Amazing Race 11 Tidbits -- Thoughts and Outlook

Amazing Race Tidbits

CBS' The Amazing Race 11 -- All Stars Edition

Thoughts on Episode 5 and Outlook for Episode 6

Thoughts on Episode Five--Argentina/Mozambique

Episode Five was a non-elimination leg. The arrival in Mozambique coincided with World AIDS Day, December 1, 2006. After all teams caught up entering the Roadblock in Mozambique, the Guidos rose to the top briefly. Then, driving back to Maputo, several teams lost their way. One Detour proved much easier, propelling those teams to the top, while the others scrambled for position. First, Teams had to go to the Martial Glacier in Argentina to use an avalanche beacon to "rescue" their next clue. Danny and Oswald were still looking after all other teams had left.

Then teams had to book a flight to Maputo, Mozambique. Teams were provided with tickets for a flight landing at 3 PM. If teams decided to book their own flights, they needed to use a travel agency in Argentina. But all teams booked a flight landing at 9:40AM. much to the relief of Danny and Oswald.

From the airport, teams took marked cars to the APOPO Training Field near Gondola, Mozambique. Finding the gate closed, the Guidos pounced on Eric for having his driver pretend to pass them. It got nastier as Eric lost his cool.

Roadblock

Who can smell a rat?

One Team member had to use a trained rat to sniff out a deactivated land mine with the clue above it. When the rat started digging, they would call for a mine technician that would verify the land mine with a metal detector and dig it out.

Teams arrived at the cluebox within seconds of each other, once the gate opened. It took some minutes to set up, and some teams started the search later than others, notably Charla and Mirna. The Gambian giant pouched rat was about the size of Joe and Bill's dog, Guido! They joked that Guido must be a rat terrier.

Episode Five Roadblock
Members	Team Member	Result
Danny and Oswald	Oswald	Second out.
Eric and Danielle	Eric	In last bunch to start, fifth out.
Teri and Ian	Teri	Ian did well enough to hold fourth.
Dustin and Kandice	Dustin	In last bunch to start, Dustin worked methodically to be sixth out.
Uchenna and Joyce	Uchenna	Third out, after initially dueling with the Guidos, their rat took a break.
Joe and Bill	Joe	First to arrive, first to leave.
Charla and Mirna	Charla	Last of 7 to arrive, worked slowly to finish.

Which Way?

Teams were directed to the train station designed by Gustave Eiffel, Esta��o Caminho de Ferro, on the Pra�a dos Trabalhadores, or the Workers' Square, in Maputo. Getting back to Maputo proved difficult for four of the teams. An ambiguous road sign listing Maputo on two lines confused teams, including the normally sharp Teri and Ian, along with Dustin and Kandice, Uchenna and Joyce, and Eric and Danielle. Charla and Mirna vaulted from seventh to third on their correct interpretation of the sign to continue straight ahead, as the first line indicated.

Episode Five Return to Maputo
Members	Direction	Place at Train Station
Danny and Oswald	Straight	2
Eric and Danielle	Left	6
Teri and Ian	Left	7
Dustin and Kandice	Left	5
Uchenna and Joyce	Left	4
Joe and Bill	Straight	1
Charla and Mirna	Straight	3

Detour

Pamper: At the central market, half a mile away, teams had to choose a nail polish kit, and then paint nails to earn cash, 30 units of local currency. BUT, the task is one normally done by men in Mozambique. Still, it was by far the easier detour.

Porter: Teams traveled two miles to Mercado Janet. There, teams had to fill ten bags with 45 pounds of coal, sew them shut, carry one heavy bag to a specific address of the form Rue 2xx and house xx. The coal hurt their hands, and that last address may have been further away. It was slow going and by far the harder Detour.

Teams that chose Porter, figuring the physical task would be easier, paid with lower placements. It was like the slower bag filling Detour in Kuwait, with a twist of a delivery that involved figuring out an unusual street signage system. Teams that chose Pamper, or fell into it, even overcame their poor navigation coming back into the big city.

Episode Five Detour
Members	Detour Selected	Result
Danny and Oswald	Porter	Delayed by World AIDS Day parade getting to the coal piles. Virtual tie with Joe and Bill.
Eric and Danielle	Porter	Finished bags last, but got help from kids to make delivery
Teri and Ian	Pamper	Third to finish--not quick to accept this Detour
Dustin and Kandice	Pamper	They had fun with this Detour made for them, even doing a freebie for a girl, finishing second.
Uchenna and Joyce	Porter	Last overall, as Joyce and Uchenna had little clue where the address was to deliver the coal. The street signs on the fences/low walls were not spotted until it was too late.
Joe and Bill	Porter	Poor choice, but they worked hard to finish in virtual tie with Danny and Oswald.
Charla and Mirna	Pamper	Cha-Ching! The shorties arrived first, and made more money than required, and still finished first.

Arrival at Fortaleza in Maputo, the Pit Stop

Charla and Mirna, most unlikely of teams, finished first, for the first time in either edition they have participated in. Danny and Oswald wanted to hug Phil as they finished fourth. As there was time to spare, and Phil wanted nothing to do with their coal-blackened hands, a quick game of tag ensued, ending with Danny and Oswald ending happily on the mat, and no hugs. Joe and Bill stopped at the wrong place, causing them to drop out of a chance to race Danny and Oswald for fourth, Instead, a desperate race was waged for fifth place Fast closing Eric and Danielle tried to catch up to Joe and Bill. Even though Eric almost caught up, Danielle could not make up ground on the Guidos. Uchenna and Joyce, so lost trying to find the house for the coal delivery, finished no more than four minutes behind Eric and Danielle. Not eliminated, but the couple was "marked for elimination" going into the next episode.

Episode Five Order of Finish
Members	Place
Danny and Oswald	4
Teri and Ian	3
Eric and Danielle	6
Dustin and Kandice	2
Joe and Bill	5
Uchenna and Joyce	6
Charla and Mirna	1

Outlook for Episode Six

What are teams to do now that the heavily favored Rob and Amber are out?

Danny and Oswald had chosen to communicate effectively, until their Desi Arnaz and and double moment on Martial Glacier. Save for that lapse, they are leveraging their experience, and are performing smoothly without being unduly hurried. Teri and Ian, Joe and Bill, and Dustin and Kandice are doing well for the most part. Ian seems to be in better form now that teams are not at high altitude.

The bottom team of Uchenna and Joyce is in real trouble as they have both looked a bit drained at times, and lost a lot of time in the Detour. But the preview shows them and Eric and Danielle facing adversity.

Comparison of Teams in AMAZING RACE 11
Members	Strengths	Weaknesses
Charla and Mirna	Communication, determination	Limited traveling experience, short in stature, slow at tasks, Charla is not as strong, Mirna forced to overcome Charla's shortcomings.
Dustin and Kandice	Competitive, college educated, athletic	Not paying attention to details of clues--or even preservation of clues, try to push ahead of others, not fastest in foot races, emotional. Dustin is bossy and domineering.
Teri and Ian	Ian is very intelligent	Not paying attention to details of clues, navigation, oldest team, Ian struggled in locales at high altitude
Danny and Oswald	Athletic, fast enough in footraces, good at tasks. Both are highly motivated and determined.	They have had friction between them, and can be a bit hot tempered.
Joe and Bill	Very intelligent, surprisingly athletic, good strategists	Can get seriously lost, fighting tendancy to lose focus.
Eric and Danielle	Eric is highly athletic, both are intelligent enough. Both are highly motivated and determined.	Danielle had trouble getting lost and losing things. can be emotional. Both can be geographically challenged at times.
Uchenna and Joyce	Both are athletic. Joyce is a quick read	Look drained at times, can be beaten in footraces, can be slow at tasks.

What will Episode 6 reveal about the racers face challenges in Africa? It may well be an elimination leg, with plenty of action. Eric and Danielle are forced to leave a scheduled flight after boarding. What is with that? A few reasons are possible, with a ticketing or customs infraction at the top of the list. Danielle has a Monica-style meltdown, saying that she cannot do this anymore. Of course Uchenna is struggling to hit a target in the dark. With the 30-minute penalty, their only hope is that he would hit the target in an apparent Roadblock, then passes the delayed Eric and Danielle. Watch the exciting sixth episode of Amazing Race All Stars Sunday, March 25th at 8 PM Eastern/Pacific, or after 60 Minutes if delayed by the NCAA Basketball Tournament.