The Amazing Race 8 (Family Edition): Thinking Smart in Episode 9

It’s nice to see that some teams are paying attention to their clues, as the Linz family noted that there was no mention of a pit stop or a warning that the last team to arrive might be eliminated. It’s happened before (during The Amazing Race 7) when Phil handed out a clue envelope instead of checking teams in at a mat.

There are a number of reasons for double legs. The first one, in Budapest during The Amazing Race 6, was formed to get around the problem of a non-elimination leg in a location where panhandling is outlawed. I actually like double legs, though I’m quite sure the teams don’t (unless they arrive in last place) – the leg from Salt Lake City to Montana was tiring enough without the extension.

This episode did not provide a lot of opportunity for teams to gain ground via smarts, as it was fairly linear in nature. There was one major exception, and that was on the detour. “Spike It” was picked by three of the four teams (the lone exception being the Weaver family), but it turned out to be slower than the “Steam It” option. This choice allowed the Weaver family to pass the Godlewski sisters on the task, pulling themselves out of last place.

However, luck did play a role in the outcome of the leg. Bad luck hit the Linz family when their production crew managed to drain their battery. This put them in last place leaving the camp site, and quite possibly will put them in last place going into the second half the of the double leg. The other bit of luck some teams had (and some didn’t) regarded the eruption time of Old Faithful geyser at Yellowstone National Park. The Bransen family had to wait over a half hour for the eruption, but the Weavers got lucky and didn’t have to wait long at all. The Godlewski sisters and Linz siblings each got unlucky in that they missed the eruption that the Weaver and Bransen families watched. The geyser was also on its long cycle (the time between eruptions varies, depending on the length of the previous eruption. The Weaver and Bransens witnessed a long eruption, which added about 25 minutes to the waiting interval of the next eruption).

Those events put the Linz and Godlewski families about 90 minutes behind the Weaver and Bransen families, though the time can probably be made up. Phil’s appearance (and need to wait for the other teams) indicates that the teams are about to embark on a long road trip, or get hit with hours of operation, as Phil will need to pass up the teams again for his explanation of the upcoming tasks.

With four teams left, which ones were thinking smart in episode nine?

Bransen Family: The Bransen family ran a good leg and arrived in first place, largely because of mistake-free racing. While they may have done better with the “Steam It” detour option, they still completed the “Spike It” in a reasonable amount of time and left before two other teams. Plus, they are focusing on their own race instead of the other teams, and arrived to the mat first. Well done!

Weaver Family: The Weaver family pulled themselves out of last place, partly due to their own efforts and partly due to the problems of others. They made a good choice at the detour option, recognizing that they may not have the sheer strength needed to drive in rail spikes. That led them to the “Steam It” option where they worked effectively as a team. That move put them ahead of the Godlewski sisters, and coupled with the problems of the Linz siblings, allowed them to move to the front of the pack.

Godlewski Family: The sisters made a mistake in picking the “Spike It” option, which partly led to their substandard performance on the leg. They struggled with the task, and it caused them to drop to last place as a result. They compounded their problems by missing the turn to the roadblock, and compounded it yet again with their inability to figure out how turn around their vehicle and trailer. If they hadn’t had those problems, they may have been able to catch the eruption of Old Faithful and gained about 90 minutes on the Linz family. Instead, they are in a dead heat for last place at this point.

Linz Family: The Linz family is in the unenviable position of having done nothing wrong in the leg except get screwed over by their production team. This moved them from first to last place. Overall, they are 90 minutes behind the leaders at this point, despite making fairly good choices along the way. “Spike It” might have been the correct choice for this team (three strong young males and a strong young female), and they led all the way to the point where their camera crew drained their battery.

Jeffrey Clinard has been writing about The Amazing Race since the first edition, writing over 80 articles about it for RealityNewsOnline since it’s premier season. He can be reached at realityfeedback@bookslv.com.

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 out more about this show at our The Amazing Race 8 page! Find out more about some other shows like our The Apprentice page; and don't miss The Reality TV Hall of Shame. You can even buy reality show stuff at our Reality TV Store!

For more news about reality TV, be sure to check out SirLinksALot: Amazing Race!