THE AMAZING RACE SEASON 12 – Episode 10 Summary: · Jan 27, 03:52 PM
Ron & Christina were the first to leave this week. Their clue instructed them to make their way to the Floating Garden, an observatory at the Umeda Sky Building. Unfortunately the building was closed until 10:00 am and they waited while the next two teams showed up.
When the doors opened, the teams hopped into glass elevators and rode to the roof. The next clue was read with Osaka spread out beneath the teams. It told them to travel to Taiwan where they would need to find the Taipei Main Station.
TK & Rachel didn’t leave the Pit Stop until after the other teams had already reached the clue. Despite their determination to have a flawless leg (don’t forget they had a Speed Bump penalty from last week) they had trouble finding the clue box at the Umeda Sky Building.
Meanwhile, at the airport, Ron & Christina were battling it out with Nate & Jen at opposite ends of a ticket counter. Both teams had discovered an early flight that only had a few seats left. Ron & Christina managed to get tickets for the flight first and Christina then asked the agent to tell all other requests that there were no more seats available. The agent agreed and walked over to tell Nate & Jen that the flight was full. Nate & Jen were furious and insisted the agent not do what Christina said. Christina then lied, “I didn’t say anything.”
As in previous shows, this little bit of rotten luck caused Nate & Jen to crumble. They began taking things out on each other and this did not sit well with Jen, who was celebrating her birthday and was determined to make it a happy one. They eventually found a later flight with Nick & Don and anxiously waited with the hope that TK & Rachel would fall further behind.
In Taipei, Ron & Christina got away with a small lead. Nate & Jen and Nick & Don landed second and were completely annoyed to find TK & Rachel arrive while they were waiting in the immigration line. Jen went off again about how TK & Rachel make her absolutely sick. She even went as far as saying, “I wanna rip those dreads out of his head.”
Meanwhile, Ron & Christina were following the next clue which told them to travel by train to a city called Taichung. Once there, they were to take a taxi to the town of Jiji and track down a business called Acrobatics Jeep. They were able to hold their lead by catching a faster train than the trailing three teams.
At Acrobatics Jeep a Road Block was waiting that required one team member to ride as a passenger on a stunt course built for a Jeep. First the Jeep was driven up onto a huge steel teeter-totter. The professional driver moved the vehicle backwards and forwards with expert timing causing the teeter-totter to rock up and down far above the ground. Then the Jeep was driven into a pool of water until it was completely submersed. The racers were given a pair of goggles and told to hold their breath until the Jeep resurfaced on the other side of the pool 17 seconds later.
Ron braved the task for his team. His fear of heights was written all over his face, but he managed to survive the teeter-totter task and the water portion of the obstacle was no problem. The next clue told them to take the train back to Taipei and head to the GK Tea House. They had to order some tea and drink it to the bottom to find their next clue.
Ron & Christina had left the stunt course by the time the second team showed up. Somehow, TK & Rachel beat the other two teams to the task, which enabled them to create a small lead for themselves since only one team could ride in the Jeep at a time. After Rachel finished the ride they were given their Speed Bump task. They were forced to travel a short distance to a grass field which was lined with fireworks. After putting on fire-proof suits they ran down the field through a column of exploding fireworks aimed directly at them. Once they made it to the end, they were drenched with water to put out any lingering embers. Luckily, this task was relatively short and allowed the pair to race off to the train station again.
Nate and Don had already finished the Jeep task and were hoping to once again leave TK & Rachel in the dust. They arrived minutes before a train was to leave, but the ticket agents explained to them that the computer was blocking them from sales since the departure time was so soon. They watched the clock tick away as they waited for the next train and just as they thought they were home free TK & Rachel appeared. Nick & Don handled the news pretty well, but birthday-girl Jen just about lost it.
Meanwhile, Ron & Christina were far in the lead and drinking steaming hot cups of tea. At the bottom of the cup was written a message in Chinese characters. Christina’s language skills came in handy once again. She translated the message and it led them to a busy market place where they would find a clown who was holding their next clue.
A Detour awaited them: Fire or Earth. In Fire, the teams had to travel to a park and participate in a Chinese lantern tradition. After lanterns have a message of luck written on them, a small flame is lit beneath them until the lantern ascends into the sky. Each team had to do this 20 times to receive the next clue. In Earth, the teams had to walk barefoot down a “stress-reducing” path of jagged stones 220 feet long. Once at the end, they had to turn around and walk all the way back where they would receive their clue.
All the teams chose Earth. Ron & Christina finished first and received the final clue. The Pit Stop awaited them at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Plaza. They made it to the Pit Stop without seeing any of the other teams for another victory.
The rest of the teams had translated the message in the cup with the help of locals and were trying to find the best way to the Detour. Jen & Nate took a local’s advice and went by subway and then by bus while the other two teams took taxis. Nate was reluctant to do as the local had instructed and complained loudly on the busy streets of Taipei as they went in search of the bus stop. Jen was more determined to do as the local had said, but finally turned on Nate. “You need to step up and make the decisions right now. You’re the man.” Nate blurted back in his usual manner, “Honestly Jen, I can’t stand you. All you do is freak out!” They boarded the bus and Jen slumped down in a seat saying, “Thanks a lot for ruining my frickin’ birthday.”
TK & Rachel and Nick & Don were finished with the stone path before Nate & Jen even arrived. Nick & Don had trouble finding a taxi to the Pit Stop, but it wasn’t meant to be for Nate & Jen. There might not be anything more disappointing than missing the final three by one spot, but to have it happen on your birthday must have been a real bummer. After Phil eliminated them, they stood in the vast square and shed tears as they talked about what a mistake it was to focus on the race while neglecting their relationship. We like to think that maybe they’re much closer after having run the race, but just don’t know it yet.
(Images are the property of CBS’ The Amazing Race)
— phil
Commenting is closed for this article.
AMAZINGRACERS.COM’S FANTASY GAME - Episode 9 Summary: THE AMAZING RACE SEASON 12 – Episode 11 Summary: