A drive through the Andes Mountains into Argentina proved disastrous for lifelong friends Debbie & Bianca, who went hours off course. Meanwhile, boyfriends Lynn & Alex battled engaged couple Rob & Amber throughout the leg en route to a first place finish. Unable to complete a Roadblock requiring him to eat four pounds of meat, Rob convinced two other Teams to take a four-hour penalty as well, allowing him and Amber to finish in a respectable fifth place. In the end, Debbie & Bianca couldn’t recover from their terrible start, becoming the third Team eliminated from THE AMAZING RACE.
ROB THE TEACHER
Departing the Pit Stop in first place at 12:34 am, Rob & Amber opened their first clue to learn they must drive 150 miles to Argentina and find the bridge known as Puente Viejo for the next Route Marker. Arriving at the car park where their vehicles waited for the drive through the Andes, a disappointed Rob & Amber found it closed until 5:00 the next morning, allowing all the other Teams to catch up. After spending the night at a hotel, Rob & Amber once again stirred up trouble by stealing a taxi from Debbie & Bianca, who were too busy getting directions from the concierge for their upcoming drive to notice the theft. In the cab ride back to the car park, Rob quipped, “That’ll teach ‘em for accusing somebody of lying.”
CRUSING
After the doors of the car park opened at 5 am, all nine Teams began the long drive into the Andes mountains, led by Rob & Amber, who received a police escort to Al Norte, the main highway they needed to take. As seven of the nine Teams marveled at the mountains’ beauty as they drove up the dizzying switchbacks into Argentina, the remaining two Teams found themselves in serious trouble. Mother and son Susan & Patrick, still in Santiago, took nearly two hours to find Al Norte before finally heading into the mountains. Meanwhile, Debbie & Bianca fared even worse when they missed the Los Andes exit on Al Norte and drove along the ocean over two hours out of the way before realizing their mistake.
DETOUR: ROLLING DOWN THE RIVER
Arriving at Puente Viejo in first place, Rob & Amber encountered the first of only three Yields on the entire Race. At a Yield, one Team can force another to stop racing for a pre-determined time period. Teams can exercise their Yield power only once during the Race, so they must decide when it’s in their best interest to use it. Opting not to use their Yield, Rob & Amber opened their next clue to find a Detour. In this Detour, Teams had to choose between Paddle and Pedal. Teams choosing Paddle must work with three professional rowers to take an inflatable raft on a seven-mile course down the river. The swift current would propel them forward, but navigating the river’s twists and turns could slow them down. To complete Pedal, each Team member had to choose a mountain bike and follow a seven-mile course along train tracks. While needing to use their own power to navigate the rocky course, Teams with strong legs could finish quickly.
RIVER RACE
Opting to jump in a raft down the raging river, Rob & Amber engaged in a battle with Lynn & Alex, who followed closely behind. As Amber shouted, “My arm is dying,” she and Rob slowed their pace through the tumultuous water. Meanwhile, seeing an opportunity to pass the engaged couple, Lynn & Alex pushed through the pain, gaining momentum to pass Rob & Amber. Arriving at the shore, the boyfriends opened their next clue to learn they must drive almost 70 miles to a traditional Argentine barbeque at Camping Suizo. Leaving Puente Viejo, Lynn quipped, “Gay boys took on the boy from Boston and the girl from the island, and they lost.”
BIKING BROTHERS
As Lynn & Alex and Rob & Amber both made their way to Camping Suizo, brothers Brian & Greg opted to bike across the rocky terrain, while retired married couple Meredith & Gretchen took to the raging river. A flat tire wreaked havoc for the brothers, forcing them to carry their bikes the remaining distance through the course. Their misfortune allowed Meredith & Gretchen, along with former POW and beauty queen Ron & Kelly and married couple @Uchenna & Joyce to all complete the rafting before the brothers finished biking.
ROADBLOCK: EAT UP
As Susan & Patrick began rafting down the river, Lynn & Alex arrived at Camping Suizo to find a Roadblock. To complete this Roadblock, one Team member had to eat a traditional Argentine meal of cow rib, pork sausage, blood sausage, cow intestine, cow udder, an entire kidney and part of a cow’s saliva gland. Each person’s portion weighed four pounds. Once they finished the entire portion, they would receive their next clue. Opting to eat for his Team, Alex sat down to the bountiful feast. Soon, Rob & Amber joined the boyfriends at the Roadblock, with Rob already showing signs of concern at the prospect of eating four pounds of meat.
ROB CHOKES
With the arrival of Brian & Greg, Meredith & Gretchen, Ron & Kelly and Uchenna & Joyce, Camping Suizo became the most popular place for dinner. As Lynn reminded Alex, “This is for first,” Rob groaned, saying, “I’m never going to be able to eat it all.” While Greg and Ron dug in with gusto, Rob’s resolve to eat the meat continued to weaken. When Alex became the first person to vomit, Rob reached his breaking point, asking Amber, “What happens if I don’t finish?” Knowing his Team would have to take a four-hour penalty that would begin when the next Team arrived, Rob decided to quit the Roadblock.
ROB & RAY REBOUND
The penalty for Rob began when on-and-off dating couple Ray & Deanaarrived at Camping Suizo. Rob caught a huge break when, not realizing the task at hand, Deana volunteered for the Roadblock. Within minutes after sitting down, Deana knew she would not be able to finish the task. This allowed Rob to convince Ray & Deana to take the penalty as well, ensuring that he and Amber would not finish in last place as Ray & Deana’s penalty would not begin until the next Team arrived. Now needing another Team to join them in the penalty box, Ray & Deana convinced Meredith & Gretchen to quit too.
LYNN & ALEX IN FIRST
With Teams quitting left and right, the race for first came down to Alex and Uchenna. Each struggled to choke down the tough, dry meat with his partner’s support. In the end, Uchenna swallowed the last bite to earn the clue that directed his Team to the Pit Stop at Estancia San Isidro, a traditional Argentine ranch in the shadow of the Andes Mountains. Thrilled with the prospect of coming in first place, Uchenna & Joyce quickly drove away from Camping Suizo. However, their excitement soon turned into confusion as the pair became lost. Uchenna & Joyce’s wrong turn allowed time for Alex to complete the Roadblock and arrive with Lynn at the Pit Stop in first place. A disappointed Uchenna & Joyce settled for second place.
As brothers Brian & Greg and Ron & Kelly left Camping Suizo en route to third and fourth place respectively, Susan & Patrick arrived at the Roadblock, which triggered the four-hour penalty clock for Ray & Deana and Meredith & Gretchen. Meanwhile, Rob & Amber now had only a little over two and a half hours before their penalty expired.
CRUNCH TIME
As Debbie overcame her fear of white water rafting to complete the Detour with Bianca, Patrick began to understand why the other three Teams at Camping Suizo took the penalty instead of eating. Trying to get her son to choke down the meat, Susan met with resistance. Patrick insisted, “See, this is why I need you to be quiet. The more you do this, the more it makes me want to not do it just to spite you because you’re being so insensitive about this.” Susan simply walked away, saying, “You decide what you want to do.” An incredulous Patrick replied, “I cannot believe you.” Patrick’s inability to eat the meat became a concern as Debbie & Bianca arrived at Camp Suizo and Debbie dug in full force.
After their four-hour penalty expired, Rob & Amber happily departed Camping Suizo en route to a fifth-place finish. On the experience, Rob commented, “I didn’t think I could do it, but I found a way to plot and scheme in THE AMAZING RACE.”
FRIENDS TO THE END
As Ray & Deana and Meredith & Gretchen arrived at the Pit Stop in sixth and seventh place respectively, Susan and Bianca encouraged their partners to eat in hopes of avoiding elimination. After struggling to choke down each bite, Patrick finally completed his plate and sped off with his mother. In the truck, Susan commented, “If I knew you could have done that, we could have been done hours ago.” Because of his efforts, Patrick and his mother stepped onto the mat in eighth place.
Arriving at the Pit Stop in last place, Debbie & Bianca stepped onto the mat, where host Phil Keoghan informed the pair they had been eliminated from THE AMAZING RACE. A disappointed Debbie remarked, “It was a larger issue than just myself and Bianca. It was about a female Team winning the Race and just evening the playing field.” On her partner, Bianca commented, “Debbie is so strong. She’s my best friend in the entire world.” Debbie added, “We’ve been the most important friend in our lives since we were little kids. Our friendship is going to stand the test of time and we’re going to love each other forever.”
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