Featured Blogs:

 

Cannes Film Festival 2013

Recap: 'The Amazing Race' - 'Like James Bond Again'

Shemozzle Race! Shemozzle Race! Shemozzle Race!

By Daniel Fienberg Sunday, Mar 3, 2013 9:59 PM

<p>Shemozzle Race!</p>

Shemozzle Race!

Credit: CBS

Are you a fan of The Amazing Race?

Sign up to get the latest updates instantly.
This is going to be a Predictable Dan Recap, because if you've read my "Amazing Race" coverage for the past five or six years, you know how I feel about nearly everything in Sunday's (March 3) episode. 
 
Click through, because I'm gonna dispatch with this recap fairly quickly...
 
Through 25 minutes, Sunday's episode included two Equalizers and zero tasks. 
 
You know how I feel about that.
 
And at the end of an hour, nobody went home, though this was a "To Be Continued..." Leg, rather than a Non-Elimination Leg. 
 
So yeah. You probably know how I feel.
 
Interestingly, although it was a structurally absurd Leg of the Race, it was the first time all season that we've had the time for things to calm down enough to reflect on some of the teams and their personalities. 
 
Mostly, we spent a long time with Dave & Connor. If you'll recall, Team Cancer had a strong Leg last week, right up until Daddy Dave tore his Achilles running to the final mat. Or at least it looked like he tore his Achilles. It took 20-ish minutes of this episode to establish the reality and there was certainly part of me that felt like the show producers pulled a few strings to make sure that Team Cancer could continue to participate, at least somewhat.
 
The Leg began with teams flying from Bora Bora to Tahiti and then on to New Zealand. Conveniently, while there were multiple different flights to Tahiti, there were no flights to New Zealand until the following day, which left plenty of time for Team Cancer to visit the hospital, where they were told that Dave did, indeed, teach his tendon and the surrounding muscle. Perhaps because the doctors didn't actually speak English, nobody told Dave that it was really pretty foolish of him to think he could compete on "The Amazing Race" with a torn Achilles. So although all indications were that the guy is going to need surgery, he was fitted with a boot and because the teams were all just sitting around the airport doing nothing, no time was lost. Then, to reenforce the heroism, we got footage of the other teams discussing the heroism, including the dual beating of cancer. 
 
And don't get me wrong... Dave is awesome. This clearly wasn't his first time on crutches and the guy was zipping around like a maniac. He wasn't quite as fast as an able-bodied person, but he was much faster than I would have been in the same circumstances. I'd have been asking for as many painkillers starting with "perc" as the Polynesian medical establishment could supply. Then I'd be hitting up "The Amazing Race" for first class tickets home and I'd be taking my drugs and drinking my complimentary in-flight champagne and I'd be feeling some regrets about not finishing "The Amazing Race," but mostly my head would be in the clouds. 
 
But Dave? Dave pushed through and didn't complain. 
 
So the delay at the airport kept Team Cancer from having to self-eliminate and caused me to ponder how unusual it is that "Survivor" has had many players pulled from the game due to medical issues, but "The Amazing Race"  has been unexpectedly lucky, given how intense the tasks sometimes can be. And in not causing Team Cancer to self-eliminate, the delay also caused the second Express Pass to remain in play. As soon as John & Jessica learned that Team Cancer had a hospital trip ahead of them, they eagerly gave up the Express Pass (with only Team Hockey seeing them do it). If you want, you can believe that John & Jess were determined to do the right thing and honor their previous agreement while they still had the chance. Or you can believe that they figured that if they gave Team Cancer the Express Pass and they couldn't continue, that Pass would be flushed from the game, whereas if John & Jess had held onto it, they'd eventually have had to give it to a more capable team.
 
The delay also allowed a completely arbitrary alliance to form with John & Jessica, Team YouTube and Team Roller Derby, an alliance devised only to try to get rid of Team Hockey eventually. Not that Team Hockey cared, because the delay allowed them to accelerate their flirtations with the Country Blondes, achieving a level of sufficient intimacy that they slept in the same vicinity on cardboard boxes on the airport floor. 
 
The teams were equalized there and then flew off to Auckland, but then the teams were split up because of the number of individual flights going to Christchurch. Winnie & Pam got on the first flight and, by not having a clue where to go to get ticketed for their connection, Chuck & Wynona ended up on a flight 2.5 hours later. That was gonna make a big difference, right? Nope. Teams got to a gorge and had to camp overnight at a river-bed. 
 
And that's where we were after a solid 25 minutes. 
 
Then we had a dismal Detour. The choice? Rev It Up or Reel It In. 
 
In Rev It Up, teams had to drive a modified "vintage" car around a series of cones, with both racers competing the course in 83 seconds. Why 83 seconds? Why was this a task in New Zealand? Why was that car they were driving considered "vintage"? I have no idea. 
 
In Reel It In, teams had to catch two fish of at least a foot apiece. 
 
For completely logical reasons, eight of the nine remaining teams chose to do Rev It Up. Only Team Alabama decided to do Reel It In and that made sense because Chuck fishes. Team Cancer chose Rev, realized Dave couldn't operate the clutch in his boot, spent five minutes at Reel It In and used the Express Pass to move along.
 
Rev It Up offered a couple good visuals of cars swerving side-by-side, but it was a task that only Team Roller Derby accomplished in a single try, but that only Max & Katie required even six attempts at. In the balance, how long did that mean that the task took? We got to see that a few people hadn't known how to drive stick previously, but everybody had at least attempted to learn before going on "The Amazing Race," which is really all I ever ask. Even the people with that minimal modicum of experience did just fine and other than Katie awesomely hectoring Max for being slow, we didn't get much from the task.
 
From there, it was off to a Roadblock that was, to say the least, crazy. One player from each team had to participate in a Shemozzle Race, a weird obstacle that included being covered in molasses, covered in feathers, shooting down a hill on an innertube and splash-landing in a murky pond, all the while clutching eggs. It was terrific. On Twitter, my buddy Linda Holmes of NPR theorized that the Shemozzle Race was a prank Phil Keoghan made up. I countered that the implausibility of the task was a task itself and that the first team to call "shenanigans" on the whole exercise would get an Express Pass. 
 
It looks like the Roadblock as a great time, but we only got hints at variations in aptitude. Connor had to do the Roadblock for Team Cancer for logical reasons and he did each run with five eggs in his hand, while nobody else seemed to do it with more than four. Yay Connor, except that whether you do it with five eggs in your hand or four, you were still doing three runs. 
 
Thanks to the Express Pass, Team Cancer finished the Shemozzle Race before any other team arrived and they were the first team to hit the mat, earning a trip to Bangkok and... the next clue. 
 
Uh-oh. 
 
TO BE CONTINUED...
 
As we ended the episode, Dave & Connor were making pinched faces and wondering if they could, indeed, continue. We can all stop and ponder whether or not it's unfair that they're considering continuing in a Race that they really can't win. I think the big question will be if this turns out to be a Non-Elimination Leg, followed by an elimination at the end of the following Leg. If this is an NEL, then nobody ends up going home because Team Cancer decided not to quit and used the Express Pass. In that case, Dave & Connor get to appear heroic, get to win a trip to Thailand and if they get crushed in the next Leg, they still come out looking OK. I assume that's going to be how things shake out, because "To Be Continued..." Legs are rarely followed by Double-Elimination Legs. 
 
So yeah. Nobody's going home. No exit interview tomorrow.
 
Here are some other thoughts on this Leg...
 
*** I love both Katie's hostility toward Max and how right her hostility seems to be. She did tell him the right turn to take in the car and he did screw it up and look like a fool. And she was better than him at the driving even though she only just learned stick. 
 
*** I remembered that Caroline was related to Daniel Boone, but I'd forgotten that Jennifer is John Wayne's granddaughter. And who didn't love the subtle way that she worked that information into the episode? She looked at a dog on the Shemozzle Race, said that her dog was named Duke and explained who said dog was named after. 
 
*** This has already been a big dog season on "The Amazing Race." We had the stretching/peeing Roadblock dog in the premiere and tonight we got the Shemozzle Race dogs and then Tim the Greeter Dog. Who's a good dog? TIM!
 
*** This was definitely a More Fun For The Players Than The Viewers episode. They got to drive ATVs and powerboats and do the Shemozzle Race. We got to watch Chuck & Wynona fish for a few minutes.
 
*** I might have a few more things to say, but I have to blog about the PaleyFest panel for "Newsroom."
 
What'd you think of this unresolved episode?

Want More...

The Amazing Race?
  • Amazingrace_15_philkeoghan_652_thumbnail
    Check out everything there is including photos, reviews, videos.
Go There ►
Dan-feinberg-sm
Daniel Fienberg
Executive Editor
A long-time member of the TCA Board and a longer-time blogger of "American Idol," Dan Fienberg writes about TV, except for when he writes about movies or sometimes writes about the Red Sox. But never music. He would sound stupid talking about music.
Related Searches: TV, recaps, The Amazing Race, Like James Bond Again, Shemozzle Race

Comments

  • Option 1

    Comment instantly as a guest Guest

  • Option 2

    Connect

  • Option 3

    Login or create a HitFix account Login Signup
  • Default-avatar

    paddlepop

    Auckland

    March 4, 2013 at 12:15AM EST Reply to Comment
    • Gizmo_bigger_talkback_profile

      dan Fixed! Thanks...

      -Daniel

      March 4, 2013 at 12:36AM EST
  • Default-avatar

    Andrew

    These people are incredibly boring through three weeks.

    March 4, 2013 at 12:35AM EST Reply to Comment
  • Default-avatar

    Haynie

    Whether you grabs four eggs or five, you get to 12 in THREE runs. Still love ya, bro.

    March 4, 2013 at 1:05AM EST Reply to Comment
    • Gizmo_bigger_talkback_profile

      dan Haynie - You know what I meant!!! Fixed... Thanks...

      -Daniel

      March 4, 2013 at 2:08AM EST
  • Jeff_avatar_2_talkback_profile

    Mulderism

    I enjoyed it. Pretty scenery and none of the couples are getting on my nerves. I thought some of the couple would have trouble beating the time but they all got through pretty easily. Even Winnie and Pam. They made the race too easy.

    I kind of thought the fishing would have been easier to do then the racing. Anybody can catch a fish. But the Mullet finished the challenge later than the others. Did it take them that long to catch anything? And I thought they just had to catch one fish, not two.

    ----

    I really wish there was a way we could discuss Big Brother Canada. I got no one to discuss it with.

    March 4, 2013 at 1:14AM EST Reply to Comment
    • Gizmo_bigger_talkback_profile

      dan Mulderism - The editing in the fishing sequence was horrible. I *think* that Chuck and Wynona may *both* have caught their fish at the same time and only one was measured? Possibly? It was impossible to tell. And Team Alabama got to the Detour later than the other teams -- because they got on the later powerboat because of the connection screw up -- and that's why they finished later...

      I believe "Survivor" veteran Rob Cesternino is talking about [and enjoying!] BB Canada over on his site... I think... I know he's been podcasting on it.

      -Daniel

      March 4, 2013 at 2:07AM EST
    • Jeff_avatar_2_talkback_profile

      Mulderism Dan Gheesling was invited to Toronto to your around the BB House and he was on the first eviction show for a few minutes.

      The BB Canada house is sweet. And they have 15 people in it! Well, 14 now...

      March 4, 2013 at 4:44AM EST
  • Default-avatar

    chris

    Hi could you explain the title/quote of this episode? I can't remember who or when he-she said it.

    March 4, 2013 at 1:48AM EST Reply to Comment
    • Gizmo_bigger_talkback_profile

      dan Chris - It was either Winnie or Pam as they were driving the speedboat through the gorge leading up to the Detour. I'm not sure it was all that relevant and the "again" part threw me, because I don't remember the first time they said it...

      -Daniel

      March 4, 2013 at 2:05AM EST
    • Default-avatar

      Eric It was actually Meghan from Team YouTube. She and Joey were driving on the boats when she said it almost inaudibly (it was captioned on the screen). I've watched both of them a while before the race, and in one of their recent videos, they said that driving on the jet skis last episode felt like a James Bond movie because of all the helicopters and shenanigans going on off-camera.

      Hope that helps :)

      March 4, 2013 at 2:22AM EST
  • Default-avatar

    Ferdinand

    Having a hard time remembering these people and setting them apart. Big fan of Amazing Race so it's the first time I don't really feel like routing for anybody or at least paying attention to, three weeks in. There's father and son who I saw A LOT today as you said, then...there's that couple of the mullet and the woman who always points out what she can't do on that particular day in her trip around the world, being introduced every time with that "crazy country" ringtone sound in the back. Winnie who? I even remember the twins who left last week only because at the first episode I set my mind to try and differentiate them, unsuccesfully.

    Well, it might be that 22 seasons after, I got really old and grumpy, or, this is a casting choice to forget. Anyway, here's hoping any moment now James & Jaymes reappear and make me laugh.

    March 4, 2013 at 2:04AM EST Reply to Comment
    • Default-avatar

      Robin I don't think it's just you. I feel exactly the same -- I've watched every season (even the dreaded Family Edition!) and I can't remember a more boring cast. Watching the intro credits last night I said to my viewing buddy that I literally could not remember who 90% of these people are, and the only ones I could remember were because they were either twins or had really bad hair.

      Sad.

      March 4, 2013 at 11:28AM EST
    • Default-avatar

      TimTribbett James and Jaymes were very entertaining. Hope we see them again

      March 4, 2013 at 11:44AM EST
  • Default-avatar

    mgrabois

    Apparently the Shemozzle (or more accurately, the Hunterville Huntaway Festival) is a real thing: http://www.shemozzle.co.nz/

    It was held on October 27, 2012, so that gives us a good time frame for when the Racers came through.

    March 4, 2013 at 3:10AM EST Reply to Comment
  • Default-avatar

    MatthewL

    Speaking as a New Zealander, born and bred for 35 years, I've never heard of a Shemozzle Race.
    Now, Mgrabois seems to have found a Shemozzle Race, but that's in Hunterville, which is in the completely wrong island (Hunterville is in the North Island, Christchurch was in the South Island). So they can't even appeal to the "this is something stupid they do in this region" element.

    March 4, 2013 at 5:35AM EST Reply to Comment
  • Default-avatar

    linda

    Hello, the amazing race had a promo stating that after the first leg, 3 couples quit the race. what happened to that statement? thanks for your comments.

    March 4, 2013 at 9:45AM EST Reply to Comment
    • Default-avatar

      Harry That was the three couples who decided to quit the challenge and do the penalty. Off course in the promo's you only saw the "quit" part.

      March 4, 2013 at 10:22AM EST
    • Default-avatar

      Harry That was the three TEAMS who decided to quit the sand castle challenge and do the penalty. Off course in the promo's you only saw the "quit" part.

      March 4, 2013 at 10:23AM EST
  • Default-avatar

    linda

    thanks for the update. the amazing race promo stated 3 couples were going to quit after the first leg... did I miss something? thanks for your comments.

    March 4, 2013 at 9:46AM EST Reply to Comment
  • Default-avatar

    TimTribbett

    Didn't care for the "to be continued" aspect of this episode. Not an overall good episode but geez, New Zealand is pretty. Even the river was bright blue. This and Bora Bora make me want to travel

    March 4, 2013 at 11:40AM EST Reply to Comment
  • Default-avatar

    TimTribbett

    So far I am liking team hockey best . Seem like good guys

    March 4, 2013 at 11:41AM EST Reply to Comment
  • Nyy_bluebg_avatar_talkback_profile

    JC

    Those were some ugly cars. Not sure why they're vintage, but I'm also not sure why one of them (Max/Katie's?) had an Autobot logo on the front :)


    Gotta agree with others, so far, no real standouts personality-wise (other than Dave/Connor, but they won't be in it for long).

    I don't mind two-part episodes as much as NELs. I should've known something was up, since there was no way they were fitting in the roadblock + checkins at the mat with so little time left.

    March 4, 2013 at 12:37PM EST Reply to Comment
  • Default-avatar

    David D.

    I think this is a pretty recent wrinkle, but I don't think they used to give teams that arrived first at the mat in a "here's your next clue, you're still racing" situation a prize. It was more of a shock that they had to keep going.

    March 4, 2013 at 1:52PM EST Reply to Comment
  • Default-avatar

    marpocky

    This review really highlights the idiocy of HitFix's auto-tagging. I mean, /categories/shemozzle-race? Really? And then A(TV)'s. I wish the site would get rid of that distracting, useless "feature."

    March 4, 2013 at 8:52PM EST Reply to Comment
    • Gizmo_bigger_talkback_profile

      dan Marpocky - But when I write about Shemozzle Races NEXT time, it'll be so much easier to find this recap!

      -Daniel

      March 4, 2013 at 9:19PM EST
  • Default-avatar

    Dezbot

    I think my fave part (other than the beautiful scenery) was Winnie & Pam briefly being in first place, after which I remarked to a friend that it wouldn't last long. Cue Winnie & Pam getting lost...again! :-D

    I think Dave & Connor should stick it out just because of teams like Winnie & Pam and the Mullets and their terrible navigation/airport skills.

    March 5, 2013 at 1:47PM EST Reply to Comment

News From Our Partners

Get Instant Alerts on Breaking News

Latest Posts
More Posts
Recent Activity on Facebook
Most Popular on Facebook
Top Stories From Around the Web
About HitFix

HitFix delivers the Movie, Music, TV and Awards and general entertainment news that fans care about most, without the gossip or celebrity scandal. Our nationally-recognized, tastemaker journalists provide the latest breaking news, analysis, reviews, recaps, interviews and exclusives 24 hours a day while our proprietary localized Event Calendar and mobile apps allow consumers to stay up to the minute while managing their entertainment lives. Find out What’s Next In Entertainment with HitFix.

Advertise on HitFix
Subscribe to HitFix

Get the latest headlines & updates in your inbox

Popular Topics

© Copyright HitFix.com. All rights reserved. Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy