The Amazing Race 15 – Episode Five
Aired 10-18-09
We picked up in Phnom Penh, Cambodia after the heartbreaking elimination of Zev & Justin. They, technically, won the leg but had to pack up and leave because they lost their travel documents. This meant that brothers Sam & Dan moved into the top spot and were the first to depart at 12:25PM. The clue instructed the teams to fly to the Persian Gulf and locate the world’s tallest building. They had to figure out that this meant going to the Burj Dubai – a building nearly twice the height of the Empire State Building. Once they got to the building, they had to find a fountain and sign up for one of two groups going up to the 124th floor to find the next clue. The brothers were hopeful that leaving first would give them a good chance at winning a leg for real.
Harlem Globetrotters, Flight Time & Big Easy, were the second team to depart at 12:27PM. Husband and wife, Brian & Ericka, were 3rd at 12:30PM. Brian called the race a “big game of Karma” so they were trying to be nice and helpful to everyone. I was really impressed that Ericka knew that the tallest building was in Dubai without having to look it up. Father and son, Gary & Matt, followed at 12:35PM. Dating couple Meghan & Cheyne were in the 5th spot leaving at 12:37PM.
Sam & Dan arrived at the airport and actually tried to get tickets to “the Persian Gulf”. Luckily for them, Brian & Ericka showed up to explain that they really wanted to get to Dubai. Engaged couple Lance & Keri were in the 6th spot departing at 12:47PM. These two are quite a pair but they actually had a cute moment as Keri talked about how nothing could ever tear them apart and Lance added that they also had a lot of non-refundable deposits on the wedding.
Newly dating couple, Mika & Canaan, were 7th departing at 12:49PM. Mika doesn’t like heights and, when Canaan made a little crack about her needing to get over that, we could see that the bloom was starting to fade on this relationship. In last place were poker players Maria & Tiffany who left at 12:55PM. They were in the race only because of Zev & Justin’s misfortune but felt they could still be real contenders.
All the teams ended up on the same flight to Dubai by way of Bangkok. It was a race reboot. Once they arrived, things got off to a good start for Maria & Tiffany as they were the first to arrive at the fountain. They were joined in group one by Brian & Ericka, Sam & Dan and Meghan & Cheyne.
Meanwhile, Canaan was doing a fabulous job of acting like the ugly American. He had a major tantrum when their cab driver didn’t know the location of the fountain. It made me cringe. They ended up being the first team to sign up for group two. Lance & Keri, Flight Time & Big Easy and Gary & Matt joined them.
The first group headed up to the 124th floor at 5:30AM and the second group followed at 5:45AM. The excursion turned out to be anticlimactic. They just got off the elevator and walked over to get the clue. Nothing else. The only good part of it was hearing Brian refer to Meghan & Cheyne as “Team Malibu Ken and Barbie”. The next clue instructed the teams to find a pool of marked cars in the Dubai Mall parking structure. They had to drive the cars into the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve which looked exactly like one would picture the desert looking. At the Reserve, they’d have to take a ride across the sand in a 4×4 to the next clue. There was also a Fast Forward in the envelope. A Fast Forward is a task that only one team can complete and it allows them to skip everything else and go straight to the Pit Stop. For the FF, a team had to find the Dubai Autodrome – basically a big race track. One member of the team would have to drive a racecar around the track in under 45 seconds. Meghan & Cheyne laid claim to the FF immediately and no one challenged them for it.
Meanwhile, the other teams headed to the parking garage and found the cars with relative ease – except for Lance & Keri. They knew they’d gone in the opposite direction of everyone else but still went their own (wrong) way. Once they finally found a car, they proceeded to get lost (and bicker) on their way to the Reserve. They weren’t alone in this as Mika & Canaan also got lost.
At the Reserve, Brian & Ericka, Maria & Tiffany and Sam & Dan arrived together. They found a Roadblock.
Roadblock
One member of the team had to search the desert for urns buried in the sand and filled with water. To up the frustration, a bunch of urns with no water were also buried. They had to find enough water to fill a traditional bag. Once the bag was presented to a Bedouin and his camels, they’d get the next clue. Brian, Tiffany and Dan took the challenge. Big Easy and Matt soon joined in the hunt.
Meanwhile, Cheyne easily handled the race track while Meghan cried at the finish line. I’m not really sure why she was crying. She said something about not being in control of everything, but I’m thinking the desert heat was just getting to her. For winning the FF, they got to ride in a Maserati to the Pit Stop at the Souk Madinat Jumeirah.
Brian was the first to find water in the desert. He stuck with his Karma code and whispered the location to Tiffany and Dan as he headed back to the camels. He and Ericka got the next clue taking them to a facility called Ski Dubai – an indoor ski resort. On their way to the snow, they passed Mika & Canaan and gave them directions to the Reserve. Ericka said that Brian was much nicer than her and, despite what people might expect from a former Miss America, she can pull the claws out when she wants.
Maria and Dan found the water Brian directed them to but, as they were leaving the Reserve, Maria ran over something and punched a hole in the radiator of her car. The poker players’ alliance with the brothers was still going strong and Sam & Dan waited with them until the replacement car arrived.
Meghan & Cheyne checked in first at the Pit Stop. Host Phil Keoghan informed them they’d won a trip for two to Jamaica. Things were looking good for Malibu Ken & Barbie.
Lance & Keri finally arrived at the Reserve and found only Canaan still searching for water.
On the way to Ski Dubai, Brian missed an exit and it was Gary & Matt who arrived first and found the Detour.
Detour
The choices were “Build a Snowman” or “Find a Snowman”. In “Build” the teams had to carry snow outside into the heat and build a snowman before the snow melted. In “Find” they had to sled down the indoor mountain and then dig through a mound of snow in search of a tiny toy snowman. The screen graphic showed it was 28 degrees in the resort and 120 degrees outside. That’ll steam up your glasses. Gary & Matt opted to dig for the toy snowman as did Brian & Ericka, Sam & Dan, Maria & Tiffany and Flight Time & Big Easy who all arrived soon after. Proving there might be something to Karma after all; Ericka was the first to find a snowman and seemed to do it pretty quickly. She and Brian were on their way to the Pit Stop.
Meanwhile, Canaan found water and Lance & Keri fell further behind. Even after Lance completed the task, things got worse as they got lost again looking for the ski resort. It was pretty clear that the race was coming to an end for these two. The show started to give them the sympathetic edit and, I can’t believe I’m saying this, they were almost likeable. At the same time, we watched as Mika & Canaan also got lost and they (especially Canaan) were becoming more and more obnoxious.
Gary & Matt and Maria & Tiffany abandoned the search and headed out into the heat to build snowmen.
Brian & Ericka checked in 2nd.
Sam & Dan also decided to switch to the “Build” task and, as soon as they left, the Globetrotters found a snowman and were on their way to the Pit Stop.
Gary & Matt finished building their snowman just as Mika & Canaan started.
Flight Time & Big Easy were 3rd.
Gary & Matt were 4th.
Sam & Dan were 5th.
The editing made it appear that Lance & Keri were arriving at Ski Dubai as Mika & Canaan were leaving but I suspect they were much further behind than that.
Maria & Tiffany were team number 6.
Mika & Canaan were 7th.
Lance & Keri were last and they knew it as they approached Phil and the mat. I have to say, I wouldn’t want to have dinner and drinks with these two but, as a couple, they make sense and actually had some good moments in this episode. I won’t miss them, but they did get some redemption.
Next Week: Canaan continues his descent into jerkdom as it looks like he actually tries to push a terrified Mika down a giant waterslide.
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