The Double Ds are ELIMINATED!
Amazing Race 9, Episode 5
The exhausting schedule is making its mark on teams as tempers flair and emotions became uncontrollable on last nights episode of the Amazing Race. The teams departed from Munich, Germany on their way to Italy. The teams first faced a decision to be physical and carry a church bell or search a bunch of laundry for a marked piece of clothing. Most teams chose the laundry, but it was obvious if you had the physical strength, the bell challenge was faster. Their other challenge was to piece together a statue, but with an unexpected two extra pieces, that really threw some teams off!
BJ and Tyler were second out of the gate. When they arrived, the ticket window was closed, but they thought outside of the box and booked their tickets online and were able to get on the earliest flight. They claim, and I agree, that this twosome does well because of the interactions they have with people. They act like they are friends with everyone they encounter. The hippies are the first to arrive at the Yield, but opt not to yield anyone. They quickly put the statue together, and come in first to the finish. They won a digital imaging package.
Eric and Jeremy were the first to depart at, leaving at 2AM. They begin the race by teaming up with Lake and Michelle. The boys continue their ways by flirting with the ticket ladies, oogling Italian women, and calling the country representative a Holy Hottie upon their arrival. The team almost made a disastrous mistake when they arrived at the airport first, but since the ticket window was not opened yet, chose to play around instead of looking for other ways to get tickets. They missed the opportunity to book online. Fortunately for them, they happened to be at the right window when it did open, and took the chance of going stand-by. It paid off, as they were able to get on the first flight, but then were detoured on their connecting flight. The two flied through the laundry task and the statue assembly and came in a disappointing second to the hippies.
Joseph and Monica continue to be competitors in the game, but I wonder how long it will last. Monica claims people think she is a dumb blond and underestimate her, but she is actually pretty smart and she will use it to her advantage. She makes this big announcement right after totally butchering the name of the town in Italy. Too funny. They seem to be hanging in there, but I don’t see them in the finals amongst the top few teams.
Fran and Berry continue to amaze me. The couple once again, passes over a clue box numerous times before seeing it. You’d think they would start to get the hang of this looking for a clue thing. I cringed when they without a doubt chose Fran to put together the statue “because she is good at putting things together.” Unfortunately, I didn’t see that with the motorcycle fiasco just a few weeks ago. This cute old couple seems to be getting very competitive refusing to provide any assistance to Lake and Michelle plea for help as Fran and Berry ran to the finish. It seems at this point, there is still room for building relationships with over teams, especially if it wasn’t going to hurt their chances. We’ll see if this strategy pays off!
Lake and Michelle arrived quickly at the airport, where they found the frat boys waiting for the ticket window to open. They initially had a great idea to book online, and reached the computers first. Unfortunately, because of Michelle’s inability to book quick enough, and Lake saying “I don’t do the Internet” they were not able to get on the early flight. This team really annoys me. She spends her time playing the dumb woman and stroking his ego. He sucks this up wholeheartedly, basically keeping track of who has done what and proclaiming himself the leader. I can’t imagine how this husband/wife team get by in the in the real world. He is ALWAYS irritated. Michelle feels that they just don’t have any luck, but I am here to tell her that lack of luck is NOT the problem here. The two chose to yield Dani and Danielle to ensure they would make it to next week.
David and Lori had a rough week. We saw, for the first time them getting irritated with one another. They squabble a bit at the laundry challenge, and then at the statue where Lori had a horrible time. Lori had the statue done twice, but because she wasn’t aware there were two extra pieces, she disassembled it. They finished, making it to the Pitstop in 6th place. Upon finishing David broke down, really upset that the two have been arguing. It is testimony to what stress can do to people. I would not be surprised to see them in last place next week.
Ray and Yolanda barely hung in there to come in 7th place. I cannot figure out why Ray and Yolanda are not doing better, aside from their complete lack of navigation skills. The team is athletic (choosing to carry the bell over the laundry), smart, and get along great. It was nice this week, watching the two of them become closer as a couple, and really appreciating what the other has to offer. If this team could figure out how to navigate, they would be a huge threat to the others. I am still rooting for them, but if the trend continues, they will not be there until the end.
Danielle and Dani started this leg of the race by agreeing not to stress out and take it slow and steady. I found it interesting that before the leg had barely begun, they were making excuses as to why they were going to lose- we are only 22, all the other couples have traveled extensively…. The team got behind because they had troubles driving a manual transmission, and then got lost, again. The team got extremely upset when Lake and Michelle yielded them, mocking them. They couldn’t understand why they would do that to them, and took it very personally. Obviously, the yield worked, since it made all the difference in the outcome of this leg of the race. ELIMINATED
So, for next week, I am predicting David and Lori’s adventure will come to an end. They just don’t have the gusto to make it to the end. However, they have each other and that is really all that matters (to them anyway!)
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