The Amazing Race 9, Episode 3 Insider: Flag Follies

The teams are growing on me, and I’m enjoying this season more and more. Watching the Insider clips also gives me insight on what teams are about, and at times, newfound respect for them! How about that surprise double-leg so nice and early on? I loved it! I also loved the Brazil-to-Russia bit. Talk about going from warm to cold. Very nice. The ‘bunching’ which typically drives me batsh*t has been counter pointed with real challenges and true room for error (versus go find the bear at 110 EasyRace Boulevard and get a clue, then drive this freeway in this nice car). In short, so far, so good. Yay!

Job Well Done: I no longer feel empathy for Michelle. She deserves what she has in Lake, and Lake deserves her. Personally, these rednecks would be my next choice to go. If only I had the power of Philimination! In this clip, Lake & Michelle ride in a cab after the swimming task. Michelle tells him he did awesome, and of course, he agrees. He seems astounded that Yolanda was scared (er, duh, she couldn’t swim), because he did jumps like that at camp as a kid. Whatever. Michelle says she will have to pull her weight and do the next task. He says she should have done this one. No kidding! What was with her “but I might be naked” thing anyway? As she explains to Lake now, she does not have a swimsuit, did not think one would be supplied, then lamely adds she is short on laundry detergent and would have to run around wet and catching cold. Huh? I so don’t follow this.

End Of The Affair: Double D in the airport wonder to the camera if Eric & Jeremy are full of it, as they sort of blew them off at the airport. The girls think they are being shady and have better flights then they do. About this time, one of the Frat Pack leaps over to them and jokingly lets them know that they are telling the truth. As they walk away, One D & Other D are still skeptical. They mention how hard it is to be playing volleyball one minute with someone (is THAT what they call it nowadays?) and the next it’s game on. They conclude that it is better to not have friends on the race.

We Have A Winner: One D & Other D are in the back of the cab, finally on their way to the monastery after their unfortunate incident leaving gear behind at the swim task. They hope it will go okay and they can catch up. They joke that they always do some stupid, retarded mistake, and it holds them back. One D says she was just rushing and there were so many naked butts in her face she got distracted. Other D laughs that the “tits and ass” distracted One D. Pardon me while I totally crack up. God I like these two now. They then show their good spirits by saying it ain’t over til the Phil sings (my words, their essence).

Held Hostage: Okay, this clip totally amuses me. BJ & Tyler ride in a Russian cab while trying to find the Detour option. The cab driver says “NYET!” whenever they ask to stop and ask for directions. They call him a stern taskmaster and mention that he yells at them. They joke that their gear is locked up in the trunk, so they couldn’t leave him if they wanted to. Fran & Barry’s cab veers away from them, and now they are alone, with just themselves and hope. Heh.

Change Of Scenery: A short clip wherein Yolanda, driving in Brazil, says she’s ready for a change of scenery. They are having fun and have seen some stuff, have missed other stuff, but it’s time to get moving on.

Heavy Burden: Ray & Yolanda in Moscow decide the language barrier is going to be worse here. In Brazil, Yolanda spoke Spanish, which helped with the Portuguese. In Russia, you cannot even read the signs and try to translate. They hope they are going the right way. They discuss how Eric & Jeremy exchanged money for the Pinkies (Double D) and that they did not realize the boys would share a cab. At this point, I get confused, because it sounds like they’re shocked the boys and girls would share a cab, and they wonder how it will place a heavy burden on the boys with two extra people. I don’t get it, but hey. Whatever.

No Doubt: Yolanda informs Ray that after doing that swimming task, she’s up for anything now, so not to worry about her. She mentions how deep the water looked from up above. Plus, she goes on about how everyone was “booty butt” naked (or something like that) in the locker room. Er, yeah, it’s a locker room, ya know? You’re SUPPOSED to be naked. Naked is good. She says something about wearing underthings with the swimsuit.

I just don’t get this fear of the human body. We all have one. They all look different. They all have flaws (overdone plastic surgery to “not” have flaws is actually a flaw, too). I was in the locker room at the Y last week and overheard these college-age girls acting all shocked and disgusted that women were actually walking around the locker room naked. If I hadn’t been in a hurry, I would have hauled my naked, fat ass into the hot tub (where they were) and settled in with my book, just to really tweak them out. “Oh my god, not only is she NAKED, but her body isn’t PERFECT.” Heh. Anyway, Michelle, Yolanda, it’s a body. It’s okay to be nude. Seriously.

Oh by the way, Yolanda is trying to get fully dressed while in the back of the cab, so there are some interesting gyrations while this clip runs. Just mentioning.

New World Order: Ray & Yolanda, again in a cab in Russia, are not feeling well. They hope to get by on mind, not body, for the next bit until the Pit Stop. Oooh boy, are they going to be unhappy campers! They notice Eric & Jeremy right behind them and figure their method is to follow and hope to beat Ray & Yolanda at the task. Very true, and up to a point, this isn’t a bad method. However, Ray has it right when he mentions alliances can be bad things. He will not form one. If they go down, it’s together as a team, not because of someone else. They also mention that it’s a whole new game this leg, as the hippies and frat boys have been up front, but maybe not now. They are going to keep grinding and see how it goes.

Taking A Toll: This has to be the most mild argument in the world’s history. It’s adorable. Go watch this clip and the one after it, Vindication. Seriously! Dave & Lori drive in the dark and miss a turn. They have to flip a u-turn and pay a toll on the way back through. Lori tries to convince Dave to ask the guy if they can get by without the toll, since they just did a u-turn right in front of them, and it was obviously a mistake. Dave just tells her to get the money. She insists she is, but tells him there is no harm in asking. He gets the money, pays and gives her the change. She again reiterates he should have just asked. He mentions that he wouldn’t have known how (the whole language barrier thing), and she apologizes but says she would have dropped it if he’d said that initially. You can hear a bit of stress in each voice, but it’s totally not all pissy. Yes, folks, that was it, that was the argument. Heh.