The Amazing Race 12: Thinking Smart in Episode 7

Teams bunched up early in this leg, providing every twosome an equal opportunity to gain ground or lose it depending on the decisions they made. They were told of several different suggested routes to Empoli, which separated the teams along the way. In the end, the best directions were the largest factor in this leg of the race. Still, as most teams asked for directions for the best route, much of this was based on the quality of the routes provided.

The Detour was a choice between Invention and Tradition. Personally, I’d have gone for Invention, but by nature I’m better at putting things together than learning dances. Still, it didn’t seem to make much of a difference in the end, though this was a task that depended on the talents of each individual team.

The Roadblock was finding the VINCI lettering from an ultralight, which some people had more problems with than others. Still, I’m not sure whether it was a matter of talent or getting lucky in where the pilot flew.

The Fast Forward forced the team to decide whether a permanent tattoo was worth the time advantage. I’m not crazy about tattoos and don’t have any, but I might consider doing it if I was on The Amazing Race. Obviously this is a personal decision, and I wouldn’t fault teams for accepting or declining the task in order to get ahead.

Finally, the new game mechanic of the Speed Bump was mentioned. Overall, I like the idea of non-elimination legs imposing a penalty on the last place team, and an extra task popping up unexpectedly is a better idea than the loss of money or time penalty. Like the U-Turn, teams hit with this penalty are doing something interesting instead of waiting, and might be able to minimize the penalty by completing the task quickly.

Seven legs have ended, and five teams are still in the race. Who was thinking smart in Episode 7?

Nicolas & Donald: First place via the Fast Forward. The team struggled through the navigation part of the leg, arriving at the Roadblock in fourth place. Part of this was their unwillingness to find an alternative route around Bologna, which cost them valuable time. Still, given their situation, they made a good decision in going for the Fast Forward, as only one team was behind them and that team might have gone for it and passed them up with it, putting them in last place. This move allowed them to bypass the tasks and take first place in the leg. Overall, it was a well thought out move.

Nathan & Jennifer: The team got fairly good directions and made it to the Roadblock in first place, though they had to wait for the hours of operation before they could start the task. Afterwards they raced well, completing the Roadblock and Detour first, and arriving in second place, behind the Fast Forwarding Nicolas & Donald. Jennifer did well at the Roadblock and was patient enough to guide Nathan through the Tradition Detour. The only real non-smart part of their leg was wondering about their relationship. Hopefully they will do themselves and the world a favor and stop dating after the race.

Ron & Christina: The father and daughter put in a decent leg. They didn’t get the best directions, but still adapted and got to the Roadblock in the middle of the pack. Indeed, they ran a good leg, passing up the struggling TK at the Roadblock and performing the Detour in good time, ending up in third place. Their big instance of not thinking smart was Ron’s logic when trying to decide to go for the Fast Forward or not. Nothing in The Amazing Race is as easy as pulling a tab, and the Fast Forwards have gotten notoriously more unpleasant with each season. As it stands, they are in a good position without the stain of permanent ink.

TK & Rachel: The team got the best set of directions to Empoli, with the local noting the traffic problems around Bologna, and wisely kept this information to themselves. However, they negated this advantage by committing the inexcusable act of losing their clue. This cost them time as they had to backtrack and recover it. They were lucky to do so; without the clue they might have lost the leg. After that, they suffered with either bad luck or bad eyesight with TK’s inability to see the clue during the Roadblock, but they caught a break when Kynt & Vyxsin got lost and had car trouble. This allowed them to complete the Detour with enough time to spare to change a flat tire before checking into the Pit Stop in fourth place.

Kynt & Vyxsin: This team completely collapsed during the navigation phases, getting to Empoli in last place. They then abandoned the Invention Detour option and had problems finding the Tradition option. They also spent time messing with their car before deeming it inoperable. I also find it amazing that Kynt hasn’t learned how to drive a stick shift. This is one of the basics of pre-race planning, along with packing correctly. In the end it all crashed down with a last place finish. They are still racing, but face a Speed Bump in the upcoming leg, so they’ll be swimming uphill after their worst leg to date.

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Jeffrey Clinard has written about The Amazing Race since its debut season, writing over 100 articles about the show. His patronus takes the form of a penguin. He can be reached at realityfeedback@bookslv.com.

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