An Amazing Race cabbie on a drive to nowhere

Amazing Race Season 36 Episode 9

By Jim Memmott

 

Dominican Republic, Puerto Plata

Finally, a cabbie without a clue. 

In this penultimate episode, Amber Craven and Vinny Cagungun found themselves in a taxi with a driver who a) didn’t talk b) didn’t know where he was going and c) didn’t care.

When Vinny would say something, the cabbie would give a slight shake of his head and keep driving. Off to nowhere.

Maybe the driver really was lost; maybe he just didn’t like Vinny. (Can you blame him?) 

Whatever, it was one of those wonderful cabbie-from-hell moments that have been in short supply on the race, as the pandemic left Racers driving themselves.

Amber and Vinny did eventually stop the cab and ask someone for directions. They finished a narrow fourth out of five and survived.

 

Not so lucky were the dating couple Melissa Main and Yvonne Chavez, who finished last and were eliminated, taking Judith Hunter out of the pool.

 

What went wrong? Well, Melissa had trouble in the memory challenge – getting some images on rocks in the right order. And Yvonne lost time in the baseball skills roadblock at Bartolo Colón park. 

(Colón, the former Major League pitcher whose nickname is “Big Sexy,” was there to hand out clues.)

 

As revealed in a postrace story, Yvonne and Melissa were also delayed when one of the crew traveling with them got injured. Not sure why they’re punished for that. It's the second episode in a row where crew problems have slowed Racers. Life isn't fair.

 

The episode set up next week’s finale, four teams going for the top prize. (I assume the event will be split in two, one team being eliminated in the first round, leaving the remaining three to compete for the top prize.)

 

The quartet of survivors is led by this episode’s

winners, boyfriends Ricky Rotandi and Cesar Aldrete. They may be the most dominant team ever to compete in the Amazing Race, as they have six wins and three second-place finishes.

 

Early on, I thought the guys were just lucky, or that they had an advantage because Ricky speaks Spanish. But, good heavens, they’re good. They have to be the favorites to win it all.

 

However, I wouldn’t bet against either married couple Rod and Leticia Gardner (left) or the pilots, Juan Villa and Shane Bilek, who finished second and third, respectively.

 

(Weird moment: Rod, who said he grew up playing baseball, struggled with throwing the ball from second to first. Classic case of the yips.)

 

Not sure I’d put money on Amber and Vinny to finish first, however.

 

It just seems that they’re always about to implode. And he tends to go his own way, never listening to her. This episode found him up in a tree, though, to be fair, it seemed to work.

 

Sweet moment

 

A note at the end of the broadcast revealed that Yvonne and Melissa moved in together after the Race (which was filmed in 2022) and have welcomed their first child, Vivian Rose. Reportedly, this was the first postscript in 36 seasons of the Race.

 

Overheard

 

Melissa: When we race, we’re actually this silent team sliding under the radar.

 

Amber: Where’s your tool?

 

Vinny: I don’t want the tool. The tool is worthless.

 

Juan: The heavens opened, and a beam of light fell down on this fruit.

 

Rod: I can’t throw right. What is happening?

 

Amber: So, the driver has no idea where we’re going. I said that back when we got in the car.

 

Yvonne: We keep calling this our relationship bootcamp.

 

Order of finish

 

Ricky and Cesar

Leticia and Rod

Juan and Shane

Amber and Vinny

 

Eliminated

 

Melissa and Yvonne