May 10th episode summary - FINALE
Okay, kids. Here it is. It's over; the $1,000,000 has been awarded. This shouldn't be a spoiler even for the West coast but... At the very beginning of the episode, the whole race was reviewed. They showed the order of eliminations and a few highlights along the way, tracing the route from starting line to London. The three remaining teams began the leg in London, England from Potter’s Field Park which is near Tower Bridge on the Thames. Departure times were: 2:47 am – Rob & Amber 4:16 am – Ron & Kelly 4:41 am – Uchenna & Joyce Each team received $630.00 for this leg. At the airport, Kelly & Ron talked about their relationship. Kelly called herself a “quality girl”…boy is she deluded! She acknowledged that she and Ron don’t communicate well when they argue. Uchenna talked about his relationship with Joyce and how close they’d come to splitting up. He talked about his pride in being Joyce’s husband and how the race has helped repair their marriage. In contrast, it looks as if Ron and Kelly will be splitting up. All the teams get on the same flight to Jamaica. There was over 6 hours to wait for their flight from London to Kingston, Jamaica. Once in Kingston, teams had to take a 90 mile taxi ride to Port Antonio and find Frenchman’s Cove beach for their next clue. Uchenna & Joyce get the first taxi, followed by Rob & Amber, and then Ron & Kelly. There first clue is a ROADBLOCK. The roadblock is a traditional Jamaican party game “Limbo”. Each limbo level has a departure time and the teams get 8 chances to get “as low as they can go”. All of the women complete this roadblock but the younger gals are more limber than Joyce. Amber and Kelly get the 8:15 departure time but Joyce must settle for 8:30. Uchenna & Joyce feel they need to strategize. Kelly thinks that, “Rob and Amber are scared of us because they know we can beat them.” But Amber talks about the state of Kelly & Ron’s relationship and how she and Rob will exploit that to their advantage. When the teams depart, they must travel 11 miles to “Grant’s Level” of the Upper Rio Grande. All of the teams easily get taxis. They must then complete a DETOUR. Option 1 was “Raft it” which required teams to travel 8 miles down the river on a raft using only a pole to push and steer. Option 2 was “Build it” which required teams to “correctly” build a raft. All of the teams chose “Build it” and locals watched/supervised. Rob & Amber and Ron & Kelly decided it would take to long to raft down a slow river. Rob cut his finger while building the raft but refused to wear gloves. Ron & Kelly bickered the whole time they (mostly Ron) built their raft. Uchenna & Joyce had the best teamwork and finished building their raft first, making up their 15 minute deficit. Once the rafts were built, teams had to take them across the river and use ropes to climb up a steep hill to get their next clue. Then, they had to raft back across the river. Rob lost his “sneaker” in the river but recovered it. The next clue told teams to take a taxi 80 miles to Round Hill Hotel, a 100 acre plantation, at Montego Bay. The teams kept trading places as they drove to Round Hill. Uchenna & Joyce had been in the lead as they left a gas station. Rob & Amber were still at the gas station when Ron & Kelly caught up. The other two teams were happy when Rob & Amber’s cab got pulled over by police in a routine stop. It didn’t make much difference because they soon caught up with the other teams. Then, Uchenna & Joyce’s cab got a flat tire. This was very bad luck and really slowed them down. Uchenna said they would need a miracle. At Montego Bay, there was a top road and a bottom road. Ron & Kelly took the top road and Rob & Amber took the bottom road. All the teams had difficulty finding Cottage 16 at Round Hill Hotel. Ron & Kelly got to the mat first with Rob & Amber right behind them. Uchenna & and Joyce were last to arrive at the mat but it was a non-elimination leg so they got to keep racing but had to forfeit all there money and everything except their passports. Uchenna & Joyce were not worried about the lack of money. They declared themselves blessed and counted on receiving more blessings. As the final leg of this “race around the world” began, the departure times were very close: 2:37 am – Ron & Kelly 2:38 am – Rob & Amber 2:48 am – Uchenna & Joyce Ron & Kelly and Rob & Amber received $445.00. All the teams were to take a taxi to Lucea to the Cool Breeze House onion shack for a sack of 50 onions which they would have to chop up. Ron & Kelly and Rob & Amber had difficulty getting a taxi. Ron got someone (Round Hill employee?) to call a cab for them but told him not to call one for the other teams. The man asked why and Ron told him they were in a race. The man questioned whether Ron was trying to cheat. How come no one ever asked Rob that?? Rob & Amber do get a cab and then end up taking the lead when Ron & Kelly get lost. Uchenna & Joyce don’t have any money to hire a cab and it’s the middle of the night with no one around to give them money. They find that the airport shuttles go in the opposite direction from the onion shack. They decide to go to the airport anyway because they figure they are most likely to be able to successfully beg for money at the airport. A kind local drives them to the airport. In so many TAR races, I’ve thought that teams would have a lot of difficulty begging for money (especially in poor countries like India) but they always seem to get money easily. Uchenna & Joyce did not. They had such difficulty at the airport that Joyce ended up in tears. Uchenna was doing low pressure pleading (much like I probably would have done) and they finally got $40.00. A taxi driver agreed to drive them to the onion shack for $40.00. Once teams had chopped 50 onions, they received a clue telling them to go to the Rose Hall great hall, a former plantation house. Once again, Rob & Amber and Ron & Kelly arrive at a destination almost simultaneously. Uchenna & Joyce were still at the onion shack. Uchenna talked about how tired and hungry they were. “We’re working on fumes.” Teams had to take a DETOUR at Rose Hall. Option 1 was “Horseback Swimming” which meant teams would ride a horse into the ocean and as soon as the horse started swimming, get out of the saddle and hang on to the horse’s tail as the horse swam around a buoy and back to shore. Option 2 was “Tee it up” which required teams to alternate driving golf balls from a tee to a green 140 yards away. All the teams took the “Tee it up” option. Rob was the first to get on the green, followed by Kelly. Uchenna got on the green for his team and it seemed like he did it much faster than the other teams. He had mentioned that he’d been practicing golf. The next clue told teams to fly to San Juan, Puerto Rico and make their way to a fort called Castillo San Felipe del Morro. Rob & Amber tried to get on a 9:15am flight. For security reasons, none of the Air Jamaica employees would rush them through or hold the flight. Rob tried begging “Please, please”, began making up a story “My mother…” and when no one would help him out, he got mad. They got lucky by checking at the American Airline desk and found that their 8:30 flight was delayed to 9:54 and they were able to get on that. Ron & Kelly tried to get on that flight as well but they were too late. They got on a 12:42pm flight instead and the best Uchenna & Joyce could do was a 4:58pm flight. Uchenna & Joyce had better luck begging for money at this trip to the airport. In San Juan, teams drove themselves to the Castillo San Felipe del Morro and got a clue sending them to the town of Aquadilla to an old sugar refinery called El Muelle de Azucar which closed at 4 pm and didn’t open again until 7:30 am. Rob & Amber didn’t arrive before 4 pm so the teams got bunched again and all of them were there for the 7:30 am opening. Teams raced in and found a ROADBLOCK. The roadblock required one team member to jump off a 30 foot bridge, swim 90 yards to get a clue, and then take a boat back. Amber got lost because she followed Rob down to the river. Ron completed the roadblock first and then Uchenna. Ron was done before Amber got to the start. Uchenna & Joyce got ahead of Ron & Kelly in the race to the airport. Amber got worn out doing the roadblock and didn’t have the steam to run when Rob wanted her to. “I can’t do it,” she complained. So Rob put her on his back and carried her. Teams had to fly from Puerto Rico to Miami, Florida. Ron & Kelly got lost on the way to the airport. Rob & Amber and Uchenna & Joyce got booked on an 11:15 am flight. Both teams then began searching for a better deal. Rob got his team put on standby for a 10am flight. Uchenna & Joyce tried to get on the same flight but all the employees kept telling them they couldn’t get on. Uchenna was upset when the gateway was closed and retracted because he didn’t want Rob & Amber getting a big lead. Suddenly they saw the gateway being reattached to the plane. The pilot had decided to let Uchenna & Joyce on the flight. Rob & Amber’s celebration got cut short and Rob asked “What took you so long?” as Uchenna & Joyce boarded. As Uchenna & Joyce passed Rob & Amber, Rob muttered, “This sucks!” Ron & Kelly took the 11:15 am flight. In Miami, Uchenna & Joyce and Rob & Amber raced to get taxis. They had to go to the Richenbacher Causeway to get their next clue. This clue told them to go to Little Havana and find “the King of the Havanas” but didn’t mention that this cigar shop is known by its Spanish name, El Rey de los Havanas. Uchenna & Joyce didn’t have any trouble finding it because their driver knew the Spanish name. Rob & Amber had a lot of trouble finding it. Asking the locals didn’t help because they weren’t asking for the Spanish name and none of the locals knew it by the English version of the name. Rob & Amber’s taxi left and they had to get a new one. At El Rey de los Havanas, teams got a clue telling them to go to Fort Lauderdale and find the Bonnet House where Phil and all of the eliminated teams would be waiting. Uchenna & Joyce ran out of money but they promised their driver they would be able to get the full fare amount. They began begging people for money. Even though most of the drivers of the cars they stopped and the neighborhood they were in seem fairly affluent, people were not willing to give them money. One man even told Uchenna that begging was not the way to do it. As Uchenna & Joyce are begging for money, Rob & Amber are in route to the finish line. It looks like Uchenna & Joyce might still be begging as Rob & Amber drive up and pass them. It doesn’t happen. Uchenna & Joyce finally get enough money to satisfy their driver and they run to the finish line. Phil tells them that they are first and have won the million dollars. They are so happy (and you should see my notes…THEY WIN!!). It was not as close a race to the finish as it had appeared because Uchenna & Joyce have completed all their hugs and speeches before Rob & Amber appear. Naturally, Rob & Amber were disappointed to finish second, but they gracefully accepted defeat. Ron & Kelly finally arrived to take their third place finish. Phil asked them about the state of their relationship. Kelly said that she wants marriage but that right now she and Ron are on different paths. Uchenna & Joyce were shown talking to the camera after it was all over and saying how much they loved each other. It was heartfelt and sweet. Finally, a team that deserved it most, won!! YEA!!! I AM SO HAPPY!!! :grin: :grin: :grin: :grin: :grin: :grin: :grin:

Re: May 10th episode summary - FINALE
Good job Brinna; thanks for doing the last two recaps! Departure times were: 2:47 am – Rob & Amber 4:16 am – Ron & Kelly 4:41 am – Uchenna & Joyce I was surprised that Rob & Amber's lead was this big. I guess it's reasonable considering Ron & Kelly had to wait an hour at the yield, though. In San Juan, teams drove themselves to the Castillo San Felipe del Morro and got a clue sending them to the town of Aquadilla to an old sugar refinery called El Muelle de Azucar which closed at 4 pm and didn’t open again until 7:30 am. Rob & Amber didn’t arrive before 4 pm so the teams got bunched again and all of them were there for the 7:30 am opening. Bad luck for Rob & Amber. Gotta hate that bunching... :evil: Teams had to fly from Puerto Rico to Miami, Florida. Ron & Kelly got lost on the way to the airport. Rob & Amber and Uchenna & Joyce got booked on an 11:15 am flight. Both teams then began searching for a better deal. Rob got his team put on standby for a 10am flight. Uchenna & Joyce tried to get on the same flight but all the employees kept telling them they couldn’t get on. Uchenna was upset when the gateway was closed and retracted because he didn’t want Rob & Amber getting a big lead. Suddenly they saw the gateway being reattached to the plane. The pilot had decided to let Uchenna & Joyce on the flight. It's interesting that several weeks ago when Rob & Amber were able to get on a little puddle jumper plane because the pilot waited for them, all the Rob & Amber Haters had fits. But when the gate is already retracted from a commercial flight (with more than just racers aboard) and then suddenly is extended back to the plane so Uchenna & Joyce can board the plane, it's all good? Finally, a team that deserved it most, won!! Hmmm...while I'm happy that U & J won, I'm not so sure they "deserved" it any more than any of the other racers. "Needed" maybe. IMO, any of the final 3 were deserving not only because they were, simply, the final three, but also because I think they were the best, most competitive teams. All in all, I really enjoyed this season; possibly my favorite one. I am ready for a break before the "family" version starts, however!

I thought it was classy that Uchenna and Joyce did not stiff their taxi driver. I'm glad that having to wait to go into the park didn't stop them from winning. I liked Rob and Amber's spunk and how they really seemed to understand how to play the game, but I appreciated the integrity and courage of U and J's game as well. Rob and Amber have a bunch of trips to enjoy, anyway. I'm really glad that Ron and Kelly were last. Kelly really should have saved the "what's going to happen to us" talk for after the race, IMO. They just couldn't seem to get along and work together and that hurt them.

Now that's the kind of finish I like. I am so glad that Uchenna & Joyce won. I'd even rather have seen Rob & Amber win it over Ron & Kelly. It was so tense when they were trying to get the money for the cab driver.

It's interesting that several weeks ago when Rob & Amber were able to get on a little puddle jumper plane because the pilot waited for them, all the Rob & Amber Haters had fits. But when the gate is already retracted from a commercial flight (with more than just racers aboard) and then suddenly is extended back to the plane so Uchenna & Joyce can board the plane, it's all good? I'm allowed to have all the fits I want :wink: lol That would be the same way Rob (or was that Amber) thought it was hilarious to "see the looks on their faces" when they made it onto that airplane.....guess he should have looked at the "look on his face" when U & J got on the plane. Anyway..... I wonder how far behind R&A were in reality...would they have made them wait til J & U were done their speech? I thought Rob saw Uchenna as they were getting closer to that gate. It really was an exciting finish...I was back and forth between moaning and cheering.

I'm glad Uchenna and Joyce won and yes they deserved it. They ran a good clean race, unlike Rob who had locals take him where he needed to go (except the last leg) and Uchenna didn't tell anyone (cabbies, ticket agents, etc) not to help the other teams. Rob got a taste of his own medicine (again) when Joyce and Uchenna were allowed on the plane. He also got lost several times because he didn't have the help of locals. Talk about the blind leading the blind. Yep, it was very tense when U&J were trying to get money for their cabbie. The palms of my hands were starting to sweat! Lynn and Alex are too funny. Alex was chanting "Uchenna and Joyce" while they waited for the winning team to run through the gates.

Oh Crap :evil: I MISSED IT!!!!!!!! I cant believe I forgot it was on :cry: Great recap Brinna. Im glad Uchenna and Joyce won and Im glad Ron and Kelly were 3rd.

Rob and Amber earned the win? Joyce cut off all her freakin' hair for God's sake! Uchenna and Joyce didn't have tour guides throughout the race either. Yes, Rob and Amber ran a good race but I wonder what kind of race they would have ran if they did it all on their own.