The Amazing Race – Amster-damn

This week on The Amazing Race, the teams had to travel from Russia to Amsterdam, and the episode kicked off with some airport craziness. I, for one, wish the Chippendales had just let Trey and Lexi fly to Paris. Gosh, they’re stupid.

Even with a Double U-Turn looming, it was hard to believe that the Beekman Boys would be able to catch up. The big drama seemed to be who would U-Turn Abbie and Ryan, who are seen as the biggest threat.

Team Twinnie spent a decent amount of time arguing with an airport employee about whether they’d be able to make a connection. Making the flight would mean arriving a bit before the other teams, but the connection was very tight. Lucky for them, it worked out and they touched down in Amsterdam first.

Abbie and Ryan had booked two flights, and they did indeed miss the earlier connection. Then the flight they did catch had technical difficulties. That poor team just can’t catch a break.

Herring Today, Gone Tomorrow

Arriving first, Twinnie decided to go for the Fast Forward. They had to board a tour bus/boat hybrid, and eat a bunch of herring in a short amount of time. I can’t remember the details because I was too busy thinking about how quickly I’d be throwing up. Fish + Motion Sickness = Disaster. The girls completed it though, and got to make their way right to the pit stop. Sigh. What will it take for Team Twinnie to get eliminated?

Detour: Back In Time or Organ Grind

In Back In Time, teams would have to do a living art recreation of a Rembrandt painting. In Organ Grind, teams would have to operate an organ and collect 30 Euros of tips. I thought the second option sounded easier, at least for me. Amsterdam isn’t a poor city, so I didn’t think it would be hard to get tips there. But the Chippendales struggled with things, until they turned up the heat and broke out the Chippendale cuffs & collars. It was pretty hilarious – especially since their largest donation came from a grandma.

Because Twinnie took the Fast Forward, the Chippendales were the first to arrive at the Double U-Turn. The plan had been to U-Turn Abbie and Ryan, but the guys had hoped that Team Twinnie or Trey and Lexie would do that dirty work. They never really wanted to, so they were faced with a dilemma. I thought they shouldn’t have U-Turned anyone since they weren’t in danger of getting eliminated, but the Chips did it anyway.

I find it funny that everyone is saying that Abbie and Ryan are the strongest team when they haven’t been doing well for weeks. At this point, the twins or Trey and Lexie are bigger competition.

Switchback: Pole Vaulting

I like the idea of returning to classic challenges. I find the challenges have been lacking in recent TAR seasons, so it makes sense to return to ones that really caused problems for teams. The Chippendales blew through the challenge and arrived at the pit stop in second place. Those guys are slowly starting to grow on me, and if we do end up with a final three of Twinnie/Trey and Lexie/Chippendales, I’ll be rooting for the guys.

U-Turn My Head Right Round, Right Round

Trey and Lexie were thrilled that the Chippendales followed through on the plan, and so they U-Turned the Chippendales to waste the U-Turn for anyone else. That meant Abbie and Ryan would have to perform both Detours, but the Beekman Boys would not. Sly. Very sly. Trey and Lexie finished up the pole vaulting and checked in at the pit stop in third place.

Abbie and Ryan and the Beekman Boys both went for theliving art Detour first, and finished at the same time. When they arrived at the Double U-Turn, Abbie and Ryan knew they were done. There was no way they could get to the pit stop in time to stay in.

As much as I love the Beekman Boys, it’s pretty funny that they’ve been able to stay in the race for so long. They’re really not doing well, and frankly, they’re just not competitive enough to be in this race. I mean, they played fair and square. Abbie and Ryan caught a tough break. There was no reason for the Beekman Boys to go help the only team they were competing against to stay in the race. What did they think the outcome would be?

I have to say, I was torn between rolling my eyes and tearing up when Abbie hugged the stranger that helped them reach the 30 Euro mark during the other Detour. It was sweet, but also weird and hilarious.

Suck It Up!

Come ON. Josh and Brent (especially Josh) need to suck it up and be happy about still being in the race, and Abbie and Ryan need to suck it up and realize it’s a competitive race, and the Chippendales aren’t the worst people on the face of the planet for U-Turning them. It sucks, but a friendship betrayed? It was a race, they’re your competitors not your cousins.

I am sad to see Abbie and Ryan go. I don’t feel like they were eliminated because they screwed up a lot, it was a series of very unfortunate events. With better luck, I think they could have won.

There’s a small part of me that still wants to root for the Beekman Boys, but they don’t really deserve it. I guess I’ll root for the Chippendales now, but I don’t love any of the remaining teams. This season is a bit of a dud. What do you guys think?

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