Episode Report Card M. Giant: A- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT All About the Melons
By M. Giant | Season 20 | Episode 3 | Aired on 03.04.2012
We do see other teams trying to finagle seats, some of them making half-serious suggestions that their ticket agents predictably rebuff. But later, a ticket agent comes up and tells just Art, JJ, Other Rachel, and Dave that they have seats for "four people only." So their camera and sound crews ride in the overhead luggage bins, then? As they head to the counter to buy their seats, they're not worried about this making them a target. "I'll put a target on my back all day long," Art says with naked contempt. "Michael Jordan wasn't afraid to put a target on his back and he won, what, six championships?" Yes, Art, you and Michael Jordan. Two peas in a pod.
Soon, however, Team Undercover and Team Kentucky are on the flight as well. "Team Kentucky coming lay-yood and pray-yood," Bopper drawls as he and Mark board. But could you be a little more southern? Meanwhile, in the concourse, Rachel realizes that the first four teams are on the standby flight. "Where else are they?" she demands when Brendon asks how she knows. Other teams' efforts to join them prove futile and the 8:45 flight takes off with just the first four teams on board. Looks like everyone else will be taking off at 10:40 on a Pluna flight. "I'm not calm Brendon," Rachel says. Yes, I've noticed that about her. "This is a race and I'm not about to lose it to some doof-heads." As though she hasn't been losing to doof-heads on CBS for two years. The second flight leaves at 10:40 with a lot of the teams expressing frustration at being in the back of the pack. "But I'll tell you what," Ralph interviews, "We're still gonna play hard." Given what happens later, he's probably not referring to being on a later plane.
An Amazing Red and an Amazing Green Line zoom north to Asunción. The first flight touches down amid bright, sunny B-roll of statues and other city landmarks, and soon the four lead teams are racing for taxis. Mark is having trouble reading the destination on his clue to a potential driver while the other teams cab up. "We are the team to beat," JJ says in their taxi, now that they've demonstrated the wide range of skills, teamwork, and stamina it takes to be in the first cab out of the Asunción airport. Bopper and Mark just decide to have their driver follow the Border Patrol agents, because that's easier than figuring out how to pronounce "Metalurgica Punta de Rieles." Nary and Jamie are off in third, with Other Rachel and Dave in fourth. "Drive it like you stole it, baby," Bopper tells his driver, who glances back in the mirror thinking either, "Wow, Americans really do talk like that?" or "I thought Charles Napier was dead?"