"The Amazing Race" Snapcap: Mugged by a Pack of Orphans

Previously on The Amazing Race, we met all the teams, including Ron & Bill representing Team Gay for the season, were introduced to an old Speed Bump dressed up as a new “Hazard” and saw one team's Race saved by social media. After wandering the streets of Taipei for hours, grandparents Bill & Cathi arrived at the Pit Stop last but in a surprise twist were not Philiminated. In another surprise twist we learned that for the first time ever the last two teams to arrive at the next Pit Stop would be Philiminated.

Ernie & Cindy, the first team to arrive at the Pit Stop, left at 9:28 PM and Bill & Cathi were last out at 3:57 AM, six and a half hours later. Teams raced to the airport to catch a flight to Indonesia. The first flight out wasn't until well on the next morning, so pretty much nothing from Leg 1 ended up mattering.

In Indonesia, teams traveled from Jakarta to Yogyakarta where Bill & Cathi faced their Speed Bump: they had to untangle a rope to get enough length to attach it to a piece of spelunking equipment. At the same location teams faced the Roadblock. Teams were asked “Who's ready to spelunk?” and I was dumbfounded that no one, not even the snowboarders, made a spelunk joke. One teammate had to spelunk 160 feet down into Goa Jomblang cave and retrieve a traditional mask and dagger, then climb back out on a bamboo ladder.

From the cave teams traveled to a nearby city where the first Detour of the Race awaited them. A Detour is a choice between two tasks, each of which has its pros and cons. The choices were “Shake Your Moneymaker” and “Be a Ticket Taker”. In “Moneymaker” one team member had to learn a traditional dance while the other played a traditional instrument, soliciting passers-by for money until the dancer collected 30,000 rupiah (about $3.40 US).  For “Ticket Taker” teams had to park motorbikes at a shopping mall until they raised 15,000 rupiah. Teams then had to deliver the funds to a local orphanage to receive their next clue; however, a sign at the orphanage instructed them to give all of their money, not just what they collected. Eight of the eleven teams failed to do so and, at the Pit Stop at Kraton Palace, Phil turned them away, forcing another round trip to the orphanage to deliver their remaining money.

Snowboarders Andy & Tommy were the first team to check in penniless and won a trip for two to Ireland. Ethan & Jenna came in 10^th and Ron & Bill checked in in last place and both teams were Philiminated.

And now, the Amazing SnapCap!

BEEFCAKE: Everyone remained fully clothed despite two costume changes. Three slabs of beef all got Philiminated without dropping trou, which is never a good thing. But interested parties can still turn up shirtless Ethan pics online if they are so inclined.

HEART/DRAMA: The shuffling of teams back and forth to the orphanage would have been a little more dramatic had there been some actual changes in placement because of it. I believe that every team making the round trip arrived back at the mat in the same order. The drama all came down to whether Ron & Bill would spot the sign and be able to cut ahead.

AFTERELTON BAIT: Sadly, Team Gay is off to Philimination Village for the duration. Still wondering about Justin.

CHALLENGES: I hate it when Phil says that a team has to “learn” a traditional dance because they never have to learn the real dance. No one did the actual dance tonight and it didn't even look that complicated. Parking motorbikes is not exciting television. The Speed Bump was as usual pretty pointless and unchallenging. Not quite “smell this tea and bring the yogi a cuppa” unchallenging but close. Had it not been for the sneaky turn at the orphanage, team order would have been relatively unchanged from the time teams left Goa Jomblang.

TRAINWRECK QUOTIENT: Oh, trainwrecks are a-brewin'. Justin & Jennifer can't walk through a train station without having a knockdown dragout fight about it and their fights are so boring. Ernie & Cindy are headed for trouble too. When someone's default after a setback like missing the orphanage mugging is “I can't do this!” meltdown mode, that bodes very ill for their future. I kind of was hoping they'd use the Express Pass and tell Phil “screw the orphans, we're keeping the cash!”