Recap: The Amazing Race 12, Episode 7 - “Now you just want to fart around…”

The Amazing Race

December 24, 2007October 26, 2019

EPISODE 12-07: THIS IS FOREVER, NOW

Wow, it’s been a while since the last new episode huh? What a nice Holiday treat to have TAR back J

The Leg
We last left our teams in Dubrovnik, Croatia.
Teams learn they must now take a bus to the port city of Split, Croatia where they will then take a ferry across the Adriatic Sea to Ancona, Italy where they will find their next clue.

Despite leaving within a 5 hour difference in the morning, all teams take the same ferry and arrive in Ancona at 9:40 that evening.

Upon arriving, they search and find their clue telling them to drive themselves 200 miles to the town of Empoli and find an airfield for the next clue. They’ve also been given a Blackberry, on which they will receive a message sometime during their drive.

Nathan & Jennifer get directions telling them to go through Flori. TK & Rachel go through Rome. And the other three teams drive through Bologna, which is apparently the bad way since we get the “WRONG!” rattle sound effect so many times.

TK & Rachel leave their clue at the cafe, have a “breakdown,” but drive back and get the clue from a lady who kept it in her purse.

As the teams are on the highway, they receive a message from their families back home. Ron & Chris get one from Steph, her sister and his daughter, Nate & Jen get one from Nate’s parents, Kynt & Vyxsin get one from Vyxsin’s parents, TK & Rachel from TK’s parents, and Nicolas & Donald from Donald’s son.

Afterwards, Nate & Jen are smooth driving the whole way through while the three Bologna teams get caught up in traffic when the road is closed. Ron & Chris and Kynt & Vyxsin go through a real life detour while Nic & Don sit and wait for the road to open at 6am.

Nate & Jen arrive first at the marker in Empoli, which opens at 7am. The sun rises and TK & Rachel arrive 2nd.

Nicolas & Donald get to go on the just opened road, while Ronald commends Christina on her great navigation skills. Kynt & Vyxsin, however, get frustrated.

It’s a Road Block. They must fly above the beautiful countryside in an Ultralight and search for the name of their next destination, Vinci. However, they have 30 minutes until they have to land and refuel before they can go back up into the air.

Also in this clue, they find a fast forward, the only one of the Race, according to Phil (which is not true because there was actually a FF in Lithuania which no one took). This Fast Forward has the teams getting the letters “FF” tattooed on each of their bodies. However they are only told they must take part in a ‘local seafaring tradition,’ which is getting a tattoo. Jennifer wants to do the FF, but Nate doesn’t want to which upsets Jen. TK & Rachel pass also.

Ronald & Christina arrive 3rd and Nicolas & Donald are right behind them but decide on the Fast Forward. Ron & Chris run around trying to find the numbers, and Rachel gives us her moral judgment on the father and daughter team.

Nathan finishes the Road Block first, while TK finds nothing as Christina goes into the air.

The next clue tells them to drive to Vinci where they must find the birthplace of Da Vinci for their next clue.

Meanwhile, Nicolas & Donald are shocked to learn they have to get a tattoo for the Fast Forward, but they do it. Donald comments “At least it’s not the one where they shave their hair off,” which shows they really are TAR fans! Yay! They get the clue telling them to go to the Pit Stop at the Boboli Gardens in Florence. They are first.

Back at the airfield, Christina finds Vinci first and they are off while TK has another 30 minutes up.

Nathan & Jennifer find the next clue and the Detour, Invention or Tradition. In Invention, teams choose a replica of a centuries-old crane designed by Leonardo Da Vinci, assemble it and use it to lift up a large stone one foot off the ground. Afterwards, they place a mirror underneath and read the clue under the stone. In Tradition, teams head to the Plaza Guido Masi where they learn a traditional local flag routine. After they execute the routine, they will be given a flag with their next destination.

Nate & Jen choose Tradition, and after having a little trouble, Nate listens to Jen and they finish it. They are Team #2.

Back at the Detour, TK is still having trouble as Kynt & Vyxsin finally catch up. Vyxsin finishes before TK and they head off as he struggles.

Ronald & Christina also choose Tradition at the Road Block, and after executing the routine, head to the Pit Stop to place 3rd.

Kynt & Vyxsin are getting themselves lost as their frustration sets in; Vyxsin speeds down a narrow road causing Kynt to frantically tell her to stop the car. After deciding the Invention Detour was too hard, to top all off, their car becomes inoperable so they run to the Tradition Detour expecting the replacement car to be there when they get back.

Meanwhile, TK & Rachel complete the Invention Detour being in last place and they head off only to get a flat tire.

It’s a race between 4th and 5th with possible Philimination looming, but TK & Rachel edge out the Goths for 4th. Phil did not look very happy when they arrived 4th.

Kynt & Vyxsin arrive last… and surprisingly this is the first of two non-elimination legs in the Race. (Betram tricked us!) Instead of money/possession taking or a ‘mark for elimination,’ Phil lets them know about the new twist.

Sometime during the next leg, Kynt & Vyxsin will encounter a Speed Bump. That will require them, and only them, to complete the assigned task. And they won’t know when or where it will appear. This could essentially cost them precious time, so we’ll see it next week.

The Teams
Ronald & Christina had an all right leg again this week. A little taste of crazy Ron again, but it looks like he goes all out with some “familiar behavior” (as Phil puts it) next week. I really hope that won’t affect them much.

Nicolas & Donald are starting to step it up. Getting the tattoo was definitely a tough decision to make, but they’re going to have to maintain the momentum next leg. It would be nice to see them going to final 3.

Sad to see Kynt & Vyxsin get so frustrated and have a bad leg. I really want to see them make final 4.

I still think Nathan & Jennnifer are harmless, but I actually thought Jen is slowly starting to annoy me. I’d definitely rather see them in the final 4 than…

TK & Rachel. I find them so unlikeable. I don’t really think they are nice, just monotone and mellowed out (obviously) all the time. And we’ve had perfectly fun, interesting, and dramatic “nice” teams in the past, so why are they not any of those things? Plus, I really don’t care for their judgmental attitudes towards the other teams. First TK expressing his moral view on Shana & Jennifer’s perfectly reasonable U-Turn usage and now Rachel’s moral view on Ronald. Phil looked pretty unhappy when they arrived at the mat. I should like them, I’ve been calling for more “Kris and Jon”s for a loooong time now, but… I have no idea.

Overall
It was a great episode, very exciting, and of course we’ll get the Speed Bump next week, a new twist. Plus, the Italian countryside looks beautiful!

QUOTES FROM EPISODE 12-07
Ronald: “I don’t speak any Italian for you. ‘Prego’… something, means ‘Please’ I think.”
Christina: “Isn’t Prego… a spaghetti sauce?”

Christina: “Kynt & Vyxsin, its like a performance every time I see them.”
Ronald: “Like Kabuki theatre.”

Nathan: “Holy shnickeys. It’s a stickey!”

Ronald: “Now you just want to fart around…”

Ronald: “I might’ve peed in my pants on that one.”

Nathan: “Jen, you bastard!”