Amazing Race Week 1

Ding...fries are done. Gotta get this update out before tonight's show. The first one is always the hardest when you don't know the teams yet.

Season 13 of the Amazing Race kicked off from LA, and might I say that Travelocity must be raking it in since they took off in Mercedes. Teams took off driving to the airport to get a flight to Salvador Brazil. Anyone else wonder how the hippies ("beekeepers") were going to get through airport security with all of their drugs? Although I'm not sure LAX is equipped with beard-sniffing dogs.

On the drive to the airport we get to learn a few things about the contestants: Ken and Tina are separated Christians, 'cause he shagged outside of marriage, Toni is a single mom to Dallas and newly dating Terence and Sarah aren't going to be together at the end of the 11 legs.

Either I never noticed it last time, or this is the first time they had a marked ticket counter for the Amazing Race. Even the clue apparently said, "go to the MARKED counter", although a couple of teams missed out on that and stood in the terrorist line. Aja and Ty finally figured it out and set off a stampede to the correct counter. I can see why American is not a sponsor, since AS USUAL the American flight had an hour and a half delay. While waiting, Nick and Starr approached the Cheaters (my team, Ken and Tina) to form a loose alliance.

On the American flight: Mark & Bill, Ken & Tina, Nick and Starr, Terence & Sarah, Aja & Ty, and Kelly & Christy. On United: Andrew & Dan, Toni & Dallas, Anthony & Stephanie, Marisa & Brooke, and Anita & Arthur.
Once in Brazil teams have to take a taxi to a sandwich shop, "O Rei Do Pernil" where they have to take a coffee cart through the streets of Brazil and up the funicular to get their next clue leading them to a military base for a night spent under mosquito nets and a sign up sheet for one of 3 departure times. 9 am departures for Terence & Sarah, Mark & Bill, Nick & Starr, and The Cheaters. 9:30 departures for Aja & Ty Kelly & Christy and the fastest couple from the United flight, frat boys Andrew & Dan. 9:45 for Marisa & Brooke, Anthony & Stephanie, Toni & Dallas, and Anita & Arthur.

In the morning teams had to get cabs and go to a church for their next clue: DETOUR. And, once again, thanks to Phil for reminding us all after 13 seasons what a detour is. Detour is hard way up or soft way down, which I thought was not helpful for the Cheaters who are trying to forget that little marriage detour. All but the frat boys, chose soft way down and had to climb down a cargo net. I believe the frat boys felt that their 4 years of experience doing pub crawls would help them with the task at hand.

After completing the Detour, teams were instructed to go to the Pit Stop at Forte Sao Marcelo. The Cheaters and Nick and Starr got down the cargo net first but the Cheaters jumped in a taxi rather than ask for directions. Nick and Starr found out they needed to take a close ferry and they managed to get the first boat for a first place finish. Frat boys crawled up the steps to the most annoying example of Brazilian street music, only to be asked how many steps did you just climb up. LOL. Duh, let's go back and count this time.

At the end, the hippies who were forced to leave their speed behind were eliminated. Which is a shame because we didn't really get to know how freaky they really were. I don't know about anyone else but one look at all that grey hair and I didn't even want to know what the drain in their shower looks like.