Amazing Race: Hot Times

providencebun

I’m really late with this recap. This is from the November 10th episode, “Speed Dating is the Worst,” where teams traveled to Abu Dhabi and sweated a lot while arranging dates, sewing fishing nets, and riding around a race track. We also got to witness two alarming fashion statements — Providence Amy’s bun on her head and Tim’s fanny pack around his chest. Come join the commentary provided by Amy, Steve and me before we move onto the latest episode in a more timely fashion.

The race began with teams learning they were headed to Abu Dhabi. The Afghanimals were extremely excited saying they were going to the motherland. I guess Afghanistan has moved since the last time I checked. Maybe all of the Middle East is the same. They did mention they speak a bit of Arabic so they feel like they would have an advantage. When they showed Providence Amy team, she had a crazy bun on her head. Amy asked, “Is that a Providence bun?” I wished she had made her “Providence Amy” statement earlier because I could have been using it as the name for the team this entire time! When the blondes got their clue, they were excited they were going to Dubai. Um….. Steve hoped they would ask to go there at the airport. I did as well since they were the team I was guessing would be going home. Amy and Steve were guessing it would be a non-elimination.

While at the airport, Marie made fun of Nicky stretching saying the baseball wives were always stretching, sipping tea or putting on makeup. It wasn’t clear that they heard Marie, but she was standing right behind them in the ticket line when she said it. Kim and Nicky starting asking the ticket agent a whole bunch of questions after purchasing their tickets like, “Is it a nice plane? Do we get delicious snacks? Can we put in a request for vegetarian?” Marie told them they were annoying and to get away from the ticket counter. They were all laughing while they did it, but I like the baseball wives more and more.

The Afghanimals got on a flight that landed 10 minutes before the rest of the teams, but otherwise everyone was on the same flight and arrived around the same time.

Quiet Time

quietmarie

Teams had to go to a beautiful mosque to get their first clue. They had to walk from the taxis all the way across the grounds into the building. The women had to cover themselves including their heads. The guys could wear whatever. No one could run and they had to keep their voices down. Tim said it made Marie calm down when she couldn’t run or yell. He wanted her to stay there. The Afghanimals arrived at the mosque in first place due to their plane landing first, but the rest of the teams arrived in order of their taxis finding the mosque. They were all there and left around the same time with the ER docs being the last team to head to the next clue.

Sweltering Heat

The next clue was a detour. Teams could go through an assortment of dates and arrange them on a platter like the given example. Amy and I said we would probably do that one, but would have the danger of eating the dates while working on the task. Amy said, “I’m not gonna lie. I would eat a few…for science.” Steve took one look at all the similar-looking dates and said, “No, no thank you.” The other detour had teams sewing together a traditional fishing net. It looked like sewing a bottom part and a dome part and then connecting them together.

Providence Amy team and ER docs both decided to do the sewing task. The rest of the teams chose the dates. We all noticed that the women were wearing long sleeves. We were guessing they had to cover up their arms, but all their long sleeve attire was fleece or something similar. It was super hot there since everyone was sweating and talking about the heat. I felt so bad for the women. I might go crazy if I was that hot and had to cover up my arms while the guys didn’t have to do it. Who was doing the complaining about the heat? The guys, especially Travis and Jason while working on the sewing task. At least your arms are uncovered guys!

hotfleece

 

The Afghanimals were the first team to start working on the dates. They didn’t notice all the marked tables so they were stuck on a few dates that they couldn’t find. They knew they weren’t completely right, but didn’t know where else to look so they tried to turn in their plate to the judge but were rejected. When the baseball wives got to the task, they realized the table that all the other teams had overlooked. I thought that would give them an edge, especially with the Afghanimals were asking them where they found the dates. I was so proud of the baseball wives when they didn’t tell them where they found them because as soon as the Afghanimals figured it out for themselves, they completed the task first. The baseball wives were still very slow at the task and were the last ones to leave. Bummer!

timfannypack

Tim and Marie argued with one another like they usually did. The blondes, baseball wives and Afghanimals were all annoyed by the Exes. I think they messed with the other teams’ minds more than themselves, since I didn’t see the arguing was any more than they usually did with one another. It was usually just not such close quarters as the other teams so they seemed unused to it. We have had to listen to it the whole time! They yelled at each other, but still got the task done right after the Afghanimals finished it and before the blondes and baseball wives.

On the sewing task, it wasn’t very exciting to watch since it was mostly everyone sweating while working on something tedious. At one point, Travis did notice that Nicole did something wrong. He pointed it out and redid it for her, but it could have been a big blow up. They are very calm. I think the heat would have fried my brain and I couldn’t have done anything correctly. They did contemplate using the Express Pass, but then decided against it. They would have been the first team to complete both detours, but they ended up leaving right after the Providence Amy team. They thought they were in last place, but they were the third team to finish a detour after Providence Amy and Afghanimals.

Rappel and Race

Teams had to go catch a yacht to the next clue. The yachts left every 15 minutes. The Afghanimals and Providence Amy were on the first one. The ER doctors caught the second one. The Exes and blondes were on the third yacht. The baseball wives were running from their taxi, but didn’t make it in time so they ended up missing it and had to wait for a fourth yacht.  Darn!

On the other side, teams found a roadblock that had them rappel 200 feet onto a race track and get into a Le Mans type car. They would be raced around the track while trying to read signs that listed various Abu Dhabi Grand Prix record holders. They had to figure out which one was the fastest and repeat the name and time. If they got anything wrong, they would have to go around the track again. When Jason showed up, he started complaining about the suit  he had to wear for the race car was hot. I said, “Shut up, the women have been hot all day.” Steve said, “Oh poor you, you have to have long sleeves on for a minute.”

Amy and I were very amused that when team members did not get the right answer. The guy told them to try again and pushed their visor down. It did not stop being funny, no matter how many times he did it.

helmetsmoosh

The Afghanimals were done and running off towards the pit stop when the ER docs arrived. They were thrilled they didn’t use the Express Pass because there were three teams behind him. Travis was the only person that got the answer correct on the first try. Ally and Marie did the road block at the same time. Ally screamed the entire time as she was dropping and rappelling down. When Marie landed, she asked a valid question, “Why is she screaming so much?”

Ally was the only one that didn’t get what she was supposed to relay to the race guy. Most people got the race time wrong or the wrong combination of driver/race time. Ally just gave a random number that wasn’t one of the race time and when they asked her the driver name, she responded, “What?” She finally figured out what she was supposed to get and was finally on the same playing field as the rest of the teams when they started. This gave me hope that the blondes could still come in last place even though the baseball wives had just arrived to the road block. Kim screamed all the way down to the racetrack so good thing Marie wasn’t there to hear that. She was then afraid of the race car so it took her a bit to get into it. Sadly, even though she was afraid of heights and the race car, this task was not the hardest thing she had ever done. When Ally came around for about the third or fourth time with the wrong race time, she was baffled about what she was doing wrong. Ashley offered her good advice to just remember it. That’s all you need to do!

blondehead

 

When Nicky got to witness Ally not getting the correct answer, she nicely said it must be pretty hard if she didn’t get it. If only Kim got the answer correctly on her first try, but she couldn’t read it that fast so she had to go around again. Most teams got it on their second try, but Kim finally got it on her third try. Ally got it right just before Kim, even though it was like her sixth or seventh go around the track.

 

 

Pit Stop

The Afghanimals did come in first place. They won a romantic trip to Paris. Phil showered them with champagne, which was interesting. I guess it does go with Grand Prix winners. That meant that Providence Amy came in second place for the fourth time. Will they ever win a leg?

The ER docs came in third place and acted like they made the worst mistake ever and were so disappointed they were in third. Eh? The Exes came in fourth place and seemed bummed. Not sure why. Maybe because they didn’t steal anyone’s cab in the process.

The blondes did check in just before the baseball wives. That meant the baseball wives did come in last and they totally didn’t catch that Phil did not tell them they were eliminated so they both started crying when they were told they were last. Both Amy and Steve were correct thinking it was a non-elimination leg and I was glad it was since I didn’t want the baseball wives to leave.

What did you think about the baseball wives surviving with a non-elimination leg? Will the speed bump in the next leg be lame or an actual challenge? Who do you think will go home? Who do you think will come in first place?

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