Rob & Amber first again but..its not over
Battle lines were drawn as Teams made their way to Lucknow, India. Boyfriends Lynn & Alex led a group against their rivals, engaged couple Rob & Amber, who paired up with former POW and beauty queen Ron & Kelly, in an uneasy alliance. Catching an earlier flight to India, Rob & Amber never relinquished their lead as they battled for first place. Winning the hard-fought match, Rob & Amber stepped on the mat and received a shock when Phil told them that he had their next clue. The leg was not over.
FIGHT FOR FLIGHT
Departing the Pit Stop in first place at 12:45 am, Rob & Amber discovered they must fly over five thousand miles to Lucknow, India. Once they landed, they had to proceed to the religious palace known as Bara Imambara and find the area known as Bouli for their next clue. Teams had tickets provided to Mumbai, India, but needed to arrange their own flight from Mumbai to Lucknow. To begin the journey, Teams would sign up for a charter flight to Francistown, Botswana leaving the next morning.
With all Teams on the same charter flight, the battle for the best flight from Mumbai to Lucknow began once the plane landed in Francistown. Two very clear camps formed as Lynn & Alex quietly asked for the use of a woman’s cell phone to book tickets for themselves, along with married couple Uchenna & Joyce and retired married couple Meredith & Gretchen on a flight landing in Lucknow at 9:35 am. When an appreciative Meredith asked why Lynn would do this for them, Lynn replied, “Because we want you guys in the finals with us.” Meanwhile, in another corner of the small airport, Rob & Amber and Ron & Kelly secretly found tickets on a flight to Lucknow arriving five minutes sooner than their rivals. In an effort to cover his tracks, Rob asked the agent not to help the other Teams book this flight. On his newfound friends, Rob commented, “Our relationship with Ron & Kelly is definitely one of mutual respect and friendship towards each other. So we’re working together, but make no mistake, Amber and I are in it to win it.”
OUT OF LUCK
Landing in Lucknow at 9:44 am, Ron & Kelly took an early lead out of the airport ahead of Rob & Amber, but quickly fell to second place when their driver had to stop for gas. A frustrated Ron quipped, “If it wasn’t for bad luck, we’d have no luck at all.”
As the new allies raced to Bara Imambara, the second plane landed, carrying Lynn & Alex, Uchenna & Joyce and Meredith & Gretchen, who finally had enough money to purchase a new backpack after losing all of their possessions. While Uchenna & Joyce sped away in a prepaid taxi, Lynn & Alex and Meredith & Gretchen became overwhelmed trying to negotiate cabfare outside the airport. Eventually, both Teams reached agreements with drivers and headed towards the palace.
YIELD AHEAD
Arriving at Bara Imambara in first place, Rob & Amber donned traditional scarves before walking through the religious palace. As the couple marveled at the impressive architecture, Rob told Amber, “Some guy built this for his girlfriend. Imagine if I built you a place, it’d be twice as nice.” Ron & Kelly, in a close second, remarked on the tranquil palace grounds, “This is quite peaceful in the middle of a city of chaos.” Finding the area of Bouli inside the palace first, Rob & Amber opened their clue to learn they needed to travel three miles by horse-drawn carriage, also known as a tonga, to a steel emporium where they would find their next clue along with a Yield. Running to a carriage just ahead of Ron & Kelly, Rob exclaimed, “Gotta get to that Yield first, because if they’re any type of players at all, they’d yield us.”
As the last three Teams arrived at Bara Imambara, Ron & Kelly pulled up to the steel emporium moments before Rob & Amber. Stepping on the Yield mat, Ron & Kelly decided not to exercise their power after talking to Rob, standing directly behind the couple, who offered the advice, “This might not be elimination, that’s why we’re saying, ‘Why chance it?’” Later, Rob commented, “If I were in their position, I would probably yield them. Luckily, they’re not the brightest bulbs on the Christmas tree.”
ROADBLOCK: OPEN UP
Opening the next clue, the two couples found a Roadblock. In this Roadblock, one Team member had to search more than 600 different-sized tin boxes for one of ten containing a clue. Amber and Kelly quickly got down to business, opening the tin boxes in search of clues. While each agreed to alert the other when finding a clue, Amber realized the futility of this as each box only contained one clue. Discovering a clue first, Amber dashed off, ripping it open to learn that she and Rob needed to hire a cycle rickshaw to take them three miles to the area known as Aishbagh and find a gas station, where their next clue waited. Left in Amber’s dust, Kelly continued to search through boxes until stumbling upon a clue. In their rickshaw, Ron remarked on Rob & Amber, “They have the most unbelievable luck I’ve ever seen of anyone in my entire life. That’s why we should have yielded them.”
GRETCHEN WON’T GIVE UP
Arriving at the steel emporium in third place, Uchenna started opening the tin boxes in hopes of gaining some time on the leaders. Shortly after, Lynn & Alex showed up, shocked that Rob & Amber didn’t yield them, and Alex began the search for a clue amid the seemingly endless supply of metal boxes. As the race heated up, both Uchenna and Alex employed the time-saving technique of shaking the boxes rather than opening them to determine whether a clue was inside. As Meredith & Gretchen finally made it to the steel emporium, Alex found his clue, leaving Uchenna and Gretchen in last place together. Once Uchenna found his clue, a frustrated Gretchen quickly realized the daunting task ahead of her, shouting, “I could be in here a week!” Unable to reach the boxes stacked high, Gretchen continued to open the boxes down low, with no success. Reaching her breaking point, she asked Meredith for a hug, saying, “I’m trying so hard. I don’t know where else to look.” Finally finding a clue in an enormous tin trunk on the floor, Gretchen sped off with Meredith in a cycle rickshaw, trying desperately to get out of last place.
DETOUR: CARTING AROUND
In a continual battle for first place, Rob & Amber arrived at the gas station in the area of Aishbagh only moments ahead of Ron & Kelly. Opening their clue, both Teams encountered a Detour. In this Detour, Teams had to choose between “Solid” and “Liquid.” For Solid, Teams must travel one mile to a coal depot and smash enough coal to fill two burlap sacks with 175 pounds. Then, they must transport the coal on a flatbed bicycle to a store four blocks away to receive their next clue. While this option was physically demanding, Teams with enough muscle could finish quickly. To complete Liquid, Teams had to travel three miles to a local tea stall, select a tea cart and deliver a cup of tea to five specific employees from a list of ten in a nearby three-story office building in exchange for their business card. After collecting all five business cards, Teams must return to the tea stall to receive their next clue. While the task didn’t require strength, searching through the crowded offices could be frustrating and take a long time
TEA TIME
Choosing to deliver tea, both Rob & Amber and Ron & Kelly quickly made their way to the tea stall as Lynn & Alex and Uchenna & Joyce also opted for Liquid. Arriving at the office building first, Rob & Amber discovered the difficulty of the task when trying to find the accounts department in the labyrinth of offices. Frustrated, Rob started asking people if they had a business card, only to receive rejections or blank stares. After finally finding the first office worker, Rob & Amber pushed forward, with Ron & Kelly following closely behind.
As Uchenna & Joyce and Lynn & Alex arrived to push their tea cart, last-place Meredith & Gretchen received a warm welcome from locals when they arrived at the gas station. For no apparent reason, the crowds began cheering wildly for the retired couple, who waved to their adoring fans in return. After choosing to deliver tea, Meredith & Gretchen hurried off, but not before a few locals asked for their autograph.
SURPRISE!
As Meredith & Gretchen finally began delivering tea at the office building with Uchenna & Joyce and Lynn & Alex, Rob & Amber and Ron & Kelly pushed their cart back to the tea stall, having successfully served tea to five employees. Opening their next clue, both Teams were puzzled by the instruction to see Phil on the mat on the rooftop of a building a mile and a half away. Amber remarked, “This clue is written differently. It never said Pit Stop.”
As the two Teams continued their battle for first place, Lynn & Alex and Uchenna & Joyce completed the Detour, leaving last-place Meredith & Gretchen at the office building. The retired married couple initially struggled when an imposter tried to accept a cup of tea, but the shrewd pair quickly foiled the culprit when he had no business card to offer in return.
While Meredith & Gretchen appeared to be heading to a last-place finish and possible elimination, Rob & Amber arrived on the rooftop where Phil waited. Expecting to hear news of another first-place finish, instead, Rob & Amber received a shock when Phil informed them that all he had waiting for them was their next clue. The Race wasn’t over yet.
To Be Continued
...............................
