Jan 14 2008
What's a Floating Garden?
Apparently it's just a fancy name for an observatory in a skyscraper, which is where the teams were instructed to go find their next clue. Unfortunately for the other teams, but fortunately for dating couple TK/Rachel who had 3 hours to make up, the observatory didn't open until 10 am, which let TK/Rachel 'catch up' without having to do much.
'The Freak Out Factor is Unbelievable'
Before TK/Rachel could take advantage of the time that the 'floating garden' gave them, they would have to rein in their 'freak out factor' which led to some very early mistakes, like running around trying to find a real garden, debating about whether to go up the skyscraper or not and even running right past the clue box. As TK put it, their freak out factor was unbelievable, but they managed to calm themselves down before they made a serious error.
All I Want on My Birthday
It was revealed that the day that they raced this leg, it was Jennifer's birthday. Jennifer sort of got her cheating boyfriend, Nathan, to promise he would be nice and not fight with her during the leg in honor of her birthday. We'll let you guess how well that turned out. Actually, we'll tell you but in due time!
Where Thai Food Comes From?
Teams were instructed to fly to Taipei, Taiwan, causing Nathan to comment that he doesn't know much about Taiwan, but he does 'like Thai food.' Oh, Nathan, we hope you were joking.
Flight Savvy
Christina, racing with her father Ronald, managed to book seats on the first flight out of Japan, and managed to tell one of the clerks not to give Nathan/Jennifer seats on that flight. We don't know if the clerk was following Christina's plea (pretty unlikely as most airlines want to fly at maximum capacity) but Nathan/Jennifer weren't allowed on the first flight out. Instead, they had to settle on taking the second flight out (which wasn't that far behind the first flight) with Nicolas/Donald (grandson/grandfather).
Not Happy To See You
TK/Rachel, on a different flight, somehow managed to not only catch up with Nicolas/Donald and Nathan/Jennifer, but when the three teams landed in Taipei, they got into the immigration clearance line before the other two teams. Nicolas/Donald took this in stride, but seeing TK/Rachel set off Jennifer for some reason. She began a rant that lasted throughout the leg about how much she hated TK/Rachel and how 'annoying' it was that they weren't behind anymore. She even said she wanted to 'rip [TK's] dreads out of his head.' Chill, Jennifer. It's your birthday!
Tricky Ride
The Roadblock required a racer to first ride in a jeep that would be driven by a stunt driver on platform that teeters back and forth as it's raised high in the air. After a few nerve-wracking minutes of that, the racer must then switch to another jeep that would be driven underwater, where the racer must hold his/her breath for 17 seconds. Most of the racers looked like they had fun doing this task, although Ronald looked petrified during the teeter part of the task, and as Christina watched, she observed that 'he must be peeing in his pants right now.' Although after coming up from the underwater drive, Ronald did say, 'Now I'm refreshed!'
Good Thing She Was Already Wet
For coming in last during a non-elimination leg, TK/Rachel had to do an extra task, known as a 'Speed Bump' which required them to don protective suits and then run through a 'gauntlet' as fireworks are shot at them. Afterwards, they would be doused with water. They performed this task quickly and easily, and were back in the race with very little time lost.
It's the Machine
Jennifer grew increasingly stressed as she and Nathan were unable to separate themselves from Nicolas/Donald and TK/Rachel. It got to the point where she beseeched the high speed rail ticket agent with pleas to get them on a train that doesn't exist. As the ticket agent very calmly explained, 'it's the machine,' and there was nothing she could do, no matter how much Jennifer was 'begging from the bottom of [her] heart.'
Crucial Train
While they managed to complete their Speed Bump task without losing too much time, TK/Rachel are still behind, and it came down to whether they'll be able to make the 8 o'clock train that would lead them to their next clue. If they managed to catch the train, they would stay in the pack with Nicolas/Donald and Nathan/Jennifer, and if they missed it, they would lose even more time. It was close, but they managed to catch the train.
