The Amazing Race: All-Stars Recap

Rough Start

Before the second leg of the race began, we were informed that Drew had to receive medical attention for symptoms of altitude sickness.

'It's A Miserable Game.'

So says Rob when he and Amber, fall out of first place thanks to a plane delay en route to Santiago, Chile. At least they had company, in the form of Ozwald/Danny, while waiting for their connecting flight in Lima, Peru.

Another Alliance?

David/Mary helped Charla/Mirna out when they got stuck in the mud en route to the airport in Ecuador. Mary thought that this act may formed an alliance, but Charla/Mirna didn't seem to think so. Besides, did the alliance thing really work out that well for them last time?

Scariest Moment

When Kevin/Drew got stuck in the mud like Charla/Mirna (but don't have the helping hand and car of David/Mary), Kevin decided to act as a human tow truck to help pull the car out. Surprisingly, it worked. Perhaps too well, as Drew nearly dragged Kevin, still tied to tug rope, under the car when he was unable to stop the car quick enough. That was definitely a 'gasp-out-loud' moment for us.

A Picture's Worth. . .A Destination

Once in Santiago, teams were directed to the corporate headquarters of Codelco, a copper mining company. There, they were confronted with a Roadblock that required a team member to walk through a boardroom meeting where letter clues were hidden. The letters will spell out a destination. What some teams quickly figured out is that the destination is already spelled out for them, on one of the plaques underneath the pictures hanging in the boardroom. Many teams, particularly Joyce/Uchenna and Teri/Ian, struggled with this task, completely missing the picture detail.

'I Don't Have Time for a Step Stool!'

Charla/Mirna were in high drama form tonight as they had one (of several) meltdowns at the Detour, which required teams to either place bolts on the huge tire of an excavator, or to drive a front loader. Charla wanted a step stool to help her with the task as the wheel was easily twice her size, but Mirna didn't want to waste time getting her a step stool, and yelled about it the entire time. Frankly, we have to side with Charla on this. Was Mirna planning on doing the entire task herself? If not, Charla needed a way to actually reach the bolts, so taking the time to get a step stool didn't seem like a waste of time to us.

Details, Details, Details

David/Mary fall into last at the Detour when they failed to pay attention to details and place most of the bolts on the wheel incorrectly, requiring them to practically start all over again.

Beauty's Easy, Morals are Hard

So lectured Charla, when she and Mirna had a run-in with beauty queens Dustin/Kandice en route to the pit stop. We frankly had no idea what the fuss was about and why Mirna was so upset with the taxi driver that she 'convinced' to let her follow him. If anything, we sympathize with the poor man who found himself in the middle of a road, with four women screaming and screeching at each other.

Not So Miserable Now

Rob/Amber, despite the early plane delay, once again come in first this leg of the race, and each win a motorcycle.

The Nerve!

Mary lost some points with us tonight when she kept whining about how Mirna/Charla had the nerve to pass them. Imagine that. Trying to pass another team - in a race! And against a team they never agreed to have an alliance with in the first place. Suck it up, Mary.

Everything Hurts

It seemed like Phil did a kindness when he eliminated Kevin/Drew, who had a very rough race, particularly Drew who seemed unduly weary and resigned by the time he stepped onto the pit stop mat. Drew told Phil, 'I can't breathe, my back hurts, my feet hurt from driving, [and] my voice is gone.' Keeping them in the race seemed just plain mean at that point.