Amazing Race Tidbits
CBS' The Amazing Race 10th Edition
Thoughts on Episode Two -- Mongolia
Episode Two was an elimination leg.
First to depart were Tyler and James and last to depart were David and Mary. The travel to Mongolia involved a bus ride and a long train ride, but all teams arrived in the capital of Ulan Bator at the same time, sharing the same train from China. They had to find their way to a Lamaist temple in heavily populated Ulan Bator's maze of muddy streets.
To travel to Terelj for the Detour, teams had to use old Soviet-era military vehicles akin to our Jeeps. Unfortunately, much as with the old VW-type beetles in Amazing Race 9, Episode 2 in Brazil, these old jeeps tended to stall, break down, or get stuck, scrambling the order of teams. James and Tyler dropped far back when they had a flat, and David and Mary were so badly stuck in the mud that a replacement vehicle was given to them, with no time credit.
The Detour involved riding horses to and from the location for both Detour choices. Two riders encountered problems on the inbound ride. Kimberly was knocked off her horse by a long tree branch and slightly injured. Kandice was dragged briefly by a horse, and lucky to emerge apparently unscathed. All riders were to wear Mongolian style fur hats or helmets both ways, a point missed by the beauty queens, costing them frontrunner status.
Tear It Down: Near Terelj, Mongolia, teams have to tear down, tie up properly, and load on a camel a nomadic dwelling called a gir. The task was intricate, but the team was in control of their result.
Move It: Teams had to lead a oxlike beast called a hynik to pull a cart with 4 metal water jugs to fill a barrel to a predetermined depth. This task could be done quickly, if the beast cooperated.
Episode Two Detour |
||
|---|---|---|
Members |
Detour Selected |
Result |
| Tyler and James | Fill It Up | Close third to finish |
| Peter and Sarah | Tear It Down | First to arrive, tried Fill It Up, then came back to Tear It Down, second to finish |
| Karlyn and Lyn | Fill It Up | Tried Tear It Down, switched, tied for last to finish |
| Duke and Lauren | Tear It Down | First back on road |
| Dustin and Kandice | Fill It Up | Early to arrive, dropped to sixth to leave |
| Erwin and Godwin | Fill It Up | Did well, but jeep stalled, dropping them to eighth |
| Rob and Kimberly | Fill It Up | No loss of place, even with Kimberly's fall, fifth to finish |
| Tom and Terry | Fill It Up | Gained when Dustin and Kandice failed to find helmets |
| Kellie and Jamie | Tear It Down | Last to arrive, tied for last to finish |
| David and Mary | Fill It Up | Seventh to arrive after being stuck, seventh to finish |
Places for those arriving at the Roadblock got scrambled when Erwin and Godwin stalled, losing about four places on the road to the Pit Stop. Kellie and Jamie got the wrong directions from a local, and failed to recover in time. They chose not to stay with the single moms when both jeeps failed to start. The cheerleaders wound up passing the moms going in the opposite directions, believing for quite a while that they and not the moms were right. Lyn and Karlyn vaulted into ninth when they remembered having just seen the sign for the correct destination and then arrived at the Roadblock before Kellie and Jamie were able to finally turn around. There was enough time for Lyn to complete the Roadblock before the dispirited cheerleaders arrived.
One team member had to shoot a flaming arrow when a local gave the command to fire. The task was complete when an arrow hit and ignited a target.
Episode Two Roadblock |
||
|---|---|---|
Team |
Team Member |
Result |
| Tyler and James | Tyler | Close second to arrive, second to finish |
| Peter and Sarah | Peter | Barely first to arrive, got jump on the models and hit on second shot |
| Duke and Lauren | Lauren | Third to arrive, third to finish |
| Karlyn and Lyn | Lyn | Ninth to arrive, ninth to leave |
| David and Mary | David | Seventh to arrive, seventh to finish |
| Rob and Kimberly | Kimberly | Fifth to arrive, sixth to finish |
| Dustin and Kandice | Dustin | Sixth to arrive, fifth to finish |
| Tom and Terry | Tom | Fourth to arrive, fourth to hit the target |
| Kellie and Jamie | Kellie | Tenth to arrive, decided to quit when Kellie said she was too weak |
| Erwin and Godwin | Erwin | Eighth to arrive, eighth to finish |
The episode ended with Kellie and Jamie lost on the way to the Roadblock, and then unable to complete the Roadblock. Kellie said on her interview on the FINISH LINE that she was tired after shooting 117 arrows, all missing the target. It was sad to see them go out this way after their strong comeback scaling the Great Wall in Episode 1.
Outlook for Episode Three
The nine remaining teams have diverse backgrounds, including a team of black single mothers, 2 gay men, and the first lesbian. Each of the teams has a unique combination of strengths and weaknesses that are emerging.
The second episode took place in Mongolia, with surprising weather, rugged terrain, and a culture largely unknown to Westerners. The bottom teams of David and Mary, the Cho brothers, and the moms, Lyn and Karlyn, are consistently struggling through the two episodes so far. The single moms and David and Mary have been slow at tasks. The Cho brothers are looking for their luck to improve, having done fairly well on the Detour in this episode.
Tyler and James overcame adversity to take first place through physical fitness, strength, and speed. If they can avoid mental errors, they could be virtually unstoppable. Peter is making technically good decisions, as long as Sarah does OK with the leak Sarah encountered with her prosthesis and holds together emotionally. The beauty queens are surprisingly athletic. Kimberly and Rob have potential, if they can avoid the negative outbursts and meltdowns. Duke and Lauren have chosen to communicate effectively, leveraging their intelligence and Duke's world of experience. But Duke will need all that experience to overcome whatever lapse or calamity caused he and Lauren to run out of money in Episode three.
In the confusion of the early competition, all teams had to sort out how to navigate in a strange land. Mary is afraid mainly of the unknown due to her lack of travel experience. The single moms also hint at a lack of travel expeience. The other is the promise of twists, turns, and surprises never seen before in the Race. What will Episode 3 reveal about the racers and who will be eliminated next? Watch Sunday, October 1 at 8PM Eastern/Pacific, or following 60 Minutes, if delayed by football. Also, be sure to catch the FINISH LINE at 1 PM Monday October 2 on the THE AMAZING RACE 10th Edition Web site.
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