Amazing Race Recap: "I Hate To Loose"

Normally before an episode of The Amazing Race, Sunday evening is spent in our household relaxing after dinner and gearing down for the end of the weekend. This weekend is Thanksgiving weekend in Canada, and the plan today was for a nice Thanksgiving dinner with my girlfriend’s parents. We were getting the meal ready this afternoon, with a beautiful
five-pound prime rib roast in the oven…when suddenly…BOOOM!

Out of nowhere, the oven door completely exploded, sending thousands of pieces of tempered glass shooting outwards in the kitchen, and into the living room. It sounded like a gunshot, and was pretty terrifying. So, needless to say, Thanksgiving dinner was kaput, and we spent a couple of hours cleaning up glass from every nook and cranny of the lower floor. Thankfully, everyone was ok, but it’s pretty scary to think what could have happened.

So, if tonight’s recap is a little short, or a little “off”, you’ll know why…but I’m going to give it a go, anyways. Back to Ghana we go…

My Random Thoughts:

- I didn’t realize at the end of last week’s episode just how close all of the teams were at the end of that leg. The first two teams were separated by only one minute, and all 9 of the teams were grouped together in a 32-minute window.

- Did you notice the sheer excitement from Brook when she found out that the first task was a boxing task? She was absolutely giddy, nearly begging Claire to let her do it. This girl is a fireplug, huh? I wouldn’t want to be in the ring with her. Men on this Race so far are quickly learning that she’s either going to punch you or kiss you.

- Michael and Kevin declared that they were on the race for the experience, and that it would be “worth more than a million dollars.” Well, I’ve got a newsflash for you, and any other contestants on a reality show…Nothing is worth more than the million dollars! That’s the prize. That’s why you’re competing. If that’s not your motivation, free up a spot for someone who has that as their goal. If you want to tell me “it’s not about the money”, then go sign up for a walkabout or something. It drives me crazy when I hear people say it’s not about the prize.

- I have to give Team Glee credit for learning their cab driver’s name whenever they get a taxi. But the repeated singing has got to stop. I mentioned in my very first post this season that it would get old really fast and it’s there now. If I have to hear them sing “Please Drive Faaaster” next week for the third week in a row, it’s not going to be pretty.

- Did you see the mural outside the Akotoku Academy? It was a painting of a boxer, with the following written underneath: “Motto: I Hate To Loose.” Now, I understand the positive thinking that was intended with the motto, but to have such a bold typo as ‘Lose’ vs ‘Loose’, made the English major in me pray that we weren’t going to have to see similar grammatical/typographical errors in the future, like ‘your vs. you’re’, ‘they’re vs their’, or my new personal favourite ‘would have vs would of’.

- Nat and Kat talked about the benefits of a good cab driver, and the downfalls of a bad cab driver. Did anyone else see this as obvious foreshadowing of major cab troubles with the doctors?

- I liked that for the delivery of the wheelbarrows, if the teams forgot something, they had to take everything back to the supply depot and make another trip instead of just running back to get what they missed. It seemed like half of the teams got something wrong…was it really that hard to follow what was essentially just a grocery list?

- Nick is the Boyfriend of the Year, huh? Which comment was more rude: the fifth-grade reading comment, or the “I don’t care about your sorry”? I guess Vicki knows how to calm his rage in the future…just bring that asthma inhaler out. Was that a magic wand, or a puffer, because it turned Nick’s “Hurry Up!” into “Take your time, sweetheart.” And then, as she’s huffing and puffing after finishing the bicycle parts challenge, he makes her read the next clue, after he’s been sitting then just drinking water and watching?

- On the bicycle parts challenge, Mallory looked for help from above. “Jesus, I need your help,” she prayed. I mention this every season, but I think it needs to be mentioned again. I seriously doubt that whatever God you pray to, is going to drop what he’s doing and help you win a challenge on a reality show.

- Chad dropped this nugget on us: “Around the world, regardless of where you are, children are children.” In related news, green is green, and the number 7 is found after the number 6, and before the number 8.

- At the end of the day, even Nat and Kat’s cab troubles weren’t enough to combat Michael’s fatigue from the heat, and the father-and-son “internet sensations” dropped to last place, but a non-elimination leg saved the day for Team Jumba. We’ll see if this season’s speed bumps are as lame as last season’s, or if they actually make a difference.

Next Week: The Teams head to the arctic for some extreme tobogganing.

Amazing Race Fans, feel free to bookmark the site or add your name as a Follower on the sidebar to the left. You can also add me on Facebook, where I post all of the recaps as soon as they go up. Don’t forget to mouse over the pictures for captions, and please leave a Comment in the Comments section if you’re so inclined.

Thanks for reading.