Episode Recap: Amazing Race 10, Week 11

Episode: We Just Won't Die, Like Roaches Original Air Date: November 26, 2006 The race is now down to four teams, none of them the least bit likable - Bickering Couple Rob and Kimberly, Pretty Boys Tyler and James, Alabama Single Moms Lyn and Karlyn, and the Doublemint Twins Dustin and Kandice. It's hard to root for any of them, due to a serious deficit in redeemable qualities. Picking a favorite team out of this herd would amount to rooting for the least of four evils. Time may be better spent trying to decide whom to hate the most. My choice - the Doublemint Twins, aka the Evil Barbies. This week the teams have to fly from Kiev to a certain town in Morocco. The Pretty Boys are the first to leave, followed closely by the Doublemint Twins, who are all smiles as usual. It's bad enough that these two are so evil. Do they have to be happy, too? The Doublemint Twins manage to get an earlier flight out of Kiev than any of the other teams, but they take a big chance, since there will be very little time to connect to their second flight. Sure enough, they miss their first connecting flight, but are able to catch another one leaving shortly thereafter. This turns out to have been a stupid risk to take, since all the teams end up on the exact same final connecting flight from Casablanca. Once their flight arrives, the teams are to drive to a certain antique shop for their next clue. The Alabama Moms are the first to find the place since earlier they had done something rarely done by any of the teams this season - they used their brains. They bought a map of the area at one of the airports during one of their layovers. Having studied the map, they were familiar enough with the area to find this particular shop. The other teams wind up having to ask for directions. At one point, a mob of local men appear to form around the Doublemint Twins as they stand outside of their vehicle trying to get directions. The girls are freaked out at first since it is the middle of the night, but it turns out the men are harmless. Apparently it's just a mob of men with too much time on their hands. The Doublemint Twins are the last to arrive at the shop. At the shop, each team is choose one of four good luck amulets, one of which will bring its team good fortune at the Pit Stop. Upon opening the clue, the teams find out that their next destination is Atlas Studios, where movies like The Gladiator were filmed. The teams also find out that a Yield lies ahead. This worries the Doublemint Twins since they are currently in last place. The Alabama Moms get there first, but it doesn't matter since the studio doesn't open for several hours. Hurry up and wait - that's the theme of this show. All of the teams arrive in time to take a snooze in their vehicles while they wait for the studio to open. The gates open at 8am the next morning, and all four teams race to the Yield. The Pretty Boys get to the Yield first, but choose not to yield anyone. Rob and Kimberly get there second and likewise choose not to yield anyone. That leaves the two teams who made no secret of their desires to yield each other. This being a foot race, the Alabama Moms don't stand a chance since they run like, well, girls. The Doublemint Twins run like girls as well, but unlike the Alabama Moms, they run like young girls. Thus, the Doublemint Twins beat the Alabama Moms and choose to use the Yield. The Moms have to wait by the Yield sign until the hour glass runs out of sand. Meanwhile, the rest of the teams arrive at their next challenge, which is a Roadblock (a challenge that only one team member may perform). In this Roadblock, the team member must dress in costume, board a chariot driven by a professional, and grab two flags as their chariot races around the track. The Doublemint Twins finish first. To show her support, Lyn, of the Alabama Moms, flips the Doublemint Twins the finger as she waits by the Yield sign. "Don't do that," Karlyn says, "That's ugly." "Sorry." Rob and Kimberly leave about the same time as the Doublemint Twins. Rob asks the girls if they want to work together to find their next destination, which is a certain cafe. Rob tells us that, "The Blondes are not to be trusted. But we use them at times." Doesn't that mean that Rob and Kimberly aren't to be trusted either? The Alabama Moms finally finish the challenge and all four teams are on the road. Rob and Kimberly, who have somehow managed to choose a defective vehicle on almost every single leg of the race, maintain their streak when their SUV gets a flat tire. Confirming their evil status to the world, the Doublemint Twins could not be happier about the flat tire and don't even try to hide their maniacal glee. In fact, they are the ones who point out to Rob that he has a flat tire, smiling the whole time they tell him. Rob pulls over and unbolts the spare tire but gets frustrated because he can't pull out the jack. I'm not sure, but it looks like his trouble may be that he's trying to pull out the rear shock, not the jack (I might be wrong about that, but that's what it looked like he was pulling when I paused this scene on my DVR). Eventually, they are able to flag down someone to help them. As a result of Rob and Kimberly's misfortune, the Doublemint Twins take the lead. The Pretty Boys soon catch up, however, and both teams arrive at the cafe around the same time. Upon arriving, they find that their next task is a Detour, which is a choice between two tasks. The choice this time is between "Throw It" (making two vases on a spinning wheel), or "Grind It" (grinding then bagging several pounds of olives in a giant grinding mill). All four teams end up choosing Grind It. The Pretty Boys actually started out towards the site for the "Throw It" challenge first, but changed their minds once one them figured out the challenge was to make the vases, not literally to throw them. The Doublemint Twins once again start out in the lead, but end up driving way past their destination before they realize they have to turn around. In the mean time, the rest of the teams arrive at the farm and start grinding olives. This is a problem for the Doublemint Twins, since there are only three grinding mills. They have to wait until one of the other teams finishes. The Pretty Boys finish first and head to the Pit Stop, which is near Marrakesh. The Alabama Moms finish not long after them. The Pretty Boys arrive at the Pit Stop area, jump out of their vehicle and start running down the long desert road towards Phil. They are almost at the mat when they remember they left their good luck charm in the car (they are supposed to have it with them when they get to the Pit Stop). The Alabama Moms arrive as the boys are running back to their vehicle, and start running down the road before the boys even get back to their car. But, once again, the Moms are running like, well, girls. The Pretty Boys are able to get back to their car, retrieve the good luck charm, and easily pass the Alabama Moms on the way to the mat. Because their good luck charm matches that of the local greeter, the boys win a couple of Sprint Treos. It's down to the Bickering Couple and the Doublemint Twins for last place and possible elimination. Both teams seem to be having trouble finding Marrakesh. Of course, Rob's and Kimberly's trouble might have to do with Kimberly mispronouncing "Marrakesh" whenever she asks directions, "Can you tell me how to get to MoROCKish?" But inspite of Kimberly's geographic illiteracy, she and Rob beat the Doublemint Twins to the Pit Stop. The girls finally arrive and find out that they are in last place. But, Phil tells them, this is a non-elimination round! They're saved from elimination! Didn't Phil say earlier in the race that there would only be two elimination rounds this season? Next week - Karlyn gets on Lyn's nerves, locals throw tomatoes at Rob and Kimberly.