Episode Report Card M. Giant: B- | 129 USERS: B- YOU GRADE IT Istanbul, Not Constantinople
By M. Giant | Season 21 | Episode 6 | Aired on 2012.11.04
So that leaves just the goat farmers and Rob & Kelley, as Brent thinks they'll end up in a footrace. That may be giving the monster truckers too much credit. "At least if we don't beat them we gave it all we could," he says. Rob exhorts their driver, "We have to beat the team that's in front of us or we have to go home." At least he doesn't accuse the dude of costing him a million dollars, kissing Kelley on the cheek instead. And when we return to the Pit Stop, the team that arrives next, rolling one suitcase and wearing one fez, is Josh & Brent, who are told they're still in the race as team number six. "And we even took time to eat ice cream, Phil," Brent adds. Twice. Josh says emotionally, "People told us we didn't know how to farm, we couldn't have a farm. They told us our town was dying, we couldn't help our town. We saved our farm, we saved our town, we don't quit." Yes, I've noticed. But what's this about saving their town? Did that really happen? And is running the Amazing Race eventually going to count as saving the world in his mind?
Rob & Kelley finally make it to the mat, never having recovered from that train ride. "Merhaba (Hello.)," the bandleader says, welcoming them to Istanbul like he did everyone else. Phil tells them they're the last team to arrive and that they've been eliminated from the race. Phil looks into Rob's face, which is suddenly like that of the dad in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and observes, "I can tell you're a man of deep sensitivity." Rob plays it straight, saying, "I tell you what, without Kelley, I'm nothing. You might think that I'm this big strong bold guy, but I'm so blessed to have this woman in my life and for somebody to love me the way she loves me." In other words, thank you Kelley for not ripping me a new one for losing this race for us by being a stubborn idiot. He agrees that Kelley's worth way more than a million dollars, and after kissing and dancing to the band on the mat, they're finally told by the greeter, "Hoscakal (Goodbye)." And off they go with their rolling suitcases, and the bitter taste of the second language lesson of the week still ringing in their ears.
M. Giant is a Minneapolis-based writer with a wife, a son, and a number of cats that seems to have settled at around two. Learn waaaay too much about him at Velcrometer, follow him on Twitter, or just e-mail him at M.Giant[at]gmail.com.