Ready for leg 2 of The Amazing Race, social media edition? Leg 1 was a NEL and I’m still unsure if that has happened before. Some of you commented it was expected due to the different starting points, but I figured they got everyone to a few airports and ensured the arrival time in Mexico City would be close together. Anyhoo, all 11 teams remain.
Since I’d never seen a NEL on leg 1 it got me wondering what season I started watching: season 11/All Stars, (though not to me), which is a lot earlier than I thought. But the first few seasons were in my pre-DVR days so I missed a bunch of episodes.
Because of the NEL, Team Hair (dad Scott and “famous for her hair” Blair) will have to complete a Speed Bump, which historically has taken around 15 minutes. This girl had her dad schlepping a hair dryer and curling iron in his backpack but she tells him to leave them behind. I guess I never thought about that, though most of TAR’s female racetestants had styled hair so I assume they had something.
Last recap I received a request to list the teams up front. Suggestions on nicknames are welcomed. In order of leg 1’s arrival to the mat:
1. The Dancers (Dana & Matt) 7. The Models (Jessica & Brittany)
2. Tyler Seacrest (Tyler & Korey) 8. Blond and Pink (Marty & Hagan)
3. Magic Viner (Zach & Rachel) 9. Team Heartthrob (Sheri & Cole)
4. The Brothers (Darius & Cameron) 10. Team Maroon (Erin & Joslyn)
5. Team Frisbee (Kurt & Brodie) 11. Team Hair (Scott & Blair)
6. Burn Ash (Burnie & Ashley)
The Dancers depart at 1:42 PM and are headed to Cartagena Columbia. This is the first time TAR has raced here and it is a beautiful city with both colonial and modern architecture.
Party in the front, business in the rear
Dana wants to get married but Matt seems to be dragging his heels. Tyler Seacrest leaves a minute later, followed by Magic Viner. Zach was always attached to his phone so new wife Rachel is glad to be without them for a month. The Brothers are smart: Cameron is a Mensa member and they can both solve a Rubik’s cube blindfolded. (How? Seeing the colors is required.) Everyone heads to the airport, the last team at 3:07 PM, so there is a decent gap between the first and last place departures. Some teams must struggle getting to the airport and/or securing flights since the order gets mixed up. Brother Darius takes a selfie with a fan and doesn’t seem to realize he’s in a raaaace. On flight 1, arriving at 8:59 AM, are the Dancers, Tyler Seacrest, Burn Ash and Frisbee. Flight 2 arrives a half hour later with Magic, Models, Heartthrob, Maroon and Hair. Hair snags (heh) the last seats, despite Blond and Pink arriving at the counter first. They are alone on flight 3, arriving at 10:00 AM, a half hour ahead of the Brothers on flight 4.
Roadblock: El Totumo Mud Volcano is filled with 2,000 feet of therapeutic mud and one team member must submerse him or herself in it to find a satchel containing an emerald. Once found they will trek down the volcano on very slippery stairs to have their gem verified, before swimming to the clue box in water that is mostly mud. Frisbee Brodie gets in and out of the volcano just as Dancer Dana gets to the top. Damn. He swims drags himself through the mud with relative ease. Meanwhile, Dana is bringing a light pink gem down for inspection. Um, what? An emerald has to be one of the most recognizable gem (also my birthstone). The Frisbee boys are first to head Manzanillo del Mar.
Seacrest finds an emerald on his first try but drops it on the climb down. Burnie gives us the title quote by telling him he looks like Gollum, searching for the ring.
My Precious
Tyler doesn’t seem upset at his partner when he has to go all the way back up to find another emerald. Ashley is in the mud pit with Dana when she accidentally kicks her in the face!
Kapow!
Ash gets her emerald and swims to the clue while partner Burnie laments how everyone would rather see him in a bathing suit. I’m rooting for these 2, he’s funny and they’re an adorable couple (she looks like Connie Britton). The other flights have landed and get in the mud. Blair doesn’t have a bathing suit, only thongs. Maybe if she didn’t bring so many hair products she would have room for important stuff? Blond and Pink’s flight was delayed 10 minutes, then they get a slow taxi so the Brothers arrive only minutes after they do, and finish before them. Hagan is struggling and I wonder if it’s harder for the later teams without as many emeralds to find?
Manzanillo del Mar is the setting for the Detour: Pop-up or Parrilla. Pop-up requires teams to assemble a shade shack on the beach, which involves digging holes in the wet sand to erect the wood frame, correctly attaching the net, and getting a car with some serious speakers in the trunk to pull into your space for a party. The task seems to favor height and strength, and all of the leading teams take this option. Phil is on the beach to cheer them on – I love when he is in the actual race, commenting on the teams as they run by. The Dancers argue and can’t get their frame up the way they’re supposed to. Tall Seacrest is killing it, and they are first to leave for the Pit Stop: Plaza Bolivar.
The remaining teams struggle with getting the vertical poles lined up correctly to hold the horizontal ones and/or tying the net on properly. The Dancers are still fighting as her chair sinks into the mud. Magic sets their shack up in the wrong spot (read your clue!) and basically starts over. Frisbee finishes. This seems like a physical task that would take longer than Parrilla, where teams have to clean, scale and fry 3 fish dishes.
Tall, strong and can toss a disc
First #ReadYourClue sighting
The cooking looked easier and faster
Maroon is the first to fry some fish, and the challenging aspect of this task is keeping the fish intact and cooking it properly. The pans get quite smoky, though it appears the rice is already cooked. I liked seeing the plantains smashed between 2 boards, I didn’t realize that’s how that yummy side dish was made.
Team Hair arrive on the beach to perform their Speed Bump: What’s the Catch, which requires them to pull a very heavy net out of the sea and grab a few fish. They seems to do it quickly (with assistance from the local fisherman) and head over to fry. Also frying are the Models, who arrived to the detour 2nd but leave just ahead of Maroon.
The Mensas Brothers drive by the designated spot and arrive at the beach sans clue. They head back to town, get the clue, and return to burn their fish and plantains repeatedly. This is not looking good for them. Blond and Pink finally leave the volcano, get their clue, then for some reason ditch their taxi and run to the beach. It’s a tight race between these 2 last teams to finish but Blond finishes first and is running/walking back to their taxi when this happens:
Jump on the back of their taxi!
As Hagan noted, that was the mistake that cost them the race. Why did they decide to hoof it? There were 3 all-girl teams this season, which is 3 more than the dating edition. And while I do love girrrl power, Blond and Pink just weren’t that good. The brothers also acknowledge they made mistakes but are learning with each leg. I hope so.
Mat Order:
1. Tyler Seacrest (win a trip to St. Thomas) 7. The Models (same as last leg)
2. Frisbee 8. Team Heartthrob
3. Burn Ash 9. Team Hair
4. The Dancers 10. The Brothers
5. Team Maroon (always squealing) Philiminated: Blond and Pink
6. Magic Viner
My faves: Burn Ash, Tyler Seacrest, Frisbee and Magic Viner (that was sweet of Rachel to lend Blair spandex to mud swim in).
Are you surprised to see the Brothers falter so much? Are these racetestants being too nice (or is it just too early in the season?) Does anyone NOT know what color an emerald is? What’s more important for a race around the world: a bathing suit or a hair dryer and curling iron? Sound off in the comments below and thanks for reading.
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