Tuesday, April 27, 2010

The Amazing Race 16 -- Episode 10--Shanghaied by the Double Roadblock

Note: April and early May have been extrememly busy what will all the Broadway shows opening just before the Tonys, two bomb scares in Times Square, Lynn Redgrave passing, and attending all the award nominations announcements and events. I wrote this blog on Episode 10 of the Amazing Race 16 weeks ago and thought I would get back to it sooner. Anyway, here it is for all two of you who care and I will catch up with last week's episode and the finale in the next blog.

We are nearing the end of Season 16 of the Amazing Race and it's anyone's game. I like this season because there is no one team dominating the whole time like that brother and sister of two seasons back or that blonde couple last season. The remaining four teams are where they are just as much because of luck as skill. The cowboys seem to have the advantage with four wins, but they have slipped back at times because of not reading the clues carefully. In this sense Carol and Brandy were right when they said Team Such As were stupid for U-turning them because of one off-hand comment about tiaras. (BTW, I think I mixed up Carol and Brandy in the last blog, whoever is the brunette with the short hair is the whiny one, the blonde isn't so bad.) Team Such As should have U-turned the cowboys because they were a bigger threat. The detectives were right to U-turn Joe and Heidi back in France because they were obnoxious AND a threat.

So the playing field is pretty level. Dan and Jordan leave at 4:47 PM--it must be Day 17 because they were in Singapore at Day 16 and they are going to give them at least a full day to rest. I think that 12-hour rest period idea is gone with the wind. The next destination is Shanghai which is at least several hours away. Everyone eats at the MacDonald's at the Singapore airport. I'll bet Brett and Caite picked it out. They are all in Shanghai at 6:10AM of Day 18. This was fun because it's one of the cities I've actually been to. Shanghai was extremely crowded and full of colonial archeticture when I was there in the early 1990s. It was part of a package tour which included Peking, Xian, and Suzhou.I got sick for a day but I was well enough to visit the Shanghai circus.

The four teams endured the first-ever double roadblock episode with Jordan crying like a baby because his noodles wouldn't straighten out properly. Then they raced by to the glamorous Shanghai fashion district for a Project Runway style challenge and a lot of jokes at Jordan's expense. Everyone assumed the gay guy would be able to match the outfits in a breeze, but they all did pretty well. The hang-up was at the football stadium and putting together that puzzle. I know it was a non-elimination because Phil didn't say "You are in the final three for the one million dollars." So the detectives are still in it since they came in way behind everyone else. It was so much better when they took all your posessions and money, that was a real challenge, not just taking some tea to an old guy. I reall want Caite and Brent out but I have a bad feeling the brothers will go. But maybe not. The promo showed Dan having a meltdown because of a slow cab driver, which means it doesn't always turn out the way it appears in the promo. I will have to catch up with episode 11 before the big finale on Mother's day.

Day 17--leave Singapore, flight for Shanghai leaves after midnight.

Day 18--arrive Shanghai, taxi to Zhujiajhao, noodle roadblock, back to Shanghai, fashion challenge, puzzle roadblock at football stadium

Jet and Cord--four wins, Loot: two sailboats, trip to Patagonia, trip to Maui, trip to Alaska
Louie and Michael--three wins, Loot: two Discover Cards worth $5,000 each, two 55-inch HD TVs, trip to Cancun
Dan and Jordan--one win, Loot: two motorbikes
Jeff and Jordan--one win, Loot: trip to Vancouver
Steve and Allie--one win, Loot: $7,000 each, relaxing dinner and massage on the beach and "all the 7-Up they can drink"

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