Nov 26 2007
Staying Put, But With a Gift!
Teams remained in Burkina Faso, but early in the leg, they are told to find a tribal leader, who gifted them with a live chicken.
'No Chicken, No Check-In'
Teams were instructed to keep the chicken with them for the entire leg, as they would not be allowed to check in at the pit stop without the chicken.
Phil the Chicken
Shana/Jennifer (friends a.k.a., 'LA Blondes') decided to name their chicken 'Phil' after the race's affable host, stating that the chicken is cute like Phil, and has Phil's 'spiky hair.'
Shake Your Pan or Shake Your Booty
The Detour required teams to either mine an ounce of gold, or to learn a traditional tribal dance and then perform it for a panel of judges. The gold mining task was time consuming but had an objective, definable goal. The dance task could be done quickly, but your fate was left up to a subjective panel of judges, and if the judges did not like your dance, you incurred a 10 minute penalty.
So You Think You Can Dance Redux
Just like the reality show, which dances were deemed good and let through to the next task often left us shaking our heads. We realize dance is a visual art, and thus, what’s ‘good’ must be left to interpretation, it seemed like the judges didn't have any discernible criteria for making their decisions. Then again, we've often thought this about 'SYTYCD's' panel of judges too.
Hang A U-ie!
A new twist in the race made its appearance during this leg - The U-Turn. It is available for a team to use after a Detour, and a team may only use it once during the race. It allows a team to force another team to 'turn around' and perform the other Detour task. So in essence, it allows one team to force another team to perform both Detour tasks. It appears that the U-Turn is an evolutionary 'upgrade' of the race's Yield feature.
The More Things Change, The More They Stay the Same
While the U-Turn represents a new twist in the race, the racers' reaction to it is irksomely familiar. There were the usual self-righteous comments about racing 'fair' (or 'like men' in Nathan/Jennifer's case), and when Shana/Jennifer did use the U-Turn - on Lorena/Jason - there was the usual whining about karma and payback. So we must issue our 'Shut it people! It's part of the race so it's all fair and karma's not paying anyone back!' maxim as well.
Juggle While Biking
The Roadblock required a racer to load up a bicycle with a list of African goods, including in Phil's narrative words, 'one potentially uncooperative goat,' and then deliver those goods. Most teams managed to complete the task with little difficulty, although Shana struggled to secure all the goods to her bicycle.
Dumb Quote #1
Jennifer, racing with her boyfriend Nathan (who cheated on her), was in rare form this leg, saying quite a few dumb things. The first of her 'dumb quote' gems is her saying, 'it's the most culture shock I've ever had because I don't speak a lick of French' about the marketplace in Burkina Faso. While language is but one aspect of a region’s culture, it’s hardly the defining aspect and certainly not something that should give one ‘the most culture shock.’ Also? She’s in West Africa, and while Burkina Faso is a Francophone nation, we’re pretty sure the nation would be insulted to know that’s what someone thinks is the defining aspect of their rich cultural heritage.
Photo Finish
Once again, Azaria/Hendekea finished first this leg of the race, although this was a very close finish and they just barely edged out Nathan/Jennifer. For this mini-win, they each get new scooters.
Dumb Quote #2
Jennifer pouted about being second this leg and then whined to Phil that 'everyone should have a turn' at first place, especially since Azaria/Hendekea already got first twice before. Oh, Jennifer. Are you five? Is this preschool or is this a RACE for a million dollars? Why should everyone have a turn at first? Would you still feel that way if you came in first on the very last leg, and it wasn't 'your turn'?
The Anti-Ugly American
Vyxsin had an emotional moment on the way to the pit stop, breaking down and crying about the extreme poverty she had witnessed in places, and noting that while this was a race, she wasn’t ‘blind’ and couldn’t help reacting to the things that she had seen. It is always refreshing when a racer has a good perspective on the world, even if they’re just ‘passing through.’
That’s What Friends Are For?
Jennifer, racing with her friend Shana, confessed that they had used the U-Turn and then seemingly turned on her friend, stating that she didn't like the idea, but that it was 'Shana's decision.'
Times Have Changed!
Unlike the tensions that had existed between them just two legs ago, Ronald/Christina (father/daughter), and Donald/Nicolas (grandfather/grandson) came in 3rd and 4th respectively and were all smiles and hugs at the pit stop. And we were happy to see that Ronald continued to work on being 'better' about his interactions with his daughter, even remarking at one point on the leg that he'd 'shut his trap' when it was clear that he was annoying her.
Too Turned Around
Lorena/Jason, already struggling in last place, had their fates sealed when Shana/Jennifer used the U-Turn on them. They made a valiant effort to try and catch up, but the difference was simply too much. Even with TK/Rachel getting hopelessly lost didn’t help them as they checked in much later than any of the other teams and are eliminated from the race.
