Recap: The Amazing Race 16, Episode 3 – “We definitely shouldn’t reproduce.”

Episode 16.03: Run Like Scalded Dogs

The Leg
The teams set off from the Pit Stop with their first clue of the leg, telling them to find the Gnome in the Wall at El Boliche Viejo (The Old Joint) in San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina.  The first three teams will get a head start on a bus leaving 20 minutes earlier than the one that will carry the rest, both a six hour ride through the Andes into Argentina.  At the Old Joint, a place with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid hidout, teams will have to play and win poker against the Travelocity Roaming Gnome, after which, they will get their next clue.

As the teams wait for the buses that leave at 8:30 and 8:50am, Brent & Caite head to the hospital as they believe they’ve got food poisoning.  This delays their departure time from the Pit Stop by 3 hours.  

On  the first bus are Jet & Cord, Carol & Brandy, and Joe & Heidi.  The cowboys try to trick the alliance, but all get to the Joint at the same time anyway.  Meanwhile the 2nd bus arrives in Bariloche.  Dan & Jordan are having trouble with their car again while Brent & Caite have no idea what they’re doing or where they’re going.

The alliance beat the banditGnome on the first hand, but it takes the cowboys a few.  The clue at the bottom of the Gnome tells them to head to Peña Gaucha where they find the Road Block.


In this Road Block, teams will participate in the local gaucho tradition of steer roping.  After watching a demonstration, teams will have to rope a target 18 feet away and pull it towards them to get their next clue.

Heidi and Carol head off to start as Jet & Cord arrive.  The women have trouble getting started while Jet gets it on his 2nd try (which he is embarrassed about, he should’ve gotten it on his first).  The next clue tells them to make their way to Puente Nirihuau where they will search the cliffs overlooking the river for their next clue.

Jeff & Jordan beat the Gnomebandit and catch up to the Road Block just as the cowboys are leaving.  Carol finally gets the clue and they head off. 


The cowboys find the Detour, Horse Sense or Horse Power.
In Horse Sense, teams will find a gunslinger who will hand them coordinates.  Using those coordinates by footstep and an old-time compass, teams will find a hidden bags of money.  They’ll take those bags of money to the nearby train station and hand them to the lead bandit.  If the coordinates on the bags match the ones on paper, they’ll get their next clue.
In Horse Power, teams walk to the polo training field, put on polo shirts, and while on a practice pony and taking turns, must make a goal in nine strokes or less.  If not, they’ll have to start over.  

Jet & Cord want to work with horses so they go polo.  Apparently though, teams are not told they won’t be on real horses, so Cord is disappointed.  They get their strokes in and are given a trophy with their next clue, Estancia Fortin Chacabuco, the Pit Stop.

While the detectives, Monique & Shawne, and Dan & Jordan are at the Road Block, Carol & Brandy and Jeff & Jordan decide on Horse Sense.  Instead of finishing the coordinates, Carol finds a shovel and assumes that’s it.  Jeff mistakenly thinks the gunslinger is the lead bandit.  Joe & Heidi catch up and do Horse Sense as well since he has a compass on his watch.  Joe tells Heidi they don’t need the coordinates.  

Steve & Allie continue popping up out of nowhere and they head to the polo field after Steve tumbles down a hill.

Brandy is not happy.  They end up switching Detours.  Jeff & Jordan find a bag and take it to Joey the gunslinger but he just stands there.  They assume it’s the wrong bag so they take it back.  Joe & Heidi find some bags and take it to the lead bandit, running by Jeff & Jordan who have no idea where they’re going.  It turns out though, those bags were wrong so they have to take them back and decide to switch.

Dan & Jordan decide to do Horse Sense while Jeff & Jordan take another bag to the gunslinger who just smiles.  Steve & Allie and Carol & Brandy finish the Detour as Joe & Heidi arrive.

Monique & Shawne are the only ones left at the Road Block. Shawne is struggling and the arrival of last place team Brent & Caite isn’t helping.  Brent gets the clue pretty quick, and the attorney moms are now in last place.

Shawne gets the lasso just at the tip of the horn but it falls off when she pulls.  They say a little prayer and Shawne finally gets the clue.

At the Pit Stop, Jet & Cord check in first for the 2nd leg in a row and win a trip to Patagonia, which they are excited about.  Steve & Allie pop up in 2nd.  Carol & Brandy take 3rd.

Dan & Jordan find bags of loot, but not their coordinates.  The detectives find one, but it isn’t theirs.  It’s Jeff & Jordan’s though, so they run over and grab it and head to the train station.  The lead bandit hands the bags of money to a guy on a horse who rides off with them.  He hands them a coin with the clue on it.

Joe & Heidi check in 4th with Jeff & Jordan in 5th.

Dan & Jordan are having trouble now with the polo.  They have to go for a 3rd attempt as the last three teams arrive.  The brothers finally get in their strokes and head to the Pit Stop 6th.

Brent & Caite then Louie & Michael finish, leaving the moms to go for their 3rd attempt.  But they fear they will injure their backs if they continue, so they switch to the coordinates.  

Brent & Caite officially finish 7th and Louie & Michael (who promised to win every leg) check in 8th.  

That leaves the moms/attorneys Monique & Shawne last and eliminated.

Episode Thoughts
This was a good episode.  Great local history and culture.  It is always great when TAR gets into the history and traditions of the locals of the week.

The Road Block though was one of those that gets one team, just one who gets the unlucky side of the draw.  Unfortunately it was Monique & Shawne who would’ve been nice to see go further.  

With the Detour, it seemed like the teams had no idea they would be using practice ponies instead of real horses.  I love that! I think TAR needs to get even vaguer with clues.  It adds a lot more drama (which in turns is more fun for us!).

And next week, the Intersection makes its American TAR comeback!  It was a mixed reaction when the Intersection was used in TAR10 and TARAS.  But other than the horrible possibility of a team having to wait hours until the next team arrives for them to team up with, the Intersection can give us some golden moments like in All-Stars with enemies Charla & Mirna having to team up with the BQs Dustin & Kandice.  The Intersection comes earlier than it did so we have more teams to pair up. Could the epic TAR braintrust of Jeff & Jordan and Brent & Caite be the pair next week?  Stay tuned!

Leg Three Itinerary
CASH
$48

DEPARTURE
Gruta de la Virgen, Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús de Puerto Varas
Del Salvador Bus Terminal and Cruz del Sur Bus Terminal
Puerto Varas, Chile

DESTINATION CITY
San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina

ROUTE MARKERS
El Boliche Viejo
San Carlos de Bariloche

ROAD BLOCK
Peña Gaucha
San Carlos de Bariloche

DETOUR
Puente Ñirihuau
Ñirihuau, Argentina

PIT STOP
Estancia Fortin Chacabuco
Neuquén Province, Argentina

Departure Times

Gruta de la Virgen
Puerto Varas, Chile
Jet & Cord 11:20pm
Joe & Heidi11:55pm
Brandy & Carol 11:55pm
Monique & Shawne 1:22am
Jeff & Jordan 2:01am
Steve & Allie 2:23am
Dan & Jordan 2:25am
Louie & Michael 3:12am
Brent & Caite 4:25am*
*Brent & Caite were supposed to depart at 1:20am, but were delayed after having to go to the local Emergency Room

Who Did the Detour?
In order of completion

HORSE SENSE

*

HORSE POWER


*
*
*
*
*

*indicates teams who switched Detours

Road Block Count
In order of completion; Italics indicate who did this week’s Road Block

Who’s ready to get roped into something?
1 Jet Cord 2
2 Carol Brandy 1
1 Joe Heidi 2
1 Jordan Jeff 2
2 Steve Allie 1
2 Dan Jordan 1
2 Louie Michael 1
2 Brent Caite 1
1 Monique Shawne 2

1 Jody Shannon 1
0 Dana Adrian 0

Order of Finish
1st Jet & Cord
2nd Steve & Allie
3rd Carol & Brandy
4th Joe & Heidi
5th Jordan & Jeff
6th Dan & Jordan
7th Brent & Caite
8th Louie & Michael
Eliminated Monique & Shawne
My Subjective Team Rankings for Leg 3
Jet & Cord Jet & Cord – Well, they are a team to be reckoned with, I reckon.  They’re racing very well and are clever enough to think about outsmarting other teams.  They have the golden Race combination of skill and good luck.  They may go very far.
Daniel & Jordan Dan & Jordan – Cars don’t seem to be their best friend on the Race.  Neither does polo.  But they’re funny.  They definitely need to step it up though because they aren’t getting themselves out of the bottom of the pack, even when they have an opportunity to do so.
Monique & Shawne Monique & Shawne – There’s always one team that gets screwed over by a Road Block or Detour and this time it was Monique & Shawne.  It would’ve been nice to see them go further, and they could have but some bad luck this leg.
Steve & Allie Steve & Allie – They always seem to just pop up out of nowhere.  They finished 2nd, but I have no idea how, except for Steve falling over himself in the mud.
Jordan & Jeff Jordan & Jeff – Of all teams, Jeff & Jordan definitely need to read their clues more carefully.  They’re already admittedly slow in certain areas, the least they could do is read their clues well.
Carol & Brandy Carol & Brandy – It looks like they can be a stronger team if it wasn’t for the tension between them.  They definitely fit the typical bickering couple mold, but if they had some better teamwork, they could make a run.
Joe & Heidi Joe & Heidi – They are maintaining their solid Race so far.  But Joe presents the possibility of one little misstep that could end the Race for them.
Brent & Caite Brent & Caite – Though they didn’t let their stomachs sideline them from continuing on in the Race, the typical TAR couple bickering started showing up with them, and that could be even worse than some upset stomach.  They had an all right start to the Race, but if they aren’t careful, they won’t be able to go far.
Louie & Michael Louie & Michael – So, they still have not only not won a leg, but they have placed 9th, 9th, and now 8th.  There’s only 8 teams left, so they might want to try and move up next week.
Quotes from Episode 16-03

Cord: “The gnome has got a poker face from out of this world.  I could never tell if he was bluffing or if he was a straightshooter.  We should go to Vegas.”

Cord: “Brandy thought that it wasn’t fair, that this Road Block was too much like our way of life.  We didn’t throw a fit because they know Spanish and we don’t!”

Allie: “What’s hurting?”
Steve: “I’m 57! What isn’t hurting?!”

Jeff: “We definitely shouldn’t reproduce.”

Jordan: “How about light blue?  That’s black, we have black pants on!”
Dan: “I’m not trying to look cute.  Are you serious?”
Jordan: “I am.  Oh, Daniel, we’re not riding a real horse.”
Dan: “What!?  I wanted to ride a real horse.”
Jordan: “Well too ba… No you don’t.”

Dan: “Get off the horse!  Stop sitting there!”
Jordan: “But I like it.”

Jordan: “I can never read you, you scare me.”
Phil: “I scare me too.”
Jordan: “I was trying to read your face and you’re just like, blank.”

Michael: “I want to say I love you Phil!”
Phil: “I don’t want to hear that.”

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