We’re down to just three episodes left of the Amazing Race All-Stars, and it’s starting to get exciting! If you don’t like reading spoilers, please head somewhere else. This recap is as spoiled as year-old milk. Let’s go!
Last episode left off with Erik & Danielle arriving last and marked for elimination, while Danny & Oswald arrived first. They’re the first to leave the pit stop in Hong Kong and head for the city of Macau on mainland China by TurboJet turbo ferry. The clue tells them to head to Macau Tower, standing at 1,109 feet. Once they arrive, teams are faced with a roadblock which has them walking around the outer edge of an outside observation deck, then eventually jumping off the side in the highest “tethered skyjump” in the world.
What’s especially cool about this is you can actually go to Macau Tower and do this yourself. When I saw the teams walking along the outer rim of the observation deck, I figured this was a task unique to the Amazing Race, but it’s not. It’s called “Skywalk X,” and it costs a whopping $200. If you want to jump off the side, it’ll cost you another $888. The prices don’t say USD, but they don’t mention any other currency (and they do use the dollar sign), so I’ll assume this is correct. WOW! That is really, really, really expensive!
Danny & Oswald arrive first to find out the tower isn’t open yet, with Dustin & Kandice shortly behind. D&O have a bit of a problem though: they’re completely out of money, so they offer up the use of their upcoming yield to Dustin & Kandice for some cold, hard cash. I love this. This is how the race should be played… cut-throat, doing whatever it takes to win, as long as it’s within the rule boundaries. They are racing after all, and for a million bucks! I’m sure people got pretty mad at both Danny & Oswald and Dustin & Kandice for yielding Erik & Danielle for cash, but they did what had to be done — E&D were the biggest threat, and they wanted them out of there. Who could blame them? Unfortunately, it didn’t quite work out the way they planned, but I’m jumping ahead of myself.
After the tower opens and the teams ride up, jump down, and get their next clue, Erik and Danielle realize they’ve once again been shafted with a yield. What bothers me about Erik is he’s acting like he wouldn’t have done the exact same thing had he been in the front position. He’s got the right to be frustrated, but dude — it’s a game. Get over it, you were behind the pack, and the other teams took advantage of their position. Deal with it! It’s not unethical, it’s a part of the game.
After waiting their 30 minutes, they too are allowed to jump and get their next clue. By this time, the other teams have moved on to the next task, a detour: Noodle or Dragon. In Noodle, teams have to bounce on a piece of bamboo to flatten some noodles, while Dragon takes the teams a mile or so through Macau carrying a dragon head and drum looking for a boat. Dustin & Kandice choose Noodle, and can barely contain themselves at the sight of the man showing them how to Noodle. It is quite phallic, I guess, but the girls giggle like they’re back on the playground. Meanwhile, Danny & Oswald choose Dragon, and head off in their own direction. Charla and Mirna Noodle it, while the freshly yielded Erik & Danielle finally jump the tower and head to the Noodle detour.
It’s here that I make a striking observation: Mirna is Michael Scott, regional manager of Dunder-Mifflin Scranton (played by Steve Carell). If you watch The Office, you’ll know that Michael thinks he’s a lot funnier than he really is. He thinks he knows a lot more than he really does. This is what makes the show so funny. Mirna is the same way: she thinks she’s funny, she thinks she’s worldly, she thinks she knows what she’s doing, but she doesn’t. This is funny. She even looks directly at the camera every time she thinks she’s making a funny joke, just like Michael Scott! It’s uncanny.
Anyway, the three teams who chose to Noodle it battle it out, with Dustin & Kandice finishing first, followed by Erik & Danielle, and finally Charla & Michael Scott Mirna. Meanwhile Danny & Oswald — pissed they made the wrong detour choice — are wandering around the streets of Macau, lost, dragging a giant drum and dragon head. The other teams learn they must now drive a Mini-Moke (it’s just like, it’s just like, a Mini-Moke, hey hey!) to the island of Taipa, the location of the next pit stop.
The blondes arrive first, while Mirna — fresh from chiding Charla for not being able to drive the Mini-Moke — runs the thing into a curb and causes a traffic jam. I have to admit it, I enjoy seeing Mirna have bad luck. Unfortunately, they get off the curb and to Taipa, and pass up Erik & Danielle who have already arrived, but have to wait 30 minutes since they were marked for elimination. It’s a race against the clock now, with only one team left — Danny & Oswald. Can they make it to the pit stop in 30 minutes? Short answer: no. Erik & Danielle are saved.
Danny & Oswald, you’re the last time to arrive…. … …. …. However, I’m pleased to tell you this is the last non-elimination round….
This was a shocker, especially so late in the race. So we’ve still got four teams left with three episodes remaining. Who’s going to make it to the top three? Check back next week to find out!