Monday, October 25, 2010

The Amazing Race Season 17: Episode 5: Nat & Kat 1st Again While Volleyballers Katie & Rachel Eliminated

Another great episode of The Amazing Race. Doctors Nat & Kat were first to leave and first to the Pitstop, for the 2nd week in a row.

Nat & Kat found the first Fast Forward after driving to the Norway town of Narvik, to find a gondola station to take a ride to the top of mountain. A ride that had Nat in tears due to her fear of heights.

The Fast Forward directed Nat & Kat to a nearby restaurant where they were to partake of a traditional Norwegian Christmas ritual. The eating of a roasted sheep's head. Yum.

Now it was Kat's turn to be scared. She'd been a vegetarian for 22 years, with no meat passing her lips in all that time. But, somehow both managed to eat their was through the disgusting thing and then made it first to the Pitstop.

The Fast Forward provided some Nick & Vicki amusement. They opted to try for the Fast Forward. When the pair got to the restaurant there was a sign that said "Fast Forward Taken." They could not figure out what this meant. Eventually they gave up trying to solve that puzzle and proceeded on to a Roadblock.

The Roadblock was a rappelling challenge. Lowering yourself from the Skjombrua Bridge to the water below, then use a mechanical ascender to pull yourself back up.

Nick & Vicki do real well at any non-cerebral challenge, so Vicki was a speed demon on the bridge.

The clue after completing the Roadblock directed teams to find their next clue in Harvika. Michael & Kevin, Gary & Mallory and Jill & Thomas got to the Harvika cluebox first, to find a Detour. Bikes or Boats. With Bikes you had to ride a mountain bike to a sign with a combination lock code, in a color matching your bike lock.

Nick bragged about what a machine he has always been on a bike, back to his BMX days as a kid. I thought they might have trouble remembering the color and the combination. But they didn't. And it turned out it was Vicki who was a biking machine, while Nick had to walk his bike up steep parts.

In the Boat option teams had to find a fishing trawler and guide the captain to where they needed to get off the boat to deliver a pair of fish and a chain saw to an old Norwegian. Obviously Michael & Kevin took this option. No way could Michael have done that mountain bike ride. I find Michael very amusing.

Another thing I found amusing was Thomas getting lost, getting mad, sure he was looking at a different bridge than the one he'd just rappelled down. It was confusing to me. I did not understand how Thomas got so confused.

In the end, after all completed either Bikes or Boats, Gary & Mallory were #2, Jill & Thomas #3, Michael & Kevin #4, Brook & Claire #5,  Nick & Vicki #6, Chad & Stephanie #7, with Katie & Rachel sad to be last.

Next week we go to Russia where it appears some frustration takes place with Chad getting mad.

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