Episode Report Card M. Giant: A- | 2 USERS: A+ YOU GRADE IT Philimination, Where Is Thy Sting?
By M. Giant | Season 13 | Episode 1 | Aired on 09.28.2008
And with that, the second flight arrives at the Salvador airport, right on time. Toni and Dallas get the first cab and thus seventh place, with the Frat Boys so close behind that they're able to quickly pass them on the road. And in the ninth-place cab, Anita remarks as she rummages through their Amazing Purse, "Bees are much calmer than all this." Marisa and Brooke complain about being in an unfamiliar airport. Don't worry, ladies, I'm sure that's all behind you now. And bringing up the rear, Stephanie is stressing out while a relaxed Anthony grins next to her. Sitting there with his stubble and backwards baseball cap, he looks startlingly like Luke from Gilmore Girls. Aside from the grinning, that is. Stephanie interviews that they need to win the race so they can win the money. "To make the decision to get married and have children, it would be a fabulous start for us." No wonder Anthony looks so happy about being in last place; if they win, she's going to expect him to marry her. So that's a total of six teams who are still in cabs -- five from the second flight, and Christy and Kelly. Sucks to be Christy and Kelly. You know, again.
Fortunately, they find the right place next. Would have been embarrassing for them otherwise. The Frat Boys arrive soon after and struggle with their cart, until someone helps them and Dan thanks them with a heartfelt, "Muy bien."
Ken and Tina arrive at the base, securing the last slot to leave at 9:00 a.m. the next morning. Even if they'd done better, they couldn't have done better, if you know what I mean. It's good for a high five, at least. Anita and Arthur somehow get their clue in eighth place, and Aja and Ty arrive at the base to find out that they're the first ones who get to leave at 9:30 the next morning.
The Frat Boys nearly catch up to Kelly and Christy, at least according to the editing. Speaking of which, I'm just going to say right now that in most cases, I'm going to take the editing at its word in these recaps. I'm sure that there are times when the editors play fast and loose with the timelines, especially with this many teams in play, but I can only tell you the story the way it's being told to me. Besides, I'm uniquely qualified to deal with temporal anomalies as a longtime recapper of 24.
Toni and Dallas get their clue in ninth, followed by Marisa/Brooke and Anthony/Stephanie. They all have the predictable problems with their carts, and Dallas lectures his mom a bit when she bumps stuff off the cart trying to give him her backpack. Team Divorced finds Indio and gets their clue and their cab, followed by the Frat Boys, whom Indio clearly hates on sight. The Hippies and Toni/Dallas are next, and Anthony/Stephanie somehow passed Marisa/Brooke somewhere along the way. More creative editing implies a close race between the Frat Boys and Team Divorced, as though it matters beyond the amusing possibility that someone on the second flight might beat someone on the first, but the latter maintains its lead and arrives to secure the second 9:30 departure slot. "How many frickin' teams are ahead of us?" one of them asks, as though they're not all clearly listed above them. Maybe their husbands got the counting ability in the settlement. "We're actually number six, and we're pretty hacked off about it," says the red-haired one. The Frat Boys get the last 9:30 slot, which pleases them, as does this realization from Dan: "It was a race between the first half and the second half, and we won the race for the second half." Well, The Amazing Race is full of little victories, and one must take them when they come. Especially when one is Dan.