The Amazing Race 9, Episode 9: Verbal Clutter

Previously on Eric’s Dumb Face Looks a Lot Like His Regular Face: Five teams left Greece, but Ray & Yolanda couldn’t make it across the bridge without fighting. Everyone flew to Oman and had to ford a flooded road. Frankenberry and Tyler & BJ got ahead at the detour. Jeremy & Eric finally ran into bad luck with a stubborn camel and poor navigational skills. And then they called themselves idiots, which was funny. The roadblock required digging for food. Frankenberry hit the mat first, and though BJ & Tyler were last, they’re still in the race thanks to a long-awaited non-elimination leg. Five teams remain:

Fran & Barry (Frankenberry) - Married/Sentimental favorites/First for the first time

Monica & Joseph (Mojo) - Dating/Should be a little happier about being second

Ray & Yolanda - Dating/Sentimental favorites/I hope they’re done fighting

Eric & Jeremy - Friends/Ha ha, they’re fourth!

BJ & Tyler - Friends/Sentimental favorites/Got really lucky last week

Phil says hi from Oman, specifically Jabreen Castle. Will BJ & Tyler’s ease at getting along with people help them out (especially now that they’re out of money)? Will Frankenberry stay in the lead? Speaking of Frankenberry, they’re the first to leave at 5:35 p.m. They’re headed to Perth, Australia, which makes me very happy. Australia is gorgeous and I’ve always wanted to go there. Did you know wombats are indigenous to Australia? I learned that this week. It’s a long story. Fran says that they’re stopping by the hippies’ car to give them $20. Aww, that’s nice. Barry thinks that the other teams see them as real competitors. They’re older than the other teams, but he thinks their travel experience will come in handy.

Mojo are off next and Monica laughs when she reads that one team won’t be getting any money. They debate giving the hippies a dollar and Monica says they’ll just act like they’re giving them one. That’s mature. Joseph says it’s starting to get really competitive, and Monica adds that they can’t make any mistakes. She’ll be happy when the hippies are gone. Apparently the hippies asked them for money and threatened to yield them if they didn’t fork it over. I’d like to see footage of that because I just don’t believe it. Monica says that it’s not smart to threaten to yield “the Mojo.” Shut up, Monica.

Frankenberry find that the road they want to take is blocked. At a service station they learn that the king is visiting the city. “Ahhh, the king is coming,” Fran says, like she knew all about it. Hee. Unfortunately, there’s no other way to the airport, so Frankenberry will have to sit and wait for traffic to clear up. Mojo run into the same problem.

Yolanda & Ray leave next and Yolanda says that they went from fine to not fine very quickly. She says they need to try to bring back the fun they had in the first few legs. In the car, they laugh about Mojo putting money on the hippies’ car; Ray thinks it was just a piece of paper. Yolanda wonders if they just left a note that said, “Psych.” Eric & Jeremy leave, dropping the hippies a $100 IOU. What is with these people? If BJ & Tyler really threatened to yield everyone who didn’t give them money, just ignore them. Who says they’ll still be in the race the next time a yield comes around? Jeremy says that they’re hippies, so they’ll figure out how to make gas out of trees. He doesn’t think it’s really a competition if they give the hippies money. Well, fine, then just shut up about it. The guys interview that they’ll do whatever it takes to win. Eric adds that it’s just like getting a girl in bed. I want them gone so badly.

Frankenberry are finally moving and Mojo are preparing to. They’re not happy that they’ve wasted time. It looks like Yolanda & Ray just missed the traffic jam. Eric & Jeremy get to enjoy some fireworks just before they hit the traffic. They note that the hippies are in trouble. Speaking of them, they’re leaving next. They see that Yolanda & Ray left them $10 and express their love for Frankenberry. They warn Mojo to watch out. Tyler interviews that when he was younger, he wondered what it would be like to travel the world with just the clothes on his back. Now he gets to experience it firsthand. The hippies think their goofy attitudes will continue to take them through the race. Tyler says something about putting a prawn on the barbie. Eh.

Mojo get to the airport and work on getting a flight to Perth. There’s only one, and it goes through Dubai. I guess this means everyone will be getting on it. Frankenberry and Ray & Yolanda are next to the airport, followed by Jeremy & Eric. I hate airport scenes; they’re so boring. Joseph doesn’t think the hippies will make the flight. Tyler & BJ decide to stop and pick up a hitchhiker who’s on his way to the airport. He’s a Bedouin named Abdul and tells the guys that he’s from the desert. “I’m from New Jersey,” BJ replies.

Everyone gets tickets to the Dubai/Perth flight. Eric says again that the hippies won’t make the flight. Tyler & BJ stop for gas and Abdul treats them to some snacks. BJ says that they’re like American Bedouins, so it’s a good match. They thank him for the food and gas and tap noses. See, this is the whole point of the show (besides the whole race for a million dollars) - it’s about being American ambassadors in foreign countries. Tyler & BJ may be goofy and use accents and sometimes annoy people, but they’re the epitome of what this show wants to do.

Everyone’s on the plane. The frats are still hoping the hippies won’t make it. SHUT UP ALREADY. I don’t know what they talk about more, the hippies or girls. (Make of that what you will.) Tyler & BJ finally get to the airport as the flight is boarding. Jeremy says he’s sure the hippies won’t make it. I’m going to start blocking out what he says. Tyler & BJ are panicking a little, but they get tickets. BJ smiles as he says that the other teams probably won’t be happy to see them.