The Leg
Jeff & Jordan leave the Pit Stop at 3:21am and find out they have to make their way to Puerto Varas by hopping on a bus back in Santiago. They’ll drive themselves to a lake by the Hotel Petrohue, take a boat to Isla Margarita, and climb to a place called Mirador for their next clue.
Ticketing at the bus stop doesn’t open until 5:00am, so all teams are on the same bus to Santiago. In Santiago, Joe & Heidi hold up the line for their new alliance Carol & Brandy, annoying the other teams. Even more when they all find out only Joe & Heidi and Carol & Brandy can take the first direct bus to Puerto Varas at 5:30pm, arriving at 7:00am.
The rest of the teams have to take the 7:45pm bus, while Shannon & Jody are the only team on the 8:30pm bus which arrives 45 minutes after the 2nd one. A few teams though are clever enough to try and find if they can’t take a bus to a different city and transfer onto a bus that gets them into Puerto Varas earlier.
Jet & Cord, Jeff & Jordan, and Brent & Caite find out they can take a bus to Temuco where they’ll catch an earlier bus. That bus leaves right now at 9:15am with them ending up at their final destination at 11:00pm tonight.
The other teams get on the 5:30pm bus as the three teams arrive in Temuco at 6:15pm. Brent & Caite and Jeff & Jordan are on a 6:30pm bus from Temuco to Puerto Varas which Jet & Cord want to get on. But the cowboys learn that bus leaves from a terminal on the other side of town, 10 minutes by taxi and it’s already 6:20pm. They hope the two couples don’t know, which they don’t.
They wonder where their bus is, the cowboys are laughing. They attempt to go to the other terminal, but it’s too late. They now have to head back to the first terminal with the cowboys. But the cowboys are gone and there are no more buses today. They eventually find out there is a bus at 1:00am.
The cowboys arrive in Puerto Varas as Team #1 and head to the Petrohue Hotel but *gasp!* HOURS OF OPERATION!!! It’s been a while since we’ve had one of those. The path to the lake opens at 7:30am.
The sun is up and Joe & Heidi and Carol & Brandy arrive, close behind are the couples with the girls driving. The cowboys follow the trail and hop on a boat to the island as the other four teams get there.
Jody & Shannon are still behind as Jordan doesn’t know to put the emergency break down in a car.
The cowboys find the cluebox and the first Detour of the Race.
In this Detour, teams will choose between Llama Adoration or Condor Consternation.
In Llama Adoration, teams enter a field of grazing llamas where they will choose one to dress up for a traditional festival with a blanket and a scarf.
In Condor Consternation, teams must dress a condor by putting on feet and a 16-foot pair of wings, then attempt to fly to a bouy in the water for their next clue.
Jet & Cord choose the llamas and find out their lead is diminishing as they see the other two teams.
The cowboys head to the llamas and finish easily when a friendly llama walks up to them. The clue tells them to drive themselves to the Onces Bellavista Farm for their next clue.
The alliance arrives at the llamas. Carol & Brandy try to find a llama that isn’t angry, while Heidi gets spat on and Joe gets kicked. They eventually find a llama that’s resting by laying on the ground and they get their clue. Carol & Brandy corner their llama and finish.
Brent & Caite get to the condor. They put on the wings and begin to run up a ramp. They jump and beautiful music begins playing as we slowly see them take flight and… slam into the water. Jeff & Jordan take a crack at it and slam into the water as well. Steve & Allie follow.
The other Jordan, and Dan are having trouble finding Hotel Petrohue. Jordan tells Dan to go through a gate and down a road, but it ends up taking them to the water. Manual transmission-impaired, Jordan has to push the car to reverse it and they backtrack.
Jody & Shannon finally arrive in Puerta Varas and are hopeful.
Louie & Michael are having trouble with their llama, but Monique & Shawne come in after and easily finish and pass. The detectives trap a llama in the corner to finish as well.
Jet & Cord arrive at Onces Bellavista and find the Road Block.
In this Road Block, teams must run around the farm and collect the ingredients needed to bake a traditional German cake, Kuchen; flour, butter, a baker’s dozen of eggs, sugar, and fresh milk from a cow.
Cord does the Road Block and brings the ingredients to the kitchen. The ladies hand him the clue and it tells them to head to the Pit Stop, the Gruta de la Virgen, a park for the Virgin Mary.
Heidi and Carol do the Road Block and they head to the cows first. They head over and it appears the cows are very diarrhetic. So much so, it is too obscene for primetime television. Carol gets kicked and drops her cup.
They finish and head over to get the eggs as Brent does the Road Block. Jeff & Jordan are close behind and Jeff does the Road Block since apparently Jordan doesn’t know what a baker’s dozen is.
Steve & Allie and Monique & Shawne pop up next. Monique gets kicked in the face. Shawne thinks that’s hilarious. Meanwhile outside the farm, Louie & Michael pass right by it and drive all the way to town.
Dan & Jordan finally find the cluebox and Jody & Shannon are right behind. They both choose the llamas. Jordan wants to take his jacket off, so he begins to strip to the delight of the local girls. “If only they knew…” he says.
The brothers finish the Detour and leave as Team Grandma is able to finish quickly as well.
At the Mat, Phil makes a cowboy joke and checks Jet & Cord in as Team #1. They won a sailboat! Joe & Heidi take 2nd, Carol & Brandy finish 3rd, Brent & Caite take 4th, Monique & Shawne are Team #5 and Jeff & Jordan finish as Team #6. Steve & Allie follow in 7th.
Dan & Jordan head to the Pit Stop as Jody continues with the Road Block. As she is milking the cow, she gets kicked in the head and spills her almost filled cup so she has to start over just as Louie & Michael arrive.
They both finish and it’s a race to the Mat, but Louie & Micheal check in 8th.
That leaves Jody & Shannon in last and Philiminated from the Race.
Episode Thoughts
It was actually a pretty fun episode. Animals, as they always do on the Race, provided much entertainment. Gotta loves llamas and kickin’ cows.
The Detour and Road Block tasks seemed pretty easy though. Putting on a costume and jumping into water? Throwing a blanket onto a llama? Grabbing some eggs?
And yet, they were still entertaining, proving just how spontaneous and unexpected the Race can be.
A few teams all but disappeared this episode in favor of more screentime for some other teams, which was a lot more noticeable this time than it has been in previous 2nd legs.
Love those cars they drove. What were they? And the fact that they got to drive themselves, we need more of those.
Plus, it feels like forever since we’ve been treated to an Hours of Operation.
So far so good for season 16. It feels very refreshing to watch this season, yet nothing much has really changed, which says something about this go around. Not sure what yet.
Adrian
