The Amazing Race finally kicked into gear tonight with a Fast Forward, a Road Block and a Detour! Nat and Kat started the leg in first place, but after they decided to take the Fast Forward I thought for sure they would be forced to back out and go back to the Road Block. The producers certainly were devious this week luring the teams into a task with the promise of Christmas tradition. We seem to forget that not everyone in the world has the same traditions as we do, so Nat and Kat were a little taken aback when they discovered they had to eat an entire sheep’s head. And of course, Kat is a vegetarian and hasn’t eaten meat for 21 years. They soldiered on, using mind games on themselves by giving the meal different, more tasty names but I don’t think crunching on something from a sheep’s head can ever be the same as crunchy cucumbers. The choice wasn’t in vain though as Nat and Kat remained in first place for this leg. Interestingly, only one other team chose to do the Fast Forward but when Nick and Vicki got there they had no clue what the sign “Fast Forward Taken” meant even though no one was there but them. Makes you wonder how some people can even make it through one normal day.
The real action came as the other teams found themselves at a Road Block that required one team member to rappel from and ascend to a bridge … 130 feet high. Thankfully, Kevin was able to do the task because I think Michael would still be hanging there if he had done it. This was a pretty exciting task because getting to water level to get the clue was the easy part but that ascent was the killer and helped move some teams around. Unfortunately, Michael and Kevin blew their lead by getting lost after the Detour and drove over the Road Block bridge (as did Thomas and Jill), but that was also an awesome move because it led Rachel and Katie to believe they were ahead of the two teams. Psych!
It was a pretty foregone conclusion that Rachel and Katie were done for this week. Not only were they seemingly hours behind the other teams, but they’ve been absent for pretty much the entire season. I barely remember Phil even checking them in each week. I can’t imagine how they’ve felt week after week not seeing themselves, telling people they’re on the show and hardly figuring into the game at all. Well, actually I can because I was an extra on Homicide once and all of my scenes were cut! I feel your pain, Rachel and Katie. The best part of this week, besides Phil sending Morse Code with his eyebrow, is that the pace and the excitement have picked up and hopefully they will be able to keep it up for the rest of the season.
“So this race is our last chance to sleep together, eat together, travel together … and pee together.” Michael bonding a little too much with Kevin
“We know enough about the race that when there’s a little glass of water on the table that it’s a bad sign.” – Nat before the eating challenge
“Going down was awesome. Going up is a bitch.” – Claire during the Road Block
Clacked by Chuck Duncan 
on Oct 25, 2010 @ 08:07 EST5EDT
