The Amazing Race – Recap & Review – In Phil We Trust

photo: cbs

The Amazing Race
In Phil We Trust

Original Air Date: Oct 10, 2010

Farrah Kaye – Sr. Editor
farrah@thetwocentscorp.com

This week, my Amazing Race started early when The Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan was the Grand Marshal at the NASCAR Nationwide race on Saturday. He was so cute and punny when he asked if they were “ready to start their race.” Maybe I’m just a TAR geek, but I got a chuckle out of it.

Anyhoo, back to the actual task at hand, this week TAR should be interesting, when teams are fighting like crazy, one team wants to quit and one team needs medical attention. What will happen?

The Top 9 Things I Learned From The Amazing Race 17

1. Team Sings-a-lot, Connor and Jonathan: This week they earned a new name because they beg their taxi drivers to go faster by singing to them. And not only does it not help, but it bothers me. A LOT. They have manners and are quite polite, but guys, this isn’t The Sing Off, this is The Amazing Race. I don’t even remember them doing their wheel barrel detour. But I do remember them quickly getting through their geography quiz and a word search of sorts. It pays off – they hit the mat first! Their prize? A nice $5k per person.

2. Team Screams a lot, Gary and Mallory: Vowing to not come in last, slow and steady worked well for them. With ease and no conflict, they hit the mat second.

3. Team Tinkerbell, Chad and Stephanie: Chad kept messing up jumping rope trying to show off. Showing off while jumping rope? Come on. The exact opposite of Team Vegas, Chad was Stephanie’s cheerleader during the bicycle task. They had true teamwork and hit the mat third.

4. Katie and Rachel: They stayed out of the limelight pretty much all episode long. Hit the mat a respectable fourth.

5. Team Vegas, Nick and Vicki: Nick loses points on the “babe” scale this week when he berates Vicki for forgetting some items at the wheel barrel task. Now, I’m a bit biased because I have a six-degrees-of-separation-connection link to Vicki, but still, I hate when the couples get mean. No need for Nick to tell Vicki she doesn’t have a shred of common sense in her body. Just no reason for it. All episode long, all Nick did was yell at Vicki and at one point he decided to not even read a clue for a task. Can I eliminate him? When Vicki has an asthma attack during the detour, he finally decides to be a nice guy and gets her through it. And what was that? An apology? Woah. They hit the mat fifth.

6. Team HSN, Brook and Claire: First at the road block, Brook is way over excited to be a boxer. She actually asks to do it. Apparently she trains at a boxing facility (uh, a gym?) so “she’s got this.” At the word search task, they couldn’t figure out the gigantic puzzle of symbols in front of them was the puzzle and decided the children were the puzzle. Everyone after them followed suit, creating a squad of stupid-looking people circling around children. They eventually figure out the best idea is to switch tasks and hit the mat sixth.

7. Thomas and Jill: Still running an under-the-radar race, they did their own thing. They were confused like everyone else. They get to Phil seventh.

8. The Doctors, Nat and Kat: The doctors’ cabbie gets them lost and when they see the other teams coming back from the road block, they quickly get directions. However, their cabbie refuses to turn around and keeps going in the wrong direction. I’d have opened the door while the car was still moving with $1 million on the line! While they started with the word search task, they said it was too challenging and switched to the bicycle task. I was quite surprised by that, considering they’re doctors! They get lost on the way to the mat but get there eighth.

9. Team YouTube, Michael and Kevin: Kevin decides to tell us that Michael is 59 and won’t be able to hold up against the other contestants right off the bat. No joke, they hadn’t even read their clue yet. What’s with all the father-age hate? Every thing out of Kevin’s mouth brings down Michael. “You can’t do this” or “I don’t think you can handle that because of your age.” I’m about to slap some sense into that kid. However, when Michael does have an “I can’t do it” moment during the physically-challenging bicycle task, Kevin supports his dad, telling him he doesn’t care how long it takes him, he should complete it (however if he completed it NOW they’d be in front of the other teams and still have a chance to stay in the race). Michael gets seen by the medic and is upset he let down Kevin (who has a snarky smile on his face like “I told ya so!”). They are convinced they’re going to be eliminated but Michael wants to prove himself to his son and completes the task. They hit the mat ninth and OH EM GEE!!!! It’s a non-elimination leg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you tell I’m a bit excited?!! They will have to do a speed bump next leg but who cares!!! GO MICHAEL!!!!!

During a few of the arrivals, Phil lets the teams know they would be remodeling the school they just did their task in. What a great way to give back to the communities they visit. I wonder if they do more things like this that we don’t get to see?

Next week the teams head to the Arctic. That should be fun. Or not.

I’m really wishing I could tell some of the teams apart. For example, I can’t tell the difference between Thomas & Jill and Chad & Stephanie. And with all the drama that goes on half the time, they barely get any screen time. I was really hoping Michael and Kevin would get eliminated just so Kevin would shut his face already. But on the plus side, they get to stay around so Michael can shut Kevin’s face for him. I was really upset with Nick for yelling at Vicki but at least he apologized (unlike most of the bickering couples we’ve seen in the past). There’s something about this season that is a bit off for me. I’m just not enjoying it that much. Maybe it will pick up for me. What are your thoughts? Leave your two cents below.