The Amazing Race Season 14 Episode 8: Bangkok

Another good episode of The Amazing Race this week, with Luke & Margie coming in 1st again. Luke & Margie were the only team to choose the Broken Teeth detour, rather than the Broken Record option. In Broken Teeth they had to fit 5 people with dentures. It was sort of disgusting. Luke did not match a single one. Luke relied on his mom a lot this episode. Margie also did the Roadblock, with the task being to put a propeller on a shaft for a water taxi.

The Broken Record detour option, that all the other teams opted for, was sort of goofy. Getting in a taxi with what one racer said were "trannies" and riding 5 miles through bad Bangkok traffic while singing karoke. It was odd. But sort of amusing.

After getting the propeller to work correctly the teams took off in the water taxis. Most of the teams had the good sense to take their possessions with them. Except for Mark & Michael and Kisha & Jen. This proved to be a costly mistake. Have these people not watched The Amazing Race before? Keep your stuff with you.

Mark & Michael did a lot of fighting when they realized it was a mistake to leave their bags behind. So, they eventually agreed to taxi back to the bags before doing the Roadblock. While the sisters decided to do the task and then go back for their bags.

Mark & Michael bartered with their possessions to pay for their taxi rides, while Kisha & Jen begged for free rides. The begging proved to be the better strategy. When Kisha & Jen got to the Pitstop Phil told them he could not check them in til they retrieved their travel documents. So, off they ran to beg for another free ride. Meanwhile Mark & Michael ran up a huge taxi bill that their allotted money could not cover, hence the bartering.

When Mark & Michael got to the Pitstop Phil told them they were in 4th place, which made the pair very happy, until Phil told them they'd been assessed with 2 two-hour penalties for breaking race rules by using personal possessions to settle their taxi bills. Did these boys not read the rules before they started the race? We've never seen a team get as much penalty time as these boys.

So, Mark & Michael sat and waited til Kisha & Jen finally made it back to the palace Pitstop and checked in successfully, thus allowing Phil to check in the wayward racers, putting Mark & Michael in last place. Phil then brightened their day a bit by telling them this was a non-elimination round. And then the bad news. The remaining penalty time would be added to their next day start time and there would be a Speed Bump.

The Amazing Race has been to Bangkok before. Every time they go there it makes me want to visit Bangkok.