Down, but not out, on Season 36 of the Amazing Race

Amazing Race Season 36

Episodes 1 and 2

By Jim Memmott

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – Imagine you’re in a race and one of the challenges along the way is to stop and face paint your mom.

 

You begin, but she collapses from the heat and there she is, lying on the pavement, a medic having put an ice bag under her neck.

 

Midway in the second episode on CBS – a continuation of the first leg on the same day in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – Danny Butler (right) barely missed a beat when his mom Angie dropped.

 

Bending over her, he kept on painting, all the while coaxing and comforting the prone Angie.  

 

Danny’s an Amazing Race buff, even having staged his own Race when he was 12. No way he was going to be eliminated just because his mother was dying.

 

Or was she? Angie got up, refreshed and restored. They went on to finish sixth in the episode. Goes to show you.

The heat also got to Chris Foster, who was teamed with his daughter, Mary Foster-Cardona (left). Chris, who is 60, ancient by Race standards, had to sit during the race for a while. He hydrated continually. All in all, Chris and Mary were admirable, but doomed. They finished last, and Phil Keoghan sent them on their way. 

In the first episode, the sister/brother duo of Maya and Rohan Mody lost out. Why? Well, they got lost, and, more significantly, their car got locked in K-turn hell.

 

For those of you keeping score at home, a sister/brother team, Alexandra and Sheridan Lichtor, was the first team out in Season 35. Make of this what you will.

 

So how is the season shaping up?

 

It’s telling that the strong teams from Season 36's first episode did well in the second.

Rod and Leticia Gardner (he’s a former NFL footballer; she owns a fitness center) have finished first both times. Dating couple Ricky Rotandi and Cesar Aldreti (a pre-school teacher and a food stylist) have been second both times.

 

But, as is usually the case in the early episodes, the real drama was generated by the teams that struggled, not those that did well.

 

The quarreling cousins, Kishori Turner and Karishma Cordero, chipped away at each other throughout, and in the second episode they were so confused that they went to the second challenge before doing the first.

They were baffled; this viewer was baffled. Too many racers, too many bridges. Hit the rewind.

 

One challenge in Episode 2 was a real head-scratcher. It had something to do with picking the odd-flag-out among about a million overhead flags.

Firefighters Sunny Pulver and Bizzy Smith stayed with it the longest. Other teams tried and then switched to the balloon carry, a much easier task.

 

Twins Anthony and Baily Smith were among

the switchers. They may emerge as Season 36 stars. They’re just two goofy dudes enjoying the trip, maybe even tripping. More power to them.

 

Episode One overheard:

 

Anthony or Bailey Smith: Hills are not our friend.

 

Angie Butler: I thought these horses would be small, but they are gi-normous.

 

Chris Foster: We have a motto in our life, “We’ve been through worse.”

 

Episode Two overheard:

 

Derek Smith: We’ve known each other longer than some of these folks (other racers) have been alive.

 

Rod Garner: Leave it to the rock-paper-scissors gods.

 

Mary Cardona-Foster: Bucket list tagged.

 

Order of Finish Episode One:                         

Rod and Leticia Gardner                                     

Ricky Rotandi and Cesar Aldrete                       

Derek and Shelisa Williams                               Juan Villa and Shane Bilek                                 Michelle and Sean Clark                                    Yvonne Chavez and Melissa Main                      Angie and Danny Butler                                     Anthony and Bailey Smith                                 Bizzy Smith and Sunny Pulver                           Kishori Turner and Karishma Cordero              

Chris Foster and Mary Cardona-Foster           

Amber Craven and Vinny Cagungun                 

Eliminated                                                        

 

Maya and Rohan Mody                                    

 

Order of Finish Episode Two

 

Rod and Leticia

Ricky and Cesar

Derek and Shelesia

Juan and Shane

Yvonne and Melissa

Angie and Danny

Amber and Vinny

Anthony and Bailey

Sunny and Bizzy

Kishori and Karishma

Michelle and Sean

 

Eliminated

Chris and Mary