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September 25, 2006

Amazing Race 10 Goes to Mongolia

Tonight's episode started like most other Amazing Race episodes. The teams left their last ending place (the Great Wall of China) in the order that they arrived. The new clue they received was sending them on a journey of 963 miles to the Mongolian Capital City of Ulaanbaatar, where they would go to a Shojin Temple to observe a ceremony and get their next clue.

Contestants raced to the bus station to get the earliest departure time of midnight, the others departed at 2:00 am. The charter bus took them to the Erlian Train Station in Erenhot, China. From here, they were to get a train to Ulaanbaatar. Despite the staggered departure times, the teams were all caught up together waiting for the train to Ulaanbaatar. While at the train station, the Beauty Queens attempted to scout around to try and get a better time, but they were unsuccessful. Meanwhile, outside the station, Peter and Sarah were busy trying to put on some kind of show. Sarah's prosthetic leg was attracting a crowd. So she hopped up to "give a little demonstration". Now, I am all for understanding differences and such, but I really thought that Sarah was jumping around like a trained pony. Particularly after Peter tried to get the crowd to pay them money for her exploits. Come on! You should have more class than that!

Once the teams got off the trains, they hailed taxis to take them to the Temple. Only one team had trouble with their taxis this time. Tyler and James' taxi driver took them way out of the way. Upon completion of this task, the new instructions they were given sent them 43 miles to Terelj by ancient Russian military jeep to a riverbed where they will then be choose horses for a 2.5 mile trek to find their next clue.

None of them were given maps in their clues. Some teams were smart and stopped at a Travel Agent, others found people on the street to ask. Lyn & Karlyn and Mary & Dave convinced people to accompany them part of the way. Still other teams Rob & Kimberly, Tom & Terry and Kellie & Jamie just decided to drive and figure it out as they went along. Now, did I mention that they were in ANCIENT Russian jeeps? Tyler & James got a flat tire. The good news? There was a jack in the car. The bad news? The jack was broken. After being passed by teams seizing the opportunity to get ahead of someone, they were eventually helped by some good Samaritans. Dave & Mary along with their passenger/helper got stuck in the mud. Not just a little bit. Honestly looking at how deep they were stuck, I am surprised they were able to get out of the car. AR sent along a new car for them, but they are not afforded extra time for the problem.

Once the teams got to the riverbed, they chose their horses and began the trek. They are outfitted with some official Mongol headgear and are on their way. Some had no problems getting on the horses. Rob & Kimberly were another story. Kimberly was freaked out at even the IDEA of getting on a horse. She conquers her fear only to have her horse take her right into a tree. That tree just jumped out at them! I love horses. They are beautiful and majestic creatures. That having been said I have ridden on horses twice and never will again, so I can sympathize with Kimberly. Remember that Rob & Kimberly are going on this trip to see if they should get married and spend the rest of their lives together. Well, first if you need a grueling world trip to do that, maybe things were doomed from the start, but Rob's reaction to Kimberly's misfortune speaks volumes. As she lay there on the ground crying (an probably hurting), Rob sits on his horse and keeps saying "I don't know what to do!" Hint Rob: get off the horse and help her up! Eventually their guide brings the horse back, but I don't think Kimberly rode it again. I can only recall her walking the horse from then on. They weren't the only team that had trouble with their horses. Dustin & Kandice had trouble too. One of them fell out of the saddle and was dragged about 300 feet before her foot finally fell out of the stirrup. (Don't worry, she is fine).

The horses take them to their next clue a DETOUR. They have the choice between two tasks. Take it Down or Fill it Up. In Take it Down, they will choose a traditional Mongolian Shelter, which Phil called a Ger, aka Yurt. They must then take down the walls and roof, pack them up and tie it to a camel for traveling. In Fill it Up, the teams choose a pack animal called heinik (help me here if you can, I came up empty with my internet searches) to a river and fill up 4 metal water jugs, bring them back to camp where they will need to fill a larger barrel to a pre-designated water mark.

Four teams chose Take it Down. Peter & Sarah, Duke & Lauren, Lyn & Karlyn and Kellie & Debbie. Peter became completely baffled by the Mongolian "knot system", so much so that they changed tasks mid-way through. Unfortunately, they did not fare any better with Fill it Up. Their pack animal ran out of control more than once, so they eventually went back to their packing and managed to get it done. Lyn & Karlyn also decided to switch tasks mid way through. Luckily, the change worked better for them.

All was not fun and games at Fill it Up either. The good news is no one else had animals running away from them. It was still not an easy task getting the water there and back without having lots of it spilled out. In the midst of one journey, one of the Beauty Queens ( I think it was Dustin) said "Where's the other helmet?" To which her teammate replied "I'm not worried about it." Hmmmm, you know when they bother to put little conversations like this in, there is a reason later.

Upon completing the task and getting the next clue, they must now drive 47 miles to Hotel Mongolia to find their next clue. I must admit to a small amount of malevolent glee when I heard the Beauty Queens read out their clue "You must ride the same horses back and wear all safety gear provided." Oops! Remember the helmet? Dustin and Kandice were the first ones to finish the task, but they lost their lead while searching for the missing helmet. Eventually, one of the guides found it for them and they were on their way. Edwin & Godwin also had a missing helmet, but luckily for them, they found it quickly. The last two teams to leave the riverbed were Lyn & Karlyn and Kellie & Jamie. Both teams came back from the task to find their cars dead. They could not get them started for anything. The cheerleaders were able to solicit help first. The person that came to help them, lifted the hood, took out a long metal rod, inserted it into the front of the car, and started cranking! Just like we have seen in old movies and cartoons. Lyn & Karlyn saw this and tried to do it themselves, but in the end got assistance as well.

All was not smooth sailing on the ride to the hotel. Erwin & Godwin's car broke down. Eventually they were helped by yet another good Samaritan -- it's a good thing that the Mongolian people were so friendly. Kellie & Jamie getting a late start, were convinced they were headed the wrong way and turned around to go miles and miles out of the way. Sadly, they realized their mistake and headed back the way they originally set out.

The clue at the hotel was a ROAD BLOCK. A task that only one person could complete. The Detour asked "Who is ready to aim high?" The person doing this task had to take part in an ancient Mongolian archery training exercise using a traditional Mongolian bow. They needed to shoot a flaming arrow into the air and hit a target 160 feet away to ignite the pyrotechnics in the target. Successful completion of this task gets them their next clue and the OK to run to the Pit Stop for this leg. Watching this segment was like watching first semester Archery class, sadly (luckily?) no one was set on fire. Kellie & Jamie were the last ones to arrive at the Road Block, and were unfortunately unable to complete the task. I must say kudos to Kellie for trying ever so hard to hit the target. She started when it was still light out and did not stop until well after dark. Being the last ones to arrive at the Pit Stop, they were eliminated from the race.

The winners of this leg won a trip for two to Mexico with all the amenities. Here is the finishing order:
1. Peter & Sarah
2. Tyler & James
3. Duke & Lauren
4. Tom & Terry
5. Dustin & Kandice
6. Rob & Kimberly
7. David & Mary
8. Erwin & Godwin
9. Lyn & Karlyn
10. Kellie & Jamie

Tune in next week to see what happens. Will Peter & Sarah be able to maintain their lead? Will Lyn & Karlyn be able to come from behind? Will Rob & Kimberly be able to keep from killing each other? We shall see....

Wendy

September 18, 2006

Amazing Race 10 Ready.....Set.....Go!

Amazing Race 10 aired its first episode tonight and is off to a good start. For those of you who are new to the Amazing Race, 12 teams of 2 people race around the world for a chance to win $1,000,000. They travel by boat, plane, car, rickshaw, foot, mule and pretty much any kind of transportation you can imagine. The way is fraught with Road Blocks, Detours, Fast Forwards and Pit Stops. The team that is good enough and smart enough may be able to snatch the million dollar prize!

The host for our journey is Phil Keoghan. This season began with Phil on a boat in Seattle (the Emerald City) the largest city in the Pacific Northwest. The teams were flown in by seaplane to the starting point. This is the most diverse cast the Amazing Race has had yet. Can I just say Thank God we are done with the Family version of Amazing Race. No children in this race, so we can actually get out of the country! Woo Hoo! The 12 teams starting the race are:

1. Peter and Sarah -- Recently Dating tri-athletes from Southern California. They trained together for 7 years for the Hawaii Iron man competition. Did I mention that Sarah has a prosthetic leg? She was born with one short leg and had worn a prosthetic leg all her life. Peter built artificial limbs for a living. What a great combination.

2. Bilal and Sa'eed -- Best friends and brothers in the Muslim faith from Cleveland Ohio. In their introduction segment one said "Our religion comes first in reference to this race".

3. Rob and Kimberly -- Dating Couple from Los Angeles California. She wants to see how he works under pressure, but Rob says "Kimberly wants everything her way. She can't control me. I'm a human being. She needs to learn that." They seem to be off to a great start already.

4. Dustin and Kandice -- Beauty Queens from New York and California. Miss New York and Miss California to be precise.

5. David and Mary -- Married couple from Stone, Kentucky. He is a coal miner and she is a housewife.

6. Erwin and Godwin -- Asian brothers from San Francisco Bay Area. Both have attended college, one at NYU and the other at Berkeley.

7. Duke and Lauren -- Father and daughter from Rhode Island. Estranged after Lauren's coming out as a lesbian, they are trying to reconnect by attempting this race together.

8. Vipul and Arty -- Married Indian-American couple from Orlando, Florida. They are trying to stick to their Indian culture while living the American lifestyle.

9. Kellie and Jamie -- Best friends and cheerleaders from South Carolina. "We both have a personality that we could have a conversation with a doorknob" --- Enough said.

10. Tyler and James -- Recovering Drug Addicts and Models (Amazing Race's words, not mine) from Hollywood, California -- who would have guessed?

11. Lyn and Karlyn -- Life-long friends and single mothers from Birmingham, Alabama.

12. Tom and Terry -- Boyfriends from New York City who say "We are not looking to make friends... we wanna win!"

For a much more in-depth view of the contestants, please visit the CBS Amazing Race http://website.


The race is divided into many legs and at the end of each leg is a Pit Stop. Eight of the Pit Stops will also be elimination points. The last team to arrive at them will be eliminated from the race. However, Phil did say "In this race, there will be surprises you never expected." Hmmmm....

The race began from Seattle's Gasworks Park, with all of the contestants running like lemmings to get to their packs and first clue. They were surprised and somewhat delighted to find out they were going to Beijing, China. There are two flights for them to get on. United Airlines flight 875 and Korean Air flight 26. They are given a rental car and $66.00 for this leg of the race. The teams quickly race to their cars to get to the airport. Three teams are stumped by the gear-shift being on the steering column, Dustin and Kandice; David and Mary; and Duke and Lauren. D'UH!

Most of the teams are trying to get to Interstate 5 to find the airport. Some manage to get there without a hitch, but when they get there find that there is a semi truck jack-knifed on the highway that is causing major traffic build-up. Some tried to get around and succeed. Now if you have never driven in Seattle, you may say Big Deal. Having driven in Seattle, I can say that there is a lot of time spent looking and pointing "ooh! That's where I want to go!" with no easily discernable route to get there. Three teams got lost trying to find the Thrifty Car Rental drop off point.

The first six teams to get on the United flight which is scheduled to arrive in Beijing at 8:05 are 1. Peter and Sarah 2. Dustin and Kandice 3. David and Mary 4. Tyler and Jason 5. Duke and Lauren 6. Lyn and Karlyn. The teams going on the Korean Air flight scheduled to arrive at 9:00 are 7. Tom and Terry 8. Kellie and Jamie 9. Vipul and Arty 10. Bilal and Sa'eed 11. Erwin and Godwin and 12. Rob and Kimberly.

While at the Airport Erwin and Godwin college geniuses that they are decided to fill up some squirt guns and start shooting all the other contestants with them. I know that 9/11 was 5 years ago, but come on! Needless to say they were confiscated by Airport Security. Truth be told I was wishing they would have been detained for questioning, just to see what would happen if they missed their flight.

Upon arriving in Beijing, they must travel by taxi to the area known as the Quonmen District and find the Gold House Restaurant to get their next clue. The cheerleaders taxi driver dropped them off nowhere near where they needed to be and they had to waste time trying to get to the right place. Once there the teams encountered their first Road Block. A Road Block is a tasks that only one member of the team can perform. This road block consisted of eating the Chinese delicacy of Fish Eyes. Each team had a tureen of Fish Heads (yes just like the Barnes and Barnes video you can find on YouTube.) They needed to search out and eat all of the fish eyes to get their next clue.

The next clue led them to the Meridian Gate of the Forbidden Palace, once the seat of the Chinese Imperial Government, where they would find a kiosk with departure times for the next morning. As teams are scrambling to find the kiosk, Phil tells us "It's here where teams will encounter the first big surprise of this race." Will they have to slay a Chinese Dragon? We see the kiosk has three different times 7:00. 7:15 and 7:30. What we do not see right away is that one of the last tags says "Last Team" rather than a time. I am sorry to say that the last team to come in was Bilal and Sa'eed. Phil shocked the contestants and myself as he announced to them that even though this was not a Pit Stop, they were being eliminated from the race. WHAT? Eliminations are only supposed to happen at Pit Stops!

In the morning, the teams leave according to their arrival last night. They must travel by World War II motorcycle and sidecar by directing their driver to the junction of 14 Hou Hai Northbank Road where they will receive their next clue from a cab manager. Meanwhile, we learn that Sarah's artificial limb is beginning to leak hydraulic fluid and there is nothing that Peter can do to fix it. She will just have to manage as best she can. Upon arriving at their destination, they find their first Detour. A detour provides the teams with two choices of tasks. This Detour gave them the choice of Labor or Leisure.

If they choose Labor, they will have to use traditional Chinese bricks and methods to pave a 45 square foot section of sidewalk in a specific pattern. It is a physically tasking challenge, but one that may be done quickly if you have the strength. If they choose Leisure, they will have to learn a (what sounded to me like) Tai Gee Bailong routine. This is a Chinese relaxation exercise using stretching and movement while interacting with a racket and ball. Yikes! NO physical labor, but you had better have fantastic coordination! Only two of the teams chose Leisure, Tom and Terry & Kellie and Jamie. They actually faired quite well. The teams that chose Labor had some trouble getting started as most of them were ignoring the gray colored bricks in the pattern because they thought only the center of red bricks was their guide.

Upon successfully completing their Detour, the teams next clue told them to take a taxi to Juyongguan, one of the gateways to the Great Wall. Here they used a rope to scale the Great Wall to get to the Pit Stop. For some of the teams, this was a piece of cake, for others.....not so much! Everyone managed to get to the top of the wall, but in the end, Vipul and Arty were eliminated. They scaled the wall quickly, but their taxi driver got them very lost and they arrived at the wall after the other teams had already finished. With the amount of trouble that teams were having with their taxis, you would think the cab companies were run by Louis DiPalma or maybe Reverend Jim Ignatowski.

The first ones to get to the top of the Great Wall were Tyler and James. They won $20,000 for being the first team to arrive. The rest of the teams came in as follows:
2. Duke and Lauren
3. Peter and Sarah
4. Dustin and Kandice
5. Rob and Kimberly
6. Kellie and Jamie
7. Erwin and Godwin
8. Tom and Terry (why is it soooo hard for me to not type Tom and Jerry?)
9. Lyn and Karlyn
10. David and Mary
11. Vipul and Arty (elimiated from the race)

This was a very promising start to the season. Will David and Mary be able to come from behind and make up some time? Will Tyler and James be able to hold onto their lead, or will they be left in the dust? I can't wait to see where they travel next! --Wendy