Dude?
Duuuuude!
As the five Teams made their way to Helsinki, models Tyler & James set the pace in the beautiful Finnish countryside with beauty queens Dustin & Kandice always just one step behind. After completing a terrifying forward-facing rappel, the models expected to see a Pit Stop, but instead receive a shocking surprise.
Departing the Pit Stop in first place at 2:56am, beauty queens Dustin & Kandice opened their clue to discover they need to fly over 6,000 miles to Helsinki, Finland. Once they land, they have to find the Kappeli coffee house and log onto a computer for a surprise from AOL.
Due to limited availability of flights out of Madagascar, Teams are provided with tickets to Paris, France, where they would have to make arrangements of their own to connect to Helsinki. However, they are under no obligation to use these tickets. Once the beauty queens notice that the flight to Paris doesn't depart until 9:40pm, nearly nineteen hours later, they decide to look for other options. As models Tyler & James, dating couple Rob & Kimberly, and brothers Erwin & Godwin all gather around Dustin & Kandice, the beauty queens' barrage of questions to the ticket agent pay off as they find a flight through Johannesburg and Frankfurt, leaving at 5:00am, that would land in Helsinki the next day at 10:20am.
With the four Teams all booking tickets on the 5:00am flight to Johannesburg, the only question remaining is whether last place Lyn & Karlyn, who left the Pit Start at 3:55am, would make it in time. Just as the Cho brothers walk away from the counter with tickets in hand, the single moms arrive at the airport where the brothers filled them in on everyone's flight information. At the counter with only minutes to spare, Lyn & Karlyn initially receive the bad news that the flight is now closed, but they ultimately convince the tickets agents to let them on. Karlyn notes, "We're just really appreciative of them being cooperative about it. I'm really excited!" The Cho brothers are all smiles to see their allies board the plane as Lyn remarks, "Don't count me out." However, the other three Teams appear less than happy by the single moms' last minute arrival.
Landing in Helsinki, Finland, Dustin & Kandice snag the first taxi out of the airport, but models Tyler & James pass the beauty queens on the freeway, commenting "They're number one on our list of who needs to go." For their part, Dustin & Kandice remark, "It would make it a lot easier for all of us if James & Tyler are out of this competition. They're dangerous." Adding their two cents, Lyn & Karlyn unsurprisingly complain, "The Barbies use their whole image to get ahead. They generally come out of the airports with their boobs hanging out and of course they gain plenty of attention. It makes you upset that you have a disadvantage because of your looks."
Running into the Kappeli coffee shop, models Tyler & James, with beauty queens Dustin & Kandice moments behind, type their screen name into the computer and log onto AOL to hear the familiar voice informing them, "You've got mail." Big smiles come to the faces of all four racers as video messages from their families pop onto their screen. Seeing his mom, Tyler comments, "She is the most important person in my life. Our relationship has grown so much from when I was using drugs to where I am now and sober."
When Dustin sees her parents and five brothers, she remarks, "I'm really close with my family and it meant so much to me to see them there telling me that they loved me and that they supported me." Receiving their next clue from the owner of the café, Tyler & James and Dustin & Kandice open it to learn they have to travel by train and taxi to the school, Soppeenharjun Koulu, follow the marked path and search for their next clue.
Seeing their children tell them that they miss them brings single moms Lyn & Karlyn to tears. Lyn's son adds, "I am so glad that you got the opportunity to do this." Afterwards, Lyn comments, "It made me feel good to see my babies, because I miss them so much, but then it made it hurt even more because I do miss them." Karlyn adds, "I never expected it. I'm so glad to see her though. I miss her so much."
After all the Teams relax on the same train through the Finnish countryside, models Tyler & James and beauty queens Dustin & Kandice again get the quick jump out of the station in taxis while the courteous Cho brothers fall to last place because they don't want to skip ahead of people standing in a taxi queue. Having little issue with cutting off a man ready to enter a taxi, Karlyn comments, "They're innocent bystanders, but at the same time, you're in a race." A frustrated Godwin notes, "Being polite sucks sometimes."
Arriving at Soppenharjun Koulu together, beauty queens Dustin & Kandice and models Tyler & James open their clue to discover a Detour, having to choose between Swamp This and Swamp That. In Swamp This, Teams had to put on a pair of cross-country skis and trudge through a one-mile course of a muddy field. This task required skill and finesse, but Teams that could master the technique of cross-country skiing could slide ahead. In Swamp That, Teams had to slog through an obstacle course in the mud. They would need to jump, crawl, climb, carry each other, and finally run across the finish line to receive their clue. This task required brute force rather than skill, but even strong Teams could find themselves sucked into the wet ground and stuck in the mud.
While Dustin & Kandice opt to don cross-country skis for Swamp This, models Tyler & James jump full force into the mud obstacle course of Swamp That. As they crawl through mud, the models have one thing on their mind: beat the beauty queens who begin skiing across the swamp. This goal seems less likely when James became emerged waist-deep in the mud after jumping over a fence, but Tyler's strong back and legs help as he carries James through a stretch of the course. As both Teams near the end their respective courses, only a run across the swamp remains. Tyler & James prove triumphant as they open their next clue learning they have to travel by train 104 miles to the city of Turku and drive themselves another 78 miles to the town of Lohja, find the Tytri Limestone Mine, and take a tram into the mine where their next clue awaits.
At the train station, the models and beauty queens catch a huge break by boarding the 3:11pm train that is departing in mere moments. The foursome hold their collective breaths, hoping that no other Team would make it. Just as the train begins pulling away, dating couple Rob & Kimberly arrived at the station, just missing a golden opportunity to pull ahead of the Cho brothers and Lyn & Karlyn. A frustrated Rob said, "That was a race breaker right there." Now, the dating couple, on a train an hour behind their allies, endure a frosty ride with the remaining members of the six-pack who announced to the train passengers that Rob & Kimberly are not their friends.
After arriving in Turku, models Tyler & James and beauty queens Dustin & Kandice drive together to the town of Lohja in their continually uneasy alliance built on a mutual distrust. In the parking lot of the Tytri mine, the Teams part ways when the models spot the marked entrance while the beauty queens keep circling around. This allows Tyler & James to take the first tram deep into the dark, cavernous mine to find a Roadblock. In this Roadblock, one team member has to ride a bike down a steep incline more than a mile into the Earth and search for a marked dig site. Then, after attaching a chunk of limestone to their bike, they need to bring it back to the start point and use tools provided to break open the limestone to reveal a clue hidden inside.
Finally performing a Roadblock for his Team, James has no issue biking down into the darkness, but realizes the steep road back up is infinitely more difficult with a heavy limestone rock attached to his bike. Out of breath, James begins walking his bike up rather than riding, panting, "This is brutal." Passing Kandice who was beginning her journey down, James warned, "Coming up's a bitch." After reaching the start point, an exhausted James announces, "It's hammer time," before cracking open the limestone to a clue that instructs them to drive 39 miles back to Helsinki and find Olympic Stadium. After Kandice cracks open her clue, she told her partner, "I hate that we're going to come in second to those boys right now."
After a wrong turn put dating couple Rob & Kimberly in last place, Lyn & Karlyn and the Cho brothers all cheered for coalminer David as they descend into his workplace. Karlyn and Godwin begin their bike ride through the darkness as Rob elects to perform the task for his Team in hopes of catching up. Shouting and hollering, "I'm coming for ya", Rob gains ground on the duo crossing paths with them as he reaches the bottom. With the heavy limestone burdening her bike, Karlyn can't move quickly up the incline as Rob continues to gain ground shouting every step of the way. In the end, all three Teams crack open the limestone almost simultaneously as they share a tram back to daylight.
Arriving at the Olympic Stadium in first place, models Tyler & James open their clue to discover they have to climb to the top of 236-foot Olympic Tower and rappel face first off of the building. Tyler is all laughs as he begins his descent, staring at the ground a long distance away. James appears more worried as he waited for his turn with the task. After completing the rappel, Tyler worried, "James is gonna have a rough time. James is definitely afraid of heights and he knew that he'd have to try to conquer some of that on the race and it happened to come right now when we're in first."
Dude!
After peering over the ledge, James begins inching down the side of the building very gingerly. With fear controlling his actions, James doesn't lean forward enough in his descent causing him to get stuck while Tyler tried to give advice from below. Eventually James' concern dissipated, turning into a huge grin after his feet touches the ground once again only moments before the other Teams pulled into the parking lot. Opening their next clue expecting a Pit Stop, the pair receive a shock when they read, "Keep racing." The leg is not over. Stay tuned!
Duuuuuuuuuuuuuude ....
