Amazing Race: Crossdressing with Clogs

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Amazing Race
This Is Not My Finest Hour

I just read in TV Guide that the casting for this season of Amazing Race was boring. I know sometimes the interesting casting can make the race more memorable, but I actually enjoy watching it for the challenges and locations. My favorite parts are when people are exhausted and start screwing up by misreading their clues. When someone is annoying, or if a team is Amber and Rob, then I can’t wait for them to leave. They actually make the show less enjoyable for me.

The teams left the pit stop in the following order:

  1. Meghan & Cheyne – Tetherball – 1:13 pm
  2. Maria & Tiffany – Poker Ladies – 3:09 pm
  3. Sam & Dan – Gay Brothers – 3:10 pm
  4. Brian & Ericka – IR Couple – 3:25 pm
  5. Gary & Matt – Pinky & the Brain – 3:34 pm
  6. Flight Time & Big Easy – Harlem Globetrotters – 4:20 pm

Clue: Fly to Amsterdam. Teams had to then drive to a statue to find their next clue.

Airport Fun Times

Tetherball found out at the airport that the earliest flight leaving for Amsterdam was at midnight.  Everyone will get all caught up again! I like it that way or else there is no tension to see who will win. While everyone was at the airport, the gay brothers decided to come out to everyone. They said they usually do it when they feel comfortable with people. When they did it, the Poker Ladies just started laughing. Ericka started hitting them. Brian said that their matching bathing suits now made sense.

Amsterdam

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When the teams landed, they all got in their designated cars. Brian had some trouble getting the car into gear. Tiffany made a comment that the other teams didn’t know how to work luxury cars. All the other teams left and Brian had to go ask a nice local person to help him get the car into gear.

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When the teams got to where the monument was located, they parked in a nearby parking lot and started running across a bridge to get to it. Tetherball got to the clue box first.

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Clue: Team had to drive to Martinitoren, the highest building in the nearby city of Groningen.

After Tetherball, the teams got the clue in the following order:  Gay Brothers, Globetrotters, Pinky and the Brain and Poker Ladies.  Tetherball got to Martinitoren first for the next clue, which was a road block.

Counting Bells

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Road Block: Who has strong legs and keen eyes? A team member had to climb to the top of the tower overlooking the city. There was a very narrow staircase and a maze of doors inside the tower. The team member had to count the bells they saw along the way through to the top o f the tower. If they came up with the right answer (62), the man who made the bells ring would give them their next clue.

Meghan decided to do it. The brothers arrived right at the same time and Sam decided to do it. Meghan and Sam decided to work together counting bells to get it over with quicker. The Globetrotters arrived next and Flight Time decided to do it. Pinky and the Brain had Matt to do it. The Poker Ladies arrived and Tiffany said she would do it. While climbing up, there were rooms with big bells really close to their heads and other bells really far away. Then they had to keep climbing to keep going up the tower and find more bells. IR Couple showed up and Ericka did it.

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Soon after Ericka started, the other teams got to the top. The guy started playing the bells then so I’m sure it was loud. Meghan and Sam were having a hard time trying to talk to each other and figure out how many bells there were. Matt was up there too. He quickly counted the bells on his own and walked back down the steps to find the guy to tell his number. Matt had the right number so he got the next clue! He ran down the stairs and opened the clue with his dad.

Clue: Teams had to drive to the city of Vierhuizen de Marne and find a windmill that had their next clue.

They ran off to ask a local how to get to the city. Meghan and Sam finally got a number so they turned it in to bells guy who gave them the clue.  While running back down the steps, Sam passed Tiffany who asked if they got the number. He said yes and told her 62. She hadn’t even made it to the top yet! He thought it was  a smart move since he viewed them as a team to beat, even though the girls beat them in the last leg? Not smart thinking. Meghan started making fun of Sam for telling the Poker Ladies. Cheyne got in on it. Sam used the excuse that he was nervous. eh? Both teams found a taxi driver and got directions. While they were leaving town, Pinky & the Brain were still trying to get directions from some locals. They finally got it and left.

The Poker Ladies took off with their clue around the time that Flight Time got to the top. He was counting away when Ericka made it up there. He finished and got the right number for the next clue.  She counted the bells and turned in her number, which was 43. I thought it was easy since everyone else got it right, but I guess not?

Dutch Farmers

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While Ericka was starting her count of bells over again, and Brian was wondering what was taking so long since other teams were in and out pretty quickly, the Gay Brothers and Tetherball were arriving at the windmill to get a detour clue.

Detour: Teams had to pick between two ways farmers unwind after a hard day’s work. For both detours, teams had to wear traditional Dutch costumes and ride bicycles.  In Farmer’s Game, teams had to find a creek, strip down to their farmer’s underwear and swim across. Then with some provided, unique clubs, they had to play three rounds of farmer’s golf. Taking turns, teams had to finish each hole in eight or less strokes. If they couldn’t finish in the required number of strokes, they had to continue on the course until they completed three holes on par. In Farmer’s Dance, teams had to find a country festival where one team member had to hit the bell on the top of a high striker. Then they had to learn a Dutch folk dance, which they would have to learn quickly in front of a crowd. If the instructor was pleased with their work, they were rewarded with some salted herring and onions. After they finish the herring, they would get their next clue.

There are a lot of things to do in the detours! The brothers decided to go with the golfing. Meghan said she didn’t know how to golf. Cheyne said he couldn’t dance so they had to do golf. She went with that idea. They ran over to put on their outfits. Each pair of outfits was one girl and one guy so Dan decided to be the girl. Meghan was laughing at the huge clogs. Pinky and the Brain arrived and picked dance. Matt gave his dad the girl outfit to wear.

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Back at the road block, Ericka was still counting wrong with only 56 total bells. Dan was trying not to tear his dress while he got on his bike. Tetherball told each other they looked cute in their outfits. Gary was worried about his dress falling off. Matt just laughed at him. Poker Ladies arrived at the detour. They picked dancing.The globetrotters were getting closer to the city.

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Ericka was still counting the bells when the brothers arrived at the river they had to swim across. They started stripping down to their long underwear. There was a lot of shrieking about it being cold. Tetherball arrived, stripped and jumped in too.  They arrived to find the golf clubs had weird clogs at the end of them. The brothers started and got their first hole done in 8 shots exactly. Tetherball hit it right into the marshes so they started over immediately.

Ericka came up with 57 bells, which wasn’t right. Brian knew she was trying hard and knew she must be frustrated. She looked disappointed in herself when she kept getting it wrong. At the dancing task, Matt went up and rang the bell in one hit so they went to learn their dance. The Poker Ladies got dressed and Maria was in the guy clothes.

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Ericka came down to Brian and said she wasn’t giving up, but she just couldn’t get it right. He told her to take a five minute break and she could try again. They took a little walk.  The brothers got the second hole done in exactly 8 shots again. Tetherball were close, but didn’t get the first hole in eight shots. Meghan kept saying she was horrible at golf and she hated golf, but she couldn’t do anything about it now. Oh, just deal with it. You are there. Hit the ball! The brothers got the third hole done in eight shots so they got their next clue.

Clue: Teams had to bike through town to the pit stop at Zoutkamp Harbor.

They were figuring out how to get back to their bikes. Tetherball didn’t get the first hole done in eight strokes so they had to start over again. Meghan was getting frustrated, but Cheyne kept encouraging her, telling her she could do it. She finally got the hang of the crazy clubs and they finished the first hole in six shots. The brothers were swimming back over in the very cold water hoping that the dancing detour wasn’t too easy. Pinky and the Brain were have way too much fun laughing and trying to learn the dance.  While Gary was learning a few steps from an instructor, Matt was reading over the clue and saw that he had read over the part where they needed to eat a herring. He didn’t like fish so they decided to go golf. The brothers had made it back over to where their clothes were located so they could get dressed again.

Back at the road block, Ericka was crying, but Brian kept telling her she could do it. He said that even if it took all day, they would stay until the very end and not quit. She went back inside to try to count the bells again. Over at the third hole, Tetherball got the ball in with six shots. They really got the hang of it and were in second place heading to the pit stop.

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The Poker Ladies had arrived at the dance hall, but they first had to take turns hitting the high striker. Tiffany went first and got it three-fourths of the way up, but didn’t hit the bell. Maria hit it, but the thing barely moved. Tiffany got it half way up and then so did Maria. It seemed like it was going to take a while. The Globetrotters arrived at the windmill and decided they were going to dance. Ericka was at the top of the bell tower talking to herself, saying she knew it wasn’t impossible since everyone else did it. She got her number and went down to the guy who said she was laughing when she was pulling out her written number. She said she might as well laugh since she already cried and he hadn’t seen that part. She finally got the number right and they could move on!

Pit Stop

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The brothers arrived at the pit stop and saw Phil. They ran over in their awesome outfits to find they were in first place. As the winners, they won a sand buggy. They were thrilled to get past Tetherball who had won the past few legs.

Speaking of Tetherball, they were getting dressed again after having swam back over from golfing. Pinky & the Brain arrived and started stripping so they could swim. The Globetrotters were riding their bikes to the dance hall and saying they looked like “buffoons.” The Poker Ladies tried 30 times to hit the striker, but couldn’t do it. They gave up and went to go hit golf balls. Pinky & the Brain were on the first hole. When they went to run off after the ball, the camera zoomed in on a clog that was left behind. Hopefully, they will notice that before they swim back over.

The Globetrotters hit the striker on the first try. The Globetrotters said they were used to dancing since they had dance routines during their basketball shows. Flight Time said he loves to dance. They were practicing away with a woman while Tetherball checked in with Phil in second place. IR Couple were pulling into the city and the windmill. Ericka was worried about getting eliminated, but Brian told her not to worry about it. They decided to do the dancing.

The Poker Ladies had arrived at the cold water and were swimming over with life jackets on. Pinky & the Brain had eight shots at the first hole, but didn’t make it in. They had to go back to the start. Gary said the wind was killing them. The Poker Ladies showed up as Pinky & the Brain made it back to the beginning of the first hole. Tiffany accidentally threw her club when she tried to hit the ball.

IR Couple got their outfits on, but they walked right by the bikes and started walking towards the dance hall. Uh-oh! The Poker Ladies did not get the first hole done in eight shots so they had to try again. Pinky and the Brain did get the first hole done in exactly eight shots the second time around so they moved on. Maria was asking if they should keep trying or do something else. Tiffany reminded her that neither one of them to could get the striker to hit the bell at the top so they had to do the golf task.

Over at the dance hall, the Globetrotters got their dance done right. Flight Time said once they got the hang of it, it was “soul train.” They passed the dance test and then they were informed they had to eat the herring. They just went with it, but once they bit into the herring, Flight Time had this look of horror on his face as he chewed. Big Easy asked if he was okay. He didn’t answer but was trying to keep chewing. IR Couple were still running down a path wondering how people wore the clogs and how much farther they had to go. I love it when people don’t read clues.

Maria was complaining to Tiffany that they weren’t going to be able to do the golf. Pinky and the Brain finished the second hole in seven shots. Maria talked Tiffany into switching back to the dance. I wonder if they knew they had to eat herring after dancing, but I also wonder if they will ever hit the bell on top of the striker. Back at the herring, Big Easy said he ate his in about two bites and then asked Flight Time what he thought about his fish. Flight said he didn’t want to talk about it. They finished and got the clue to the pit stop.

IR Couple were still walking to the dance hall and Poker Ladies were back at the striker. After try number 50, the Poker Ladies were “hugging it out” for a moment, trying to figure out what to do.  After crying for a bit, they went back to trying again, without much luck. After walking forever, Ericka finally said they should read the clue again. Brian read it and said there were supposed to be bikes that they picked up.  Then Ericka started yelling at Brian about not being compassionate, so I’m not sure what was edited out or if she was blaming him for them both not reading the clue. The Globetrotters were told they looked ridiculous by Phil and then told they were third place at the pit stop.

Over at the golf course, Pinky & the Brain finished the third hole in eight shots and got the clue for the pit stop in fourth place.  While Poker Ladies were going back and forth trying to hit the bell, Ericka was explaining to Brian that she was in more pain than him since she was going up and down the stairs at the road block. While he was agreeing with her, she was still not satisfied. I was thinking that it wasn’t his fault that she couldn’t count bells for two hours. After 71 attempts, the Poker Ladies went back to golf. Pinky & the Brain checked in with Phil in fourth place.

IR Couple finally arrived at the dance hall. Brian hit the bell on the first try. They went inside to learn the dance. The Poker Ladies were back on the golf course, much weaker and colder than the last time they were there. They didn’t get the first hole done in eight shots so they had to start over. The dancing put both Ericka and Brian in a good mood. They finished it quickly and then learned about eating the herring. They were both in good spirits eating that while the dancers cheered them on. The Poker Ladies were on their 16th attempt of the first hole of golf were pretty close to the hole, but didn’t get it done in eight shots.  IR Couple finished eating the herring and got the next clue saying they needed to travel by bike to the pit stop. They asked a local who was camping nearby if they could borrow two bikes and they would bring them right back.

While the Poker Ladies continued to fail at golfing, the IR Couple arrived at the pit stop. Phil told them they had arrived in fifth place, which they were shocked since they thought they were in last place. He told them that the clue said they were supposed to ride a bike to the detour, which they didn’t do so they incurred a 30 minute penalty. They needed to wait it out before they could be checked in. I think they could make it since Poker Ladies were not able to do anything. Ericka sat on the bench and freaked out waiting, even though Brian kept reminding her that there was nothing they could do at that point so she should try to stay calm. She agreed with him, but still continued to freak out and cry. Tiffany was saying that her arms didn’t work anymore and they didn’t seem to even be trying anymore on the golf course.

The thirty minutes had passed so IR Couple were able to be checked in with Phil in fifth place. The Poker Ladies were visited by Phil. He said he understood they wanted to quit the race. Tiffany said they didn’t want to quit, but they didn’t think they could finish the challenge with the weather, so she understood that they would be eliminated. We didn’t get to hear Phil actually say the words, but they were eliminated from the race.

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Order teams checked into the pit stop:

  1. Sam & Dan – Gay Brothers
  2. Meghan & Cheyne – Tetherball
  3. Flight Time & Big Easy – Globetrotters
  4. Gary & Matt – Pinky & the Brain
  5. Brian & Ericka – IR Couple
  6. Tiffany & Maria – Poker Ladies

Questions

  1. Were you amazed that IR Couple wasn’t eliminated after spending so much time at the road block?
  2. Do you think Brian is a saint for remaining calm and patient while waiting for Ericka to finish the road block, listening to her yell at him, and then realizing they had read the clue wrong about riding bikes?
  3. Do you think the Poker Ladies should have stuck with just one task so they wouldn’t wear themselves out by going back and forth or do you think it was way overdue for them to leave the race anyway?
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