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| Azerbaijan |
Once there, they immediately went to the Fire Temple in a
suburb of Baku, where they all joined in a conga line with the locals. Then, at sunrise, they picked up a clue that proved to be the decider for the leg, underscoring a constant Amazing Race theme -- Risk taking is punished as often as it's rewarded.
Here's what happened: Rather then go on to the first Road Block, Danny “Fitness” and
Joey (Bob’s team) and Dave and Rachel (Team Showers) decided to attempt a Fast Forward.
Why? The first team to finish the Fast Forward challenge
could go immediately to the Pit Stop, skipping all the challenges.
Why not? If you’re not first, you have to loop back and try
to catch up with the other teams.
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| Rachel and Dave |
Danny and Joey, Long Island natives who seem more urban than rural, vowed that they wouldn't be beaten by a “girl.” They were, Rachel providing most of the muscle for her team.
Thus, Dave and Rachel finished first on the leg, each
winning a 2013 Ford Taurus.
Danny and Joey finished last, Phil telling them that were
eliminated.
Bad move, Phil. In their own way, the guys were almost charming, certainly worthy of a non-elmination. And, for sure, it would have been nice to have them around a little longer, if
only to see Danny again channel his inner Elton John and don his orange eyewear.
The Road Block required one team member to take on his or
her “primal fears” and escape from a submerged and spinning helicopter
fuselage. “I don’t think there should be challenges in which people can die,”
said Dennis Doell, who was watching the race at pool headquarters.
No one died and the teams then had to pick between two
Detours, one involving oil, the other involving apples.
Who knew? Azerbaijan has so much oil that people bathe in it.
Some of the racers took on the challenges of scraping oil off a bather, all of
whom were hairy. Border patrol agents Art and J.J. (Drew and Emily’s team)
seemed especially freaked by the task. “This is so wrong on so many levels,”
J.J. explained.
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| Oil bather |
The other Detour asked racers to find an apple with a flag
in a car full of apples, a classic needle in a haystack test of patience and
luck. Joey and Danny seemed to do well at this challenge, almost, but not
quite, catching up with Jamie and Nary (Mark’s team).
Thus ended a recrimination-free (some might say dull)
episode in which all of the teams were on their best behavior. Rachel of Rachel
and Brandon (Team Bushnell) didn’t cry; Art and J.J. didn’t gloat and Ralph and
Vanessa (Cindy and Jim) put last week’s squabbling behind them.
There was, for the Race, a far amount of mildly blue talk
with references to Vanessa’s “melons” and the oil bathers’ “junk.”
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| Nary and Jamie |
Overheard
Ralph: The last
leg, obviously, we weren’t very nice to each other.
JJ. When that drowning feeling comes on you, it’s
really frightening.
Dave: I think
that’s it; I can smell Phil’s cologne.
Nary: Scrub
somebody? That’s kind of gross.
Rachel Reilly: I don’t think he minds that I’m rubbing him
all over.
Order of finish
1) Rachel and Dave
2) Art and J.J.
3) Bopper and Mark
4) Brendon and Rachel
5) Jamie and Nary
6) Vanessa and Ralph
7) Joey Fitness and Danny
The Race resumes in two weeks. See you then.
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| Joey and Danny |
The Race resumes in two weeks. See you then.
