The Amazing Race 9: Thinking Smart in Episode 10

This race has started to get pretty nasty, with high feelings running on several teams. Ray & Yolanda don't seem to have much of a problem with other teams (though they've had their own issues), while the hippies have had some run-ins with Eric & Jeremy and Joseph & Monica. After the events of the last episode, it looks like everybody is being dragged into a grudge match.

Eric & Jeremy pulled a really dirty trick by calling up to cancel BJ & Tyler and Ray & Yolanda's cabs. It did end up costing those two teams some time as they had to flag down or call for another cab. However, Karma Electra caught up to Eric & Jeremy when their cab didn't show up. Interestingly enough, Joseph & Monica got a lot of the blame for the trick as they were the only ones that had a cab arrive for them on time.

Next, Joseph & Monica were yielded by Tyler & BJ. Monica spent the whole time whining and complaining how it wasn't fair, that they were there first and the hippies didn't park in lot, etc. I didn't notice her whining when Joseph blew off the speed limits in order to pass them on the road. It seems like every time a team gets yielded they complain about it being unfair. If they do the yielding, they call it “playing the game.”

The detour was an interesting choice in that I would have guessed that the “Wet” option would have been faster, but as it turned out “Dry” was far faster. Ray & Yolanda were the third team out of the roadblock and ended up in first place by selecting that option, and Joseph & Monica gained enough time from the yield (which seems like about 40 minutes from what they said) to make it into a foot race among the last three teams to arrive at the pit stop.

In the end, it was one of the most exciting finishes to any leg in the history of the race. Three vehicles in a car chase, then a foot race to the pit stop to avoid possible elimination. Endings don't get any better than that.

Could the outcome have been different? Quite possibly so. Just a little more thinking smart might have put somebody else in last place. Which teams were thinking smart in episode 10?

Ray & Yolanda: First place for the first time in the race. While they were third out of the roadblock, they picked the faster of the two detours, putting them in first place. Coupled with their foresight in obtaining both a map and a brochure which had the local tourist attractions, they navigated perfectly throughout the leg. Each of them won a year's lease on a nice car as a result.

Eric & Jeremy: For a team that's done so well in the past, I'm not sure why they felt the need to play some dirty tricks by canceling taxicabs for two other teams. It was a sleazy move that ended up not doing anything but making teams mad in the end. Of course, it might have done some good if the hippies really thought it was Joseph & Monica who pulled the stunt, leading to them being yielded. They picked the slower of the two detour options, but managed to pick up some time on BJ & Tyler during the river trek. If they had a better map they would have not had to stop for directions, though it ultimately wouldn't have changed their position in the race.

Joseph & Monica: The couple actually ran quite a good leg, arriving in the parking lot of the roadblock first, only to be outsmarted by Tyler & BJ who parked closer to the yield station and beat them there in a foot race. At that point, they were yielded, and all the whining, moaning, and complaining in the world wasn't going to make the sand run out of the hourglass any faster. Still, they made up the time by obtaining a good map and making a good decision as to which detour option to pick. This put them in the car chase towards the pit stop, and this time they won the foot race to the mat.

Tyler & BJ: The hippies made a fair number of mistakes in this episode, and they ended up paying for them. First, it did them no good to try to make stuff up about Eric and Monica. It just upset them for no reason, and could have caused them to be yielded. Next, they yielded the wrong team. Monica & Joseph are a good team, but Eric & Jeremy are the most dangerous team in the race. They should have yielded them instead. They did not have a good navigation aid, and when they stopped to get directions, they asked Eric & Jeremy instead of the ambulance driver. Finally, when it became obvious it was going to be a foot race to the end, BJ didn't take the time to put on his pants or shoes in the car, and tried to pass the others teams by going on the rocks and through the river instead of over the bridge. While not eliminated, they are facing a more serious obstacle than any bankrupt team has had before.

Jeffrey Clinard has been writing about The Amazing Race since the first edition, writing over 100 articles about it for RealityNewsOnline since it’s premier season. He can be reached at realityfeedback@bookslv.com.

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