Recap: The Amazing Race 2, Episode 11 (Hour 2) – Follow That Plane!
Original Airdate: May 15, 2002
With no more eliminations, this Leg is all about “jockeying” for the best position in the Final Leg. The Penultimate Leg begins with Tara & Wil starting the Leg at 1:03am. They open the first clue telling them to find Sir John Logan Campbell. They must figure out that it is a monument dedicated to the father of Auckland on the top of One Tree Hill.
With $50 for this Leg, Blake & Paige are next to leave at 3:30am with Chris & Alex at 3:58am.
The next clue reveals teams must now fly to Maui, Hawaii. At the airport, teams hustle to find the best flights. As Blake & Paige and Tara & Wil are the first at the Air New Zealand ticket counter, a long line forms behind them. Chris & Alex try to cut in front of everyone, but none of the passengers will allow it.
After securing flights via Sydney and Honolulu, Wil is annoyed that Tara has decided to go hug and smoochi up with Alex. Tara and Wil again snap at each other when Wil accuses Tara of telling Chris & Alex their flights.
All teams get on the same flights. Upon arrival in Maui, teams must follow a map into the sugarcane fields and find the ruins of an old sugar mill. It’s difficult to find the location in the middle of the night. But teams eventually find the cluebox.
Teams must now drive themselves to the water tower at the Pauwela Pineapple Field.
As the sun rises, teams arrive at the field and open the next clue revealing the Detour: Bike or Walk. For both Detours, teams will be searching for colored pineapples in the field. In Bike, teams will search using bicycles, but must find the one and only red pineapple. In Walk, teams will search on foot, but must find one of four pineapples.
All three teams decide on walking since there’s more chances of a yellow pineapple.
Tara hops on Wil’s shoulders and they find the pineapple. Chris & Alex spot them and follow. That clue tells teams to drive to the Dock at McGregor Point and then hop on a motorboat to Molokini island.
Here, teams will encounter the Road Block. Teams will dive into the water and figure out how to open one of three yellow cases suspended underwater.
Wil, Alex and Blake do the Road Block and it is a bit difficult to breathe. But Blake, who arrived last, gets the clue first. Alex is next. Tara yells at Wil for being in last.
Teams can now head to the Pit Stop at Huialoha Church. Their motorboat will take them to a dock, where they will choose a car and drive themselves using a map.
It’s a car Race to the Mat. Chris & Alex are having the most trouble with directions. Tara & Wil and Blake & Paige arrive at the church at the same time. And it is now a footrace. Blake & Paige step on the Mat as Team #1 and win a trip to London and Paris with Tara & Wil having to settle for 2nd.
Chris & Alex are last and of course are not eliminated.
Later, Phil says because of a production difficulty, Tara & Wil were awarded a one minute credit and will also get the trip to London and Paris.
Episode Thoughts
The shortest time ever devoted to one Leg on The Amazing Race? It was around 33 minutes for this Leg and they just continued on with the Final Leg before the first TV hour was done.
But it was a pretty short Leg anyway. Funny thing though is the long driving was at the end of the Leg instead of the beginning. Lol They spent like 5-10 minutes on driving to the Pit Stop even though it doesn’t matter anyway with no elimination.
One of things from early TAR that I am happy they changed is eliminating the stopovers in Hawaii and Alaska before having the Finish Line in the lower 48. Having the entire Final Leg in one city/area is definitely much better than having just one Route Marker in the Finish Line city.
It’s also kind of weird having the Penultimate Leg on American soil. I guess back then it was just a way to transition teams back into the US. Sort of like an entry point. But there was really nothing stopping them from having the Finish Line in Hawaii.
Anyway, the two tasks (JUST TWO!) were very simple. Both Detours and the Road Block could’ve easily been Active Route Info tasks only. And it almost feels like a waste of a Maui visit to just have these two Route Markers only.
So overall, this was kind of a boring Leg with again, the beautiful Maui sights carrying the episode.
Episode Quotes
Chris: “We’re driving through volcanoes.”