Plunging ahead and walking with the lions

Buenos Aires, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Season 27, Episode 6 preview

Yikes. When this blog last blogged we were about to settle down with our popcorn and a beverage to watch Episode 4.

Hopes were high for more Amazing Race wisdom from Justin, more strategy from the Texans, more mother/son friction from Denise and James Earl.

Krista flies over the Victoria Falls

And that pretty much happened as the teams flew from Argentina to Zambia where they were welcomed with the traditional spit in the face. Local customs rule on The Amazing Race.

Racers then did a death-defying flight over Victoria Falls in a lawn mower with wings.

That was followed by some croquet on the lawn of what looked like the Masterpiece Theater set. (Really, was that Maggie Smith having a sip of sherry on the veranda?)

Diana and Justin dressed for croquet

All the while there were strategy seasons and overlapping alliances and fussing about when and how the Texans, Josh and Tanner, would use their Express Pass.

In the end they wasted it, getting nada for speeding ahead. 

Cut race-savy Justin for a little color commentary: “When you don’t know the game, you make mistakes.” 

And congrats to Justin for giving all his team’s cash to the Rose of Charity orphanage. For all his bluster, the guy has a heart.

At the pit stop crafty host Phil Keoghan told the racers to keep right on going. It was, alas, one of those “To Be Continued” legs where no one is eliminated and closure is forestalled.

Which is why this blogger didn’t even blog. Take that, Phil.

Chris about to take the plunge

The race picked up for what we'll call Episode 5 with a zip line plunge that repeated the first challenge in the first season of Amazing Race. Enough already with the plunges. I could hardly watch.

Logan of the quarreling paparazzi team of Logan and Chris was able to watch. As her boyfriend Chris, sleepy, cranky Chris, hung suspended over the Zambezi River, she concluded, “Oh good, he didn’t die.” Was there a trace of regret in her voice?

Expect to see more of the bickering paparazzi in the next episode as the Race editors have fallen in love with their sniping.

They also seem to have stepped back a little from another story line, the tension between the Texans and Team Green (Justin and Diana). Each team has declared its respect for the other team. So it goes.

Denise directs James Earl

There should be more camera time for Denise and James Earl, who got lucky and used an Express Pass to finish first in Episode 5. They’re kind of cute, as they always jump up and down when good things happen to them. But, come on, they’re bound to crack and quarrel.

The track stars, Danielle and Jazmine, committed the classic Amazing Race mistake of not reading a clue closely before they walked with the lions. 

Jazmine and Danielle

Yes, this was Africa, so racers had to encounter some lions. Which, of course, was preferable to bumping into Minnesota dentist and lion slayer Walter Palmer, who was left on the editing-room floor after news of what he did to Cecil hit the press. (OK, I made that up, but it could have happened.)

Because of their inattention, the track stars finished last and were eliminated, taking Team Walkworth out of the pool with them.

So we’re down to seven teams. The smart money would say that the paparazzi are the next to go. Also look for the reporters, Kelsey and Joey, to rise in the standings. They’re athletic; they get along; they should do well.

Overheard in Episode 4 and 5:

Justin: They know I’m a student of the game, and I think that scares them.

Logan: Anything high stress, we’re like a box that just opens and things fly out.

Justin: It is full-on game mode, and nobody plays this game better than I do.

Joey: I played a little croquet back in the day.

Cindy: I’m a pro at using a toothbrush; that’s part of my profession

Diana (as Justin is hooked to the zip line): Make sure he’s nice and tight: I’m gong to marry this man.

Logan: We’re our own worst enemy.

Justin: If (the lions) want to eat me, there's nobody that could truly stop them from eating me.

Justin: Second place is the first loser.

Order of finish Episode 4

1. Justin and Diana

2. Josh and Tanner

3. Denise and James Earl

4. Kelsey and Joey

5. Cindy and Rick

6. Chris and Logan

7. Danielle and Jazmine

8. Tiffany and Krista

Order of finish Episode 5

1. Denise and James Earl

2. Justin and Diana

3. Josh and Tanner

4. Joey and Kelsey

5. Krista and Tiffany

6. Chris and Logan

7. Cindy and Rick

8. Danielle and Jazmine (eliminated)