Recap: The Amazing Race 18, Episode 3 – “You think I’m doing this lackadaisically? Good grief.”

The leg begins with the teams being shuffled onto an overnight train back to Sydney where they are let go from the train station.  Zev & Justin get the clue first, telling teams to fly to Tokyo, Japan.

Teams head to the airport, travel agents, and the internet to find flights and there are two possible choices.  One is a direct Qantas flight from Sydney to Tokyo.  The other is a Cathay Pacific flight with a connection in Hong Kong that would get teams into Japan 15 minutes earlier.

Teams debate the pros and cons, but ultimately, Zev & Justin, Kent & Vyxsin, Margie & Like, Mike & Mel and Jaime & Cara take the Cathay Pacific flight.  Meanwhile, on the direct Qantas flight are Ron & Christina, Kisha & Jen, the Globetrotters, Jet & Cord, and Gary & Mallory.

Looks like the sure thing was the best choice as the Cathay Pacific flight has maintenance issues, causing a delay and allowing the Qantas flight to arrive in Tokyo first.

Once in Tokyo, teams make their way to a rotating parking garage where they get their next clue telling them to ask the attendant for a car so they can drive themselves to the city of Kamakura and find the Yabusame Dojo at Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū for their next clue.  

The second flight arrives an hour and half late, but all the teams are having trouble finding their way out of Tokyo.

Ron & Christina manage to get to the cluebox first and find the Road Block.
In this Road Block, teams will learn and perform the proper Yabusame ritual for shooting a bow and arrow from atop a wooden horse.  After watching a demonstration, teams must properly perform the ritual in front of a master and then must shoot a target from atop a spinning wooden horse.

Ron decides to head in for the Road Block first and Gary, Jen, and Flight Time are right behind.  The task is harder than it seems as the ritual is very detail oriented.  This allows Jen to take a big leap and she and Kisha head out first.

Teams must now head to Minamiashigara and find the Kintaro Statue at the Daiyūzan Railway Station.  Two cute children waving Japanese flags will be standing by their next clue.

Meanwhile, back in Tokyo, Jaime gets into an accident when she hits a guy’s mirror.  He calls the police, which delays them significantly.

At the train station, Zev & Justin and Gary & Mallory end up there first and find the clue for the Detour.

In this Detour, teams will take part in one of two Japanese rituals.
In Prayer of Purity, teams will take part in a Shinto religious cleansing ritual.  After putting on traditional wardrobe, teams will learn a prayer that is both vocal and physical.  They will then stand under a cascading waterfall for one minute with cold water straight from Mt. Fuji.

In Frog of Luck, teams strip down to their underwear and enter a large mud pit where they must search for a small frog while being pelted with mud by the onlookers.

Zev & Justin and Gary & Mallory decide to do Frog of Luck and finish quickly.  The Globetrotters and Ron & Christina do Prayer of Purity.

When the Globetrotters finish the Detour first, they mistakenly pick up Ron & Christina’s fanny pack and leave down the mountain.  Ron & Chris, when they finish the Detour, go crazy as they look for it only to find it has been taken down the mountain back to the changing rooms.

They are not happy.

Time for the Pit Stop, the Commodore Perry Monument in Kurihama, Yokosuka.  Zev & Justin claim another first place finish and a trip to Costa Rica.  Gary & Mallory finish 2nd.

The Globetrotters check-in 3rd.  However, Phil asks Ron & Christina, arriving 4th, why they seem so upset, so they tell him about their fanny pack with their travel documents getting taken down the mountain and Phil says that the Globetrotters will be issued a 30 minute penalty.  That makes Ron & Chris officially Team #3.  Kisha & Jen come check-in as Team #4, dropping the Globetrotters down to 5th.

Jet & Cord, Kent & Vyxsin, and Margie & Luke finish 6th through 8th, leaving Mel & Mike and Jaime & Cara.

It is dark now and while Mike wants to stop at the Frog Detour, Mel wants to keep going.  Eventually, both Mel & Mike have to be taken to an ambulance on standby as Jaime & Cara manage to arrive and finish the Detour before the father and son are done warming up.

Jaime & Cara officially arrive at the Mat 9th, though full expecting elimination, as Mel & Mike have to make their way to the Pit Stop with them bidding farewell instead.

Episode Thoughts
Let’s get right to it.  In the name of Don & Mary Jean, the penalty handed to the Globetrotters was completely justified and Ron & Christina had every right to bring it to Phil’s attention, if he and TAR prod didn’t know already.

For any new or blinded TAR fan, Don & Mary Jean of TAR6 had mistakenly taken the car of Adam & Rebecca after a Detour.  All their belongings were in the car and Don & Mary Jean had not realized their mistake until a while after they left the location all while Adam & Rebecca were running around looking for the car.

Don & Mary Jean brought the car back to the Detour, everyone got into the right car and neither got eliminated, but Don & Mary Jean were still issued a 30 minute penalty.

There is also a TAR rule that outside of a U-Turn or Yield, teams can not impede the progress of another team, especially not by messing with their belongings.  Intentional or not, it’s a rule.

TAR production probably should and did know about the penalty, but if they didn’t (and it wouldn’t be the first time), Ron & Christina had every right to bring it up at the Mat.  They ended up in the Top 3, but what if they were eliminated because they were looking for their pack that was taken and not returned to where it was found.  The Globetrotters should’ve brought it back to where they found it, but since they didn’t and especially because they didn’t, the penalty was more than deserved.

Elsewhere, the episode was simple but fast-paced.  Japan looks beautiful in TAR HD.  The Road Block and Detour were good.  Anytime the teams get pelted with things is always awesome.

And Japan must really be a trip to drive in.  I guess I’ll stick to walking whenever I get the chance to visit.

And more kids on The Amazing Race please! Always awesome!  Maybe next time, some random grandmas and grandpas showing their national pride?