Amazing Race - Episode 8

This leg ended in more of an inverted pyramid; first was last and last was first.¬† This will be better explained as you read further.¬† Eric & Jeremy started out first, they had about a 4¬? hour head start on the second team of Monica & Joseph.¬† They were followed by Ray & Yolanda, who were having some relationship strife, and Fran & Barry.¬† They were all supposed to take a bus to the airport and catch a flight to Muskat, Oman.¬† Everyone made the 9am bus to the airport but the hippies, BJ & Tyler.¬† They had to catch the 10am bus and got to the airport after everyone else and were not included in the group travel plans.¬† They seemed a bit miffed and made their own accommodations and arrived in Muskat an hour after the rest.¬†

 
Once arriving in Muskat they were to find the Giant Incense Burner and from there they would have to drive to a fishing town called Sur.  It was during this trip they encountered flooding conditions.  There was a local man there that showed them the way through one flooded area and then they started to stack up when they encountered the second flood area.  MoJo was in the lead followed by the hippies.  Ray & Yolanda were lost and fast losing it with one another.  Fran & Barry due to their age, lagged behind running up to the Incense Burner which put them behind the pack.  Eric & Jeremy came upon MoJo and the hippies idling by the 2^nd flood site.  They decided to bust on through the water and see what happens.  MoJo and the hippies soon followed without incidence.  Monica got a little snarky, commenting that the frat boys jumped the line, like they weren’t sitting there waiting for the hippies to plow through the water so they could follow.  Once they got to Sur they found the ferry crossing to get their next clue, which was a Detour.

 
The Detour was located in a city called Baith Al Battha.   The Detour consisted to two tasks, Camel or Watchtower.  In Camel the teams were to use a block and tackle system in which to hoist a camel onto the back of the truck and then take it to a Bedouin to get their next clue.   Eric & Jeremy decided to do the camel and loaded the camel into the back of the truck but they unfortunately got lost using the map to locate the Bedouin at his camp.   This turned their task into a time consuming feat and dropped them into the back of the pack.  Meanwhile, Monica & Joseph opted to do the Watchtower which sent the teams to check these watchtowers to find a message box and if they found a message box they were to take it to a man in a silver shop in the town.   MoJo ran to the first tower cutting BJ & Tyler, Fran & Barry off which forced them to try the other towers.  MoJo’s tower did not have a message so they changed course and did the camel hoist.  BJ & Tyler and Fran & Barry were able to find message boxes and found the silver smith and got their next clue directing them to a village called Al Hawiyah.  Monica & Joseph got their camel loaded and delivered to the Bedouin without mishap and Eric & Jeremy were still driving in the desert in search of their missing Bedouin which they managed to find after backtracking.  

 
Al Hawiyah was a Roadblock, which only allowed one member of the team to participate.  This Roadblock was called the Dig.   The member was to dig through 117 sand piles in search of this local dish called shuwas – and to add to its difficulty there were only six of these shuwas and 117 sand piles.   These shuwas were going to be their evening meal – so not only were they digging to stay alive they were also digging for their dinner.  It was slow going and though Barry located a shuwa first his hole collapsed making more digging necessary.  In that time Monica unearthed a shuwa and ran and got their clue for the pitstop.  Barry managed to extricate his shuwa from the ground and got his clue and he and Fran were on their way.  Eric found one too and he and Jeremy were on their way to the pitstop too.  BJ was still there seeing people pull these things from the piles and he was getting discouraged and hot and Tyler was trying to encourage him but it only irritated BJ further.  But Tyler backed off and then continued trying to bolster BJ’s flagging spirit.  Ray & Yolanda showed up and Yolanda found a shuwa and BJ was still there.  He managed to finally find one and he and Tyler were on their way to the pitstop, Jabeen Castle, 150 miles away. 

 
Though MoJo found the first shuwa they needed to ask for directions and it enabled Fran & Barry to slide into first place by arriving at the pitstop before them.  Monica & Joseph arrived 2^nd with Ray and Yolanda snagging 3^rd place because Eric & Jeremy took a wrong turn and then tried to do a shortcut which only shortened their lead over Ray & Yolanda to nothing and had them coming in 4^th place.  BJ & Tyler sure they were out of the race finally got to the pitstop and Phil informed them they were the last team to check in BUT it was not an elimination leg.  So they got a reprieve but they lost all their cash and possessions, but being the true hippies that they are they were philosophical in the loss of their possessions and ready cash.  They will do well and they still have their happy go lucky attitude. 

 
What’s kinda scary to me is the deterioration of Ray & Yolanda, their relationship.  It seems to be full of sniping at each other.  It appears to be that they are pulling it together to make it through the race, but I’m sure the animosity will start affecting them, eventually.   And Monica & Joseph, if that girl does not stop acting like a baby – I may bust through the tv & pull a Cher on her.  (You know – from Moonstruck – when she slaps Nicolas Cage & tells him to “Snap out of it!”).  This might be a deal breaker for Joseph – if he is looking at the long term for their relationship.  Too whiny and needy.  Frank & Barry did very well this leg.  They were able to navigate and utilize the locals for information, very well played and a very much needed boost to a team that felt it was just hanging on.  Eric & Jeremy- my cute boy team.  Whoa Nelly – I thought they might have been doomed on this day of directionless navigating, but they lucked out that BJ & Tyler were having an even worse day.  So it’s a new race on the next leg and let’s see if the former top runners can rise to the top again.

Posted by deeteebee in The Amazing Race