The Amazing Race 34: 'The Only Leg That Matters' Season Finale Blog Party - Dec. 7

 

The final three teams ...

I will be live blogging the major events as the show airs here on the East Coast. Refresh the page to get the latest news. As always, the real party is in the comments area -- I hope to see you there!

Tonight is the season finale. With no non-Philimination legs, it seems like a short season even though there were two mega-legs. Also, with the Covid era private plane, all teams were always so close to each other. It all was a bit odd. No U-Turns, either. Although an online friend at the time, Jym Buss, created the U-Turn, I've grown weary of it over the years. I liked all the teams this season. Well, I only vaguely recall the first team out and I didn't care much for one person on a team, but really liked the others. When it got down to about the last eight teams, I was onboard for any of them for the win.

Due to my own bias, my favorite team is Derek/Claire.

The Wonderful Lifeguard SueGee has updated the blog pool listing. Here's where we stand:

Derek & Claire -- Beachbound Gmom, ChicMc, Donna NY

Emily & Molly -- Joanne Victoria, Judi Sweeney, Sharon N

Luis & Michelle -- Andi, Mikes Girl, RJMnS

PHILIMINATED

Aastha & Nina

Tim & Rex

Rich & Dom

Linton & Sharik

Abby & Will (Covid)

Glenda & Lumumba

Quinton & Mattie

Marcus & Michael

Aubrey & David

Race fans ready? Let's GO! 

We start with a recap. Teams are heading to Nashville. They will start the leg in Lynchburg. They have to bottle whiskey 30 Jack Daniels bottles ready for shipment. Molly and Emily finish first! They are driving to the next clue. Derek and Claire done. Five minutes behind, Luis and Michelle finish.

All three teams are in a row heading to the Korean Veterans Memorial Bridge in Nashville.

Derek/Claire make it to the clue box first.

Roadblock -- Climb and Rappel to get a clue guitar pick. Derek through first. Emily doing well, Michelle having problems with it.

Derek/Claire heading to Gibson Garage. Emily coming down next. Michelle finally makes it down.

Derek/Claire to the next clue first. Gibson Guitar Delivery. Deliver one electric, two acoustic guitars to honkytonks in town. Luis/Michelle there next because the twins are lost again.

All three teams are delivering guitars now. Derek/Claire get their clues to go to the Municipal Auditorium first. An orchestra is playing the theme song. Teams have to bring the theme to life on giant piano keys (like in the movie BIG) to get the next clue to the Pit Stop. Luis/Michelle arrive, then Molly/Emily.

The 11 second timer on the piano keys is getting all the teams.

DEREK AND CLAIRE DID THE PIANO FIRST! They are on their way to the Pit Stop.

The twins get it next!

DEREK AND CLAIRE WIN THE AMAZING RACE!

Emily and Molly get second place. They are both in happy tears.

Luis and Michelle third.

Survivor 43: Episode 12 Blog Party - December 7

 

The Amazing Race season finale is on at 9PM EDT. A separate post for that show will magically appear a few minutes before the end of this show. It's odd that both shows aren't finishing up at the same time.

As for Survivor, I will be live blogging the major events as the show airs here on the East Coast. Refresh the page to get the latest news. As always, the real party is in the comments section. I hope to see you there!

The Esteemed Lifeguard SueGee has updated the blog pool -- check it out to find your castaway!

Cody       Cheryl in NC, ChicMc
Jesse       AprilW, Donna in AL
Cassidy     Cherrypie, Kelsey NY
Karla       Glenn Allen, monty924
Gabler     Donna in FL, Joanne Victoria
Owen    Mike Barer, SueGee

Jury

Jeanine

James

Ryan

Noelle

Sami

Survivor fans ready?

It's Day 22 with six remaining. Owen wanted Karla to vote for Cassidy to stir things up. But Karla voted for Sami instead. He still wants to stir up issues between Karla and Cassidy. And Cassidy seems to believe him.

She confronts Karla about it. Karla denies it that she was coming after her (even though she was). Cassidy is the only one who really knows about Karla's idol. Karla pulls out the tears. She tells Jesse so he can back her up.

Instead of backing her up, Jesse throws Karla under that good old reality bus to Cassidy. 

It's right to the Reward Challenge. Random two teams of three, one person strapped into a huge ball and two pushing while blindfolded. The one in the ball has to direct the blindfolded through a course ending in a table maze that the one in the ball has to call. The Reward is Sanctuary and pastries.

Owen (in ball), Karla and Cody win Reward!

On Sanctuary Cody might be overdoing it on the caffeine and sugar. But the three start talking. Karla admits she's a threat but won't admit she has an idol. She fake cried to the guys, Cody and Owen believe she doesn't have an idol but that she is very dangerous. Owen wants Karla out more than Cassidy.

Back at camp they are eating rice and Gabler talks final three with Cassidy and Jesse. Cassidy tells them that Karla has an idol. They also know that Cody has one. Jesse has Jeanine's idol that no one knows about. Gabler and Cody talk about taking Karla and her idol down.

Immunity Challenge time! Race obstacles collecting number tiles, combination, retrieve key, unlock puzzle pieces, put puzzle together.

CASSIDY wins Immunity!

Owen and Gabler are worried if both Cody and Karla may play idols. Cody talks to Karla, both admit to idols. Cody tells her neither of them should use their idols and vote either Gabler or Owen. Hmm. Karla talks to Gabler who says he will vote Owen. Owen admits he will vote Gabler if he has to.

Cody tells Owen about his "plan" with Karla so they can blindside Karla. He is sure Jesse is in his corner. Jesse is getting to the point where he wonders if he can beat Cody. Will he betray the trust? He has Cody's idol because of the Knowledge is Power advantage a few weeks back. Ohhh ... he goes to Owen about taking out Cody. Oh my. Owen tells Cassidy. Uh-oh. Jesse has to give the idol back to Cody so Cody can prove he has it. He needs to get it back from Cody. That blows Jesse's plan.

Tribal Council time. Cody looks very smug. Karla says she still doesn't feel well -- her body broke down during the immunity challenge. Jesse says Karla and Cody will be playing their idols tonight. Jeff wonders if it's a bluff. Gabler thinks he will be lasting until tomorrow. Jesse doesn't seem as sure. Owen isn't all that sure. Cody is still smug.

Time to vote. Karla votes Owen.

No idols played. Wait. Jesse plays one for Owen.

The tally - Wait. Karla plays hers for herself.

Owen, Karla, Cody, Cody, Cody ... aha! He was too smug! Jesse betrayed him!

Jeff tells them they will be heading to a new beach tonight. Next week is the season finale. 

The Amazing Race 34: 'How Am I Going to Survive This?' Episode Blog Party - Nov. 30

 

I will be live blogging the major events as the show airs here on the East Coast. Refresh the page to get the latest news. As always, the real party is in the comments area -- I hope to see you there!

We're into the final four this week. Although the TV listing isn't saying it as such, I think tonight's episode is the penultimate one for the season. Tonight, the four should be knocked down to three and we know it's three teams going to the finale. The episode for December 7 is entitled 'The Only Leg That Matters.' I say finale even though it's just an hour and isn't labeled as such!

The Wonderful Lifeguard SueGee has updated the blog pool listing. Here's where we stand:

Aubrey & David -- Donna in FL, Dr Celine, Skyriverblue

Derek & Claire -- Beachbound Gmom, ChicMc, Donna NY

Emily & Molly -- Joanne Victoria, Judi Sweeney, Sharon N

Luis & Michelle -- Andi, Mikes Girl, RJMnS

PHILIMINATED

Aastha & Nina

Tim & Rex

Rich & Dom

Linton & Sharik

Abby & Will (Covid)

Glenda & Lumumba

Quinton & Mattie

Marcus & Michael

Race fans ready? Let's GO!

Recap City, here we are. Luis and Michelle win first place, Marcus and Michael get Philiminated. Teams are flying to the Republic of Iceland. We get Expedia exposure as teams get helicopter rides to their clue. It does look stunning!

Ten percent of Iceland is covered in glaciers. Teams must climb a glacier ice wall, one at a time, to retrieve a flag. Aubrey and Luis go first for their teams. Luis is down, so Michelle is going up. Now David is heading up.

Luis/Michelle off to the next clue first but just about even. Now Derek and Molly are climbing. Molly is better at it than Derek. Emily and Claire climbing. Claire down first. Emily and Molly in last place but so close. T

The teams have to drive stick shift vehicles to the next clue. Emily and Molly are still last but not all that far behind. Derek, like Luis before him, is having trouble driving the car. David/Aubrey are just ahead of Luis/Michelle with Derek/Claire in third.

The first two teams turned around and pass Derek/Claire going the other way. The first two thought they drove by the turn off. Molly/Emily in a car and having manual transmission problems. Of course.

Derek/Claire to Roadblock first. Who's feeling Misty-Eyed ... Derek does it. It has diving, rappelling down falls into a cave to get a clue and more involved. David does not swim, and Luis passes by him. Will Molly catch up? Hmm.

Derek and Claire headed to the next clue. Then Luis/Michelle. David makes it through, so the twins are still in last place.

Expedia Experience, they have to memorize volcano names and eruption years while snorkeling a fissure. The order remains but all four teams are quite close. Teams do go with a dive instructor.

It's ice-cold water in Iceland. All four teams are there at the same time although Luis/Michelle and Derek/Claire have a head start. Luis/Michelle have to go back and try again. Derek/Claire are good and move on into first place! They are on the way to the Pit Stop.

Luis/Michelle pass. Aubrey/David do not pass, neither do the twins. David is having extreme problems. The twins pass while he's still struggling. Now Aubrey/David are wrong again. They give up and take the two-hour penalty.

Pit Stop Order

1. Claire/David - also win Expedia trip to London.

2. Luis/Michelle

3. Molly/Emily

4. Aubrey/David - Philiminated

Finale next week!

Survivor 43: Episode 11 Blog Party - November 30

 

The Amazing Race is on at 9PM EDT, a separate post for that show will magically appear a few minutes before the end of this show.

As for Survivor, I will be live blogging the major events as the show airs here on the East Coast. Refresh the page to get the latest news. As always, the real party is in the comments section. I hope to see you there!

Some weirdness to mention -- last year we had no Ponderosa videos with the jury members in sequester after they were voted out. There are none on the website for this season. But if you do a YouTube search for "Survivor 43 After the Snuff" -- there are videos obviously filmed with a cell phone posted. Hmm. 

The Esteemed Lifeguard SueGee has updated the blog pool -- check it out to find your castaway!

Cody       Cheryl in NC, ChicMc
Jesse       AprilW, Donna in AL
Cassidy     Cherrypie, Kelsey NY
Karla       Glenn Allen, monty924
Gabler     Donna in FL, Joanne Victoria
Owen    Mike Barer, SueGee
Sami      Brenda, Indiana Jane

Jury

Jeanine

James

Ryan

Noelle

Survivor fans ready?

We open with the castaways returning from Tribal Council. I still feel bad that Noelle is out but I totally understand it. I think she more than proved her point that her disability doesn't stop her. Sami was shocked at Noelle being voted out. He thinks he and Owen were left out of the vote. Sami admits to the others he wrote down Karla's name. 

Gabler tries to make good with Owen so they can work together. Owen feels the others are all out to get him. Sami is still mad that he was left out of the vote for the first time. We get it teary sentimental bit about Sami, his mother and his little brother. Aw. Head up, shoulders back and make the best of it.

Karla and Sami talk. Apparently, he didn't burn that bridge. He lies to Karla and tells her that the first one to mention her name was Cassidy. So, Karla is freaking because she told Cassidy about her idol and she thought they were allies.

They see boat mail coming. It's handed to Karla. "Seven days left Any advantage is an advantage worth having. There's one hidden in your jungle. GO." They all run off looking for it. I may be mistaken but they keep going all around it. Yep, that's it. Hanging on a tree. Ah, Cody notices it and sneak pockets it.

It is an advantage -- he can bet on a player to win the next Immunity Challenge, if they win, he wins. He's given a heads-up about what the challenge it -- the almost drowning one we've seen before.

Immunity Challenge time. Test your ability to remain calm when all seems to be not calm. They are under a grate which gets lower as the tide rises, trying to breathe in the ocean. Cody gives Jeff his advantage. Jeff tells them about it but says he won't say who he chose until Tribal.

Gabler out first. Sami out. Jesse out. They are now at an hour. CODY is out -- he was sure he would win! 90 minutes. Almost two hours. Cassidy is out. She lasted two hours. Karla and Owen the only ones left. Two hours 45 minutes. Now the tide is dropping.

Jeff tells them since they beat the tide, BOTH will win Immunity because they outlasted the challenge! This has never happened before. For some reason, I don't think Cody chose either of them. Sami thinks Cody will also be safe and he will need to play his Shot in the Dark at Tribal tonight.

Sure, they're all hugging back at camp. Cassidy is upset with herself. Owen talks to her. Like Sami, she feels that three will be safe and she's vulnerable. They two talk about Sami going tonight. Karla agrees. She is worried that Cassidy knows about her idol ... and tells Sami they need to vote out Cassidy. Hmm. Sami is a bit suspicious. Now more are mentioning Cassidy's name. 

Jesse is leery. He thinks it might be time to take out Sami. He talks to Own who is a bit suspicious about him. Jesse tells Cody about only Karla voting Cass with the rest of them voting Sami.

Tribal Council time. Jeff has to talk about Karla and Owen outlasting the high tide. Gabler says there was chaos back at camp. Karla says they're all polite. Owen brings up that he was left out of the voting plans last week. Sami thinks he's at the bottom. Cassidy talks about strengths, weaknesses and trust. Sami mentions they haven't seen an idol played. He tells them he's going to play his Shot in the Dark tonight. Karla says it's unfortunate that people trust him, and he is willing to throw his vote away.

Time to vote. Samu does pull the die out of his pocket. 

Cody voted on OWEN to win, so he is safe. 

The tally -- wait, Sami's Shot in the Dark -- he's NOT SAFE.

Now the tally -- Sami, Sami, Sami, Sami ... he's out! He's good about it. We do have to remember he's a kid. He just graduated from high school before the filming of the season.

The Amazing Race 34: 'Don't Look Down' Episode Blog Party - Nov. 23

 

I will be live blogging the major events as the show airs here on the East Coast. Refresh the page to get the latest news! As always, the real party is in the comments area -- I hope to see you there!

Teams are continuing the leg still in Spain.

The Wonderful Lifeguard SueGee had the week off as this is a "mega-leg" and no Philimination until tonight. Here's where we stand:

Aubrey & David -- Donna in FL, Dr Celine, Skyriverblue

Derek & Claire -- Beachbound Gmom, ChicMc, Donna NY

Emily & Molly -- Joanne Victoria, Judi Sweeney, Sharon N

Luis & Michelle -- Andi, Mikes Girl, RJMnSC

Marcus & Michael -- Brenda, Chrob61, Nickelpeed

PHILIMINATED

Aastha & Nina

Tim & Rex

Rich & Dom

Linton & Sharik

Abby & Will (Covid)

Glenda & Lumumba

Quinton & Mattie

Race fans ready? Let's GO!

We start off with a recap. Derek and Claire leave first, driving to Ronda in Spain, to Puenta Nuevo (an ancient bridge). The teams are leaving in order of their halfway status.

Oh, geez ... back to Emily/Molly and Marcus/Michael at the fish from last week. The twins finish first, then the guys.

Derek/Claire took a wrong turn giving Luis/Michelle a first to the Detour clue. Bend Over Backwards build an arch or Dress for Success -- studying dancers and accessorizing them. Aubrey/David team with Derek/Claire again. Now they are at the Detour clue. All three teams choose the dancers. Luis/Michelle keep getting the accessories wrong -- wrong shawl.

Luis figures it out. They are the first to finish and get their clue.

Emily/Molly have the Detour clue. Aubrey/David make it through first shot on the dancer, tell Derek/Claire what they did wrong.

Roadblock - High wire and get the first flag they saw on the race. Or leg. Hmm. Michelle does it. And, she did it! Got the right flag. They have to head between Ernest and Orsen where the Pit Stop is waiting.

The brothers are the only team choosing Bend Over Backwards at the Detour. Uh-oh ... Emily/Molly are lost! Derek/Claire finish the Detour. The twins get to the Detour and the brothers get to their Detour choice.

Teams are being misled by the Roadblock clue -- Who's Been Paying Attention because of the flag. But it's the highwire! Both Claire and Aubrey are doing it and both are really frightened by heights. Claire breaks down after she finishes.

The last two teams are heading to the Roadblock. The twins get there first. Ack. She may be picking the wrong flag. Nope, got it right! They are heading to the Pit Stop. Now the guys finished the Roadblock.

Pit Stop Order:

1. Luis/Michelle - won Expedia trip to Tokyo

2. Aubrey/David

3. Derek/Claire

4. Emily/Molly

5. Marcus/Michael -- Philiminated