Amazing Race - 11.30.08

Where will they go from Moscow? Will Dan and Andrew survive their Speed Bump (hope not!). Will the dancing be as hilarious as the marching?

Let's see - tonight, on The Amazing Race! (That was in my best Phil

From their Moscow pit stop, the teams head out by taxi to a retired Russian Nuclear submarine, and have to search the sub for an actor who was in The Hunt for Red October. The dreaded Moscow Taxi drivers strike again, and teams resort to drawing and miming to trying to get their destination across. Starr and Nick are hoping for better luck than the last leg. Andrew and Dan thought they might be searching for Sean Connery in the sub. Because he doesn't have anything better to do.

All of the teams got to the sub at almost exactly the same time. Dallas, Ken, and Nick got their clues right off. Andrew and Dan were nowhere to be seen. I didn't see them arrive at the sub, so I guess they were farther behind.

Their next destination is Park Iskusstv. They have to search the Graveyard of Fallen monuments for the next clue. Ken and Tina lucked out in getting a cabbie with GPS. That hardly seems fair.

Andrew and Dan managed to get their clue and then had a hard time finding another cabbie (and got drenched by a passing car going through a puddle.

Tina got pissy about the cabbie smoking. Ken basically told her to deal.

Nick and Starr got to the park first, and it's a Roadblock.

The team member needs to find all of the statues of Lenin (6) and Stallin (2), with the help of the Cyrillic spelling. They then have to go to a bookstore and tell the shopkeeper "62" to get a book. If their number is wrong, they have to wait 10 minutes before trying again. If they get the right book, they have to go to page 62, which will lead them to an apartment of a famous Russian author - Mikhail Bulgakov, where they will get their next clue.

Nick decided to do the roadblock for their team, and I think that's a good decision, given that he seems calmer than Starr and more able to handle something kind of complicated like this Roadblock without flipping out.

Andrew and Dan got to A park, but it turned out to be THE WRONG park, after they had driven about 40 minutes to get there.

Dallas and Toni arrived third. Dallas decided to do the Roadblock...

And his mom told him to take the money and the passports.

I think that means they are the foreshadowed team who loses passports and money.

Nick got 6 and 2 properly and headed off to the book store. Ken and Tina arrived at the park and Nick got their GPS-cab. Tina flipped out about being cold and dug through the bag.

And mentioned money and passport. More foreshadowing. Who will lose it all?

Tina did the Roadblock.

Toni mentioned that she was not sure Dallas knew who Stalin and Lenin are, though she spent a lot on his education. Dallas proves not to be the sharpest crayon in the box, mixing up Stalin and Lenin and getting some of them wrong. Then, on the way out from the bookstore, Nick passed Dallas, who seemed like he had his head in the clouds and totally missed seeing Nick pass him. Tina also seemed to get the tally wrong on the first try.

Dallas had to wait 10 minutes after his first faulty guess, then another after yet another faulty guess.

Meanwhile, Nick and Starr headed to a children's park to find a woman with a Shetland Pony for their next clue.

Dan and Andrew ended up getting to the park finally, and Andrew did the Roadblock, leaving his ...

money and passport with Dan!

Tina and Dallas ended up helping each other with the numbers, and still didn't get it right.

Nick and Starr arrived at the Shetland Pony Lady and got a clue for a Detour.

Ride the Rails - Go on foot to a metro station, ride to the proper stop, then find the marked snack shop, get a traditional pastry - with a clue on the wrapper that will lead them to their next stop, where they have to find a statue dedicated to the creators of the Cyrrilic alphabet. Near the statue, there is a babushka, who will give them a postcard in exchange for their pastry, with the name and picture of their final destination, where they have to find the next clue.

Ride the Lines - Go on foot to a bus stop and go to a particular station, where they will find a key maker who will give them a key to a storage locker. They need to catch another trolley to another station, then find the locker that matches their key, and inside is the same final destination postcard as the babushka has in Ride the Rails.

Nick and Starr decide to Ride the Rails, since Nick is a New Yorker and is used to subways.

Tina and Dallas corroberated several times more and Tina finally got the right answer and told Dallas what it was.

Andrew got a Russian to show them all the proper statues, and was finished readily, though the number was wrong (he got 6 and a 1).

Tina was sure to tell Toni that she helped Dallas. Ken was upset with her for helping, but she didn't think Dallas would ever get it by himself.

And it turned out to be Dallas who lost the money and passports. He left the bag in a cab, which took off.

(If this was Sweden, the bag would probably be quickly brought to a police station. Seriously. My sister left her purse full of money and and a passport on the street in Stockholm and it was found very quickly with nothing taken. The same thing happened to a co-worker last year - he lost his passport and it was brought to the police station and, although he missed a flight home, he got one the next day, passport back in hand. In Moscow? Not sure the same thing is true.)

Dan was not sad to see Toni and Dallas with a problem, because it gave him and Andrew a chance. Andrew got the number right on his second try and was off to reunite with his teammate. Andrew thought that Mikhail was a woman's name, but that still got him to the apartment.

Toni and Dallas decided to try begging for money. They found out that the metro is much cheaper than a cab, and some nice Russians gave them some money, and they took the subway, even though it was against what the clue told them to do (which was take a cab).

Tina and Ken decided to do Ride the Lines.

Nick and Starr were doing a good job with their Detour.

Toni and Dallas got to the park at the same time as Dan and Andrew, but were denied a clue because they didn't arrive by taxi. They went off in search of a taxi. What they are planning to do with it once they find it, I am not sure.

Dan and Andrew were treated to their Speed Bump.

They need to perform with traditional Russian Dancers for one song, to the instructor's specifications. They were absolutely dreadful.

Toni and Dallas met some more wonderful stangers who gave them money, and they went back to where they needed to take the cab from - via trolley.

So, before even doing their Detour, they are experienced in both metro and trolley travel. How ironic.

Tina and Ken were on a bus, not a trolley, and had to go back to the beginning, while Nick and Starr found their Babushka without problems.

Dan and Andrew managed to only do their dance two times before getting approval. They decided to Ride the Lines.

Toni and Dallas finally got a taxi, and had enough money thanks to the kindness of stangers.

Nick and Starr got their final clue and headed to the pitstop on foot, VDNKh park.

They found the park easily, and won a trip for two to Anguilla for 5 nights to the Cuisinart Resort and Spa, a Foodie retreat. mmmmmmm.

Tina and Ken got their key and headed to the next stop. Dan and Andrew also got the key and headed to the next stop. They got to take the trolley to the Pitstop. Dan and Andrew also got their postcard and headed to the park.

Dallas and Toni finally got the clue for the Detour, and decided to Ride the Lines, since they were familiar with them. More kind strangers gave them money to take the trolley. They got their key and then needed to get more money.

Amazingly, Andrew and Dan came in second at the pit stop, followed by Ken and Tina. However, Ken and Tina didn't pick up the clue at the station, so they had to go back and find the clue to tell them to go to the mat.

Dallas and Toni got enough money to take their next trip, as Tina and Ken searched for their final clue. They found it before Dallas and Toni (were shown to) got their postcard. Instead of making them beg more, Phil found Dallas and Toni before their next ride and told them the sad news that they were eliminated. It was very sad to see them go. I wonder if the Race will help them get their passports replaced (or back, if a camera man found their bag or something). I feel badly for them, and really think that they deserve a spot in the top 3 more than Dan and Andrew.

I am hoping for Nick and Starr to win. How about you?