THE AMAZING RACE: “Put your boobs on the ground and drag ’em over here”

“The War is Over. Is the war over because of this message or because it took us so long to get here?”

Having missed last week’s episode of THE AMAZING RACE, I more than ready to watch the remaining teams race to the finish line tonight. After learning that my favorite team, Jeff & Jordan, were spared due to a non-elimination leg, I was a bit nervous. Could they rebound? Would they live to race another week?  If not, how what reality show would cast Jeff next? I’m not ready for him to be out of my life…or at least off my TV.

Tonight the remaining teams raced through France in a series of old world challenges.  The first order of business was breakfast.  Tasked with finding a specific bakery, the teams had to ask the baker for a baguette and then had to figure out that the clue was baked inside.  (I’m craving a french baguette right now, btw.) An easy task to start off the day, only Jeff seemed to be a little tripped up as to how to find their clue.  That minor snafu really set the tone for the rest of the leg.

In the Detour, the teams had to visit a French/German war reenactment site and choose between tasks that asked them to find a clue via Morse code or get it by going in the trenches.  The first task took patience and concentration, not easy while in the middle of a chaotic war setting.  The second task was equally daunting as it required the teams to travel 100 yards under barbwire to retrieve their clue, and then back the same 100 yards. Talk about a no win situation.

First place finishers last week, Louie & Mike continued to dominate this leg of the race. With Michael’s encouragement, he and Louie went into the trenches first and came out still in the lead. Physically exhausted, Louie relied on his teammate to keep him motivated throughout the leg.  Despite a bum knee, Heidi & Joe also opted for the trenches.  As did all the teams tonight.  Unfortunately, Heidi & Joe got the full Detour experience when they were U-Turned by Louie & Michael.  That meant that despite having crawled in the trenches, the twosome had to then go back and complete the Morse code task before moving on to the next leg of the race.

You never can tell with the editing, but it seemed that the teams were mostly in the same pack for this leg of the race.  Jeff and Jordan, who had a speed bump to complete in addition to all the other tasks, were the only ones lagging behind the entire time.  The added pressure didn’t help their already stressful situation and the two made a series of small mistakes along the way.

The Speed Bump required Jeff & Jordan to reinforce a section of the trench.  When completed to the liking of the soldiers, they were permitted to move on to the Detour. As with most speed bumps, the task was relatively easy and the two finished it with ease.

After leaving the war reenactment, it was time to reenact another famous French event – the Tour de France.  Teams were dressed in old fashioned biking outfits, no yellow shirts or ‘Live Strong’ wrist bands for these racers.  The teams had to bike their way to Phil who was waiting at the Pit Stop for this leg.

Louie & Michael finished first again this leg.  Steve & Allie came in second again.  Jet & Cord took third place. Brothers Jordan & Dan took fourth.  Carol & Brandy took the fifth place in this leg of the race.

Brent & Caite biked their way into sixth place, but once again they were given the Heisman by Phil. Seems Brent & Caite forgot to pick up one of the clues before moving on.  They were required to go back and get it before they were allowed to check in. Despite their hiccup, they still finished in sixth place.

Meanwhile, both Joe & Heidi and Jeff & Jordan felt better when they saw each other.  Both teams figured that the presence of the other team meant they were still in it.  Heidi & Joe continued on with their Morse code while Jeff & Jordan took to the ground and under the barbwire. A frustrated Jeff was not happy with how slow Jordan was on the ground, leading to my favorite Jeff’ism of the night – “Put your boobs on the ground and drag ’em over here.” Classic Jeff! Despite Jordo’s lack of physical prowess, the two finished the task with relative ease.

In a turn of events which both surprised and delighted me, Jeff and Jordan took to their bikes and arrived at the mat in seventh place.  Unable to finish the task, Phil met Heidi & Joe in the trenches and informed them they would be eliminated.

Another close call for Jeff & Jordan.  Time to step it up Team Big Brother.  A special thanks to Louie & Michael for keeping my team around another leg.

Tonight’s episode was on par with the rest of this season, and that’s not necessarily a good thing. Does anyone else feel that maybe the producers are a little burnt out? I’m getting more interesting challenges from SURVIVOR these days.  Maybe I’m a little old school, but I want each leg to really push the contestants. Relatively easy legs like this one used to be the exception, and now their common place.  How about a little excitement next week? THE AMAZING RACE is a staple of my Sunday night TV lineup, but I’d like them to earn it a bit more.

Thoughts on tonight’s leg?  Did Michael & Louie make the right move U-Turning Heidi & Joe? Should have they used it on another team? How did your favorite teams do tonight?