TAR: Yippee!

Amazing Race
The Final Push

Phil checks teams out at the former pit stop of the Chiang Kai-Shek Plaza in Taipei, Taiwan where they find that they need to fly to their final destination city of Anchorage, Alaska, more than 4000 miles away. After landing, they need to go to 6th Avenue Outfitters, which is an outdoor adventure store. There they have to pick up some supplies they will need in later tasks and their next clue.

The order and times that the teams left the pit stop:

  • 9:47 am – Ron & Christina
  • 10:30 am – TK & Rachel
  • 10:37 am – Nick & Don

Ron & Christina said the three remaining teams are strong and smart, but they are stronger and smarter. They know how it is at the bottom so they want to keep their spot in first place. TK & Rachel talk about staying calm is the best strategy. They just need to focus on one task at a time. Rachel has always wanted to go to Alaska. Nick is very proud of his grandfather and how far he has pushed himself. Nick has always wanted to go to Alaska and expects some hunting and fishing tasks. Don said growing up he hunted and fished a lot, so they determine he’ll be in charge.

Airport Fun Times

Everyone gets on the same flight to Anchorage. TK & Rachel couldn’t believe they were on the same flight as another team, which hasn’t happened in so long. Ron & Chris asked if they had free access to the airlines lounge and went to surf the internet there. They were researching where 6th Ave. Outfitters is located. The other teams were waiting at the gate, but freaking out that they couldn’t see Ron & Chris.

Then they finally arrived and no more drama.

Anchorage, Alaska

Ron & Chris are the first ones out of the airport and to the store. They get their bag of supplies and their next clue.

Clue: Go to the waterfront and find the Ship Creek Boat Launch to find their next clue.

Ron & Chris take off to the waterfront. Ron finds a filet in the bag and hopes he doesn’t cut himself with it. TK & Rachel are the next to arrive and grab their gear. Nick & Don show up, take their clue but never pick up their bag of supplies. Doh!

Ship Creek Boat Launch

Ron & Chris arrive first to find a detour between two tasks that local fisherman have to perform.

Detour: In Cut the Cod, teams must cut through 50 cods to find a miniature clue in one of them. In Grab the Crab, teams jump into a tub with live crabs and find one crab with race colors while trying to avoid getting pinched.

Ron does not like the idea of getting bit and pinched by a crab so they choose the cutting fish one. Once they get to the fish, Ron is very disturbed at how big the fish is, saying it isn’t going to be an easy task fileting the fish for a city slicker.

TK & Rachel arrive somewhere, but can’t find the metal bridge. They ask some people who say it is five minutes down the road so back in the cab they go. Nick & Don are still in their cab, but their driver says he knows where stuff is so I guess they have a better cabbie than TK & Rachel.

Ron is wondering if the clue is digested and how he isn’t very good at knives. After one fish is cut open, Chris starts to go through it. Ron barely has the knife down when Chris finds it. He tells her to be quiet while reading the clue, even though no other teams around around. He looks for other teams so he probably has no idea they are the only ones there.

Clue: Drive 60 miles to a boat landing and take a high-speed boat ride to 20-Mile Glacier. Once there, they both have to climb up the face of the glaceir to get their next clue on top of it.

Ron & Chris run to their cab while Ron is pleased he picked the right fish since it was in the first one. Their cab driver says he thinks he knows where it is located. Guess we’ll find out! While they are driving out, they pass Nick & Don and then TK & Rachel. Nick & Don are bummed that another team is already finished with the next task. They arrive at the clue first and Nick reads the following, “You may choose a pair of rubber gloves you got from the bag….rubber gloves you got from the bag? We never got a bag!”

Way to screw up Nick! TK & Rachel get their clue and TK just hears that Nick might not have gloves. I don’t know if he realizes how much stuff that Nick is actually lacking, like the entire bag of supplies. Riding back to the store, Don berates Nick for not reading the clue, saying if he had read it, he would have got the gear. It seems simple enough. Of course, Don didn’t read the clue either. We’re not talking about how Don screwed up, though, but how Nick screwed up.

Back at the dock, Rachel thinks the crabs sound easier since the clue is on the outside and the fish clue is on the inside of the cod. She thinks they can tear right through the crabs. I’m thinking they will tear through them first. Ron & Chris are still driving to the next spot. TK & Rachel start to get pinched, yelling “ow” and TK wonders if they chose the right task. They keep going though. Nick & Don arrive back at the store for the gear and are now headed back to the docks. TK sends Rachel to the tank next to him so they have a better chance of finding a crab. Nick & Don decide to gut the fish on the cab ride back since Don says he can gut a fish in about a minute. Rachel is jumping up and down in the water trying to avoid crabs, saying a crab is trying to take her shoe off. Rachel is agreeing they might have to switch tasks.

Nick & Don arrive back at the docks and see TK & Rachel still working on the crabs. TK & Rachel decide to switch tasks, but TK picks up one last crab and it’s the one with the clue! Nick & Don are grabbing a fish while TK & Rachel get their clue and take off. Don cuts a fish in half a second and tells Nick to look inside while he works on the next fish. Nick stalls and Don says “Look inside!” Nick responds, “With my hand?” Yes, with your hand!

Don sighs while cutting open his third fish and then finds the clue himself. Way to go Don, no thanks to Nick! They take off in their taxi. They are pretty happy that they are pretty close to TK & Rachel still. They think they are less than five minutes behind them. TK & Rachel think that Ron & Chris are about 25-30 min. ahead of them.

Ron & Chris arrive at the boat launch and ask the cab driver to say a prayer for them. Random! They get into their high speed boat and take off. It is very pretty.

TK & Rachel are still with their awesome driver who doesn’t know where they are going. He’s calling dispatch to ask directions. TK is close to losing it, which is still far away from how bad Jen would lose it if she was still in the race. They arrive to the boat launch right before Nick & Don so they both take off at almost the same time towards the glacier.

20-Mile Glacier

When the teams arrive at the glacier, the driver of the boat informs them about climbing the glacier since they didn’t know that part. Ron clarifies that they both have to climb it to get the clue. After he learns that they do, he is a bit intimidated since he is afraid of heights. Why are so many people that are afraid of heights on this show? He doesn’t lose his temper though. Ron went first, got the hang of it and went, even though his legs were shaking as he climbed. Chris went second, but seemed to have more trouble than her dad. Ron reached the top and the guy up there said that for doing that for the first time, he was pretty impressive.

Chris was still pretty close to the bottom when TK & Rachel arrived. She finally made it to the top when TK started. Nick & Don were still in their boat thinking that TK was going to run up it. Rachel started while Ron & Chris had to walk across the glacier to the next clue.

Clue: Take a ride in one of the helicopters on top of the glacier across the Alaskan wilderness to Merrill Field. Once there, take a taxi to Goose Lake Park.

Rachel is having some difficulty getting up the glacier while Ron & Chris take off in a helicopter. They get to the top and Nick & Don can start climbing. Don begins first and Nick says he has to if a 69-year old can do it. Don doesn’t seem to have any difficulty getting up. Then he harasses Nick from the top. When Nick & Don finish, TK & Rachel are in their helicopter and Ron & Chris have arrived at the air field and are getting in their taxi to Goose Lake park. Getting in the taxi, Chris says it is an emergency. I don’t think the cab driver believes any of this since they do have a camera man with them and I’m sure he’s used to the show coming to Alaska since they have finished the show there about three or four times now. Don says the road block is their only hope when they climb in the helicopter. TK & Rachel are in their cab driving to Goose Lake Park

Goose Lake Park

Ron & Chris arrive to read their clue for the most complicated road block ever! The teams will have 15 objects from different legs of the race, including the crazy cleaner guy in Japan. I find that hilarious that there is random cleaning guy just standing there amongst other inanimate objects. Oh and there is a donkey and chicken too. 🙂 They have to put 10 of the objects on a stage that match two different requirements. Here is where it gets complicated!

First, there can be only one item from each of the 10 legs of the race. Second, three items must be animals or animal by-products; one must be a U-Turn (the sign is there); two items must be objects either at or brought to a pit stop; two must be items of transportation with wheels, one of which was used at a detour; and one item of transportation must resemble the shape of a stick.

There are many ways to fill one or the other requirements but only one way to fulfill both. Once all the items are on the stage, they must announce they are done. If it is correct, the clue box will open with their next clue. They also can’t use pen or pencil to figure stuff out!

I love these road blocks at the end! I think this should have been just before the finish line so there are no stupid taxi races to the finish. I like it when it really all depends on the teams figuring something out.

The correct order of items:

  • Ireland – two-person bicycle (transportation)
  • Netherlands – bike (transportation used at one of the detours)
  • Bingo, Burkina Faso – camel milk (animal by product)
  • Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso – chicken (animal, bought to a pit stop)
  • Lithuania – stilts
  • Croatia – gun (used at a pit stop)
  • Italy – Blackberry
  • India – U-Turn
  • Japan – cleaner guy (animal)
  • Taiwan – tea

Chris decides to do the roadblock. Ron says that she has a better memory than he does and he would blow it by getting nervous or having a senior moment. Chris talks about how the U-Turn was used in India and Burkina Faso, but the chicken was at Burkina Faso, so the U-Turn must represent India. Ron can feel victory but knows people are just behind them. TK is in cab hoping that Ron & Chris are getting held up at the road block. Chris is stuck on the item of transportation that resembles a stick. She says that the stilts were used at a detour and the pole vault in Netherlands was used at a road block so she doesn’t get it.

TK & Rachel arrive. He asks Rachel if she wants to do it, and I’m thinking she better do it since she said she in an earlier leg she is good at puzzles. TK says Rachel is smart so she will get it. She figures out the U-Turn is in India like Christina did. Chis is over on her side of wall (so they can’t see the other teams) losing it a bit. She is talking about the donkey being in Ireland and going over the order of countries. Once she reaches Lithuania, she starts asking herself what was in Lithuania while her voice trembles. Rachel is on that country too and knows it is the stilts. She is a lot calmer while she reads over her clue again.

Nick & Don arrive and Nick is picked to do it since Don knows he can’t do it. Don feels confident in Nick at the task. Chris finally figures out that stilts are in there for Lithuania. Rachel realizes the gun is from Croatia. Nick is piling everything on stage and then figuring out what needs to be there. Interesting concept. Chris is getting the tea for Taiwan and she says she is done. She isn’t, but she is only one off. She has the donkey from Ireland instead of the two-person bike. If only she knew how close she was!

Rachel thinks she is done, but she has the donkey from Ireland, the propane tanks from India, even though she already figured out the U-Turn was from there so maybe she thinks the propane tanks were in another country? I didn’t see what she had for Japan, but it wasn’t the cleaner man. Over in Nick’s area, he has tons of stuff wrong. He only has Burkina Faso and Italy correct.

Chris realizes she has two Ireland objects on the stage, but she thinks she needs the donkey for an animal. She doesn’t think a person is an animal. Rachel is getting her cleaner guy on the stage, and Nick does the same. Chris gets the cleaner guy on the stage finally and removes the donkey. Rachel doesn’t know where the pole vault is from, saying, “I don’t know what that stick is. I have never seen that stick.” In the meantime, the show recaps her doing the road block in Netherlands using the pole vault to go across the muddy creek. Nick is befuddled by the gun that he doesn’t remember from Croatia.

Chris is removing tons of correct things from her stage so she has three wrong items up there instead of just one. She is so confused when she doesn’t get the clue. Rachel and Nick are also confused about the task. Ron says that it is anyone’s race right now and whoever gets the road block done first will probably be in the winner’s circle.

Chris is cursing about things saying, “After the freaking Netherlands, we went to Africa…” while Nick is calling the Croatia gun a “piece of sh*t right there.” Rachel concentrates on staying calm so she can focus. Chis realizes she has two Netherlands items and Rachel decides to use the pole vault. Rachel wants to take one bike off and put another one on, but then realizes she’ll have two things from Amsterdam on her stage. Nick is confused about what to take off the stage.

Chris starts to ask God for help. Rachel finally realizes the stick is a pole vault and then tries to remember what country that was in. She realizes it was Netherland so she removes it. She goes over all her items, which are correct. She says she is done and gets the clue!

Clue: Find Cook’s eye view of the Sleeping Lady. What the clue means is to find Captain Cook’s Statue for their next clue.

They get into their cab and Rachel is ecstatic. They read their clue to the taxi driver. He says the Sleeping Laady is across the inlet, whatever that means. He says they can see it up on the hill.

Chris finally takes the pole vault out and is done. Nick is still leading the donkey around. Chris is almost crying in frustration and apologizing to her dad. He says it is fine. TK & Rachel’s taxi driver thinks he has to turn around. This is why I like the road block at the end so it is up to the team to finish!

Captain Cook Statue

TK & Rachel find the clue box, which tells them to find the Salmon Hooker. It is a fabulous statue of a salmon dressed up like a hooker. Why? I don’t know! But it is awesome. They go off to ask someone if they know where the salmon hooker could be located.

Ron & Chris arrive at the statue to get their clue and go find someone to help. TK & Rachel find some guy that is probably drinking a soft drink from a bottle, but it looks like a beer bottle to me. He tells them to run a few blocks that way….and they will probably find someone who knows. Thanks for the no help beer drinking guy! Off they go! Ron & Chris walk into some business and ask the receptionist who tells them exactly where it is located on 5th & G streets. TK & Rachel get directions from someone watering trees. Both teams are running at the same time, but TK & Rachel get there first. The clue tells them that the finish line is at Girdwood Airport. Once again, it is a taxi ride to the finish line. Arrgghhh! These kill me.

Ron & Christina get there right after TK & Rachel get into their taxi, but they don’t see them, so they might be a few minutes behind. Rachel cannot believe they are headed to the finish line. Ron says he doesn’t mind if they come in second, but he is thrilled how far they have come and that he is with his daughter.

No sign of Nick finishing the road block or anything!

Finish Line

TK & Rachel come running to the finish line while Rachel says she is crying already. Then they show some people that I barely remember from the first legs. Phil asks how their relationship has changed, but they say it has only grown during the race.

Ron & Christina come in second place. Phil reminds Chris that she said she didn’t know if her dad could change. She said he knew that the race was a dream of hers and there was no one else she would want to run the race with than her dad. She was just happy to be there with him. Ron talks about being first place in his daughter’s heart and how he changed for the better because of her.

And about a million years later, Nick & Don show up. Don was the oldest person to ever finish the race. He was very impressive! I didn’t think he would make it. Don said he always knew he would make it, but not in third. Nick said his goal was always to make it to the mat and glad he got to do it with his grandfather.

  1. TK & Rachel – winners of $1 million!
  2. Ron & Christina
  3. Don & Nick

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