Recap, Episode 2: Rio de Janeiro to Iguaçu Falls
A Night Departure At 11:06 pm, Tara & Wil were the first to leave the Tocorime Yacht anchored in the middle of Guanabara Bay. The separated couple opened the clue, which directed them to find a specific samba club in Rio de Janeiro. They were also given a red feather. Once they arrived at the samba club, they would have to match the feather to one of the dancers' headdresses. That dancer would provide them with their next clue. The Team took a boat to shore and then grabbed a waiting taxi. "Don't lose that clue…whatever you do," Wil warned his teammate. They hopped in a taxi and took off. About thirty minutes later, Cyndi & Russell departed. The Team was confident as they boarded the small boat. “Every other Team has a lot more international traveling experience than Cyndi and I have, but we’re not gonna let that affect us,” Russell summed up. Russell also felt they might have a “spiritual advantage” since they are both believers in God. Right on their heels were Shola & Doyin. The twins were much more concerned with the Teams trailing them than those in front. "There's lots of Teams right behind us," Doyin explained. "We don't have that much of a lead at all," agreed his brother. But they felt that being twins and knowing one another so well would give them an edge over their competitors. One by one, the remaining Teams departed. Peach worried about being able to keep up with her more athletic sister, Mary. "This is more difficult than I could ever have imagined," she explained. "My sister is extremely demanding. She's like a mule--she can do anything." The last to leave were the "Gutsy Grannies," Peggy & Claire. "They don't make it easy for two spring chickens like us," Claire moaned. A Little Samba Riding through the streets of Rio, Tara and Wil found themselves lost for a few moments, allowing Cyndi & Russell to pass them and become the first to arrive at the samba club. They rushed in and quickly found the dancer, matching their red feather to her flaming red headdress. The dancer handed over the next clue envelope. Right after them came Tara & Wil, followed by Shola & Doyin. Decisions, Decisions The envelope that the samba dancer handed the Teams contained two clues: one leading to the next Route Marker, the other leading to the Fast Forward clue. A Fast Forward is a reward allowing the Team that earns it to skip all remaining challenges for that leg and to head directly to the Pit Stop. There is strategy involved, however. Only one Team can win the Fast Forward pass on a leg. Additionally, each Team may only win the Fast Forward once during the entire race. In this leg, the Fast Forward reward was to be awarded to the Team that could score ten points against a group of Brazilian volleyball players. The samba club clue directed the Teams to the top of Pedra Bonita, a mountain overlooking São Conrado Beach. All the leading Teams took taxis to Pedra Bonita. Cyndi & Russell were first to arrive. Out of breath but confident, they made their way up the cobblestone path to the peak of the mountain, where a clue box awaited them. The ministers ripped open the clue to find they were faced with a Detour challenge. A Detour contains two distinct options. Teams must complete one of these options before they can continue. The first option, quicker but much more harrowing, was to hang glide off the mountain all the way to São Conrado beach below. The second option involved taking a taxi to São Conrado beach and using metal detectors to find a buried treasure box. Both Detour challenges did not open until the following morning, so Teams had all night to debate their options. Cyndi & Russell decided to stay put and perform the hang gliding challenge. At that moment, Shola & Doyin approached Pedra Bonita in their taxi. The twins were feeling confident that they were in a good position. "It's a game to play. And we have to win," explained Doyin. Their confidence would be shaken slightly when, a few minutes later, the taxi driver's car began to roll over Shola's foot; quickly removing his foot, Shola found his shoe left under the tire. In pain, Shola nevertheless shook off the injury and began climbing the hill. They arrived at the Detour box just after Tara & Wil. The separated couple debated their choices, but decided to hang glide. Shola & Doyin, however, decided to forgo both Detour options and try for the Fast Forward, which also didn't open until the following morning. The next five Teams arrived at Pedra Bonita and decided to hang glide. The two trailing Teams, Gary & Dave and Peggy & Claire, independently decided to go for the Fast Forward. The two Teams were running neck-and-neck as they headed toward the Fast Forward location. The first to arrive, however, were Shola & Doyin. They rushed onto Copacabana Beach and claimed a volleyball court. This Fast Forward involved a unique game of volleyball. Teams competing for the Fast Forward would play two local Brazilians in a game. Teams would be able to play with their hands, but the Brazilians would have to play "footie-volley," using only their feet. Two courts were set up, so Teams could compete for the Fast Forward concurrently. The first Team to score ten points off the Brazilians would win the Fast Forward. The losing Team would have to go back and complete one of the Detour challenges. While Shola & Doyin were settling in for their three-and-a-half-hour wait for the game to begin, Peggy & Claire arrived. From the taxi, the Gutsy Grannies could see Shola & Doyin waiting on one of the courts. "Damn it! The twins are there," noted Claire. Thinking they wouldn't be able to score ten points quicker than their more athletic competitors, they took off. As their taxi headed toward Pedra Bonita, Claire moaned, "I'm so disappointed. I just figured that was our ace. That was our one shot to stay in the game." A few minutes later, Gary & Dave arrived at Copacabana Beach. They decided not to be intimidated by Shola & Doyin. Claiming the second court, they resolved to wait until sunrise and compete for the Fast Forward. Meanwhile, Peggy & Claire made it to Pedra Bonita. The rest of the Teams were already there, camped out for the night. The Gutsy Grannies took one look into the imposing abyss below, and immediately surmised they wouldn't be able to hang glide. They debated, unsure of their abilities. The other Teams encouraged them to go for it. Ultimately, they decided to fight it out: the Gutsy Grannies were determined to earn their nickname. Sunrise in Rio At 6:30 am, the volleyball contest began. The two Teams began playing against the Brazilian teams. The twins did well, scoring a few points. Gary & Dave, however, were being soundly beaten by their Brazilian competition. "There's a couple of sports I'm not so good at. And volleyball seems to be one of them," Dave commented. His assessment turned out to be accurate, as Shola & Doyin scored their tenth point. The twins received the Fast Forward pass, which instructed them to skip all remaining tasks and head directly to the Pit Stop in a jungle camp near Iguaçu Falls, more than 900 hundred miles away. Gary & Dave decided to go for the buried treasure Detour. They headed to São Conrado Beach, grabbed a metal detector and rushed out onto the sand. At the same time, Cyndi & Russell took off on their hang gliders. One after another, Teams rode the gliders. Gary & Dave glanced up to find the sky filled with a myriad of colorful gliders. Realizing how quick that Detour task seemed to be moving, they gave up on the treasure hunt and rushed off to the top of Pedra Bonita. Several of the competitors were terrified as they glanced over the hang gliding ramp. Peggy worried that she wouldn't be able to run fast enough to get the glider off the ramp. Hope said she was fighting back tears. "Everything in your brain, in your body, is saying, 'You're crazy, don't do this,'" she summed up. However, once the contestants took off, they thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The last Team to arrive were Gary & Dave. Dave looked down and wryly noted, "We'll probably die. But it's better than losing." From the landing zone on São Conrado Beach, Teams had to make their way to the bus station in Rio. From there, they had to figure out how to get to Iguaçu Falls. The first to arrive at the station were the Fast Forward winners, Shola & Doyin. Tara & Wil and Chris & Alex arrived shortly after them. The three lead Teams got on the first bus, which took a direct route, getting them to Iguaçu twenty-two hours later. On the second bus were Cyndi & Russell, Oswald & Danny, and Mary & Peach. Still on their way to the station were Hope & Norm, Blake & Paige, Peggy & Claire and Gary & Dave. As these last Teams rushed toward the station, Blake noted to his sister, "I think this is going to be the most critical moment of the race." Peggy & Claire and Blake & Paige were next to show up at the bus station. Blake became horrified when he realized he had left his wallet in their taxi. Despondent, he said, "I should just go home." Meanwhile, Peggy & Claire got on a bus to São Paulo. From there, they would take a second bus to Iguaçu. Gary & Dave boarded a different bus to São Paulo that would arrive in time for them to get on the same connecting bus as the Gutsy Grannies. Without any cash to pay for tickets, Blake & Paige were forced to beg for bus money. After only about five minutes, they were able to get enough money for a bus. Behind them, Hope & Norm arrived. Their driver had taken a circuitous route to the station, putting them in last place. The two Teams boarded the final bus to Iguaçu. "I Choose Him, No Matter What" On the road to Iguaçu , the lead bus, carrying Chris & Alex, Tara & Wil and Shola & Doyin, came to a sudden stop. Everyone piled out to find they had blown a tire. Chris refused to accept their calamity sitting down and jumped into action. He helped wheel in a new bus tire and, using his formidable strength and expertise, led the group in changing the massive tire. Twenty-two hours later, the first bus arrived, depositing the lead Teams: Shola & Doyin, Tara & Wil and Chris & Alex. Shola & Doyin were able to head directly to the Pit Stop. The other Teams grabbed the next clue from their awaiting jeeps. This clue instructed them to drive to Macuco Safari Dock, in Iguaçu Falls. Chris & Alex and Tara & Wil had formed an alliance. But when Chris & Alex's car stalled, Tara & Wil rushed off, leaving Chris and Alex far behind. Wil, however, was unable to get his Jeep out of low gear. Their car working again, Chris & Alex eventually caught up and agreed to go slowly so their competitors could stay with them, "Even though you left us," they pointedly told Wil. The two Teams arrived at the Roadblock together. A Roadblock is a task that only one Team member can perform. In this instance, the teammate performing the challenge had to jump into a speedboat, take it directly through the heart of Iguaçu Falls, and then spot the flag marking their next clue. Tara and Alex quickly decided to perform the task for their respective Teams. Working together, they searched for the flag. Alex explained, "There's a good chemistry that goes on with Tara and I. She's really cool; we have a great time together." They went through the rapids, where Alex spotted the flag on a tiny island. They docked their boats and rushed up the path to the flag. As they grabbed their next set of envelopes, they took the time to glance at the lovely surroundings. "We had to take a second and just stop and look, because we saw this rainbow, and it went across the whole falls. It was just amazing," Alex noted. They opened up their envelopes to learn they next had to get to the Pit Stop, a remote jungle camp. Tara and Alex returned to their partners and continued on their way. Shola & Doyin were the first Team to check in at the Pit Stop, followed by Chris & Alex and Tara & Wil. Behind them, Teams were making their way to Iguaçu Falls and heading toward the Pit Stop. One by one, they began to check in. Finally, Peggy & Claire made their way down the path toward the check-in mat. "We are last, Claire," Peggy guessed to her friend. They stepped on the mat, only to discover they had come in 9th place, and had not been eliminated. Shocked, they hugged each other. "We're still in the race!" they exclaimed. The last two Teams, Hope & Norm and Blake & Paige, were still on the bus to Iguaçu. One of these Teams was facing elimination. During the ride, the siblings were able to find someone with a map of the area. Blake explained, "We found a guy in the back of the bus that had a guidebook. We've been traveling with Hope & Norm and we really liked them a lot. But we had to sneak back there, copy this map without them seeing us. And it was just hard, because we had to do that." Having the map was fruitful for Blake & Paige, because they were able to beat Hope & Norm to the Roadblock location. Paige was the first to rush away on the speedboat, followed a few minutes later by Norm. Anxiously waiting for his sister to return, Blake theorized, "This whole race is gonna come down to how we perform on the Roadblock." Paige returned with the envelope and the pair headed off toward the Pit Stop. They arrived and checked in a mere fourteen minutes before Hope & Norm. "We did it, Blake," Paige said. Hope & Norm stepped onto the mat and were eliminated by host Phil Keoghan. In the end, the couple was extremely grateful for the experience. "My key along this whole thing was to enjoy some of these fabulous places and to experience them with my best friend, which is my wife," Norm said. Hope added, "He's my choice. I choose him, no matter what." In a tiny jungle camp near Iguacu Falls, Brazil, Hope & Norm, the married couple from Tennessee, became the second Team to be eliminated from the race.http://www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race2/show/episode02/story.shtml
A Night Departure At 11:06 pm, Tara & Wil were the first to leave the Tocorime Yacht anchored in the middle of Guanabara Bay. The separated couple opened the clue, which directed them to find a specific samba club in Rio de Janeiro. They were also given a red feather. Once they arrived at the samba club, they would have to match the feather to one of the dancers' headdresses. That dancer would provide them with their next clue. The Team took a boat to shore and then grabbed a waiting taxi. "Don't lose that clue…whatever you do," Wil warned his teammate. They hopped in a taxi and took off. About thirty minutes later, Cyndi & Russell departed. The Team was confident as they boarded the small boat. “Every other Team has a lot more international traveling experience than Cyndi and I have, but we’re not gonna let that affect us,” Russell summed up. Russell also felt they might have a “spiritual advantage” since they are both believers in God. Right on their heels were Shola & Doyin. The twins were much more concerned with the Teams trailing them than those in front. "There's lots of Teams right behind us," Doyin explained. "We don't have that much of a lead at all," agreed his brother. But they felt that being twins and knowing one another so well would give them an edge over their competitors. One by one, the remaining Teams departed. Peach worried about being able to keep up with her more athletic sister, Mary. "This is more difficult than I could ever have imagined," she explained. "My sister is extremely demanding. She's like a mule--she can do anything." The last to leave were the "Gutsy Grannies," Peggy & Claire. "They don't make it easy for two spring chickens like us," Claire moaned. A Little Samba Riding through the streets of Rio, Tara and Wil found themselves lost for a few moments, allowing Cyndi & Russell to pass them and become the first to arrive at the samba club. They rushed in and quickly found the dancer, matching their red feather to her flaming red headdress. The dancer handed over the next clue envelope. Right after them came Tara & Wil, followed by Shola & Doyin. Decisions, Decisions The envelope that the samba dancer handed the Teams contained two clues: one leading to the next Route Marker, the other leading to the Fast Forward clue. A Fast Forward is a reward allowing the Team that earns it to skip all remaining challenges for that leg and to head directly to the Pit Stop. There is strategy involved, however. Only one Team can win the Fast Forward pass on a leg. Additionally, each Team may only win the Fast Forward once during the entire race. In this leg, the Fast Forward reward was to be awarded to the Team that could score ten points against a group of Brazilian volleyball players. The samba club clue directed the Teams to the top of Pedra Bonita, a mountain overlooking São Conrado Beach. All the leading Teams took taxis to Pedra Bonita. Cyndi & Russell were first to arrive. Out of breath but confident, they made their way up the cobblestone path to the peak of the mountain, where a clue box awaited them. The ministers ripped open the clue to find they were faced with a Detour challenge. A Detour contains two distinct options. Teams must complete one of these options before they can continue. The first option, quicker but much more harrowing, was to hang glide off the mountain all the way to São Conrado beach below. The second option involved taking a taxi to São Conrado beach and using metal detectors to find a buried treasure box. Both Detour challenges did not open until the following morning, so Teams had all night to debate their options. Cyndi & Russell decided to stay put and perform the hang gliding challenge. At that moment, Shola & Doyin approached Pedra Bonita in their taxi. The twins were feeling confident that they were in a good position. "It's a game to play. And we have to win," explained Doyin. Their confidence would be shaken slightly when, a few minutes later, the taxi driver's car began to roll over Shola's foot; quickly removing his foot, Shola found his shoe left under the tire. In pain, Shola nevertheless shook off the injury and began climbing the hill. They arrived at the Detour box just after Tara & Wil. The separated couple debated their choices, but decided to hang glide. Shola & Doyin, however, decided to forgo both Detour options and try for the Fast Forward, which also didn't open until the following morning. The next five Teams arrived at Pedra Bonita and decided to hang glide. The two trailing Teams, Gary & Dave and Peggy & Claire, independently decided to go for the Fast Forward. The two Teams were running neck-and-neck as they headed toward the Fast Forward location. The first to arrive, however, were Shola & Doyin. They rushed onto Copacabana Beach and claimed a volleyball court. This Fast Forward involved a unique game of volleyball. Teams competing for the Fast Forward would play two local Brazilians in a game. Teams would be able to play with their hands, but the Brazilians would have to play "footie-volley," using only their feet. Two courts were set up, so Teams could compete for the Fast Forward concurrently. The first Team to score ten points off the Brazilians would win the Fast Forward. The losing Team would have to go back and complete one of the Detour challenges. While Shola & Doyin were settling in for their three-and-a-half-hour wait for the game to begin, Peggy & Claire arrived. From the taxi, the Gutsy Grannies could see Shola & Doyin waiting on one of the courts. "Damn it! The twins are there," noted Claire. Thinking they wouldn't be able to score ten points quicker than their more athletic competitors, they took off. As their taxi headed toward Pedra Bonita, Claire moaned, "I'm so disappointed. I just figured that was our ace. That was our one shot to stay in the game." A few minutes later, Gary & Dave arrived at Copacabana Beach. They decided not to be intimidated by Shola & Doyin. Claiming the second court, they resolved to wait until sunrise and compete for the Fast Forward. Meanwhile, Peggy & Claire made it to Pedra Bonita. The rest of the Teams were already there, camped out for the night. The Gutsy Grannies took one look into the imposing abyss below, and immediately surmised they wouldn't be able to hang glide. They debated, unsure of their abilities. The other Teams encouraged them to go for it. Ultimately, they decided to fight it out: the Gutsy Grannies were determined to earn their nickname. Sunrise in Rio At 6:30 am, the volleyball contest began. The two Teams began playing against the Brazilian teams. The twins did well, scoring a few points. Gary & Dave, however, were being soundly beaten by their Brazilian competition. "There's a couple of sports I'm not so good at. And volleyball seems to be one of them," Dave commented. His assessment turned out to be accurate, as Shola & Doyin scored their tenth point. The twins received the Fast Forward pass, which instructed them to skip all remaining tasks and head directly to the Pit Stop in a jungle camp near Iguaçu Falls, more than 900 hundred miles away. Gary & Dave decided to go for the buried treasure Detour. They headed to São Conrado Beach, grabbed a metal detector and rushed out onto the sand. At the same time, Cyndi & Russell took off on their hang gliders. One after another, Teams rode the gliders. Gary & Dave glanced up to find the sky filled with a myriad of colorful gliders. Realizing how quick that Detour task seemed to be moving, they gave up on the treasure hunt and rushed off to the top of Pedra Bonita. Several of the competitors were terrified as they glanced over the hang gliding ramp. Peggy worried that she wouldn't be able to run fast enough to get the glider off the ramp. Hope said she was fighting back tears. "Everything in your brain, in your body, is saying, 'You're crazy, don't do this,'" she summed up. However, once the contestants took off, they thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The last Team to arrive were Gary & Dave. Dave looked down and wryly noted, "We'll probably die. But it's better than losing." From the landing zone on São Conrado Beach, Teams had to make their way to the bus station in Rio. From there, they had to figure out how to get to Iguaçu Falls. The first to arrive at the station were the Fast Forward winners, Shola & Doyin. Tara & Wil and Chris & Alex arrived shortly after them. The three lead Teams got on the first bus, which took a direct route, getting them to Iguaçu twenty-two hours later. On the second bus were Cyndi & Russell, Oswald & Danny, and Mary & Peach. Still on their way to the station were Hope & Norm, Blake & Paige, Peggy & Claire and Gary & Dave. As these last Teams rushed toward the station, Blake noted to his sister, "I think this is going to be the most critical moment of the race." Peggy & Claire and Blake & Paige were next to show up at the bus station. Blake became horrified when he realized he had left his wallet in their taxi. Despondent, he said, "I should just go home." Meanwhile, Peggy & Claire got on a bus to São Paulo. From there, they would take a second bus to Iguaçu. Gary & Dave boarded a different bus to São Paulo that would arrive in time for them to get on the same connecting bus as the Gutsy Grannies. Without any cash to pay for tickets, Blake & Paige were forced to beg for bus money. After only about five minutes, they were able to get enough money for a bus. Behind them, Hope & Norm arrived. Their driver had taken a circuitous route to the station, putting them in last place. The two Teams boarded the final bus to Iguaçu. "I Choose Him, No Matter What" On the road to Iguaçu , the lead bus, carrying Chris & Alex, Tara & Wil and Shola & Doyin, came to a sudden stop. Everyone piled out to find they had blown a tire. Chris refused to accept their calamity sitting down and jumped into action. He helped wheel in a new bus tire and, using his formidable strength and expertise, led the group in changing the massive tire. Twenty-two hours later, the first bus arrived, depositing the lead Teams: Shola & Doyin, Tara & Wil and Chris & Alex. Shola & Doyin were able to head directly to the Pit Stop. The other Teams grabbed the next clue from their awaiting jeeps. This clue instructed them to drive to Macuco Safari Dock, in Iguaçu Falls. Chris & Alex and Tara & Wil had formed an alliance. But when Chris & Alex's car stalled, Tara & Wil rushed off, leaving Chris and Alex far behind. Wil, however, was unable to get his Jeep out of low gear. Their car working again, Chris & Alex eventually caught up and agreed to go slowly so their competitors could stay with them, "Even though you left us," they pointedly told Wil. The two Teams arrived at the Roadblock together. A Roadblock is a task that only one Team member can perform. In this instance, the teammate performing the challenge had to jump into a speedboat, take it directly through the heart of Iguaçu Falls, and then spot the flag marking their next clue. Tara and Alex quickly decided to perform the task for their respective Teams. Working together, they searched for the flag. Alex explained, "There's a good chemistry that goes on with Tara and I. She's really cool; we have a great time together." They went through the rapids, where Alex spotted the flag on a tiny island. They docked their boats and rushed up the path to the flag. As they grabbed their next set of envelopes, they took the time to glance at the lovely surroundings. "We had to take a second and just stop and look, because we saw this rainbow, and it went across the whole falls. It was just amazing," Alex noted. They opened up their envelopes to learn they next had to get to the Pit Stop, a remote jungle camp. Tara and Alex returned to their partners and continued on their way. Shola & Doyin were the first Team to check in at the Pit Stop, followed by Chris & Alex and Tara & Wil. Behind them, Teams were making their way to Iguaçu Falls and heading toward the Pit Stop. One by one, they began to check in. Finally, Peggy & Claire made their way down the path toward the check-in mat. "We are last, Claire," Peggy guessed to her friend. They stepped on the mat, only to discover they had come in 9th place, and had not been eliminated. Shocked, they hugged each other. "We're still in the race!" they exclaimed. The last two Teams, Hope & Norm and Blake & Paige, were still on the bus to Iguaçu. One of these Teams was facing elimination. During the ride, the siblings were able to find someone with a map of the area. Blake explained, "We found a guy in the back of the bus that had a guidebook. We've been traveling with Hope & Norm and we really liked them a lot. But we had to sneak back there, copy this map without them seeing us. And it was just hard, because we had to do that." Having the map was fruitful for Blake & Paige, because they were able to beat Hope & Norm to the Roadblock location. Paige was the first to rush away on the speedboat, followed a few minutes later by Norm. Anxiously waiting for his sister to return, Blake theorized, "This whole race is gonna come down to how we perform on the Roadblock." Paige returned with the envelope and the pair headed off toward the Pit Stop. They arrived and checked in a mere fourteen minutes before Hope & Norm. "We did it, Blake," Paige said. Hope & Norm stepped onto the mat and were eliminated by host Phil Keoghan. In the end, the couple was extremely grateful for the experience. "My key along this whole thing was to enjoy some of these fabulous places and to experience them with my best friend, which is my wife," Norm said. Hope added, "He's my choice. I choose him, no matter what." In a tiny jungle camp near Iguacu Falls, Brazil, Hope & Norm, the married couple from Tennessee, became the second Team to be eliminated from the race.