The Amazing Race 15 Insider, Episode 4: Frustration Station

After the Race

Sam & Dan Dish: Sam gives credit to Brian & Ericka that they are a smart team, but he thinks the race will catch up to them and Ericka won't be able to keep up. He considers her fragile and someone who won't be able to buckle down and get it done. He's hoping that's the case as he is just tired of seeing them around. That's a strange statement to make. Sam heard her complain that her ankles were cold and feels those kinds of complaints warrant them to be out of the race. They're both annoyed that Brian & Ericka luckily got a snowman that was basically kicked to them by Sam & Dan in the ski slope Detour. Dan isn't positive they kicked it to them, but that's what they're going with anyway.

Canaan's Blow-Up: Mika says the previous leg was the first time that she noticed Canaan blow up. It was at the Cambodian hotel when they couldn't find a room and while Mika was talking to someone to get help, Canaan lost it. He was annoyed as they had already been there and hadn't found it so he wanted to move on. Mika reasoned that since it was a big hotel, it could be on the other side. That was the case. She's able to laugh about it now, but after that had happened, she was upset with Canaan and didn't talk to him. He picked up on it and apologized. She understands that the pressures of the race can get to you and is glad to learn these sides of each other now.

Canaan rationalizes that when a million dollars is at stake, the smallest things can seem like big deals. He is very proud of how they rallied during this leg and got right back in it. You have to always have hope and look for the silver lining.

Two Become One: Tiffany explains that they have toyed with the idea of combining their luggage into one bag as the luggage for both of them is a definite hindrance. To further complicate matters, one of the straps on Tiffany's backpack broke. They've come up with fixes but each stop they get rid of more and more of their possessions. They now have achieved the goal of one bag and Tiffany is hopeful that Maria will be able to move faster if she isn't carrying a bag. Tiffany is the designated mule to schlep their bag around. Maria will carry when need be, but Tiffany is the strong one who can handle the weight. Maria is just weaker than Tiffany which was a known issue even before the race. They've determined nicknames for themselves: "Four-Ox" Tiffany and "Half-Calf" Maria. Tiffany isn't thrilled with the name but she understands why it is.

Gary Cleans Up: Wow – as this guy is shaving his face in a bathroom somewhere, I'm trying my best to figure out who it is. It's Gary! It's remarkable how different he looks as he loses the scruffy face. Matt apparently is wearing clear studs in all his facial piercings so they don't show up. It's what he normally does when he goes on jobs that frown on piercings.

Fun in the Sun: Ericka is no fan of cold weather. She lives where there's no more than two inches of snow per year, there are four seasons, and life is beautiful in the spring again. So having to go sledding in the snow was a bit of a shock. Brian had to coach her how to get on a chairlift and on how to sled. Ericka was scared and snow activities are not things she is familiar with. She admits she had a lot of fun but her butt wasn't able to stay on the little sled so the fun started to segue into painful stinging. She laughed through it and had fun anyway. Brian's main concern was that he had to use the bathroom as after having been in the 120-degree weather, you naturally want to drink lots of water. That definitely took its toll once they got inside the ski slope. The pressure from other teams was also on and Brian remembered from his youth about never eating yellow snow. No rule about making yellow snow. He was very tempted to do so but Ericka found the snowman in the nick of time.

Lance & Keri's Farewell: Lance addresses the comment that most people assume that he can't back up what he brags about, especially now that they've been eliminated. He recognizes there is both a physical and mental aspect to the challenges, yet there is also a lot that is out of your hands. So for him, he will always talk smack. So those people who would make comments about him are probably people who haven't run the race. For Keri, she doesn't underestimate her competition so she tends not to call out her whole run. She recongizes that's Lance's "thing" and that sometimes it does work out in his favor and his confidence is justified.

Lance isn't ashamed that he throws out his confidence like he does. It's just who he is and since they came there to win, that's what he'll say. Even if he comes in second, he'll still talk trash. Overall, Lance is disappointed they won't get any more of the traveling experience that the race gives you, but the amount of time they did have was great. He hasn't been humbled by the experience though. Most observers don't realize how tough the race really is and while the challenges by themselves seem do-able, it's the environment and circumstances around them that is the tough element to overcome. It's a tough experience and when you let your guard down, you're going to come in last.

Extra Race Footage

The Blame Game: While driving to the Bedouin challenge, Keri explains that the morning so far has been tough as they never knew what they were going to be doing. The Burj Dubai was a mystery that turned out to be nothing more than a clue box at the top. Getting put in the second group put them at a disadvantage though yet Lance is hoping a bunching situation occurs to let everyone get back together. He blames himself for screwing up on the driving but Keri says that they just didn't know the directions. Lance recognizes that they are now so far back that it's hard to get stressed about it. They're in a hole and they have to fight their way out of it. He's hoping for some better luck than what they've had in the race thus far.