As the Teams made their way to Santiago, Chile, engaged couple Rob & Amber cruised to an easy victory but made several enemies along the way by employing tricks to secure an advantage. Meanwhile, brothers Brian & Greg and roommates Megan & Heidi bonded on a bus ride to Arequipa, Peru only to square off against each other in a dramatic footrace to the Pit Stop. In the end, the brothers edged out Megan & Heidi, giving the roommates a tearful goodbye as they became the second Team eliminated from THE AMAZING RACE.
STIRRING THE POT
Departing the Pit Stop in first place at 10:54 pm, best friends Debbie & Bianca opened their first clue to discover they must travel 400 miles by bus to the city of Arequipa and find a shoe shine union for their next clue. With the bus station not open until the following morning at 5:30, all the Teams arrived there to spend the night, planning to buy tickets for the earliest bus leaving at 6:20 am. However, after speaking with the security guard, Rob discovered that a second bus, leaving at 7:00 am, arrived in Arequipa half an hour earlier than the 6:20 am bus because it made less stops along the way.
While most Teams lined up to buy tickets on the slower bus, Rob kept his information confidential, telling only on-and-off dating couple Ray & Deana and married couple Uchenna & Joyce. To make sure the other Teams wouldn’t get this information, Rob also paid the local to keep quiet. However, Alex uncovered Rob’s plot: when he asked for information, the guard replied that “the man in the cap” had asked him to remain silent. Realizing Rob’s duplicity, boyfriends Lynn & Alex and Debbie & Bianca led the other Teams in purchasing tickets on the same bus as Rob & Amber, Uchenna & Joyce, and Ray & Deana.
CONFRONTATION
Refusing to let the situation slide, Lynn & Alex and Debbie & Bianca confronted Rob, accusing him of lying. In typical fashion, Rob not only denied the accusation, but turned it around, becoming offended that people called him a liar. Not believing Rob’s denials, Lynn walked away with a parting shot: “Let’s just say it’s a good thing that people can’t be voted off.”
CONSPIRACY
During the 10-hour bus ride through the Andes Mountains, most Teams relaxed and enjoyed the view. Using the time to become acquainted, sparks flew between Brian & Greg and Megan & Heidi. On the brothers, Megan remarked, “They’re a lot more like Heidi and I than we would’ve even thought.” Meanwhile, Rob used his time on the bus to secure an advantage when they arrived in Arequipa. By pooling money with Ray & Deana, Uchenna & Joyce, and former POW and beauty queen Ron & Kelly, Rob bribed the bus driver to open only the door in front to allow him and the other three Teams to get off the bus before the other Teams stuck in the back
SHOE-IN
Arriving in Arequipa, the four Teams involved in the conspiracy quickly exited the bus and dashed into taxis to take them to the shoe shine union while the remaining Teams shouted for the driver to open the back door. Reaching the union in first place, Ray & Deana opened their clue to find a Roadblock. In this Roadblock, one Team member had to choose a shoe shine representative to accompany them while they shined five pairs of shoes, earning one Peruvian sole per shine, before returning to the union headquarters to receive their next clue.
Electing to perform the task for their Teams, Ron, Amber and Ray took an early lead in shining the shoes of paying customers, while retired married couple Meredith & Gretchen found themselves in last place. With a distinguished career in the military, Ron proved his skill at shoe shining by completing the task first. Returning to the headquarters, he opened the next clue with Kelly to learn they had been awarded tickets on the first of two flights to Santiago, Chile, departing 45 minutes apart. Once in Santiago, Teams must ride a funicular to a statue of the Virgin Mary to find their next clue. Joining Ron & Kelly on the first flight were Rob & Amber, Ray & Deana, mother and son Susan & Patrick, and Meredith & Gretchen. Megan & Heidi, Uchenna & Joyce, Debbie & Bianca, Lynn & Alex and Brian & Greg had to settle for the later flight to Santiago. On being in the back of the pack, Lynn quipped, “That’s okay. We’re good at pulling up the rear.”
SHOP OR SCHLEP?
Landing in Santiago, Chile, Rob & Amber took an early lead out of the airport with Ron & Kelly as the two Teams shared a funicular to the statue of the Virgin Mary. Opening their clues, the Teams encountered a Detour. In this Detour, Teams had to choose between Shop and Schlep. Teams choosing Shop had to travel two miles to a restaurant to receive a traditional Chilean recipe from the chef. Then, in a crowded market, Teams needed to buy the five ingredients for the recipe and return to the chef to earn the next clue. Teams choosing to Schlep had to travel nearly two miles to a bookstore and deliver 180 books eight blocks to the Library of Congress to receive their next clue. Not wanting to buy the ingredients using their own money, both Ron & Kelly and Rob & Amber opted to Schlep books.
As the two Teams made their way to the bookstore, the second plane landed in Santiago with Debbie & Bianca getting an early lead on the Teams in the back, while Megan & Heidi fell to last place. At the funicular, Deana & Ray opted to Schlep, while Meredith & Gretchen chose to Shop. Susan & Patrick ran into trouble at the funicular after running out of money, forcing them to beg to pay for the fare. This delay allowed Debbie & Bianca, from the second flight, to catch up to Susan & Patrick from the first flight.
BOOKING IT
At the bookstore, Rob & Amber employed the proper book-stacking technique to allow them to carry all 180 volumes to the Library of Congress. Meanwhile, Ron & Kelly, using a less effective method, stacked 112, forcing them to make a second trip to the bookstore. Even though Kelly disagreed with the plan, Ron decided it was best for his Team. At the Library of Congress, Rob & Amber quickly stacked all their 180 books to earn the next clue that directed them to the Pit Stop at Cerra Santa Lucia in the center of Santiago.
Quickly taking the one-mile taxi ride, Rob & Amber arrived at Cerra Santa Lucia and stepped onto the mat in first place. Host Phil Keoghan informed the excited pair that they had won a Travelocity trip to Atlantis from Paradise Islands in the Bahamas, staying at the exclusive Royal Towers.
At the market, Meredith & Gretchen received a nasty shock when they realized they lacked enough money to pay for the fish on their list of ingredients for the chef. However, the kind merchant allowed the retired married couple to get the fish at a reduced cost.
Meanwhile, after getting stuck in traffic, Brian & Greg finally arrived at the funiculars followed by Megan & Heidi in last place. On their predicament, the brothers remarked, “It sure would be nice to enjoy this nice cruise, but we got to be all stressed out.” In a race to avoid elimination, the brothers opted for Schlep, while the roommates chose to Shop.
MARKET MADNESS
As Ron & Kelly and Ray & Deana stepped on the mat in second and third place respectively, three Teams that chose to shop ran into difficulties. When returning to the chef with the ingredients, both Meredith & Gretchen and Lynn & Alex discovered the fish they bought did not weigh the required three kilograms, forcing them to return to the market. Meanwhile, Susan & Patrick, out of money, needed to beg for enough to buy the fish and other ingredients. These struggles allowed Uchenna & Joyce, with the required amount of fish, to jump ahead en route to a fourth-place finish.
At the market, Lynn & Alex created a stir when they demanded the full three kilograms that they paid for. Instead, the boyfriends were met with jeers and shouts from the workers and other locals. A furious Lynn shouted, “We’re not paying you any more dinero!” The pair eventually gave their patronage to another fish vendor who did not cheat them on the scale. After a very close taxi race to the Pit Stop, Lynn & Alex finished in fifth place ahead of sixth-place Debbie & Bianca, and seventh-place Meredith & Gretchen.
With Susan & Patrick stepping onto the mat in eighth place, only Brian & Greg and Megan & Heidi, bonding on the bus to Arequipa, were left, forced to battle each other to remain in the race. Initially, the brothers, with a small lead, made a tactical error like Ron & Kelly by needing two trips to deliver the books to the Library of Congress. Meanwhile, Megan & Heidi breezed through the shopping to earn the clue directing them to the Pit Stop.
PHOTO FINISH
Now with a lead, Megan & Heidi jumped into a taxi as Brian & Greg stacked the last of the 180 books in the library to earn their clue, snagging a taxi as well. A disappointed Brian said, “One of us is going down. Let’s hope they had problems finding the ingredients.” As the two Teams neared Cerra Santa Lucia, they were shocked to spot each other in adjacent taxis in the gridlock traffic. Realizing their fate would be determined by a footrace, both Teams quickly darted from their cabs and ran the remaining few blocks to where Phil stood waiting. In the end, Brian & Greg picked up speed to finish in ninth place, while Megan & Heidi came in last, becoming the second Team eliminated from THE AMAZING RACE.
On her experience, Megan offered, “I have an extreme pride for Heidi and I not giving up.” Heidi added, “There was many chances we could have just looked at each other and said, ‘You know what, we don’t have it,’ or ‘I can’t. I can’t’ never came out of our mouths.” Alongside the mat, Brian & Greg offered a tearful goodbye to the roommates. Greg said, “We’re going to miss you girls. I had so much fun with you guys.”
