The Amazing Race Review: Lost At Sea

If you’re a fan of The Amazing Race, you knew this moment would happen eventually. It took longer than I thought it would, but for the first time this season the teams had to camp out overnight to wait for a place to open so they can complete a task. It’s one of those things, like limited plane flights, that equalizes the teams and voids any time advantage. This was also a non-elimination leg of the race, which if you watch long enough you can tell is coming as well, so that was good news for the Wonder Twins because they ran into a stubborn Detour this episode.

The Snowboarders Andy and Tommy have proven themselves to be the ones to beat so far. At first this may seem surprising, given their happy-go-lucky attitude (read: high) but you need to remember:

1)      They are professional athletes

2)      They thrive on competition

3)      They keep a level head and have a good attitude

4)      They work extremely well together

5)      They are good at everything.

This is a formula for success in The Amazing Race.

At 8:17am the first team, Andy and Tommy, left Indonesia for Phuket, Thailand. Shortly behind them were Laurence and Zac and both teams booked their tickets to Thailand and immediately moved from the front of the pack to last place. This is because they booked flights that came in an hour after the flight the six other teams. It wasn’t the best flight planning on their part.

Upon arrival in Phuket (everybody pronounced it differently, fyi: it’s pronounced poo-KET) the teams jumped into a high speed taxi race ending at a beach and dock…that wasn’t open because it was the middle of the night. So all the teams had to camp out until the morning, when the dock opened and the Detour commenced.

It’s not news that Thailand is amazingly beautiful, and even after a night of sleeping outside in front of a gate, the teams seemed stoked to be there. For the next challenge they all take their own speedboats across the ocean to one of the many picturesque islands. Jennifer of Team Siblings manages to embarrass herself by saying “We’re the king of the world!” on the boat. Ex-NFL player Marcus LOVES being on the boat. I’ve never seen anybody enjoy being on the show as much as he does.

Once they arrive at the island the teams have to decide which Detour to take. Either they have to set up beach chairs and umbrellas for a beach club or construct a coral nursery and set it up out in the ocean. Only three teams opt for the easy sounding chairs and umbrellas and the rest try to save the coral reefs. By the end of the Detour only two teams successfully complete the coral reef challenge. The Snowboarders, because like I said they can do anything, and the Sibs. The coral “nursery” was made out of  blue PVC pipes that are as stable as a Jenga tower on a roller coaster. After they build the nursery the teams had to transport it by kayak out into the ocean to a buoy. They then had to place it underwater while withstanding a very strong current. The Snowboarders are also surfers (of course they are) and finished this with ease.

Marcus has a horrible time trying to plant that nursery underwater and says that he’s “never been so tired” which is crazy talk for someone who has played football for most of his life. He and Amani and the rest of the teams floating out in the water decide to scrap it and set up some beach chairs instead.

The Wonder twins, Liz and Marie, who have been trying to set up the chairs and umbrellas this entire time are struggling hard at it.  A strong wind rips out one of the umbrellas and hits one of the twins in the head. The tears start to flow, as does the bickering. At some point every team struggles with this challenge, most of the problems stem from trying to keep the umbrellas up. But the Wonder Twins seem to get the worst of it, as every team that showed up after them finish the task before they do.

The other teams that had at least one guy in them and fared better in the Detour. Engaged couple Ernie and Cindy, dating couple Jeremy and Sandy, and Laurence and Zac all eventually finish the task. Pa and Ma are one of the last to finish, mostly because Bill does all the work. It seems like Bill does everything for the team, and I am starting to wonder what Cathi actually contributes.

After the Detour the teams get back in their speedboats and, using a compass and a Goonies inspired amulet, have to find two islands that match the cutout silhouettes in the amulet. Once there, they grab a clue that directs them to another island. This clue is along the same lines of the new kind they’ve been giving to make the show more challenging for the teams and more fun for us to watch. The only team that really has problems is Ernie and Cindy, because they don’t understand what a compass is for and head off in the wrong direction.

Andy and Tommy kill this leg of the race and they are the first to arrive at the third island of this race. The Roadblock requires that one of them rock climb up the side of a cliff to grab the next clue from a bird’s nest. Andy goes up and down in seconds, and they never see another team for the rest of the race as they head for the Pitstop.

Other contestants, like Jennifer and Amani, are surprisingly good at rock climbing, especially since they’ve never done it before. Bill does it, of course, while Cathi cutely remarks how she’s liking the view from down below. Bill then refers to her as an “old woman.” I don’t get old people flirting. After Zac climbs the rock face and snatches the clue, he and his dad Laurence, both of whom have sailed around the world, manage to get their boat lost on the way to the Pit Stop.

In the words of Phil, “The floating village Ko Pan Yi is the Pitstop for this leg of the race,” and Phil waits on a floating soccer field. I can only imagine how many soccer balls have been lost to the sea.  Andy and Tommy are the first to arrive and earn $5,000 each. Then Jennifer and Justin, Jeremy and Sandy, Laurence and Zac, followed by Ernie and Cindy. Amani and Marcus decide to take an accidental tour of Ko Pan Yi, and arrive just before Bill and Cathi. The wonder twins Liz and Marie, who seemed to spend hours setting up beach chairs, came in last but like I said, it’s a non-elimination round.  So the cute blonds get to stay for at least one more episode.

Best quotes from the episode:

Tommy: (about Andy) “He’s like a little monkey”

Marcus: (said constantly and repeatedly) “I’m going crazy!!”

Laurence: (When asked by his son if he has ever been to Thailand) “I don’t know, I don’t think so.”

My question is, who’s gonna beat the Snowboarders?

Season 19, Episode 4 “This is Going to be a Fine Mess” (original airdate October 16, 2011)

The Amazing Race airs Sunday nights at 8/7c on CBS

Images courtesy of CBS Broadcasting.