Episode Report Card M. Giant: B | 181 USERS: B YOU GRADE IT Too Much of a Good Thing
By M. Giant | Season 22 | Episode 1 | Aired on 2013.02.17
Everyone scampers back to the steps they just climbed, runs to grab their backpacks lined up on the grass in front of the building and races for the cars. Carrying both his and Wynona's backpacks, Chuck takes the first header of the season, bringing another racer down with him. Soon the lead teams are in their cars and the dashboard monitors light up with a video of Phil telling them they're heading to "the tropical paradise of Bora Bora." He goes on to tell them there are two flights leaving Los Angeles International Airport for Bora Bora tonight, but there is room for only five teams on the first one with Air Tahiti Nui, which is scheduled to land an hour before the other flight. Pretty standard, really. As is the montage of excited racers driving down into the city. But making them start on the exact opposite side of L.A. from the airport? That might be a new level of challenge.
After the Season 22 credits, Chuck & Wynona appear to be the first to reach LAX and board an airport shuttle van while the sun is getting low in the sky. Idries & Jamil end up on the same bus with Pam & Winnie and decide to carry on the long, ignoble tradition of lying to other teams about their profession. In this case, they claim to be delivery men. "Are you guys lying?" Winnie demands. One of the twins jokes about being kindergarten teachers like Nary & Jamie from TAR 20 pretended to be for no good reason. Then they drop the act, which I now suspect they were kidding about in the first place, copping to being OB/GYNs. "Pam has a problem, she needs you to look at it," Winnie jokes. Pam laughs as though the doctors are already looking at it and its name is Winnie.