Pop Culture Kitty

The Amazing Race 15 – Episode Nine

Aired 11-15-09

We picked back up in Stockholm, Sweden.  After a mandatory rest period, first place team and Harlem Globetrotters Flight Time & Big Easy departed at 2:23AM.  The teams had to travel by ferry 236 miles across the Baltic Sea to Tallinn, Estonia.  Once there, they had to sort through keys to open the door at a building called Mustpeade.  The Trotters seem to be viewing Sam & Dan as the biggest competition left in the race.  They were hoping to get a good lead on the brothers but, at the ferry dock, they learned that the next boat to Estonia wasn’t going to leave until 5:45PM.  It was looking like we’d get a race reboot.

The second team to depart was dating couple Meghan & Cheyne at 4:12AM.  They had some trouble making decisions in the last leg but were now just focused on staying in the lead.  They were followed by married couple Brian & Ericka at 4:37AM.  They weren’t getting hung up on the fact that they had yet to win a leg of the race.  Brian said the only leg that matters is the final one.

The brothers, Sam & Dan, were the 4th team out at 5:04AM.  Sam was hopeful that they’d learned their lesson in the last leg and would be able to keep their bickering under control.  The last team to depart was father and son duo, Gary & Matt, at 6:29AM.  Gary said he’d been apprehensive about the race and, specifically, about son Matt seeing his flaws.  He was grateful that Matt has been accepting.  I’m not sure what those flaws were supposed to be.  Together they’ve been one of the calmest and most likeable of teams.

They all made the 5:45PM ferry boat.  The trip took about 16 hours but they did get sleeper cabins - that were about the size of a closet.  Once they docked, the Trotters lead the charge off the ferry (with a fair amount of trash-talking) but it was Meghan & Cheyne who were the first to get a taxi.  They were also the first to arrive at Mustpeade but the brothers were right behind them and the two teams worked together to find the correct key to open the door.  Inside they found a Roadblock.

Roadblock

One team member had to join the Brotherhood of the Blackheads (a secret society of merchants) to solve a mystery.  They would go into the cellar (where a Blackhead party was taking place) and find a candelabra with a room number attached.  They then had to locate that room where they would be given a blank scroll.  They had to figure out that the writing would only show if the scroll was held over a lit candle.  Cheyne and Sam took the challenge.

Brian & Ericka and Gary & Matt were the next to arrive at Mustpeade but this was also the location of the Speed Bump.  Since Gary & Matt had been saved from elimination on the last leg, they had to perform an additional task.  They had to take a 5 minute sauna with some locals in a Saunabuss – yes, a bus that was a sauna.  They were relieved it was something that simple.

By the time Brian & Ericka got the door open, the Trotters had arrived and just followed them in.  Ericka and Flight Time set about to solve the mystery.  Locating the rooms proved to be harder than it seemed.  Even though Cheyne and Sam had been looking for quite a while, it was Flight Time who was the first to locate his room.  Unfortunately he didn’t benefit from this because he fell for a trick.  The show put a little red crayon next to the scroll so Flight immediately started rubbing the crayon all over the scroll.

Cheyne was the next to find his room and he had much better luck with the scroll.  He immediately took it to the candle and quickly saw the next clue taking the racers to the Pikk Hermann Tower Garden.  Ericka also got the clue quickly and the two teams headed to the Tower together.

Gary & Matt finished their sauna and got the Mustpeade door open but their troubles were just beginning.  Poor Matt had no clue what a candelabra was.  It was a little sad watching him wander about the cellar trying to get one of the Blackheads to tell him what it was.  While Matt was stuck in the cellar, Sam and Flight Time finally found the Tower clue.

Eventually Matt figured out that the “candle” part of candelabra was important and started looking for his room.

Detour

Brian & Ericka and Meghan & Cheyne found the cluebox in the Tower Garden and it was a Detour.  The choices were “Serve” and “Sling”.  In “Serve” the teams had to play volleyball against a local team – in a bog.  They would be knee deep in muck and would have to score 5 points.  In “Sling” the teams still had to stand in the mud but would use a slingshot to fire vegetables at a target.  When they hit the target, a table full of cabbages would fall revealing the clue.  Both teams opted for “Serve” and headed out to find a taxi.  They both spotted one at the same time but Brian let Meghan & Cheyne take it as long as the cab driver called another taxi for them.  Meghan then proceeded to order their driver not to call.

Meanwhile Matt found the clue about Pikk Hermann Tower – but he missed the word Garden.  It really wasn’t looking good for this pair.

Sam & Dan and Flight & Easy got to the garden and also went with the volleyball.  The two teams argued a bit over who spotted a taxi first but, since it was a van, ended up sharing it.  There was definitely some frustration building between these teams.

After losing a significant amount of time trying to get into the Tower, Gary & Matt finally spotted the cluebox.  They decided to do the slingshot challenge.

Meghan & Cheyne were the first to arrive at the Detour spot and they immediately stripped down to their undies and crawled into the muck.  The game was a mess – but pretty funny.  The dating couple scored their five points before any other team had arrived at the site.  The next clue directed them to run to the Pit Stop at the Keava Raba Overlook Tower.  They checked in first and won a red cedar sauna.

Meanwhile Brian & Ericka, Flight & Easy and Sam & Dan wandered about the bog looking for the Detour spot.  Once they figured out where they were going, the guys all outran Ericka.  Because only two teams could play volleyball at one time, she and Brian went a few steps over to the slingshot challenge.  Sadly for them, they missed seeing Sam & Dan in their underwear in the mud.  Now normally that wouldn’t be a big deal but, with these two, there was some serious pixilation of a certain area of their anatomy.  We’ve had a lot of underwear moments on this show but I don’t ever remember this much censoring being needed.

The Trotters won their game first but headed in the wrong direction to find the tower.  This resulted in a footrace between them and the brothers.  Flight and Dan collided along the narrow wooden path and both wiped out.  Dan got up quickly but Flight seemed a bit banged up.

Sam & Dan checked in 2nd.
Flight Time & Big Easy were 3rd.

Host Phil Keoghan could sense the tension between the teams.  Dan said that Flight came up behind him and tried to push him taking them both down.  Easy thought Dan had thrown an elbow to knock out Flight.  The show aired the collision a couple times and, I have to say, Dan’s account seemed more accurate.  Anyway, Easy said they didn’t realize that the physical stuff was in play adding, “I’m 6′10″, 260, so we’re gonna do what we gotta do.”  I like the Trotters, but that comment made Big Easy look ridiculous. 

The editing made it seem that Gary & Matt arrived at the challenge site just as Brian hit the target.  I suspect they were much further behind than that.

Brian & Ericka checked in 4th.

Gary & Matt kept going.  They hit the target with a radish and ran to the tower where Phil told them they were eliminated.  Gary broke down as he talked about how proud he was of his son.  Coming into the show these two were depicted as not being particularly close but they have been one of the most delightful child/parent teams ever.  They were always kind, patient and respectful of each other.

Next Week:  We’re in Prague and Sam & Dan steal Brian & Ericka’s taxi.  Hmmm.  I’m not sure it’s wise for them to make an enemy of yet another team.

Full episodes and bonus clips of TAR are available at CBS’ website here:

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race/video/