Posted on 02/04/2006 2:26:37 PM PST by silent_jonny
As Teams headed north to Darwin, Australia, the simmering feud between BJ & Tyler and Joseph & Monica heated up after the best friends Yielded the dating couple as promised. Meanwhile, Ray & Yolanda ran a great leg to snag their first victory, while a three Team sprint to the mat resulted in a karmic payback for MoJo as they finished three steps ahead of last place BJ & Tyler who survived because of another non-elimination leg.
Departing the Pit Stop in first place at 11:47 pm, friends Eric & Jeremy opened their clue instructing them to travel 15 miles across town and find the Swan Bells Tower, a six-story structure of copper and glass overlooking the Swan River that houses the 18 church bells given to Perth by England to mark the Australian bicentennial.After a photo finish in the previous leg, dating couple Joseph & Monica stepped off the mat directly behind friends Eric & Jeremy and both Teams together found a local who called two taxis for them. While the pair waited for their taxis to arrive, best friends BJ & Tyler showed up and received the cold shoulder from both Teams who offered no information about the Swan Bells Tower. With tension still brewing from Joseph & Monica not giving money to BJ & Tyler in the previous leg, the dating couple swooped in to take the first taxi when it arrived saying they called for it after the best friends made advances toward the vehicle.
With the Swan Bells Tower not opening until 8 am, some Teams took the opportunity to strategize in a manner not employed so far in the Race. Noting the strong alliance between friends Eric & Jeremy and dating couple Joseph & Monica, best friends BJ & Tyler decided they wanted to create waves between the allies by mentioning Eric’s flirting with Monica as a potential concern to Joseph. Meanwhile, friends Eric & Jeremy concocted a plan of their own by cancelling the taxis that best friends BJ & Tyler and dating couple Ray & Yolanda called to be there when the tower opened, while keeping the reservation for themselves and Joseph & Monica, who witnessed the friends making the phone call.
At 8 am, the doors leading to the top of the Swan Bells Tower opened and the four Teams raced up the winding glass-enclosed staircase to the rooftop. Opening their clues, the Teams learned they had to fly over 1,700 miles to the city of Darwin, the capital of Australia’s Northern Territory named for the famed naturalist Charles Darwin. Once there, they had to drive to a crocodile park and wade into a pool filled with crocodiles to retrieve their next clue.On the sidewalk outside of the Swan Bells Tower, best friends BJ & Tyler grabbed the first taxi they spotted. However, Joseph ran over, confirmed that this taxi had been called for him and Monica, and promptly kicked BJ & Tyler out of it. Meanwhile, a frustrated Ray & Yolanda decided to call their taxi service again since theirs was a no-show and discovered that someone cancelled it. Since MoJo was the only one with a taxi waiting, Ray & Yolanda incorrectly assumed they had cancelled it, a notion that friends Eric & Jeremy did nothing to dispel. Ray commented, “Things just got personal now. It’s a whole different game now.” Also miffed over the incident, BJ & Tyler said, “When Yield season comes along, Joseph & Monica are going to be the hunted.” In what can only be called karmic payback, friends Eric & Jeremy inadvertently cancelled their own taxi as well as the others and became the last Team to find one outside of the Swan Bells Tower.
At the airport, Joseph & Monica booked a Qantas flight arriving at 7:10 pm while taking some heat from BJ & Tyler and Ray & Yolanda who stood in line behind them. Realizing Eric & Jeremy placed the blame squarely on them, Joseph told Monica, “Those sneaky bastards. They’re telling them that we did it.” In an attempt to ruffle feathers after Eric & Jeremy arrived at the airport, BJ quipped to Eric, “You know there’s a rumor going around that you and Monica are getting kind of close.” While Eric laughed it off, a displeased Monica shot back, “It’s a dirty rumor.” In the end, the taxi antics amounted to little as all four Teams booked the same flight.
Landing in Darwin, all four Teams drove to Crocodylus Park to find closed gates until 9 am the next morning. With some time to kill, BJ & Tyler continued with their plan by again implying that Eric had an attraction to Monica. Once again, Eric shrugged it off, joking that he planned for Joseph to be attacked by crocodiles, but Joseph & Monica didn’t appreciate BJ & Tyler’s insinuation.The next morning at 9 am, the four Teams walked through the park and over a wooden bridge where their new friends anxiously awaited below in the water. After suiting up in wading boots and rubber gloves, the Teams took the warning to not make any sudden movements very seriously. Each Team went to their own pen that housed an entire pool full of excited, eager crocodiles and began wading through them to reach their clue that dangled above on the other side. While anxious, best friends BJ & Tyler reached their clue first to discover they had to drive over 50 miles to the town of Batchelor and find an airfield. The best friends became very happy when they read the last words of the clue: Yield ahead.
With all four Teams on the road to Batchelor, the race to the Yield mat meant the difference between first and last. Dating couple Joseph & Monica, knowing that BJ & Tyler planned to Yield them, made a pass on the road and pulled in to the airfield ahead of the best friends. However, right on their heels, BJ & Tyler parked their car in a better position, beat Joseph & Monica in a footrace to the mat, and did exactly what they promised in Yielding the dating couple. An upset Joseph told them, “All right, get off so we can flip it. Come on.”While Joseph & Monica fumed on the Yield mat, best friends BJ & Tyler opened their next clue to find a Roadblock. In this Roadblock, one Team member had to choose a plane, climb to an altitude of 12,000 feet and tandem skydive. After digging through sand in Oman, an excited BJ gladly suited up and jumped into a waiting plane.
After friends Eric & Jeremy and dating couple Ray & Yolanda ran past Joseph & Monica waiting on the Yield mat, the couple began to take their anger out on each other. When the not unexpected tears began falling from Monica’s eyes, Joseph said, “It’s nothing to cry about. You need to act a little more grown up right now.” Monica replied, “You do not have to be so mean to me. Just leave me alone.”
High above the ground at 12,000 feet, a screaming BJ took a huge leap of faith out of the plane, enjoying every moment of his wild ride down. Admiring the gorgeous landscape, BJ quipped to his partner, “It’s a great way to see Australia.” After returning to the ground, BJ & Tyler opened their next clue instructing them to drive 20 miles to the Litchfield National Park and find the natural anomaly known as the Magnetic Termite Mounds. Built by millions of termites, each mound faces magnetic north, away from the harsh rays of the sun.
As BJ & Tyler ran back to their car, they apologized to the still upset Joseph & Monica. Joseph replied, “Don’t act nice. If we weren’t in this Race, I’d beat you down.” The dating couple continued bickering with each other after BJ & Tyler sped away unaware that their Yield had expired. Interrupting Monica mid-complaint, Joseph pointed at the hourglass and the pair ran off with Monica opting to skydive. After Monica completed the jump behind Eric and Ray, the last place dating couple held little hope that they could catch the other Teams.
Arriving at the termite mounds, BJ & Tyler opened their clue to find a Detour. In this Detour, Teams had to choose between Wet and Dry. In Wet, Teams needed to drive six miles to a roadside park to hike and swim down a daunting one-mile course down a jungle river inhabited by large spiders and poison plants. In Dry, Teams had to drive six miles to an intersection and another six miles off road until they come to a natural rock formation known as the Lost City. Once there, they needed to choose an Aboriginal instrument known as a didgeridoo and, following the sound of music in the air, locate a nearby Aboriginal. The pattern on his didgeridoo must match the pattern on the Team’s didgeridoo. If it matches, the Aboriginal would teach each team member how to play a note on it. Once each team member played a note successfully, they would receive their next clue.After deciding it would be easier to hike one mile than drive off road and play a didgeridoo, BJ & Tyler arrived at the park to begin their journey down the river. Their enthusiasm about climbing the large rocks and navigating though narrow passageways soon turned to exhaustion when they realized how much energy the task involved. Friends Eric & Jeremy had one goal in mind when they started the course: catch the hippies.
Choosing to stay dry, dating couple Ray & Yolanda arrived at the Lost City and searched for their Aboriginal. After listening for the sound of music, the pair located him and sat down to play their didgeridoo. While the pair initially had problems playing a note, after a few attempts each made the proper buzzing sound with their lips to produce some music. Their next clue instructed them to drive through the Australian outback to the Pit Stop at Lake Bennett. On their way out of the Lost City, they crossed paths with Joseph & Monica who just pulled in to begin the Detour.
As Joseph & Monica found their Aboriginal, played a note, and moved into second place, BJ & Tyler and Eric & Jeremy all became concerned over how much time it was taking to swim down the jungle river. Just as the best friends finally reached the end of the course, the more athletic Eric & Jeremy finally caught them as both Teams left the park together.
Pulling into Lake Bennett, an excited Ray & Yolanda stepped onto the mat in first place. For their first victory, Phil informed the pair they each had won a one year lease on a Mercedes M-Class car just like the ones they drove through the Outback. All smiles, Ray commented, “It took us ten legs to put it all together. Our navigational skills today were perfect.”Meanwhile, neither Eric & Jeremy nor BJ & Tyler had Lake Bennett on their maps. Both Teams pulled over to ask an ambulance driver for directions. After heading back out onto the highway, the two Teams received a shock when Joseph & Monica pulled up right behind them. In an obvious show of affection, Joseph flipped off BJ & Tyler in the car ahead of them, simply saying, “I hate the hippies.” The three Teams all assumed that Ray & Yolanda could be ahead of them meaning last place was on the line.
As the three Teams pulled into the Lake Bennett Resort, they all prepared for the mad dash that would ensue. A concerned Monica didn’t think she could beat BJ & Tyler in a footrace, but Joseph encouraged her, saying, “Just get out and run as hard as you can.” Tearing out of their cars, Monica trailed behind the five guys as everyone frantically ran to where Phil stood on the mat. Just when it appeared that Joseph & Monica would finish in last place, BJ made a tactical mistake by running on rocks instead of the bridge, thinking it would be a shortcut. After Eric & Jeremy claimed second place, Joseph and Tyler stepped on the mat together and, because of BJ’s mistake, Monica snuck onto the mat three steps ahead of BJ. A thrilled Joseph shouted, “We got here before you! You Yielded us!” Once again, BJ & Tyler survived last place with this being a non-elimination leg, but the next leg would be more challenging, as BJ had no pants or shoes. Regarding the potentially dire situation, an optimistic BJ commented, “It’s like shedding our cocoon and metamorphosizing into the butterflies that are going to win this Race.”On the mat, the Teams addressed the growing tension that has arisen in the past few legs. Monica said, “We’re not playing this game by playing mind games and starting rumors about people. That’s not the way we play the game by being nasty.” After BJ insisted they aren’t playing mind games, Joseph later said, “We definitely want to drive them in the ground.”
Wow. Hate I missed this episode. :(
Why the one hippie was down in the creek and not passing Mo on the bridge is beyond me. The Hippies lucked out.
You were missed on the 24 thread Monday. Good to see you here.
Did Mo-Jo also cancel the frat boys' taxi? I thought I heard the frat boys say that they had cancelled their own taxi. Nice strategery on the frat boys part, worthy of a Romber award.
No, the Frats said Karma got them on the taxis.
I missed the last half of the show after remembering House was having it's second parter at the same time. Really excellent show and a better choice than listening to Monica whine again and the Hippies dropping to the bottom of my list.
Can't believe there was another non-elimination right here at the end. I was sure hoping the Hippies would get the boot. It will be fun watching them without anything, including shoes. (evil snicker!)
As far as TAR, I think I did hear the frats say to each other, "I think I just cancelled our cab". I think that was for the benefit of Mo-JO, who as I said fell for it big time. Truely worthy of a Romber award for deviousness.
If they won the race have they already been paid, if I were the producers I wouldn't cut the check to the winners until the race had officially concluded on television.
That would be my thinking, so if the winners violate the confidentiality agreement, they forfeit their prize money. A powerful incentive to keep one's mouth shut until the winner is announced.
That was a stupid move unless he thought that way was easier.
If looks could kill, the hippies would have died from Monica's glare.
Perhaps Mo-Jo can't contain themselves and are going into debt before the check arrives.
I don't care who wins this time, as they're all basically boring. I'm still rooting for Romber and Myrna and Schmyrna, the most interesting, memorable teams this game has ever seen. Ah for the good ole days of looking for clues in the Argentinian chocolate factory bite by bite....
Anybody else notice a different pacing this time? Everything seems to be speeded up, very little time spent on scenery or interacting with natives.
That's one thing that's always irritated me about the show, even when it was good. They never spend more than 2 or 3 seconds on any shot.
I like the preview that showed Mo crying. It doesn't take much for team MoJo JoJo to fall apart.
Yes! MoJo JoJo is outta there ! Bye Bye Bitchy Barbie !
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