Recap, Episode 3: We'll Always Have Paris...
Hiding in Plain Sight The third leg of the race began under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Teams had to decipher a clue leading them to the giant Ferris Wheel, called La Grande Roue, located less than two miles away. The amusement ride was in plain sight to all Teams from the Arc de Triomphe. The clue, however, was written in French. Teams first had to translate the message before realizing that their next destination was the Ferris Wheel. Pat & Brenda, who won the Fast Forward in the previous leg, were the first to depart at 9:06 pm. They received instructions to La Grande Roue from a man who pointed them in the correct direction. Grasping that the amusement ride closed just after midnight, they rushed to the Metro station and headed to the Route Marker. Joe & Bill, the next to leave in the Paris night, were excited to learn the ride's operating hours. "Our timing is just about perfect," Joe exclaimed when he realized that not only would they make it before closing, but the following Teams might have trouble getting there in time. The remaining two Teams of the alliance, Frank & Margarita and Rob & Brennan, received their race envelopes a mere 20 minutes before the Ferris Wheel closed. Recognizing that time was of the essence, they hurried into cabs and raced down the city streets. The two Teams arrived at the Ferris Wheel just before it was locked up for the evening. There was noticeable tension between the allied Teams, however, when Rob & Brennan bounded for a taxi ahead of Frank & Margarita, who had to work hard to catch up. The next Team to depart, Kevin & Drew, weren't so lucky. The Ferris Wheel closed before they could get there. Upset, Drew exclaimed, "I'm not being equal with four Teams…8 hours behind." Their only solution was to go for the Fast Forward pass, hidden in a local tea shop. Gaining the Fast Forward would allow them to skip all remaining obstacles and head directly to the Pit Stop. The fraternity brothers loaded their bags into a taxi and headed over to wait out the night. The rest of the Teams began the leg after the Ferris Wheel had already closed. To try to keep ahead, they all decided to spend the night on the sidewalk outside the Wheel (except for Nancy & Emily, who returned to their previous night's lodging). Their camping adventure turned sour, however, when it started to rain. The Guidos, on the other hand, had a grand old time relaxing and revisiting their favorite haunts from their two years living in Paris. They took a leisurely stroll down the cobbled streets of their old neighborhood. Joe told Bill, "I always said we would be back, remember?" Then they comfortably sipped tea at a trendy Parisian café. Afterwards, the couple checked in to one of their favorite hotels. Working Moms Commit Fatal Error The next morning, the trailing Teams waited for La Grande Roue to open. Just prior to the gate's being unlocked, Nancy & Emily showed up and joined them. At the Ferris Wheel, Teams were given an envelope containing a Detour mission. Their task was to find one of two places, Quasimodo's bell or Foucault's Pendulum. Quasimodo's bell was located at the famous Notre Dame Cathedral, whereas Foucault's Pendulum was in the less familiar Pantheon. Both of these buildings opened at ten in the morning. Paul & Amie, Lenny & Karyn, Nancy & Emily and David & Margaretta all chose the Notre Dame option. The night before, the leading Teams--Frank & Margarita, Joe & Bill, and Rob & Brennan--had decided on the Pantheon option. Sewer Sludge Joe & Bill, confident that their knowledge of Paris and tactics at the Pantheon put them in a comfortable lead, were shocked to find that they were one of the last Teams to find the Man in the Blue Suit at the Roadblock clue. A Roadblock is a task that only one member of a Team can perform. And, each Team must make the determination prior to learning what the task entails. Paul & Amie arrived on the scene first. The couple decided that Paul should do the task. They ripped open the clue to find that Paul's mission was to enter the Paris sewer system and navigate through the narrow passages for two blocks. Following them, Lenny & Karyn and Nancy & Emily arrived. Frank & Margarita, Rob & Brennan, Joe & Bill, and David & Margaretta were right behind them. Margarita noted this was the first time since the race began that the Teams were together as a group. Possibly because of this, tensions were extremely high. Joe was particularly disgusted with being behind other Teams. This was the first time they were near the end of the pack, and they were feeling the pressure. One by one, the Teams walked through the steaming raw sewage to find their next Route Marker envelope, located at the end of a series of sewers tunnels. They then climbed out and were reunited with their partners to head off to the Les Baux Pit Stop. Race to Les Baux After completing the sewer task, Teams rushed to the Paris train station. From there, they struggled to decipher the train schedules and purchase tickets to the south of France. For the first time in the race, Team Guido appeared less than confident. "It would be just our luck if we lose this thing in Paris, and we lived here for two years," Joe told his partner. They worried that they may have underestimated their competition. Frank & Margarita, Rob & Brennan, and Joe & Bill ended up on one section of the train. Nancy & Emily, Paul & Amie, and Lenny & Karyn sat in another section. The latter Teams nicknamed themselves "the Underdogs," since they had all fought off elimination during the race. The Underdogs purchased tickets all the way to Marseilles. What they failed to discover was that getting off at Avignon would save them about an hour. This short cut was not lost on the lead Teams, however, who sneaked off the train at Avignon. "This might turn out to be the best little trick we ever found," Joe told Bill. The Underdogs were very upset when they discovered that the top Teams had discarded them without a word. They debated whether to hop off the train, but decided to follow their tickets and continued on to Marseilles. Once again, they became concerned that one of their group might be eliminated. Their fears appeared to be supported when David & Margaretta, who were on a later train, got off at Avignon, saving them an hour. By doing this, the older couple passed the Underdog Teams and clocked in just behind the leading Teams. From First to Worst There wasn't enough time for Pat & Brenda, however. As the sun began to set on them while they waited on the train station platform, they repeated the mantra, "We're not the last Team!" As they made the lonely climb up the ancient enclave, it became obvious that they were, in fact, the final Team. They hiked the cobblestone path to the top of the castle, where they were told by Phil Keoghan that they were eliminated. Pat & Brenda took the news well. Through tears, Brenda exclaimed, "The whole experience has been great and full of surprises. It's been rejuvenating. Here we are in our forties, and we're playing this game like we're kids." In the picturesque town of Les Baux in southern France, working moms Pat Pierce and Brenda Mehta became the third Team eliminated from THE AMAZING RACE.http://www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race/show/week03/story01.shtml
Hiding in Plain Sight The third leg of the race began under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Teams had to decipher a clue leading them to the giant Ferris Wheel, called La Grande Roue, located less than two miles away. The amusement ride was in plain sight to all Teams from the Arc de Triomphe. The clue, however, was written in French. Teams first had to translate the message before realizing that their next destination was the Ferris Wheel. Pat & Brenda, who won the Fast Forward in the previous leg, were the first to depart at 9:06 pm. They received instructions to La Grande Roue from a man who pointed them in the correct direction. Grasping that the amusement ride closed just after midnight, they rushed to the Metro station and headed to the Route Marker. Joe & Bill, the next to leave in the Paris night, were excited to learn the ride's operating hours. "Our timing is just about perfect," Joe exclaimed when he realized that not only would they make it before closing, but the following Teams might have trouble getting there in time. The remaining two Teams of the alliance, Frank & Margarita and Rob & Brennan, received their race envelopes a mere 20 minutes before the Ferris Wheel closed. Recognizing that time was of the essence, they hurried into cabs and raced down the city streets. The two Teams arrived at the Ferris Wheel just before it was locked up for the evening. There was noticeable tension between the allied Teams, however, when Rob & Brennan bounded for a taxi ahead of Frank & Margarita, who had to work hard to catch up. The next Team to depart, Kevin & Drew, weren't so lucky. The Ferris Wheel closed before they could get there. Upset, Drew exclaimed, "I'm not being equal with four Teams…8 hours behind." Their only solution was to go for the Fast Forward pass, hidden in a local tea shop. Gaining the Fast Forward would allow them to skip all remaining obstacles and head directly to the Pit Stop. The fraternity brothers loaded their bags into a taxi and headed over to wait out the night. The rest of the Teams began the leg after the Ferris Wheel had already closed. To try to keep ahead, they all decided to spend the night on the sidewalk outside the Wheel (except for Nancy & Emily, who returned to their previous night's lodging). Their camping adventure turned sour, however, when it started to rain. The Guidos, on the other hand, had a grand old time relaxing and revisiting their favorite haunts from their two years living in Paris. They took a leisurely stroll down the cobbled streets of their old neighborhood. Joe told Bill, "I always said we would be back, remember?" Then they comfortably sipped tea at a trendy Parisian café. Afterwards, the couple checked in to one of their favorite hotels. Working Moms Commit Fatal Error The next morning, the trailing Teams waited for La Grande Roue to open. Just prior to the gate's being unlocked, Nancy & Emily showed up and joined them. At the Ferris Wheel, Teams were given an envelope containing a Detour mission. Their task was to find one of two places, Quasimodo's bell or Foucault's Pendulum. Quasimodo's bell was located at the famous Notre Dame Cathedral, whereas Foucault's Pendulum was in the less familiar Pantheon. Both of these buildings opened at ten in the morning. Paul & Amie, Lenny & Karyn, Nancy & Emily and David & Margaretta all chose the Notre Dame option. The night before, the leading Teams--Frank & Margarita, Joe & Bill, and Rob & Brennan--had decided on the Pantheon option. Sewer Sludge Joe & Bill, confident that their knowledge of Paris and tactics at the Pantheon put them in a comfortable lead, were shocked to find that they were one of the last Teams to find the Man in the Blue Suit at the Roadblock clue. A Roadblock is a task that only one member of a Team can perform. And, each Team must make the determination prior to learning what the task entails. Paul & Amie arrived on the scene first. The couple decided that Paul should do the task. They ripped open the clue to find that Paul's mission was to enter the Paris sewer system and navigate through the narrow passages for two blocks. Following them, Lenny & Karyn and Nancy & Emily arrived. Frank & Margarita, Rob & Brennan, Joe & Bill, and David & Margaretta were right behind them. Margarita noted this was the first time since the race began that the Teams were together as a group. Possibly because of this, tensions were extremely high. Joe was particularly disgusted with being behind other Teams. This was the first time they were near the end of the pack, and they were feeling the pressure. One by one, the Teams walked through the steaming raw sewage to find their next Route Marker envelope, located at the end of a series of sewers tunnels. They then climbed out and were reunited with their partners to head off to the Les Baux Pit Stop. Race to Les Baux After completing the sewer task, Teams rushed to the Paris train station. From there, they struggled to decipher the train schedules and purchase tickets to the south of France. For the first time in the race, Team Guido appeared less than confident. "It would be just our luck if we lose this thing in Paris, and we lived here for two years," Joe told his partner. They worried that they may have underestimated their competition. Frank & Margarita, Rob & Brennan, and Joe & Bill ended up on one section of the train. Nancy & Emily, Paul & Amie, and Lenny & Karyn sat in another section. The latter Teams nicknamed themselves "the Underdogs," since they had all fought off elimination during the race. The Underdogs purchased tickets all the way to Marseilles. What they failed to discover was that getting off at Avignon would save them about an hour. This short cut was not lost on the lead Teams, however, who sneaked off the train at Avignon. "This might turn out to be the best little trick we ever found," Joe told Bill. The Underdogs were very upset when they discovered that the top Teams had discarded them without a word. They debated whether to hop off the train, but decided to follow their tickets and continued on to Marseilles. Once again, they became concerned that one of their group might be eliminated. Their fears appeared to be supported when David & Margaretta, who were on a later train, got off at Avignon, saving them an hour. By doing this, the older couple passed the Underdog Teams and clocked in just behind the leading Teams. From First to Worst There wasn't enough time for Pat & Brenda, however. As the sun began to set on them while they waited on the train station platform, they repeated the mantra, "We're not the last Team!" As they made the lonely climb up the ancient enclave, it became obvious that they were, in fact, the final Team. They hiked the cobblestone path to the top of the castle, where they were told by Phil Keoghan that they were eliminated. Pat & Brenda took the news well. Through tears, Brenda exclaimed, "The whole experience has been great and full of surprises. It's been rejuvenating. Here we are in our forties, and we're playing this game like we're kids." In the picturesque town of Les Baux in southern France, working moms Pat Pierce and Brenda Mehta became the third Team eliminated from THE AMAZING RACE.