The Amazing Race 15, Episode 7: Hay Fever

Previously on How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? Eh, I Give Up, six teams raced from Dubai to the Netherlands. Ericka had to count bells over and over and over and over. Sam & Dan came out, then won the leg. It’s unclear if those two things are connected. The Globetrotters danced. Maria & Tiffany tried to hit a bell, then played golf, then tried to hit a bell, then played golf, then decided to go home. Five teams are left.

Dude, Groningen is old. Dan & Sam are heading off at 9:33 p.m. They’re going to Stockholm, Sweden, where they need to take a train and a ferry to an amusement park. The brothers are excited to have won a leg, but the race has still been tough at times. Dan’s already mad at Sam for laughing when he can’t get them out of the parking lot. Sam interviews that they’re probably embarrassing their family.

Meghan & Cheyne leave next as Cheyne tells us that after four-and-a-half years of dating, marriage is probably in their future. They’re working together well, and he thinks they would do well in marriage. Herb & Nate leave third, telling us they want to compete but also have fun. It’s Herb’s birthday, so it would be a nice present to finish the leg first. He suggests visiting the red-light district and claiming it was to use the Internet. Heh. Gary & Matt go next. Gary says he wants to prove he can still compete when he’s older than a lot of the other racers. Matt says Gary’s doing better than he is, so age isn’t a factor.

Sam & Dan and Meghan & Cheyne are at the airport. There are two flights in the morning, one at 6:55 and one at 9:25. The teams are willing to camp out and wait. The Globetrotters and Matt & Gary join them as Brian & Ericka leave the Pit Stop at 1:38 a.m. Brian notes that they’re driving the same path they walked 12 hours ago (when they weren’t supposed to). Ericka says at least they looked good in their costumes. Heh. Brian interviews that they want to show people they’re a good team – people like Ericka’s mother, who has a problem with her daughter being married to a white guy. Can I meet Ericka’s mother? I have a few choice things to say to her.

Everyone spends the night in the airport, and at 5:30 in the morning, Sam & Dan, Meghan & Cheyne, and the Globetrotters get seats on the 6:55 flight. Matt & Gary and Brian & Ericka aren’t so lucky. They get on the 9:25 flight instead. As the first three teams leave, the other two teams wait around, unable to do anything about their situation.

In Stockholm, Cheyne & Meghan and Sam & Dan get train tickets from a machine while the Globetrotters decide to get theirs on the platform. The Globetrotters literally have a minute to get their tickets… and they’re too late. Sam tells us that the Globetrotters are a threat to him and Dan because they’re athletic and “the other all-male team” (so Matt’s a girl?).

The first two teams are already on a ferry when the Globetrotters catch a train to chase after them. The ferry teams ooh and ah over the amusement park. There, they learn that one team member must ride a ride that goes up 20 stories, then drops suddenly. The team member must look for an arrow while in the air. Sam and Cheyne go for the ride, and when Sam spots the arrow, he points it out to Cheyne. This is the second time these two teams have worked together, so I guess they have a kind of alliance.

As the Globetrotters board a ferry, Cheyne, Meghan, Sam, and Dan head toward the arrow. They come across a task requiring them to play ring toss with gnome hats. Some of the hats have gnomes under them, and of course, those gnomes have to be lugged around for the rest of the leg. Cheyne quickly gets a gnome, as well as a Detour clue. The choices are Nobel Dynamite and Viking Alphabet. In Dynamite, teams fill sandbags to make a bunker in a quarry, then set off an explosion to unearth a box with their next clue inside. In Alphabet, teams use the Viking alphabet to decode a message. The two teams both want to blow stuff up, so off they go.

The Globetrotters, accompanied by “Sweet Georgia Brown,” are at the park. The clue for the ride specifically states that people Nate’s height can’t ride the ride, so Herb has to do it by default. Nate does the ring toss in exchange and gets a gnome after just a few tries. They seem to be catching up easily, as they’re already at the Detour and choose Dynamite.

Now Gary, Matt, Brian, and Ericka are in Stockholm. The same ticket drama happens, with Brian & Ericka getting tickets and boarding the train while Matt & Gary are still getting tickets on the platform. Who thought that would make such a difference? So Brian & Ericka are already on a ferry when Matt & Gary get on a train, having lost 15 minutes.