The Amazing Race Episode 9

Previously on TAR:
- Teams traveled from Mauritius to Madagascar.
- The Intersection was introduced in a last-ditch attempt at saving David and Mary.
- Tyler and James and Rob and Kimberly choked on the Fast Forward, coming in after the Barbies, in second and third place respectively.
- The Barbies rocked that leg.
- Bama barely moved faster than a slow crawl because they knew they would definitely beat Kentucky's half hour penalty.
- Kentucky went home.

This week:
- Apparently Madagascar is the 4th largest island. I'm not sure why I was surprised, because thinking about it now, Madagascar is pretty big compared to Crete and stuff. I'm assuming Antarctica and Australia are considered continents and not islands. Greenland's pretty big. Anyway.. unimportant.

- Clue: Go to Helsinki, Finland, log onto aol.com to get the next clue. Tickets to Paris are provided, due to the lack of flights leaving Madagascar on any given day. Teams then have to book their own travel from then on, and they do not have to keep the Paris tickets, which put them on a flight that leaves in like 16 hours.
- Beginning of the leg observations: The Barbies are awesome. Kimberly washed her hair. The Chos are stupid.. this isn't friend camp.
- The first four teams manage to figure out it's faster to go through Johannesburg. It looks like Bama won't make it, but then the TAR fairy appears after having just finished having brunch with Rob and Brennan, Flo and Zach, Chip and Kim, and Uchenna and Joyce (all winning teams who noteably had some visits from the TAR fairy). They let them on the plane five minutes after it already departed or something. They flew them up in a hovercraft and dropped them into open seats.
- Karlyn actually smiles. Make note of this. I think this is smile number 3 so far this season.
- A little bit of Cho/Bama tension. Foreshadowing.
- Hmmm I wonder who the sponsor is. Teams get to see messages from home. The best one is when they show a Chos' girlfriend and then for the other one, it's his mother and sister.. who are actually both of their mother and sister. I just thought it was funny. It was like haha you are single. No one wants to be with you right now. Maybe not exactly.. I just thought it was funny.

- The family members give the next clue, which tells them to go to the cafe manager or something. Clue: Go to the city of Tampere via train and then taxi.
- Bama totally breaks down. They're the last ones there and I have to say the children are adorable. Lyn's three children read the clue together really slowly so they can be in unison and it's cute.
- All teams get on the same train.
- Barbies and Models "flirt"? I'm not quite sure because they're both aware of how important it is to play their own strong games. I think they kind of just pretend to lead each other on. I am so glad the Barbies are not Megan & Heidi, Dani & Danielle, Heather & Eve, etc. They know that nobody comes on a race for a million dollars to find a hot guy to hook up with. They don't cling to other teams for help.. they do it themselves. And frankly, if they did decide to use other teams for help, they would be wasting time because these two are very efficient.
- The Barbies and Models get off the train first and quickly find cabs parked in front of the station. The rest of them have to go to where there's a line, or as that part of the world says it, a queue. Kim and Rob ask a couple if they could please cut in line because it's an emergency and the couple says okay. This is fine and for once this team doesn't seem like the asses. Then, Bama proceeds to do the same thing, minus the asking for permission. They rudely jump into a cab as someone else is trying to get in and say, "Thank you sir!" in an obnoxious tone. Can it, Bama. The Chos then bitch about being polite and how it's gonna cost them. No, Chos, what's gonna cost you is this inability to work by yourself, for yourself, without concerning yourself with carrying the weaker teams around.

- Barbies and Models do a pointless race to the clue box, where they both find the Detour: Swamp This or Swamp That (they have run out of catchy ideas). In Swamp This, teams have to put on skis and go trekking through the swampy mud. In Swamp That, teams have to crawl through an obstacle course, at one point where one member has to carry the other. Both teams have to climb over a fence at one point and jump into the heavy quicksand-consistency mud.
- Teams that do Swamp This: Barbies and Bama. Teams that do Swamp That: Models, Rob/Kim, Chos.

- Tyler/James narrowly edge out the Barbies a finish the challenge first. They receive the next Clue: Take a train to Turku. Then drive 74 miles to Lorja.
- The Models decide to change clothes before getting in their car, but the Barbies don't because they're not prima donnas like the boys. Also, is it just me, or did the Barbies just not get dirty at all? In the short of them in their taxi right after the challenge, they look like they just spent thirty minutes shopping.
- At one point, Rob says something to the effect that Kim was heavy, or difficult to carry. She says, "Are you calling me fat?" Best part, there's no exchange after that. Rob doesn't say no, neither of them laugh, and Kim doesn't get angry either. I thought it was hilarious.
- Barbies and Models make the train and stand there urging it to hurry up and move. Usually, this is where the TAR fairy comes along and helps the back end teams out a little. Not this time. In an excellent display, Rob and Kimberly arrive in time to see the train leaving the station. It's fantastic.
- By the way, Kimberly's freshly showered look from earlier? Gone. She looks rough once again.
- In a strange exchange, Rob and Kimberly try to go past Bama/Cho on the train to go back to their seats and Bama/Cho are standing up for some reason and Bama goes on and on about "no party train with Rob and Kim."
- The Models find the next place and go into a mine, which is a classic example of doing something reminiscent of a former contestant. In this show and some others, the episode after a contestant leaves, there's a challenge that is something he/she would have loved or exceled at. This is a David challenge.
- Barbies have to wait because they don't quite find the marked flag as quickly.
- There is Bama/Cho tension again. Foreshadowing.
- Roadblock at the bottom of the mine ride: Bike into the mine, get a block of limestone, ride back up and break it open to get the clue, which is in a vile/container.
- Rob calls Bama Frick and Frack.
- James and Kandice do the Roadblock.
- James finds the clue first: Drive to Helsinki Olympic Stadium.
- Rob tries to drive into the mine. Chos and Bama find the mine clue before Rob and Kim.
- Models get to the Olympic Stadium first but go into the stadium and cannot find the marked flag, which is on a door outside of the stadium.
- Finally they find the clue: Go to the top of the tower. They find out they have to rappel down the tower face first. Excellent. One of the models is scared.
- Rob and Kim are a trainwreck as they fail to spot the marked door yet again when it seems they've right behind Chos/Bama, who spot it quickly. Rob and Kim display major trainwreck signs.
- After numerous mentions this episode by the contestants of how they're getting close to the pitstop, of course we have a TBC. It was about time.. I assumed it was time leg since it wasn't last leg. The Models get a clue after finishing rappeling and the Barbies are in the process of getting suited up and starting the rappel. Rob and Kimberly are cut off in this episode looking like a total trainwreck.

Next week: Tank time with Dennis and Andrew. I wouldn't be surprised if they were still in there, hoping to get the fast forward that will same them from behind five hundred hours behind. I think the Chos are toast next week. There's major foreshadowing of Bama screwing over the Chos and taking the final four spot. If so, this would mean two all-female teams in the final four. Would be a TAR first. And I'm crossing my fingers for a Rob and Kim trainwreck. Nothing is funnier.

Until next time..

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