Recap: The Amazing Race 22, Episode 6 – Scorpion King Hunter
The Leg
It’s time to leave Vietnam (probably to the joy of many non-Amazing Race viewers out there).
Teams open their clue telling them only to head to Maun in the Kalahari Desert. They need to figure out that they have to fly to Botswana to be allowed to enter the travel agency where they’ll book tickets out of Hanoi.
Pam & Winnie and Max & Katie both check the internets at a nearby hotel, while Mona & Beth borrow some locals’ cellphone. At the travel agency, Caroline & Jennifer say they’re going to Kenya, but the guard says no.
Max & Katie mouth the correct answer to them and they are let in. They do the same for Bates & Anthony. Chuck & Wynona go through a list of countries before finally getting Botswana.
All teams are on the same flight. At the airport, there’s some friendly confrontation between the U-Turn participants before their attention turns to getting on the first charter flight out of Maun to the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park.
Once in Maun, it’s a mad dash to Mack Air. Lovebirds Caroline & Jennifer and Bates & Anthony get on the 9am flight. Max & Katie and Joey & Meghan are on the 9:15am flight and Mona & Beth, Chuck & Wynona and Pam & Winnie are on the last flight at 9:30am.
The flirty teams continue their flirtations during the breathtaking flight, while Max & Katie wish they could enjoy the flight with any other team but Meghan & Joey. The last flight chuckles at Chuck saying “This where The Lion King was made, right here.”
Once the teams arrive at the Makgadikgadi Pans, they open their first clue telling them to drive down Old Xhumaga Road and follow the marked route to the next clue.
Down the road, they see a big group of locals waiting for them and their next clues stuffed in jars, the Road Block.
In this Road Block, teams will team up with three Bushmen who will show them how to hunt for scorpions by digging in the ground. Once they’ve caught a scorpion and placed it in a jar, the Bushmen will lead them to the next clue.
All the teams catch up as Bates finishes first with Caroline close behind. Teams will invite their three Bushmen into the back of their SUVs and continue down Old Xhumaga Road.
The next cluebox contains the Detour.
In this Detour, teams will learn one of two chores common to the Bushmen’s everyday life.
In Fire, teams will learn how to make fire using two sticks, zebra manure and grass. Once they’ve made fire and lit the pipe of an elder Bushman, they’ll get the next clue.
In Fowl, teams will learn how to set a trap for a Guinea Fowl. After constructing the clever device using sticks and strings, teams will pretend to be a Guinea Fowl and trigger the trap to receive the next clue.
Bates & Anthony and Caroline & Jennifer choose Fire. On the way to their stations, teams will learn different animal calls and signals from the Bushmen, which they must imitate as they go.
Max & Katie, Mona & Beth, and Joey & Meghan also choose Fire as Bates & Anthony finish and walk to the Pit Stop at Meno A Kwena Safari Camp.
Phil officially checks them in as Team #1 and gives them their trip to Phuket, Thailand.
While the Fire teams are struggling, Pam & Winnie and Chuck & Wynona, bringing up the rear, choose Fowl and both of them manage to quickly construct the snare and head off.
Pam & Winnie secure 2nd place while Chuck & Wynona are excited to be 3rd.
The other teams finally decide to switch Detours with Max & Katie the last to do so.
Joey & Meghan take 4th, Caroline & Jennifer finish 5th and Mona & Beth step on the Mat 6th.
That leaves Max & Katie who are last, but thankfully for them, it is a non-elimination Leg.
Episode Thoughts
So first off, while I still don’t think The Amazing Race had anything to apologize for, it is nice that they addressed it. And hopefully, with that, this whole brouhaha will come to a close.
Apparently, this was a Route Marker at the Hair of the Dog Bar in Hanoi according to CBS press photos:
But it was probably edited out, the less Vietnam, the better I guess. Which is a shame. TAR hasn’t gone to bars or clubs much, but when they have, they’ve been pretty fun. (“A prostitute would know where the disco is!” – Mirna, TAR5)
I do hope that this whole controversy doesn’t change the way TAR chooses locations, in that, I hope they don’t shy away from possibly difficult places. I think we need to be exposed to good and bad, easy and difficult places. That’s what The Amazing Race is about. Showing us places, people and cultures we would never see otherwise.
Anyway… this was a good episode to follow last week’s good episode. The Road Block started out fun, but kinda dragged a little. The saving grace of it being the awesome Bushmen. The Detour was great though and it was awesome to see Pam & Winnie and Chuck & Wynona pass everyone else by choosing the Detour I would’ve thought was the harder one too.
I do wish they did a little more other than the Road Block and Detour, but hopefully they make up for it next week. The animal calls was fun though. And African Legs have usually been visually stunning and culturally awesome. This was no different.
And next week… DONKEYS!!!!!!! Yay!
