photo: cbs
“Chill Out, Freak”
Original Air Date: Oct 28 , 2012
Ryan O – Associate Staff Writer
ryano@thetwocentscorp.com
Another leg in Dhaka, Bangladesh has teams making balance scales and carrying bamboo poles. Also, it’s very hot. One team struggles with building a scale and then with moving bamboo poles. Is it enough to eliminate them?
Meanwhile, Natalie and Nadiya continue to support each other very vocally. Abbie and Ryan continue to let it annoy them to no end. Too bad for them.
While at the Pit Stop in Dhaka, Bangladesh, we see James, via video chat, learn that his dad’s cancer is Stage IV and there’s no chance for remission.
James and Abba, 7:39 AM
Abbie and Ryan, 9:41 AM — we also find out they have $1 for this leg of the race
Natalie and Nadiya, 9:42 AM
Josh and Brent, 10:53 AM
Rob and Kelley, 10:59 AM
Jaymes and James, 11:10 AM
Trey and Lexie, 11:34 AM
The clue directs them to the Jatabari Boro Bazaar in Dhaka. It’s a produce market. They have to do something something I don’t know what exactly because my local station broke in with an update about Hurricane Sandy (which IS more important). The next clue directs them to Ferry Ghat Road where they’ll find the next clue.
Josh and Brent really struggle looking for the marked taxi that will take them to the bazaar. They get to the taxis at about the same time as Trey and Lexie, so they burned at least 40 minutes.
Adding to my already-present hate for them, Ryan tells us he and Abbie want to beat the record for legs won, which was set by that dysfunctional couple from last season Dave and Rachel. Then, they go on to call Dhaka “Hell and a war zone” just because it’s hot and there’s a lot of traffic. What he means to say instead is, “Wow, this is really different from home and I’m not used to it.”
Road Block
“It ain’t heavy, it’s a Roadblock.”
Whoever does this Roadblock has to construct a balance scale out of sticks and ropes. Then, they have to balance four heavy stones against an equal amount of wood.
Here’s who does it for each team.
James, who informs us he was a Boy Scout and completes it before anyone else shows up
Abbie, who struggled with it a little bit but worked through it
Nadiya, while her sister cheers for her and Ryan mocks/imitates her (later Natalie calls him a “tool,” which is accurate), also she recruits a cute little kid to cheer, too, which is awesome. Nadiya finishes ahead of Abbie
Kelley, who handles it pretty well
James, who finishes very quickly
Trey, who finishes ahead of Kelley
Brent, he struggled with this a lot. He can’t get the placement of a wooden piece in building the scale.
The next clue is the Detour.
Detour
“Straw Dogs or Bamboo Jungle?”
Straw Dogs: First, teams have to whip straw onto a bed of giant nails to untangle the fiber. They have to do this for 20 bundles and then move it across the production floor the machine. Once it’s turned into a bag, they’ll get their next clue. Teams that choose this are: Abbie and Ryan and that’s it. The task really doesn’t seem appealing does it?
Bamboo Jungle: Teams have to gather 40 bamboo poles of three different lengths and load them onto a freight rickshaw. Then, they have to navigate their way on the rickshaw to a nearby construction site. Teams that choose this are: all of the other teams that aren’t Abbie and Ryan.
For the second time this season, Natalie and Nadiya interact physically with their camera operator. They accidentally bop him or her with the back of some bamboo poles as they are carrying them.
Jaymes and James have to go back. They left three of their long ones back at the bamboo yard.
Whether the clue comes on a bag or a piece of bamboo, it’s a drawing of Lok Shilpa Jadughar, a folk art and craft museum, and it’s the Pit Stop.
Order of finish
James and Abba, who win a trip to Malaysia. They ran a very good leg. James tells Phil that his family told him to keep going on the race and that’s what he’s going to do.
Abbie and Ryan
Natalie and Nadiya
Rob and Kelley
Trey and Lexie
Jaymes and James
Josh and Brent, but they aren’t eliminated since it’s a non-elimination leg and they’ll have to do a Speed Bump in the next leg
What do you expect to happen in the coming weeks? Let’s hear your Two Cents!
TheTwoCents 
Hilarious that Abbie and Ryan are trying to be like Dave and Rachel. He’s probably just as much a jerk as Dave, the difference is Dave was focused on being a jerk to his partner Rachel, whereas Ryan likes to spread it around to people who aren’t his partner.
Abbie and Ryan do at least seem to get along well.
Who was that woman at the finish line with the host?
There’s always a local who greets the racers at the Pit Stop along with Phil.
ok, I missed last week’s episode so I had to watch it before tonight’s came on… just made it, phew!
Ryan’s a bit of a tool, but in his defense, as much as I love the twinnies (they may just be my all-time fave team!) I think hearing that incessant cheering would drive me bonkers too, and unlike some other teams from seasons gone by, Ryan and Abbie seem to be dealing with it in a fairly innocuous manner. Yes they’re smack talking but it doesn’t come off (to me anyway) as being malicious, just more of the resigned way one talks smack about another because it’s the only way you have of blowing off steam in a situation you know you can’t do anything about. And towards the end, Ryan did seem to have adopted a “if you can’t beat them, join them” kind of teasing when he and that sweet kid (who I swear pulled out a smartphone when the task was completed, wtf?!!) were chanting “go twinny”.
Now his wanting to break the most won leg record… that was a complete ass-hat statement. Seriously, usually you have teams trying to win it all, teams trying to get thru the leg, and teams trying just to survive the leg and not get eliminated. To this you’re adding “want to break most leg won record”? Seriously? Talk about being presumptuous!
I have a soft spot for the Beekman boys, so I’m happy they get to last at least one more round. And the Chipmunks have also grown on me (James does seem to have anger issues barely underwraps!). Honestly, there’s no one left I don’t like, just some I like more, which is rare, and refreshing for this show. Usually by now I’m desperately looking for one team to cheer for!
James and Jaymes have definitely grown me and I do like most of the teams. Really, even Abbie and Ryan aren’t THAT bad when compared against historically bad teams from past seasons.
The Beekman boys seem really great. I just wish they could fare a little better. At least they’ll be around for one more week though.