TAR: Elephant Squatting

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Amazing Race
Gorilla? Gorilla?? Gorilla???

I have picked the team that I hate! It isn’t really the entire team that I hate, but I’m sorry Cara, you are on a team with Jamie. She is horrible. I have seen it slowly creeping up, but she was in full-on haughty, condescending bitch mode in this episode. Ick! Beyond Jamie and her shriekiness, I did love this episode since the teams finally quit reading directions! It is always more fun when they make mistakes from being exhausted and compltely fail at reading comprehension. I know the race makes it happen due to non stop racing without much rest time, but I still find it entertaining.  Am I mean? Maybe. What is the most important thing in this episode and recap? It really is that elephant squatting over someone up above. How messed up is that?

Order teams left the pit stop:

  1. Tammy & Victor – 10:21 am
  2. Mel & Mike – 10:50 am
  3. Kisha & Jen – 11:02 am
  4. Margie & Luke – 11:03 am
  5. Jamie & Cara – 11:04 am
  6. Mark & Michael – 11:11 am

Clue: Teams had to fly to Phuket, Thailand and find a gorilla statue included in the clue. The statue was at the Phuket Zoo, but that information was not included in the clue.

Tammy talked about going to Thailand once years ago with her parents, but they wouldn’t let her go to the beach or talk to anyone. She also had to stay with her parents at all time. She was hoping to have a lot more fun this round. Mike said that they wanted to go far in the race, but they didn’t want to not enjoy themselves while they were racing. Mike asked his dad in the car if he knew any Thai. Mel said, “Mai Tai…..That wasn’t funny.” Mike agreed. Haha! Jen said that her only focus was Kisha and she hoped that she was Kisha’s only focus. I wonder how long before they start worrying about what the other teams are doing. Luke was excited about going to Thailand. Margie said that sometimes her arms get tired from talking, but she wouldn’t change it for anything in the world. Jamie said she was tired of foreign languages and all the noise. She wanted to get out of India where it was nonstop honking. Ah, she’s lovely. The brothers left with Mark saying that Phuket was known for diving so he knew they would be alright there. What if there was no diving task?

Even though all teams but the cheerleaders went to the travel agency, while the cheerleaders went to straight to the airport, everyone got on the same flight to Phuket. No drama!

Phuket, Thailand

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The teams arrived in Phuket 14 hours later at 8:50 am. Everyone got into the cabs except Mike & Mel who apparently could not find the elusive cab or maybe the other teams took the last of them. We got to learn that once again Jamie is an Ugly American who talks to taxi drivers in a condescending tone. We also got to learn that “bandit” means “teacher” in Thai since Tammy & Victor’s cab driver was named Mr. Bandit. Tammy found this beyond cool.

Mike & Mel finally found a cab. Their driver said the gorilla was at Patong Beach. Uh-oh! No idea where the other teams were headed though. I soon found out when the stuntmen, who were in the lead, finally asked their driver if he knew where the gorilla statue was located. He didn’t know. Where had he been driving then? Shouldn’t they figure that out before they leave? I don’t understand! They decided to stop and ask someone.  The other teams saw them get out so they decided to do the same. All the teams were running around asking locals where the gorilla was located. Mike & Mel passed by them thinking they were all lost. A local told the stuntmen that the gorilla was at the zoo. Tammy & Victor got the same information. The cheerleaders heard that information so they were going to the zoo too. Mike & Mel noticed the teams getting back into their cabs and head in a different direction. They decided to not follow them. The sisters and Margie & Luke got the zoo clue too.

Phuket Zoo

The stuntmen, cheerleaders and sisters arrived at the same time. They were running around like crazy looking for the statue. The cheerleaders found the clue first.

Clue: Teams had to take a picture with a tiger. Then they had to take part in a Thai performance where elephants would walk and squat over them. Oh yeah, I said squat. WAT! After that, they would head back to the tiger keeper to get their photo and next clue.

The cheerleaders went off looking for the tiger. The stuntmen found the clue next and went off searching for the tiger by yelling “Tiger! Tiger!” I guess they were waiting for it to answer back. The sisters were the third ones with the clue. Mike & Mel were wondering if they should ask someone if the statue was really on the beach since no other teams were around. Back at the zoo, yelling “Tiger!” worked! The stuntmen got there first! They were sitting down next to the tiger, each with their hand on it. They noticed the tiger handler only had one arm. Oh wow! The cheerleaders and sisters caught up to them. The brothers asked them to be quiet so they wouldn’t startle the tiger. The stuntmen finished and went searching for the elephants, yelling “Elephants!”

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Tammy & Victor and Margie & Luke arrived at the zoo next. While they were running to the tigers, the stuntmen were running past them to the elephants. Mike & Mel were at the beach asking the driver if he was sure the gorilla statue was somewhere there. The stuntmen got into the elephant area and laid down on some mats. The elephant came and put his big foot on Mark’s butt. Then he went over to Michael and squatted down on him. Then they were done. That was weird! They ran back to the tigers. The cheerleaders and sisters were done with the elephant show by the time the brothers were picking up the next clue.

Clue: Teams had to make their way to Old Phuket Town. Once there, they had to find Nguan Choon Tong Herbs shop and retrieve a clue from one of the 99 herb drawers.

While the brothers were headed off to Old Phuket Town, Mike & Mel finally got out of their cab and asked some locals about the gorilla picture. One local said it was the zoo and Mike & Mel said, “No, no, no, no. It’s here.” Oh no it isn’t! Tammy & Victor  and Margie & Luke finished with the elephants. The cheerleaders got the next clue and were off in second place followed closely by the sisters. Kisha said she had a picture taken with a tiger and she didn’t pee on herself. She was so pleased. The last two teams left the zoo as Mike & Mel were confused about where the gorilla could be located. They finally listened to a local person tell them it was at the zoo. They headed to the zoo.

Old Phuket Town

On the way to the herb shop, the cheerleaders came up with names for the stuntmen brothers. They decided since they were short, talked a lot, and were very animated like a cartoon character, they were the Tweedles. No comment. The cheerleaders and the stuntmen arrived at the herb shop first. They had to shout out numbers for the shop owner to open the corresponding drawer to see if there was a clue inside. Jamie became very frustrated by the guy having to open the drawers for her. She was screaming at him and I so wanted to punch her in the throat. She makes me violent. Back at the zoo, Mike & Mel finally arrived to find the gorilla statue! They took their picture with the tiger while Jamie was still screaming at the herb shop owner. The sisters finally arrived to join in on the rotation of drawers being opened. The stuntmen found the first drawer with a clue. They left, which frustrated the cheerleaders. Good! The brothers found the next clue to be a detour.

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Detour: Teams had to choose between two forms of physical labor that were well known to the residents of Phuket. In 100 Barrels, teams made their way to a fishing boat to prepare it for 10 days at sea. They would have to fill 47 barrels with drinking water and move 53 fish barrels from the bottom deck to the roof. In 2 Miles, teams had to make their way to a temple and choose a rickshaw. While one team member sat in the rickshaw, the other team member would pull them for two miles to a park. Pumps were provided to inflat the tires that were partially flat.

The brothers chose the rickshaw detour. Mike & Mel finished up at the elephants. Guess what Jamie was doing? Still screaming at the poor shop owner! So glad karma was not sharing a clue with  them. Mike & Mel got their clue and were off to Old Phuket Town. Tammy & Victor arrived at the herb shop. Margie & Luke showed up too. Everyone was taking turns asking for a drawer. The only person yelling at the shop owner was Jamie.  The sisters got a drawer with a clue! This did not make Jamie happy. The sisters decided to do the barrel detour. When it was Margie & Luke’s turn, she was about to say a number, but Luke was pointing elsewhere. She said nevermind to her number and they went with his pick. It was good since it had a clue! Margie & Luke picked the barrel detour. It was only the cheerleaders and siblings in the herb shop. Jamie told Tammy & Victor to just pick a number so they could hurry to their turn. Victor studied his list of numbers that were already called out and picked a drawer. It was one with a clue! They decided on the rickshaw. After being the first ones in the herb shop to the last one (minus Mike & Mel), Jamie started to yell, “Sir! Sir! Sir!” so he would turn around and pay attention to her. I half wished he would just get up and leave the store.

While driving to the herb shop, Mike said that he liked everyone on the race, except Jamie. He thought she was a mean girl. He has that one right! Before Mike & Mel arrived, the cheerleaders finally got the right drawer and picked the barrel task. The stuntmen got to the rickshaws. They pumped up their tire with air. Then Mark thought he would trick the other teams by putting all the pumps back into a box. What if no one else chose that detour? Then Mark got into the rickshaw, Mike put a hat on to pull it, and while making a comment in a non-PC Asian accent, they headed off down the road. Mike & Mel arrived at the herb shop. While they were going through drawers, they were having fun. The shop owner seemed to be enjoying himself too. His wife was even smiling! She possibly was no longer thinking mean thoughts about red headed cheerleaders.

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Margie & Luke and the sisters arrived to a lot of smelly fish. The cheerleaders showed up after them. They couldn’t find where they were supposed to go. The cheerleaders asked the driver if he knew where the other detour was located. He did, so they informed Margie & Luke to follow them. The sisters were back in their cab, but they were still looking for the boat. The brothers were trying to figure out where to go. They found their cab and asked him. They said they would have had to pay the cab to follow them or meet them where they were going so they might has well have the cab lead them there. Tammy & Victor arrived at the rickshaw. They asked the cab driver where the park was where they had to go. He said they could follow him. Victor said it wasn’t allowed. Oh really? Were the brothers going to get a penatly for not following the rules? The cab driver drew Victor and Tammy a map to the park. I guess the stuntmen’s idea worked since they didn’t notice one of their tires was flat and took off a little bit lopsided.

Mike & Mel were still at the herb shop looking for the clue. They finally got it. They decided to do the barrels. The brothers decided they were tired so they switched. Victor was getting tired and commenting that his sister was a little heavy. Oh boy! The cheerleaders arrived at the rickshaw. They told their taxi to meet them at the park. Then they got into the rickshaw, didn’t notice the flat, and then realized they didn’t know how to get to the park. Brains! Who needs them? Jamie found some guy to yell at when he didn’t understand what she was saying and gave up. She went off in some direction to find someone who knew where the park was located. Margie & Luke arrived and took off in the rickshaw. The brothers arrived at the park and got the next clue.

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Clue: Teams had to walk, run or hire to the next pit stop –Wat Thep Nimit Temple.

The brothers went to go try to bargain with their cab driver. The brothers asked their taxi driver where it was located and got right in. Were they supposed to do that? The sisters finally arrived where they were supposed to and got on the marked boat. They decided to pass up the barrels to the top of the deck first. Jen was on top and Kisha was passing them on up. Mike & Mel were still driving trying to find the boat to do the detour.

Pit Stop

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The brothers arrived at the pit stop and found Phil. They came in first place and were thrilled! When they were done jumping around, Phil had bad news for them! Phil told them they had been very, very bad! He said they had incurred two 30-minute penalties. First, they had tampered with the pumps by hiding them. Then they had hired a taxi driver to direct them through the rickshaw detour when the clue said they could not do that. Way to go!  He said they had to  wait out the two penalties before they were checked in.

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After the brothers had waited for ten minutes, Tammy & Victor were shown pulling the rickshaw. Tammy was asking to switch since Victor seemed so tired. He said he could keep doing it but he would walk. Tammy told him she was fine with him walking the rest of the way. The cheerleaders were asking someone which way to go and made a left. Margie & Luke didn’t know where they were going exactly either so they stopped to ask someone. They got directions and off they went. The sisters were still passing up barrels. They had 48 barrels passed up before Kisha noticed that a hose with drinking water was running the entire time. She said she could have been filling up barrels while they were passing up barrels. She started up on that. Mike & Mel arrived at the boat place. The sisters asked Mike & Mel who was behind them. Mike said, “Nobody, I’m sure.” Kisha was filling up barrels since they were done putting them up on the top. Mel was up top asking Mike to pass them on up to him. Mike asked if they could do both tasks at the same time. Mel said the clue didn’t say they couldn’t so Mike started filling up water barrels and then started passing them up to Mel. Kisha really wished she had noticed that before.

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The brothers had waited 30 minutes while no one else had finished up the detour. Victor was still running. Jamie and Cara were switching. Victor saw the park. Jamie and Cara switched again. Victor saw the marked path and they dropped the rickshaw to run to the clue box. Should they have done that? The cheerleaders arrived at the park. They seemed to be running up with the rickshaw to the clue box. Margie was having trouble trying to get Luke’s attention so she finally got it and switched so she was running. Kisha and Jen were still filling water barrels. Mel was telling Mike to carry two barrels at a time. While running to the cluebox, Tammy asked if they should have brought the rickshaw. Victor said the clue said to take it to the main gate, not to the clue box. Or did it? We shall soon find out!

Well, we found out sooner than I expected! They ran into a sign that said to drop the rickshaw off there. They had to run back to get it. Doh! The cheerleaders got to the box before Victor and Tammy. The cheerleaders saw the siblings running back to the rickshaw so they were thrilled that they knew where they were in the race. The siblings got the clue and found their taxi cab to go to the pit stop. The cheerleaders found their cab and went off to the pit stop.

How much time did that take up for the brothers? They had 12 minutes left of their penalty with the cheerleaders and siblings headed their way. The sisters had six barrels left to fill with water. Mel informed Mike they had 25 barrels up top of the boat. Margie & Luke got to the clue box, found their taxi, and Margie started talking about feeling like she was going to pass out. The brothers had four minutes left in their penalty when Tammy & Victor arrived at the pit stop.  Phil informed them they were the second team to arrive but because the stuntmen can’t read much better than Victor, they got to check in first. They won a trip to Oahu, Hawaii. The cheerleaders checked in second place. Then the brothers finally got over their penalty and got to check into the mat in third place.

Margie & Luke checked in soon after the brothers were finally checked in. Margie didn’t seem to care anymore. She just kept saying she needed water and her fingers were frozen. Phil said they were in fourth place and then Margie fainted from heat exhaustion. The crew dragged her to the shade, started fanning her and pouring water down her head and back. Phil told her they brought her an ambulance, but Margie said she felt much better and was fine. Then she said she was embarassed.  Poor Margie.

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Back on the boat, Kisha and Jen were filling up their last barrel. Mike & Mel needed only 10 more barrels up top. The sisters got their last clue and headed off to the pit stop. The sisters arrived at a temple that looked like the pit stop, but they couldn’t find the way in. They found a bunch of Thai monks that talked to them really quickly. They seemed to be at the wrong place. Mike & Mel got the last clue and took off to the pit stop. The sisters found another taxi driver to take them to the right place. The two teams were in cabs going to the pit stop, but who would arrive first? It turned out to be the sisters in fifth place.  That left Mike & Mel to come in last place. They were eliminated from the race.

Order teams checked in at the pit stop:

  1. Tammy & Victor
  2. Jamie & Cara
  3. Mark & Michael
  4. Margie & Luke
  5. Kisha & Jen
  6. Mike & Mel

Questions

  1. Were you sad to see Mike & Mel go?
  2. Was there another team you would have rather seen go home?
  3. Were you surprised that Mark & Mike got a penalty for messing with the bike pumps?
  4. Does anyone else hate Jamie like me?
  5. Can you wait two weeks for the next episode?
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