Recap, Episode 5: Namibia to Bangkok
"I'll Feed Him to the Tigers" Before the fifth leg of the race even started, tensions were running high between several Teams. Blake and Wil clashed over race etiquette and the boundaries of fair play. Once out of earshot, Wil exclaimed about Blake, "If that's the way that this game is played, I'll feed him to the tigers." At 7:47 am, best friends Oswald & Danny, winners of the previous leg's Fast Forward, were the first Team to depart. Opening the race envelope, the Miami friends discovered they needed to travel to Windhoek International Airport and then fly to Bangkok, Thailand, 6000 miles away. Turning to his partner, Oswald uttered, "Oh my God. How exciting--Thailand!" At 10:34 am, separated couple Tara & Wil began the leg. Upon realizing their next destination was Thailand, Wil happily commented, "Our traveling could be our hidden weapon." Tara added that she and Wil travel to Bangkok three times a year for business. Because former roommates Gary & Dave had exceeded the designated speed limit during the previous leg, they were penalized, which made them the third Team to depart. (They and Chris & Alex both drove the legal speed limit; however, they had been instructed to drive no more than 20 mph less than the legal speed limit on a certain path in Namibia for added safety, due to potential hazards such as wild animals.) The next scheduled Team to leave was brother and sister Blake & Paige. Because he felt bad for having jumped ahead of sisters Mary & Peach on the check-in mat at the end of the previous leg, Blake asked the sisters to depart ahead of them. Mary & Peach agreed and received their clue envelope just before Blake & Paige. Both Teams then headed to their waiting taxis and took off. Once in the cab, Mary commented, "It was nice of Blake & Paige to let us read ahead of them. Welcome to the world of being human." At 11:44 am, Cyndi & Russell began the leg. As they headed off, Russell enthused, "Fired up, charged up, can't wait to get to Bangkok." Over an hour later, lifelong friends Chris & Alex, who had also received a time penalty for speeding, departed. Even though they were in last place, the teammates felt confident. In their taxi, Chris explained, "We have a lot of ground to make up. A lot of ground to make up. And we think we're gonna be able to do it at the airport: meet up with everybody, get a good flight. And then we're gonna kick everybody's ass once we're on the road." Chris & Alex's estimation proved incorrect, however, when they got to the airport and discovered that the other Teams had already caught a flight to Johannesburg, South Africa, where they could catch connections to Bangkok. The next plane to Johannesburg didn't leave until 3:00 pm, over an hour after the earlier flight. The first flight touched down in Johannesburg. Teams worked the airline counter agents to book the best connecting flights to Bangkok, as well as the best seats--those as far up as possible--allowing first exit from the airplane. Meanwhile, the plane carrying Chris & Alex landed. They were excited to discover they had caught up with the other Teams. "Everybody's on this flight. Everyone. We're all on a level playing field. This is where we're gonna take off," Alex told Chris. The Teams boarded the flight to begin their long journey to Bangkok. Confusion in Bangkok As soon as the plane landed in Bangkok the next day, the Teams poured out of the airport. Their first challenge was to locate the temple dancers outside the Erawan Shrine. To get there, Teams would have to take a bus to the sky train, get off at Siam station, and then proceed on foot to the shrine. Gary & Dave were the only Team to make the first bus, followed by Blake & Paige, who boarded the second bus. "It's absolutely critical to get the front seats on the airplane," explained Blake. Back in the airport terminal, Tara insisted that she and Wil wait for Chris & Alex, their sometimes-allied partners. Wil felt they should proceed and work their way up to first place. They argued until Wil finally relented, "I'm done. I don't want to play anymore." Chris & Alex, however, soon arrived, and the two Teams rushed off together. Using his international traveling experience, Wil quickly got them on a minibus. Cyndi & Russell and Mary & Peach boarded the fourth bus to the sky train. The last teammates to leave the airport, Oswald & Danny, lagged behind because they had seats near the back of the plane, costing them significant time. Teams rushed through the sky train station and bought tickets. Bangkok was frantic, the language barrier difficult to overcome. Alex explained, "This city is not easy. That's why we created an alliance with them." Gary & Dave were the first to locate the shrine and find the clue box. They ripped open the clue to discover they were now faced with a Detour challenge. In a Detour, Teams are faced with two distinct challenges and must choose between them. In this case, the choices were between "Confusion Now" and "Confusion Later." The first option involved figuring out how to get to a particular water taxi dock--one of many in the crowded city. From there, Teams had to ascertain which water taxi would take them to a specific bird market. Once they found it, their task was simple: buy a cage of sparrows and release them for good karma. "Confusion Later" involved taking a taxi directly to a street in Chinatown. But once there, Teams had to buy a car to send to their ancestors. First, they would have to learn that the car they needed to purchase was actually made out of paper. Next, they would have to take it to Wat Leng Nei Yi Shrine and burn it as an offering to their ancestors. Gary & Dave decided to try their luck in Chinatown and headed off in a taxi. The next to arrive, Blake & Paige, also chose "Confusion Later," the Chinatown Detour. Tara & Wil and Chris & Alex debated the options. "Chinatown's crazy," Tara informed the others. They took her advice and decided to head to the water taxis. Cyndi & Russell arrived at the shrine. They decided on the "Confusion Now" detour just as Mary & Peach arrived and made the same decision. Both Teams asked around for directions to the water taxis. Unfortunately, Cyndi & Russell headed off in the wrong direction. The last Team to arrive, Oswald & Danny, met a young woman on the bus who agreed to help them out for the day. Their "saving angel" guided them to the shrine and then agreed to help get them through the Chinatown Detour. Gary & Dave arrived in Chinatown and began to ask how to buy a car. A vendor figured out that what they needed was a paper car and pulled one down for them. They purchased it and rushed to the first shrine they encountered on the streets. They burned the car as an offering and were confused when they didn't receive their next set of instructions. After a few painful moments, it dawned on them that they were at the wrong shrine! They rushed back to the vendor to purchase another paper car. Behind them, Blake & Paige made the same mistake. Meanwhile, Tara & Wil and Chris & Alex were having a much easier time. They quickly learned the complex water taxi system and hopped in the correct boat to the bird market. Mary & Peach were next to make it to the water taxi. Cyndi & Russell, however, were still walking around the crowded Bangkok streets, searching for the water taxis. Back in Chinatown, Oswald & Danny arrived and, with their guide's help, quickly bought a car. Meanwhile, Blake moaned, "Thailand's been like the Twilight Zone. No one, except at the airport, has spoken English." The siblings burned another car at a shrine only to discover, yet again, they were in the wrong place. Gary & Dave made it to the correct shrine, took the car to the furnace, and burnt it as an offering. This time, they were given the clue envelope. Relieved that they had successfully completed the Detour, the teammates opened up the envelope to find they were to travel to the Wat Khao Chong Phran Temple at Ratchaburi, sixty miles away. The temple was located on the outskirts of town and Teams could only travel to it by public bus. As Gary & Dave continued on to the bus station, Wil & Tara and Chris & Alex found the bird market. They purchased cages and released the sparrows. Inside the cages were the clues sending them to the temple at Ratchaburi. While the remaining Teams were completing the Detour challenges, Cyndi & Russell were still struggling to find the water taxi. Frustrated, Russell groaned, "We just walked six miles for nothing." Trying to keep a positive outlook, Cyndi replied, "We can't look back." Once again, Gary & Dave were the first to arrive at the next destination, the bus station. As their bus pulled away, Dave noted, "We feel like we're in first; we could be in the top three. Either way is fine." The rest of the Teams were racing toward the bus terminal. Chris & Alex were on a tuk-tuk, a tiny motorcycle taxi that is able to whip in and out of traffic. They got to the station quickly and hopped on the next bus to Ratchaburi. In their taxi, Peach looked out the window and noted, "It's a culture shock to me. Definitely. How crowded…just everything you see on the streets. The smell. The smell is horrid." Arriving at the station, they grabbed the third bus. Tara & Wil realized their taxi didn't seem to be taking the correct route. Studying a map, they noted that their driver had taken them to the wrong place. Frustrated, they grabbed another taxi and eventually ended up on the next bus. Next to arrive were Blake & Paige, followed by Oswald & Danny. While the rest of the Teams were on the road to Ratchaburi, Cyndi & Russell were having a difficult time locating the bird market. Russell commented, "I hate not knowing where I'm going." They asked for directions, then eventually found the bird market and received the next clue. "I Must be Insane" Gary & Dave and Chris & Alex arrived in Ratchaburi at the same time. They hailed tuk-tuks and headed off in pursuit of the temple, playfully kidding as they passed one another on the road. Suddenly, Chris & Alex's tuk-tuk broke down, and Gary & Dave were able to continue on unadulterated, in the lead. They arrived at the temple but could not find the next clue box. Back on the road with their tuk-tuk repaired, Chris & Alex arrived and immediately spied the clue box. They opened the envelope to find they had reached a Roadblock. A Roadblock is a task that only one Team member may perform. In this case, the teammate performing the challenge had to retrieve the next clue, hidden deep inside a cave. The task would be simple, except for the fact that the cave was swarming with bats and roaches. Chris decided to perform the Roadblock. Struggling through the bat-infested cave, he found the clue and returned to his partner. Alex read that they were to head to the Pit Stop at Ban Plai Pong Pang. To get there, they would have to take a long boat to the traditional river house. As Chris & Alex headed off to the Pit Stop, Gary & Dave were still searching for the Roadblock clue. Mary & Peach arrived and spotted the flag immediately. Peach debated the decision for a few moments, and then agreed to perform the task. Blake & Paige arrived next, followed by Gary & Dave, who had finally spotted the flag. Blake, Dave and Peach headed together through the darkened crevices of the cave. As she made her way through, Peach groaned, "I must be insane!" They found the clue and returned to their waiting partners. "I think I'm gonna throw up!" Peach commented as she put on her pack. The last remaining Teams began to arrive at the Roadblock. Wil wanted Tara to perform the challenge. "I do them all," Tara replied. Wil nodded and agreed to enter the cave. Oswald decided to do the Roadblock. "If I don't come back alive, I love you," he told Danny. End of a Great Run Chris & Alex were the first to grab a longboat and arrive at the Pit Stop. As they checked in, Alex commented about their achievement: "From the back to the front, man." Mary & Peach were the second to arrive, followed by Tara & Wil. "How did that happen?" laughed a happy Tara about their finishing in the top tier. Arriving next were Blake & Paige, Gary & Dave, and then a pleasantly surprised Oswald & Danny, who had been certain they would be eliminated. "What a day!" Russell sighed as he and Cyndi arrived. Cyndi & Russell stepped up to the check-in mat, only to be informed by host Phil Keoghan that they were the last Team to arrive. Reflecting on their experience, Russell explained, "It's been a great run. We've seen things we never would have seen. We've done things we never, ever would have done." In tears, Russell expressed pride in his wife. As they hugged, he said, "It's been quite a trip." At Ban Plai Pong Pang, a traditional river house in Ampawa, Thailand, ordained ministers and married parents Cyndi & Russell became the fifth Team to be eliminated from THE AMAZING RACE.http://www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race2/show/episode05/story.shtml
"I'll Feed Him to the Tigers" Before the fifth leg of the race even started, tensions were running high between several Teams. Blake and Wil clashed over race etiquette and the boundaries of fair play. Once out of earshot, Wil exclaimed about Blake, "If that's the way that this game is played, I'll feed him to the tigers." At 7:47 am, best friends Oswald & Danny, winners of the previous leg's Fast Forward, were the first Team to depart. Opening the race envelope, the Miami friends discovered they needed to travel to Windhoek International Airport and then fly to Bangkok, Thailand, 6000 miles away. Turning to his partner, Oswald uttered, "Oh my God. How exciting--Thailand!" At 10:34 am, separated couple Tara & Wil began the leg. Upon realizing their next destination was Thailand, Wil happily commented, "Our traveling could be our hidden weapon." Tara added that she and Wil travel to Bangkok three times a year for business. Because former roommates Gary & Dave had exceeded the designated speed limit during the previous leg, they were penalized, which made them the third Team to depart. (They and Chris & Alex both drove the legal speed limit; however, they had been instructed to drive no more than 20 mph less than the legal speed limit on a certain path in Namibia for added safety, due to potential hazards such as wild animals.) The next scheduled Team to leave was brother and sister Blake & Paige. Because he felt bad for having jumped ahead of sisters Mary & Peach on the check-in mat at the end of the previous leg, Blake asked the sisters to depart ahead of them. Mary & Peach agreed and received their clue envelope just before Blake & Paige. Both Teams then headed to their waiting taxis and took off. Once in the cab, Mary commented, "It was nice of Blake & Paige to let us read ahead of them. Welcome to the world of being human." At 11:44 am, Cyndi & Russell began the leg. As they headed off, Russell enthused, "Fired up, charged up, can't wait to get to Bangkok." Over an hour later, lifelong friends Chris & Alex, who had also received a time penalty for speeding, departed. Even though they were in last place, the teammates felt confident. In their taxi, Chris explained, "We have a lot of ground to make up. A lot of ground to make up. And we think we're gonna be able to do it at the airport: meet up with everybody, get a good flight. And then we're gonna kick everybody's ass once we're on the road." Chris & Alex's estimation proved incorrect, however, when they got to the airport and discovered that the other Teams had already caught a flight to Johannesburg, South Africa, where they could catch connections to Bangkok. The next plane to Johannesburg didn't leave until 3:00 pm, over an hour after the earlier flight. The first flight touched down in Johannesburg. Teams worked the airline counter agents to book the best connecting flights to Bangkok, as well as the best seats--those as far up as possible--allowing first exit from the airplane. Meanwhile, the plane carrying Chris & Alex landed. They were excited to discover they had caught up with the other Teams. "Everybody's on this flight. Everyone. We're all on a level playing field. This is where we're gonna take off," Alex told Chris. The Teams boarded the flight to begin their long journey to Bangkok. Confusion in Bangkok As soon as the plane landed in Bangkok the next day, the Teams poured out of the airport. Their first challenge was to locate the temple dancers outside the Erawan Shrine. To get there, Teams would have to take a bus to the sky train, get off at Siam station, and then proceed on foot to the shrine. Gary & Dave were the only Team to make the first bus, followed by Blake & Paige, who boarded the second bus. "It's absolutely critical to get the front seats on the airplane," explained Blake. Back in the airport terminal, Tara insisted that she and Wil wait for Chris & Alex, their sometimes-allied partners. Wil felt they should proceed and work their way up to first place. They argued until Wil finally relented, "I'm done. I don't want to play anymore." Chris & Alex, however, soon arrived, and the two Teams rushed off together. Using his international traveling experience, Wil quickly got them on a minibus. Cyndi & Russell and Mary & Peach boarded the fourth bus to the sky train. The last teammates to leave the airport, Oswald & Danny, lagged behind because they had seats near the back of the plane, costing them significant time. Teams rushed through the sky train station and bought tickets. Bangkok was frantic, the language barrier difficult to overcome. Alex explained, "This city is not easy. That's why we created an alliance with them." Gary & Dave were the first to locate the shrine and find the clue box. They ripped open the clue to discover they were now faced with a Detour challenge. In a Detour, Teams are faced with two distinct challenges and must choose between them. In this case, the choices were between "Confusion Now" and "Confusion Later." The first option involved figuring out how to get to a particular water taxi dock--one of many in the crowded city. From there, Teams had to ascertain which water taxi would take them to a specific bird market. Once they found it, their task was simple: buy a cage of sparrows and release them for good karma. "Confusion Later" involved taking a taxi directly to a street in Chinatown. But once there, Teams had to buy a car to send to their ancestors. First, they would have to learn that the car they needed to purchase was actually made out of paper. Next, they would have to take it to Wat Leng Nei Yi Shrine and burn it as an offering to their ancestors. Gary & Dave decided to try their luck in Chinatown and headed off in a taxi. The next to arrive, Blake & Paige, also chose "Confusion Later," the Chinatown Detour. Tara & Wil and Chris & Alex debated the options. "Chinatown's crazy," Tara informed the others. They took her advice and decided to head to the water taxis. Cyndi & Russell arrived at the shrine. They decided on the "Confusion Now" detour just as Mary & Peach arrived and made the same decision. Both Teams asked around for directions to the water taxis. Unfortunately, Cyndi & Russell headed off in the wrong direction. The last Team to arrive, Oswald & Danny, met a young woman on the bus who agreed to help them out for the day. Their "saving angel" guided them to the shrine and then agreed to help get them through the Chinatown Detour. Gary & Dave arrived in Chinatown and began to ask how to buy a car. A vendor figured out that what they needed was a paper car and pulled one down for them. They purchased it and rushed to the first shrine they encountered on the streets. They burned the car as an offering and were confused when they didn't receive their next set of instructions. After a few painful moments, it dawned on them that they were at the wrong shrine! They rushed back to the vendor to purchase another paper car. Behind them, Blake & Paige made the same mistake. Meanwhile, Tara & Wil and Chris & Alex were having a much easier time. They quickly learned the complex water taxi system and hopped in the correct boat to the bird market. Mary & Peach were next to make it to the water taxi. Cyndi & Russell, however, were still walking around the crowded Bangkok streets, searching for the water taxis. Back in Chinatown, Oswald & Danny arrived and, with their guide's help, quickly bought a car. Meanwhile, Blake moaned, "Thailand's been like the Twilight Zone. No one, except at the airport, has spoken English." The siblings burned another car at a shrine only to discover, yet again, they were in the wrong place. Gary & Dave made it to the correct shrine, took the car to the furnace, and burnt it as an offering. This time, they were given the clue envelope. Relieved that they had successfully completed the Detour, the teammates opened up the envelope to find they were to travel to the Wat Khao Chong Phran Temple at Ratchaburi, sixty miles away. The temple was located on the outskirts of town and Teams could only travel to it by public bus. As Gary & Dave continued on to the bus station, Wil & Tara and Chris & Alex found the bird market. They purchased cages and released the sparrows. Inside the cages were the clues sending them to the temple at Ratchaburi. While the remaining Teams were completing the Detour challenges, Cyndi & Russell were still struggling to find the water taxi. Frustrated, Russell groaned, "We just walked six miles for nothing." Trying to keep a positive outlook, Cyndi replied, "We can't look back." Once again, Gary & Dave were the first to arrive at the next destination, the bus station. As their bus pulled away, Dave noted, "We feel like we're in first; we could be in the top three. Either way is fine." The rest of the Teams were racing toward the bus terminal. Chris & Alex were on a tuk-tuk, a tiny motorcycle taxi that is able to whip in and out of traffic. They got to the station quickly and hopped on the next bus to Ratchaburi. In their taxi, Peach looked out the window and noted, "It's a culture shock to me. Definitely. How crowded…just everything you see on the streets. The smell. The smell is horrid." Arriving at the station, they grabbed the third bus. Tara & Wil realized their taxi didn't seem to be taking the correct route. Studying a map, they noted that their driver had taken them to the wrong place. Frustrated, they grabbed another taxi and eventually ended up on the next bus. Next to arrive were Blake & Paige, followed by Oswald & Danny. While the rest of the Teams were on the road to Ratchaburi, Cyndi & Russell were having a difficult time locating the bird market. Russell commented, "I hate not knowing where I'm going." They asked for directions, then eventually found the bird market and received the next clue. "I Must be Insane" Gary & Dave and Chris & Alex arrived in Ratchaburi at the same time. They hailed tuk-tuks and headed off in pursuit of the temple, playfully kidding as they passed one another on the road. Suddenly, Chris & Alex's tuk-tuk broke down, and Gary & Dave were able to continue on unadulterated, in the lead. They arrived at the temple but could not find the next clue box. Back on the road with their tuk-tuk repaired, Chris & Alex arrived and immediately spied the clue box. They opened the envelope to find they had reached a Roadblock. A Roadblock is a task that only one Team member may perform. In this case, the teammate performing the challenge had to retrieve the next clue, hidden deep inside a cave. The task would be simple, except for the fact that the cave was swarming with bats and roaches. Chris decided to perform the Roadblock. Struggling through the bat-infested cave, he found the clue and returned to his partner. Alex read that they were to head to the Pit Stop at Ban Plai Pong Pang. To get there, they would have to take a long boat to the traditional river house. As Chris & Alex headed off to the Pit Stop, Gary & Dave were still searching for the Roadblock clue. Mary & Peach arrived and spotted the flag immediately. Peach debated the decision for a few moments, and then agreed to perform the task. Blake & Paige arrived next, followed by Gary & Dave, who had finally spotted the flag. Blake, Dave and Peach headed together through the darkened crevices of the cave. As she made her way through, Peach groaned, "I must be insane!" They found the clue and returned to their waiting partners. "I think I'm gonna throw up!" Peach commented as she put on her pack. The last remaining Teams began to arrive at the Roadblock. Wil wanted Tara to perform the challenge. "I do them all," Tara replied. Wil nodded and agreed to enter the cave. Oswald decided to do the Roadblock. "If I don't come back alive, I love you," he told Danny. End of a Great Run Chris & Alex were the first to grab a longboat and arrive at the Pit Stop. As they checked in, Alex commented about their achievement: "From the back to the front, man." Mary & Peach were the second to arrive, followed by Tara & Wil. "How did that happen?" laughed a happy Tara about their finishing in the top tier. Arriving next were Blake & Paige, Gary & Dave, and then a pleasantly surprised Oswald & Danny, who had been certain they would be eliminated. "What a day!" Russell sighed as he and Cyndi arrived. Cyndi & Russell stepped up to the check-in mat, only to be informed by host Phil Keoghan that they were the last Team to arrive. Reflecting on their experience, Russell explained, "It's been a great run. We've seen things we never would have seen. We've done things we never, ever would have done." In tears, Russell expressed pride in his wife. As they hugged, he said, "It's been quite a trip." At Ban Plai Pong Pang, a traditional river house in Ampawa, Thailand, ordained ministers and married parents Cyndi & Russell became the fifth Team to be eliminated from THE AMAZING RACE.