Episode Recap: Amazing Race 10, Week 13 FINALE

Episode: Say Your Deepest Prayers Ever Original Air Date: December 10, 2006 It's the final leg of the race and Bickering Couple Rob and Kimberly are the first to leave the Pit Stop. They are told to find a church in Barcelona that has been under construction for 124 years (Haven't we all dealt with contractors like that?). Their next clue will be found in the park that is behind the church (Sagrada Familia). The Alabama Single Moms and the Pretty Boys leave shortly thereafter. Rob and Kimberly find the clue first and find out that they are to fly to Paris and go to the Eiffel Tower. The Alabama Single Moms leave before the Pretty Boys, but because they have only two speeds ("slow" and "slower"), the Pretty Boys beat them to the clue and the airport. One of the Pretty Boys tells us that of the three teams left in the race, "We are definitely the strongest physically. No one should doubt us." Of course, you can ignore everything that happened in that last paragraph, because once the racers arrive at the airport, they find out that none of the ticket counters open until 4 am. So the six of them camp out in front of the same ticket counter hoping to book tickets on the first flight to Paris. Only Rob and Kimberly are able to book tickets on the earliest flight, however, giving them over an hour head-start over the other teams, who have to book tickets on the next flight. Pretty Boys Tyler and James are not happy. They get into a heated argument with each other, in their usual Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure style: "This is totally heinous, dude." "Dude, this is totally your fault." "No way, dude." "Dude! Way!" "Nuh-uh, dude." "Dude, I totally told you we should've reserved tickets on the Internet last night." "Nuh-uh, dude." "Dude!" "Dude!" Remember, no one should doubt them. Rob and Kimberly do arrive in France well ahead of the other teams, but it's the Alabama Single Moms who make it to the Eiffel Tower first. Though Lyn and Karlyn booked a flight that left the same time as the Pretty Boy's flight, they chose the flight that arrived at Orly, which is much closer to Paris than Charles de Gaulle, the airport where both of the other teams arrived. So the Single Moms find the Eiffel Tower just ahead of Rob and Kimberly. The teams are then directed to take a train to a smaller airport, where they will perform their next Roadblock. The teams all arrive at the train station in time to catch the exact same train, so you can also ignore everything that has happened in this episode up to this point. The Pretty Boys are the first to find the airport after disembarking from the train, followed by the Single Moms, then Rob and Kimberly. Rob and Kimberly see the Single Moms approaching the clue box, so they make a mad dash for it. Unfortunately, Kimberly can't quite get stopped before reaching the box, and crashes into it, wiping out on her butt. That'll be footage to show the grandkids. The Roadblock (a challenge that only one team member can perform) this time is to tandem sky dive with an instructor on a beach of Normandy. The other team member will get to ride on the plane, which will take a surprise nose-dive just after the skydivers jump. No one left in the race is afraid of heights, so this is one of the most boring Roadblocks to watch this season. But the contestants all seem thrilled to do it. A good time was had by all. Next the teams must travel back to Paris. All of the teams book tickets on the same train leaving at 5:23. Since that is several minutes away, Rob and Kimberly decide to take a walk over to the post office to exchange their Dollars for Euros. But it just so happens that a train arrives at 5:10 while the Pretty Boys and the Single Moms are standing on the platform. Rob and Kimberly come back to the station to find the other two teams have already left. However, they catch up with the other two teams when it's time to catch the connecting train, once again putting all three teams on the exact same train. So ignore everything up to this point, too. Once in Paris, the teams are to find a certain town square and search for the next clue. Rob and Kimberly are the first to find the clue, which presents them with a Detour (a choice between two tasks). In this Detour, the choices are between "Art" and "Fashion". In "Art", the teams are to find a gallery and carry a certain piece down the street to an artist who will hand them their next clue. In "Fashion", the teams are to find a design studio where they are to pin together a garment after cutting pieces from fabric and following a pattern. Once they finish their garment, they are to present it to the designer, who will hand them their next clue, if she approves of their handiwork. All of the teams choose "Fashion", which is a smart choice only for the Pretty Boys, who happen to be models. The Single Moms and Rob and Kimberly pin together their garments well ahead of the Pretty Boys, who are carefully taking their time. Unlike past local participants in The Amazing Race who seem to understand this is just a TV show and therefore are usually somewhat lenient with the racers, this designer seems to think the garments should be ready for the store window once the contestants are done with them. She rejects the two garments over and over again, with a smug wave of her hand and a simple, dismissive, "No." Maybe she's a perfectionist, or maybe she's just a snooty French woman. Either way, she is one tough customer. Lyn calls her the "Fashion Gestapo". Finally, the Pretty Boys are ready to present their garment for the first time. The designer slowly looks it over, then, without so much as a "nice job, guys", hands the boys their clue. France's tourism board should use this woman for their commercials. The other two teams are eventually able to pin their garments together to the mean designer lady's exacting standards and receive their clues. The teams are next instructed to fly to New York, which is the final city of this race. Rob and Kimberly and the Pretty Boys leave for the international hub Charles de Gaulle Airport, while the Single Moms choose to go back to the closer airport of Orly. Once in Orly, the girls find out that there are no direct flights from there to New York, so they must leave and go to Charles de Gaulle. During the cab ride to the airport, Rob grouses about how skydiving was the one thing he wanted to do on this race, but Kimberly got to do it instead. "I thought you were in this to win a million dollars!" Kimberly snaps at him. "Stop yelling at me!" Rob snaps back. "I don't want to talk to you anymore," Kimberly says, "I am through with you." I don't believe that these two are dating. They are obviously already married. There are two flights leaving for New York the next day. The earlier flight, leaving at 8:25, is fully booked and there is a long waiting list. The Pretty Boys and the Single Moms get on the waiting list for the earlier flight and book tickets for the next flight, which leaves after 9 am. Rob and Kimberly, however, are somehow able to convince the check-in manager to check them in early and guarantee them seats on the 8:25 flight. The next morning, things look grim for the other two teams as Rob and Kimberly board the earlier flight. Suddenly, a ticket agent approaches the Pretty Boys and tells them they may be able to get seats. As the agent does some final checking on her computer, one of the Pretty Boys says, "Say your deepest prayers ever." Apparently he's assuming God likes them a lot better than the other two teams. Doesn't anyone ever think that maybe The Almighty has more important things to worry about than who wins some silly reality TV show? In any event, the Pretty Boys get seats and are able to board the flight. The Single Moms are not so fortunate. This is a good thing, because if all three teams got on the same plane, there would be absolutely no reason to tune into the first 45 minutes of this episode. The girls are keeping their chins up, however. As Karlyn puts it, "I starved so much on this race, I ain't even the fat lady, so I ain't singin'." That should have been the title of this episode, instead of the Pretty Boy quote about prayers. The Pretty Boys and Rob and Kimberly arrive in New York, where they must find the News Building and locate their next clue. The Pretty Boys find a cabby who knows exactly where that is, while Rob and Kimberly find a cabby who's "not exactly sure" of the location. Rob and Kimberly tell their driver to follow the other cab. The Pretty Boys tell their cabby to try to lose the other one. He tries to pull a fast one by starting to exit the freeway, then suddenly pulling back on. The Bickering Couple's cab keeps behind him, though. It's a different story as the cabs approach toll booths. The Pretty Boys' cabby has an EZ Pass so is able to whiz on through. The other cabby is not so equipped, which puts Rob and Kimberly a few minutes behind. The Pretty Boys arrive at the News Building first and locate the clue, which tells them to walk over 30 blocks to the East Village and locate a sculpture. The sculpture is called "The Alamo", but the clue only contains a picture of it, and doesn't give a name. Rob and Kimberly arrive, find the clue, and set out to find the sculpture as well. The Pretty Boys are the first to find it and read their next clue, which tells them to convince a cabby to take them all the way to Garrison, New York (over 50 miles away), and find St. Basil Academy, which is the location of the final Pit Stop. They find a cabby who knows where Garrison is, but will have to ask for specific directions along the way. Rob and Kimberly are not far behind and find a cabby who knows exactly where it is. Along the way, the Pretty Boys' cabby has to stop and ask for directions, but the Bickering Couple's cabby seems to be able to go straight there. A cab pulls up to the Pit Stop. Who is it? Who gets out of the cab? Tension mounts, then... It's the Pretty Boys Tyler and James. The boys race for the mat, where Phil and most of the other contestants are waiting. Phil tells them they've won the race and a million dollars. He even has a Sprint phone available (have to get one last product placement in there) so the boys can call their families to tell them the good news. How nice for them. It couldn't happen to a couple of bigger idiots. Rob and Kimberly arrive shortly thereafter and race for the mat, where Rob declares one last time his undying love for Kimberly. Their relationship was never contingent on them winning the money, he informs Phil. It was all about the love... and the yelling. Later, presumably much later, the Single Moms arrive at the mat. They're just proud to finish the race. I'm just glad it's over.

Episode Recap: Amazing Race 10, Week 12

Episode: Dude, I'm Such a Hot Giant Chick Right Now Original Air Date: December 3, 2006 This episode begins with the teams directed to drive down a treacherous mountain road towards Casablanca, where they'll find their next clue. First the Pretty Boys leave, followed by the Single Moms, then the Bickering Couple, and finally the Doublemint Twins, who must finish this leg at least a half-hour before the last team if they are to avoid elimination. Rob and Kimberly are already off to a great start. Kimberly is riding in the back of their SUV, observing the mountain scenery. She tells Rob, "I don't like that there's so many dogs around here." "Those are goats, Babe." I don't know what it takes to get into the final four in this race, but it sure isn't brains. Pretty Boys James and Tyler are the first to find the clue, which presents them with a "Roadblock" (a task that only one team member may perform). They are instructed to find a certain market, pick up some camel meat, grind it, take it to specific cafe, have it cooked, then eat it. James and Tyler are the first to complete this task. Their next clue tells them to fly to Barcelona. They are followed closely by the Doublemint Twins, who easily go straight from last place to second. The Doublemint Twins didn't have the same difficulty as the other teams finding the market. As soon as they arrived in town, they convinced yet another local man to jump in their car and guide them to their destination. This guy even follows them to the market, then the cafe, and watches them eat the camel meat. Then he agrees to ride with them again and guide them to the airport. One thing I've learned from The Amazing Race is that people in other countries have tons of free time. The Bickering Couple and the Alabama Single Moms are struggling to find the first clue, in spite of seeing both the Pretty Boys and the Doublemint Twins leave the area. Rob decides to adopt the strategy of throwing his hands in the air and yelling, "Can anyone help us?!", as if Moroccans are going to rush to help some crazy white guy yelling in English. The last two teams finally find the clue, then the market and the cafe, which I believe is called McDumar's ("We do camel your way." "Over 1 million infidels served."). Karlyn calls upon her experience as a mother and is easily able to grind the camel meat, which she then rushes to the cafe. Kimberly, on the other hand, is finding the mechanics of a meat grander difficult to grasp. No wonder she finds it complicated - there are no instructions that say, "1) Push meat down. 2) Turn crank handle." As soon as Karlyn receives her camel meat hot off the grill, Lyn starts yelling at her to "hurry up and swallow". Karlyn tries to explain to Lyn that she can't swallow food that is still sizzling, but Lyn keeps yelling at her to "just swallow". Evidently, the scalding of Karlyn's mouth and esophagus is a sacrifice Lyn is willing to make. Still, Karlyn finishes ahead of Kimberly, who is gagging her way through her meal. All four teams eventually make their way to the airport and book tickets to Barcelona. Once again, all of the teams end up on the same flight, making all of the preceding drama completely unnecessary. All four teams then take taxis to their next destination, a huge labyrinth of hedges. Unfortunately, they all arrive after closing time, which means they'll have to wait until the next day. Once again, all preceding drama has been for naught. The next day, everyone arrives at the labyrinth before it opens, but no one has a cabby who is willing to wait for them to finish. The Doublemint Twins, who speak decent Spanish, ask a nearby construction worker to call for a cab to come so that they'll have a ride waiting for them by the time they leave the labyrinth. Rob and Kimberly think that's a pretty good idea, so they get the guy to call them a cab too. "They're always copying us," one of the Doublemint Twins whines, "every time we do something, they have to do it too." The labyrinth opens and everyone races to find the clue inside. All of the teams exit around the same time. The Doublemint Twins and the Bickering Couple take their cabs, which are waiting for them. The Pretty Boys and the Alabama Single Moms are left trying to chase down taxis. The teams' next task is a "Detour" (a choice between two tasks). Their choices this week are "Lug It" or "Lob It". In "Lug It", the racers are to don costumes that look like giant people and march down a specific street until they find a specific female "giant" and receive their next clue. In "Lug It", the racers are supposed to dig their way through a huge mountain of tomatoes until they find a tomato containing their next clue. While they do that, locals will be throwing tomatoes at them. Both of these tasks are related to some Spanish festival that takes place in Barcelona every year. See, this is the kind of stuff people do when they don't have digital cable. Anyway, the Bickering Couple and the Alabama Single Moms choose "Lob It", while the Pretty Boys and the Doublemint Twins choose "Lug It". Bickering Couple Rob and Kimberly are the first to arrive at their challenge and are promptly pelted with tomatoes. This immediately distresses Kimberly, who starts screaming at Rob that they should switch to the other task. Meanwhile, the locals are relentless, seeming to enjoy Kimberly's agony a little too much. Rob finally relents to Kimberly's screeching, and the couple agree to switch to the other task. But they change their minds and go back to the tomates once they find out the next task is 20 kilometers away. In spite of all that, they find the clue, which tells them the location of the Pit Stop, before any of the other teams get to start their challenges. Rob and Kimberly are the first to arrive at the Pit Stop, and are rewarded a trip to a resort in Barbados. When Phil asks Rob how he feels about making it to the final three and being closer to the million dollar prize, Rob starts to cry. He talks about how the money would change his life and enable him to start a family with Kimberly. "I love you so much," he sobs to Kimberly. I'd hate to see how much he would've cried if he had lost. Meanwhile, the other teams have found their challenges. The Alabama Single Moms, who are still griping at each other, don't seem to mind being attacked by tomato-weilding Spaniards. They just keep digging as one tomato after another bounce off of their heads. They actually find their clue before the the other two teams complete their challenge with the costumes. Finally, the three remaining teams are racing for the Pit Stop. All of them seem to be in the general area at around the same time (or maybe that's the way it was edited). First the Single Moms arrive on the mat, then the Pretty Boys, then the Doublemint Twins. Phil tells the blondes they've been eliminated. There is some crying, but even combined they don't shed as many tears as weepy Rob. Next week - the Finale.