Amazing Race - 12.7.08

It's the finale! I really hope the Dunce Duo don't win. I am rooting for Nick and Starr, but Ken and Tina wouldn't be dreadful.

We left the final three teams in Moscow, and their next stop is going to be Portland, Oregon. They have to then make their way to an adventure camp for their next clue. At least they get a very long flight to rest in. Nick and Starr headed out looking for flights on the internet, and got a 7:05 flight on Lufthansa. Andrew and Dan just looked at departure boards at the airport trying to decide where to leave from, and ended up the same flight.

As Ken and Tina went to get the same flight, Nick and Starr cleverly looked up information about the camp they were heading to on the internet.

It was a hugely long flight, and a race for a taxi off the plane. Nick and Starr got the first cab, followed by Ken and Tina and then Dan and Andrew, who ended up with a cabbie who didn't speak much English and was calling for directions.

Somehow, Ken and Tina got to the Detour first.

High and Dry -Teams must climb 30 feet up a tree, then traverse a log and each member retrieves half a clue. If anyone falls off, they have to start over.

Low and Wet - Teams must cross an 850 ft. floating log river.

Both Ken and Tina and Nick and Starr chose High and Dry. Tina admits to being scared of heights. Ken did a good job and got his clue the first try. At the end of the log, they have to jump towards a trapeze bar and get the clue hanging off it. Nick did a great job. Tina's helmet kept falling off and that slowed her down. One would think she would have done better to take off her baseball hat before putting her helmet on. Just saying. When she got to the log, she tried to take it off and it took a long time. Starr passed her with no problems, and she made the leap and they continued to their next stop.

They headed to The Bridge of the Gods via taxi, where they will take a zip line 1000 ft to an island to get their next clue.

Dan and Andrew were lost, and borrowed the cabbie's phone to call the place they were going to.

Before they could get there, Tina finally gained her composure and made the jump and grabbed the clue, and went for High and Dry as well. Wet and Low is getting no love from this group. They finished it with seemingly no problems.

Nick and Starr's cab missed the turn for the bridge and Ken and Tina arrived first. Tina was spooked by the zipline, but when she finally got the guts to jump, she had fun. Ken took his zipline ride upside down for part of it, and Nick and Starr showed up.

The next task is to remember about the first 10 legs of the race. They have to start with the first leg, and continue on for the next ten. They have to search through 150 Amazing Race clue boxes to find a picture that corresponds to something on that leg - route info, roadblock, etc. If they get the picture right, a green light will go on. All ten green lights must go on before they can leave the island.

Ken and Tina got the first three while Nick and Starr were looking for their first one. Starr started getting flustered, but Nick did his best to keep her calm. They made up a lot of time and it was neck and neck.

Dan and Andrew were caught up again by their kind of dreadful cabbie, and got on the phone again.

Nick and Starr made a mistake between Khazakstahn and Russia and that held them up for a second. Tina insisted on seeing all of the cards before Ken closed boxes, and that held them up. Nick and Starr got the final one first and got thier next clue.

They take a taxi to the Portland Building in downtown Portland and locate a Green Dinosaur in the area.

Andrew and Dan got to the Bridge and the island and started their task.

Ken and Tina tried to pass Nick and Starr but they got shaken off. They split up and Nick and Starr got their first and handily found the Green Dinosaur. They next clue is to travel on foot to Alder St. and find the food cart related to Russia for their next clue.

Ken and Tina got help to find the Green Dinosaur and it took them a while, but they found it.

Nick and Starr were the first to get to the Russian Cart, and their clue told them to travel on foot to where "The Magic is in the Hole," which is Voodoo Donuts. Nick and Starr asked some people, and they got help from a guy who told them where to find the Donut shop. They were on their way before Ken and Tina even arrived. They got some help from another woman, who told them that Nick and Starr went the wrong way.

Wrong way or not, Nick and Starr arrived first, and it's a race to the finish!

(Andrew and Dan are no where in sight)

They have to get a cab to the finish line. Cabs are no where to be found. Starr started getting flustered. Ken and Tina tried to bribe someone out of their cab, and Ken blew his annoying whistle. Nick and Starr got into a cab first, with Ken and Tina (edited to look?) right on their heels. Nick and Starr told their cabbie there was $70 in it for him if they get there first. Ken and Tina took a second to pray.

(No sign of Andrew and Dan)

It's Nick and Starr to the finish line first, hand in hand!!!

I am thrilled for them, because I think they ran the best and most consistent race this season.

Tina and Ken came in second. They seem ready to reconcile. Ken took out their wedding rings and put Tina's on her hand and said that they should come back together and do it right this time. I hope that they make it work, because it was a very touching moment. I certainly wouldn' want to be married to either one of them, but good luck to them.

Having not seen how Andrew and Dan did in the final few tasks, they came in third. They admitted that they finished the race behind two far superior teams.

(Were Toni and Dallas still trying to get out of Russia, with the loss of their passports?)

Well, good end to a good season. Looking forward to the next one!

(Where are Toni and Dallas?)