"The Amazing Race" 1907: The Return of Team Gay!

Totally called it! Way back on Leg 1 I knew Justin was pinging my gaydar, and on last night's Leg he confirmed it. It was the second Leg in the African country of Malawi and, as he and sister Jennifer departed the Pit Stop in second place, we cut to an interview. Justin explains that he came out to his family a couple of years ago and they each talked about the importance of supporting family no matter what.

It is always a good thing when people on TV come out. I'm very happy that the Amazing Producers didn't keep Justin officially closeted the way they did Luke Adams and Kisha Hoffman a few seasons back. But I'd be lying if I didn't seriously have a pang of fear for a gay man traveling through Malawi. That country saw two men sentenced in 2010 to 14 years each hard labor for holding an engagement ceremony; they were freed only after intercession by the Secretary General of the United Nations.

So since the last TAR recap, the Race went from Indonesia (where former showgirls Kaylani & Lisa were Philiminated) to Thailand (where twins Liz & Marie were Philiminated) to Malawi (where Marcus & Amani were not Philiminated, receiving a Speed Bump in the third Non-Elimination Leg of the season).

Teams traveled on the same bus from Lilongwe to Salima. At the Salima Bus Terminal Marcus & Amani received their Speed Bump. They had to unscramble a slide puzzle to form the new Malawian flag. While they did that the rest of the teams received their Roadblock. One member of each team had to transport a passenger by bicycle taxi to one of three addresses where the passenger would deliver fish (see feminists, sometimes a fish does need a bicycle!), get paid and return to the station where they would turn over their earnings and receive their next clue from the taxi master.

Most of the teams delivered their fish and made it back without incident. Snowboarder Tommy broke his bicycle but managed to make repairs and complete the task. Jennifer didn't bring her clue with her and so didn't know what to do after dropping off her fishmonger. Rather than return immediately to the bus terminal to get the clue, she decided her best course of action was to stand in the middle of a dusty Malawian road in the hope that she would spot another team. The only flaw in her plan? Every other team was already done.

While Jennifer waited, the other teams went on to Chigumukile Village and the Detour. They had the choice of Dugout or Lugout. In Dugout, teams had to paddle a dugout canoe out around a tethered canoe and back. In Lugout, teams had to wade out to a cargo ship and haul to shore two boxes of cabbage, two bundles of sugar cane, two brooms, one chair, one electric fan and eight passengers without getting anything or anyone wet. Everyone did Dugout except for Marcus & Amani. Engaged couple Ernie & Cindy burned their Express Pass to skip the Detour.

From the beach teams had to find a local store where a Double U-Turn awaited. A U-Turn allows teams to force another team to complete the other Detour task. Only Laurence & Zac chose to U-Turn anyone, but they wasted it on Marcus & Amani who were ahead of them and unaffected.

Ernie & Cindy and Andy & Tommy had a footrace to the Pit Stop, with Andy & Tommy winning their fifth Leg out of seven. Ultimately Justin & Jennifer weren't able to close on another team and were Philiminated, retiring Team Gay for the second time this season.

And now, the Amazing SnapCap!

HEART/DRAMA: Justin & Jennifer's interview about his coming out was very sweet as was their obligatory “I wouldn't have run this Race with anyone else” Philimination speech.

AFTERELTON BAIT: Justin picked up the banner for Team Gay but just as quickly put it down again. I hope he has fun hanging out with Ron & Bill in Philimination Village.

BEEFCAKE: Andy & Tommy put on a nice little show at the beach. I was hoping some of the others might follow suit but no such luck.

CHALLENGES: Man, if it'd been me trying to figure out that slide puzzle I'd still be in Malawi. I could never work those things as a kid. The canoe racing was pretty similar to the dragon boat racing from Leg 1 and we've seen bicycle delivery and furniture hauling before too although the people moving was novel. From its introduction the U-Turn has been treated like a morality test instead of a legitimate piece of gameplay. Questions of morals were pleasantly absent from this Leg, although Laurence sounded almost gleeful and a little vindictive in his insistence on using it. Laurence being Laurence, of course he mucked it up. Usually when the deployer and the recipient of a U-Turn both survive the leg, there is a lot of dark muttering and vowing of vengeance but I don't know if Marcus & Amani even know they were U-Turned.

TRAINWRECK QUOTIENT: Surprisingly low. Jeremy & Sandy are still snappish with each other but nowhere near the level we've come to expect this late in the Race. Early meltdown candidates Justin & Jennifer went from being the Bickersons to behaving like loving siblings.