Recap: The Amazing Race 2, Episode 3 – “If you like to be alive, don’t go there.”


Recap: The Amazing Race 2, Episode 3 – My Alarm Clock Didn’t Go Off!
Original Airdate: March 20, 2002

The Amazing Race 2 Episode 3 The Amazing Race 2 Episode 3

Shola & Doyin begin the 3rd Leg at 10:34pm as they learn they must fly to Cape Town, South Africa. All teams will receive $150 and must exit Brazil through Sao Paulo.

Chris & Alex and Tara & Wil both depart at 10:47pm, Mary & Peach at 12:14am, Gary & Dave at 12:17am, Cyndi & Russell at 12:22am and Oswald & Danny at 1:14am.

The Amazing Race 2 Episode 3 The Amazing Race 2 Episode 3

Peggy & Claire are supposed to be next to depart at 2:40am, but they have overslept. Blake decides not to wake them up since they’re in last and need any advantage they can get. The Gutsy Grannies end up waking at 3am, hurry to the Mat and end up departing at 3:17am, 37 minutes after their scheduled departure. Blake & Paige depart at 3:35am.

The first flight out of Iguacu for Sao Paulo leaves at 6:50am so all teams catch up via two flights departing ten minutes apart. In Sao Paulo, teams scramble for the best flight to Cape Town, but everything’s fully booked.

The Amazing Race 2 Episode 3 The Amazing Race 2 Episode 3

Tension at the American Airlines office where the twins, Cyndi & Russell and the Grannies are working on flights. Blake & Paige walk in behind them and quickly want to speak with an open agent about some connecting flight via Paris. The other teams are a bit annoyed by the siblings.

Shola & Doyin and Cyndi & Russell get on a flight to London, but only the twins have tickets for the connecting flight to Cape Town.

The Amazing Race 2 Episode 3 The Amazing Race 2 Episode 3

Mary & Peach are initially frustrated, but they eventually get tickets via Milan and London. Gary & Dave fly via Lisbon and London. Oswald & Danny fly via London. Peggy & Claire will go through New York, London and Johannesburg.

Alliance mates Chris & Alex and Tara & Wil are struggling together. But they decide to just split up and go their separate ways. Chris & Alex get the help of some “really hot girls” at a travel agency to secure tickets through Frankfurt.

Tara & Wil and Blake & Paige secure tickets on the same flight to London, but only Tara & Wil are confirmed through Cape Town.

The Amazing Race 2 Episode 3 The Amazing Race 2 Episode 3

In London, Tara & Wil catch up to Oswald & Danny and Gary & Dave. Blake & Paige, however, miss the flight. On the other side of the airport, Shola & Doyin get on the flight to Cape Town, leaving Cyndi & Russell behind when there are no seats.

Gary & Dave, Oswald & Danny and Tara & Wil are first to arrive in Cape Town at 7am. Upon arrival in Cape Town, teams must head to Robben Island and find the prison cell where Nelson Mandela was held captive for 18 years to get the next clue.

As the three teams board the 9am ferry, Shola & Doyin arrive in Cape Town while Mary & Peach arrive at 9:45am. Both miss the 10am ferry. But after Mary & Peach ask to cut in line, both teams take the 11am ferry.

The Amazing Race 2 Episode 3 The Amazing Race 2 Episode 3

The clue in Nelson Mandela’s cell tells teams to take a ferry back to mainland and find Kalk Bay Harbor. The leading three teams decide to work together to stay ahead of other teams so they rent a minibus together.

Blake & Paige arrive in South Africa at 10:30am. But over in London, Peggy & Claire miss the connecting flight since they have not yet gone through security.

Over in Kalk Bay Harbor, the leading teams find the Detour: Dance or Deliver. In Dance, teams must dance for R25 in tips in proper attire with a local troupe. In Deliver, teams must carry fish from a boat to a scale and weight 125 kg of fish to get the next clue.

The Amazing Race 2 Episode 3 The Amazing Race 2 Episode 3

All three teams do the dancing and quickly get the tips. They must now take a train to Cape Town and then take a township taxi to Paradise Hair Salon in Zone 23 of Langa township.

The three teams continue to stick together until they find the Road Block. For this Road Block, teams must buy a box of Epsom salts and a smiley, a roasted sheep’s head. They will then find local healer Ndaba Sangoma to present the items as an offering before he will use the salts to make a remedy which the teams must drink.

The Amazing Race 2 Episode 3 The Amazing Race 2 Episode 3

Oswald, Wil and Gary decide to do the Road Block. Oswald makes a new friend as they talk about their lives; Oswald leaving Cuba because of the government, the local named Temi who is looking for a job.

They easily get through the Road Block and can now head to Lanzerac Manor, the Pit Stop for this Leg.

Over in Cape Town, Chris & Alex and Cyndi & Russell catch up to each other after 1pm. Meanwhile, Mary & Peach finish the dancing Detour and get on a train to Langa township. All of the locals come up to them to say that the area is a dangerous place and that if they do set foot in it, they will be robbed and killed.

The Amazing Race 2 Episode 3 The Amazing Race 2 Episode 3

Mary & Peach get on a taxi with other people, but it breaks down. They wonder if they can walk, but their fellow riders say it’s not safe. They end up on another taxi and Mary decides to do the Road Block. She likes these kinds of areas and she loves people so she was actually glad to do the task. While waiting, Peach gives some local kids a pair of sunglasses. And when she sees them so happy, she feels more comfortable about being in the area.

Blake & Paige are next to arrive at the Detour and choose dancing while Shola & Doyin choose the fish. But when the siblings easily finish, the twins quickly switch to dancing.

Blake and Doyin do the Road Block.

The Amazing Race 2 Episode 3 The Amazing Race 2 Episode 3

At the Detour, Chris & Alex and Cyndi & Russell have been working together and both choose the fish. When the Boston boys finish first, they help out the married pastors by giving them some fish.

At the Pit Stop, Oswald & Danny check-in as Team #1, Tara & Wil are 2nd and Gary & Dave are 3rd. Mary & Peach arrive later in 4th. Blake & Page and Shola & Doyin tie for 5th.

Chris and Russell do the Road Block. Chris & Alex end up as Team #7 with Cyndi & Russell finishing as Team #8.

Next morning, Peggy & Claire are only now just leaving London and arriving in Cape Town. The clue at Robben Island tells them to go directly to the Pit Stop. The other teams talk about how great they were as Phil officially eliminates them.

The Amazing Race 2 Episode 3 The Amazing Race 2 Episode 3

Episode Thoughts

Another very full episode. This is an episode that, looking through a 2022 lens, makes the case for simpler, straightforward Legs. Lol

I guess it’s easier to just watch an episode like this. Far more difficult to recap it. I don’t even know why I do it. lol But anyway… the flights! TAR would never allow such madness today. lol What a logistical nightmare that all is. Obviously, Bertram and Co. weren’t accounting for such things back then. So it is crazy to watch the flight finagling here.

It resulted in Peggy & Claire falling almost a day behind. That’s so crazy. And that just wouldn’t and shouldn’t happen today, to be honest. I know a lot of fans long for the days of airport drama and stuff. But I think we’re long past that time.

It might have been thrilling back in 2002. And I can’t actually imagine what I would’ve felt watching this episode back then. I probably thought it was the most exciting thing ever.

But I can see, from a 2022 perspective, that having teams hours apart like this won’t make for the most exciting and competitive Race. Keeping things tighter and not allowing for such crazy flight itineraries is absolutely the correct way to go for contemporary TAR. So, exciting and fun back then. Not so much now.

Anyway, to this Leg. The kinda sorta tribute to Nelson Mandela was nice. The show didn’t really do anything special for the moment. But the mention and visit gets the pass I guess.

The Detour was not very balanced. The dance Detour was lame because they didn’t even have to learn anything. They just waved their arms around and got the tips they needed. The fish side of the Detour was much more difficult and tiring. So not a very good Detour choice.

The Road Block was much better though it’s one of those “OMGPOVERTY” moments on TAR that gets played up. Again, back in 2002, it’s something you never saw on TV. But in 2022, I dunno. Anyway, the task was good as its main purpose was to get teams in with the locals. And I assume, again, to “shock” the teams with poor people.

But why was Gary saying “I can’t do that” when all they had to do was pick a smiley up. It’s not like they were killing the sheep and chopping the head off themselves lol Which actually would’ve been a better task lol

Then Mary & Peach being afraid of the warnings that they’d die, but later Mary saying she loves poor areas and people. What? lols

Overall, a straightforward Leg, but a very complicated episode thanks to the 100 different itineraries the teams chose to fly on.

My Subjective Team Rankings

The Amazing Race 2 The Amazing Race 2 The Amazing Race 2 The Amazing Race 2 The Amazing Race 2 The Amazing Race 2 The Amazing Race 2 The Amazing Race 2 The Amazing Race 2

It’s too bad about Peggy & Claire. It really was all about the flight. Nothing to do with their age. If they had gotten on an earlier flight, they would’ve easily survived with the teams having been hours apart. Well, it was nice to watch them for three Legs at least.

For Oswald & Danny, Oswald’s moment with the new friend was very nice. What an interesting conversation they had. It’s a great moment in the middle of the competition.

Mary & Peach are somehow so endearing. I don’t know. Lol They can come across as high maintenance at times. But among the other teams, it’s nice to see sisters like them on the Race.

Chris & Alex are the Boston bros, but they’re definitely not dominating at all. This Leg showed that as much. It’s interesting how their “alliance” with Tara & Wil is playing out. I was cringing at Wil being so hopeful about his and Tara’s relationship. Like, I know what’s ahead. So seeing both of them, actually, be so positive about their relationship and even possibly getting back together… I cringe! Lol

Shola & Doyin got kind of lost in the episode with all the airport chaos and the speeding through tasks. Cyndi & Russell too. Though that moment where Russell yelled at Cyndi for not hurrying up was odd!

I can see why other teams would be annoyed by Blake & Paige. They may be nice at times, but you can see they’re very competitive. Almost treading into Racebot territory, to be honest. So I don’t know that I would necessarily even like them back in 2002. I’m kinda questioning how I see them today even.

Gary & Dave are kind of annoying. Like, I remember their personality. But nothing like what they showed in this episode. It was definitely cringey.

Episode Quotes

Dave: “We live in an imaginary world where we’re brilliant. Which we’re obviously not.”

Local: “If you like to be alive, don’t go there.”

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