TAR26, Recap Leg 1, 2/25/15

Welcome to Leg 1! Welcome to The Amazing Race: YDC Edition!  This time around, the producers have found six dating couples that have been going out from anywhere from 7 months to 10 years, as well as 10 singles who will be paired into five blind date teams to round out the cast.  The show begins with a montage of all the “wonderful” couples we’ve gotten to know over the years.  (Toyouke: “Wow, thanks for this montage reminding me of how much I hate YDCs generally.  The more you tell me how awesome this idea is, the more I hate it and assume you KNOW it sucks and are trying to ram it down my throat anyway.”)  Anyway, instead of having the teams arrive in some wacky manner, they just have them standing ready to go.  Or at least the six dating couples and half of the singles.  How boring, TAR producers.  So the eleven teams are: (click for more)

Aly and Steve, AKA Team Olympian YDC, #SochiLove, get placed on screen for a blip before moving on to the next couple.  But we do eventually learn that they have been dating for seven months, and have both competed in the Olympics in Vancouver and Sochi.  She does short track, he bobsleds, and hangs out with boys in spandex on a regular basis.  Hence, I’m jealous.

Libby and CJ, AKA Team Confused YDC, #TeamTuskeegee, are dating 10 years from Tuskeegee, Alabama.  And Libby is fairly obsessed with getting a ring on her finger.  They are high school sweethearts, but we don’t learn that until later as well, because they get passed over at the top too.  Amazing Editors: you have NINETY minutes to fill, give us some bios!

Mike and Rochelle, AKA Team Smalltown Sweetheart YDC, #TruckStopLove, are a YDC dating for 2 years from northern Michigan.  She does roller derby and he runs a truck stop, which is where they met.  They know their strengths.  But we don’t learn this until later.  Ugh.

Harley and Jonathan, AKA Team Famous YDC, #TeamNewKid, are from New York, and have been dating seven years.  FINALLY the show decides we are worthy of hearing a story, and yet, it’s the one everyone knows, since Jonathan Knight is part of New Kids on the Block, which we learn as “Hanging Tough” plays in the background.  (Toyouke: “I feel like they don't QUITE have rights to NKOTB music so they are just playing like, 5 notes at a time.”)

Matt and Ashley, AKA Team Best Friend YDC, #The Hairstylists, have been dating for 3 years, but have known each other through their friends for years.  Matt: “I was hitting on a girl.”  Ashley: “And to get her to go away, I told her that he was gay.  He’s a hairstylist, it worked.”

Jeff and Lyda, AKA Team Old People YDC, #FlightCrew, met 20 years ago while working for the same airline, but have been dating for the last four years after their paths crossed again.  Yup.

Phil now lets the five men waiting for their partners see them, and the five other team members come running over the hill.  (Toyouke: “I wonder what everyone else thought when they saw four girls and one guy come over the hill. It's kind of cool.”)

Hayley and Blair, AKA Team Mismatched YDC, #RxForLove, are both in medicine.  She is a pediatric trauma nurse, and he is a navy surgeon.  Hayley says she’s high maintenance.  Blair is unsure what to do with that.

Jeff and Jackie, AKA Team Sexy YDC, #TeamJJ, are a sales rep and a Las Vegas showgirl.  Yeah, that’s going to go great.  Jackie: “I need a hot, tall, built guy.”  Okay. . . well, that’s taken care of.  Hope he takes off his shirt.

Laura and Tyler, AKA Team Clueless YDC, #TeamSoCal, are both from southern California.  They are open to finding love on the Amazing Race.  (Toyouke: “Do you know how many people meet their "true love" on a damn reality show? You aren't special.”)

Jelani and Jenny, AKA Team Intelligent YDC, #TheLegalTeam, are both lawyers.  Jenny has never been on a blind date before.  So, that’s something.  At least they seem competent and multicultural.

Bergen and Kurt, AKA Team Flaming Gay YDC, #TeamBlondeDate, are certain that this could be love at first sight.  Kurt: “At least we have the best hair!”  Bergen also apparently has always had relationships end when boys cheat on him.

The camera zooms in on Phil.  HE states that the teams are heading to Tokyo, Japan.  The race for the tickets is a mud run, and the first eight teams will get on the first flight.  Then, he states the teams get into their Ford Fusion Hybrids to drive to the airport.  And then he lets them know that the winner of the first leg gets the Express Pass, since the Save worked so well last season.  And then he lets teams know that there is a Double Blind U-Turn on the first leg.  (Toyouke: “PHIL JUST DO THE EYEBROW POP AND SAY THE THING AND GET ON WITH IT “)  Oh, and the first team to finish will win ONE MILLION DOLLARS (US$1000000)!  Then oh so sexy Phil does his standard patter: “Ready?  The world is waiting for you . . .again.  Good luck, travel safe.  Cue Phil's eyebrow pop.  GO!”  Who will be eliminated . . . tonight?

Castiac Lake, Castiac, California, USA

Teams take off on the mud run, and get, well, muddy.  Teams arrive at the clue in the following order:

1- Matt/Ashley
2- Jeff/Jackie – and Jeff lets us know that he can’t sing or dance.
3- Laura/Tyler – and Laura apparently is a girly girl who likes to psychoanalyze her dates.  RUN TYLER.

4- Aly/Steve 

5- Harley/Jonathan

6- Jeff/Lyda

7- Bergen/Kurt

8- Jelani/Jenny

9- Hayley/Blair – Blair actually gets to the clue before the lawyers, but has to wait for his partner, making him resent Hayley for the first time.  Let the silence begin.

10- Mike/Rochelle

11- Libby/CJ

Clue: Drive yourselves to the airport and take a flight to Tokyo, Japan!  Once there, make your way to Kanda Myojin to get your next clue.

CAUTION: U-TURN AHEAD!

 

Teams drive themselves to the airport and arrive in the following order:

1- Hayley/Blair – who proceed to have their first dinner date in a food court.  (Toyouke: “Blair and Hayley are having the world's most awkward conversation. I don't think they hit it off. I totally called it.”)
2- Harley/Jonathan – who just HAVE to tell them who Jonathan is.
3- Bergen/Kurt

4- Aly/Steve  

5- Libby/CJ

6- Matt/Ashley

7- Jeff/Jackie

8- Jelani/Jenny

9- Jeff/Lyda

10- Laura/Tyler

11- Mike/Rochelle

Once everyone arrives, teams make their way to their respective flights that they picked up after the mud run:

Flight 1, Eva Air:

1) Matt/Ashley  
2) Jeff/Jackie
3) Laura/Tyler

4) Aly/Steve

5) Harley/Jonathan

6) Jeff/Lyda

7) Bergen/Kurt

8) Jelani/Jenny

Flight 2, China Air:

1) Hayley/Blair

2) Mike/Rochelle

3) Libby/CJ

So, teams board their respective flights, while making sure to show off their selfie cams (Toyouke: "SELFIE CAMS OMFG") and FitBits.  The Amazing Red and Green Lines take us to Narita International Airport in Tokyo, where teams arrive in the following order:

1- Jelani/Jenny
2- Jeff/Jackie
3- Harley/Jonathan

4- Aly/Steve

5- Laura/Tyler

6- Matt/Ashley

7- Jeff/Lyda

8- Bergen/Kurt

9- Libby/CJ

10- Mike/Rochelle

11- Hayley/Blair

Teams are making their way to Kanda Myojin in a variety of ways, mostly taxis and trains.  Once everyone gets going, the teams arrive at the shrine in the following order:

1- Jelani/Jenny
2- Jeff/Jackie
3- Matt/Ashley

4- Laura/Tyler

5- Aly/Steve

6- Harley/Jonathan

7- Jeff/Lyda

8- Bergen/Kurt

9- Mike/Rochelle

10- Libby/CJ

11- Hayley/Blair – who get turned around looking for the shrine.

And we get the Detour Clue.  (Toyouke: “NNNOOOOOOO Phil don't do this live thing again!!”)

DETOUR:

Syncing Steps OR Samurai Sake

*Syncing Steps: Teams must travel to Shinjuku Central Park and join the dance troupe World Order and perform a dance routine.  Once the dance is completed satisfactorily, teams get their next clue.

*Samurai Sake: Teams travel to Nakano Sakaue Station Tavern and memorize ten sakes.  Once they are memorized, one team member takes an order for one sake from a table and has to retrieve the sake.  If they are correct, the team has a box of sake with the table of “samurai” and gets their next clue.  If they are incorrect, they get a new sake and try again.

1- Jeff/Jackie choose Samurai Sake - (Toyouke: “I am offended at this "bar" full of "samurai" who are clearly random actors with wigs.  I am also offended at this guy's accent. Where is the game show guy?  Why was I never offended by the game show guy but this guy is offensive?”)

2- Jelani/Jenny choose Syncing Steps

3- Matt/Ashley choose Syncing Steps

4- Aly/Steve choose Syncing Steps

5- Harley/Jonathan choose Samurai Sake

6- Laura/Tyler choose Syncing Steps

7- Bergen/Kurt choose Syncing Steps

8- Jeff/Lyda choose Syncing Steps

9- Mike/Rochelle choose Syncing Steps

10- Hayley/Blair choose Syncing Steps

11- Libby/CJ choose Syncing Steps – who get lost on the way to the detour.  (Toyouke: “Yes, it's crowded in Japan. Get over it.”)

After much dancing and sake picking (and sake was WAY easier), teams complete the detour in the following order:

1- Jeff/Jackie 

2- Harley/Jonathan

3- Laura/Tyler 

4- Jelani/Jenny

5- Aly/Steve

6- Bergen/Kurt

7- Hayley/Blair 

8- Matt/Ashley – who got it on their 25^th try.  (Toyouke: “25 attempts is too many. It probably would have been a good idea to Bald Snark a while ago.”)

9- Libby/CJ

10- Mike/Rochelle

11- Jeff/Lyda – who get it on their 23^rd try.  (Toyouke: “WHY would you not switch Detours!? It's not giving up! It's admitting you chose poorly!”)

Teams are now instructed to travel to Wakaba Higashi Park for their next clue.  Teams arrive get their clues in the following order:

1- Jeff/Jackie 

2- Laura/Tyler

3- Jelani/Jenny 

4- Harley/Jonathan

5- Aly/Steve

6- Bergen/Kurt

7- Mike/Rochelle 

8- Hayley/Blair

9- Matt/Ashley

10- Jeff/Lyda

11- Libby/CJ – who get turned around.  AGAIN.  And then get scammed by their taxi driver to take them to the right place.  (Toyouke: “Wow. It takes some balls to scam people when there's a camera in your face.”)

When they arrive, teams find 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 also blind, meaning the other teams will not see who U-Turned them.  Phil, during his explanation, does not say how many U-Turns there will be on this race.

1- Jeff/Jackie choose not to U-Turn

2- Jelani/Jenny choose not to U-Turn

3- Laura/Tyler choose not to U-Turn

4- Harley/Jonathan choose not to U-Turn

5- Aly/Steve choose not to U-Turn

6- Bergen/Kurt choose not to U-Turn

7- Mike/Rochelle choose to U-Turn Jeff/Lyda

8- Hayley/Blair choose not to U-Turn

9- Matt/Ashley choose not to U-Turn

10- Jeff/Lyda have been U-Turned and choose to U-Turn Jeff/Jackie

11- Libby/CJ cannot U-Turn

So now Jeff and Lyda return to Samurai Sake and serve the “samurai”.  Once that is done, teams get the U-Turn clue in the following order:

1- Jeff/Jackie 

2- Jelani/Jenny

3- Laura/Tyler 

4- Harley/Jonathan

5- Aly/Steve

6- Bergen/Kurt

7- Mike/Rochelle 

8- Hayley/Blair

9- Matt/Ashley

10- Libby/CJ

11- Jeff/Lyda

Once they U-Turn (or are U-Turned) teams are now instructed to travel to the PIT STOP, a parking space in the vicinity of the Akihabara UDX building.  (Toyouke: “OK, being outside when the building has a parking structure is kind of a dirty trick. Plus I thought Jenny was talking herself out of reading the clue properly. However this episode has irritated me so anything to make it slightly interesting is fine. “)  This is the first pit stop in a racearoundtheworld.  The last team to arrive WILL be eliminated!

1- Jelani/Jenny – who win the Express Pass, which must be used by the end of Leg 8.
2- Jeff/Jackie – who would have been first, if they hadn’t gone inside the garage first.

3- Laura/Tyler – who is the third blind date couple to check in.  This doesn’t surprise me, based on my Geometry Amazing Race experience.  Pairs I pick tended to do better than pairs that the kids picked.

4- Aly/Steve

5- Harley/Jonathan

6- Bergen/Kurt – Bergen: "Oh I think this could work out. If he doesn't cheat on me like everyone else does."

7- Mike/Rochelle

8- Hayley/Blair

9- Matt/Ashley

10- Libby/CJ

11- Jeff/Lyda

And Jeff and Lyda are eliminated.  They are still best friends, and they never gave up.  (Toyouke: “I can't say that I care a lot, because: generic old couple.”)

ORDER NOW:
1^st – Jelani/Jenny  
2^nd – Jeff/Jackie
3^rd – Laura/Tyler
4^th – Aly/Steve
5^th – Harley/Jonathan
6^th – Bergen/Kurt

7^th – Mike/Rochelle

8^th – Hayley/Blair

9^th – Matt/Ashley

10^th – Libby/CJ

Next week: The Biggest Twist Ever!  Blind Dates are in the Top 3!  Libby and CJ miss a train!  (Toyouke: “That preview was completely worthless.”)  Until next time!