TAR22, Recap Leg 8, 4/15/13

Welcome to Leg 8! Last time, on All Roads Lead to Botswanan Traffic Cops,  teams raced across Botswana at high speeds and got traffic tickets.  Teams paddled and participated in water sports, but it was Pam and Winnie in a Double Bald Snark that ended in their elimination.  Who will be eliminated. . . next? (click for more)

Arrival at the pit stop last episode:

1st – Bates/Anthony, The Hockey Brothers

2nd – Mona/Beth, "Typical" Soccer Moms

3rd – Caroline/Jennifer, Team Nashville Stars

4th – Chuck/Wynona, Sweet Old Alabama

5th – Joey/Meghan, Team YouTube Cutegasm

6th – Max/Katie, Team Honeymooners

Royal Tree Lodge Game Preserve, Maun, Botswana

5:55 AM Bates/Anthony (1st)

Clue: Fly 5000 miles to Zurich, Switzerland!  Once there, find the conductor to get your next clue.

And once again, we can’t be bothered with knowing everyone’s departure times, so we just move on.

Mona/Beth (2nd) 

Caroline/Jennifer (3rd)

Chuck/Wynona (4th)

Joey/Meghan (5th) 

Max/Katie (6th)

Teams must travel to timetravel Travel Agency to book their flight, so teams arrive in the following order:

1- Bates/Anthony

2- Mona/Beth 

3- Caroline/Jennifer

4- Chuck/Wynona 

5- Joey/Meghan

6- Max/Katie

When Bates and Anthony arrive, they discover that they have the earliest flight to Zurich, and all teams will be on it with a 2 PM arrival.  So, we board the Amazing Royal Blue Line and make our way to Zurich.  Teams arrive and find the conductor in the following order:

1- Caroline/Jennifer

2- Bates/Anthony 

3- Joey/Meghan

4- Mona/Beth 

5- Max/Katie

6- Chuck/Wynona

Teams are now instructed to take a train to Grindelwald.  Teams have to switch trains in Interlaken, which causes YouTube and Roller Derby to get separated from the pack.  (Toyouke: “How did they miss the train?! That is a gaffe for sure.”)  So teams step off the train at Grindelwald Station in the following order:

1- Bates/Anthony

2- Caroline/Jennifer 

3- Max/Katie

4- Chuck/Wynona 

5- Joey/Meghan

6- Mona/Beth

Teams are now instructed to travel to Kirche Grindelwald.  They arrive in the following order:

1- Bates/Anthony

2- Caroline/Jennifer 

3- Max/Katie

4- Chuck/Wynona 

5- Joey/Meghan

6- Mona/Beth

When they arrive to get their next clue from the alpine shepherd, they find a note saying that he won’t arrive until 8:55 am.  So teams bunk for the night and return in the morning.  Teams then get the alpine shepherd clue at 8:55 am in the following order:

1- Chuck/Wynona

2- Max/Katie 

3- Bates/Anthony

4- Joey/Meghan 

5- Mona/Beth

6- Caroline/Jennifer

(Toyouke: “Was that a bike with skis instead of wheels?”)  Teams are now instructed to get back on the train and travel to Kleine Scheidegg at the base of the Eiger mountain.  (Toyouke: “Get back on the train? What is the point of this stop?”)  Once there, teams make their way to the Bellevue Hotel to pick up a St. Bernard and get their next clue.  Teams get to the train in the following order:

1- Caroline/Jennifer

2- Max/Katie 

3- Bates/Anthony

4- Joey/Meghan 

5- Mona/Beth

6- Chuck/Wynona – and Chuck rags on Wynona for being slow.  (Toyouke: “I think part of this problem is that Chuck has decided Wynona's slowness is a thing he can joke about, while it is not a thing he can joke about.”)

Teams arrive at Kleine Scheidegg in the following order:

1- Joey/Meghan

2- Max/Katie 

3- Mona/Beth

4- Bates/Anthony 

5- Chuck/Wynona

6- Caroline/Jennifer

Teams then walk to the Bellevue Hotel to get their St. Bernards and their next clue in the following order:

1- Joey/Meghan – and Joey flames out.  (Toyouke: “Seriously, everything this show has done for gays and lesbians, in terms of showing loving couples and capable people who are not stereotypes? Joey is undoing most of it. Even Danny and Oswald were not-flaming sometimes.”)

2- Max/Katie 

3- Mona/Beth

4- Bates/Anthony 

5- Chuck/Wynona

6- Caroline/Jennifer

Teams are now instructed to travel with their St. Bernard to Jungfraujoch, the highest train station in Europe at 11000 feet above sea level.   Once their teams deliver the dog then travel to the Sphinx to get their next clue.  So, teams take the train to Jungfraujoch and deliver dogs in the following order:

1- Mona/Beth

2- Joey/Meghan 

3- Bates/Anthony

4- Max/Katie 

5- Chuck/Wynona

6- Caroline/Jennifer

Teams now travel to the Sphinx and arrive in the following order:

1- Mona/Beth

2- Bates/Anthony 

3- Max/Katie 

4- Joey/Meghan 

5- Caroline/Jennifer

6- Chuck/Wynona – (Toyouke: “Yeah, Chuck thinks he is funny and it will make Wynona laugh and not be mad. But it is not working.”)

And FINALLY, after all that travel, teams get the ninth roadblock clue.

ROADBLOCK:

Who wants to enjoy the sights?

In this roadblock, roadblockers must climb out on the Eiger mountain to get the Travelocity Roaming Gnome and return inside to their partner where they can read the clue on the bottom of the gnome.

The following teammates take the Roadblock:

1- Katie

2- Bates

3- Beth

4- Wynona

5- Jennifer

6- Meghan

After much mountain climbing, teams finish the Roadblock in the following order:

1- Bates/Anthony 

2- Max/Katie

3- Mona/Beth

4- Caroline/Jennifer

5- Chuck/Wynona

6- Joey/Meghan

Teams are now instructed to take the train back to Grindelwald, but this time to the Grund station.  Teams then cross the Lütschine Brüggei bridge and follow the sound of the alphorn to get their next clue.  Teams board trains in the following order:

TRAIN 1

1- Bates/Anthony

2- Max/Katie  

3- Mona/Beth   

4- Caroline/Jennifer

TRAIN 2

1- Chuck/Wynona

2- Joey/Meghan

Teams arrive at Grindelwald Grund in the following order:

1- Caroline/Jennifer

2- Mona/Beth 

3- Bates/Anthony   

4- Max/Katie

5- Joey/Meghan

6- Chuck/Wynona

Teams now race across the bridge and find the alphorn in the following order:

1- Bates/Anthony 

2- Mona/Beth

3- Max/Katie

4- Caroline/Jennifer

5- Joey/Meghan

6- Chuck/Wynona

Teams are now given the instruction to “join the local work force” by choosing an antique cheese sled, climb the hill to the aging shed, pick up 200 pounds (4 rounds) of cheese, and stack them at the bottom of the hill receive their next clue.  Sound familiar?  That’s because this is a Switchback, a task previously performed on the race in the same location.  This one is from TAR14, causing the funniest scene in TAR history to play out as “antique” cheese racks fall apart, team members slide down the hill on their rear ends, and cheese starts flying down the hill.  .  So, woot.  (Toyouke: “Goddammit Phil. "The Most Memorable Amazing Race Challenge Ever"!? Hardly. Come on, now we HAVE to do a top 10 of something.  I mean, it was enjoyable. Not the MOST memorable. Also I TOLD you it wasn't sleds.  It would have been much easier if they'd BEEN sleds like they are now.”)

Teams arrive at the task in the following order:

1- Bates/Anthony 

2- Max/Katie – where Katie holds everyone up by slipping down the hill.  (Toyouke: Max, you're an ass. Shouldn't you try to help your wife instead of gloating about how she's keeping everyone from passing you?”)

3- Mona/Beth

4- Caroline/Jennifer

5- Joey/Meghan

6- Chuck/Wynona – who ignore the sleds and start rolling cheese down the hill.  After putting the sleds upside down.  (Toyouke: “How do you not know how to use a sled properly? I have never ridden a sled IN MY LIFE and I would know that thing is UPSIDE DOWN.  I...seriously I cannot wrap my head around it. “)

This time, however, there are sleds and snow, but the same premise and the same ridiculousness.  And teams complete the task in the following order:

1- Bates/Anthony 

2- Max/Katie

3- Mona/Beth

4- Caroline/Jennifer

5- Joey/Meghan

6- Chuck/Wynona

Teams are now instructed to travel to Bodmi Snowboard and Ski School, the PIT STOP of the eighth leg of this racearoundtheworld.  The last team to arrive may be eliminated!

1- Bates/Anthony –who win a trip for two to Bora Bora.  With massages.

2- Mona/Beth

3- Max/Katie – after getting caught at a cow crossing.

4- Caroline/Jennifer

5- Joey/Meghan – who for some unknown reason WALK to the Pit Stop when they can’t find a taxi, but still manage to get to the Pit Stop.  (Toyouke: “Why aren't Joey and Meghan taking a cab? Wait, I don't care.”)

6- Chuck/Wynona – who incurred a 30 minute penalty for rolling cheese down the hill.

And Chuck and Wynona are finally eliminated.  Wynona never stopped.  Chuck loves her.  Whatever, go away.  (Toyouke: If they'd stuck around another leg, they'd have had a giant blowout fight. Anne thinks they were approaching Jonathan/Victoria proportions. I don't think they're quite that bad, but it would have been ugly.”)

ORDER NOW:

1st – Bates/Anthony

2nd – Mona/Beth

3rd – Max/Katie

4th – Caroline/Jennifer

5th – Joey/Meghan

Next week: We head to Germany, home of face first bungee jumping and terrifying mazes.  Until next time!