TAR21, Recap Leg 9, 11/25/12

Welcome to Leg 9! Last time, on You’re Very Lively For a Dead Crowd, teams raced about Moscow.  The Beekmans incurred a penalty for not being able to complete a task, but James and Abba incurred the bigger penalty for losing their passports, and they were eliminated.  Who will be eliminated. . . next? (click for more)

Arrival at the Pit Stop last episode:
1^st – Jaymes/James, Team Eye Candy 
2^nd – Trey/Lexi, Sporty YDC 
3^rd – Natalie/Nadiya, Bollywood Twins 
4^th – Abbie/Ryan, Sparkly YDC
5^th – Josh/Brent, The Fabulous Beekman Boys 

Veranda Tantsev, Sokolniki Park, Moscow, Russia

7:32 PM Jaymes/James (1^st)
Clue: Fly to Amsterdam, the Netherlands!  Use the provided flag to determine your destination country.  Once there, travel by rail to Central Station and search for your next clue.

(Toyouke: “A real clue. AND a clue box. Don't think that will make me forget about your shenanigans last week.”)

7:49 PM Trey/Lexi (2^nd) – (Toyouke: “How awesome would it be if Trey and Lexi got tickets to Paris? And ran around Paris looking for clue boxes but failed?”)

9:15 PM Natalie/Nadiya (3^rd) 

5:28 AM Abbie/Ryan (4^th)

8:11 AM Josh/Brent (5^th)

It’s important to note that a large number of teams believe they are going to France.

Teams arrive at the airport in the following order:

1- Jaymes/James
2- Trey/Lexi
3- Natalie/Nadiya

4- Abbie/Ryan  

5- Josh/Brent

Once teams arrive, they jostle for flights and position.  The Twinnies, Chippendales and Texas set up a scheme that in case a Double U-Turn were to occur, the first team to arrive would U-Turn Abbie and Ryan and the second team would U-Turn the team that made the first U-Turn, guaranteeing an extra task for Abbie and Ryan.  Best strategic move EVER.   (Toyouke: “Your plan is to waste the U-Turn? That is a stupid plan.”)

So, teams get the following flights:

Flight 1: Alitalia via Rome, arrives 11:30 AM

1) Natalie/Nadiya – who almost don’t make the flight due to a short layover.  (Toyouke: “If you can't book it because the layover is too short, why did you even tell them about it in the first place?”)

Flight 2: Aeroflot direct, arrives 12:15 PM

1) Jaymes/James

Flight 3: Cyprus Air via Larnaca, arrives 1:05 AM

1) Trey/Lexi

Flight 4: KLM via Frankfurt, arrives 2:05 PM

1) Abbie/Ryan – or at least that was the plan.  Abbie and Ryan actually booked two flights, and they arrived too late for their 12:45 PM flight.  Then their second flight was delayed by mechanical.

Flight 5: Aeroflot via Oslo, arrives 4:30 PM

1) Josh/Brent

(Toyouke: “This is the third leg with no bunching? I mean...no bunching where everyone sits around all night to wait for stuff and all teams end up together.”)  AND, after all of these flights, teams arrive in Amsterdam in the following order:

1- Natalie/Nadiya
2- Jaymes/James
3- Trey/Lexi

4- Abbie/Ryan  

5- Josh/Brent – who team up with Abbie and Ryan once again to race.  (Toyouke: “I dislike this "running the leg together" BS.”)

Teams then take the train to Central Station, and teams arrive in the following order:

1- Natalie/Nadiya
2- Jaymes/James
3- Trey/Lexi

4- Abbie/Ryan  

5- Josh/Brent

Natalie and Nadiya open their clue and find. . . a Fast Forward! 

FAST FORWARD:

Recall (if you can, since they show up rarely anymore) that a fast forward is a task that can be performed to allow one team to skip all remaining tasks and head directly to the pit stop.  However, each team may only use their fast forward power once on the race, so they must decide when it is more advantageous to use it.  In this, the second fast forward on this race, teams must travel to the Van Gogh Café and find the Floating Dutchman.  Once aboard and travelling through the water, teams have seven minutes to eat five soused herring each.  Once complete, they get their next clue and skip all remaining tasks and travel directly to the Pit Stop.  If teams are unable to complete in one round, they must return to Van Gogh’s Café and try again.  (Toyouke: “Oh good. I was afraid this Fast Forward was "RIDE A BUS".  Not that the actual Fast Forward is any better, although it does give other teams a chance to actually compete for it.”)

Teams decide to go for the Fast Forward in the following order:

1- Natalie/Nadiya

2- Jaymes/James – who show up as the girls finish.

So – bus, canal, herring, Fast Forward for Natalie and Nadiya.  They travel to the PIT STOP at the House of Rembrandt’s Mistress in Ransdorp.

Teams that don’t take the Fast Forward are instructed to travel on foot to Heron Market and find a marked boat to take them to Magere Brug and find the Poffertjesboot, a floating Poffertjes stand to get their next clue.

Teams arrive at the Heron Market in the following order:

1- Jaymes/James
2- Trey/Lexi

3- Abbie/Ryan  

4- Josh/Brent

Teams then arrive at the Poffertjesboot in the following order:

1- Jaymes/James
2- Trey/Lexi

3- Abbie/Ryan  

4- Josh/Brent

And we get the Detour Clue.

DETOUR:
Back in Time OR Organ Grind
*Back in Time: Teams must travel on foot to a nearby church and recreate Rembrandt’s “The Night Watch” using live actors.  Teams dress in costume as characters in the painting as well, and position everyone properly.  Once Rembrandt gives them the ok, teams get their next clue.
*Organ Grind: Teams travel by foot to one of three nearby bridges with giant organs on them.  Teams then play the organ while collecting 30 euro.  Once the money is collected, the organ grinder will give them the next clue.

(Toyouke: “Hmm...the organ grinder is easier...but recreating the painting sounds really cool.”)

CAUTION: DOUBLE U-TURN AHEAD

1- James/James choose Organ Grind

2- Trey/Lexi choose Organ Grind

3- Abbie/Ryan choose Back in Time

4- Josh/Brent choose Back in Time

Teams complete the detour in the following order:

1- Jaymes/James
2- Trey/Lexi

3- Abbie/Ryan  

4- Josh/Brent

Teams are now instructed to travel to the Museum Geelvinck and search the gardens for their next clue.  Teams arrive in the following order:

1- Jaymes/James
2- Trey/Lexi

3- Abbie/Ryan  

4- Josh/Brent

And we have found the U-Turn!

This is a Double U-Turn. Teams may choose to U-turn any team they wish (well, the team has to be behind them), but they may only use the U-Turn once during the race. If a team is U-turned, they must go back to the Detour choices and complete the Detour that they did not complete. This U-Turn is doubled, meaning two teams may U-Turn two other teams. This U-Turn is NOT blind.

1- Jaymes/James choose to U-Turn Abbie/Ryan - even though Jaymes is against it.  (Toyouke: “It's a REALITY SHOW. U-Turns are part of the show. Using them does not make you a horrible person any more than blindsiding people on Survivor.”)
2- Trey/Lexi choose to U-Turn Jaymes/James – per their agreement.  (Toyouke: “WOW. Not that they know it, but Trey and Lexi just saved the Beekmans.”)
3- Abbie/Ryan have been U-Turned – (Toyouke: “Ryan had a good idea about U-Turning the Beekmans, so they could stay even. But this "alliance" was so determined to get rid of Abbie and Ryan they made themselves look stupid. Because now everyone knows you did that on purpose, just to screw Abbie and Ryan.”)
4- Josh/Brent cannot U-Turn – Josh: “"We were just going to have you guys U-Turn us, and then we would do the thing together"  (Toyouke: “!?!?!?!?!?!!? Are you fucking serious? What is wrong with you?!  Josh, stop being a dumbass. Go finish the leg.”)

So Abbie and Ryan have to complete the Organ Grind side of the Detour. Once that is all done, they can move on to the next clue.  There is a rather intense discussion between Josh and Brent as to whether they should wait for their friends.  (Toyouke: “I can't believe this is a conversation that is actually happening.”)

Anyway, teams get their clue in the following order:

1- Jaymes/James
2- Trey/Lexi

3- Josh/Brent  

4- Abbie/Ryan – who are upset that Jaymes and James would do such a thing.  (Toyouke: “Shut up Ryan. Everyone would be stupid to let you beat them. Also, why no hatred for Trey and Lexi, who WASTED their U-Turn just to make absolutely sure you were last?”)

Teams are now instructed to travel by bus to Ransdorp (or taxi ,if it is after 6 pm).  Teams arrive in the following order:

1- Jaymes/James
2- Trey/Lexi

3- Abbie/Ryan  

4- Josh/Brent

Teams now get the tenth roadblock clue.

ROADBLOCK:

Who’s ready to jump back in time and make a last ditch effort?

In this roadblock, roadblockers must participate in the Dutch sport of fierljeppen, which is essentially jumping over a ditch in order to retrive a clue and then jump back to the other side.  Sound familiar?  That’s because this is a Switchback, a task previously performed on the race in the same location.  This one is from TAR12, which really didn’t cause much controversy, aside from Don in his underwear.

(Toyouke: “Oh, did I need a flashback of that old man? No, no I did not. I do love that the Chippendales recognized the Roadblock though.”)

The following teammates take the Roadblock:

1- James
2- Trey
3- Josh

4- Ryan

After much ditch jumping, teams complete the Roadblock in the following order:

1- Jaymes/James
2- Trey/Lexi

3- Josh/Brent 

4- Abbie/Ryan

Teams now must make their way to the House of Rembrandt’s Mistress, the PIT STOP of the ninth leg of this racearoundtheworld.  The last team to arrive MAY be eliminated!

Teams get to the Pit Stop in the following order:

1- Natalie/Nadiya – who win $5000 each.
2- Jaymes/James
3- Trey/Lexi

4- Josh/Brent

5- Abbie Ryan

Abbie and Ryan are justly eliminated.  No $2 million prize this year.  Ryan is speechless.  FINALLY.

ORDER NOW:
1^st – Natalie/Nadiya 
2^nd – Jaymes/James
3^rd – Trey/Lexi  
4^th – Josh/Brent

Next week: Mallorca, Spain!  Tennis!  Josh hurts his ankle!  Bull fighting!  Lexi hurts her finger!  Until next time!