't paying much attention to them earlier when I had favorites to watch), they remain focused no matter what, they have tunnel vision when getting a task done,they can drive and read maps or find someone who will do it for them, they don't whine as much as the models, they don't cry and diva it up as much as some other years' contestants have. In fact some of that is true for all the remaining teams. The Chos and Bama neither wanted to do that rappel, but they got themselves in the groove and did it. We didn't see any of the coaxing and hysteria from the past seasons. Bama must have more going for them then we are seeing. Because they get it done every week. Has anyone heard if the Cho's will be on The View? Thank you Jackie, Sue
Those women from Bama have the "chip" on their shoulders. The Cho's are nice but not strong enough to win. Beauty over beast once again. sucks
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