Amazing Race - April 11, 2010 Episode Recap

Dumb did us in. (Malaysia/Singapore)

Last night on the Amazing Race teams started out from Malaysia and got the clue they had to travel 400mi by bus and train to Singapore – once there, they must make their way to the Victoria Concert Hall and search for Allan Wu – host of the Amazing Race Asia (cool, I wonder how many other Amazing Races there are?) – to get their next clue.
-The Cowboys are the first out at 10:02am – Cord says he doesn’t think there is a bigger move you can make in this race than from last to first. “Ghostrider is in the saddle again.” They get a cab to the bus station and Cord is sweating (again or still? I don’t think Malaysia’s heat has been his friend.)
-Brandy & Carol are the next to depart at 10:12am (I like to see the times they leave, gives a better idea of how close together they actually were on the last leg.) They read that somewhere along this leg of the race there will be a U-Turn and are excited by that prospect. Brandy says she is so proud of 'us', working beautifully together. Carol wants to take some of the Cowboys mojo and leap-frog into first.
-Detectives head out at 10:31am
-Cowboys are on the first bus out at 10:47am – Think it’s a good omen the bus driver’s hat says Race.
-Brent & Caite are the next out at 10:50am – they are hoping someone will U-Turn the Lesbians (their nemesises.)
-Carol & Brandy get on the second bus out at 11:00am.
-Dan & Jordan are the last out at 11:09am – Say they weren’t going to throw elbows, you see what that got Joe – people like us and that can make or break the race for us.

-Detectives, Brent & Caite and Dan & Jordan all end up on the same bus and are discussing who they’d U-Turn. Detectives say they have to go with the girls because they’re world travelers and a huge threat. Caite says the Lesbians are just mean and they’re (Brent & Caite) 100% going to U-Turn them.
-Jordan & Dan figure they have convinced themselves the Lesbians are a threat because they just don’t like them – (Uh Duh. Who does like them?)

-All the teams are now en route to Kuala Lumpur by bus where they’ll catch the same train at 9:30pm for Singapore. At the train Carol says it doesn’t smell very good – Jordan is horrified at what the disinfectant wipe picks up – Michael is excited to be on a sleeping train and Louie is worried about farting in his sleep (Stay classy.)
-Train is arriving in Singapore and all the teams are standing in the aisle in the car – Carol & Brandy want to push their way through to the next car but no one will move for them – Someone says “Ladies get their way, b*tches don’t.” Carol pulls a face for the camera at that. (But really, what do they expect – oh, of course, we’ll let you in front of us all. Hello?)

-Everyone runs off the train and Caite takes a spill – she’s alright – Detectives get the first cab, Carol & Brandy next, Dan & Jordan (Jordan says – My kind of city, super clean – hmm, little bit of a princess this guy. I hope no one is chewing gum, isn’t that illegal there?) Brent & Caite get a cab which leaves the Cowboys, starting out another leg in last place.

-At the concert hall the Detectives go to the ticket window, no Allan Wu. Carol & Brandy head inside the building right away. Dan & Jordan have read the clue more closely and it says “Look in front of the building” they stay outside and are the first to find Allan Wu sitting outside. They get the clue and there is a Fast Forward available. They decide to go for it, not knowing what they’ll have to do.
-Fast Forward – The Singapore Flyer is the biggest observation wheel in the world. They have to ride up in a capsule to the top of the wheel’s 541ft where it will stop and they’ll have to climb out of their capsule and move along the wheel to the next capsule and climb in it. Once both complete the task they’ll by-pass all other tasks and go to the Pit Stop.

-Detectives, Lesbians and Brent & Caite are inside the concert hall – Allan Wu, where are you?
-Detectives decide to check outside just as the Cowboys get there and they all get their clues about the same time – DETOUR – Pounding the Drum or Pounding the Pavement.
In Pounding the Drum they must make their way to a park known as Speakers Corner and learn a complicated routine on traditional drums. When they think they’re ready they have to perform with the drum troupe to receive their next clue.
In Pounding the Pavement they must make their way to the pedestrian mall, pick up supplies including 10 boxes of ice cream then work an Ice Cream Uncle cart. They must sell 25 ice cream sandwiches which in Singapore is ice cream between wafers or actual bread (gross!) Once they’ve sold all 25 sandwiches the Ice Cream Uncle will give them their next clue.
-Cowboys decide to pound the drums – Jet asks if they should do the Fast Forward but Cord figures they don’t know what the FF is so he’d rather just match the other teams head to head (better the demon you know.) -Detectives also decide to do the drums – they all take off for Speakers Corner.
-Brent & Caite finally decide to look outside – Who’s that guy sitting there? Allan Wu? They get the clue and decide to do the drums – take off quick before the Lesbians can see them – they are still fixated on getting to the U-Turn first so they can U-Turn the Lesbians.
-Brandy looks out the window and see Allan Wu sitting outside – they are the last to get the clue – Also going to pound the drums and now not happy with themselves.

-Cowboys – How good are you at drums, Jet? Not very good – never did before… so they’ll probably ace it … or maybe not – apparently their natural abilities do not extend to rhythm.
-Brent & Caite – she’s shaking her booty along to get the rhythm – she says she can't sing worth crap but she’s got rhythm – (well you go!)
-Michael & Louie have absolutely no rhythm – Michael says he’s as white as white can be (and he’s not exaggerating.)
-Carol & Brandy see everyone is there but the Brothers – no one knows if they’re doing the ice cream or the fast forward. They choose a kid to teach them the drum routine who looks like he’s about 4 years old – he goes way too fast -Brandy says he's on crack (nice) – they abandon him (aw) and choose a slightly older kid – maybe he’ll slow it down for them a little.
-Michael wants to abandon this task and go for the Fast Forward – sure he’ll never get the drum routine.  In the cab Michael is hoping Dan & Jordan chose to sell the ice cream – rolling the dice here.

-At the Singapore Flyer – Dan & Jordan get in the capsule and are told to put on a harness – Jordan – “What are we doing?” Guy tells them they’re climbing from one capsule to another – Jordan looks like he just wet himself. He’s so scared he’s wondering if he can even do this as the wheel starts taking them up.
-Michael & Louie get to the Singapore Flyer and the woman at the desk won’t tell them if anyone else was there – they had to take the elevator up and see a sign that the Fast Forward was in progress – Durn it! – they head back down to their cab but the driver has decided to take a potty break – Michael – We’re so screwed. The driver comes back at a run and they head off for the Ice Cream task. Michael is giving the driver a hard time – "He looks like he wants a bunch of ice cream sandwiches, huh?"

-Jordan is now climbing out of the capsule and along to the next – shaking like a leaf and talking to himself – "You can do this – you’re in a race for a million dollars."

-Back at the drums – Brent is not as rhythmical as Caite, he’s not sure if he can get it – she’s encouraging him to keep trying.
-Cowboys – Cord keeps messing up – Jet – Some things come natural, music is not one of those things for us.
-Carol is having problems too, she doesn’t think she’s going to get it and wants to change tasks, figures they’re wasting time. Brandy wants to stick it out so they keep trying.

-Back at the Fast Forward, Jordan successfully completes the move – says it is, and forever will be, the scariest thing he’s ever done. Dan is now doing it twice as fast as Jordan did – Jordan is so happy he decided to run this race with his brother. They win the Fast Forward and can go directly to the Marina Barrage – the Pit Stop for this leg of the race.

-Detectives get to the pedestrian mall and pick up the supplies. They head out to a marked ice cream cart and they start hocking their wares – big block of ice cream in a piece of bread (again, I say yuck!)

-Cord finally gets through the drum routine and their 8 year old teacher sends them up on stage – they start out well but Cord messes up.
-Seeing that, Brent & Caite make their move – the Cowboys are called off stage so Brent & Caite can give it a shot. Carol still can’t get the routine and it’s all Brandy’s fault of course.
-Brent & Caite get the routine right and get their next clue – they have to figure out they’re looking for a park at the corner of Penang & Orchard Rds where they’ll find their next clue. Caite – where’s the U-Turn though (she has only one thing on her mind) – Brent – It’ll be there.

-Dan & Jordan get to the Pit Stop and are Team #1! They won a motorbike each. Dan says there is no way either one of them will ever step on one – their mother would kill them. Jordan – It’s great though, we love it! (Phil’s face says “You better love it.” Ha!)

-Brent & Caite get to the park and see the U-Turn – She’s so EXCITED! They’re the first there so no one’s been U-turned yet (I think she’s just amazed that something is actually going their way for once.) It’s not a blind U-Turn this time so they also have to put their picture up but they don’t care – they’d shout it from the rooftops for everyone to hear I’m sure. They have now forced Brandy & Carol to do both Detour tasks. Caite, with an evil smirk, “They brought it on themselves.”
-The clue tells them to head to a shipyard to get their next clue. They hop in their taxi and head out.

-Michael & Louie are doing well selling the ice cream – they need to sell 10 more when their cab driver steps up and buys out their last 10 (wow, he must really feel guilty about that pee break.) They get the clue and head off for the corner of Orchard and Penang and the U-turn.

-Carol & Brandy are finally going to try the drumming on stage – Carol is still grousing that she asked Brandy to leave an hour ago – Brandy - Let’s see if we can beat the Cowboys. (They’re going to have to do it anyway so might as well get it over with… though they don’t know that yet.) They are successful! Though barely, Carol thought she messed up at the end but they got the clue – I think maybe the kids just wanted them gone. They take off for the U-Turn.

-Michael & Louie are let out on Penang but not at Orchard – have to head to the next corner.
-Carol & Brandy get to the park and see Brent & Caite have U-Turned them – And it Begins. Carol smacks Brent & Caite’s picture on the board – she U-Turned us because you’re prettier than she is – Unbelievable! (But is it, really?) Brandy is ranting – Flat out stupid, but let’s be honest, she hasn’t built a career on intelligence. She’s an idiot and is on you tube to prove it. (How is it stupid to mess up a competitor’s game? It seems pretty smart to me.) The ranting continued – Shows their level of intelligence, we haven’t won a leg – you don’t keep the stronger teams in to wipe their asses up. (Or, you make friends with other teams and they’re less likely to U-Turn you – but I don’t that ever even crossed their minds.) It goes on – Lesbians behaving badly – and they prove why no one likes them.
-In the cab Carol tries to get Brandy focused on using her ‘charm’ to sell ice cream – F*ck charm right now. (Yeah, so charming.)
-Louie and Michael finally stumble on the park and are happy to see Brent & Caite did what they were ‘supposed’ to do and U-Turned the Lesbians – good job kids. They head off for the Shipyard.

-Brent & Caite get to the shipyard and get the clue for the Roadblock – Inspecting an enormous anchor chain. They have to count all the links in the chain (521) and if they come up with the right number they will receive their next clue. Brent is going to do the task for them. There are workers grinding and pounding sheet metal nearby, they are announcing numbers over the PA – it’s a LOT of distractions. Brent is writing down every hundred he counts and yelling at everyone to shut up.

-Cowboys finally finish the drumming – Cord is so relieved he throws his hat in celebration – I never wanted to be a drummer. They get the clue and head for the U-Turn.

-Lesbians show up at the ice cream supply area and are totally sniping at each other (Get it together ladies, you’re still my team.) Carol is complaining about every little thing – umbrellas are heavy, tied together – bicker, bicker, snipe. They fight about what cart – Brandy refuses to be in the sun, Carol says this one will get more traffic. Then they snarl at people to buy their ice cream – No swine flu. (Nice – I see Brandy has decided to use her charm. I wouldn’t buy ice cream from these two either.)

-Detectives glad they convinced Brent & Caite that the Lesbians were a bigger threat than them. (They don’t understand women – Caite just plain didn’t like them so they must pay.) Louie thinks it will be nice to be in the final three with the Cowboys and Brent & Caite (don’t go counting chickens now.)

-Brent gets the counting right on his first try – Go Brent! They get the clue to head for the Mega Zip – (cool! What is that?)

-Cowboys get to the U-Turn and are glad it wasn’t them – Cord says “Poor Carol and Brandy.” (And I don’t think it was sarcastic, he really is just a good ol’ boy.) They head out for the shipyard.

-Carol & Brandy are begging people to buy their ice cream – They start slow but it gets going once the plant – er, a customer – comes and buys 2. They finish out selling 25 gross-ness sandwiches and head back to the park to get the clue for the shipyard.

-Michael & Louie at the Roadblock – Michael will do the task for them, he coaches little league and has a pitch counter in his bag – it’ll be easy peasy to count the links with that. They both have to suit up in overalls and Michael’s are totally floods – he’s a little taller than the average Singapore man.
-Cowboys get to the Roadblock and Jet is going to add some stress to his day and do the counting for them.

-Brent & Caite get to the Mega Zip and get the clue that they’ll have to ride the 1200 ft zip line atop the jungle canopy – Caite is SO EXCITED (I don’t know how to type the squeal in – but you can imagine.) They do the zip line and love it – “That was wicked cool.” They get the clue to the Pit Stop – Marina Barrage.

-Carol & Brandy get back to the U-Turn and get the clue to go to the shipyard – they are still fuming and calling Brent & Caite stupid (you’re the ones looking stupid at this point ladies.)

-At the Roadblock – Michael gets the count right the first time but they’ve forgotten the clipboard at the main building and he can’t get the clue until he presents his clipboard – so they have to go retrieve it.
-Carol & Brandy show up as Michael & Louie are heading back to the count – Carol is going to do the counting for them.
-Jet finishes and gets the count right – he gets his clue just as Michael gets back with his clipboard. The Cowboys are now ahead of the Detectives. Cowboys jump in their cab and head for the Mega Zip – The Detectives get out front and realize their cab driver has left them – Michael tries to steal the girls cab – tells the driver 'they’re mean anyway' but he won’t abandon them. Michael ends up paying a woman $20US to give up her cab to them and she does so they’re off to the Mega Zip. They’re stressing out because Carol & Brandy are so close behind them still.

-Cowboys doing the Mega Zip – Look ma, no hats! – They loved it (Looks so fun) but are worried that the Detectives are breathing down their necks so grab their next clue and take off for the Pit Stop.

-Carol & Brandy get the chain count right the first time and head out – their cab driver tells them the Detectives tried to steal their cab – another reason for them to be bitter… but they’re actually trying to be nice to their cab driver now.

-Michael & Louie get to the amusement park and are looking for the Mega Zip.
-Carol & Brandy also arrive and look for the Mega Zip.
-Detectives do the zip line – Louie is smitten with the gorgeous young girl that gives them the clue to the Pit Stop (focus buddy, in a race here.)
-Carol & Brandy do the zip line and once back in their cab are again bad mouthing Brent & Caite – No respect for them, have no game (Yet they’re ahead of you.)

Here’s how they finished:

1) Dan & Jordan – maybe Mom will let them try out their bikes?
2) Brent & Caite – Phil asks them about U-Turning Brandy & Carol – Caite says they’ve been nothing but rude and nasty to her – Phil says it sounds like they picked on the wrong team. Yup, they brought it on themselves.
3) Jet & Cord – After their drumming fiasco, 3rd is good. Cord says the closest thing to a musical instrument they play is the radio.
4) Louie & Michael – So happy they’re still in it.
5) Carol & Brandy **ELIMINATED** - Brandy says there is no reason for Caite & Brent to have U-turned them (How about they wanted to beat you?) “Dumb did us in, that’s all I can say.”
Phil tells them Caite said she did it because they were rude to her.
Brandy, “Oh, I’ll be rude to her now because it just doesn’t make any sense.”
Carol says at some point they’ll get over the stupidity of today and enjoy the richness of the experience – and they’ll translate that into first grader language for Brent & Caite. (Hey, they were smart enough to beat you. Maybe one day she’ll see they played a better social game and that got them farther in the race… but I doubt it.)

So, with Brandy & Carol making their exit, Bob L, Lee G., Shelley A. and yours truly are out of the pools. (I have mixed feelings - I would have liked an all female team to win but they were not nice people... sad to lose but glad they're gone.)

**Next week the Amazing Race will not be on because of some Country Music Awards show – so in 2 weeks we’ll see if the teams can hold on (show wind blowing big cards away) or crumble under pressure (Jordan crying and hugging his brother with doughy hands and a chef outfit.)

Have a great week everyone.

Coleen