Amazing Race - 3.8.09

I am so sad to have lost Brad and Victoria last week. I really liked them. Oh well.

I would love to go to Romania some day - that castle is amazing. I love castles.

The first trip this week is to Siberia, to find the hydroelectic dam on the back of the 10 ruble note. Mel & Mike are out first, followed by Amanda and Kris, then Kisha and Jen, then Margie and Luke, Mark & Michael, Christie & Jodi (who decided to take a pit stop at an Internet Cafe for some research), then Kara and Jaime, and Victor & Tammy.

Hilariously, Mark & Michael tried to call the airline, and his cab driver called Jaime and Cara's cab instead, and they of course messed with them, telling them that there was only one flight which was business class. It was mean, but funny.

Christie and Jodi at their internet research found one flight that had a one hour layover and decided to skip it and get another one with a three hour layover.

The teams all got to the airport and got on four different flights to Moscow, connecting supposedly on the same flight to Siberia. Jodi & Christie, Kisha & Jen, and Mark & Michael ended up getting to Siberia first because the others were stuck in Moscow. The dam opened at 8:30, and the teams there got another clue, which led them to a church for their detour.

Detour

Stack - Teams travel to the riverbank, and stack a pile of firewood in the traditional manner to the satisfaction of a local

Construct - Teams travel to a woodshed where they will build a set of traditional wood shutters, which they have to then bring to a marked house, and install properly.

Mark & Michael got lost trying to find the stacking, but Christie and Jodi went right to it, along with Kisha and Jen. Kisha and Jen decided they needed to stack it like Jenga. Michael and Mark found it finally and started off doing a pretty poor job, and ended up knocking down their entire supporting pile that had been stacked when they arrived.

See, this is the point where I would bag it and go to the Construct. They thought along the same lines and went to check it out. They went to the Construct place, decided that the shutters would be very heavy, and went to find a house to bring them to first before building them.

Finally, the second flight arrived and the other teams went on their ways.

Kisha and Jen finished their piles first, followed by Christie and Jodi.

The teams are heading out to a Museum, which has a Blind U-Turn - it's a new twist, because you can U-turn someone without revealing that you are the one who did it. Nice.

Teams must go to an amusement park and look for their next clue.

The other teams all picked Stack, too, apparently.

The ones who got to the Amusement Park got a Roadblock, which was to do a bobsled run and remember letters passing them on the way, and then unscramble the letters to spell the name of a famous Russian playwrite - Chekhov. They have to do the run in less than 4 minutes.

Kisha's first run, she only got 6 letters.

Back at the Wood Stacking, Cara and Jamie are annoyed that Amanda is basically handing wood to Kris, who is doing all the stacking. They complained to Margie and Luke, who they are getting more friendly with.

Jodi and Christie finish the bobsled run just in time, but have troubles with the unscrambling.

Meanwhile, back at the Stacking, almost everyone's piles tumble down and several gave up and go to the Construct. Margie and Luke finished well, and then ended up USING the Blind U-turn, to U-Turn Amanda and Kris, to give Jamie and Cara extra time to finish their woodstacking. Michael and Mark couldn't find the house that needs repair, and so decided to go back to Construct the shutters.

And Kisha was having issues with the playwrite. but managed to figure it out. Good for them. Christie and Jodi finished pretty soon after that.

And after the Bobsled, it's the Pitstop, at The Theatre of Musical Comedy.

Luke and Victor did the Bobsled runs.

Over at Construct, Mel and Mike decided to work with Mark and Michael, who agreed to help them build the shutters and then they would all go out and find the houses. That's an interesting strategy in a race. Amanda and Kris soon joined in on the fun.

I am disappointed that Christie and Jodi came in first at the Pit Stop, and they each won a motorcycle. Kisha and Jen came in second.

Victor had no problem figuring out the playwrite was Chekhov, and wished Margie luck.

This is a good week. Lots of fun challenges, and turn arounds.

Luke had a really rough time trying to figure out who the playwrite was. Margie can't help him. She told the camera truthfully enough that English is a second language for him, so it's hard enough as it is. He was getting very frustrated, understandably.

Jamie and Cara finished their wood stacking.

Might the U-turn save Margie and Luke? Jamie and Cara are very thankful for the U-turn.

Of course, none of the builders has found the elusive houses in need of repair yet... which are very closse to where they were mulling it over. Finally, Mel found it, and they all felt silly.

Luke finally figured out Chekhov and was very disappointed in himself, but his mom kept telling him he did a great job.

Poor Amanda and Kris discovered they were U-turned and were not at all happy. Looks like they are losing this one.

Tammy and Victor came in third, followed by Margie and Luke.

Cara lucked out at a guess on Chekhov and they went on to the Pitstop, coming in fifth.

Amanda and Kris sped through their wood stacking, so they might still be alive. They thought that Jen and Kisha or Christie and Jodi U-turned them, thinking that Margie and Luke must have felt sorry for them when they saw their picture up. Not so much.

Mel and Mike came in 6th. Amanda and Kris figure out Chekhov and were off to see if they could get to the Pitstop.

Mark and Michael didn't have enough money to pay their cabbie (how does that even happen), and the poor man accepted less than he wanted to charge. They came in 7th. (I always wonder if producers step in the help out stiffed cabbies and the like).

And, Amanda and Kris are eliminated. I understand why Margie and Luke U-turned them, but I am sad, because they seemed like a good couple, who never got upset at one another, and worked very well together. I can appreciate that.

Next week looks like a lot of skin in the frozen North of Siberia. Ought to be fun.

Who are you rooting for? I'm still liking Margie and Luke and Jamie and Cara, U-turn and all.