Hi. I'm Sorry. I'm in a Race.
Our final 3 teams:
Brook & Claire - got a watermelon in the face the first leg but kept their sense of humour and style throughout, even surviving the first ever double U-Turn
Jill & Thomas - won an Express Pass on the first leg and used it to remain in the race in Sweden. They have been strong and strategic throughout.
Nat &Kat - have run the race with precision and overcome obstacles - Kat's vegetarianism when having to eat a goat's head and Nat's diabetes - to take their place in the final 3.
The teams start out this leg from Seoul, South Korea which was the 11th Pit Stop in this race around the world.
-Jill & Thomas are the first to depart at 3:57am - they get the clue to fly to their final destination city, Los Angeles, California. Once there, they must make their way to the Port of Long Beach, Pier J - to get their next clue. They get a taxi to the airport.
-Brook & Claire head out at 4:23am - Brook says they are the best under pressure - they just need to stay focused and be more hungry than Thomas... And I'm starving.
-Nat & Kat - last to leave at 4:27am - They are happy to be heading to LA - they met while at UCLA - they both lived there for 4 years.
-All the teams get to the airport and camp out in front of the Korean Air counter - no drama. They'll all be on the same flight.
-They land in LA and they're all running off the plane. Nat & Kat are the first out of the airport, followed closely by Jill & Thomas, with Brook & Clare coming up the rear.
-At Pier J - Nat sees lots of cranes and platforms and she's hoping they don't have to go up on the cranes...too bad for her - it's a bungee swing off the top of the crane. Kat is trying to talk down her panic already... deep breaths... (Oh boy.)
-Jill & Thomas arrive and she gulps at the thought of jumping off those things too.
-Brook & Clare - Brook's not looking forward to the free falling - but she'll just have to deal with it.
They all get their harnesses on and take a tiny elevator to the top - Kat is getting strapped in first and Nat looks like she's ready to bolt...
-All the teams are up on the arm of the crane at different points. Jill & Thomas hope Nat freaks out and can't do it so they can by-pass them (and I hope I win the lottery but it doesn't mean it's gonna happen.)
-Looks like all the teams are going to do this at the different points on the crane, virtually at the same time- just slightly staggered based on their arrival.
-Nat & Kat go over and swing down under the arm - Nat screams, "I'm still alive!" They are lowered to a dingy below and she's proud she didn't even pee her pants. When they get back on solid dock Nat almost kisses the ground - "I've never loved asphalt so much in my life."
-Jill & Thomas go and, yup they did it - nothing much to report there.
-Brook & Clare go and Brook 'about loses her bananas' - (I think dolphins went deaf all over the bay that day - holy, make her stop screaming.)
-On the dock, Nat & Kat get the clue that tells them they're riding a helicopter to a surprise destination. Off they go - still staggered one after the other - up in their own helicopters. They are all blown away with the view of the city from the air and agree that is the way to travel through LA.
-Nat & Kat land in the parking lot of the Rose Bowl and get the next clue - ROADBLOCK - they will have to decorate 3 sections of a float to the Parade Queen's satisfaction to get the next clue.
-Nat is going the task - and she's not very crafty but she's observant and just follows along with the examples people are doing.
- Jill & Thomas made sure he would be available to do the last Roadblock for them assuming they'd need his strength - ends up they could use her strengths in crafts and creativity for this one - but he's gotta do it.
-Brook & Clare read the clue and Brook is in her element - she loves this stuff. She's been on a few floats in her time (why does that not surprise me?) "These are my people."
-Nat thought she was finished but she didn't prep the roses correctly - she had to add wires to them - but she does it and is still finished before the other 2. She gets the next clue which literally is a set of 3 clues they have to solve to figure out their next destination:
1) I am Sancho Panza's master.
2) I am the place to hear The Symphony in the Glen.
3) Monroe's year of the itch.
-Nat & Kat go to the taxis (there is a bank of about 5 taxis there) and start asking if anyone has an iPhone or if they know Sancho Panza's master ... seems none of these cabbies speak English as their first language (set up?) They decide to try and call information and hop in a cab where they can use the drivers phone.
-Thomas finishes and they jump in the first cab - they ask if he can call someone with the Internet - their driver doesn't seem to understand what they're asking him to do. They are demanding and obnoxious and not getting any help from the driver. Thomas gets on the phone, maybe to dispatch, and they hang up on him. "Do you know what the Internet is?" No.
-Nat's called information and has been able to talk the woman into looking up the answers for her on the Internet - they find out Sancho Panza is a character in Don Quixote... that is the studio they need...
-Brook & Clare are done now and ask their cab driver to take them to a hotel where they can use the Internet (was that so hard - Jill & Thomas?)
-And speaking of... Jill & Thomas' driver is now on the phone, not speaking English and ignoring them as they beg to use his phone again.... he's just driving. (Uh oh, that doesn't bode well.)
-Nat has now found out the 2nd clue is for Griffith's Park and they knew Monroe's itch refers to the Seven Year Itch. They head to Quixote's studio at Griffith's Park, Stage 7 - and they are the first team there and get the clue. GAME SHOW (sort of) - they have to head inside the studio where there is a large screen with many pictures of people in hats flashing by on it. They must select the 11 greeters that met them at each Pit Stop with Phil, put them in order of the legs on the controller pad (which looks like an iPad - this leg brought to you by Apple) and once correct - Bob Eubanks (from the original Newlywed Game) will give them their next clue.
-Nat & Kat get going right away (and Bob Eubanks has had a LOT of plastic surgery.) They get the first one easily enough but there is some insecurity about the Ghanaian greeters.
-At the hotel - Brook & Clare (with the help of a concierge(?)) figure out it's Quixote studios at Griffiths Park, stage 7 - they head back out to their cab. Brook thinks that was too easy (tell that to Jill & Thomas.)
-Who are still being driven aimlessly - "We gotta get out of this cab"... It's like they've been shanghaied. They finally get him to pull over and run into some random business - demand to use their Internet... (you catch more flies with honey, you know.) They get blank stares and no help.
-Nat & Kat had written down all the legs of the race so they pull out their notebooks so they knew the order of the legs and just had to try and find people they recognized.
-Jill & Thomas still scrambling around - no one has the Internet... or is willing to help them. They head back to their cab and Thomas is all flustered - they seem to be totally falling apart (okay, I don't really like this team, but I do kinda feel bad for them - Someone give them the Heimlich, they're choking! Hahaha.)
-Brook & Clare are on their way to the studio and don't have any idea where they stand at this point... could be first or last.
-Nat & Kat are still working at finding people they recognize from the legs and they finally get them all right - Bob Eubanks cheesily presents them with the clue (and he gets hugs and kisses in the process.) They get the clue to the Finish Line - Greystone Mansion.
-Brook & Clare get to the studio and start having kittens when they see Bob Eubanks (Oh, TV people, cheesy dramatics all around.) They get started trying to find the greeters and seem to have a better memory for faces than the Doctors did.
-Nat & Kat are stuck in traffic and freaking that someone could totally pass them while they're stuck in the back of that cab.
-Brook & Clare finish quickly and head out for the Mansion - you can tell this is the big one cause they didn't kiss Bob Eubanks (come on, that would have taken the kiss tally to 10.)
-Jill & Thomas are still nowhere - Thomas found it ironic they had the biggest language barrier with their cab driver right there in the States. Jill, "This has screwed us." (She does have a gift for the obvious.)
And Here's How They Finished:
1) Nat & Kat - **WINNERS!** They made history as the first all-female team to win the Amazing Race!
-They have totally bonded on the Race and, besides being the first estrogen rich winning team, Nat also proved to diabetics everywhere that they can be as active as want to be.
2) Brook & Clare - They literally laughed their way around the world. Brook says there is the idea that being a strong woman either means you're a grumpy boots or a gnarly chick - no - you can be feminine and still be a strong woman. (Was that really what she thinks she proved? Kudos for them for the great finish but I think the view of strong women has been much broader than that for a long time now.)
3) Jill & Thomas - Humbly come in last - Phil says they were so consistent... until today. Thomas is surprisingly philosophical, saying things just didn't go their way today. She seems to be taking it much harder than he is - crying - (she was a competitive little thing.) He says he wouldn't have done the race with anyone else and he's very proud. (Aw.)
OUR POOL WINNERS:
Katie L
Kelvin H
Brittany & Sarah R
Gary M
Drew C.
And they showed us a sneak peak at next season - it's an All-Star Do-Over... favourite teams from past seasons that didn't finish when they raced before:
The Goth Duo, Mike White and his dad, Gary & Mallory, The Globetrotters, Brook & Clare, The detectives (Louis and Michael), the Asberger's guy & his buddy (who lost his passport), Michael & Kevin (from this race, father & son), The poker girls, The deaf guy & his mom, Team Glee and the beloved Cowboys, Jet & Cord.... they showed all these teams & more - how many will there be? Holy!
The next season starts Feb 20th - so I guess I'll have to get the next pool going after the New Year.
It's been a good one. Thanks for all you're support everyone.
Have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Coleen
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