Amazing Race: New Adventures in Old Delhi

This week’s leg of The Amazing Race was like watching teams get thrown into a bingo cage over and over again to see which order they fall out in.  First to last, last to first, middling performers became power players and the formerly dominant found themselves manhandled by fate.  An inconsequential flight from Cambodia landed the six remaining duos in Delhi, India (not to be confused with New Delhi, a mistake made so frequently that I suspected some teams might accidentally fly there).  As teams negotiated the frantic streets of South Asia, a prominent theme of romance developed as racers from opposing teams felt a spark, and another team fought to keep theirs from dying completely.

The old love is of course Ken & Tina, who saw their dominance shattered mostly thanks to incompetent cabbies.  Things had been going so swimmingly for the estranged duo so you just knew the pendulum was due to swing the other way.  Seems the future of their union is still up in the air, and the race is proving to be a hardcore study session in Reconciliation 101.  As for the new pairing, it seems that meathead Dallas has taken a shine to spunky cheerleader Starr, and the feeling is mutual.  The constant presence of his mom and her brother does tend to add a certain awkwardness (the scene in The Godfather when Apollonia’s entire clan follows her on a date with Michael comes to mind) but I say mazel tov to the both of them and good luck keeping showmance in perspective.

The Road Block-ers found themselves called upon to repaint diminutive three-wheeled taxis and found the challenge to be immensely tedious and frustrating.  Those who kept their cool and worked smoothly finished with ease, but Terence & Sarah and Kelly & Christy continued to fall prey to their own impatient, erratic natures and finished last.  Given the Detour option of pressing a pile of clothes with a white hot iron full of hot coals or getting thrust headlong into a wall-to-wall Bollywood-ready wedding blowout, most went for the clothes.  Amusing as it was seeing two frat slobs try to work an iron, the teams who delivered a traditional cash laden necklace to a proud groom and his thousands of raving guests definitely gets the Cultural Experience of the Week prize.  When all was said, done, painted, pressed, and cashed in, Ken & Tina shockingly found themselves in last place at the Pit Stop behind Andrew & Dan.  But Aphrodite must be looking down kindly upon their union because even though they wound up the caboose, the train was pulling into non-eliminationville.  The relief of staying in the race reduced Ken to speechlessness and tears, but who can blame him.  If I found myself on a family road trip fighting for a cool million and the continuation of my marriage, I think I’d get a tad weepy myself.

Season 13, Episode 6: Please Hold Me While I Singe My Skull (originally aired November 2, 2008)

For another take on this episode, check out Tips for an “Amazing” Relationship by Alana D.

For more on The Amazing Race, click here.

Sundays at 8pm ET/PT on CBS

Photographs courtesy of CBS