THE AMAZING RACE – 9/25/11

So let’s get on to the first challenge: A ton of those types of umbrellas usually sitting in mixed drinks with letters written on them are stacked up. The couples needed to find the letters TAI on one of them. I found it interesting that there was no immediate elimination here. I actually missed that. I just loved the concept that people would have to jump through 6000 hoops to get on the show; probably began by filling out a 400 page application, underwent physical and mental evaluations, had to swindle all this time off of work (or even quit their jobs) just to get eliminated in the first 3 minutes of episode one. And how many were probably applying for the 19th time on top of all of that? I miss the tragedy of it all. But apparently CBS has a heart this season and just had a penalty in mind for the last place team.

So somehow the two Olympic weirdoes found the right umbrella fairly quickly and are next shown asking a random person at a gas station where the “L.A. airport” is. Uh, you mean L.A.X.? I’m probably as far east across the U.S. as possible from L.A. and still probably knew that in fifth grade. And I love how the gas station guy looked at them like they were nuts over it. Or it could’ve been their intense style: Andy’s wearing a freaking skinny sweatband around his head like Prefontaine and a really classy stinky-looking wife beater and his partner Tommy looks like Opie trying to wear some big gang banger type hat. Just so you know, I totally hate those kind of hats too, especially on these goofy skater types. Skater/snowboarder, whatever. Looks good on guys that play in the NBA, not on you geek.

Anyway there apparently IS a God, because my brainiac showgirls came in dead last. Guess we’re not seeing those brains yet, huh? Their Einstein-like behavior continues when—rut roh!—someone drove off without her passport. Gotta love that one camera guy standing there thinking “hey you friggin’ idiot you dropped your passport!” And yet says nothing. Ah, at least she realized it was missing on the way to the airport. So not only did this smart duo get the Hazard penalty for not being able to distinguish between the letters T and I, they have also now managed to lose a passport before even getting to the very first airport in the Race. So they head back to the gas station where we all know they dropped it but…nothing. I’m almost giddy that they will undoubtedly cat fight like crazy for us and then ultimately get eliminated because they can’t leave L.A. Another dumb move (I thought) when they figured to just head to the airport and see if another team had their passport. Uh, why would they? These two seem to have realized they lost it at the gas station…she mentioned the gas station as if she recalled pulling the passport out in the car before getting there…stands to reason it was probably on your lap, you got out, it fell, right? So then what are the chances another team member picked it up at some random gas station? Duh. Ultimately worked out but I still thought this was strange logic. I guess what else were they supposed to do though. Start pumping gas?

So the showgirls finally get to the airport and rush the counter. Was it me or did it seem like they were already in Taiwan? Two Asian ladies behind the counter who looked at them like they had requested the next flight to the moon when asked if anyone had turned in a lost passport. Just did not seem to be any recognition in the words they were saying. Anyway, nope, passport not there…let the bickering, blame and name calling begin…I was ready to just sit back and let these chicks implode before my very eyes, watching the plane take off without them. So I was seriously upset when I realized that somehow the passport turned up at the airport. The gas station guys apparently recognized it was the Amazing Race and drove it to the airport after some tweets. Damn Twitter. Seriously, these two chicks were lucky those gas station guys drove two hours just to be on camera for two seconds. Those girls would’ve been DOA otherwise. Almost seemed like a set up by CBS to ensure no one was eliminated so soon, but who knows….

Next pan is over to Jenna and Ethan. They have this brilliant idea of not telling anyone that they were on Survivor. Uh, Ethan I haven’t watched Survivor since you won it and I still know who you are and that was like ten years ago. I think you were on the show again after that so no doubt at least one person in this group is going to know who you are too. And I’m assuming they know Jenna who also won and was on there twice. It’s not like Survivor is some obscure show or something …and he’s been all over the media with his struggle with cancer….just kind of stupid thinking to me. As expected, someone realized who he was within minutes.