RSS
Home
'The Amazing Race 15:' finding torture in a haystack
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
Gary & Matt had a rough week.
Longtime fans of "The Amazing Race" will undoubtedly remember "the haystack challenge" as one of the most excruciating events in reality TV history. (I watched it, and I haven't been anywhere near a farm since.) The challenge was simple: try to find a clue hidden in hundreds of bales of hay. Of course, getting the energy to do the challenge is an entirely different story.
So how did this season's crop of racers fare in the classic challenge? Read on to find out.
Welcome to Sweden--now go to a cheesy carnival!
The beginning of this leg lacked a little bit of excitement, mainly due to the fact that the biggest amount of drama produced involved having Flight Time & Big Easy and Gary & Matt miss train rides because they were stuck at the automated ticket counter. Meghan & Cheyne and Sam & Dan managed to get an early lead on all of the teams, which led into a brief excursion at a Stockholm theme park.
Now I'm all about theme parks: how can you not like a place that lets you eat a fried Twinkie? On the other hand, it's hard to get particularly excited watching teams ride an amusement park ride when I could do that at my local Six Flags. The same sort of thing goes for the ring toss they were forced to do afterward. Might I say, this was the first time I've ever seen anyone actually win at the ring toss.
The one highlight of the park? Witnessing the return of the Travelocity roaming gnome! It's always fun to watch teams carry around a ridiculous symbol of product placement so that CBS can make a few extra bucks.
"The Amazing Race" goes kaboom!
At the end of the ring toss, teams were offered a detour. Teams had to choose between blowing stuff up with dynamite or learning the Viking alphabet. Unfortunately, every team on the race decided to go for the dynamite and there's now some Viking out in the middle of a forest feeling rather lonely.
The dynamite challenge actually reminded me of the end of a "Mythbusters" episode--you know, the part where they've already busted the myth but they decide to blow something up anyway. Teams had to fill up protective bags, make themselves a little barrier, and then detonate a little bomb. What better way to celebrate Alfred Novel, the man who lends his name to a Peace Prize?
By the end of the detour Meghan / Cheyne and Sam / Dan were still at the top of the pack, but little did they know what awaited them
Hay fever
Who ever knew a simple challenge involving hay could be so entertaining? Sam & Dan dominated much of the screentime for this challenge and for good reason. Dan literally spent about an hour berating his brother. "Push harder! Try harder! Use your x-ray vision! Rip the bale in two!" (I'm paraphrasing a bit here.)
Flight Time & Big Easy were actually the third team to arrive at the challenge, but due to a combination of luck mixed with the fact that Big Easy was the only one actually bigger than the bales of hay, they managed to snag the clue and get first place for the leg. Meghan & Chenye, who alternated between being angry at each other and being supportive, quickly followed suit. After a fairly high-profile episode last week, Brian & Ericka were quiet this time around and finished third.
At this point we were left with only two teams: Sam & Dan (who had finally ceased his meltdown) and Gary & Matt. After a few minutes, Sam finally found the clue while Gary continued to push on. Thankfully, he was not out there for eight hours like Lena & Christie were in season 6. The other good news? They were spared by this leg being a non-elimination one.
Hats off to "The amazing Race" for giving the racers a reprieve this time around. The haystack challenge is great to watch, but since it's so based on luck it doesn't seem as fair to eliminate a team after it.
--
Are you rooting for anyone to win "The Amazing Race?" Let me know your thoughts with a comment and as always stay tuned for more TV news.
--
Want to read more of the latest TV news? Then click the "subscribe" button at the top of the page to receive continuous updates. You can also follow me on Facebook, Myspace, or Twitter.
Top "Amazing Race" stories:
"The Amazing Race 15:" Maria and Tiffany call detour "unfair"
"The Amazing Race 15:" introducing the comeback kids
"The Amazing Race 15:" A water slide saves the Globetrotters
"The Amazing Race 15:" a fond farewell to the "angry guy"
"The Amazing Race 15:" Zev & Justin find out what happened to passport
Other top TV news:
"Jon and Kate Plus 8:" Jon Gosselin's ATV ride with son draws criticism
Carrie Prejean's mother saw infamous sex tape
"So You Think You Can Dance" has a romance
Taylor Swift sings about Kanye on "Saturday Night Live"
Related Articles:
Add a Comment
