This season of The Amazing Race has been a little dull to me so far. I don’t really have a team I’m rooting for yet. I like the roller derby moms, but I don’t know much about their personalities. The locations, however, have been great and this week I was excited when Phil said the teams would travel to Botswana. ELEPHANTS!
The real problem with this episode, though, was that it was another non-elimination leg. I know Connor and Dave pulling out of the race because of an injury threw a wrench into things, and that it’s likely not as easy for TAR to adapt to those kinds of changes as it is for Survivor. But having no elimination two weeks in a row makes for really disappointing TV.
Scorpion Digging
After some tedious drama over who ended up on the first, second and third flights, the teams ended up in the Kalahari desert where some San Bushmen “helped” them (did the whole thing themselves, basically) dig up scorpions. I don’t know about you guys, but I found the tone of the episode to be a little uncomfortable at times. “These people don’t have day jobs,” was something that Max said. Really, dude? The blond girls assumed that the Bushmen found them attractive, and Max and Katie complained that they smelled bad. It showed a lack of cultural knowledge or interest, and we never knew why this was a thing to do. It was just all “Ah, he put a scorpion in his mouth!” I usually love episodes of TAR that take place in Africa, but this made me cringe and I just wanted it to be over.
Fire vs. Foul
In Fire, teams had to start a fire using two sticks, zebra manure and grass. In Foul, teams had to set a trap to catch a guinea foul. I’ve seen Survivor, I know it’s not easy to make fire without flint. I immediately thought that Foul sounded easier, and was surprised when most people opted for Fire first.
The only team to successfully get the fire started was the hockey bros, and they arrived at the pit stop in first place. Other teams tried, failed, and eventually switched Detours.
I think I have a new favorite team: Pam and Winnie. I loved that they immediately knew to choose Foul, because they “watch a lot of TV”. Girls after my own heart! They finished the task quickly while others sweated over the fire, and finished in second place. Impressive, considering they’d been bringing up the rear for most of the leg. Chuck and Wynona also made a smart Detour decision (they know a thing or two about trapping) and were able to move up into third place.
You’re Fired
The rest of the standings came down to how quickly people were willing to bail on making fire and switch Detours.
So, Team YouTube came fourth, the blond country gals came fifth, and the roller derby moms came in sixth. I wouldn’t have been sad to see Max and Katie get eliminated, because this episode did a good job of reminding us how unlikable they are. Alas, it was a non-elimination leg and I would bet up to $5 that Max and Katie manage to stay in the race next week despite a Speedbump.
What did you guys think? Boring?
