Recap: The Amazing Race Australia, Episode 1.10 – “That’s a bagel there.”

The Amazing Race Australia – Episode Ten

The Leg
Before teams head out on the next leg, they record messages for loved ones and will send the memory cards home during the leg.



Teams start the leg having to take a cable car to the top of Masada to find King Herod’s Winter Palace.  There, teams find a clue telling them to drive 100km north to Qumran, the archaeological site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were unearthed, to find their next clue.

While Jeff & Luke and Tyler & Nathan help each other, Matt & Tom get to Qumran where they find the Road Block.


In this Road Block, teams must use a translation guide to decipher a scroll written in Hebrew and in the Hebrew style of right to left.  After correctly translating the scroll, they’ll receive their next clue.



Tom finishes the Road Block and they get the clue telling them to take a taxi to the main post office in Jerusalem to send their memory cards home and to receive their next clue.

While Sam & Renae get a little lost finding the first clue, Jeff & Luke get to the Road Block with Jeff deciding to do it to even up the count.  Tyler & Nathan are close behind.

Jeff is struggling, but Nathan catches on pretty quick.  Jeff asks to collaborate and Nathan informs him he’s been doing the entire thing wrong.  After some more struggling together, they finally get it right and head off.


Matt & Tom finally get to Jerusalem and mail their message home in exchange for the Detour.  In this Detour, teams will head to Old Jerusalem.
In Pilgrim’s Trail, teams will take part in a pilgrim ritual by collecting an 80km wooden cross and carrying it along the Via Delarosa, retracing the final journey of Jesus Christ and passing the nine Stations of the Cross to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the site where Jesus was believed to have been crucified and buried.  It is here where they’ll get their next clue.
In Holy Grail, teams must head to the Western Wall in the Old City and go down into the Kotel Tunnels to an active archaeological dig where they must search for a buried clay pot.  They’ll take the pot to the nearby ruins of the City of David, wade through an ancient underground aqueduct and hand the pot to an archaeologist in exchange for their next clue.



They choose Pilgrim’s Trail.  Meanwhile, Sam & Renae just get to the Road Block while Jeff & Luke and Tyler & Nathan stick together.

They both choose Pilgrim’s Trail as well, while the girls still behind, choose Holy Grail instead.  Matt & Tom finish the Detour and get the next clue telling them to head to the top of the defensive wall surrounding the Old City and “walk the ramparts walk” to their next clue.

Tyler & Nathan end up getting lost along the Via Dolorosa allowing Jeff & Luke to get ahead in 2nd.  Sam & Renae dig up the pot and now have to find the aqueducts. 



All teams finish the Detour and it’s on to the “dung gate” and the “ramparts walk.”  Matt & Tom get there first and open the clue pointing them to the Pit Stop at the Aish HaTorah World Centre overlooking the Western Wall.

The farmers meet Grant at the Mat and officially check-in first and win $10,000 from NAB Classic Banking.  Jeff & Luke are a close 2nd.

Lost and frustrated, Tyler & Nathan still manage to stay in 3rd, while Sam & Renae arrive last… but it is a Non-Elimination leg and they are still in it.  But the girls are Marked for Elimination and must arrive first on the next leg or incur a 30 minute penalty.


Episode Thoughts
Despite a poor leg design where we basically had the same team placements and standings the entire leg, it was still an overall excellent leg and great episode.

Maybe it’s just the fact that The Amazing Race is in Israel, not to mention Jerusalem itself.  What a fascinating and incredible experience that must have been for the teams.  It was certainly fascinating and incredible to watch. 

Even the TARA staple product placement of filming a message for home was made interesting by having to go to the Jerusalem main post office.  I guess the history and meaning of Jerusalem to millions, billions of people around the world just helps make the leg that more amazing.

The Road Block was typical and harmless enough, but the Detour was probably one of the best on any TAR in a long time.  Walking the path that Jesus walked, the path that thousands and millions have walked in pilgrimage is amazing.  Then the other side of the Detour, traversing the underground of Jerusalem, the ruins of ancient civilizations.  The very definition of amazing.

Seeing the contrasts of this modern television program with the ancient city and the modern people, for me, makes this the best episode of TARAu yet.  Definitely more exciting and eye-opening than much of TARUS in recent seasons.

Just two episodes left! 




PIT STOP
Masada
Israel

ROUTE MARKER
King Herod’s Winter Palace
Masada

ROAD BLOCK
Qumran, Israel

ROUTE MARKER
Main Post Office
Jerusalem, Israel

DETOUR
Via Dolorosa
Old City Jerusalem

Western Wall/Kotel Tunnels
Old City Jerusalem

ROUTE MARKER
City Walls near Dung Gate
Old City Jerusalem

PIT STOP
Aish HaTorah World Centre)
Jerusalem, Israel




Masada
Israel

Matt & Tom 6:31am
Jeff & Luke 7:15am
Tyler & Nathan 7:56am
Sam & Renae 8:28am








PILGRIM’S TRAIL




HOLY GRAIL

< or > indicate teams switched Detours.




Who did the Road Block?
Who’s Not Lost in Translation?
In order of completion; Italics indicate who did the Road Block

4 Matt Tom 6
5 Jeff Luke 5
5 Tyler Nathan 5
5 Sam Renae 5

6 Dave Kelly 3
3 Anastasia Chris 5
2 Alana Mel 4
2 Mo Mos 3
1 Joey Richard 2
1 Tracy Anne-Marie 2
2 Ryot Liberty 0



PIT STOP
Aish HaTorah World Centre)
Jerusalem, Israel

1st Matt & Tom (=)
2nd Jeff & Luke (=)
3rd Tyler & Nathan (=)
4th Sam & Renae (=)






Jeff & Luke Jeff & Luke – Interesting dynamic from them this leg.  They probably would have taken a long time at the Road Block if Tyler & Nathan weren’t there.  Luke’s little annoyances with his father were funny, but a great example of being in a Race, but still wanting to experience these incredible places they’re visiting.
Tyler & Nathan Tyler & Nathan – They don’t seem to be Racing at full speed lately.  While Nathan had an upper hand at the Road Block, they didn’t have much else in their favor the rest of the leg.  That doesn’t mean they won’t make the final three, because they still have a great shot, but they need to find their groove back.
Matt & Tom Matt & Tom – The Race has definitely been nice to them these last couple of legs.  Matt & Tom have Raced well and have managed to keep their leads, but the Race and leg design certainly had its part in their success these last legs.
Sam & Renae Sam & Renae – With Dave & Kelly gone, Sam & Renae are now officially at the bottom of my list, but this leg showed me why I liked them in those early days of the Race.  They were funny and didn’t give up.  They Raced hard, though not well enough to catch up, but that’s partly the leg design.  I wouldn’t mind seeing them sneak into the final three now, though their Race performance other than the first leg has still been uninspiring.


Quotes from Episode 1.10

Tom: “That’s a bagel there.  The round ones with the hole in the middle.”
Matt: “What’s it do?”
Tom: “What do you mean?  It’s food.”












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