Episode Report Card M. Giant: B- | 1 USERS: A- YOU GRADE IT Istanbul, Not Constantinople
By M. Giant | Season 21 | Episode 6 | Aired on 11.04.2012
Trey & Lexi are now in first place as they open the clue with Team Metal right behind them, reading, "Simit or Scrub It." Cut to Phil, saying, "This Detour gives teams the chance to choose between two ancient Turkish traditions that date back to the Ottoman Empire." But otherwise have nothing else to do with each other. For "Simit," the teams will deliver Turkish bagels -- called simits, coincidentally, although they look more like ballpark pretzels made by a novice at geometry -- to three different addresses around town. They'll have to stack them in a circular pattern on a large round tray, then put a simit-sized cloth ring on their head to carry the tray on while walking through the streets. "Once they have made their deliveries, the master baker will hand them their next clue." Heh, "master baker." On the other hand, in "Scrub It," they'll basically pick up swimsuits at another stall in this market and go to a Turkish bath to receive a good wash. And that's really it. This is a no-brainer for both lead teams, as it should be for all of them, so they go up the arcade to pick up their stuff.
The twins and Team Grabbie are the next two teams to reach Shop 14 and get their clues and Turkish Delight. They opt for the same Detour, as anybody with a brain would. "It'll probably be painful, but let's just do that," Natalie says. Ryan's decision is expressed by a simple and more economic, "Duh."
Josh & Brent get there and find their Speed Bump waiting for them. Over a shot of a guy working at an ice cream stand outside, Phil explains what only the goat famers will need to do as punishment for coming in last at the end of the previous non-elimination leg. "Finding this marked vendor, they must buy two scoops of Turkish ice cream and eat this tasty treat before continuing on the race." Aw, poor babies. They head outside and look for what the clue supposedly says is the ice cream stand near the new mosque. And then they walk right past the stand with the Amazing Flag hanging from the front of it and start wandering around the neighborhood. They do find an ice cream stand eventually, but it's the wrong one. Still, the vendor is only too happy to sell them two ice cream cones. But apparently Turkish ice cream comes with a little show, as the vendor does some Cocktail-style sleight-of-hand tricks with the cones and ice cream, pretending to hand it to them and not really doing so, pretending to drop it and not really doing so, pretending to stick it in Josh's mouth and not really doing so, and so forth. So apparently the challenge of the Speed Bump lies not in the racers actually having to do anything, but just waiting around for all the showing off to be done before they can enjoy their treats. Pretty much the only way to do this wrong is...what Josh & Brent are doing right now.