The Amazing Race

View Date: 9/27/09

This was the beginning of the season, and we were first introduced to the teams. Included we have a team of gay brothers, female professional poker players, Harlem Globtrotters teammates, a former Miss America, and a person with Asperger's syndrome.

This season also introduced a challenge never before seen on the show. This time, the first challenge was introduced at the start line, where immediately after obtaining their clues they had to search through license plates for the one appropriate for Tokyo. The last team to find the correct license plate was eliminated. Eric and Lisa, the married yoga instructors, were eliminated even before getting on a plane for the first time.

After arriving in Tokyo, the teams had to make their way by taxi to a television studio and participate in a Japanese game show. Surprisingly, all of the teams participated in “The Sushi Roulette” together, where one member of each team had to eat whichever piece of sushi appeared before them. However, if the contestant received a “wasabi bomb”, they had two minutes to complete the roll and win their next clue. If they failed to complete the task in under 2 minutes, they had to go through another round until they were successful. After winning the clue, the team has to pick the correct group of color-coded Japanese tourists and make their way to a Shinto shrine, the pit stop for this leg of the race.

Megan and Cheyne (Shane), the red team, won the leg as well as a trip to Vale and Denver from Travelocity. The team that was last in the sushi challenge really made up time and came into the pit stop in sixth place. Unfortunately, Maria and Tiffany, the professional poker players, came in last and incurred a 2 hour penalty, and will have to complete a speed bump in the next leg, but found out it was a non-elimination leg and would still be racing.

Continuing on, the next leg of the race saw the contestants make their way to Ho Chi Minh City. They then had to make their way by bus through a flooded city to a trip across a river. They then had to collect mud and fertilize a fruit tree to get their next clue. After returning their boats, they then had to complete a local tradition of herding ducks as a road block, where only one team member participated. The teams had 10 minutes to herd their ducks, and if they failed they had to give up their spot to a waiting team and wait until another spot opened. The teams finally had to make their way to a riverboat, the pit stop on this leg of the race. The father-son farming team of Gary and Matt, who were duck herding fools, won the leg as well as kayaks for each of them. The beauty queen lived to see another leg, but Garrett and Jessica, dating on and off, were eliminated from the race.

10 words or less: It takes is luck, a strong stomach, and herding skills.