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
Back in town, the metal guys have found a prosperous-looking local woman who's able to fork over some cash when they explain how they lost all their money. It probably doesn't hurt that they look like they've been backpacking in Bangladesh, either. They gratefully hug her, and as Abba narrates, "More locals came up and gave us some cash." One guy tells James that he's his guest in their country. And a hundred dollars' worth of panhandling later, they get into a cab. I wasn't sure how I felt about them raising their whole allowance here in Dhaka when maybe they could have just scraped up cab fare to the airport and gone from there, but it's not like they're going to have a lot of spare time when they get to Istanbul. And I've never begged on a plane, but I can't imagine it goes over too well. "Bangladesh good, not bad?" the driver asks proudly. Team Metal certainly can't argue. It's the Sri Lankans you have to look out for, it turns out. Abba sighs about the day they've already had, and James laughingly looks at his watch, saying they haven't even started the leg yet. Still, well done to all the teams that played a part in draining some money from the local economy. I thought the Speed Bump was supposed to have put an end to that for good. That evening, as everyone's boarding the plane, Abba narrates that the other teams didn't know they were out of cash, and he didn't plan to tell anyone so as not to show weakness. Well, two teams knew.
The Amazing Red Line crosses the rest of Asia, bringing us to some spectacular b-roll of Istanbul, with its soaring architecture and boats plying the Bosporus and traffic that has an actual pattern. The plane lands and James & Abba quickly recover from their poor start as they become the first to get a cab to the Kabatas Ferry Terminal, confirming with the driver that this is faster than the Metro. So they're back in the lead. Jaymes & James and Rob & Kelley, on the other hand, walk to the airport's Metro station. Team Grabbie and the twins cab up while Kelley says this will be her first time on a subway. The Chippendales, who are already on the train, watch the monster truckers get on the next car ahead of them, and are relieved to at least not be alone. Trey & Lexi and the goat farmers also take cabs. Now that everyone's committed to their various modes of transport, Brent explains from the back seat of his and Josh's cab that you can either take the Metro or a cab to the ferry terminal. "The cab is a lot faster if there's no traffic," Josh says, and there certainly doesn't seem to be any now. Brent adds that they'll need to take the fastest way possible in order to make up for their upcoming Speed Bump. He fails to mention that they should also do their upcoming Speed Bump correctly. Meanwhile, the Metro pulls out from the platform with only the Chippendales and the monster truckers on board. "This is when it gets interesting," Jaymes says. He is not entirely correct.