Nov 19 2007
A Mouthful
Teams were instructed to fly to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso - a small city in the West African region.
Hernia and Amends
During the mandatory rest period between legs, Ronald, racing with daughter Christina, was diagnosed with a hernia. Later, Ronald admitted that his behavior towards his daughter in the last leg was 'demoralizing' and as a father, it wasn't his 'finest hour.' Ronald was definitely more mellow this leg, and tried to race as a team with Christina, as opposed to the last leg, where he seemed like a cruel tyrant, bent on breaking a willful servant.
Those Are the Breaks
Nathan/Jennifer (dating couple with adulterous past) managed to land a seat on the first Air France flight out of Amsterdam. The other teams had to settle for a flight departing 30 minutes later. However, the second flight developed mechanical problems, causing a delay which worried the other teams since there was only one daily connecting flight from Paris to Ouagadougou, and if they missed that flight, they would have to wait another day, thereby giving Nathan/Jennifer a substantial lead. However, the second flight managed to arrive just in time, and much to Nathan/Jennifer's consternation, the other teams join them on the connecting flight.
Bingo!
Once teams arrived in Ouagadougou, they were instructed to take a train to Bingo - a small village in the middle of the African Savannah. Listening to the train conductor shout 'Bingo!' to announce the destination made us smile.
Shocking Cultural Insensitivity
Shana/Jennifer (friends and known as ‘LA Blondes’) displayed some ugly Americanism while in Ouagadougou, remarking about ‘selling people for money’ and making insensitive comments about the dire poverty We realize they may have been suffering from culture shock, but making comments about how someone brought flies with them on the train and ‘jokingly’ talking about the smell of the area/people (‘Salon D’Afrique’) was deplorable behavior.
Kicking and Screaming
The Roadblock required a racer to milk a camel and then drink the milk. The clue also noted that camels were sensitive to loud noises and fast movements. Not surprisingly, those racers that approached the task in a calm, quiet and patient manner (Donald, Christina, and TK) managed to complete the task easily. Those that screamed and carried on, caused the camels to kick and jump, and had a much more difficult time at the task as a result.
Crying Over Spilled Milk
While other racers, like Jennifer and Julia, had trouble milking their camels, it was Lorena who literally came unglued at the task. Repeatedly screaming, 'there's no more milk!' and otherwise freaking out (and no doubt freaking out her camel which may have caused it to 'run dry'), she spilled the milk over and over and finally sank to her knees, wailing over it all.
Learn It or Teach It
The Detour required teams to either teach an African child 10 common English words (example - tree, skyscraper), or to learn 10 words in the native language spoken in the region.
Head of the Class
The brother/sister team of Azaria/Hendekea approached their Detour task with logical precision deciding that each would learn 5 African words. They completed the task quickly and race to the front of the pack.
Soggy Finish
A storm hits the area just as teams began to complete their Detour task, unleashing rain and wind, but thanks to their powerhouse finish in the Detour task, Azaria/Hendekea aren't deterred by the inclement weather. They arrived wet and soggy, but first at the pit stop, and win a trip for two to Bermuda.
Mad Rush to the Pit Stop
There was a major cluster of racers after Azaria/Hendekea, as TK/Rachel (dating couple), Ronald/Christina (father/daughter), Donald/Nicolas (grandfather/grandson), Kynt/Vyxsin (dating goth couple) and Nathan/Jennifer (dating couple) all rush for the pit stop mat. After nearly knocking over Phil, the teams all check in within seconds of each other.
The Other Sibling Team
The battle for the last spot on the race comes down to sisters, Marianna/Julia and dating couple, Jason/Lorena who both struggled mightily with the camel milking task. Both teams opted for the 'Learn It' task of the Detour and both completed it within minutes of each other, so it's an all out foot race to Phil and the pit stop mat, which Jason/Lorena managed to win. Thus, Marianna/Julia were eliminated from the race.
