Yes, this episode's update is a week late, but sometimes we (like The Amazing Race) have technical problems. In any event, the teams ran around the Star Wars area, trying to use the force. But Paul and Amie (right) didn't make it.
The Amazing Race continues the journey through Africa. From the Coliseum at El Jim, each team leaves in the order they arrived, 12 hours later.
Tataouine, yes, pronounced like the famous planet in "Star Wars" is the next destination. Joe and Bill are the first out, at 4:02 a.m. With their waiting cab, they start to discuss their nearest competitors, Kevin and Drew (leaving at 4:31 a.m.) who they believe they are significantly better than, and Nancy and Emily (4:36 a.m.; a real question because they and the Frat boys sheathed their swords at virtually identical moments), who they love "but aren't all that fast" (wake up guys, these ladies have improved their position almost every step of the way).
Paul and Amie checked in at 5th place, but were given a time credit due to production difficulties beyond their control, and left in 4th place at 4:49 a.m. Frank and Margarita leave at 5:03 a.m. We learn that Margarita wants to talk relationship, while Frank wants to talk strategy. Rob and Brennan depart at 5:22 a.m., realizing they are next to last, with only Lenny and Karyn (5:43 a.m.) departing behind them. They left rightly worrying there won't be an equalizing spot (such as a train or boat). Lenny and Karyn leave on the note that it's pretty much Karyn's way or the highway. With that done, we realize that for the second week in a row, no team has elected to use a fast forward.
Tataouine. The first teams find the clue Globe from the photos, and must take an a SUV to one point on a detour. A detour is a choice of one of two tasks. Teams could solve a simple puzzle at a hard to find place, or use their listening skills at Ksim Hadana, easy to find, and once used as a set for, you guessed it, Star Wars. All teams chose the latter, leaving us forever to wonder if the simple puzzle was played in Cantina Mos Eisley. Another choice here; hire a driver for $50/day, or drive-it-yourself.
The listening game involved using one walkie-talkie to find another in a maze of chambers. Kevin and Drew, first to arrive, use whistling and "testing," and quickly find the other walkie-talkie. Seeing Joe and Bill starting to arrive, they conspire to sucker "Ernie and Bert" by climbing to the rooftops, then letting them hear them argue on how to get down. The ploy works, and Team Guido waste valuable time searching in the wrong location. It didn't affect their final position, but it was slap in the face these two guys deserved. They are a smart team, but they don't have people skills. All the other teams are friendly competitors. But Team Guido... yikes, the others hate them, and for good reason. I can't imagine the Frat Boys doing this to, say, Nancy and Emily, or Lenny and Karyn.
After a few scenes showing Kevin and Drew happy, Rob and Brennan determined, and Lenny and Karyn desperate, Joe and Bill finally find the walkie-talkie, and set off on the tail of the Frat boys, following a series of yellow stones. Checking in with Paul and Amie, we see they are apparently hooked with Nancy and Emily, with Amie getting carsick, Paul fussing about it, and Nancy saying "bless her heart."
The last two teams (Rob and Brennan, Lenny and Karyn) finally get their detour, while Nancy and Emily, as well as Paul and Amie, search for the walkie-talkie. Nancy and Emily find it, and set out once again, followed by Paul and Amie shortly afterwards. Here Paul and Amie make their big mistake, "just started driving." The two more teams (Lenny and Karyn, Frank and Margarita) finally find their route information, and set off again. Teams start to bicker again, with even Joe and Bill getting into it about how fast they are driving. Rob and Brennan finally find their route information 40 minutes after everybody else, and just hope they can make up the time. Teams race around with more or less (some teams with more, some teams less) precision on the route, including Nancy and Emily cleverly playing a game of "follow that car" by following Joe and Bill (this game is only clever if the team ahead of you is smart, but they were finding yellow rocks along the way, and it just confirmed their route).
Drew and Kevin are the first to come across the final leg of the race; a roadblock. The clue is "Who wants to ride?" Before teams learn the task, they must select which one will perform it. Here the task is simple; one team member must ride a camel through the Sahara, guided by a compass, to an oasis, which is their next checkpoint. The other team member must walk alongside them. For another $50 fee, teams can hire a camel handler to assist them. Drew and Kevin approach their destination (and eventually finish 1st), as three teams (Frank and Margarita, Lenny and Karyn, and Paul and Amie) run around aimlessly.
Joe and Bill, followed by Nancy and Emily, mount their camels, and take a ride, finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively. Rob and Brennan, come across the roadblock next, with the too-much-information comment about how camels are not kind on the male anatomy (and arriving in 4th place). Lenny and Karyn find the roadblock, quickly followed by Frank and Margarita. Our separated parents (Frank and Margarita) manage to catch up to and pass their dating couple counterparts, and make it in the 5th position. Lenny and Karyn arrive in #6. Finally, we return to Paul and Amie. They eventually find the Oasis, probably guided by a CBS production crew who had no desire to run out of gas in the middle of the Sahara desert with a sick and crying Amie, and her bickering fiancé Paul. They left the game saying they had a lot of fun (that footage was probably edited out), and a kiss-and-go-on scene.
Jeffrey Clinard has a Master's degree in marketing, a job he could not be paid enough to return to. He applies logic and strategy to the events of reality TV shows.
