The Amazing Race: Tanks for the MemoriesExcellent episode with one of the best roadblocks I've seen and some memorable characterization.
The teams start out where we left off last week, with four teams still needing to rappel face-first down a large tower. Once they're done, the clue tells them to fly to the capital city of the country where Chernobyl is. Some momentary confusion as to whether this is the Ukraine or Russia, but it turns out to be the former as all discover when they get to the airport. There are two flights going to Kiev, one via Vienna and one by way of Warsaw. Team Recovery and the Beauty Queens snag the earlier flights, while the other three teams get on the latter. At firt it appears that both flights will arrive at the same time, but the Warsaw connection is delayed by a half-hour.
Clues at the cars tell the teams to drive to a location spelled out in Cyrillic. The Beauty Queens and Team Recovery hire a taxi driver to lead their cars to the location, as do Rob & Kimberley. However, the Chos and Team Gump make do with a map and directions, and quickly get lost. We can see that the Alabamans are getting annoyed at the Cho's constant stopping for directions.
The next clue is at a Tank school, and sure enough, the Roadblock requires one member of each team to drive a tank along an obstacle course. It looks like terrific fun. The Beauty Queens barely beat Team Recovery and both teams head back to Kiev, again following their taxi driver. Rob & Kimberley arrive next (with a little pointer from Team Recovery), then the Chos and Team Gump. The Cho brother makes it through the tank course quicker than the Gump woman, but they wait for their allies before leaving.
All teams must now find an apartment in Kiev. Once again the Chos are seemingly stopping every block for directions, and the Alabamans finally lose patience. But the Chos catch up to them at the apartment block. Meanwhile, Rob & Kimberley have had automobile problems (overheating) and must get a replacement car. But they still lead the remaining members of the Six-Pack.
The next task is a Detour: Make Music or Find Music. In the former, the team must go to a nightclub and create a rap song that includes the names of all the countries they've visited. In Find Music, they have to go to a symphony hall, find one particular piece of sheet music on a table loaded with sheet music, and then take it to a pianist who will perform it for them.
Well, it's not to hard to see that Make Music is easier, but Team Recovery decides to Find Music. Fortunately for them it works out as they find both the sheet music and the pianist fairly quickly. The next clue is the Pit Stop, at the Great Patriotic War Museum in Kiev. The Beauty Queens finish their rap and chase after the boys.
But in the end, Team Recovery finishes first and wins a trip to Puerto Vallarta. The Beauty Queens finish behind them, and Phil once again reminds them that no all-female team has yet won TAR. Rob & Kimberley follow. Now it is obvious that either the Chos or Team Gump will be on the chopping block.
Both teams choose the rap option, but the Chos refuse out of some misplaced sense of nobility to follow Team Gump to the disco, and they can't find anybody who knows where it's located. So they belatedly decide to head to the symphony hall. Team Gump shows a little smarts, making up their rap song in the car while driving. It appears to be neck and neck as both teams finish apparently close together in time. Who will get to the mat first?
Well, of course Team Gump gets a guide and the Chos fail to do so. Then they try to go down a closed street and get harassed by the Kiev cops. In the end, there's no real drama as Team Gump arrives much earlier than the Chos, who are Phil-Liminated. It's a shame, because I liked them and their honorable ways, but jeez, they had no idea of how to compete!
As always, check out
Viking Pundit's excellent recap.
