AMAZINGRACERS.COM’S FANTASY GAME - Episode 11 Summary: · 298 days ago
Well, another great season of The Amazing Race has come to an end and that brings our own game to an end as well. It was nice to go out on a good note for most contestants here at amazingracers.com Here’s our top 5:
- mcrone (263)
- spook15 (162)
- greatone17 (130)
- daytonagal (124)
- TravelHound (123)
Congratulations to those participants who did so well and to this season’s champion, mcrone. See you all next season!
P.S. Stay tuned for our drawing!
— phil
THE AMAZING RACE SEASON 12 – Episode 11 Summary: · 298 days ago
Ron & Christina opened up the first clue of the final leg of this season’s Amazing Race. It sent them on the last flight anyone would have to take before one team would win the million dollar prize. Their destination was Anchorage, Alaska where they were to find 6th Avenue Outfitters, a store that would prepare them for the leg ahead of them.
All three teams ended up on the same flight. After finding the store and assembling their gear, they were told to find Ship Creek Boat Launch. Ron & Christina were the first to arrive and discovered a Detour: Cut the Cod or Grab the Crab. In Cut the Cod, the teams had to cut apart 50-pound Cods in search of a clue hidden inside one of them. In Grab the Crab, the teams had to wade through 500 angry crabs in the bottom of a boat while looking for one with an Amazing Race mark on it.
Ron & Christina chose Cut the Cod. Although cutting the fish up was a little tricky they found the clue in the very first fish they selected. It told them to travel by taxi to a boat dock where they would take a quick ride up the river to 20-Mile Glacier. Unbeknownst to the teams, they would be required to scale the icy glacier to find their next clue
Nick & Don were next to arrive at the Detour thanks to TK & Rachel’s taxi driver taking them to the wrong place. Nick & Don chose Cut the Cod as well, but realized they didn’t have the proper equipment to do so since they left their equipment bag back at the store. On the taxi ride back to the store, Don gave Nick a talking-to and told him to read the clue more carefully.
TK & Rachel were the only team to chose Grab the Crab. They were pinched dozens of times before they finally decided to the pain was too much and decided to run back to cut up some fish. TK decided to turn over a few crabs just before bailing out and miraculously discovered one with the Amazing Race colors on its leg.
While Don & Nick returned to chopping up cod, Ron & Christina were enjoying a speed-boat ride through a river dotted with floating islands of ice. Once at the glacier, Ron had to tackle his fear of heights one more time by climbing the glacier. Ron did surprisingly well, while Christina struggled below. She gradually made her way to the top where she found a helicopter waiting for them. It carried them out into Alaska’s wilderness and dropped them off in a clearing. From there they had to take another taxi to Goose Lake Park where they would find their next clue.
Ron & Christina were first to the park, but TK & Rachel were gaining on them. They found the last Road Block looming in front of them. One team member had to solve a puzzle about the experiences they’d had on the race. Each person was given fifteen items from various legs of the race. They had to put ten items up on the stage while following a complex set of rules. There could only be one item from each of the ten legs. They could use only three animals or products of animals . Two objects had to be something found at or brought to the Pit Stop. One item had to be a U-turn. Two items had to be some sort of transportation – one of them had to be found at a Detour and one had to be in the shape of a stick. In essence, there were many possible combinations of objects, but only one certain combination was the correct one. If they managed to put the puzzle together properly, their clue box would open and they could move on.
Christina jumped into the puzzle for her team. When the other teams arrived, Rachel and Nick joined in. All three were well aware of the importance of this Road Block as they sorted through bicycles, stilts, chickens, guns, flowers, donkeys, tea cups, etc
Christina was the first to finish an attempt at opening the clue box and missed a correct combination with only one object out of place. Rachel had her turn as well, but had a few less in the right order. Nick had the poorest showing.
Christina figured out what was wrong with her combination, but got hung up by not counting a human as an animal. As Christina became more and more frustrated, Rachel continued on in her typical calm manner. She struggled recognizing the stick as the pole vault in Amsterdam. When she realized what it was, she quickly corrected her puzzle and watched as the clue box magically opened. She grabbed her clue and ran back to TK to solve the next puzzle inside. It told them to find “the Cook’s eye view of the Sleeping Lady.” This was in reference to a statue of the famous explorer Captain Cook. They asked their taxi driver for help and he started off in the wrong direction! While Christina & Ron finished the puzzle and hopped in a taxi, TK & Rachel’s driver realized his mistake. TK & Rachel still managed to arrive at the statue before the other teams and learned they were to run on foot to downtown Anchorage to find another statue of a salmon hooker
As they ran through the streets, they asked the locals where to
find the salmon hooker. The statue held yet another clue that told them to travel by another taxi to Girdwood Airport, the finish line for the race.
As usual, all the other teams were lining the path to the final Pit Stop. TK & Rachel jumped onto the mat and were named winners of the 12th season The Amazing Race. They both commented on how proud they were of each other and the fact that they never allowed the stresses of the race to harm their relationship.
Ron & Christina came in second place, but were pleased with their strong performance and the fact that despite many struggles and imperfections, their relationship was a stronger one too.
Nick & Don finished in third place, making Don the oldest person to go that far in the race. They expressed satisfaction in just completing the race and having a good time with each other.
Overall, it was a great season and it was great to see three great teams standing at the finish line. Until next season!
(Images are the property of CBS’ The Amazing Race)
— phil
THE AMAZING RACE SEASON 12 – Episode 10 Summary: · 298 days ago
Ron & Christina were the first to leave this week. Their clue instructed them to make their way to the Floating Garden, an observatory at the Umeda Sky Building. Unfortunately the building was closed until 10:00 am and they waited while the next two teams showed up.
When the doors opened, the teams hopped into glass elevators and rode to the roof. The next clue was read with Osaka spread out beneath the teams. It told them to travel to Taiwan where they would need to find the Taipei Main Station.
TK & Rachel didn’t leave the Pit Stop until after the other teams had already reached the clue. Despite their determination to have a flawless leg (don’t forget they had a Speed Bump penalty from last week) they had trouble finding the clue box at the Umeda Sky Building.
Meanwhile, at the airport, Ron & Christina were battling it out with Nate & Jen at opposite ends of a ticket counter. Both teams had discovered an early flight that only had a few seats left. Ron & Christina managed to get tickets for the flight first and Christina then asked the agent to tell all other requests that there were no more seats available. The agent agreed and walked over to tell Nate & Jen that the flight was full. Nate & Jen were furious and insisted the agent not do what Christina said. Christina then lied, “I didn’t say anything.”
As in previous shows, this little bit of rotten luck caused Nate & Jen to crumble. They began taking things out on each other and this did not sit well with Jen, who was celebrating her birthday and was determined to make it a happy one. They eventually found a later flight with Nick & Don and anxiously waited with the hope that TK & Rachel would fall further behind.
In Taipei, Ron & Christina got away with a small lead. Nate & Jen and Nick & Don landed second and were completely annoyed to find TK & Rachel arrive while they were waiting in the immigration line. Jen went off again about how TK & Rachel make her absolutely sick. She even went as far as saying, “I wanna rip those dreads out of his head.”
Meanwhile, Ron & Christina were following the next clue which told them to travel by train to a city called Taichung. Once there, they were to take a taxi to the town of Jiji and track down a business called Acrobatics Jeep. They were able to hold their lead by catching a faster train than the trailing three teams.
At Acrobatics Jeep a Road Block was waiting that required one team member to ride as a passenger on a stunt course built for a Jeep. First the Jeep was driven up onto a huge steel teeter-totter. The professional driver moved the vehicle backwards and forwards with expert timing causing the teeter-totter to rock up and down far above the ground. Then the Jeep was driven into a pool of water until it was completely submersed. The racers were given a pair of goggles and told to hold their breath until the Jeep resurfaced on the other side of the pool 17 seconds later.
Ron braved the task for his team. His fear of heights was written all over his face, but he managed to survive the teeter-totter task and the water portion of the obstacle was no problem. The next clue told them to take the train back to Taipei and head to the GK Tea House. They had to order some tea and drink it to the bottom to find their next clue.
Ron & Christina had left the stunt course by the time the second team showed up. Somehow, TK & Rachel beat the other two teams to the task, which enabled them to create a small lead for themselves since only one team could ride in the Jeep at a time. After Rachel finished the ride they were given their Speed Bump task. They were forced to travel a short distance to a grass field which was lined with fireworks. After putting on fire-proof suits they ran down the field through a column of exploding fireworks aimed directly at them. Once they made it to the end, they were drenched with water to put out any lingering embers. Luckily, this task was relatively short and allowed the pair to race off to the train station again.
Nate and Don had already finished the Jeep task and were hoping to once again leave TK & Rachel in the dust. They arrived minutes before a train was to leave, but the ticket agents explained to them that the computer was blocking them from sales since the departure time was so soon. They watched the clock tick away as they waited for the next train and just as they thought they were home free TK & Rachel appeared. Nick & Don handled the news pretty well, but birthday-girl Jen just about lost it.
Meanwhile, Ron & Christina were far in the lead and drinking steaming hot cups of tea. At the bottom of the cup was written a message in Chinese characters. Christina’s language skills came in handy once again. She translated the message and it led them to a busy market place where they would find a clown who was holding their next clue.
A Detour awaited them: Fire or Earth. In Fire, the teams had to travel to a park and participate in a Chinese lantern tradition. After lanterns have a message of luck written on them, a small flame is lit beneath them until the lantern ascends into the sky. Each team had to do this 20 times to receive the next clue. In Earth, the teams had to walk barefoot down a “stress-reducing” path of jagged stones 220 feet long. Once at the end, they had to turn around and walk all the way back where they would receive their clue.
All the teams chose Earth. Ron & Christina finished first and received the final clue. The Pit Stop awaited them at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Plaza. They made it to the Pit Stop without seeing any of the other teams for another victory.
The rest of the teams had translated the message in the cup with the help of locals and were trying to find the best way to the Detour. Jen & Nate took a local’s advice and went by subway and then by bus while the other two teams took taxis. Nate was reluctant to do as the local had instructed and complained loudly on the busy streets of Taipei as they went in search of the bus stop. Jen was more determined to do as the local had said, but finally turned on Nate. “You need to step up and make the decisions right now. You’re the man.” Nate blurted back in his usual manner, “Honestly Jen, I can’t stand you. All you do is freak out!” They boarded the bus and Jen slumped down in a seat saying, “Thanks a lot for ruining my frickin’ birthday.”
TK & Rachel and Nick & Don were finished with the stone path before Nate & Jen even arrived. Nick & Don had trouble finding a taxi to the Pit Stop, but it wasn’t meant to be for Nate & Jen. There might not be anything more disappointing than missing the final three by one spot, but to have it happen on your birthday must have been a real bummer. After Phil eliminated them, they stood in the vast square and shed tears as they talked about what a mistake it was to focus on the race while neglecting their relationship. We like to think that maybe they’re much closer after having run the race, but just don’t know it yet.
(Images are the property of CBS’ The Amazing Race)
— phil
AMAZINGRACERS.COM’S FANTASY GAME - Episode 9 Summary: · 314 days ago
Ouch! A whole bunch of us fell for the last clip of last week’s episode apparently. Despite this, jb3600 and jasonuysim scored 21 points. Here’s our top 5:
- mcrone (231)
- spook15 (130)
- greatone17 (119)
- tkendall, daytonagal (102)
Most people put TK & Rachel first and they all lost big points for it. Ron & Christina were almost as equally confusing. Next week we’ll be down to 3 teams!
— phil
THE AMAZING RACE SEASON 12 – Episode 9 Summary: · 314 days ago
As you’ll remember, TK & Rachel were the first team to arrive in the last leg. They departed first with one of the few daytime departures for this race. Their clue sent them to Osaka, Japan where they would find another clue in the vicinity of Kishiwada Castle.
The couple went straight to a hotel to find out more information on departing flights. They found a flight for 6:55 pm and decided they had found the earliest ticket out of India. The other teams, who were close behind, piled into the airport and all booked flights for 8:30 pm assuming that they too had the earliest flights possible. When the other teams began to realize TK & Rachel were nowhere to be found, they began to worry about what they were up to. Ironically, TK & Rachel were starting to worry as well. When they arrived at their layover in New Delhi, they were concerned that no other teams were showing up and something felt all wrong.
Nate & Jen were the first to leave the airport and find Kishiwada Castle. Their next clue told them to travel by taxi to a subway station called JR Kanjosan. There they would find a janitor who would have the next clue. They arrived first and found a Road Block. One member of the team was required to act as a local taxi driver and take a Japanese couple to a certain not-so-easy to find destination. The roads were complicated, the driving completely backwards, and to make matters worse, the contestants had to wear the goofy looking hat and white gloves that real Japanese taxi drivers use. The rules were that they couldn’t ask a local for help and they had to find their way back to their partners before opening the clue.
Happily, Jen seemed very pleased with her appearance in the hat. Christina was excited to use her Japanese skills to assist her in the task until she read the rules and then regretted her decision. Apparently she doesn’t even have her own car at home. Don was feeling a little pooped out so Nick took the steering wheel for their team. Despite her lack of driving skills, Christina does has some smarts. Her destination was a post office and when she caught sight of a mail truck she decided to follow it. Nick and Jen both had trouble with all the one-way streets and congestion and had to back-track to find the building. In the end Jen managed to arriv first and then managed to return to her teammate first and was delighted with her achievement. Christina was close behind while Nick became lost in Osaka’s maze of streets. He seems to get lost a lot, doesn’t he?
It was around this point that we were reminded TK & Rachel were still out there and just barely touching down in Japan!
Nate & Jen learned they were to travel by taxi to Kita-mido Temple. A Detour was next: Sense of Touch or Sense of Smell. In Sense of Touch, they had to make their way by foot to a building housing a robot soccer game. The teams had to control the robots with a small hand-held device and score one goal each against another pair of robots. In Sense of Smell the teams had to travel to an artificial flower shop where they were required to detect with their noses a real flower hidden among the fakes.
Nate & Jen decided their noses were most suited for the Detour. Christina & Ron came to the same conclusion and arrived minutes later. They went to a different floor to start smelling and Christina made sure Ron blew his nose before they began.
Nick & Don, decided to attempt the robot game. Once again, Don admitted this was a task he wasn’t entirely thrilled about, but he was willing to give it a shot. Needless to say, the sensitive robots found themselves flailing on their backs more than once. Nick scored his goal without out too much difficulty and then began coaching his struggling grandpa.
Meanwhile, Jen was having a great time in the flower shop. “I was looking up and seeing all these kind of flowers. I thought I was hallucinating like in a Pink Floyd music video or something.” Once again, she and Nate departed the scene in first place. The Pit Stop awaited them at Tempozan Park and it seemed that the couple would finally win a leg of the Amazing Race.
Christina & Ron were just finishing up while Nate & Jen were in search of a taxi. Finally, Christina’s language skills came in real handy and they were able to snag a ride before the other team. Nate & Jen finally found a cab and the race was on. Unfortunately for Jen & Nate (the most unsuccessfully successful team in this race) Ron & Christina arrived first. Phil awarded them with two electric cars. Just what Christina wanted…
In the back of the pack, TK & Rachel were very aware of their undesirable situation. In characteristic fashion, they managed to stay positive and methodically made their way to the mat. Phil was there with a classic Phil-imination look, but the two were pleased to discover they were beneficiaries of the final non-elimination leg of the race. Unfortunately, next week they’ll get to experience a Speed Bump and we all know how well that worked out for Kynt & Vyxsin.
(Images are the property of CBS’ The Amazing Race)
— phil