The Amazing Race 4, Episode 1: The Race Is On, but There Is Always Time for Coffee

Back at the detour we find out that Jon and Kelly also chose rescue. Kelly is scared of the zip-line like she is scared of marriage. All she has to do is take one leap and it's over. Wow, great comparison Kelly. Jon feels the same way. Oh, old-heads Steve and Dave just checked in the pit stop in fifth place. Good for them. Russell and Cindy are now doing the detour and choose rescue as well. They have a good time doing the task though. Oh, look! The last bus has finally arrived! Tian and Jaree say they know one of the teams will be gone soon as all the teams search for taxis. This is my favorite part. As Jaree is waiting for a taxi, she gets a cup of coffee and rests her ass. Tian is not happy and when the taxi finally gets there she screams at Jaree to hurry up. And to think, I figured Tian would be the one that got on my nerves.

Over at the pit-stop we see that Kelly and Jon have come in sixth with Jon and Al arriving seventh respectfully, all while wearing big, red clown noses. I like these guys because they are having a good time, not taking things too seriously, but still getting everything done in a timely manner. Three of the last four teams get to the roadblock and choose rescue. Tian and Jaree are still taking their sweet time. Russell and Cindy check in at the pit stop as team number eight and really don't look all that happy about it. As well they shouldn't. They had the chance to be on the first flight out of Los Angeles and overlooked it. They also had a chance to be on the first bus out of Milan but settled for the second one. They would be in the top four right now if they had made better decisions.

Tian and Jaree finally get to the detour as David and Jeff along with Reichen and Chip have already completed it. Steve and Debra are at the detour as well but Debra seems to be having problems. I really don't want to see them go and am rooting for them to beat out Tian and Jaree at the detour. Since only one person can go at a time, Tian and Jaree are stuck behind Debra and can't get by. They start to basically push her to the finish. It is a little funny, but I don't like they way they are rushing her. Both teams finish the first part and head for the zip-line. Tian and Jaree finish it first while Debra and Steve are now bringing up the rear. Jaree is so slow though and Tian has to yell at her in order for Jaree to move. We then cut to the pit-stop where Reichen and Chip find out they are the ninth team to arrive. They look happy to still be in the race. Back over to Tian and Jaree. Now, Jaree decides she needs to rest. Tian says no and has to attach a cable to her and literally pull Jaree up the mountain. This is really pathetic. Jaree blames it on smoking but I blame it on her being lazy. I mean, even Debra can carry herself down the mountain and she is in worse shape than supermodel Jaree! On that note, the last three teams start to race for the pit stop because they have all eventually reach the bottom of the mountain.

David and Jeff check in as team number 10 and don't exactly look thrilled. However, they are happy that they are still in the race. Look on the bright side; at least they are still beating TWO teams! Although, that's not saying much. Even though I love Debra and Steve, they are pretty slow. Tian and Jaree are just plain stupid. Strike that. Jaree is stupid and I feel bad for Tian. Now it's time for suspense. Shots of Phil. Shots of steps. Shots of the last two teams racing. Who will it be? Tian and Jaree! They run up to the mat to find out they are the 11th team to arrive. They look like they don't understand that they are still in the race. I guess any number past 10 is a challenge for them.

This means that Debra and Steve are last. Such a shame too. They know it as they are walking up to the mat though. Phil informs them that they are the last to arrive and that they have been eliminated from the race. They take it pretty well. Debra says that Steve has motivated her to do things that she never thought she could have done. Steve says that Debra is his inspiration and that he loves her with all his heart. That, ladies and gentleman, is love. It's so nice to see how much these two love one another and that the race has only made them closer. They kiss, and I'm sad.

What's in store for us next week you ask? Well, Italian snow rafting, Kelly and Jon screwing up, gondolas in Venice, and a roadblock that looks to be a messy situation for several teams.

I have to admit I wanted to see Debra and Steve do better. They were such a favorite of mine after only one episode! In my preview article, the three teams I picked to be gone first all finished in the top five. Shows you how good I am at predictions. Oh well, next week I say it's goodbye for Tian and Jaree. I really don't think they will last that long unless they make a run for the fast forward. It's really their only shot. Until next week!

Phil Kural is a senior at Temple University, and can be reached at pkural@astro.temple.edu.

Be sure to sign up for our e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on the site! And take a look at the rest of the site. You can find all of our recent Amazing Race articles at the Amazing Race 4 page and take a look at our sections on Fame and The Osbournes. You can even buy reality show stuff at our Reality TV Store!

For more news about Survivor, be sure to check out SirLinksALot!