The second episode of "The Amazing Race" had all the elements of a great story: drama, suspense, intrigue and comic relief!
Racers Jeff and Jordan were the first to leave. Here's the catch though, and this has often been a point of contention for me with TAR. A mandatory 12-hour rest period means that many times the front runners leave in the early morning hours when virtually nothing is open. As a result, the other teams often times catch up at this point.
Jeff and Jordan were instructed to travel by bus back to Santiago, and then board another bus to Puerto Varas, Chile. At that point, they were to take a car to Hotel Petrohue, a boat to Isla Margarita, and climb to Mirador for their next clue.
Sure enough, Jeff and Jordan arrived at the Valparaiso bus station to find it closed until 5 a.m. which allowed the other teams enough time to catch up.
Carol and Brandy gave kudos to Jeff and Jordan, and Brent and Caite for being smart, while underhandedly dissing them. At the same time, they were beginning to make plans to align with Joe and Heidi, because Joe is a strong competitor. While I agree they would probably be a great team to align with, I have some problems with aligning this early in the game.
I've sometimes wondered what I would do if I were a contestant on a show, and someone approached me about aligning with them. There are really only three choices: a.) align with them and hope they are at least as strong as my team; b.) don't align with them and become a potential target for them; or c.) align with them and take the first opportunity to ditch them and run.
I've already mentioned that I'm not big fans of team Carol and Brandy. They have too many diva-like qualities to be strong racers. On the other hand, I think that Heidi and Joe might go far, and was hoping they would stay away from entanglements.
What ensued was reminiscent of the elementary school lunch line, "save my place." Ummm. It does not work that way. Or, let me rephrase, it should not work that way. Nothing bothers me more than having someone save a seat or a place. The other racers were understandably irked when Joe and Heidi managed to capture the last four seats on the first bus to Puerto Varas, The other teams would be stuck on the second bus leaving about two hours later.
Then, in a potential stroke of genius, Jeff re-reads the clue and suggests connecting through a different city. In this case, there was a quicker route through the city of Temuco. The bus was departing within a few minutes and would arrive around 6 p.m. in time to catch the 6:30 p.m. for Puerto Varas.
The cowboys, meantime, had also learned about the connecting bus and bought tickets for Temuco and then a 7 p.m. bus to Puerto Varas.
All three teams found themselves on the 9 a.m. bus bound for Temuco, and feeling somewhat confident that they would arrive well ahead of the others.
The rest of the teams spent a long day in the bust terminal waiting for their respective buses. Shortly after Joe and Heidi, and Carol and Brandy boarded their bus, the teams routed through Temuco were reaching their destination.
Here's where the drama, suspense and intrigue comes in. The cowboys asked Brent what time their bus left and discovered their bus left at 6:30. Hoping to get on that bus with a half hour advantage, Jet and Cord went into the station to try to buy tickets. There, they are told that the 6:30 bus leaves from a different station.
Now, either the cowboys are one of the smartest teams in race history, or one of the luckiest, I'm not sure. They were smart to keep this info to themselves as Brent and Caite, Jeff and Jordan waited outside for their bus.
I don't know how much experience these four have traveling, but one of the cardinal rules of travel is "never assume." Don't assume that your connecting flight is in the same terminal. Don't assume that a taxi will be waiting outside your door. Don't assume anything! They were smart enough to get on a different bus. They should have been smart enough to follow up and make sure that the bus was on time which would have clued them in that they were waiting at the wrong station.
The cowboys were clearly enjoying themselves as the minutes ticked by. Finally, about a minute before they were scheduled to leave they find out their bus is some 10 minutes away at another station. Here, again, they were faced with a decision, go to their original bus which was probably already gone, or stay and book a ticket on the 7 p.m. bus.
I think their best choice would have been to get tickets on the 7 p.m. bus but instead they rush for taxis noting that the departure time is already past. By the time they get back to the first station, the 7 p.m. bus is already on the road with some happy cowboys on board.
Dealing with the disappointment, they get tickets on the 1 a.m. bus which rolls in just after the bus with Joe and Heidi, and Carol and Brandy.
The cowboys arrive at 11 p.m., get in their car and drive to the hotel, only to discover the path does not open until 7:30 a.m. The two sleep in their car, and manage to be the first headed out on the lake. Where rough weather is the order of the day.
Jet and Cord arrive at the Detour to be given the choice between llama adoration or condor consternation. Llama adoration calls for the team to "dress" a llama using a blanket for its back and a scarf around its neck. Condor consternation instructs the team to dress as birds by putting on yellow and orange feet, and a huge pair of wings and "fly" to the target located several feet in the water.
Jet and Cord, along with most of the other teams, selected llama adoration. Using a handful of feed, the two make quick work of the task. Llamas are notoriously stubborn animals that like to spit or kick when threatened.
Joe and Heidi, Carol and Brandy also chose the llama adoration task. After some stops and starts, they finally are successful "dressing" the llamas.
Meanwhile, Brent and Caite, and Jeff and Jordan, have selected the condor consternation task. These two teams introduce the comic relief of the episode as they dawn large bird feet and a condor "two seated" costume. Their goal is to race to the edge of the dock, jump and "soar" to the marker several feet away.
You could see it coming! For a moment, I wondered if there was some kind of harness to keep the costume in place. I also wondered if there was a trick to it. No, no harness and no, no trick. Brent and Caite went first and plunged off the end of the deck into the water. They swam the rest of the way to marker. The comedy effect is lost in the retelling, but trust me, I rewound a few times while viewing it. Jeff and Jordan faired no better.
Father/daughter team Steve and Allie also completed the condor task with the same results!
Brothers Dan and Jordan were apparently incapable of driving a stick shift. Having watched many seasons of TAR, the stick shift is a staple form of transportation. Finally, Dan took the wheel and Jordan navigated. Unfortunately, he navigated them to a dead end and they were perilously close to last place.
The roadblock was at the Onces Bellavista Farm and required one team member to gather the five fresh ingredients to bake a Kuchen, brought to Chile by German immigrants and continued to be made the old fashioned way. The five ingredients are a cup of milk (straight from the cow), a baker's dozen of eggs (13) collected straight from the chickens, a sack of flour, bowl of sugar and butter. At least they did not have to churn the butter!
Cord went to the barn and promptly milked the cow noting it was not the first cow he had milked. Next, he collected the eggs, and then went to the outdoor pantry to get the remaining ingredients.
Finishing the task, the cowboys left for the pitstop at Gruta de la Virgen in Puerto Varas, and stepped onto the mat in first place. For their efforts, they each won a sailboat.
Back at the farm, Carol and Heidi worked together on the task. Neither had milked a cow before and both were very vocal about the smells, as well as the sights, in the barn. They too, managed to complete the roadblock and moved on to finish second and third.
Jeff and Brent completed the task for their teams. Monique struggled with the unruly cow but managed to get past the task.
Brent and Caite arrived in fourth place. Monique and Shawne came in fifth, and Jeff and Jordan placed sixth after struggling to find the pitstop.
Place seventh were father/daughter team Steve and Allison.
Brothers Dan and Jordan came in eighth, followed by detectives Louie and Michael, who got lost on the way to the roadblock.
Grandmother/granddaughter teammates Jody and Shannon, placed last after completing all tasks. They made a great effort though and remained positive at the end.
Next week, should see the teams leaving Chile for a brand new destination. Will Joe and Heidi continue their alliance with the oft irritating Carol and Brandy? Will the cowboys continue their resourceful ways? Will other teams form alliances to edge other teams?
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