We haven’t done a recap in a while, so it’s time we get back into the grind. We’re sad because our favorite Goths, Kynt & Vyxsin were eliminated last week in Mumbai, India. Not good at all. This leaves four teams vying for the Final Three spots. The pit stop for last week was in Bandra Fort, as Phil tells us, built 500 years ago by the Portuguese to protect the harbor from pirates. Looks like a cool place.
So we have four teams, TK & Rachel, Ron & Christina, Nicolas & Don and my favorite fighting couple, Jen & Nate left.
TK & Rachel have been racing quite well in this race up to this point as have senior citizen, Don. Last week, we saw the bad Ron surface again in the Detour as he yelled at Christina. And Jen & Nate barely stayed in the race just beating out Kynt & Vyxsin.
So we’re ready to leave the pit start, TK & Rachel are in first leaving at the time of 1:25 p.m., but again, I think the producers are making up times this season. If this is a 12 hour pit stop, then TK & Rach would have arrived at 1:25 a.m., but looking at their arrival from last week, the sun is up and it’s bright out so the times this season are looking rather strange. Anyway, we move on. The teams are informed they’ll fly to Osaka, Japan, a trip of almost 4,000 miles. Once in Osaka, teams will take a cab to Kishiwada Castle and search the grounds for their next clue.
Rachel says for her, confidence has been an issue, but with TK, she doesn’t have such fears. I do like this team. They have been on an even keel throughout with few blowouts. TK & Rachel head over to a hotel travel agent to look for flights and check the internet.
Nicolas & Donald are next and they note the $414 they receive for this leg of the race. Nic says it’s tough to be the leader of the race. Donald says he’s trying to keep up with Nic and he can’t run, but he’ll push himself as far as he can. Donald says going to Japan fulfills a dream he had when he was in the military service. I will say that Donald has been feisty and he’s been very entertaining in this race.
Ron & Christina are third to leave at the alleged time of 1:44 p.m. Christina’s happy to go to Osaka as she spent half a year in Japan learning the language so she’ll have a bit of a leg up on the other teams. Ron admits he shouldn’t be blowing a gasket and needs to continue on his journey of change and he can’t falter. They head to a travel agent to book a flight.
Almost an hour later (2:38 p.m.), Nathan & Jennifer rip open their clue and are pleased to be going to Japan. Jennifer is seen in a confessional saying the biggest obstacle for her and Nate is to do what they say, cut down on their arguing. Nate says he and Jen are pulling together as a team because they haven’t finished first yet and want desperately to be in first. He tells Jen in their taxi that he had a dream he was running for first and threw a bag at the person’s legs in front of them and Nate was able to sprint ahead of them. Funny, but a bit of some foreshadowing. I hope we don’t see Jen cry if she doesn’t get in first in this leg.
Over to TK & Rachel, they tell the travel agent they want to get to Osaka as fast as possible. They’re given a flight that leaves Mumbai at 6:55 p.m.
At the airport, Nic asks the ticket agent when he can leave for Osaka and he’s told the flight leaves at 8:30 p.m. He purchases the tickets.
Back at the hotel, TK & Rachel are informed that the 6:55 p.m. is the earliest possible flight leaving for Osaka, but will it be the earliest to arrive? TKR are happy about this result, but will they happy when they arrive in Osaka? Hmmmmm.
At the travel agent, Christina finds an Air India flight leaving Mumbai at 8:25 p.m. and connects in Hong Kong, then heads for Osaka. She books the flight.
TK & Rachel get their tickets hand delivered and are happy to be getting out what appears to be first.
Nathan & Jennifer arrive at Bombay Airport and book the same flight as Nic & Don and Ronald & Christina.
Back to the travel agent, Christina asks if the 8:30 flight is direct and is told yes, but then Ron interjects, “Not direct, non-stop. Direct means bop, bop, bop, is direct. It could make 5 different stops. Make sure it’s non-stop!” To which Christina turns and says in Mandarin Chinese, “Just leave me alone, okay?” And Ron promptly shuts up. Christina is getting more assertive with her dad which she has to do in this race.
TK & Rachel arrive at the airport in advance of their flight and check-in. TK asks if the check-in person has seen anyone else looking like him and Rachel and is told no. They get a bit worried, but get their tickets.
Ron & Christina get to the airport and are dropped off far away from the entrance to Air India which causes Ron to blow a gasket. He says, “Why did he drops us off here then? …. Well, I paid him that good money just to walk more????” Christina then cuts him off and he stops complaining. It is funny but having a dad that is so similar to Ron, it hits too close to home for me. Anyway, we go on. Ron continues to exclaim about being dropped off so far from the entrance, but Christina yells at him to stop complaining. He admits that he has to change his behavior, especially when they hit Japan.
As Ron & Christina finally get to the Air India ticket counter, they notice Nic & Gramps, then Jen & Nate see the other two teams so Nathan assumes they all have the best flight. Christina wonders where TK & Rachel are, if they’re already at the airport or are resting. What they don’t know is that the dating couple are already boarding their flight. But Nate says, “Don’t always assume the be
st. You know, they could be doing something stupid right now.” Sometimes that Nate comes up with some gems and he’s right here, but we’ll get to that later.
TK & Rachel have boarded their flight which will take them from Mumbai to New Dehli, then to Beijing, then finally to Osaka. You see that route? That’s a crazy route. They might as well flown to Abu Dhabi, then Osaka and probably would have arrived just as fast, but I’m foreshadowing here.
The other three teams board their Air India flight and notice no sign of TKR. Nathan says he has no idea where they are, but he has to assume they’ll make it to Osaka around the same time as they and the others.
Their flight is going to Osaka through Hong Kong and will get to their destination sooner than TK & Rachel.
Landing at New Dehli, TK says, “Somethin’ just doesn’t feel right about this.” And he should feel that way. No teams are on their flight and Rachel notices an empty airport. TK says he has no idea where the other teams are. He and Rach could be in first, they could be dead last. So they sit in New Dehli waiting for their trip to Beijing and it’s going to be a long wait. And after a commercial break, TK & Rachel are seen boarding their flight from Beijing to Osaka. We won’t see them for a long time after this.
At Osaka, the other teams have arrived. According to the producers, the three teams have touched down at 2:30 p.m. local time. Nathan & Jennifer run out of customs in 1st place and they hope to remain there. Ron & Chris are next followed by Nicolas & Donald. Nicolas is carrying both his own bag and Donald’s. This makes our favorite senior citizen happy. Don says, “Nic is quite strong. He carries my bag, I mean, he’s like a bitch for me… I mean it’s perfect!” And the next scene is Nic laughing. Funny stuff.
Nathan & Jennifer get into a taxi first heading to Kishiwada Castle. Jen says she’s happy to be in first saying it’s about time they kick the old team’s asses. Be careful what you wish for, Jen.
Ron & Chris get into their cab and Christina tells the driver in Japanese, “This is important … fastest …” and the driver says he’ll take the highway. Christina says Jen thinks she can beat her & Ron and Gramps, but little does she know….
Nic & Don get into their cab in third. Don is impressed by Osaka noting how clean it is. Jen says Osaka is open and spacious and beautiful. And she manages to share a laugh with Nathan. So far, no death stares, but we’re always on the lookout for them.
Over to Ron & Chris, he wonders where TK & Rachel are. He says, “I presume that a worst case they are ahead of us, but I think practically, my gut feel is that they’re actually behind us.” Sometimes our elders are right.
Jen & Nate are the first to arrive at Kishiwada Castle. They search high and low, but after walking around the place, they find the clue box. Teams must now travel by taxi to Noda Station. They’ll have to find a cleaning man who will give them their next clue. They run to their cab and just as they’re instructing their cab driver of their next destination, Ron & Christina arrive. Jen says she’s happy that Ron & Chris did not see where they were running from.
Chris steers her team inside the castle to search for the clue. Over to Nic & Don who are still on their way to the castle, Nic wonders if Ron & Chris can speak Japanese. Don answers he wouldn’t be surprised as she went to “some big ‘falutin’ college and everything like that… yeah, Princeton, buddy.” Don’s so funny.
Chris realizes they should be searching outside, but they go upstairs to look outside and they spot the clue box down below. Nic & Don finally get to Kishiwada Castle, but before they can get their clue, Ron & Chris get to the box first and they head out to Noda Station and look for the Cleaning Man.
Nic & Don are searching the castle, but it’s here where old man Don is showing his age. He can’t keep up with Nicolas who is 48 years younger and is running all over the place. Don knows he can’t keep up with Nicolas, but he’s going to keep on running for as long as he’s in the race. You have to admire Donald’s fighting spirit.
Ron & Christina get into their cab and their driver knows where Noda Station is so they’re off to get their next clue.
Nicolas & Donald have gone upstairs like Ron & Chris have and Nic is the one who spots the clue box, so they have to climb down meaning more strenuous activity for the senior citizen in the hot Osaka sun. Remember, they filmed this edition of the race during July 2007 so it’s quite hot. They finally reach the clue box and after reading the clue, they push off to Noda Station as well.
And when they get into the taxi, Donald is very tired and is showing every one of his 68 years. Nic asks if he’s alright and Don replies he needs water. Nic tells him his grandfather they can get some at the train station and Donald looks relieved. It’s a hot day as I’ve told you.
Over to the lead team, Nathan & Jennifer, she notices none of the road signs contain any English. Nathan replies, “That’s why we’re not drivin’, babe.”
And Christina points out that the taxi driver is solely depending on his GPS system to get through the confusing one way streets of Osaka. And she says the fateful line, “I’m never driving in Japan.” Oh yes you will, darling.
Nathan & Jennifer arrive at Noda Station first and find the Cleaning Man who’s cleaning the glass of a poster on the wall. He hands the couple their next clue and the question is: who’s the backseat driver? Jen says she’s the backseat driver and she discovers that this particular Roadblock is for one person to become a Japanese taxi driver.
In this Roadblock, one team member must don a hat and gloves as local cabbies do and navigate a five mile stretch of Osaka by transporting a local couple through a confusing maze of often one way streets to a local Post Office. The drivers may not invite a local to join or lead them to their destination and the couple cannot guide them. Upon arrival at the Post Office, the drivers will be handed their next clue, but it cannot be opened until the driver returns to his/her team at Noda Station.
Jen takes her clue, gets a kiss from Nathan and heads over to her cab to find out her destination.
Ron & Christina arrive at Noda Station and see Jen at a taxi. They run to the entrance to look for the Cleaning Man.
Jen and her massive cleavage get into her cab where a couple is waiting and the guy is looking at her boobs. I have to admit, Jen looks sexy here and for a few minutes, I totally forgot to check for her Death Stare. Of course, she decides to check herself out in the mirror. You look good, Jen, ok? And we get a reaction shot from the couple who look quite confused.
Ron & Christina find the Cleaning Man inside Noda Station who gives them their clue. After reading the question, Ron decides that his daughter should do it because he doesn’t speak the language, but after opening the Roadblock, both realize the wrong person is going to drive. Ron admits that Christina is not very good at driving and she doesn’t have a good sense of direction. She asks Ron to pray for her. You can tell both are apprehensive about her completing this Roadblock.
Nathan and Ron look at each other rather helplessly. Nate says, “Well, that’s it. It’s up to the ladies.” They stand together knowing this could take some time.
As both Jen and Chris get their clues, Christina is able to determine that she’s supposed to go to the Osaka Center Post Office. Jen just has no clue and it’s understandable as her destination is written totally in Japanese. She has to get out and ask for directions, but so far, she’s not finding any to cooperate. Christina who can barely drive is having trouble finding the ignition and don’t forget the steering wheel is on the right hand side so it’s even more confusing.
Jen can’t find anyone to help her. Christina just can’t find the keys to start the car. Finally, Jennifer finds a nice woman who speaks broken English, but tells her to go straight and the Post Office is about ten minutes away. Jen gets into her cab and is ready to go, but Christina can’t get the car started. She finally gets it going, but she explains to her photographer that she doesn’t have a car and takes public transportation. That’s admirable, but that’s not going to help you when you have to drive in the race. Chris says it’s ridiculous that she has to do this task. Well, you should have thought of that earlier, but what can you do? What’s done is done.
Jennifer is lost as the street signs are all in Japanese and she doesn’t know where to go. Her couple can be seen in the back seat pointing to the right direction, but Jen can’t use them to guide her as per the rules and she doesn’t see them anyway. Christina decides to stop, get out to ask for directions and takes the keys with her.
Nicolas & Donald have finally arrived and after getting their clue, they consult. Don says he’s still tired so Nic decides he’ll be the backseat driver and challenge the streets of Osaka. While Nic runs to get his hat and gloves, Don goes into a store inside the station and buys some water and snacks and totally looks happy.
Nicolas gets to his cab, gets the destination and immediately looks to get directions. He goes inside a restaurant but the person inside doesn’t speak English, so Nic presses on.
We cut over to Jen and she’s stressing out. She’s beginning to whine that she’s lost and has no idea where to go. Christina is able to ask for directions in Japanese, but she finds herself going into a dead end and as she tries to go in reverse she says, “God, I hope this doesn’t become an Austin Powers.”
Nicolas finds a student who just points in the general direction of the Post Office. Jen thinks she spots where to go. Christina tries to veer left into a rotary and gets honked at. She says Japanese isn’t going to help her, driving skills will and those are skills she doesn’t have. Nicolas just decides to drive and get directions later on. He asks the couple in the backseat if they’re hot and they are so he turns on the air conditioning. Nic says it’s important to keep the customers happy. While I found Nic annoying earlier in the race, I’m liking him a bit more today.
Over at Noda Station, Ron and Don are eating, gaining some much needed energy. Ron says, “Let’s finish this,” and they do.
Jennifer finds a policeman who points out the Post Office is right behin
d her. But she tries to back up and go to the street where she has to drop off her passengers. In the busy streets of Osaka, this isn’t a good idea, but she manages to do it.
Christina sees the Post Office, but she has to figure out how to get there. Nicolas asks an attractive woman where the Post Office is and she points it to him. He’s close as well. But because the roads are one way, he has to go around to get there. Jennifer says she has to turn left to get to the Post Office. Chris decides to follow a postal truck. Nicolas is frantically trying to get there, but it’s Jennifer who gets to the dropoff first and she couldn’t be happier. She helps the couple to get out and Jennifer does a little jig. But after getting her clue, she realizes she has to get back to Noda Station.
Christina is second to arrive and gets her clue. Now her challenge is to find her way back. And Nicolas finally makes it to the Post Office and he’s able to get the next clue. So all three teams that were on the same flight to Osaka (have you noticed any mention of TK & Rachel lately?) have finished the first part of the Roadblock. Nicolas says the famous last words that he remembers how to get back to Noda Station so that will hopefully give him a leg up on the other teams. Oh yeah? Never say something like that because the racing gods will come back to get you.
Jennifer sees Noda Station, but she can’t over to drop off her taxi because she’s across the street and traffic is going back and forth. Christina is across the street and yells for her dad, but she can’t park yet. Nicolas is trying to navigate the streets, but again, it’s Jen who gets to Noda Station first and when she goes inside to get Nate, she’s surprised that she’s in first place.
Nathan & Jennifer rip open their clue and find that they will have to take a taxi to Kita-Mido Temple, 16th Century Buddhist temple, where they will find their next clue. So Jen & Nate run off to get a cab while Ron and Don have to wait.
Inside their taxi, Nathan is very proud of Jen and gives her a kiss. Jen wants to talk about her adventure, but he says it doesn’t matter. She tries to get the attention of her driver to tell him they’re in a race, but no success. Nathan is giddy. He thinks first place is in sight.
Christina is driving back to Noda Station and manages to park her cab. After giving her hat and gloves back, she runs to Noda Station where she calls for her father and they head out leaving Donald to wait all alone. Ron & Chris find a cab to take them to Kita-Mido Temple.
Nicolas is just plain lost. He said he remembered how to get back to Noda Station now he’s the last of the three teams to get back. Nic turned on the wrong street and now he’s clueless on how to get back. Don knows that the other two teams are getting a lead on him and Nic. And Nic is prevented from going into one street by a police officer and he’s now blocking traffic. It doesn’t look good. But he finally finds someone who points him the right way.
Meanwhile, back at Osaka International Airport some three weeks after the other teams have landed, TK & Rachel have finally made it. TK has no idea if he’s in first or in last. But they continue to push ahead to Kishiwada Castle. It’ll be a while before we talk about TKR.
Back to Nic, he’s asking another person for directions. He seems to be finally on the right track.
Jennifer is describing her driving nightmare to Nathan who’s not listening. While Jen is trying to get this off her chest, Nathan is focusing on the road. Then he makes the mistake of saying, “It’s hard for me to pay attention right now, when he’s driving, sorry.” He tries to explain and then says, “You know what I’m saying.” Jen says, “No, I don’t.” And we get Death Stare #1,453. Nothing will ever be as good as the original Jen Death Stare, but this one is pretty close.
And for good measure, I give you the Original Death Stare because it’s damned funny and we haven’t seen it in a while.
Ron & Chris are concerned about their taxi driver who is gasping for air. He’s struggling to turn the steering wheel. Ron says, “I just hope he doesn’t croak on us,” and there’s the title of your episode.
Jen & Nate have arrived at Kita-Mido Temple. They climb one set of stairs to the clue box and find that they’ve reached the Detour, Sense of Touch or Sense of Smell.
As we know, a Detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. In this Detour, teams have to choose between two senses that they’ve had since the day they were born.
In Sense of Touch, teams make their way on foot to the Shimojima Building. Once there, they will miniature robots which are controlled by cell phones to play a game of soccer against two robotic defenders. Once each team member has scored a goal, the referee will give them their next clue. Playing with robots might seem like fun, but trying to control the robots could take a long time.
In Sense of Smell, teams make their way to the Saera Flower Shop w
here only artificial flowers are sold. Team members must use only their noses to identify only one real flower among thousands of artificial flowers in the two story flower shop. When they find a real flower, the green haired shop owner will give them their next clue. The task of finding one real flower might seem impossible, but only a real flower has a scent and those teams with a good sense of smell might find themselves quickly finishing the task.
Jennifer & Nate decide to ask a local which place is closer and then will choose which task to undertake. As Jen & Nate ask a local businessman, Ron & Christina arrive at the temple and they quickly run up the stairs to get their clue. Jen & Nate find out that the flowers and robots are both ten minutes away, but they decide to do Sense of Smell because as Jen says, “I have the nose of a bloodhound.” Ron & Christina also go for Smell and they find a local to take them there.
Nic is driving around aimlessly, but he finally gets to Noda Station where Don is waiting for him. Gramps tells Nic that everyone left ten minutes ago. So they head off for Kita-Mido Temple.
Meanwhile, both Jen & Nate and Ron & Christina are running towards the flower shop. The dating couple manage to get there first where Nathan looks inside and says, “Holy Schnikes!” I notice that Nate is doing his best not to curse on national TV and he says, “Gosh Darn It!” a lot. “Holy Schnikes” is just the latest in his efforts not to swear. Both cannot believe the volume of flowers in the store.
Back at Kita-Mido Temple, Nic & Don decide to do Sense of Touch because Nicolas can’t identify real flowers so they’re off to do the robots.
Ron & Chris finally make it to the flower shop where they notice Nathan & Jennifer looking through the fake flowers on the first floor. Chris tells her dad to blow his nose and they start smelling flowers. Nathan asks, “Can we ever get away from these people?” Apparently not because they seem to be on your tail throughout this race.
Eventually, Ron & Christina decide to head up to the second floor to get away from Jen & Nate so as not to retrace their steps. This was a smart move on their part.
Nicolas & Don are running to the robots, but to help lighten his load, Nic decides to carry Don’s bag. And one thing Don says is that he doesn’t want to let Nic down. Nic says he doesn’t want to let himself down and one way of letting himself down is if he didn’t help his grandfather. I like that statement, but I do wish Nicolas had done some more Roadblocks while Donald was doing some strenuous work, but at least Nic did the driving Roadblock in this episode.
Gramps and Nic make it over to the robots where they both have to score one goal. This is going to be easy for Nic as he’s familiar with video games and cell phones. But Don is going to have some trouble with this task. Nic wonders out loud if someone will show him how to do this task, but the referee yells, “PLAY!” so there will be no one to show him how to control the robots. There is an instruction sheet, but Don is going to really read it to figure it out. Donald said he wasn’t crazy about this task because he didn’t play video games, his 6 year old grandson regularly beats him at them. And he doesn’t even own a computer.
Back at the flower shop, Jen is getting lightheaded. She admits this task is not easy trying to sniff out one real flower among thousands of artificial ones. She said she thought she was hallucinating in a Pink Floyd music video. At least she has a good sense of humor in this Sense of Smell task.
Ron & Christina continue to smell the flowers and he’s trying to give her more encouragement instead of yelling at her. Jen is trying to strategize, but Nathan asks her to be quiet.
Over to the robots, Nicolas seems to have figured out the controls. He’s able to walk his robot down the table and have it kick a goal! GGOOOOOOOOOOOLLL!!
Sorry, the Spanish soccer announcer is coming out in me. It’s late and I’m trying to finish this so I can start another episode recap. Anyway, Nic & Don are halfway to finishing their Detour.
Oh my goodness, it’s back to TK & Rachel who are still on their way to Kishiwada Castle. They don’t know if they’re in first or in last place. They haven’t seen the other teams since leaving the Pit Start back in 2006.
Back to the flower shop, Nathan & Jennifer decide the first floor isn’t working so they go upstairs to join Ron & Christina. And when they reach the second floor, Nathan gives another “Holy Schnikes!” for good measure. I might have been able to find that flower if it weren’t for you meddling kids! Oops. Never mind the Scooby Doo reference. We press on. Jen says this task was a mistake, but it’s too late now. Ron & Christina are also having trouble finding the one real flower. This is one of those needle-in-a-haystack tasks that could either take 2 seconds to do or an entire day. This falls in the latter category right now.
Over to Sense of Touch, Donald is trying to score his goal so his team can move on. He says he’s very low tech. Nic is helping him learn the controls by telling him how to stop and continue. But his robot falls so it has to go back to the beginning of the table.
Back to Sense of Smell, the other two teams are struggling to find their real flower. Nathan is concerned about getting out of there, but Jennifer thinks she might have found one. They pull it out, take it down to the green haired owner
on the first floor and she confirms that it is indeed, real. So they get their clue and can leave.
Once outside the flower shop, Jen & Nate rip open their clue and find that they can head to the next pit stop. Teams will make their way via taxi to Tempozan Park.
As Phil tells us, this is named for Mount Tempo, the lowest mountain in Japan. This is the Pit Stop for this leg of the race. The last team to check in, may be eliminated.
Jen makes the mistake of saying, “We’re gonna make first place.” Never say this out loud until you hear Phil say, “You’re team number one.” If you think you’ve won, the racing gods were make sure you don’t finish first. This goes back to TAR1 when Margarita actually thought she was going to win the whole race when Rob & Brennan were actually finishing first. Never declare yourselves as winners of a leg out loud. This never works. Jen & Nate want to finish first in a leg so badly, but the main thing is to finish first in the very last leg. But I digress.
Christina thinks she’s found a real flower and they take it to the green haired owner. Meanwhile, Jen & Nate are asking taxi drivers to take them to Tempozan Park, but they don’t know where it is. Over to the flower shop, the green haired owner gives Ron & Chris their next clue and they head out to find a cab. Chris asks a driver if he knows where it is and he does so she and her dad are off to the Pit Stop.
Chris notes that she didn’t see Jen & Nate so she figures either they found the flower or changed detours. She adds they could be racing them to the Pit Stop as well. She doesn’t know.
Nathan & Jennifer are having trouble hailing cab in the interim. But they find a very nice local who is able to find a cab and instruct the driver on how to get to Tempozan Park. And seemingly, Nate pushes Jen into the cab. This leads to a mini-blowout between the two. She yells at Nathan for pushing her. Nathan says he didn’t push.
Over to Ron & Christina, she praises him for not yelling at all in Osaka.
Back to Nathan & Jen, he says he didn’t push her and we get a replay and it appears that he did seem to use his hand to guide her back into the taxi. It might have been a shove. Jen says it could have cost them first place. Nathan yells at her to stop being negative.
To the robots, Don is navigating his artificial intelligence to the net to score the goal. He gets it close to the net and he scores! So they can get their clue and ensure themselves a spot to the next leg.
Donald is impressed with how Nicolas handled himself in this leg and says he would not have been able to finish the task without him.
Right now, it’s another race to the finish. Ron & Chris are first, but their taxi driver who told them he knew where Tempozan Park was, stops to ask for directions. In a race where every second counts, this is key. But the driver is told to go to the end of the street and turn right and he seems to understand.
After that nervewracking moment, Ron & Christina are able to arrive at Tempozan Park and are awarded first place! Now this is where the editing gets a bit dicey.
Ron & Chris are told they are awarded electric vehicles, but this is obviously dubbed in and we see Ron’s head obscuring Phil so we never actually see him say this. Then the next edits are a bit sketchy as well but first, we mention that Christina is totally happy that her dad never yelled in Osaka and that she totally had fun on the leg.
Ok, onto Nathan & Jennifer.
This is Nathan & Jennifer arriving at the Pit Stop in daylight. Notice the amount of light left.
Phil checks them in. And it’s noticeably darker and there’s lighting!
And their subdued reaction. Plus the Ferris Wheel behind them is lit. This was pointed out in Josh Wolk’s article in Entertainment Weekly. Check it out. Why do we have different lighting here? What happened?
Anyway, in their confession, Jen talks about game on and all that stuff, then Nathan says something very strange, “The best team is going to finish last and that’s Jen and I,” And you see Death Stare #1,454.
“Finish last,” Jen asks.
Nathan says, “I mean, finish the last leg first.” I’m going to give Nate a mulligan and chalk that up to Killer Fatigue.
Nic & Don finish in third place and they’re happy.
So where’s TK & Rachel? At Kishiwada Castle, finally, and reality seeps in that they’re in last place. But during this leg, they don’t get a mercy clue to go to the Pit Stop. They have to finish the tasks and they do. Rachel does the taxi cab Roadblock. As we watch Rachel get her hat and gloves, TK is talking about how much Rachel means to him and Rachel is talking about how TK took her from a bad place and put in her in a happy place. So it appears like they’re talking like an eliminated team.
They go to the flower shop and quickly find the real flower as Rachel works in a flower shop herself. And they’re talking in the background about how happy they are.
They get to the Pit Stop and the greeter is still with Phil and as they’re told they’re the last team to arrive, they get some good news, that this is a pre-determined non-elimination leg and they will continue to the next leg. They’re informed they’re three hours behind the other teams and will have to endure a Speed Bump somewhere in the next leg. So TK & Rachel are already behind the 8 ball being last, but the Speed Bump which Kynt & Vyxsin had to endure in India will add more work to TKR’s efforts to catch up.
So our Official Order of Finish:
1. Ron & Christina – winners of electric vehicles
2. Nathan & Jennifer – still fighting, but yet to finish first
3. Nicolas & Donald – still plodding along
4. TK & Rachel – will have to endure a speed bump next week.
That’s it. See you next week.
