Recap: The Amazing Race 20, Episode 2 – “You have a booger on your nose.”

The Leg

It’s 2 in the morning and teams head out on the 2nd leg of The Amazing Race.  The first clue tells teams to drive themselves to the Cafayate Town Square and wait for a Chasqui, a mounted postman, who will deliver their next clue.  Dave & Rachel arriving at the square first are told the chasqui won’t come till sunrise.  All teams catch up and as the sun rises, a man comes galloping up in a horse.

The teams rush towards him (and the horse!) and frantically try and grab a clue.  Bopper & Mark grab the first clue and they find the Race’s first Detour.
In Boil My Water, teams must drive to one of three isolated villages, grab a solar kitchen kit from a pickup truck and assemble it using only the picture on the side of the box as instructions.  After positioning the completed solar kitchen in direct sunlight, teams will fill a kettle with water, place it on the dish and wait for it to boil and whistle.
In Light My Fire, teams must gather firewood and clay by the riverbank, load it onto a donkey and deliver them one mile to a pottery workshop.

All teams but Art & JJ choose the solar kitchens and are spread out over the three settlements.  That leaves the border patrol agents wandering around lost looking for the other Detour. 

While Bopper & Mark fly through assembling their solar kitchen, other teams rely on help from other teams.  Joey & a bloodied Danny turn to the “sexy senoritas” Kerri & Stacy, while Dave & Cherie look to Rachel & Dave.

Team Kentucky gets their kettle to whistle first and they get the next clue telling teams to take an 18 hour bus ride to Buenos Aires.  They head to Salta to catch their bus and with Mark & Bopper on Bus #1 are Art & JJ, Rachel & Dave and Brendon & Rachel.

On the 2nd Bus are Dave & Cherie, Vanessa & Ralph, Joey & Danny, and Elliot & Andrew, leaving Nary & Jamie and Kerri & Stacy on the last bus.  But later that night, a back windows explodes on the 2nd Bus, delaying them and allowing the last bus to pass them on the highway.

The 1st Bus arrives in  Buenos Aires and teams must head to Mercado de Hacienda de Liniers.  Dave & Rachel get there first and find the Road Block.

In this Road Block, teams must listen to an auctioneer who will yell out the total weight of cattle in a specific pen.  After counting the number of cattle in that pen, teams must then calculate the average weight of each cow using those two numbers and before the auctioneer moves to the next pen.  Once they get the correct answer, they’ll get the next clue,

Rachel (of Dave) starts the Road Block first and are quickly followed by JJ, Mark and Rachel (of Brendon).  Rachel (of Dave) works with JJ to figure out the answer first.  They get the next clue pointing them to the Pit Stop, the El Gomero, a 200 year old rubber tree standing in the middle of La Recoleta neighborhood.  As Rachel & Dave claim 1st and a trip to Grenada and Art & JJ finish 2nd, Rachel Reilly is struggling back at the Road Block.

Rachel is frustrated even though Mark is more than willing to team-up with her to finish the task.  Meanwhile, the 2nd Bus arrives carrying Nary & Jamie and Kerri & Stacy.

Rachel and Mark submit their answers and get their clues.  Mark & Bopper head off, leaving Brendon & Rachel waiting for a taxi and allowing Rachel’s frustration to come pouring out when Brendon unconsciously blames her for wasting time. 

Mark & Bopper officially jump on the Mat in 3rd and Brendon & Rachel finish a not too shabby 4th.  Once last placers Kerri & Stacy and Nary & Jamie finish 5th and 6th respectively.

The last four teams are at the Road Block.  But Vanessa & Ralph, Joey & Danny, and Elliot & Andrew leave the clowns behind, stepping on the Mat 7th, 8th, and 9th respectively.

Dave valiantly finished the Road Block and he and Cherie head to the Pit Stop where Phil gives them the bad news and they are eliminated.

Episode Thoughts
An alright episode this week.  Certainly better than those Oscars eh? 

The Detour and Road Block were fine tasks.  I wish there was more fun with the donkeys though or maybe those llamas.  A little disappointing that Art & JJ got a cooperative donkey and that no other teams got to interact with one.

But I hope this grouping/clumping/chunking up of teams at tasks isn’t going to be a regular thing this season.  Having teams grouped together actually takes some excitement out of the leg and prevents any placement changes before the Pit Stop.

Bunching up points like buses or, I guess, waiting for the postman are fine, but then the categorical division of teams into groups is strange.  It might give the TAR editors an easier time, but it makes for a less exciting and dynamic episode.