Recap: The Amazing Race 29, Episode 10 – "This is harder than giving birth."


Recap: The Amazing Race 29, Episode 10 – “Riding a Bike Is Like Riding a Bike”

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Teams must hop on a bus to Ninh Binh. From the bus stop, they will ride a bike to Bich Dong Temple to pick up a Travelocity Roaming Gnome.

Becca & Floyd and Matt & Redmond get on a bus 30 minutes earlier than the rest of the teams. They find the Roaming Gnome and a clue pointing them to Thon Hai Nham.

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And there they will find another (modified) Switchback Road Block: Who’s feeling trapped? For this Road Block, teams must deliver the correct number of shrimp traps using a bicycle.

Matt and Floyd decide to work together. But Floyd does not know baskets have fallen off his bike as he starts peddling away. Becca sees, but can’t say anything to him.

Meanwhile, the second bus arrives. Tara & Joey find their Speed Bump at the temple. For this Speed Bump, Tara & Joey must collect six dozen duck eggs.

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Matt has little problem finishing the Road Block. He rides back, but helps Floyd get balanced along the way. Floyd, however, has continued to drop even more baskets, but decides to just keep going, deliver what he has and then go back for the ones he dropped. Unfortunately, the fisherman will not accept the baskets unless he has them all. So Floyd has to ride back with the baskets he has. And it is scorching hot out today.

Matt reunites with Redmond and must now ride their bikes to Den Thai Vi – Ben Thanh. There, teams must row boats with their feet to deliver offerings to a dragon boat.

Back at the Road Block, Scott and London get started as Floyd arrives. Scott manages to get going first and is back before London and Floyd even get on the road.

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London is a few feet in front of Floyd, but she tips over and cries for help. Floyd and London tip over together until a local helps them get up. Little does Floyd know, he’s dropped more baskets.

Joey gets started with the Road Block while Scott & Brooke are rowing on the water. Matt & Redmond enjoy being far ahead in first as they walk 200+ steps to the Pit Stop on Hang Mua Peak. They check in as Team #1 and win a trip to Costa Rica.

Floyd and London get to the fisherman and he gives Floyd the thumbs down. London gets the thumbs up just as Joey arrives. He also gets the thumbs up.

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Floyd is exhausted so he rests for a bit before going back. He doesn’t have to go all the way since he finds the baskets he dropped. He finally gets the thumbs up and the next clue. He reunites with Becca, but on the regular bike, Floyd crashes into an electrical post. He’s absolutely exhausted. Becca tries to help him breathe. But a little later back on the bike, Floyd feels dizzy and almost collapses. A medic arrives to help him, but he starts feeling even worse.

Brooke & Scott, Tara & Joey and London & Logan are Teams 2 through 4.

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Becca starts to cry, seeing Floyd on the ground. The medic tries to stand him up, but he still does not feel any better. Floyd says he doesn’t think he can continue. Becca doesn’t want Floyd to hurt himself.

Phil comes out to them and says they are eliminated.

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Episode Thoughts

Whew! What a Leg. Not perfect, but definitely better than the last Leg. This definitely had to be one of the most physically challenging Legs EVAH on The Amazing Race. And that is saying something when you consider how current TAR shies away from anything challenging.

This Leg definitely reminded me of all the rural Legs of The Amazing Race Vietnam that I’ve watched. lol But it was great. I think this might have even been the most rural Leg of TARUS ever. Some TARPH (the real one)-type of provincial Leg except without self-driving or any kind of public transportation, hence the bikes. TARV I think used motorbikes/scooters. But TARUS would never allow teams on motorbikes. lol

Being such a rural Leg, the bikes made sense and it allowed for an extra challenge on a Leg with no Detour. I think they could’ve easily included some kind of farming Detour here. It would’ve made for an even more exhausting Leg.

And while it was definitely sad to see Floyd in that situation, this is the kind of physical challenge TARUS has lacked in recent seasons. Granted, forcing teams to ride back and forth on those bikes in likely 90-100 degree heat is true torture. But blame also goes to Floyd for not tying his baskets on correctly and then not picking up the ones that dropped.

ZOMG, Bertram van Munster actually acknowledges a pre-TAR11 season exists! TAR3, still the best TAR season evah. Yeah I said it. Fight me! lol

I think this might have been the best and only good Switchback TARUS has done. TAR3’s basket Detour is iconic and classic. Attempting a Switchback to a task where every single team that did it struggled and provided entertainment would of course be challenging. But TAR was able to modify it here and it worked. That can’t be said for other Switchbacks which have fallen flat and far off the original staging of those tasks.

The rest of the Leg was great and again, I love the physically demanding Leg even with less tasks. I love this Leg so much, I’ll say right now that I’m going to insert this Leg into the next TARPHDME. I just love it and I think this may just be TAR29’s Emmy submission.

Elsewhere, TARUS has definitely stepped up their map game. But TARAu’s maps are still the best.

Overall, this was the best episode of the season with the best tasks of the season. Absolutely.

My Subjective Team Rankings

Kudos where kudos are due. Becca & Floyd have certainly not been a favorite of mine during the Race, but Floyd doing as best he could and Becca’s support of him this Leg was both sad and amazing to watch. Just a nice moment that reminds us how good The Amazing Race can really be. Good competition and competitive spirit from them during probably the most difficult elimination ever on TAR.

The rest of the teams were just okay, but I just can’t with the alliances and helping each other and then being upset when teams don’t help you.

Episode Quotes

Scott: “You’re turning into me apparently.”

Tara: “This is harder than giving birth.”

Brooke: “I’m gonna damn near pee my pants.”


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