Amazing Race - Episode 6

Beautiful scenery and history ‚Äì can it get any better for the racers?¬† I would love to be there racing.¬† But anyway ‚Äì enough of my traveling desires and get to the race.¬† BJ & Tyler, the hippies, had about an 1 ¬? hour jump on Eric & Jeremy, frat boys, but it did not matter since the amphitheater ruin they were to visit in Sicily didn‚Äôt open until later in the morning.¬† Jeremy & Eric caught up with them there.¬† Since I have been writing my perspective on the race I‚Äôve noticed that I gravitate towards the teams that have fun and are able to complete the tasks without too much emotion or intensity.¬† That being said, BJ & Tyler have goofed their way onto my favs list.¬†¬† I would not be upset if the frat boys or the hippies win.¬† I like them both.¬† I especially enjoyed the little prank that the hippies pulled at the gate to the amphitheater.¬† They set up a sign up sheet in case the other teams were able to catch up they might be able to fool them into thinking there is an order to entering the site.¬† And not that they really expected that the other teams would fall in line they thought it might be fun to see what happens.¬†

 
Anyway – the task there was fairly easy, count the number heads mounted on a fence surrounding the amphitheater.  Once they give the groundskeeper the correct count after having to search for him inside the site, he gives them the next clue.  The hippies and frat boys completed this without any problems and moved onto the Detour. 

 
Fran & Barry, being the 4^th team out, got lost in the city looking for the site and were starting the panic but they were able to find their way there and count the correct number of heads to get their clue to go the fish market.  Lake & Michelle and Monica & Joseph also got the correct count and proceeded to the fish market.  Ray & Yolanda and Dave & Lori got caught in morning traffic and made it to the amphitheater but with the added pressure of getting further behind on time.  They both got the correct count and went onto the fish market. 

 
The Detour was in Catania and it involved the teams having a choice between 2 tasks called Big Fish and Little Fish.  In Big Fish, of which most teams did, the teams had to pick up a 32 lb swordfish each and carry it through the streets to the fish market to a particular fish vendor, the distance was about 1/3 of a mile.   Eric, frat boys, said it felt like he was carrying a wet cat and Jeremy said it was throwing up on him.  He had fish juice & blood trailing down his arm, yuck!  But they were able to find the fish market and the right fish vendor and got their clue to the next destination, a Roadblock.   BJ & Tyler had similar success.  Fran & Barry were realistic about their physical limitations and opted to do Little fish which had them sell 4 kilos of a little Italian fish.  They were selling the same time that MoJo, Monica & Joseph, were hauling the fish through the town to the fish market.  They were still selling when Joseph & Monica couldn’t find the vendor and Monica had a melt-down.  She started crying the fish smelled, she couldn’t carry it anymore, the fish was bleeding on her, wah-wah-wah.   Joseph, in the meantime, was getting irritated with not being able to find the vendor and then having to listen to Monica rant – he was not a happy camper and was snapping at her.   They finally found someone who could point them in the direction of the fish vendor and got their clue.  Barry & Fran wrapped up their sales and also got their clue.   Dave & Lori and Ray & Yolanda also had little problems completing the task and were soon on their way to Siracusa, to the Roadblock, where the rest of the teams had headed.

Siracusa, a costal town was the site of the Roadblock.  It had one member of each team get in a kayak and play a local game akin to kayak polo.  The frat boys and the hippies sailed through their task and went on to the pitstop with the frat boys coming in 1^st and the hippies coming in 2^nd.  Joseph had no problem making a basket/goal and team MoJo went on to place 3^rd.  Fran & Barry had a bit of problem.  Barry did the roadblock and he had some problems trying to shoot the ball into the basket/goal, but he finally made it and they made their way to the pitstop and came in 4^th.  Mr. Intensity & Michelle came and there was some debate as to whom would do the task, it was agreed that Michelle would perform.  Lake was on the sidelines second-guessing her efforts but she finally made a basket and they went on to 5^th place at the pitstop.  Ray & Yolanda came and Ray said he would do it, but he initially had some problems navigating the kayak, he dumped himself into the water.  But he quickly righted himself and made what I would call “a half-court shot”, very nice.   They went to the pitstop and came in 6^th.   Dave & Lori did well and came in last at the pitstop and were eliminated.  So much for the Nerd Power.  But I must say they gave it a good shot and but came up short.  Dave got emotional and proclaimed his undying love to Lori and both went out graciously with Dave giving his version of a Nerd Power sign. 

 
I must say the contestants are thinning out and the competition intensity is ratcheting up.  Who will get eliminated next week?   I’m thinking Fran & Barry, they are doing well, but I don’t believe they have the skills to compete to the end. Barry gets frustrated too quickly and some of these tasks the teams are asked to perform have 2 levels.  One,  a more intense/physical task but if done right can be done quickly and the second level,  a somewhat less physical task but it could take considerably longer to complete.  With Fran & Barry’s limitations I think they are destined to be eliminated before the finale.  If all the stars are in alignment and I don’t step on any cracks between now and Wednesday, maybe I will get my fondest desire and see Lake & Michelle given the boot.  It’s dreams like these that make it easy to get up in the morning.  ;->

Posted by deeteebee in The Amazing Race