The Amazing Race: We've Really Burned Bridges, for Sure

(S12E05) I can't help but wonder if the production staff has changed a bit for this season of The Amazing Race. The challenges seem more all-ages oriented, perhaps a bit less exciting and adrenalin-pumping when compared to some past seasons.

But I think it makes things more interesting from a cultural point of view. I've mentioned before that one reason I enjoy the show so much is due to the fact I can take a peek into other countries I might never be able to visit.

Nothing against bungee-jumping, but if you've jumped a bungee once, why do it twice? Or every season? Fresh and different is a good thing, I say.

The teams left the African continent this week after, what was it, three weeks in the same country? Maybe it was just two weeks. I'm not upset that we got an extended look of that area of the world -- the local people seemed truly welcoming and interesting. But it is a race around the world. Dilly-dallying in one spot too long isn't the way of a race, right?

And, of course, last week the blondes -- Shana and Jennifer -- alienated most of the other teams by using the U-Turn against Lorena and Jason. The latter team was eliminated. In comments from last week's episode, I noticed they had some support in using the U-Turn although I thought the animosity from the other teams who deliberately passed by the U-Turn without using it would work against them. It did tonight as even mellow TK made some comments.

I also think the decision was eating at Jennifer. It certainly caused a falling out betwixt the blondes. They don't need to worry about other teams. An imploding team isn't too cool on The Amazing Race. If you don't work together as a team (or don't have a Zack to carry a Flo through), you don't make it to the final Pit Stop.

The teams had to fly to Vilnius, Lithuania, this week. Ah, flights! Although there was a stipulation that the flight tickets had to be bought through the ticket office, teams gathered around an internet cafe to find the quickest flights before the office opened. Or, as Donald, the grandfather, called it -- an internet buffet. Tasty!

Even though Ronald is trying so hard to not be as controlling, some of his Ron-isms showed through once again tonight. But he made me laugh and even got them an earlier flight when he complained to Christina that the clerk had a "fossilization of carriers" and wasn't looking beyond a certain carrier. He was indeed right. But I don't think that phrase would come to the mind of most folks. In his own loquacious way, he's a rather neat guy.

In the end, all the teams arrived within minutes of each other on three different flights. Not too bad considering that flights between Ouagadougou and Vilnius aren't quite as easy as hopping a flight to New York or Paris.

Once in Vilnius, the teams had to find their clue at the Church of St. Anne. Huh. When I looked up the church, I see its architecture is listed as "Flamboyant Gothic." Would that be Kynt? Oh, wait. He's flamboyant goth. Never mind. It's a rather famous church, but apparently the streets in the city are more like a labyrinth than any sort of understandable grid. Teams got lost and those lost teams snapped at each other. Christina was smart enough to get a taxi to lead her and her father.

I laughed out loud when Ron decided he would do the Roadblock. "Are you a good listener?" No, but his hernia dictates he try the easier Roadblocks, I guess. This one was very different. The one member of each team undertaking it had to go to a destination, find a particular person by name, get sent to another person at another destination, and eventually receive the clue to move on after four different destinations. I thought the locals were kind of neat. I'd sort of hate to see the folks who would do that sort of thing in New Jersey. "Yo, go to Doobie's, dat way."

Kynt and TK were smart enough to hook up with locals who led them through to each destination. Poor Nicolas was lost and stranded forever, or so it seemed. Jennifer of Nathan and Jennifer got a bit frantic.

Once they got that clue, they had to head to a Lithuanian museum to get the next one. There, as if there isn't enough product placement for Travelocity with the trips often awarded for first place finishes on legs, there were gnomes all over.

I personally refuse to play into the commercial aspect and will post only a picture of one of the generic gnomes, not the Roaming Gnome. But the teams had to find a Roaming Gnome amongst 100 gnomes all over the place. Like with the chickens, they had to bring the gnome to the Pit Stop at the end of the leg.

"It's easier than the chicken," said Kynt.

Then it was a Detour up for the teams next. Now, this one was great. Both choices of the Detour were in the same location -- a midsummer festival of music, dance, costumed characters and more.

The teams could either Count Down or Step Up. Whichever task they chose to complete, they had hecklers trying to set them back. Oh, some weren't really hecklers, per se. Some were just singing folk songs of the area. Others were merely dancing.

But some were out to ruin the teams. In Step Up, teams had to walk on stilts a certain distance to a finish line. If they fell, they had to go back to the start and try all over again. They were danced at by folks like this guy in case the stilts themselves weren't hard enough to handle.

In Count Down, the same characters plus children, taunted teams who chose to count the fence pickets surrounding a small building. That would seem an easy task, but it was hard for the teams to concentrate. Kynt and Vyxsin did well at that one after giving up the stilts. Ron and Christina stuck with the stilts even after Ron had a bad spill.

Nathan and Jennifer and Jennifer and Shana argued through the entire Detour. As far as I'm concerned, both teams can go home. Really. All of the other teams seem to be working hard at working as a team despite any differences they might have. Jennifer and Nathan only seem to love each other when they're doing well and treat each other poorly when they're not. Jennifer and Shana seem to have fallen totally apart, plus I'm still thinking of their nasty comments on the train a few episodes back.

The promos for this week's show kept saying "be careful what you wish for." Uh-oh. I was wishing that one of the teams with a Jennifer in it would go home tonight. Either one, I'm not picky. Would my karma run over their dogma? Would their own karma do themselves in?

The Pit Stop order at the Aukstaitija Windmill went down like this:
1. TK and Rachel -- They won a trip to Japan.
2. Kynt and Vyxsin
3. Ronald and Christina
4. Azaria and Hendekea
5. Nathan and Jennifer (Grr.)
6. Donald and Nicolas
7. Shana and Jennifer

So, it was indeed karma biting another team on the butt. Shana and Jennifer were Philiminated. True, it could be argued that using the U-Turn was a strategic move. But they had a solid lead in front of two teams when Shana hastily decided for the both of them that they would use it. What comes around, goes around. I can only think Jason and Lorena felt vindicated when the blondes were the next team out of the race.

Although I wasn't all that keen on the last blonde beauty team, I think Dustin and Kandice had it all over these two. Shana and Jennifer just came across as spoiled gals to me. Oh, it's too bad they couldn't have their daily facials and personal trainers along for the race, eh?

Now if the other Jennifer would go next week. But I'm increasingly worried about either Nicolas and Donald or Christina and Ronald going. With the former team, Donald is sort of befuddled and out of shape and his grandson Nicolas is simply befuddled a lot. With Ronald and Christina, that hernia of Ronald's sounds like a serious issue. I'm worried.

Ah, but as long as my goths keep placing or showing!