Jan 20 2008
Final Destination
The remaining three teams - father/daughter duo Ronald/Christina, grandfather/grandson duo Donald/Nicolas and dating couple TK/Rachel - were instructed to fly to Anchorage, Alaska.
Every Little Bit Helps?
All the teams ended up on the same flight out of Taiwan, but Christina asked for a free upgrade to China Air's lounge so that she could their Internet service to look up the address of the store in Anchorage that held their next clue. As Christina tried to give her team a little bit of an edge, the other two teams began to fret about their whereabouts, wondering if they had managed to get on an earlier flight.
Better Taxis in India?
After landing in Anchorage, teams were instructed to go to Sixth Street Outfitters, where they'd receive a clue and a bag containing some gear. Ronald/Christina managed to take the lead, not because of Christina's savvy on the Internet in Taiwan, but because TK/Rachel managed to land a navigationally-challenged taxi driver. As TK said in frustration, it was easier to 'communicate with taxi drivers in India.'
Forget Something?
Nicolas/Donald, in third, retrieved their clue at Sixth Street Outfitters, but forgot to take the gear bag with them.
Searching Through Seafood
The Detour required teams to either 'cut a cod' or 'crab a crab.' Both tasks essentially required the teams to locate a small clue hidden among the seafood. In the cod task, the clue is a small cylinder hidden amidst the fish's guts, and the teams would have to filet the fish to locate it. In the crab task, the clue was the race's red/yellow colors taped around a live crab's claw, and the team would have to find that crab, in tanks containing dozens of other live crabs.
Back to the Store
Realizing that the bag they had forgotten at the outdoor gear shop contained the necessary supplies (like gloves and knives) that they would need in order to perform the Detour task, Nicolas/Donald hightail it back to Sixth Street Outfitters.
While You Were Backtracking
Meanwhile, Ronald/Christina performed the cod task rather easily, while TK/Rachel struggled with the crab task - to the point where they were debating whether to switch to the cod task. Just as they were about to switch, TK located the clue-wearing crab.
Icy Climb
To receive their next clue, teams had to travel to '20 Mile Glacier' and then climb up a small, vertical part of the glacier. Ronald professed his fear of heights but powered up the glacier in impressive fashion. Christina, meanwhile, struggled with it, but managed to complete it just as TK/Rachel began their ascent. Meanwhile, 69 year old Donald managed to climb the ice's surface without too much difficulty which we thought was pretty darn extraordinary.
Hardest Memory Game Ever!
The mind-twisting Roadblock required a racer to place 10 items (which ranged from a U-Turn marker to the tea cups they used in the last leg of the race), each from one of the 10 countries they visited on the race, onto a platform. But the hard part is the limitations placed on what items they could use. For instance, they could only use 3 animal items, and must use 'an item of transportation resembling a stick.' There was only one right combination, and figuring this out would require each racer to be able to remember key items/events throughout the race. Christina, Rachel and Nicolas all struggled with the task, and their struggles were at times amusing (wondering if a human counted as an 'animal item') and nail-bitingly stressful (as they worked through the combinations, each got closer and closer to the right answer.)
Lead Change
Rachel managed to solve the Roadblock puzzle first, which allows her and TK to finally overtake Ronald/Christina for the lead. But Christina managed to solve the puzzle shortly thereafter, which put them hot on TK/Rachel's heels.
Not as Dirty as it Sounds
Teams were directed to downtown Anchorage in search of two statutes. One was of explorer Captain James Cook, and another called the 'Salmon Hooker' which was just a colorful statute of a salmon.
'We Just Need to Get There'
It came down to TK/Rachel and Ronald/Christina as they made their way to Girdwood - and the finish line. It's a tense cab ride for both teams and both push their taxi drivers to go as fast as they can. Both teams tried to stay positive and motivated, with TK saying over and over, 'we just need to get there.'
For the Win
Rachel's adeptness at the Roadblock puzzle proved to be just enough for her and TK to finish ahead of Ronald/Christina, winning this race and a million dollars. Congratulations to TK/Rachel, who deserve kudos for racing a strong race, and even escaping near elimination, but most of all for their calm and positive demeanor throughout the race. As TK noted, they didn't 'compromise [their] relationship' on the race, and 'nice guys do finish first.'
Big, Warm, Fuzzy Finish
Ronald/Christina finished second and Nicolas/Donald came in third. It was an emotional finish for all, with Ronald citing that he may not have come in first on the race but he was 'first in his daughter's heart' and was now a 'changed man.' And Donald was officially deemed the 'oldest person to make it this far in the race' by Phil, and both he and Nicolas expressed pride in each other. Overall, the top 3 were all solid teams, and each finished the race in a better place than they started, which isn't often the case.
