Episode Report Card M. Giant: B | 1246 USERS: C+ YOU GRADE IT Look Back in Angkor. Wat?
By M. Giant | Season 13 | Episode 5 | Aired on 2008.10.26
In a hurry? Read the recaplet for a nutshell description! Finished? Click here to close.Ken and Tina do their best to capitalize on their commanding lead on the way to Cambodia, but Terence and Sarah manage to get on the same flight despite getting pulled over for speeding (which they'll also get penalized for on the next leg). The Divorcees, the Siblings, Toni|Dallas, and the Frat Boys (barely) get on a second flight, leaving Ty and Aja to fly out last while the other six teams end up in a bunch during a plane transfer in Singapore.
After a gas-pumping task and a boat race in which engine trouble leaves Terence and Sarah literally adrift, the Detour imposes lake-based challenges. Kelly and Christy "pull a Kelly and Christy," but don't lose too much ground as the teams head to Angkor Wat for the Road Block. There the teams have to find the tiny Chamber of Echoes on the sprawling grounds, a task that Tina spectacularly biffs. Nick and Starr (whose arm is bandaged but not broken after last week's Blokart mishap) win their second leg, and a romantic vacation together. Team Long-Distance never does catch up to the wind-sucking Frat Boys, but when they get Philiminated at the Bayon Temple Pit Stop, at least things look good for their relationship together as Ty plans to move to L.A. to be with Aja. But what will become of all their Michigan clothes?
Want more? The full recap starts right below!Previously: Ty and Aja had an argument that may not have boded well for their relationship. There are seven teams left, and since they're in seventh place, they need as much well-boding as they can scrape up.
At the Pit Stop at New Zealand's Summerhill, Phil reminds us that as their prize for winning the last leg (their third in a row), Ken and Tina won a trip to Rio from Travelocity. Unfortunately, that means they also "won" the obligation to let a camera film them while they sit at a hotel-room desk with a laptop on it and a Travelocity gnome next to the laptop, while they gush fakely about their upcoming trip while we enjoy their harbor view through the window behind them. A more tangible reward, at least for now, is that they get to leave the Pit Stop at 6:03 a.m., when it's still dark outside. Which is odd, because my entirely subjective sense was that they'd arrived at the Pit Stop around noon, which would make this an 18-hour rest period. Probably something to do with the International Dateline. Anyway, Tina quickly zeroes in on the clue's lede: "Cambodia!"
Specifically, as Phil says, the city of Siem Reap, where they'll then have to locate a gas-pumping station to find their next clue. More later on the difference between a gas station and a gas-pumping station. They've got $97 for the leg. As we see them get into a Mercedes that someone thoughtfully remembered to drive down here for them while they traveled by helicopter, they interview that they're having fun together. Which is good, because most couples would be miserable after winning three legs in a row. From the back seat, Tina reminds Ken to get into the side of the car that has the steering wheel on it. "Wrong country," Ken chuckles at himself. "I feel like a kid," he interviews. "What is an old man and an old woman doing out here..." "Speak for yourself," Tina says good-naturedly. "As they drive into the lightening sky, Ken estimates a three-hour drive back to Auckland. "Remember that we have Terence and Sarah close on our heels," Tina reminds him as the sun comes up.
"Close on our heels" in this case means "two and a quarter hours behind," as Terence and Sarah are leaving at 8:19 a.m. By which time Ken and Tina are likely to be less than an hour out of Auckland. Of course two hours doesn't necessarily mean all that much when the flight-booking portion of the leg is still ahead of them. Terence interviews that he's looking forward to the race getting more physical, because then he and Sarah will be hard to beat. In the meantime, they're forced to make it more physical for themselves by doing things like running miles out of their way when looking for taxis. While he drives Sarah to Auckland, he explains his plan to get in and out of the airport without any other teams even seeing them. Well, it's not so much a plan as a wish.