Episode Report Card M. Giant: B | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Auckland and Uncomfortable
By M. Giant | Season 13 | Episode 4 | Aired on 10.19.2008
In a hurry? Read the recaplet for a nutshell description! Finished? Click here to close.All eight teams take the same flight from La Paz to Auckland. Airport drama takes the form of an argument between Ty and Aja, which they patch up just in time to blow a tire on a New Zealand motorway. At the harbor, the teams untie a literal Gordian Knot to find a clue and a Fast Forward option. Leading teams Ken|Tina and Dan|Andrew to race for the Fast Forward, a race the Frat Boys lose. Meanwhile, Terence and Sarah arrive first at the Road Block, which requires Terence to match facial tattoos on fiercely screaming Maori warriors before the sun is even up. Then it's off to a hotel rooftop for some long-distance gnome-spotting, which a bunch of teams successfully manage while Ken and Tina take their chopper ride to the Pit Stop, where they meet Phil's dad and win their third leg in a row. Obviously their relationship is going a lot better.
A worse relationship is the one between the Siblings and Team Divorced, as the rivalry continues. At the Detour, a few teams give up on the kiwi-stomping option in favor of assembling and driving sail-powered carts. Starr crashes hers, but insists on finishing with what she thinks is a broken arm. As darkness falls, it's down to Team Long Distance and the Southern Belles racing to finish their separate Detour options. And in the end, it's Marisa and Brooke who have had their last penultimate finish, and a hug from Keoghan, Sr. sends them on their way.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!Some nifty focus tricks reintroduce us to La Paz, Bolivia, "the world's highest capital," Phil tells us. We even get a glance at a majestic arch that I don't remember seeing last week. Phil tells us that Kelly and Christy confronted Nick and Starr at the Pit Stop over Starr's request to Aja to U-Turn Team Divorced in the previous leg. So let's see that confrontation! Well, apparently it didn't happen in front of the cameras, so we have to hear about it after the fact. Christy tells us that she confronted Starr, and Starr tells us that she tried to mend fences, but it didn't work. Well, that was riveting. And you just got to have me tell you about them telling me about it. Pass it on, and we'll see if we can reduce the interest level to a negative amount.
Ken and Tina are leaving at 12:33 in the morning, and Tina is very excited about getting to fly to Auckland, New Zealand. That's 6,900 miles, by the way. Once they get there, they have to drive to Gulf Harbour and untie a literal Gordian Knot. We see one of these knots lying innocently on the dock, an innocuous-looking bundle of rope a little smaller than your head. Somewhere inside it is a clue printed on a slip of paper, fortune-cookie style. Ken and Tina happily run for a taxi. In an interview, Ken tells us that they're really getting along better as of the last leg. Is it uncharitable of me to suggest that their performance in the race is a factor? After winning two out of three legs, I suspect a team composed of John McCain and Osama Bin Laden would be getting along swimmingly.
Toni and Dallas are leaving at 12:59, as Dallas interviews that his mom is seeing him as more of an adult now. Although admitting in the cab that he doesn't know where New Zealand is doesn't really help. "Why did I pay for geography class?" she wonders. Why does anyone pay for geography class when they can just watch this show?
As they approach the El Alto airport, Ken is expecting every counter in the place to be closed. So they go right to an Internet kiosk upon arriving at the terminal, which is indeed all but abandoned at this hour. After some searching online, they conclude that the quickest flight will get them into Auckland at 3:55 the next morning. Not too shabby, considering it's already the next evening in Auckland by now. So racers can't fly first class, but they can fly back in time?
Terence and Sarah take off from the Pit Stop at 1:04 a.m., equally excited about heading to the N.Z.. And I'm sorry to report that Terence's hair is once again doing its Bellagio fountains thing. That can't be helping his aerodynamics. Marisa and Brooke, the Southern Belles, are off at 1:05, and Team Long Distance, Aja and Ty, leave at 1:06. A race for taxis ensues, as Nick and Starr leave at 1:07. Then it's Andrew and Dan at 1:08. Damn, these teams arrived close together in the last leg. Dan is trying to urge Andrew along, but Andrew isn't appreciating it. Sarah interviews that she and Terence have been getting along better. By way of demonstration, she says to him in the cab, "We need to buy a book on New Zealand." "We'll see," Terence says dismissively. Sarah tries to glare a hole through his temple in the side of his head, or maybe just focus the reflection from her forehead into a laser point. Seriously, Sarah's an attractive lady, but the combination of a high hair bandanna and the bright camera light is not her friend. But then, neither is Terence, so what're you gonna do?