Michael & Kevin limped their way to the pit stop in The Amazing Race 17 Episode 3, but they were noneliminated.
Teams depart in the order in which they arrived.
First: Connor & Jonathan – 10:15AM
Second: Gary & Mallory – 11:19AM
Third: Chad & Stephanie – 11:29AM
Fourth: Katie & Rachel – 12:12PM
Fifth: Nick & Vicki – 12:23PM
Sixth: Brook & Claire – 12:24PM
Seventh: Jill & Thomas – 12:29PM
Eighth: Nat & Kat – 1:12PM
Ninth: Michael & Kevin – 1:26PM
Connor & Jonathan keep talking about how they’re going to miss their graduation. Hmm… travel around the world while on a TV show or wear a stupid cap and gown?
Can they finally get on a plane? Yes, they are headed to the Arctic Circle, a 4500 mile flight to Kiruna, Sweden, which should provide quite the contrast to their current 100 degree heat. This prompts Nick to ask his cab driver for a ride to the Arctic Circle.
All teams are given tickets on the same flight. Although they are given tickets on that flight, they are under no obligation to use them. Ghana to Sweden… I don’t like their odds of finding something worth swapping. However, since they will be landing in Frankfurt, one of the 10 busiest airports in the world, that presents an opportunity. Seeing this, Michael & Kevin call the airport and are given plans to depart 2:15 earlier from Germany. They decide to share their plan with Gary & Mallory. They’re not alone, though. Nat & Kat find the earlier flight on the Internet. Brook & Claire spot the Internet cafe, where they receive the tip from Nat & Kat. Suspecting something is up based on Gary & Mallory and their smiling, Connor & Jonathan try to get the earlier flight, but they are too late.
The time in between connections is an hour. A hell of a risk. When I was in Frankfurt, it was the most disorganized chaotic mess I’ve come across, causing me to miss my connection in the US. If this risk doesn’t pay off, the teams are looking at a significant disadvantage, but at least they won’t be all alone.
It’s a mad dash and some quick running once they get to the airport. All four teams manage to make the flight, leaving the other five teams about two hours behind.
Their first stop is the Icehotel. Because it’s summer, the hotel is packed up in a warehouse. The clue, etched in a block of ice (in Swedish) is leading them to Fjellborg’s Lodge. It’s quickly looking like Jill & Thomas’ race to lose because they’re running around aimlessly trying to find this place. That said, they do have the express pass.
Before they can continue, Michael & Kevin hit a speed bump, in which they must sit on ice furniture for 10 minutes. Uh. That’s it? This is punishment for placing last?
The road block will be to use a summer training sled to mush their sled dogs down the trail and snatch five flags along the way. For each missed flag, they must perform one penalty lap. Then they will bring the dogs back home.
Road block (in order of arrival): Michael, Mallory, Claire, Kat, Katie, Connor, Stephanie, Nick, ?
From there, teams will drive themselves through the Swedish countryside to the Vassijaure Train Station. The detour is a choice between sleds or beds. In sleds, teams will go to the top of the mountain, then use an extreme sports sled to reach the finish line in under 1:58. In beds, they will use traditional materials to build a tent-like dwelling used by the nomadic locals.
Sleds: Nat & Kat, Gary & Mallory, Brook & Claire, Nick & Vicki
Beds: Michael & Kevin, Jill & Thomas, Chad & Stephanie (switched from sleds), Katie & Rachel (switched from sleds), Connor & Jonathan (switch from sleds)
Kevin again makes this choice with the precaution that his dad is dragging him down, although we saw that fear was warranted last week. Nat finishes in about 1:48, well ahead of the mark to beat. However, her parenter has wiped out somewhere on the mountain. The guys on the course asks Kat if she’s having problems. Uh, she’s stuck in the fence. Gary beats the time, but Mallory misses by about a second. On their second attempt, Nat & Kat are successful. Brook & Claire easily complete the course the first time around. Gary & Mallory make it on the second try. The top three teams are leaving the tent builders in their dust, but that two hour gap will provide them with enough of an advantage that they should be unconcerned.
Connor & Jonathan are a comedy of errors on the sledding. Stephanie’s only doing this because Chad will enjoy it, and her end result is not pretty. Of course, her fear in this is her own fault, or at least that’s what Chad wants us to believe in his complete lack of support. Then comes the shouting. Giving in to her fear, Stephanie opts to quit the sleds in favor of the beds. Jonathan continues, in spite of the fact that he’s terrible. For Nick & Vicki, this extreme sports task fits right with their personalities, and they finish on the first try. Katie & Rachel switch when one of their sleds goes flying off the mountain. Connor & Jonathan finally admit they’re not going to finish as well. Now Chad’s feeling pretty lucky, and he’s even acting somewhat nice to Stephanie. Those who dragged their feet and insisted on sticking around wasted precious time.
Jill insists on skipping the beds task, so she and Thomas use their express pass instead. Considering how quick the other task is, I’d say that was a wise move, unless one of the other teams just simply can’t complete the other task, which turns out to be the case. Better to use the pass and waste it than have it in your backpack as Phil’s saying goodbye.
The pit stop for this leg of the race is the Norwegian border, a line in the snow.
First: Nat & Kat (win a trip to Belize)
Second: Gary & Mallory
Third: Brook & Claire
Fourth: Michael & Kevin
Fifth: Jill & Thomas
Sixth: Nick & Vicki
Seventh: Chad & Stephanie
Eighth: Katie & Rachel
Eliminated: Connor & Jonathan
Though they are certainly not the weakest team, Connor & Jonathan have been eliminated from the race.
Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of The Amazing Race 17 Episode 5 Tastes Like a Million Dollars, which airs Sunday at 8/7c on CBS.