Category: amazing race 17

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.

Another obvious elimination followed the first, as Andie & Jenna were eliminated in The Amazing Race 17 Episode 2.

Teams depart in the order in which they arrived.

First: Brook & Claire – 7:34AM
Second: Katie & Rachel – 7:35AM
Third: Michael & Kevin – 7:45AM
Fourth: Chad & Stephanie – 7:52AM
Fifth: Jill & Thomas – 7:58AM
Sixth: Connor & Jonathan – 8:01AM
Seventh: Nat & Kat – 8:02AM
Eighth: Nick & Vicki – 8:04AM
Ninth: Gary & Mallory – 8:06AM

Teams will now drive to the neighborhood of Jamestown, where they must find the Akotoku Boxing Academy. So pretty much they’re stuck on land. All teams are bunched up enough that one little mistake could be game ending. The road block is to properly wrap their hands, suit up in training gear, work on a speedbag for 60 seconds, and jump rope for 60 seconds.

On the way there, Connor & Jonathan continue to sing their way through the race, which seems to be working. They may be a little too nice, but they’re playing the social game quite well, both with the contestants and the locals. Meanwhile, Nat & Kat get a clueless cab driver. They ask the teams behind them for directions. After they receive directions, their cab driver appears to be kidnapping them because he refuses to stop or turn around and go the right way, or at least that’s what the cliffhanger pre-commercial break would like us to believe.

Road block (in order of arrival): Brook, Chad, Katie, Connor, Kevin, Thomas, Gary, Vicki, Nat

Phil’s explanation of the task takes longer than the task itself. The teams are quickly blowing through the road block. The assumption that this task would be particularly difficult is a tactical error on the part of most of the teams, who send up their strongest members.

From there, they will travel by taxi to the Dodowa district to locate a market supply depot. There, they will load up on construction supplies for the Asedi D/A Primary School. This is easy enough if the teams are paying attention to their shopping list, which is not the case for Brook & Claire. Their flaw is simple, which Rachel insists makes them idiots. They only took one wheelbarrow, although the clue very clearly says a pair. Michael & Kevin do the same, and both pairs of female teams just keep their mouths quiet when they pass them. Katie & Rachel may have gotten the correct number of wheelbarrows, but they overlook something else. Nick & Vicki bring one too many bags of cement, and here we see Nick starting to become an ass. In spite of how much the other teams are struggling on this task, Nat & Kat’s taxi woes continue, and they’re still nowhere to be found.

Since they are in Africa, now would be a good time for a pop quiz on African geography, something that most Americans would fail miserably, possibly being able to identify South Africa and maybe Egypt. Hopefully at least they can identify Ghana, the country they’re in now. Perhaps not. Luckily, the kids will choose a country, then the teams will have a guess at where Ghana is, so through process of elimination, they’ll get there eventually. Even if they have to wait for the whole rest of the map to be filled in like Nick & Vicki.

The detour is a choice between bicycle parts or language arts. In bicycle parts, they must use a stick to roll a bicycle rim, which is apparently a children’s game. They will have to go all the way down the soccer field and back without letting their rims fall. In language arts, they choose a proverb containing eight highlighted phrases, each of which has a corresponding symbol in a native visual alphabet. They must then find all the symbols on a decorative cloth, like a word search.

Bicycle parts: Gary & Mallory, Katie & Rachel (switched from language arts), Chad & Stephanie (switched from language arts), Nick & Vicki, Katie & Rachel (switched from language arts), Nat & Kat (switched from language arts), Brook & Claire (switched from language arts), Jill & Thomas (switched from language arts), Michael & Kevin (switched from language arts)
Language arts: Connor & Jonathan

It’s here that Nick continues his temper tantrum. Not until Vicki’s asthma kicks in does he stop yelling at her. As much as I thought Nat & Kat were done for, they show up when the other teams are stumped on language arts, making things interesting for a change. The struggle on the word search task is simple. None of the teams are able to locate the decoder key, located on the other side of the building with the map. For all the time they’re wasting here, surely they could have walked around the corner. Even when she’s looking backward at her partner while they’re running away from the task, though, Jill still doesn’t notice the decoder key that’s right in front of her. Connor & Jonathan notwithstanding, every other team that tries this task gives up, but Kevin does not feel his father is able to do the other task. Eventually, though, they, too, opt to switch. Kevin’s concern proves to be warranted because his father is barely able to get across once, let alone twice, leading to the need for medical assistance. After that, he still has a point to prove. No matter how long it takes, he wants to finish the task.

The pit stop for this leg of the race is the home of Awusa Ntso, a local villager. During this pit stop rest, they will use the supplies they delivered to renovate the school.

First: Connor & Jonathan (win $5,000 each)
Second: Gary & Mallory
Third: Chad & Stephanie
Fourth: Katie & Rachel
Fifth: Nick & Vicki
Sixth: Brook & Claire
Seventh: Jill & Thomas
Eighth: Nat & Kat
Noneliminated: Michael & Kevin

In spite of the eldest member of the cast struggling with the African heat, Michael & Kevin have been noneliminated. As much as I can appreciate Michael’s fight to not quit something he’s started, at some point we get to where they should be put out of their misery. The next leg, they will have a speed bump to complete.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of The Amazing Race 17 Episode 4 We Should Have Brought Gloves and Butt Pads, which airs Sunday at 8/7c on CBS.

In an obvious conclusion to The Amazing Race 17 Episode 1, Ron & Tony were eliminated. Tonight 60 Minutes is actually concluding on time, for a change.

First: Jill & Thomas – 11:55AM
Second: Nat & Kat – 12:00PM
Third: Connor & Jonathan – 12:20PM
Fourth: Brook & Claire – 12:21PM
Fifth: Katie & Rachel – 12:22PM
Sixth: Gary & Mallory – 12:40PM
Seventh: Michael & Kevin – 12:41PM
Eighth: Chad & Stephanie – 12:50PM
Ninth: Andie & Jenna – 1:35PM
Tenth: Nick & Vicki – 1:45PM

Jill says that Thomas was in charge in the last leg. Well, then, that seemed to work well. Nonetheless, she wants more of a say. Departing a minute apart, Connor & Jonathan decide to wait for Brook & Claire and work together. They, in turn, decide to wait for Katie & Rachel. Michael’s leg already hurts.

Teams must now fly more than 3100 miles to Accra, Ghana. The first stop is Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park. All teams will be bunching up on the same flight, obviously. What, they expected multiple flights to Ghana?

This presents a sharp contrast to jolly old England. They’re promptly greeted by mounds of garbage and beggars sticking their hands in the taxis and spitting on them when they say no.

From the park, they will be heading to Makola Market. This market is a good place to get lost. There are people everywhere. The road block for this leg of the race is to sell enough sunglass to earn 15 cedis, about $10, with none going for less than 3 cedis, so basically each contestant will have to sell 5.

Road block (in order of arrival): Nick, Brook, Jill, Chad, Rachel, Michael, Kat, Connor, Jenna, Mallory

Saleswoman Brook finishes the task first. Connor’s the only person I see making a sale above the 3 cedi minimum, earning 10 for two pairs. The teams learn that “I’ll come back” is a polite way of saying “no.” Jill doesn’t want to sell somebody a pair of bad sunglasses, to which Thomas asks why she would care about people’s feelings.

The next destination is Peace Motor Spare Parts for the detour. The detour is a choice between tune in or check out. In tune in, teams will go to an electrical supply for a television antenna system, which they must then install. In check out, teams will go to a woodworking shop to choose a coffin and transport it to a showroom. The coffins are things like cameras and fish, for those who really want to sleep with the fishes. At this point, multiple teams get stuck with cab drivers who don’t know where they’re going.

Tune in: Brook & Claire, Chad & Stephanie, Michael & Kevin, Nick & Vicki, Gary & Mallory
Check out: Katie & Rachel, Jill & Thomas, Connor & JOnathan (switched from tune in), Nat & Kat, Andie & Jenna

The pit stop for this leg of the race, Kaneshi Market, is one of the largest markets in Africa. They’ll be staying on a bridge apparently.

First: Brook & Claire (win a trip to Hawaii)
Second: Katie & Rachel
Third: Michael & Kevin
Fourth: Chad & Stephanie
Fifth: Jill & Thomas
Sixth: Connor & Jonathan
Seventh: Nat & Kat
Eighth: Nick & Vicki
Ninth: Gary & Mallory
Eliminated: Andie & Jenna

Once again they try to create drama with a traffic jam, but it’s obvious what the end result here is going to be. Andie & Jenna have been eliminated. Likeable team with a good story, but their travels at the back of the pack for both of the first two legs meant their time was limited.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of The Amazing Race 17 Episode 3 In Phil We Trust, which airs Sunday at 8/7c on CBS.

The Amazing Race is back for season 17 with a new cast of 11 teams racing around the world to compete for the $1 million prize. Tonight’s episode is scheduled to start half an hour late. I just hope they come close to that target.

Chad & Stephanie have been dating for 8 months. He plans to propose on the race. Odds are this will not end well. Connor & Jonathan plan to sing a lot on the race. Nick & Vicki don’t want to be judged by the covers they’ve spent so much time ruining their bodies with. Thomas thinks he’s always right, a disastrous attitude to have on the race.

We start off in Gloucester, MA, a small town on the bay. Not exactly the place where you would expect them to start.

Phil has a warning. There’s a twist. I hate twists. Whoever checks in first on this first leg will receive an express pass, which can be used to skip any challenge at any time up to the eighth leg of the race.

There are two flights at Logan Airport, and the first is scheduled to arrive 30 minutes earlier. It has room for only three teams. They will be flying to London, England and driving to Stonehenge.

Ron & Tony arrive at the airport first, followed by Chad & Stephanie. The third team to arrive is Jill & Thomas. Katie & Rachel are there shortly after, but they fuss around at their car rather than hopping on the same shuttle. The rest of the order is really quite irrelevant since everybody else is on the second flight. Nonetheless, Gary & Mallory and Brook & Claire make sure to leave Nat & Kat behind rather than letting them on their shuttle.

They have a special counter setup for the racers. Chad & Stephanie didn’t get the hint, and they decide to wait in line. This causes a bit of drama but merely makes them the third team to arrive, with the blondes shortly behind them.

As everybody else sits around the airport killing time, Connor & Jonathan finally show up in dead last and are just lucky to be getting out of Boston.

First flight (departs at 7:15PM): Ron & Tony, Jill & Thomas, Chad & Stephanie
Second flight (departs at 7:45PM): Katie & Rachel, Gary & Mallory, Andie & Jenna, Brook & Claire, Michael & Kevin, Nat & Kat, Nick & Vicki, Connor & Jonathan

When they get to London, the first trick is to figure out what side of the street to drive on. I just hope nobody came on the race and was stupid enough not to know how to drive stick. Ron & Tony make sure they get a map at the first chance. Chad is already yelling and willing to make this a miserable experience.

Half an hour earlier departure does not necessarily mean half an hour earlier arrival. However, the first flight still has a 21 minute advantage.

Nat is a diabetic, which will be a challenge to manage during the race.

Speaking of not knowing how to drive stick, Andie knows how, sort of, but hasn’t done it in a long time. Their car dies in the middle of traffic. That could be a game ender. Connor & Jonathan try to help to no avail. After a lame cliffhanger commercial break, the car starts moving again. Like I said, lame. She’s not alone. Katie is also struggling with her driving.

The point of visting this bunch of rocks? To get a clue. This clue tells them to go to Eastnor Castle. Flight order is proving irrelevant, as the first people arriving at Stonehenge are Nat & Kat, who were on the second flight. They decide to work together with Brook & Claire for some girl power.

Once at the castle, teams must climb the wall, being guarded by a mob of peasants, then travel across the moat using an ancient boat that will sink more times than not. Jill & Thomas join the girls as the first three teams at the castle, all running neck and neck. Behind them are Chad & Stephanie and Katie & Rachel. Here we see the difference between the supportive Thomas and the hot headed Chad. Chad’s impatience isn’t helping them any either, and their inability to work together will cost them at least a couple spots.

Hopelessly lost, Gary & Mallory stop at a gas station… where they get a flat. Connor & Jonathan aren’t sure what to do now. Do they leave them there or wait? The choice is obvious. Man up and go on ahead. Problem is Gary & Mallory now have a donut on their car, which won’t get them very far or very fast. At least they’re going somewhere, though, whereas Ron & Tony are still looking for Stonehenge.

After the boat ride, the road block for this leg of the race is to use a ballista to fire watermelons at a knight 50 feet away, knocking all the armor off of it.

Road block (in order of arrival): Thomas, Claire, Nat, Rachel, Connor, Chad, Gary, Michael, Jenna, Nick

Everything seems to be going fine for the first couple teams. That is until Claire goes to make a shot, and it backfires and hits herself in the face. I don’t think they thought this challenge through very thoroughly. She says she can’t feel her face, but she has to finish and hope she doesn’t get struck in the head again. There is no out. They don’t call it The Amazing Race for nothing.

By this point, three teams are bringing up the rear, still searching for the castle: Andie & Jenna, Ron & Tony, and Nick & Vicki. Andie & Jenna finally buy a map, which has the castle on it, and should eliminate their worries. Ultimately it’s Nick & Vicki who arrive after them, leaving Ron & Tony with merely a hope that somebody struggles on the boats or at the watermelon challenge. Nick & Vicki being unable to figure out what a flag is may help some. They can’t figure out what the boat is either. This all just seems like extra drama to make it seem closer than it is, though, as it would appear that Ron & Tony are goners.

After the road block, teams must search the grounds to find the pit stop, which is a meadow at Eastnor Castle. This proves to be a tall order for one team. Chad & Stephanie had been in sixth place after the road block but wandered around aimlessly for some time.

First: Jill & Thomas (win the express pass)
Second: Nat & Kat
Third: Connor & Jonathan
Fourth: Brook & Claire
Fifth: Katie & Rachel
Sixth: Gary & Mallory
Seventh: Michael & Kevin
Eighth: Chad & Stephanie
Ninth: Andie & Jenna
Tenth: Nick & Vicki
Eliminated: Ron & Tony

In an anticlimactic conclusion, Ron & Tony have been eliminated from the race.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of The Amazing Race 17 Episode 2 A Kiss Saves the Day, which airs Sunday at 8/7c on CBS.

The Amazing Race returns for season 17, and not without its typecasts. The 11 teams each with a preexisting relationship that make up The Amazing Race 17 cast are:

Andie & Jenna
43/21
Atlanta, GA/Athens, GA
Birth mother/biological daughter

Brook & Claire
27/30
San Diego, CA/Reno, NV
Best friends/TV co-hosts

Chad & Stephanie
26/23
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Dating

Connor & Jonathan
22
Chesterland, OH/Cranford, NJ
Best friends/Princeton students

Gary & Mallory
53/24
Morganfield, KY/Lexington, KY
Father/daughter

Jill & Thomas
27/30
Marina Del Rey, CA
Dating

Katie & Rachel
23/24
Rahway, NJ/Moorestown, NJ
Friends/Beach volleyball players

Michael & Kevin
58/20
Sugarland, TX
Father/son

Nat & Kat
31/35
Scottsdale, AZ/Santa Monica, CA
Friends/Doctors

Nick & Vicki
26
Henderson, NV
Dating

Ron & Tony
45/42
Los Angeles, CA/Tucson, AZ
Best friends

Ron Kellum
Age: 45
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Connection to your Teammate: Best Friend
Current occupation: Director/Choreographer

Tony Stovall
Age: 42
Hometown: Tucson, AZ
Connection to your Teammate: Best friend
Current occupation: Doctoral Student at the University of Arizona

Nick DeCarlo
Age: 26
Hometown: Henderson, NV
Connection to your Teammate: Boyfriend
Current occupation: Bartender

Vicki Casciola
Age: 26
Hometown: Henderson, NV
Connection to your Teammate: Girlfriend
Current Occupation: Hairstylist

Nat Strand
Age: 31
Hometown: Scottsdale, AZ
Connection to your Teammate: Friend
Current occupation: Doctor

Kat Chang
Age: 35
Hometown: Santa Monica, CA
Connection to your Teammate: Friend
Current occupation: Doctor