Amazing Race 9 Tidbits
CBS' The Amazing Race 9th Edition
Thoughts on Episode 8
Episode 8 was the first of the long-promised nonelimination legs of the Race. BJ and Tyler almost bit the dust--after BJ was covered in sand--until Phil granted them the reprieve! Eric and Jeremy finally cracked a bit with two miscues while driving. Fran and Barry amazed even Phil with their first place finish, thanks to perfect strategy, nerve, communication, and driving.
Camel -- use block and tackle to load camel into back of pickup, then use a crude handwritten map to find Bedouin camp one mile away and deliver the camel.
Watchtower -- search among 3 towers for arabic message boxes, and take them to gold and silver store in town and deliver to man named Mubarek. One of the towers has no message boxes.
Episode Eight Detour |
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|---|---|---|
Members |
Detour Selected |
Result |
| Fran and Barry | Watchtower | Second to find message box, first at shop, first overall |
| BJ and Tyler | Watchtower | First to find message box, second at shop, second overall |
| Joseph and Monica | Watchtower, then Camel | First to deliver camel, third overall |
| Eric and Jeremy | Camel | First to arrive, second to deliver camel after getting lost, fourth overall |
| Ray and Yolanda | Camel | Last to arrive, third to deliver camel, last overall |
Six shuwas were hidden in a level sandy area in 117 sand mounds on a hot sunny day with temperatures in the 90s. In Oman, the shuwa is a traditional dish of spiced lamb is wrapped in a dried palm leaf bag and steamed in an underground oven. One team member had to dig through sand mounds until they found the shuwa, their dinner for the evening, Once finished, they would receive their next clue, directing them to the Pit Stop for this leg, Jabreen, or Jabrin, Castle, near the city of Nizwa.
Episode Eight Roadblock |
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|---|---|---|
Team |
Team Member |
Result |
| Fran and Barry | Barry | Second to arrive, second to find shuwa |
| BJ and Tyler | BJ | First to arrive, last to find meal |
| Joseph and Monica | Monica | Third to arrive, first to find meal |
| Eric and Jeremy | Eric | Fourth to arrive, third to find shuwa |
| Ray and Yolanda | Yolanda | Last to arrive, fourth to find shuwa |
The race to the Pit Stop was won by Fran and Barry when Joseph and Monica had to stop for directions. Eric and Jeremy were sure they had found a shorter way to Jabreen. When that did not happen, Ray and Yolanca were able to reclaim third. Eric and Jeremy recovered in time to edge out Bj and Tyler for fourth place.
Analysis
The five remaining teams have fairly diverse backgrounds, except that 7 of the 10 individuals are in their twenties. Each of the teams has a unique combination of strengths and weaknesses.
Comparison of Teams in AMAZING RACE 9 |
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|---|---|---|---|
Place |
Members |
Strengths |
Weaknesses |
| 1 | Fran and Barry | Intelligent, experienced in adventure travel, Fran is a good navigator, Barry is athletic | Endurance, mental mistakes, limited mechanical skills, climbing, sleep deprived, Fran is not strong physically |
| 2 | Joseph and Monica | Athletic, Joseph has built a house, intelligent, savvy, good dancers, excellent climbers | Monica gets stressed out, communication with locals |
| 3 | Ray and Yolanda | Athletic, Ray has quick wit | Not mechanically inclined, driving and navigation, Ray's intensity scary to locals, Ray is slower and not that strong, Yolanda is afraid of heights, fighting and bickering, not in sync with each other |
| 4 | Jeremy and Eric | Very athletic, Jeremy has traveled a lot, fast in footraces, quick in physical tasks, think well on feet | Jeremy does not take criticism well, not paying attention |
| 5 | BJ and Tyler | Lots of experience overseas, languages, BJ has the brains | Offbeat, not the fastest or strongest team, mental miscues |
Outlook for Episode Nine
The last two episodes have broken up the order of the teams, with even the golden frat boys in fourth. The other big surprise is BJ and Tyler needing to fight back from the brink of elimination. Their brains, global experience, youth, and adequate athletic abilities made them a pre-race favorite. But it is never over until it is over. All it takes is a wrong turn or two, as happened to Eric and Jeremy, or really bad luck as happened to BJ digging through the mounds. The unlikely pair of Fran and Barry actually won at the end of an episode thanks to nerves of steel and nearly flawless performance throughout. The only holdover from prior episodes was the team of Joseph and Monica, still in a solid second place. Ray and Yolanda are in third, no thanks to the battle of the bridge, with all their fighting and bickering as a counterweight to being good at tasks.
Fran and Barry finally are doing better, as they eliminated mental gaffes and responded well to challenges, especially while driving. They did get a move on, by using strategy and focusing on their strengths of intelligence and driving to get ahead. But the preview shows trouble ahead for Barry.
"MoJo", as Joseph and Monica have been called, moved up steadily and confidently into a consistent second place. In Episode 8, they figured out the way to the camel dropoff very well indeed, avoiding any wrong turns after the bridge, going just far enough. At the same time, Monica has been crying when stressed, telling Joseph that crying is what she does. Her way of dealing with stress will be a factor while riding bikes in Australia.
Ray and Yolanda are really struggling, even with their third place finish. They rebounded with a bit of luck in Episode 7. The feuding on Episode 8 threatens their ability to face any strong challenge together. Right now, they are not on the same page. If they continue the bickering and do not meaningfully communicate with each other, only their individual strengths will save them.
Eric and Jeremy finally made some mistakes. They admitted to possibly being tired and to not paying attention. They are likely to rebound; the preview makes no mention of them--usually a good sign.
The last team I thought would be on the bubble are BJ and Tyler. They had every chance to bounce back in Episode 8, but BJ's struggle in the desert sent them to the back again. BJ had about the worst luck in a digging or locating challenge in the history of the Race, having started first and finishling last. All that time lost after they had been flawless in getting to the Roadblock. However, if there is any team in this edition of the Amazing Race that could bounce back without their cash and possessions, this is the team to do it. As suggested in the discussion on the Finish Line, BJ and Tyler need to be just a bit more serious now.
Clearly the pace of the Race is taking a toll on the teams. Lake looked exhausted prior to being eliminated. Barry likewise has looked drained. Ray looks like he is fatigued at times. Yolanda and Ray got into an ugly fight just after getting started in the early morning. On the Finish Line, Lake said that sleep deprivation is the biggest problem for the Racers in the latter part of the Race. That and the incredible pace!
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