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The Amazing Race

If you need reminding as to what happened on the last episode of THE AMAZING RACE, don’t worry, you’re not alone. It’s been a while since these dynamic daredevils have graced our TV screens. After racing through Bangkok, Bergen and Kurt came in first place, and poor Harley and Jonathan were eliminated. And there were cats. There were a lot of cats. This week, teams are traveling from Asia to Europe as they join Germany – specifically, Bavaria – in preparing for Oktoberfest.

This should be interesting.

After arriving first at the last leg, Bergen and Kurt leave first this time. We get it: you two don’t like each other. If you’ve said it once, you’ve said it a million times. I know it can be difficult to travel around the world with someone you can’t stand, but enough. And sorry, Hayley and Blair, we’re over you, too. You’re pretty lousy. Or at least, Hayley is. I still feel bad for Blair. Jeff and Jackie: you two, on the other hand, have a lovely relationship. Keep it up.

As it turns out, this leg kicks off with another one of the Race’s Great Equalizers: every team is on the same plane. Looks like the producers want to land in Bavaria with an even playing field. Personally, I like it when this happens. Not just from the mindset of a future Racer (it’ll happen!!), but as a viewer. No one can complain about unfair advantages. You’re all even. It’s down to skill…and luck.

The teams waste no time diving into German culture as they make their way to a clothing store and change into traditional lederhosen. And then they’re let loose in the city, to run around and try and find their Race marked cars, which will take them to their next stop. If that’s not awesome, I don’t know what is.

Alert! Alert! We have a potentially fatal mistake on our hands! Laura and Tyler, in the confusion that occurred after they decided to switch cars, left their fanny pack in the back seat – and they haven’t realized it! Let’s see how this turns out.

Aha – Jeff and Jackie have now taken the car and have found the fanny pack! I repeat: Jeff and Jackie have found the fanny pack! But what are they going to do with it? Will they return it and start collecting good karma, or will they hide it and play dirty? Maybe they can have a chat about it after they stop fighting with each other. That upsets me a bit. They were getting along so well! It’s still soon, though. Maybe things will turn around for them.

Teams start arriving at the warehouse, where they are faced with their first challenge of this leg: they have to drive their car (a stick shift) in reverse (reverse!) through an obstacle course while piecing together a word puzzle. I’m stressed just thinking about this challenge. I’d run over one of those reindeer so fast it’s not even funny. Sorry, Rudolph, you’d be flat as a pancake if I were driving.

As it turns out, many teams feel the same way. After all, how many of you know how to drive a stick?! Yeah, that’s what I thought. One team, though, is feeling particularly frustrated: that’s right, you guessed it – Bergen and Kurt. Despite the fact that Bergen was starting to get the hang of driving, Kurt decided that they should pull over, leave the car behind, take a taxi to the challenge, and just accept a penalty. Little do they know that they need the car to complete the challenge.

Meanwhile, Mike and Rochelle are lost and confused, wandering – in full lederhosen – all across the area begging for directions.

Fortunately for the other teams, the driving-in-reverse challenge isn’t proving to be all that difficult (unless, of course, you’re the carless Bergen and Kurt). Aly and Steve finish first, and as Laura and Tyler wait for their old car to arrive with their fanny packs, they learn what the rest of us already knew: Hayley is nuts. She literally hasn’t stopped yelling at Blair since they left the mat in the first episode. Somebody please figure out a way to make her stop arguing!

Aly and Steve finish the car obstacle course first, and are the first to arrive at the Detour: they must select either Stein or Stack. Teams who choose Stein must carry armfulls of beer successfully around a crowded Oktoberfest hall without spilling a drop. Any former waiters and waitresses will fly right through this challenge. Stack requires teams to stack a tower of fifteen empty beer crates, with one partner on the ground and one climbing on top of the tower so as to stack the next box. Aly and Steve (wisely) choose Stein and finish it on the first try. Good for them.

Not every decision made in tonight’s episode was as easy, though. When Jeff and Jackie finally make it to the car challenge, they can’t decide between lying about the fanny pack and giving it back to Laura and Tyler, so they evade all questions asked about said fanny pack instead. Clever. Eventually, Laura and Tyler find their missing pack and head to the next stop with everyone else.

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