Amazing Race: Blind in Africa

Amazing Race
In Phil We Trust

First, let’s talk about the freaking poster up above. “I Hate to Loose”? Really? Those that know me, know how much the confusion between “lose” and “loose” drives me crazy. I have no idea how people think that two oo’s should be in the word lose. Ugg!

But, the race was saved from the bad grammar on posters by the failure of reading comprehension in general. I’ve said it before, but my favorite part of Amazing Race is when they do the challenges that really depend on reading comprehension. I figure, if I was in the same situation, I’d read things too quickly and make the same mistakes a lot of other teams make, but it is sure is fun to watch them being dumb. It is especially fun when they walk right by something they are looking for, while wondering where it could be!

Leaving the Pit Stop

The order the teams left the pit stop.

  1. Brook & Claire – 7:34 am
  2. Katie & Rachel – 7:35 am
  3. Michael & Kevin – 7:45 am
  4. Chad & Stephanie – 7:52 am
  5. Jill & Thomas – 7:58 am
  6. Connor & Jonathan – 8:01 am
  7. Nat & Kat – 8:02 am
  8. Nick & Vicki – 8:04 am
  9. Gary & Mallory – 8:06 am

Clue: Teams had to cross the city and go to Jamestown. Once there, they had to find Akotoku Boxing Academy.

When the home shopping queens got into the cab, their cab driver let them know that the location they were headed was where they practice boxing. Brook was back in full-on spaz mode and VERY excited about that news. Only the first three teams had left the pit stop, when the home shopping queens arrived at the boxing academy to find a road block.

Boxing

Road block: It said “You have a Rocky road ahead.” One team member had to learn how to properly wrap their hands before suiting up in boxing training gear. Then, they had to work on the speed bag for 60 seconds before jumping rope for 60 seconds. After mastering both exercises, the trainer gave the teams their next clue.

Brook was begging to do it. She picked a trainer and started wrapping her hand. The volleyball girl’s taxi driver was lost so he had to ask for directions. They were still on the wrong side of town. Chad & Stephanie were leaving the pit stop around that time. Jill & Thomas and Glee left before Brook got her hands wrapped up.  She put on some gloves and head guard before kissing her trainer since she loves to kiss everyone. She was brought over to the speed bag and started wailing on it.

Chad & Stephanie showed up in second place before Brook was done with the speed bag. Where were the other two teams in front of them? Stephanie told Chad to do it. Then the volleyball girls showed up. Katie said she would do it. The trainer told Brook she was done with the bag, which she was practically dancing while punching it. Her hips were swaying back and forth. She did her jump roping while flirting with her trainer the entire time. She finished up before anyone else finished wrapping their hands. The home shopping queens received their next clue.

Clue: Teams had to travel by taxi to the Dodowa District and locate the supply depot.

They took off, Chad and Katie finished wrapping their hands and Jill & Thomas were waiting for their taxi driver to get directions. Where was the father/son team? Getting passed by the Glee guys who were singing to their taxi driver. They really need to sing some real songs instead of “Please drive faster.” That’s not very catchy. The last three teams finally left the pit stop.

Chad thought he was hot stuff on the jump rope so he started doing little hops. Then he tripped up on it and had to start his 60 seconds over again. That gave Katie the edge to finish before him so the volleyball girls were back in second place. Chad finished up right behind them so both of those teams were leaving as the father/son and Glee showed up at the road block. Kevin and Connor did the road block.

Connor got his hands wrapped up before Kevin did. Kevin did it wrong so he had to do it again. Jill & Thomas showed up and Thomas did it. While those two were wrapping their hands, the father/daughter and tattoo couple arrived. Where were the doctors? Gary and Vicki decided to do it. Connor finished up with the speed bag before Kevin and Thomas finished wrapping their hands. Connor tried to be fancy with  his jump rope work, but he messed up and had to start over. Jonathan started to make fun of him and Connor responded, “I thought I could do the double dutch Johnny!” Connor finished up before anyone moved on in that area. Glee was in fourth place.

The doctors’ taxi was lost. They saw that the volleyball girls and Chad & Stephanie were behind them. They told the taxi driver to stop so they could ask them. As soon as they stopped, the volleyball girls started yelling. They’re sweet. Chad was also pissed that they were blocking them from moving. They both told the doctors that they needed to turn around to get to it. Then as soon as they got back in their cab, Rachel from Mean Volleyball team said, “You dumb doctor.” The poor doctors were stuck with a taxi driver who refused to turn around. They said they needed to go the other direction and he kept saying, “No.”

While they were dealing with unruly taxi drivers, Kevin was finishing up the road block so the father/son team were in fifth place. Gary finished wrapping his hands just before Thomas did, who had been working on it since before Gary arrived. Vicki finished up her hands soon after and the doctors finally convinced their driver to get directions. Gary is crazy since he finished up before anyone else there. The father/daughter team were in sixth place. Vicki and Thomas finished up at the same time so they were both leaving the road block too. That would leave the doctors alone at the road block, when they got there, which was around that time. Nat decided to do it.

The Glee guys really made their taxi driver happy with their singing since he was passing everyone on the road. They passed the home shopping queens so they were currently in first place. Nat finished up with the road block and the doctors were on their way.

Wheelbarrows

The Glee guys arrived at the next clue box first.

Clue: Teams had to choose a wheelbarrow and load it with construction supplies. Then, they had to roll them over to the Asebi D/A Primary School and deliver them to the foreman. He would give them their next clue.

They got their supplies into two wheelbarrows since they weren’t very big and started to head over to the drop-off location. I was wondering if they had to put it all into one wheelbarrow. They were talking about it being really hot and the road had a lot of pot holes while they jogged along with their wheelbarrows. I guess it didn’t matter how many wheelbarrows since they got their next clue.

Clue: Teams had to enter a classroom and be tested on their knowledge of Africa geography to figure out where they are located exactly. When they get it correct, they would get the next clue.

They sat down in class and the teacher would ask the kids where other countries were located on the map of the continent and they would stick the magnet with a name on it to the right blank countries. When she asked where Ghana was located, the Glee guys guessed. They got it wrong on their first try so they had to wait for other kids to take their turn with other countries. They got it wrong about four times before the home shopping queens showed up. They piled some stuff in a wheelbarrow, but Claire was carrying a bunch of stuff too. The Glee guys finally got Ghana right. At least they knew it was West Africa. They got the next clue, which was a detour.

Crazy Symbols

Detour: In Bicycle Parts, teams had to figure out how to play a child’s game where they roll a bicycle rim with a stick on the bumpy ground. They would have to roll it down a soccer field and back without letting the rim drop to get their next clue. In Language Arts, teams would choose a proverb that would contain eight highlighted phrases. In a key, it showed various phrases with a picture that stood for the phrases. Then they had to go to a huge wall with the symbols and find the right ones in the right order to get their next clue.

The Glee guys wanted to try the language task. They picked their proverb and then found the decoder. They were writing down the symbols in what made sense to them. The first three, they were calling, “kidney bean, ladder, crazy.” That is what I would label the symbols so I identified with their methods. They were trying to be methodical while they looked.

Meanwhile, the home shopping queens arrived at the foreman with their wheelbarrow. They were told they didn’t have all the equipment. They were supposed to have two wheelbarrows. They had to wheel it all back, get a second wheelbarrow and then return with it. They were headed back when the father/son team and volleyball girls arrived. When the volleyball girls were getting the supplies, Katie said she didn’t think they were supposed to use two wheelbarrows since she saw the father/son team taking off with just one, but Rachel said that the clue said a “pair of wheelbarrows” and then called the other team idiots. While, it is true the father/son team failed at reading, mark down yet another mean vote for the volleyball girls! I think I would like them more if their meanness was at least funny, but it isn’t. How sad.

The home shopping queens passed by the father/son team. They decided not to share that they shouldn have two wheelbarrows. Kevin guessed that they forgot something, which they said they did, but he didn’t ask what. The doctors were having taxi problems again. The car seemed to be overheating, but the driver did something with the engine and then said it was okay to continue. They were in last place at this point.

The home shopping queens were headed back up the road with two wheelbarrows when four taxis carrying teams drove by them. It was the father/daughter, Chad & Stephanie, tattoo couple and Jill & Thomas. The father/son team made it to the foreman who told them they needed two wheelbarrows. They turned around to head back. The four new teams that arrived started loading up their stuff when the volleyball girls showed up at the foreman. He said they were missing a trowel. Haha! Calling another team idiots when you forget things too? Hilarious.

While the other teams were hauling stuff back and forth, Glee found their crazy symbols and asked a kid if what they found was correct. They got the final clue directing them to the pit stop.

Pit Stop


Clue: Teams had to leave the school area and search for the home of Awusa Ntso. The rural farm was the pit stop for the leg of the race.

The Glee guys seemed to find the marked path and Phil quickly so they checked in with him for first place. For coming in first, they won $5,000 each.

Back at the school yard, the home shopping queens turned in all their supplies to the foreman and moved onto the geography task. Brook guessed that Ghana was on the west side of the continent, but pretty close to South Africa, which isn’t correct. She thought it was in that area though. The tattoo couple was the first one of the big group to arrive at the foreman. They had brought two bags of cement when they only needed one. Nick told her it was fifth-grade reading. I seem to remember, he didn’t know what a flag was in the first leg!

Tattoo couple turned around to head back, with Nick being super pissed at Vicki, when the father/daughter team arrived. Would they be able to follow directions? Yes! They brought all they needed the first time around. They moved onto the geography task. Gary got Ghana correct on his first try! They moved onto the detour. Gary wanted to do the bicycle task.

Father/son arrived with all their stuff and went off to find a classroom for the geography part. Jill & Thomas arrived next and brought all their stuff the first time too! Chad & Stephanie were right behind them with all their stuff being correct too.

Gary breezed through the wheel and stick. He made it down one side of the field and was waiting for Mallory to do it all the way. She kept praying to Jesus to help her since this is important enough to pray about and Gary just kept telling her to do it when she whined about how hot it was. She looked like she was wearing a heavy long-sleeved shirt with her bandanna around her neck. I would imagine her being hot dressed like that.

The volleyball girls showed up at the foreman with all the correct supplies. They moved onto a classroom. The doctors finally arrived at the supply depot. Hopefully, they could bring all the correct supplies the first time around and get caught up to the other teams. When they started to go, they wondered if it should be as easy as it seemed to be when they had loaded up the supplies. I have no idea if they brought all the supplies with them, but just ask the other teams. It was not as easy as it looked! In the classrooms, Chad, Thomas, Katie and Brook correctly guessed Ghana on the African map and got the detour clue. They all wanted to do the word task.

The tattoo couple showed up to the foreman with all the correct supplies and moved onto the geography task. The home shopping queens were showing off their continued reading comprehension by reading the language clue and thinking they had to circle the eight children that were dancing around. What does that have to do with words? Oh dear. Then, Chad & Stephanie and the volleyball girls started to circle other groups of dancing children. WAT! This is what you call mob mentality. Then they noticed the huge wall of symbols. They thought it was going to be a word search. It is in a way! The home shopping queens and volleyball girls were rethinking their detour choices while Jill & Thomas were trying to find the decoder key. They were looking at the kid’s homework and under tables while not finding anything. I know it was around the corner of the building that had the symbols, but the Glee guys had found it pretty easily. The volleyball girls gave up and headed to the other detour.

In the classroom, Kevin got Ghana on the first try. Kevin wanted to do the word task. At the bicycle detour, Gary had made it across the field for his second pass so he was done while Mallory was making her way back. She also managed to remove her long-sleeve shirt so she probably wasn’t so hot. Mallory finished around the time the volleyball girls arrived. They headed off to the pit stop. The doctors arrived at the foreman and were pleased to learn they got everything correct the first time. They didn’t even understand what an accomplishment that was at the time.

While they went to find a classroom, the home shopping queens were circling random symbols on the wall without finding the decoder key first. Chad & Stephanie were standing under a tree not knowing what to do so they gave up and went over the bicycle detour. After many, many tries the tattoo people finally found Ghana on the map. They felt very stupid, but they weren’t the only ones that took a while to find it. They decided to do the bicycle task. The doctors showed up in class and got Ghana right away. They picked the word task.

Father/daughter team checked in with Phil for second place. The volleyball girls were trying unsuccessfully to get the bicycle wheel to roll without falling over. The tattoo people and Chad & Stephanie showed up around the same time. Nick told Vicki to see what the others were doing and copy them. Vicki said she wanted to read the clue again. Nick said he didn’t care what it said. I see that he’s learned from their past mistakes. Chad watched the kids for a bit and then ran down the field with no problems. Stephanie was having difficulties with her wheel so Chad told her to get a bigger stick. Vicki told Nick to get a bigger stick too. He responded, “You can’t even do it, so why are you giving me directions?” Ah, he’s pleasant. Chad finished running back up the field so he was done.

Angry Nick


Nick was being frustrated with the bicycle wheel and started throwing it around. Vicki told him not to throw it. He told her to shut up and hurry up. She asked why he was being so rude. Stephanie got the hang of it and ran down the field once. Katie finally got the hang of it too so she was halfway done when Stephanie was running back. Vicki was talking to herself saying “Okay” while she was trying to get the hang of it. Nick, the peanut gallery, piped in saying, “What’s okay about this? I know it’s okay with you, but it’s not okay with me, so that makes it not okay.” Nick has turned into a treasure. Stephanie finished so Chad & Stephanie ran off to the pit stop.

The doctors got to the word search and decided to stop and look at what the other teams were doing. Bad idea! Jill & Thomas were trying to figure it out without the decoder key and the home shopping queens finally gave up. While heading to the bicycle task, they walked right by the wall with all the symbols decoded. If only they turned their heads slightly, they would have seen it.

Chad & Stephanie checked in with Phil for third place. Katie finished up her part of the bicycle wheel task. Nick finally got the hang of the wheel. The home shopping queens arrived and were watching how it was done by the kids and the other teams. The doctors gave up on the word clue and ran off to the other detour. Rachel was running back to finish up the bicycle detour, while Claire was trying to figure out the wheel with the stick. The doctors were getting help from the kids who were trying to explain how to do it.

The volleyball girls finished and headed to the pit stop. Nick was done with the bicycle task and yelling at Vicki to hurry up. She had to stop since her asthma kicked in. I’m sure he didn’t help aggravate that at all. That finally calmed Nick down. He told her to take a break and started to actually be nice to her. Imagine that!

Over at the word wall, Thomas was looking around and was on the side of the building with the decoder, but he didn’t turn around to see it. He was so close! They both ran off to the bicycle task and ran right by the decoder wall while missing it. Michael wanted to give up at the wall and Kevin asked him if he though the could do the bicycle task. Kevin said he knew he could do it but wasn’t sure if his father could do it. He wanted to try and they also walked by the big wall.

The volleyball girls checked in with Phil for fourth place. Nick calmed Vicki down and told her she got it while she took off and completed half the field. Brook finished the first half too. Nat was having some problems. Claire finally got the first half done too. Vicki finished so those two could head to the pit stop. Brook finished and then just had to wait for Claire to finish. Thomas started going with the wheel when the home shopping queens finished. Thomas finished the first half quickly while the doctors were struggling to finish the first half.

The tattoo team and home shopping queens showed up right around the same time, making them fifth and sixth place. Phil told the teams that the next day, the teams would be working on the school with the supplies they brought over today.

Back at the bicycle task, Thomas finished it up, followed closely by Nat. Michael was struggling with it, but Kevin finished half of it. Jill did it really slowly, and I’m amazed her wheel didn’t fall over in the process since she was going so slow, but she finished next so Jill & Thomas were off to the pit stop. Thomas hugged her to congratulate her, which caused her to go “Ewww…uggggg” since they were both sweaty. There’s love for ya. 😉

Kevin finished the task, so that left Michael and Kat to finish up. While Kat finished, Michael was down on his knees, having a hard time breathing due to the heat. Kevin walked next to his father and encouraged him to keep going while the doctors headed to the pit stop. Michael finished half of it and then took a break. He was seriously dehydrated so he got some medical help. He felt really bad for messing it up for Kevin, but Kevin kept telling him it wasn’t his fault. They were sitting in the shade resting while Jill & Thomas checked in with Phil for seventh place.

Michael felt a little better and wanted to finish up the task and the leg for his son. They were possibly in luck since the doctors couldn’t find the path to Phil, which the other teams seemed to find easily. Michael finished it! They were headed to the pit stop and Michael said he was ready to be eliminated, but they didn’t know the doctors didn’t check in yet. The doctors finally found the markers and the pit stop before the father/son team so they checked in eighth place while father/son checked in with Phil for last place. Phil did tell them that it was a non-elimination leg and they were not eliminated! They would have to complete a Speed Bump in the next leg that no other team had to complete before moving on in the race.

Order teams arrived at the pit stop:

  1. Connor & Jonathan – Glee Guys
  2. Gary & Mallory – Father/daughter
  3. Chad & Stephanie – Dating
  4. Katie & Rachel – Volleyball Girls
  5. Nick & Vicki – Tattoo Couple
  6. Brook & Claire – Home Shopping Queens
  7. Jill & Thomas – Dating
  8. Nat & Kat – Doctors
  9. Michael & Kevin – Father/Son

Questions

  1. Does anyone else think that Gary & Mallory might be a strong, but silent team? They had bad luck the first two legs with flat tires and cars breaking down, but, on this leg, Gary barreled through all the challenges like they were nothing.
  2. Anyone else getting tired of the mean volleyball girls? They call other teams “idiots” and “stupid” quite often with super harsh tones that just doesn’t make me like them at all.
  3. Were you glad that the father/son team made it through the leg and it was a non-elimination round? Do you think Michael is going to be keep up much longer or will his health get the best of him?
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