Amazing Race Tidbits
CBS' The Amazing Race 14th Edition
From the website: "Marine helicopters transported the eleven teams of two to the starting line at the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos, home to the California National Guard and the Army Reserve." Phil sent them on the usual running start to their bags and the usual luxury marked cars.
Airport Shuffle
Episode One was a multiple day leg. Teams traveled by Mercedes cars to LAX. They had the choice of an early Lufthansa flight to Zurich and a slightly later Air France flight to Milan. On the first flight were Tammy and Victor, flight attendants Christie & Jodi, former NFL cheerleaders Jaime & Cara, brothers and stuntmen Mark & Michael, married couple Brad & Victoria, and mother and son Margie & Luke. The other teams took the Air France flight to Milan. Since Locarno is near the Italian border, Milan is closer than Zurich to the first destination, the town of Locarno, not to be confused with the more familiar Lucerne. But, the train could be boarded directly from the Zurich airport, while the train from Milan can only be boarded in the center of town. That difference put the teams on the first flight at a real advantage over the teams on the second flight. Worse, Preston and Jennifer missed the first train out of Milan, putting them in dead last place. Christie and Jodi gained an edge as they switched to a faster train enroute from Zurich. The town of Locarno on Lake Maggiore is at 1700m altitude, just over a mile high. No wonder so many racers were breathless as they camped in a local park. But, Preston and Jennifer caught an equalizer as teams had to sign up for morning departure times from Locarno to the Verzasca Dam.
Overnight Campout
Departing at 7:15 AM the next day were Tammy and Victor, Margie and Luke, Christie and Jodi, Mark and Michael.
Departing at 7:30 AM the next day were Mel and Mike, Cara and Jaime, Brad and Victoria.
Departing at 7:45 AM the next day were LaKisha and Jennifer, Jennifer and Preston, Steve and Linda.
Teaser: Who has nerves of steel?
From the website: One team member had to perform a 70-story bungee jump the second highest in the world, with Verzasca Dam as the backdrop, made famous in the James Bond movie �Goldeneye�.
Only Jodi, a flight attendant, has difficulty with this Roadblock. All teams appear to leave in the same order as they arrive, or close to it. Some racers, especially Jodi, are nervous due to the height, and because some believe that bungee jumping is hard on the neck.
Episode One Roadblock |
||
|---|---|---|
Team |
Member |
Result |
| Kris and Amanda | Kris | OK |
| Brad and Victoria | Victoria | Fifth |
| Cara and Jaime | Jaime | Tina learns from Bill how to solve Roadblock question |
| Christie and Jodi | Jodi | She had the most trouble with fear of heights of all, having to close her eyes to make the jump. TGIO -- "Thank God it's over!" Sixth |
| Jennifer and Preston | Preston | OK |
| LaKisha and Jennifer | Jennifer | OK |
| Linda and Steve | Steve | OK |
| Margie and Luke | Luke | Fourth |
| Mark and Michael | Michael | These stunt guys took this jump in stride, so much like what they do every day. Second |
| Mel and Mike | Mike | He was not too keen on it, due to fear of such a height, but did it anyway. Third |
| Tammy and Victor | Victor | First |
From the website: Teams had to choose a pair of traditional antique cheese racks, and climb to the top of the very steep hill. Once at the top, teams had to transport 200 pounds of cheese from an aging shed down to the bottom of the hill, where they were to be stacked to receive their next clue.
Episode One: Wheels of Cheese |
||
|---|---|---|
Members |
Place |
Notes |
| Kris and Amanda | 5 | Not so bad to hold fifth, despite Amanda being small. |
| Brad and Victoria | 7 | Finished seventh, but they were only team to have done it right, no grass or mud stains on their bottoms. Not shown much except at top of hill. |
| Cara and Jaime | 8 | Muddled through with broken carriers. Finished eighth. |
| Christie and Jodi | 11 | Last to arrive, but muddled through to stay in contact with Jennifer and Preston, though in last place. |
| Jennifer and Preston | 10 | Jennifer really struggled with getting up the hill. Finished in tenth, lost a bit of time as Preston had to chase cheese. |
| LaKisha and Jennifer | 9 | Muddled through carrying one cheese wheel at a time, due to late arrival. Finished ninth. |
| Linda and Steve | 6 | Linda could barely make it up the hill. Still, they managed to leave in sixth place, after Steve converted his cheese carrier into a sled with three wheels of cheese tied to it. |
| Margie and Luke | 1 | Margie aptly described the challenge as the hill was muddy and laced with animal droppings. They finished first, largely on Luke's strength. |
| Mark and Michael | 3 | Not bad at all! The stuntmen have the usual trouble with the carriers, but use their balance to come down the hill quickly. |
| Mel and Mike | 4 | Mike struggled with this, sliding down with one block of cheese. Mel picked up the slack to not lose too much time. Still, they dropped from first to fourth. |
| Tammy and Victor | 2 | Did well enough to hold place. |
Teams were instructed to follow the sound of yodelers at the small town called Stechelberg to locate the Pit Stop. Sounds echoed all over causing some teams to go the wrong way as they left their cabs. Steve and Linda lost 3 places as they were confused by the sound of the yodelers. Preston tried carrying the slower Jennifer as the flight attendants passed them on the way to the mat.
Episode One Order of Finish |
|
|---|---|
Members |
Place |
| Kris and Amanda | 5 |
| Brad and Victoria | 6 |
| Cara and Jaime | 7 |
| Christie and Jodi | 10 |
| Jennifer and Preston | 11 |
| LaKisha and Jennifer | 8 |
| Linda and Steve | 9 |
| Margie and Luke | 1 |
| Mark and Michael | 3 |
| Mel and Mike | 4 |
| Tammy and Victor | 2 |
For Margie and Luke, Phil signed the words telling them they were team number one. Brad and Victoria proudly displayed their backsides, still clean, as they were the only team to have completed the cheese wheel challenge correctly. Jennifer felt she had let Preston down, but he did not blame her for being eliminated. It was tough on them, but she said she wanted to spend the rest of her life with Preston.
Outlook for Episode Two
The ten teams have diverse backgrounds and relationships. Each of the teams has a unique combination of strengths and weaknesses. Some Racers are not as physically fit as others, and it shows already. Others have quite a bit of intelligence, while others are creative.
Margie and Luke made few mistakes throughout nearly two days of competition. Tammy and Victor struggled just a bit in the cheese activity, but made few other mistakes. These two teams appear tough to beat. With just a bit more luck, Brad and Victoria would also have had a solid run. The bottom teams of Kisha and Jen, Christie and Jodi, and Steve and Linda are vulnerable.
Will Mel and Mike survive the wait at the Detour? Will Linda catch a ride in the Roadblock? Watch the exciting Episode Two on February 22nd, at 8:00 PM.
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