Amazing Race Tidbits -- Thoughts and Outlook

Amazing Race Tidbits

CBS' The Amazing Race 12th Edition

Thoughts on Episode 7 and Outlook for Episode 8

Thoughts on Episode Seven

No Airport Shuffle

Teams had 3 departures by bus from Dubrovnik to Split within Croatia, 5AM and two later buses. But those on the later buses make the same ferry to Ancona, Italy as the teams on the early bus, even the late departing Nicolas and Donald.

Find the Airfield at Empoli

In Ancona, teams try to find the best route to their destination, an airfield in Empoli. TK and Rachel seemed to understand the directions they received at the cafe, but left their Route Info clue on the table. They had gone quite a way before backtracking, and luckily finding the clue still on the table. Jen and Nathan get the general idea of the same route, but the other three teams take a circuitous way through Bologna.

The problem was that the expressway was shut down at Bologna until 6 AM. The three teams that took the long way had to decide how to respond. Ron and Christina succeeded at taking the back roads to Empoli, while Kynt and Vyxsin managed to get lost. Nicolas and Donald wisely chose to wait, putting themselves in reasonably good position.

Roadblock: Who's feeling ultralight of heart?

One team member had to take an ultralight airplane up for no more than 30 minutes at a time to locate the name of the next destination marked out on the ground.

Episode Seven Roadblock
Team	Team Member	Result
Kynt and Vyxsin	Vyxsin	Started just as TK was starting his third search attempt. As she left in fourth overall, TK took to the air one more time.
Jennifer and Nathan	Nathan	First to arrive and first to complete the Roadblock. Easy! Good enough to hold second overall.
Ronald and Christina	Christina	Good effort to hold third overall as she used strategy of searching along river.
Nicolas and Donald	--	Used Fast Forward
Rachel and TK	TK	Dumbfounded, kept asking what he was missing, what he was doing wrong. Last, after arriving second and starting in a virtual tie with Nathan, but his ultralight had to be refueled after 30-minute search attempts 3 times.

Fast Forward

To earn the Fast Forward award, teams had to locate Fabio Studio in Empoli and each member receive a permanent tattoo of the letters FF, standing for Fast Forward. Nicolas and Donald were the only team to attempt the Fast Forward, and they sported the FF tattoos to surge ahead to the early finish, skipping all other tasks.

Detour

Both Detour tasks took place in the area in and around the town of Vinci in Tuscany, Italy. It was difficult to find details on the Internet of "the estate" or of the many blocks on the mural map Jennifer and Nathan were trying to read.

Invention: At a courtyard near the birthplace of Leonardo, the team had to build a crane from parts and a model based on a design by Leonardo da Vinci. Once completed, they had to raise a heavy stone one foot, high enough to set a mirror box under the stone and read the inscription on the bottom of the stone, which would reveal their next destination and Pit Stop for this leg..

Tradition: Teams had to learn a flag routine at the Piazza Guido Masi, just outside the Museum of Leonardo, reflecting the Renaissance history of the town. It was a routine that included repeated elements and a flag toss. If they completed the routine to the satisfaction of the lead flagman, they would be given a flag with the name of the next destination and Pit Stop for this leg.

Episode Seven Detour
Members	Detour	Result
Kynt and Vyxsin	Tradition	Good effort, apparently on first try. But, they started by looking at the Invention task, deciding to switch. That indecison proved to be their undoing as their car broke down. They were forced to walk back all the way up the hill to the location of the flag routine, identified earlier as three kilometers.
Jennifer and Nathan	Tradition	Took two tries, but Nathan listened to the experienced perforner, Jen, to complete this complex task requiring more coordination than raw strength.
Ronald and Christina	Tradition	Surprisingly, Ron did OK with this physical task, not finishing quite as strong as Jen and Nathan, but acceptable to the flag master.
Nicolas and Donald	--	Completed Fast Forward, which might have been a good thing.
Rachel and TK	Invention	Only team to complete Tradition, but did it well enough to gain lead over Kynt and Vyxsin and get out of last.

Disaster struck Kynt and Vyxsin when they try to switch Detour tasks. One part of the problem was the unfamiliar stick-shift car, another part was that Kynt was inexperienced with stick shift, and the other part was that Vyxsin overshot the parking space on the hill as she was descending. After that, the car broke down. They fall far behind Rachel and TK and never make up the ground, even though they do well with the flags.

Pit Stop

Teams were variously directed to drive to the Boboli Gardens in Florence. The mat was actually at an old castle at the highest part of the lush Boboli Gardens.

Disaster nearly struck TK and Rachel when they have to fix a flat tire. They nearly lose the lead they had over Kynt and Vyxsin.

Episode Seven Order of Finish
Members	Team
Kynt and Vyxsin	5
Jennifer and Nathan	2
Ronald and Christina	3
Nicolas and Donald	1
TK and Rachel	4

Kynt and Vyxsin were granted a reprieve when Phil declared that this was the first of two non-elimination legs. In the next leg, they will have to do an additional task not done by any other team, and at any time during the leg, called a Speed Bump.

Outlook for Episode Eight

Will we go back to the airport shuffle in the next episode? Thankfully, the order of finish in Episode 7 was more determined by competition in the tasks and navigation, which made for better racing. But, it was also determined by teams' response to fatigue, perhaps bordering on exhaustion. That was particularly evident with the last two teams, but only admitted by Kynt and Vyxsin. Also affected were Jen and Nathan, as the night long drive affected their decision to not take the Fast Forward, a huge break for Nicolas and Donald. With the impending Speed Bump, Kynt and Vyxsin are in real trouble, as they must complete an additional task. Still, with the long distance travel to Asia, any team is vulnerable. Why is the weaker Kynt trying to ride an overloaded bike? The oldsters still have their problems, but caught a break in Episode 7. Donald had relief with the Fast Forward, while Ron had no outward signs of distress from his hernia. Nathan actually listened to Jen and followed her lead where she had skill and expertise, resulting in effective teamwork. Of the teams remaining, TK and Rachel had a lot of problems only to be outdone by Kynt and Vyxsin It could be anybody's game!

What will Episode 8 reveal about the racers as they ride rickshaws in Asia, possibly India, and who will be eliminated next? Watch Sunday, December 30 at 8PM Eastern/Pacific, or after 60 Minutes, if delayed by NFL football.