Last week, ten teams made their way from China to Indonesia. They ran with the bulls, made balloon animals, and became part-time ice truckers (well ice carters). Annoying twins Natalie and Nadiya unbelievably beat everyone else to the mat and won a coveted Fast Forward, while double-amputee Amy and her BF Daniel broke my heart by being eliminated simply because they got the worst cabbie in Asia. Nine teams remain.
Starting Line - The Pabean Market in Surabaya, Indonesia. The teams’ first clue directed them to a local restaurant called Antija Jaya, and what awaited them there was this leg’s Roadblock. In this task, one racer had to find a way to carry no fewer than twenty dishes of food and deliver them to a group of waiting diners; if they dropped even one, they would have to start over. This proved to be quite a challenge for the girls and lesser-built guys that did it, particularly those with no waitering experience.
After completing the Roadblock, the next clue told teams make their way to the local train station, where they would hop the earliest possible train to the town of Bangil, and that the next clue would present itself to them somewhere en route (being carried by a fruit vendor, though teams weren’t given that detail). Teams were also warned that a U-Turn would come into play on this leg. Getting on the earliest train proved to be huge, given that there was a three-hour wait for the second train, and five teams were able to break away from the rest of the pack.
Before the train pulled into Bangil, teams were given this leg’s Detour, and the choices were Lion Head and Egg Head. In the former, teams had to participate in a local dance by wearing a forty-pound lion’s head on their own head and shoulders, and follow a procession without dropping the head. In the latter, teams had to purchase four eggs from a local market, and then hold two empty halves of coconuts on their heads while local magicians would light the inside of the coconut shell and cook the eggs… on their heads. After that, teams would eat the eggs. Man, that is weird.
After the Detour was complete, teams had to find a store called Perliman Polisi I, which was at the intersection of five streets. This was the location of the Blind Double U-Turn which meant that two teams could force two other teams to do the other half of the Detour before continuing. After that, it was just a short jaunt to the mat.
The Pit Stop for Leg Three was located at SMA Negeri 1, “Bangil’s #1 high school.” I’m sure the keggers are fun, but the cheerleaders are all wearing white burqas.
Below is the order the contestants finished in, along with some of their more interesting moments. Because there was no airport equalizer, there wasn’t much change of position from the last leg to this one (with a couple of exceptions, mostly due to incompetence).
#1. Abbie and Ryan - I still haven’t made up my mind about this team, but now that they’ve won two legs, they have to be considered the favorites. I don’t envy Abbie having to carry that huge Lion’s head on her face, but she was a real trooper. They beat the rest of the lead group to the mat, and for that, they won a trip for two to Fiji. I’m happy for them.
#2. Trey and Lexi - They started the leg in a dubious alliance with the Twins, but it didn’t take long for the Twins to drop back in the pack, and honestly, team Texas was way better off. They missed first place by less than a minute, but if they keep up the pace they are currently on, they’ll be getting a few vacations before the race is over. #3. Jaymes and James - Team Magic Mike learned the hard way that there are few people in Indonesia that are 6’4” in height, and as such, the pedicabs are not exactly built in such a way that two strapping young men would find comfortable. Clown cars are less jammed in, is all I’m saying. They really threw themselves into the Lion challenge, and they passed it with flying colors. I really am rooting for them now.
#4. James and Abba - I’ve been waiting for Team Rockstar to make a move, and they made it this week. Whether they stay in this front group remains to be seen, but they impressed me by being mistake-free on this leg. Plus, their nickname for Jaymes/James (“Chip-munks”) had me rolling. It’s interesting that they seem intent on making no alliances at all, which could backfire on them later on.
#5. Josh and Brent - Team Capricorn (because they’re goat farmers) were fortunate to be in the lead group, and I’m not surprised they went with the Egg challenge instead of the Lion (they were the only team to do this task), because as I’ve mentioned, they look pretty anemic as far as their musculature. I like them, but they just don’t seem like potential contenders to me.
#6. Natalie and Nadiya - The twins started off with a bad break by getting in a bad cab, and because of this, they missed getting on the first train to Bangil by scant minutes, and just like that, they were three hours behind. As annoying as they are, they are the most capable team of the bottom half, which means we will probably have to endure them for a few more legs.
#7. Rob and Kelley - I figured if anyone could nail the serving challenge, it would be Rob and his enormous guns. In fact, he was able to carry all twenty dishes with ONE hand. In the mad dash for the mat, they were forced to U-Turn Gary and Will, which is totally understandable if you don’t know who’s ahead of you and who isn’t. They live to race another day.
#8. Gary and Will - I’ve nothing against Tenn and Peller, but once again, they proved to be incredibly slow on the uptake. They race like they’re on a fifth-grade field trip, with a lot of joy but no sense of urgency at all. I figured they would be out of the race after being U-Turned, and then they used their U-Turn on Rob and Kelley, who had already finished. Fortunately for them, one team was even more clueless, those sparing them for what will probably amount to just one more leg.
The following team came in last and was eliminated:
#9. Caitlin and Brittany - It was only a matter of time before someone blew up at a loca, and these two became the first, and the object of their ire was a pedicab rider that spoke no English. I’ve said it before… karma’s a bee-yotch. They got hopelessly lost on several occasions, screaming at everyone them met, and if this is their true colors, I’m glad their out. Damn, I’d give my eyeteeth for another worthy all-girl team.
Next week: it’s on to Bangladesh.
