So here we are, at the end of another season of ‘The Amazing Race’, and one that you’re probably not likely to see on DVD anytime soon, unless we get audio commentary from the Weavers trying to justify all of their “Christian” actions, comments, etc. Why would I subject myself to that, you might ask? Well, I’m actually thinking that the commentary has a chance for some great unintentional comedy. I mean, think of what Rolly would have to say… or maybe not. Has Rolly even said three sentences total so far?
As far as finishes go, this should be pretty good, as the teams are fairly evenly matched, but should the Weavers win this, I may have to hand this gig up to someone else. Yep, I’d be that upset about it. The threat of the Weavers winning aside, this will probably be a mark-out episode for some of the IP TV crew, as the Race seems likely to head to our neck of the woods, Toronto, Canada, and a possible touchdown in the prettiest city in North America, Montreal.
All that aside, I’ve been rooting for the Linzes to win since the beginning, and I’m sticking with that. I wouldn’t mind the Bransens winning either, because, you know, they’re not the Weavers. Let’s take a look at the Leaderboard.
Standings after 10 legs:
1. Bransen – Racing well, but if there’s running, they’ll be in trouble.
2. Linz – Have only finished first once, but have to be considered the favourites here.
3. Weaver – Will the lack of fuel start them on the wrong foot?
x4. Godlewski
x5. Paolo
x6. Gaghan
x7. Schroeder
x8. Aiello
x9. Rogers
x10. Black
Last week, on the second half of the superleg, teams traveled from Wyoming to Montana. They got to assemble wagons and teepees, look for golf balls, and take a photo with Buffalo Bill. In the end, the Bransens, Linzes and Weavers earned the right to race to the Finish Line, and the Godlewskis broke down at critical points to finish fourth.
Previously on ‘The Amazing Race’, ten teams left from New York, and were eliminated one by one until they got to where we are now, with three teams – the Bransens, Linzes, and Weavers – in Montana, preparing for the final leg(s) of the Race.
We’re heading to the Finish Line. Who will win… The Amazing Race (Family Edition)? Welcome to LIVE coverage on Inside Pulse as we find out!!
Episode 8-12 – 25 Days, 50 Cities, and More Than 600 Consecutive Hours as a Family
We are at the Green Meadow Ranch in Absarokee, Montana, the Tenth Pit Stop in a Race across America (with stops in Panama, Costa Rica and Canada on this leg). Teams have a chance to eat, sleep and mingle with each other, but considering that teams are racing to the Finish Line, I’m thinking that gamesmanship will be the order of the day.
The Bransen family, who were the first team to arrive at 3:04pm, are the first to depart at 3:04am.
They are told to fly to Montreal, Quebec, and enter the underground city, and find the CDP Capital building. They’ve been supplied with tickets (Northwest and Air Canada via Minneapolis and Toronto), but they aren’t under any obligation to use them.
Linz, 3:08am.
Weaver, 4:02am. Rolly actually speaks!! About five words. And then Mama Weaver talks about him.
The Bransens arrive at the airport, and find a direct flight from Minneapolis to Montreal. The Linzes arrive and try and find direct flights with no luck. The Weavers arrive and check in, and at 6am, they all depart for Minneapolis.
The Bransens try and be secretive about checking in for their flight, which arrives ten minutes earlier than the booked flight.
The Linzes, meanwhile, find a flight from Toronto to Montreal that lands one hour earlier than their scheduled flight. The Weavers have no luck finding a flight.
Toronto, and Rolly runs with Nick to reach the ticket counter. They collide, but Rolly arrives first. Mama Weaver doesn’t like it, and neither does Megan. Nick notes (in a concerned voice, I should add) that he could’ve broken Rolly’s arm because of how they crumpled up together.
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The Weavers get some help, and a woman gets the Weavers on the Linzes 3pm flight. Which they do get on, so they’re even.
4:10pm. The Weavers and Linzes race out and look for taxis. Rolly tells a guy (who speaks perfect English) “el fasto”. Rachel flirts with the taxi driver. Yikes. The Linzes get their taxi, and the Bransens find out that their flight is delayed until 5:25pm.
The Weavers enter the underground city at Place Victoria after getting a promise to the taxi driver to stay. They find the clue box, and a Detour – Slide It or Roll It:
Slide It – Travel to the McGill Arena, where each team member must curl a stone into the rings, or the “house”.
Roll It – Travel to the Morgan Arboretum and roll four logs along a course.
The Weavers elect to Slide It. The Linzes arrive at Victoria Place and hunt around. The Bransens land. The Weavers are at McGill University, but can’t find the curling rink. And the Linzes have no idea how to navigate the Underground.
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The Linzes go through one more time and find the Detour. They elect to Slide It. Meanwhile, the Weaver’s driver finds out that the rink is at a different campus. The Linzes, meanwhile, get directions early. The Weaver’s driver gives them a crash course in curling. They arrive at the arena, and put on helmets, which is utterly stupid. They pray to God for help curling. Unsurprisingly, it fails to help. Meanwhile, the Linzes arrive at the wrong arena. The Bransens hit the underground city. Rebecca gets a stone in. Linda fails on her first try. Meanwhile, the Linzes find out that they’re on the wrong campus. The Bransens find the clue and choose to Roll It.
At the arena, Linda manages to promote a stone into the rings, and Rachel gets it on the first try. Rolly, meanwhile, hits the button! They get their clue, which tells them to travel 26 miles to the American Pavilion at the 67 Expo. They must get to the fifth floor to get their next clue.
The Linzes arrive at McGill Arena, and Alex succeeds on his second try. The Bransens arrive at the Arboretum, and get with the rolling. It’s really not as easy as they look.
Tommy hits the rings, as does Nick. They love curling!! Wacky Yanks.
The Bransens get one log through the course. Megan hits the rings, and the Linzes are off. And apparently, the American curling entry for the 2006 Olympics may be the Linzes.
The Weavers arrive at the Expo, and run around the structure and find the stairs. The clue tells them to drive 6 miles to an Industrial Park and find La Porte J (Door J). I should note that the Weaver’s driver, Ted, is also a Christian. Meanwhile, The Bransens are having a lot of trouble with the logs.
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The Bransens get their second log done. The Linzes are at the Expo. The Weavers note that they pray a lot, and the Bransens complete the Detour. The Weavers arrive at the Industrial park and find a Roadblock – one team member must complete a maneuver on a flying trapeze. Rolly takes it. Mama Weaver prays.
The Linzes get their clue and are off. Meanwhile, the Bransens near the Expo, and Rolly heads on up. We get a good look at the website as Rolly completes the task. They’re now told to head 2 miles to Parc Olympique, and take a golf cart into Olympic Stadium (the Big O) and head to the 55-yard line.
The Linzes arrive, and while Meagan wants to do it, Alex takes it. Nick and Tommy call him a fatass. Ah, brotherly love.
The Bransens get their clue at the Expo, and head out. Wally is dying after climbing the stairs. The Weavers arrive, get the golf cart and pray for help. Aaaargh!! Stop praying!!
Alex is having a lot of troubles completing the task. The Bransens arrive, and Lindsey (I think) takes it.
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Alex Linz FINALLY completes the Roadblock, and Beth (I was wrong) goes up.
The Weavers can’t find the entrance to the Stadium. Is anyone else hoping they get hit with concrete?
Beth completes the Roadblock. The Weavers still can’t get in. The Linzes and Bransens arrive. Meagan keeps asking about Steyde Olympique. The brothers correct her, twice.
The Weavers finally find their way in. They’re told to search the stadium for one of three charter flights to a mystery destination. Each has a different time, and once they grab a set of tickets they can’t change them for another.
The Bransens and Linzes find their way in and Linda complains that it’s unfair. Um, what? The teams all go out and pay their drivers before continuing the task. Linda is mad at the Linzes and says it doesn’t matter because the Weavers beat them. Although as far as I know, the Race isn’t over yet. The Bransens and Linzes make a pact to make sure the Weavers don’t win. Wally’s frustrated, and the Linzes are in the upper deck. Beth Bransen notes that she’s getting a huge stairmaster-like burn. The Weavers are just lounging around.
The Linzes find a box and rip out a 5:50am departure. Meanwhile, Rolly wants to search upstairs but none of the others want to. The Bransens pull a 5:45am departure. The Weavers are just sleeping, and Rebecca thinks the task is stupid. I suppose God doesn’t want them to do the task.
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We’re back, and Rolly’s pissed. He finally convinces the others to look around, and of course, he finds the tickets. God found fit to give them the last flight, at 5:55am. They leave for St. Hubert Airport. The Bransens and Linzes leave a bit later.
The Weavers arrive at the airport and find out that they’re on the last flight out. The Bransens and Linzes check in.
5:45am, and the Bransens depart. The Linzes depart at 5:50am, and the Weavers 5 minutes later.
Phil lets us know that the teams will find their next clue on some marked vehicles. The mystery destination turns out to be Toronto Island Airport. The Bransens arrive and they’re told to travel 1 mile to the CN Tower (listed as La Tour CN) and the uppermost observation deck, where they must use binoculars to find their next clue.
The Weavers read the clue and the Linzes depart. Linda notes that they have no idea where they going, yet the Linzes immediately figure it out and the Weavers don’t.
The Bransens take the elevator up. They start looking. The Linzes arrive and start looking. The Weavers arrive, and Rolly makes small talk with the pun-tastic elevator operator.
Shots of teams looking around, and the Bransens find it! The Linzes do as well. It looks to be The Docks complex, a popular nightclub and amusement minipark. Both teams make a point to not make too much noise, as the Weavers still don’t see it.
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The Weavers finally find the cluebox as the Linzes and Bransens head to their cars. The Weavers ar a bit behind. The Linzes find the clue first and find a Detour – Ship or Shoe:
Ship – Sail out to a boat (the Kajama) and retrieve a nautical flag located at the top of a mast.
Shoe – Travel to the Bata Shoe Museum, choose a pair a shoes and find a woman (out of 100) who fits in the shoe.
I guess this is technically a superleg.
The Linzes take Ship, while the Bransens take Shoe. The Weavers take Ship. The Linzes head off. The Bransens find the Shoe museum and start looking for a Cinderella to their shoe. The Weavers arrive at the Pier, note that the Linzes – “G.I. Joe” as these “nice” people call them – and sail off.
We see some tacking with the Linzes and Weavers. The Linzes arrive first and Tommy goes to get the flag. No problem, and the Linzes are told to travel to Queenston (near Niagara Falls), about 70 miles away. The must take a raft on the Niagara River through Whirlpool Gorge and find a clue on a buoy. The Bransens are getting frustrated looking for Cinderella.
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The Bransens manage to find a foot for the shoe, and take off for Queenston. The Weavers reach the boat, and Rolly gets the flag, but drops it. It lands on the deck though, and they retrieve it and get their clue.
The Linzes realize that they basically circled the U.S. Teams arrive in Queenston, and ask for help. Coincidentally, the Linzes and Bransens ask the same runner.
The Linzes are first and get on a boat. Orange, of course. The Bransens are close behind and take a blue boat. There is much riding and getting soaked. The Linzes find the clue, which tells them to head to the final destination city, Lewiston, New York, across the river. Lewiston? Laaaaame. The Bransens are right behind.
The Weavers arrive, and take a boat.
The Linzes land, and open the clue box to find a Roadblock – a team member must complete a puzzle of North and Central America before they can head to the Finish Line. Oh, that’s mean. Nick takes it, while Wally takes it for the Bransens. Looks like states, provinces and Central American countries. The Weavers, meanwhile, have only just reached the buoy.
Nick and Wally are neck and neck. Lots of tension, and… Nick finishes!! Wally finishes too, but the Bransens are no match, as the Linzes reach the Finish Line and Phil declares them the winners of the Amazing Race (Family Edition)!! The Bransens are close behind, and Phil tells them that they are team number two!!
The Linzes dedicate the win to their parents and everyone else at home. And they give props to the Bransen family. Lots of tears as the girls give respect to their dad. Wally gives respect right back to the Linzes. And the best part about this? The Weavers come in AFTER all this has been said. To muted applause. Lots of hugs and kisses all around with all ten teams. And we are left with the Linzes chanting “Who dat?” and Tommy getting slapped upside the head by his brother.
Fin
