Amazing Race Tidbits -- Thoughts and Outlook

Amazing Race Tidbits

CBS' The Amazing Race 11 -- All Stars Edition

Thoughts on Episode 11 and Outlook for Episode 12

Thoughts on Episode Eleven--Guam

Episode Eleven was the elimination leg for the fourth place team, determining the three finalists. The start was fairly quiet at teams departed far enough apart to wind up on three different ferries back to Hong Kong. Dustin and Kandice got the early start, taking the 3AM ferry. Only the cousins, Charla and Mirna, and the dating couple, Eric and Danielle, took the same 4AM ferry ride to Hong Kong from Macau. The only excitement of the morning came as Danny and Oswald left the Pit Stop at 4:37AM, settling for the 6AM ferry, causing them to scramble for a flight. They wound up on the 10:05 Cathay Pacific to Tokyo with a super tight 45 minute connection, that they made with their OJ Simpson-like run to gate C37 to gain the last seats on the Continental flight to Guam, departing at 5:05 local time.

Teams had to book a flight to Guam, and find the control tower at Andersen Air Force Base. They had to wait at the Visitor Center until it opened at 7AM to meet their military escorts. Dustin and Kandice drew Kyle as their escort, while Charla and Mirna chose Frederick for their escort.

Detour

Based on the Web site:

Care Package: Teams were instructed to make their way to a warehouse to take part in an Air Force humanitarian relief effort by filling a box with 500 pounds of essential supplies for locals on neighboring islands. Instead, the preparation area was under a canopy on the tarmac of the airfield. Once their box reached 500 pounds of supplies, Teams would board a C-17 cargo plane for a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience an Air Force airdrop exercise. When they returned to the ground the Load Master would hand them their next clue. The task required relatively little physical activity, but the training exercise took roughly thirty minutes to complete.

From the Website:

Engine Care: Teams had to scour a B-52 bomber by choosing an engine pod, with its sail and wing flap, and washing it clean. Once the Senior Air Force Maintenance Officer was satisfied with their job he would hand them their next clue.

Episode Eleven Detour
Members	Option	Result
Danny and Oswald	Engine Care	These guys started late because they missed a low-rise, but standard, sign for the Detour options, then kept having problems pleasing the officer, especially the big streak. They did not miss the chance to get the sergeant wet.
Eric and Danielle	Engine Care	Gained time as they leveraged their youth and athleticism. They worked hard, with Eric encouraging Danielle through the tiring chore.
Dustin and Kandice	Engine Care	The sergeant was hard to please; their perfect smiles were of no use here. But the beauty queens proved that they can work hard to beat out other physical teams.
Charla and Mirna	Care Package	Charla had a hard time loading some of the heavier items, especially the 40 pound item, but would have had a harder time with Engine Care. The downside of this less demanding task was the roughly 30 minutes reqiured for the flight.

Roadblock

Who is ready to search far and wide?

In this Roadblock, one teammate had to use a GPS locater to find a pilot hidden in the brush in a simulated rescue, and when he entered the coordinates, lead him to a helicopter landing zone (LZ) identified as an extraction point. The teammate had to radio for the chopper and throw a smoke grenade to signal readiness for the pick up, to be returned to their teammate.

Eric had already done all his Roadblocks, so Danielle was stuck with having to do this one. Danny and Oswald were late arriving because they were totally lost. They said on the CBS Early Show on Monday, April 30 that there was a Route Marker scene that was edited out, and finding their way to the route marker was a real hindrance to them. Dustin has a brother that she said would be jealous. "It was so cool", is all she could say as she got to the end.

Episode Eleven Roadblock
Members	Team Member	Result
Danny and Oswald	Oswald	Oswald started last, almost caught up to and passed Charla and Danielle, but faltered at the point of recognizing that he was only a few feet from the pilot who was well hidden in the brush, until he backed up and took a wider look into the brush.
Eric and Danielle	Danielle	She had never used a compass before, so she was totally unnerved by the whole process. She had spiders all over her in a thicket. She finally got some help in using the GPS Locater from the pilot to make it to the Landing Zone, well ahead of Charla and Oswald.
Dustin and Kandice	Dustin	She was totally in charge and in sync for this one as she stepped out at a fast pace and used the GPS, apparently expecting to be on the pathways, but looked into the brush when the pilot was close, realizing that he would not be out in the open.
Charla and Mirna	Charla	Charla was funny as she kept touching the screen and buttons and kept being told not to by her escort. She barely beat out the late arriving Oswald.

Pit Stop--Fort Soledad, Guam

The question is how Charla and Mirna stayed ahead of Danny and Oswald getting to the Pit Stop if they had to turn around. Moot point as the 30-minute penalty never was invoked. The following is from a website posted by Jane Resture at URL: http://www.janeresture.com/guam_postcards3/index.htm

" Fort Soledad vista point overlooks the village of Umatac and a panoramic Guam coastline. This guard house is a part of an early Spanish fort overlooking the bay where Magellan first made contact with the Chamorros. Spanish galleons trading between Mexico and the Philippines would wait out the typhoon season here."

Outlook for Episode Twelve--The Run for the Million Dollars

Which team has what it takes to win the million dollars. The Roadblock situation may come into play. Mirna may have one she can do, while Danielle must do the Roadblock for her team, as Eric has done all of his.

Dustin and Kandice are on top of their game, though they have been challenged at times to pay attention to details. Will an old nemesis crop up, their emotional side and Kandice's limited patience with Dustin's bossiness?

WIll Charla's physical weaknesses catch up with her and cause Charla and Mirna to be out of first, or will Mirna be able to propel the team to the top of the heap? They might be rested for the finale as they did the easier Detour in the last episode.

Eric and Danielle have been on each other's nerves, though they have run two excellent legs in Macau and Guam. But, will their poor sense of direction or their emotional side cost them first place?

Comparison of Teams in AMAZING RACE 11
Members	Strengths	Weaknesses
Charla and Mirna	Communication, determination, and excellent at booking flights and team strategy. Mirna has worked miracles keeping the team afloat in spite of mini-disasters. Mirna is very intelligent and surprisingly athletic. Charla has exceeded expectations.	Short in stature, slow at tasks, Charla is not as strong, slow in footraces, and falls easily. Mirna forced to overcome Charla's shortcomings. They have struggled with strange vehicles and navigation at times.
Dustin and Kandice	Competitive, college educated, athletic. Dustin has emerged as good leader, and has a music background. Kandice, with a dance background, is strong and effective at most all tasks she attempts. They do well at artistic challenges, navigation, team strategy, and booking flights.	Not paying attention to details of clues--or even preservation of clues, try to push ahead of others, can be beaten in foot races, can have emotional scenes between them. Dustin is bossy and domineering.
Eric and Danielle	Eric is highly athletic. Danielle is quite athletic in her own right. Both are intelligent enough, highly motivated and determined. Eric has emerged as leader, best when he encourages Danielle to keep going strong.	Danielle has had trouble getting lost and losing things. can be emotional, sometimes frustrated. Both can be geographically and directionally challenged, poor navigation at times. Eric can be stubborn and insensitive, which has gotten on Danielle's nerves. Team strategy, as Danielle must do any Roadblocks in the finale.

What will the next episode reveal about the racers? The finale appears to have a water theme and some winding roads, from the preview. Two of the three teams are physical and should have a lot of fun. But Charla and Mirna are shown in contention. Watch the exciting final episode of Amazing Race All Stars Sunday, May 6th at 8 PM Eastern/Pacific.