Recap: The Amazing Race 22, Episode 6 – “This is like Sesame Street on crack.”

Recap: The Amazing Race 22, Episode 6 – Scorpion King Hunter

The Leg

It’s time to leave Vietnam (probably to the joy of many non-Amazing Race viewers out there).

Teams open their clue telling them only to head to Maun in the Kalahari Desert. They need to figure out that they have to fly to Botswana to be allowed to enter the travel agency where they’ll book tickets out of Hanoi.

Pam & Winnie and Max & Katie both check the internets at a nearby hotel, while Mona & Beth borrow some locals’ cellphone. At the travel agency, Caroline & Jennifer say they’re going to Kenya, but the guard says no.

Max & Katie mouth the correct answer to them and they are let in. They do the same for Bates & Anthony. Chuck & Wynona go through a list of countries before finally getting Botswana.

All teams are on the same flight. At the airport, there’s some friendly confrontation between the U-Turn participants before their attention turns to getting on the first charter flight out of Maun to the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park.

Once in Maun, it’s a mad dash to Mack Air. Lovebirds Caroline & Jennifer and Bates & Anthony get on the 9am flight. Max & Katie and Joey & Meghan are on the 9:15am flight and Mona & Beth, Chuck & Wynona and Pam & Winnie are on the last flight at 9:30am.

The flirty teams continue their flirtations during the breathtaking flight, while Max & Katie wish they could enjoy the flight with any other team but Meghan & Joey. The last flight chuckles at Chuck saying “This where The Lion King was made, right here.”

Once the teams arrive at the Makgadikgadi Pans, they open their first clue telling them to drive down Old Xhumaga Road and follow the marked route to the next clue.

Down the road, they see a big group of locals waiting for them and their next clues stuffed in jars, the Road Block.

In this Road Block, teams will team up with three Bushmen who will show them how to hunt for scorpions by digging in the ground. Once they’ve caught a scorpion and placed it in a jar, the Bushmen will lead them to the next clue.

All the teams catch up as Bates finishes first with Caroline close behind. Teams will invite their three Bushmen into the back of their SUVs and continue down Old Xhumaga Road.

The next cluebox contains the Detour.

In this Detour, teams will learn one of two chores common to the Bushmen’s everyday life.
In Fire, teams will learn how to make fire using two sticks, zebra manure and grass. Once they’ve made fire and lit the pipe of an elder Bushman, they’ll get the next clue.
In Fowl, teams will learn how to set a trap for a Guinea Fowl. After constructing the clever device using sticks and strings, teams will pretend to be a Guinea Fowl and trigger the trap to receive the next clue.

Bates & Anthony and Caroline & Jennifer choose Fire. On the way to their stations, teams will learn different animal calls and signals from the Bushmen, which they must imitate as they go.

Max & Katie, Mona & Beth, and Joey & Meghan also choose Fire as Bates & Anthony finish and walk to the Pit Stop at Meno A Kwena Safari Camp.

Phil officially checks them in as Team #1 and gives them their trip to Phuket, Thailand.

While the Fire teams are struggling, Pam & Winnie and Chuck & Wynona, bringing up the rear, choose Fowl and both of them manage to quickly construct the snare and head off.

Pam & Winnie secure 2nd place while Chuck & Wynona are excited to be 3rd.

The other teams finally decide to switch Detours with Max & Katie the last to do so.

Joey & Meghan take 4th, Caroline & Jennifer finish 5th and Mona & Beth step on the Mat 6th.

That leaves Max & Katie who are last, but thankfully for them, it is a non-elimination Leg.

Episode Thoughts
So first off, while I still don’t think The Amazing Race had anything to apologize for, it is nice that they addressed it. And hopefully, with that, this whole brouhaha will come to a close.

Apparently, this was a Route Marker at the Hair of the Dog Bar in Hanoi according to CBS press photos:

But it was probably edited out, the less Vietnam, the better I guess. Which is a shame. TAR hasn’t gone to bars or clubs much, but when they have, they’ve been pretty fun. (“A prostitute would know where the disco is!” – Mirna, TAR5)

I do hope that this whole controversy doesn’t change the way TAR chooses locations, in that, I hope they don’t shy away from possibly difficult places. I think we need to be exposed to good and bad, easy and difficult places. That’s what The Amazing Race is about. Showing us places, people and cultures we would never see otherwise.

Anyway… this was a good episode to follow last week’s good episode. The Road Block started out fun, but kinda dragged a little. The saving grace of it being the awesome Bushmen. The Detour was great though and it was awesome to see Pam & Winnie and Chuck & Wynona pass everyone else by choosing the Detour I would’ve thought was the harder one too.

I do wish they did a little more other than the Road Block and Detour, but hopefully they make up for it next week. The animal calls was fun though. And African Legs have usually been visually stunning and culturally awesome. This was no different.

And next week… DONKEYS!!!!!!! Yay!

PIT START
National Museum of Vietnamese History
Hanoi, Vietnam

CONNECTIONS
Hong Kong
Johannesburg, South Africa

DESTINATION CITY
Muan, Botswana

ROUTE MARKER
Mack Air
Muan

Xhumaga Airstrip Lounge
Hanoi

ROAD BLOCK
Old Xhumaga Road
Makgadikgadi Pans National Park

DETOUR
Old Xhumaga Road
Makgadikgadi Pans National Park

PIT STOP
Meno A Kwena Safari Camp
Botswana

&nbsp

DEPARTURE
National Museum of Vietnamese History
Hanoi, Vietnam

Pam & Winnie 10:40pm
Max & Katie 11:34pm
Mona & Beth 11:37pm
Bates & Anthony 11:39pm
Caroline & Jennifer 11:46pm
Joey & Meghan 12:47pm
Chuck & Wynona 3:26am

FIRE	FOWL > > > >
In order of completion > or < indicates team switched Detours.

Who did the Road Block?
Who wants to make a new friend?
In order of completion; Italics indicate who did the Road Block

4 Bates Anthony 3
4 Caroline Jennifer 3
4 Mona Beth 3
4 Max Katie 3
4 Joey Meghan 3
4 Pamela Winnie 3
5 Chuck Wynona 2

1 Dave Connor 4
2 Jessica John 3
1 Idries Jamil 2
1 Mattthew Daniel 1

PIT STOP
Meno A Kwena Safari Camp
Botswana

1st Bates & Anthony +3
2nd Pam & Winnie -1
3rd Chuck & Wynona +4
4th Joey & Meghan +2
5th Caroline & Jennifer =
6th Mona & Beth -3
7th Max & Katie -5

	Pamela & Winnie – Oh man, I was definitely worried for them. Not only did they end up on the last flight, but they had to drive themselves. As they’ve shown in recent Legs, they aren’t so great with directions and self-driving. But they made the smart decision at the Detour and thank goodness. So they managed to pick themselves up when they were in danger. That should bode well. I hope.
	Max & Katie – Max was treading into John territory a little with his slight stubbornness at the Detour. And it would’ve almost been too late if it wasn’t a non-elimination Leg. Otherwise, it was an okay Leg for them. I’ll give Katie a pass with her “stink” comments. Definitely not as offensive as Kendra’s “breeding” comments. (Now talk about offensive!) I still think they’re Racing much better now than in the beginning though.
	Chuck & Wynona – They were getting a great edit at the beginning of the episode so them finishing 3rd was not a surprise. And it was great to see them do well. I’d love to see them Racing on an equal playing field without the plane times. They might just be able to hang around the other teams. Also great to see Wynona do well with the Road Block. And nice to see the Road Block rule is still in place.
	Bates & Anthony – They’re quietly solidifying their spot in the Race. They’ve been trailing the last few Legs, but it doesn’t take much for them to get right back in it. I think they’re the kind of team that will only get eliminated if they make a huge mistake. And that’s not impossible. But they’re doing very well.
	Mona & Beth – A quiet Leg from them. Okay, Race-wise. And nothing much on the drama side of things. It looks like Joey & Meghan are taking the brunt of the heat from the other teams. Which could actually bode well for Mona & Beth, allowing them to just sneak right past everyone else.
	Caroline & Jennifer – An equally quiet Leg from them. They’re doing okay Race-wise too. Their flirtations with Bates & Anthony are meh. (Definitely no Zach-Flo-Drew drama-level stuff.) But also nothing to really say they are easy fodder to be the next ones out. A sleeper team maybe.
GAP
	Joey & Meghan – Please be eliminated next. Thanks.