Episode 14.07: Gorilla? Gorilla?? Gorilla??? Before we start the 7th leg of The Amazing Race, Phil tells us to look out for Margie collapsing at the Pit Stop.
But more interestingly, we get our 3rd version of the opening with some new in-Race scenes for the remaining teams (plus Christie & Jodi and minus Tammy & Victor who still have their pie-throwing in). It is pretty cool seeing the opening change through the Race and it does add even just a little bit of freshness to the show.
Patience is a Virtue So we start the next leg of the Race with Tammy & Victor opening their clue (with lots of money according to Tammy) telling them to fly to Phuket, Thailand. Enclosed is a picture of a gorilla statue for reference, their only clue as to their destination once they arrive. What they don’t know is the statue is at the Phuket Zoo and that is where they will find their next clue.
Teams are given the option of either booking at a designated local travel agent (which is closer to the Pit Stop) or heading straight to the airport and booking tickets there.
We get the regular Pit Stop to airport confessionals. Tammy talks about how in their family, Victor is always right since he’s older and that her last trip to Thailand was with their parents who did not even let her walk 10 feet away from them, according to her.
Mel & Mike are ready to do what they must to make it far in the Race, but they won’t forget to have fun.
Margie talks about how tiring it is to sign with someone, but she wouldn’t change it for anything. Cara talks about Jaime’s lack of patience and Jaime says especially with foreign languages. She doesn’t like ‘em.
On the way to the ticket agent, Kisha decides to give some money to the kids on the street from their taxi. Of course, a crowd of kids begin to reach into the taxi and it reminds them of what they have and Kisha specifically remembers the kids she works with back home.
Mark & Michael say that even though they’re leaving in last, they’ll have no problem sticking with the pack this next leg.
Despite Jaime & Cara going straight to the airport with the other teams at the travel agency, they all make the same flight through Bangkok to Phuket, arriving at 8:50am.
Elephants, Tigers, and Herbs… Oh My And 14 Hours Later, the teams touch down and the leg really starts. Mark & Michael are first out of the airport with the other teams right on their heels.
Mel & Mike, however, can not find a taxi and fall behind ending up in last. But the other teams still have no idea what or where the picture is pointing to. They all stop and run around frantically together asking locals who all say Phuket Zoo.
Mel & Mike’s cab driver insists though that the statue is at Patong Beach even though they see all the others teams who stopped go in a different direction. In the cabs, Jaime & Cara meet their driver, Sak, whom Jaime talks to in her normal way as if they were a child, according to Cara. Tammy & Victor’s driver meanwhile is named Mr. Bandit, which in Thai means teacher he says.
The teams arrive at the zoo and they run around trying too find the gorilla. Jaime & Cara find it first and get their clue. It tells them they have to complete several tasks. First, they must take a picture with Esso the Tiger. Then they have to take part in a typical Thai performance by lying on the ground and then having an elephant step on and squat over them.
Mark & Michael get to Esso first, followed by Jaime & Cara and Jen & Kisha. They notice Esso’s handler is missing an arm, but they are amazed that they just got to touch a tiger, now they’re getting stepped on and squatted over by an elephant.
Mark & Michael finish first and get their next clue, telling them to make their way to Old Phuket and the oldest herbs shop in Phuket, Nguan Choon Tong Herbs Shop. There, they must search through 99 herb drawers by asking the shopkeeper to open them one by one until they find a clue inside.
The first three teams head off as Tammy & Victor and Margie & Luke finish the task.
Meanwhile, Mel & Mike get to Patong Beach, but the gorilla is nowhere to be found. They finally decide to get out and ask the locals. One man says Phuket Zoo, but they both are quick to say “No No No!”
The rest of the teams get to the herbs shop. Jaime & Cara are first, followed by Mark & Michael, and Kisha & Jen. They’re just getting started and Jaime already starts to get frustrated with the shopkeeper who takes his time making sure which drawer to open.
After a little while, Mark & Michael are lucky enough to get the clue first and they find the Detour. In this Detour, teams have to choose between two tasks well known 100 Barrels and 2 Miles. In 100 Barrels, teams have to head to the harbor and help prepare a fishing boat for 10 days at sea by filling 47 barrels with drinking water and then arranging the 53 empty barrels on the upper deck by passing it up to their teammate. In 2 Miles, teams head to a temple and choose a rickshaw. One team member must pull the rickshaw through the streets of Phuket two miles to King Rama IX Park while the other team member sat in back. Pumps are provided in the event of a flat tire.
Mark & Michael, reasoning that they are 4’9” and they are 100 lbs when wet, decide on the rickshaws.
Tammy & Victor and Margie & Luke arrive at the shop the picking and choosing drawers continues. Kisha & Jen find the clue and decide on the barrels. Margie & Luke pick drawers at the same time, she lets him choose, and they get the clue. Jaime implores Tammy & Victor to just keep choosing, they do and they get their clue leaving the girls at the shop.
Mean Girl Jaime gets even more frustrated at the shopkeeper and after a while finally their clue. On the other side of town, Mike says he likes everyone left in the Race, except for Jaime. She’s a “mean girl.”
Mark & Michael find the rickshaws, and Michael decides to make it a little harder for the other teams, slow them down a bit by putting all the pumps into the crate after they used one to pump the tires of their rickshaw.
They make some weird, possibly insulting racial impersonation and they head off. They see their cab driver and they decide to follow him to the park. Tammy & Victor arrive to do the rickshaws and ask their cab driver to draw them a map. He offers to lead them there, but they say they aren’t allowed to do that.
Mel & Mike are at the herbs shop and they choose drawers to the amusement to the shopkeeper and his wife. They find the clue and choose the barrels.
At the harbor, Jaime & Cara, Kisha & Jen, and Margie & Luke stop and get out at what seems to be the wrong place. Jaime & Cara decide to switch Detours since their driver knows where to go and they call for Margie & Luke to follow them. Jen & Kisha stick to the barrels and finally find the boat. They get started with Kisha handing Jen the barrels to the upper deck.
Back at the rickshaws, Tammy & Victor set off with flat tires (apparently not seeing the pumps in the crate) and their map. Jaime & Cara and Margie & Luke are close behind and they too run off with flat tires.
Mark & Michael finish the Detour andget their clue telling them to “walk, run, or hire a ride” to the Pit Stop, Wat Thep Nimit Temple. They get there first only to have Phil tell them they’ve incurred two 30 minute penalties. One for tampering with the pumps and another for having the taxi guide them.
Brains Come in Handy Again At the harbor, Jen & Kisha finish getting the barrels to the upper deck, and only then realize they could’ve been filling the barrels on the lower deck while transporting the others up. Just then, Mel & Mike arrive and do just that.
To the rickshaw teams, Victor grows tired of pulling and Tammy offers to switch but he refuses. He says his natural tendency is to takes things away from Tammy and do them himself.
They get to the park and they decide to drop their rickshaw as soon as they arrive in even though the clue told them to follow the marked path with it.
Jaime & Cara get in the park, while Margie & Luke are right behind. Luke is holding the rickshaw a little high as Margie feels like she’s going to fall upside and out. She tries to get Luke’s attention by yelling to him, but that isn’t going to work of course, so she decides to pull herself, saying communicating was easier that way.
Tammy & Victor follow the marked path, running until they see they have to drop off their rickshaws near the clue box. They run back to get their rickshaw as Jaime & Cara pass them to get their clue. Tammy & Victor see Mr. Bandit and tell him to follow them. They get the clue and they immediately get into their cab while Jaime & Cara have to run back to theirs.
At the boats, Mel & Mike power through the Detour while Jen & Kisha stand around waiting for the barrels to fill.
At the Pit Stop, Mark & Michael still have a couple of minutes left (they were almost an hour ahead? The taxi must have really helped them.). Tammy & Victor arrive, Phil tells them they’re the 2nd team to arrive, but Gotcha! You’re actually Team #1. Jaime & Cara run in right behind them to take 2nd with seconds left on the penalty.
Phil calls in Mark & Michael and they officially finish 3rd.
On the way to the Pit Stop, Margie says she’s feeling numb all over and that Thailand must be the hottest place she’s ever been. They get to the Mat, Margie says they’ll probably need some water and that her hands are frozen. Phil tells them they are 4th and that the Bionic Woman does it again. Luke jumps in celebration, but Margie asks for some water before she wobbles and collapses into Luke’s arms.
Phil and the crew rush to help Margie and they take her inside. Phil pours some water over her as she sits and rests with a worried Luke looking on. A crew member says they’ve called for an ambulance, but she says she’s fine. “How embarrassing” she exclaims.
To the other drama at the end of the leg, two teams are left and Jen & Kisha have just finished the Detour. They head off, leaving Mel & Mike behind.
Kisha won’t say anything about their placement until they reach the Pit Stop and sneezes instead to the amusement of the driver. He drops them off, but it’s the wrong temple. They find a van with a nicely dressed lady and they hitch a ride to the right temple.
Mel & Mike finish and their driver says he knows where to go so they ask him to hurry. Unfortunately for them, Jen & Kisha arrive 5th and the father and son team finish last and are eliminated.
Overall It was a good leg. Very frantic and another one where the teams are neck and neck the entire leg.
The “sabotage” was shady, but a 30 minute penalty for that and nothing for the Romber-initiated mass quitting in TAR7?
Different circumstances yes, but manipulating the other teams into quitting a Road Block I feel is a much bigger offense than just stuffing a bunch of pumps into a crate.
It was sad to see Mel and Mike eliminated since they loved being on the Race, enjoyed it and each other, and actually Raced well despite the odds seemingly stacked against them.
Margie’s fainting was very scary at first, but she was fine (it seems) and it was the first fainting spell on the Race, and at the Mat no less!
Semi-trusty Wikipedia says there was an unused Fast Forward this leg. I can see why no one would want to attempt it. And I wonder what the Road Block was (if there was one).
Well, it sucks that we have to wait two weeks until a new TAR. I thought we’d get a non-elim or maybe even a double leg. It would’ve been a perfect week to have a To Be Continued with the two week break. Oh well! |
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