The Amazing Race IX: Official Thread

CBS ^ | 2-4-06

[silent_jonny]

Episode 13: Denver, USA

TTOW! BJ & TYLER WIN THE MILLION DOLLAR PRIZE

After nine countries, 59,000 miles, and two close calls with elimination, best friends BJ & Tyler won a seesaw battle against rivals Eric & Jeremy to claim the one million dollar prize. From Japan to Alaska and back to Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado, the two Teams traded positions as they had throughout the Race until BJ pulled ahead of Eric at the final Roadblock to score his Team a victory. After a series of navigational woes, dating couple Ray & Yolanda finished a distant third.

START OF THE END

Departing the Big Swan Pit Stop at 12:18 am, BJ & Tyler began the last leg with a clue instructing them to fly over 9,000 miles back to the United States to Anchorage, Alaska. Returning the favor from several legs ago, the best friends left money for the destitute Ray & Yolanda before driving to Hotel Nikko to return their car.

While waiting for the shuttle to the airport, BJ & Tyler used the Internet at the hotel to book a flight reservation to Alaska that landed at 10:53 am. After being told the hotel didn't have Internet service (because BJ & Tyler asked the clerk to say that), Eric & Jeremy actually secured an earlier flight on the phone that landed at 7:50 am.

At the airport, Eric & Jeremy eluded BJ & Tyler who tried following them everywhere to fly off in the lead to Anchorage via Taipei, Taiwan. However, their hard work was for naught as BJ & Tyler and Ray & Yolanda discovered a later flight to Taipei that connected to the same Anchorage flight as Eric & Jeremy.

GONE FISHIN'

Landing in a very snowy Anchorage, the three Teams opened clues on their vehicles instructing them to drive 30 miles to the scenic recreation area Mirror Lake. As the sun rose across the beautiful, frozen landscape, the Race heated up between the Hippies and the Frat Boys while Ray & Yolanda's navigational woes kept them squarely in last place. Pulling into Mirror Lake together, BJ & Tyler and Eric & Jeremy encountered their final Detour having to choose between Drill It and Deliver It. In Drill It, Teams needed to use an auger to drill ten holes in Mirror Lake and then push a shack across the lake to cover at least two of the holes in order to set up an ice fishing camp. In Deliver It, Teams had to load a bush plane with medical supplies and, using a map to navigate, direct their pilot to an airfield to deliver the supplies to a first aid station.

Taking to the ice together, Eric & Jeremy and BJ & Tyler battled for ice fishing bragging rights as they used all the strength they had to drill holes through the thick ice. While BJ & Tyler started out strong, Eric & Jeremy's endurance pulled them ahead as they pushed their shack across the snow covered ice in first place. Opening their clue, they learned they had to drive 26 miles to Kincaid Park. Once there, they would put on snowshoes and, using a map, search the park for their next clue.

INTO THE WOODS

Still with a comfortable lead, Eric & Jeremy wasted little time walking through the woods to their next clue. Opening it, they learned they would be flying back to where the Race began: Denver, Colorado. Once there, they needed to travel 30 miles by taxi to Clear History Park in the town of Golden. Eric & Jeremy's solid racing skills again amounted to little as BJ & Tyler, who struggled to find the clue at Kincaid Park, and Ray & Yolanda, who struggled everywhere, booked the same flight to Denver with the friends. Eric sarcastically remarked, "We love being ahead and then just having everybody catch us."

Landing in Denver, friends Eric & Jeremy again took the lead to Golden. Arriving at the Clear History Park, the friends searched through the snowy ground and discovered a clue hidden in the shed. Opening it, they discovered they had to travel six miles back to where it all began at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre.

FLAGS TO FINISH

With only a few minutes lead, friends Eric & Jeremy pulled into Red Rocks Amphitheater to discover the final task of the Race: a Roadblock. In this Roadblock, one Team member had to run into the field of 285 flags, find one flag for each of the nine foreign countries they visited on the Race and place them in the order in which they visited them. Once the Teams completed the task, they would have to run the flagged path to the finish line where the first Team would win one million dollars.

With a million dollars on the line, Eric ran into the field, quickly grabbing flags for Brazil and Japan. Within minutes, the Race ended as it began when BJ & Tyler arrived at Red Rocks for a final showdown with the rival Frat Boys. As BJ began grabbing flags, Eric made his first critical mistake when he switched the order of Germany and Russia. While Eric continued to show signs of stress, BJ, with Tyler cheering him on, began collecting his nine flags at a faster pace, although nearly all were out of order. After collecting all of the flags, Eric had four incorrect, but did not know how to fix them. After another pass, he fared worse, now having six incorrect. Meanwhile, BJ snagged the Russian flag and started placing his flags in proper order as Eric had two incorrect. With Eric still trying to fix his mistake, BJ placed the final flag in order and the best friends received an okay from the judge to continue on to the finish line.

HIPPIES TRIUMPH

With the eight eliminated Teams cheering them on, best friends BJ & Tyler arrived at the snowy finish line where Phil informed them they had won the million dollar prize. An emotional BJ & Tyler shared a long embrace before the stunned pair, almost at a loss for words, said, "It's really unreal."

Arriving in second place, friends Eric & Jeremy, while disappointed, said they cherished the experience they had on the Race. Eric remarked, "We've seen some more of the world and we appreciate the world a little more. You can go anywhere. It just takes the will to do it." Jeremy added, "We've traveled the world and we can decide, 'Where do we want to go next?'"

Coming in a distant third place, dating couple Ray & Yolanda told Phil their relationship was as solid as ever. Regarding her partner, Yolanda commented, "Ray, all through this Race, has been my source of motivation. I feel like he's my support. Ray's still everything that I believe him to be and I want him to be." Ray added, "Yolanda is the ultimate competitor. She's strong headed and that's why I've always been in love with her. She had her own mind. She's the only person I would have done this Race with."

Co-winner BJ noted, "I think that on this Race being cerebral doesn't help as much as being in the moment. It's just great to stay positive and really enjoy each other's company. Our friendship is what got us through it." Tyler added, "BJ and I approached each country with wide eyes and enthusiasm and a huge spirit of adventure. There's so much in this world. We might as well take advantage of as much as we can and give back as much as we can and that's important. That's how it all works."

[EmilyGeiger]

Thanks for the recap. :) Hate that I didn't watch this season that much.

[csvset]

It's just great to stay positive and really enjoy each other's company

Yep. The Hippies were always upbeat, no matter what the situation. I'm glad they beat the Frat Boys.

[YourAdHere]

Yeah. It was a very satisfying ending.

[cuz_it_aint_their_money]

After the disappointing finish to this season's Survivor, I'm glad at least this show had a great finish.

I was rooting for the Hippie dudes every leg of the race and am glad they managed to pull it out in the end.

Silent Jonny, thanks for keeping this thread going, and posting the recaps. (Now if I can just find someone who taped Monday night's "24", I'll be set. Rotten TiVo!)

Take Care,
Cuz

[uca99]

Just watched the teams on the Early Show, the Hippies were just as exuberant as ever, and the Frat Boys still seemed bitter, but blamed themselves for not knowing the flags. At the end, Ray proposed to Yolonda. They had the other teams in the back too - they all seemed to have fun.

[TonyWojo]

I kinda feel for Eric and Jeremy, after all the Hippies finished last twice, Just lucky they did in non elimination rounds. The Hippies were not deserving only lucky.

[AxelPaulsenJr]

For what it's worth, I wonder just how far distant from second place was the finish of Ray and Yolanda, who by the way I will miss seeing her great thighs. LOL

[uca99]

I agree. I also felt bad that they had a good lead twice in the last leg and then everyone caught up with them in a "bunch up".

[WestCoastGal]

I think the "frat" boys would have walked away with the lead except for these catch up legs.

It gives the 'appearance' of a manipulated race when they have the non elimination rounds and these catch up periods.

[WI Conservative 4 Bush]

Cuz,

You have freep-mail.

[Collier]

I felt that the race was manipulated this season.

The Hippies, who I loved, we not only in 2 non-elimination rounds, but the rounds were only seperated by one week, I believe. I don't remember from past seasons, but isn't that unusual?.......to have two NER's almost consecutive.

My feeling at the time was that they only made that an NER because the Hippies came in last. The Hippies made for good TV. Very enjoyable to watch.

Then, on the finale show, the flag thing was a feat that required some brain power.

When the Frat boys hit the mat, Phil brought this up and said that it came down to brains in the end. Did they think it would come down to that. The Frat boys said they were college drop outs and BJ went to Yale or Harvard.

Anyway, I suspected manipulation back to the 2nd NER and when Phil mentioned that at the end, I thought.......hmmmmmm

[luckystarmom]

First, they usually have more NER at the end of the race then at the beginning. The Hippies came in last, then someone else did and got eliminated, then the Hippies came in last again.

Next, there was a brain quiz at the end of the TAR: Family edition. In the final, they had to put together a map of the United States.

[Collier]

Yes, thanks for the reminder. I forgot about the map of the US

[YourAdHere]

Just read an interview with BJ and Tyler. Can't say I'm surprised, since they're hippies, but they take a jab at Bush.

“We intend on using the money for our future creative projects like documentaries that will expose certain political leaders — not to mention any names — President (George)Bush,” he laughs.

[silent_jonny]

Silent Jonny, thanks for keeping this thread going, and posting the recaps

Thank you :) And likewise to you for hosting the Survivor thread.

Even though this season's Survivor wasn't the best (Aras???), I still enjoyed it more than TAR.

[silent_jonny]

"“We intend on using the money for our future creative projects like documentaries that will expose certain political leaders — not to mention any names — President (George)Bush,” he laughs."

Pfft.

They might as well just throw their million out the window.

[YourAdHere]

Yeah. Hasn't Michael Moore kinda cornered the market on the anti-Bush documentary?

[LizJ]

Ugh! I disliked the hippies more than any other team ever. Their "we are so great because we like to just have fun act", got old to me real fast. I did not find them very funny, even though they tried real hard. But I think most fans of the show loved them.

Tyler has a web-site Tyler's website which shows his weirdness pretty well.

[Veto!]

"“We intend on using the money for our future creative projects like documentaries that will expose certain political leaders — not to mention any names — President (George)Bush,” he laughs."

I'm apparently the only freeper who caught Tyler's act on Regis' morning show where he said he was going to Cuba to give Castro a kiss. Deluded liberal schmucks, these two pseudo-hippies. And on the morning show where they picked up their $1 million check, BJ basically came out as Tyler's main squeeze....at least it looked that way to me. Anyone else wonder what the initials B and J stood for?