'The Amazing Race': Worst-timed bathroom break ever
Is Jen ever, ever going to forgive herself for that, uh, pre-pit-stop pit stop?
Let's go back to the beginning, though. As you might recall, at the end of last week's episode, Cara and Jaime finished first finally only to discover that the leg wasn't actually over. Doh!
For the first task, the teams had to choose between donning full opera costume and makeup and taking orders for five diners in Mandarin Chinese and properly passing them on to a chef, then delivering the right dishes to the right diners.
While all the other teams chose the opera task, Victor and Tammy, who speak Mandarin, chose the waiter task. Even with knowledge of the language, it took them two tries to get it right, so that was not an easy challenge.
After that, they headed on foot to the next clue, which also featured a U-Turn. Victor and Tammy decided to U-Turn Kisha and Jen, which meant they would have to do the other task as well before they could proceed.
Margie and Luke and Kisha and Jen got through the opera makeup task rather quickly, but Cara and Jaime didn't. In their haste, the just communicated to their cab driver that they needed to go to the opera, and he took them to the National Opera building instead of the Beijing Opera building.
However, everyone seemed to have trouble finding the clue box, which was actually right by the opera task.
Tammy and Victor were first to the next task, which required one teammate to eat a plateful of fried street food -- including starfish, grasshoppers, beetle larvae and more. Victor powered through, though, and they learned that they were headed to the Birds' Nest from the Beijing Olympics for the pit stop. They came in first and won a trip to the Galapagos Islands.
Margie and Luke found the clue quite a bit before the remaining teams and got to the street-food task fairly easily. Margie chowed down, and she and Luke got to the Birds' Nest in second.
Kisha and Jen finally found the clue and headed out to do the second task. In the meantime, Jaime said a lot of choice things about how much she hated China and yelled at Cara for being negative. Hmmm. Cara, who has handled Jaime way better than Jaime deserves, even gestured at the cameraman, like, "Seriously? Can you believe she just said that?"
Cara and Jaime got so far behind that Kisha and Jen managed to finish their extra task and get to the street-food task first. Jen ate the food in fairly small bites with lots of water (this will be important later). Cara came in and just plowed through the nasty fare like it was a plate of nachos or something and made up a lot of ground. Kisha and Jen got out first, but not by much.
Jen had had so much water while trying to eat all that food that she was in desperate need of a bathroom. So desperate, in fact, that she paused at a portable toilet once they got to the Birds' Nest.
And unfortunately, Cara and Jaime actually got to the mat first as a result. Phil told Kisha and Jen that it was mere seconds between the two teams (though we didn't see Cara and Jaime at the mat, so I'm guessing he meant minutes).
How horrible would that be? They were thisclose to the final three! Ugh.
So that leaves Tammy and Victor, Margie and Luke and Cara and Jaime headed into the final.
Looks like it could be pretty close, but my favorite scene from next week was Jaime yelling at their cab driver in Hawaii, who was talking to someone on his cell phone. Whoever that someone is says, "You need to tell your people that I am not their personal concierge." Whoever that someone is has just become my hero.
Comments
I would have peed my pants in a heartbeat if it meant a chance at winning a million dollars! I can't believe that they left the food eating challenge knowing that the other team was that close behind them and still took the risk of stopping to go to the bathroom. Even my wife said she would have peed her pants, I think we're ready to go on the Amazing Race now knowing that she would be that committed!
Posted by: Chris in KS | May 4, 2009 8:52 AM
I am so disappointed that Jen and Kisha lost to Jaime and Cara. I read somewhere else that there was speculation that perhaps she needed to do more than just pee since she was obviously not enjoying the food roadblock very much and seemed a little ill.
The only team left to root for is Victor and Tammy.
Posted by: GBA1 | May 4, 2009 9:20 AM
Would I throw away a chance at a million dollars, just to keep my dignity on national television?
Hell no!
In fact, I would have gotten myself to that finish mat, then peed right there, so that when Jaime and Cara arrived and jumped on to it (why do the teams always jump onto the mat?) it would be squishy.
They would have said, "Ewwww" and blamed the Chinese taxi drivers.
I'm rooting for Victor and Tammy to win. I'm hoping that Jaime and Cara fly to the wrong Hawai'ian island and Margie and Luke whine their way to a distant third place.
Posted by: Bucky | May 4, 2009 9:42 AM
Last week's non-ending had us wondering if the fix was in and Kisha and Jen were the desired winners. We weren't particularly sorry to see them go this week.
Posted by: Lizzie | May 4, 2009 9:56 AM
Um, just wondering: is it illegal to pee on the streets of China, especially when there's a line of public toilents in the vacinity? Real nice of Phil to torment them instead of complimenting their good example. Phil has revealed himself to be a jerk this season -- first intentionally stiring the pot with Keisha and Jen/Margie and Luke and then pretending to be the peacemaker ("I'm sure she didn't mean to mock him...")
Posted by: Rusty | May 4, 2009 10:44 AM
Ummm...do you not think that Phil is given lines of what to say by the station? Also, Phil is an awesome guy as he is currently riding across America to help MS charities. See: http://www.philridesacrossamerica.com
Posted by: Kristin | May 4, 2009 2:50 PM
Gotta pee your pants in that situation. After all they've been through and she can't hold it for another couple minutes or just let it go??? I mean she just ate scorpions, starfish etc. A little pee in the pants won't kill you. dumb move!!!!
Posted by: Walt | May 4, 2009 4:03 PM
That was a dumb move on her behave, i would have peed in my pants. But i think that everyone had it in for them. Luke and Margie they make me sick. I won't be watching Sunday.
Posted by: Red | May 4, 2009 5:39 PM
Unlike most of the posters here, I'm NOT rooting for Victor and Tammy. I think they had a huge, unfair advantage with the show spending so much time this season in China, where they were the only team that spoke the language -- and have they gloated about it enough? Yeesh. I find that much less attractive than the "whining" of the other two teams. I'll be rooting for Margie & Luke. He'll grow out of his immaturity someday; I doubt that Tammy and Victor will ever outgrow their arrogance.
Posted by: Linda | May 4, 2009 8:18 PM
He'll grow out of his immaturity someday;
Ah...but will Margie?
Posted by: Bucky | May 5, 2009 9:00 AM
Yeah, I would have peed my pants, too.
Cara and Jamie complain too much about non-English speaking people. I think that's the point of the game, you idiots.
Margie and Luke. Grow up, you momma's boy. And momma, let your son be a man and fly away from you.
Victor and Tammy, good luck.
I won't be watching anymore because none of you are interesting and I don't really care who wins anymore even though I think it will be Tammy and Victor. I'll throw up if it ends up being either of the other two teams.
Posted by: pam | May 5, 2009 10:31 PM
"I won't be watching anymore because none of you are interesting and I don't really care who wins anymore even though I think it will be Tammy and Victor. I'll throw up if it ends up being either of the other two teams."
If you don't care who wins, why would you bother wasting the energy to throw up?
Posted by: Chris in KS | May 6, 2009 4:26 PM
I think Jen had already given up. I hope Cara & Jamie win now, at least they won on merit and didn't conspire to eliminate the competition instead of beating them.
Posted by: GiGi | May 8, 2009 9:08 AM