The Amazing Race 8, Episode 2: Stupid Mode

Previously on The Amazing Race 8: Ten families of four met up in New York to embark on a race for $1 million. The Gaghans did well, but the Paolos got lost. The families crossed the Delaware River, like George Washington, but the Blacks ran into problems. The Weavers had a buggy accident. The Aiellos struggled on the Buggy It detour, unlike the Gaghans. The teams who decided to Build It ran into some stress. The Paolos fought. The Godlewskis came in first, and the Linzes and the Blacks raced to stay in the game. The Blacks wound up being eliminated. There are nine families left:

The Godlewskis (Pink Ladies): Sharon, Christine, Tricia, and Michelle - Sisters/Shrieky

The Gaghans: Bill, Tammy, Billy, and Carissa - Parents and kids/Tougher than they look

The Weavers: Linda, Rachel, Rebecca, and Rolly - Mom and kids/Also shrieky, but sentimental favorites

The Rogerses: Denny, Renee, Brittney, and Brock - Parents and kids/dad thinks he’s the boss

The Schroeders: Mark, Char, Stassi, and Hunter - Father, stepmother, and kids/He’s annoying

The Paolos: Tony, Marion, D.J., and Brian - Parents and kids/Need to have a time out

The Bransens: Wally, Elizabeth, Lindsay, and Lauren - Father and daughters/No opinion yet

The Aiellos: Godfather Tony, Matt, David, and Kevin - Father-in-law and sons-in-law/sentimental favorites

The Linzes: Nick, Alex, Megan, and Tommy - Brothers and sister/Strong, even though they’re in last place

We begin in Lancaster, the “heart” of Mennonite and Amish country. The pit stop for the last leg was a family farm. Will the Paolos’ fighting affect their racing? Will the Linzes be able to figure out how to navigate?

The Pink Ladies are the first to leave at 7:57 a.m. The clue tells them to go to York, Pennsylvania, which isn’t too far away. They’ll find Shoehouse Road and… well, a giant shoe. Tricia is proud of her sisters and says that they’re more confident now. They head out, looking for a gas station.

The Gaghans leave next. Tammy says that people probably thought they were dragging the kids along. Billy finishes for her that now they’re a threat. The Weavers leave next. Linda says that after her husband died, it took her a while to realize that she needed to step into a leadership position. She hopes the race will help her with that. The Rogerses leave as Brock interviews that Denny considers himself the leader, but they need to listen to everyone in the family. Ooh, foreshadowing.

The Schroeders head out. Stassi says that they’re not as prepared as they thought they were, but they’re learning. The Pink Ladies find a gas station. Tammy and Bill apparently spend the previous evening studying maps (smart!). They tell the kids, who are goofing off, that they need to be in race mode, not stupid mode. Mark tells his family that they’ll take a shortcut to the giant shoe.

The Paolos leave. Marion says that no one listens to her, but when she persists in something, she’s doing it for a reason. D.J. can’t stand her constant nagging. The Bransens leave. Wally says that he thought they might not do well, but he’s pleased with how they’ve been racing. Elizabeth notes that she and her sisters know their father isn’t optimistic, so it’s been nice to prove him wrong. The Aiellos leave. Kevin says that Godfather Tony is a protective father. Matt wants to make him proud.

Finally, the Linzes leave. Megan is proud of her brothers. They’re not going to beat themselves up about their placement; they’re going to learn from their mistakes. At least they have the right attitude.

Hey, look! A giant shoe! The Gaghans arrive first and Bill gets out to get the clue. For some reason, Tammy is adamant that Carissa not get out. Lighten up, Tammy, it’s the morning of the second leg. The clue tells them to go to Washington, D.C. Yay! I live near there! Specifically, they’re to go to the reflecting pool. Well, a reflecting pool. The clue says to go to the one near the Capitol Building, but the better known (and bigger) one is near the Lincoln Memorial and reflects the Washington Monument. This is why it pays to read your clue carefully.

The Schroeders arrive at the shoe and Stassi gets the clue. (Hey, that rhymes.) The Pink Ladies show up shortly after and Christine gets the clue. All three families head for 30 West.

The Weavers find the shoe, which Rachel says is just like the book. (I guess she means the story of the old woman who lived in a shoe.) Rolly gets the clue. Linda shows her geographical intelligence once again by asking what state D.C. is in. To be fair, a lot of people wonder that. The Rogerses arrive and Brock gets the clue. I think I just keep saying who’s getting the clues in order to practice using their names. You can just ignore me. When Brock returns to the car, Denny lets him drive. Oh, and then he tells him to take 30 East.

The Paolos arrive and D.J. gets the clue. The Bransens are there soon after and Lindsay gets the clue. (Yes, I only knew that because someone said her name.) The Aiellos arrive and David gets the clue. He’s happy because he lived in Northern Virginia for two years. Uh oh, flashback to the Guidos saying, “We lived in Paris for two years.” (Just kidding; I would never compare David to the Guidos.) The Linzes show up and Alex gets the clue. These teams all know that they need to head for 83 South, towards Baltimore. Why didn’t they set a task in Baltimore? Maybe they’ll head there later.

Brock doesn’t know where 30 East is. Denny tells him that he’s responsible for finding it. David says that D.C. is home and he knows where the pool is. The Linzes look at their maps and realize that there are two pools. They announce that they won’t be taking any stops, and bathroom breaks will have to be in cups. Megan isn’t thrilled. The Rogerses realize that they’ve passed 83 East. Brock points out that they couldn’t have passed it since he didn’t actually see it. Denny decides that he should drive instead.

Brittney looks at a map and realizes that they’re going the wrong way. Brock notes that Denny gave him the wrong highway name. Denny says that one person can only do so much. Dude, just say, “I was wrong.” It won’t hurt, I promise. The Gaghans make it to D.C. Bill is getting a little bossy. Maybe he’s just worried about being in a busy city with little kids. The Schroeders arrive as well, followed by the Pink Ladies.

The Weavers get directions and wind up at the clue box first. I like them, but they really need to stop screaming. The clue tells them to find a limo on 3rd Street, where an “unseen contact” will hand them a briefcase. (I’m guessing this is a reference to Deep Throat.) Then they’ll have to go to the Tidal Basin, which is near the Jefferson Memorial. The Weavers do all of this and get the briefcase. The Pink Ladies are just behind them in second place.

Billy thinks he spots the clue box, but it’s actually a No Smoking sign. Heh. The Schroeders realize that they’re at the wrong reflecting pool. The Paolos wonder if they should get gas; Marion is in favor of it. D.J. gets the briefcase while Marion keeps telling Tony and Brian that they need gas. The Bransens head for the Lincoln Memorial. The Aiellos find a map and note that they need to make up some time. The Gaghans look for the clue box but realize they’ve gone in a circle.

The Schroeders find the clue box, followed by the Linzes. The families give each other high fives. The Aiellos find the clue box. The Pink Ladies arrive at the Tidal Basin and find the clue box. Inside is a Roadblock. Even though teams are up to four members this season, this Roadblock, at least, is still only for one person. That person will participate in a “covert op.” He or she will have to search the area for a “spy” with a briefcase. There are 50 people around with briefcases, but only ten are designated spies. The team member will give the code phrase, “The sky is blue.” If the person he or she is talking to is a spy, the reply will be, “The sea is green.” The spy and the team member will exchange briefcases, and the team member will wind up with a clue. This is awesome. I would love to do this Roadblock.

Sharon takes the Roadblock for the Pink Ladies. Rebecca is having driving problems; her family isn’t helping. The Paolos are, amazingly, second to the Roadblock. D.J. takes it for them. Sharon finds a spy and exchanges her briefcase. The clue says to drive 49 miles to the Welbourne Manor in Middleburg, Virginia.