4/19, Episode 8: The Bald and the Beautiful
The leg picked up where we left off last time with all of the teams checking in with Phil in Lucknow, India and being told that they were not done racing and him handing them their next clue. Everyone was stunned. The order they arrived: 1. Rob and Amber 2. Ron and Kelly 3. Uchenna and Joyce 4. Lynn and Alex 5. Meredith and Gretchen - who finally finished the tea task and then took a bicycle taxi to Phil. They, at least, were happy to keep racing because it meant they were not eliminated. The clue they received from Phil told them to go to Platform 2 at the train station. They were to board the train and their next clue would be given to them. The train was not boarding until 2100 (9 pm) so all the teams got bunched up again. None of the teams knew where they were going but they knew who their traveling companions would be. The Rob and Amber alliance with Ron and Kelly was still intact so the others formed an alliance in self-defense. The train had sleeping berths and all the teams were asleep when a man came to each team to wake them up and give them their next clue. They would get off at the Jodhpur train station, about 24 hours from when they boarded the train in Lucknow. The nice thing about the train ride was that the teams got to catch up on sleep. However, they didn't have much to do when they weren't sleeping. Lynn talked about missing his skin care creams. Joyce dealt with her boredom by dressing Uchenna up - making him wear her head scarf. When the teams reached Jodhpur, they were to go to the Sardar market and find the bell tower. Their next clue would be at the top of the bell tower. The bell tower didn't open until 10 am so more bunching. The teams decide to go to a nearby hotel/restaurant. Most of the teams enjoy the fireworks of a wedding party and Lynn and Alex become part of the celebration. Meanwhile, Rob gets Sanjay, the hotel manager, to agree to be his guide to the city the next day, for free. Lynn makes a wish for "Good Karma come our way." When the teams get to the bell tower, they find that a Fast Forward is available. Uchenna & Joyce and Lynn & Alex decide to go for it. They need to go 10.5 miles to a temple. What they won't find out until they get there is that to receive the clue to the Pit Stop, they must shave their heads. This is a Hindu tradition that men and women do at least once. Lynn and Alex don't get very far before they decide that Uchenna and Joyce are far enough ahead of them that they won't get to it so they turn around to take the Detour. The Detour choices are TRUNK or DUNK. TRUNK required teams to choose and elephant and move it 1/2 mile to a temple. It was okay to convince locals to help. All of the teams doing the Detour took this option. The DUNK option would have reguired teams to dye a stack of 25 white sheets to be able to read a clue on one of the 25 sheets. While the other four teams are moving their elephants (life-size but not real), Uchenna and Joyce are getting to the temple (with some difficulty locating it) and finding out about shaving their heads, not a problem for Uchenna who is already bald. Joyce's response is "I knew that was coming! I frickin' knew it!" She takes her bandana off and Uchenna tries to get her to think about whether she wants to shave her head. Her response is, "Let's go!" I was surprised; I'd predicted that she'd refuse. Uchenna kept trying to stop her but she had committed to doing it. She cried as her hair was cut off and he comforted her by holding her and kissing her. He told her, "Oh, baby, you're beautiful anyway you come." I LOVE THESE TWO!! He kept saying, "I'm sorry, baby!" and telling her she was beautiful. He later told the camera that he was proud of her bravery. Joyce does have a beautiful head. I'm sure I wouldn't look half as good bald. Back to the Detour - Gretchen had climbed up onto their elephant and although she wondered if she should get down, she never did. Rob was the first one to start rounding up locals to help by saying, "Sanjay, tell these people to help us." Gretchen just stayed up on her elephant yelling to the locals to "Get out of the way!" and deciding "We have a bad elephant." Poor Meredith was trying to push his heavy elephant with little help and Gretchen's weight added on top. Even Kelly began yelling for locals to help Meredith push. Rob's comment was "It's tough organizing Indian labor." When teams finished the Detour, they got a clue telling them to travel 8 miles to the Dedra Krishi Farm. Once there, they found a Roadblock that asked, "Who's ready to steer their team in the right direction?" The person performing the Roadblock task would have to sit in a cart (with an expert) and steer a camel around a course for a few laps. The camel jockeys for this task were Kelly, Amber, Lynn, and Meredith. Kelly and Amber started at about the same time but Kelly proved to be a better camel driver. Amber was still driving as the other two teams arrived. Gretchen voiced the wish that Amber would go the wrong way on her final lap. Moments later Meredith was having trouble with his camel wanting to go the wrong way. The teams finished the Roadblock in the same order they arrived: 1. Ron and Kelly 2. Rob and Amber (with Sanjay) 3. Lynn and Alex 4. Meredith and Gretchen Once they successfully completed the Roadblock, teams traveled 6.5 miles to the Pit Stop at Jaswant Thada. Ron and Kelly had the misfortune, again, of getting a taxi that needed to stop and get gas. Lynn and Alex finished the Roadblock before Meredith and Gretchen but they got lost on the way to the Pit Stop when they went to the wrong castle. When Lynn realized they had gotten lost, his comment was, "I don't have any more nails to bite; I'll have to start using my toenails." Editing made it look like Ron/Kelly, Rob/Amber, and Uchenna/Joyce were neck and neck on the way to the Pit Stop. In reality, Uchenna and Joyce had a bigger lead than it looked and finished in first. Unfortunately, there was no prize for a first place finish this time. Boy, if any team ever earned one, it would be Joyce and Uchenna. Phil didn't say anything specifically about Joyce cutting her hair but he did look sympathetic. Uchenna talked about her sacrifice and wanted her to take off the bandana to show Phil her bald head but she declined. There was a footrace to the mat between Ron/Kelly and Rob/Amber with Ron and Kelly edging them out for second place. Meredith and Gretchen managed to finish in fourth and Phil told them they were officially the oldest team to make it this far in the race. Lynn and Alex brought up the rear and were eliminated. In the previews for the next leg: Rob thinks that Uchenna/Joyce are lost without Lynn/Alex and are turning to Meredith/Gretchen for information and advice which, in his opinion, is "the blind leading the blind". Rob's such a sweetie, isn't he?? :roll: We also get a preview of Kelly saying that Ron always gets out of his committments. When he argues that he committed to the military, she says, "Yeah, and you got out of that." Ron: "How did I get out of that?" Kelly: "By being a P.O.W." :shock: :shock: :shock: OMG, she really is clueless!! :roll: Do you supposed she inhaled too many hairspray fumes in her pageant days??

Re: The Amazing Race
I have to tip my hat to Joyce for shaving her head, that really took guts to do. But like Uchenna said, she looked good bald. I have a new respect for Meredith and Gretchen, if somehow Rob and Amber don't make it to the end, I'm rooting for the M & G to win. I will never again say a negative word about an older not being fit enough for this competition. As for Kelly and her stupid comments... :roll:

OMG I knew she would do it....I said to Hubby she would.... I was in tears watching it last night. I can't believe they didn't win a trip......of all the rotten luck....they deserved. I was so sorry to see Lynn & Alex go.... I think they did a great job through the whole race. As for Kelly....what can you say....and she called Ron (insultingly)a Redneck :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

I was surprised Joyce did the ritual but I have ti hand it to her for her bravery. If they went all the way back, they would have come in last place. But Joyce looks beautiful with a bald head and she said, "it's just hair, it will grow back." The only only other woman I see doing that ritual if they took it is Gretchen. Kelly and Amber would refuse for sure. I'm rooting for Uchenna and Joyce and Meredith and Gretchen. In the previews, I couldn't believe my ears at what that dimwit Kelly said! Hubby came out of the shower and asked me why I was fuming and I told him. Yeah, Kelly, Ron wanted to be a POW! What an ignorant moron! Can't say much for Rob and his snide remarks, saying it's like the blind leading the blind in reference to M&G and U&J, I hope to hell one of them wins!! Romber's luck has got to run out sooner or later. :evil:

I really love Uchenna and Joyce. They are now my favorites to win. I also told my husband she would shave her head and he wasn't sure she would do it but he said she would look good and she did. I usually go for the underdogs, (i.e. Meredith and Gretchen) and even though I like Meredith I just can't take Gretchen much longer. I like Ron but truly hate Kelly. Her comments for next week's eppy sickened me. Still hate Rob and Amber.

Did anyone else cry when Joyce was getting her hair cut?? Definitely a standout moment in TAR history, what an amazing couple. The old couple would definitely have done it too, but not Kelly (no ex-pageant queen is gonna part with her hair!) and Amber wouldn't have either, (I have a wedding coming up!!!!) They all worked really hard last night, and when the others see Rob and Amber with a local helping them for the whole leg, why don't they go get themselves a helper too?? At this point I think any of the four couples deserves to win. They've all worked really hard and I'm really enjoying seeing the "competition" between Rob & Amber and Kelly & Ron. I loved the way they hugged and shook hands at the pit stop. Although Kelly needs a boot up the ass. Thanks for the recap Brinna, fabulous job!!!! I could hear Phil's voice!

I didnt cry but I felt for her, she was brave. Her hair must have distracted from her face before because I hadnt notice just how beautiful she is till this week. And Im loving how great Uchenna is being with her too. He's a real man..some of those other dips could take a lesson from him on how to treat your significant other. Ive had it Gretchen, she makes me do this...-> I kept wanting to scream "GET OFF THE ELEPHANT AND HELP PUSH YOU MORON!!!" Instead she stays up there and yells at Meredith and yells at the locals for help, and did she really try to hold back Lynn & Alex's elephant????. Then she hollers at him while he's racing the camel, as if he dont know he needs to hurry. Then she has the nerve to snap at him and tell him not to yell at her. I want her gone and I want her gone NOW!!!!!!! Oh and I cant forget Kelly. Is she really that stupid??? I want to see her go face first in a big ole mud hole...or better yet, a pile of elephant dung! I hope Rob went back and gave Sanjay a little money. That guy went way above his hotel duties in helping them. He was kinda cute too :grin: :wink:

Re: 4/19, Episode 8: The Bald and the Beautiful
Biggest moment of the race was Joyce hesitating for a nanosecond about cutting her hair and then saying, "okay, fine" while removing her bandana. Awesome. I wasn't sure she would do it, but they could not afford to go back to the Detour. I was so impressed, and though I didn't cry, my eyes watered up due to um, allergies I think. :wink: I was so glad that she didn't do all that and then find out it was a non-elimination leg! Uchenna is really cool, too. I really hope the "good fortune ritual" is an indicator that they indeed have good fortune and win the million dollars. Again with the bunching up of racers. I think that would drive me insane if I was racing. You push and run and fight for first place and then get to a train station and find out you have to wait 8 freaking hours to catch the next train, in the meantime everyone else gets to catch up with you and you basically start over. :evil: I was again impressed with Rob and Amber's interactions. Rob is such a charismatic personality; it amazes me that everywhere they go people want to help them. Then when Amber's camel was going every direction but the right one, and especially when it stopped like 20 feet from the finish line and turned around, they still were pretty casual about it. Rob told Amber "you did great" when they finally got their clue. Personally, I would have been calling that camel and the camel trainer several unclean names, I think. Or crying. :smile: Then when they were racing Ron & Kelly to the pit stop, they held hands as they ran, all the way to the mat. I love Ron' s attitude about competing with Rob & Amber, too. He can be friends with Rob and still compete to win. I totally respect that and I'm tickled to see that they appear to be genuinely friendly toward one another. I loved their footrace to the mat. Amber was still driving as the other two teams arrived. Gretchen voiced the wish that Amber would go the wrong way on her final lap. Moments later Meredith was having trouble with his camel wanting to go the wrong way. That was funny, indeed. :lol: Elimination was horrible luck on Lynn & Alex's part. Like Jon & Kris last season, they had a really bad taxi moment, but it cost Lynn & Alex the race. At least they got in one last "Rob and Amber are already here" at the Detour, though. :lol: I really thought this would be a non-elimination leg and was surprised when Phil told them they were eliminated. Gotta say I loved seeing Meredith & Gretchen edge out Lynn & Alex, though. They are an inspiring little couple, and I was just glad to see their happy faces when Phil told them they were in fourth place. Even Gretchen's whining is somewhat endearing to me now. :shock: I never ever thought they would make it this far; they are impressive. We also get a preview of Kelly saying that Ron always gets out of his committments. When he argues that he committed to the military, she says, "Yeah, and you got out of that one." Ron: "How did I get out of that one?" Kelly: "By being a P.O.W." I really really hope that is somehow taken out of context! Somehow. If not, it's one of those spousal argument moments that you feel really stupid about later--only theirs was captured on film and broadcast to millions of viewers. :shock: :oops:

I think Joyce looks beautiful without hair! I disagree and don't think Gretchen would have shaved her head. They're a tough team, but she's very conscious about her looks. Did you see her patting her hair down when the steward brought them the clue on the train? Kelly's comments were unbelievably stupid. I can't imagine how they were taken out of context, since it seemed to be a complete conversation. Ugh.

Here's when they were rescued. This pic is of Ron and Dave. Every one of the POW's were wearing what looked like pajamas. I remember that Shoshana was hurt worse than any of them. I think she had been shot when her group was captured. I wonder what she's up to and how she's doing now?? Here are Ron's parents. And DLemma, if you're reading this by any chance, I am pretty sure she's younger than me.

I hope you're right, Tara, and she was only joking. Better a bad joke than to say what she said seriously. :sad:

Well if she was joking she has an odd sense of humor, but in all honesty, she doesn't seem to be the joking kind so I don't think she was joking at all. I think she's just an INSENSITIVE SELF-CENTERED BITCH!

I hate when Bellirng beats around the bush. And Tara, thanks for the pics, it's good to see them again and be reminded.