Episode Summaries
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Grooch

Tuesday, March 12, 2002 - 10:27 am EditMoveDeleteIP
The Race Begins

THE AMAZING RACE began in an isolated desert valley near the tiny town of Pahrump, Nevada. Helicopters transported the eleven two-person Teams to this desolate starting line. Not only did the Teams have no idea where they were headed, but they also had no clue where they had landed. They only knew that the clue to their next destination was sealed in an envelope waiting on top of their backpacks.

Host Phil Keoghan signaled the start of the race and the Teams rushed to their backpacks. Chris & Alex, lifelong friends from Boston, were the first to grab the clue envelope. They ripped it open to discover they were to find the "Big Man" in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
( Shola & Doyin wonder how they'll get out of the desert) To get there, they would have to catch one of three flights from McCarran airport in Las Vegas. Available seating on each plane, however, was limited. Seven of the Teams would make the American Airlines flight, scheduled to leave first; the remaining four Teams would have to take a later flight.

The initial challenge for the competitors was to find their way out of the desert. Each Team selected a waiting Ford Explorer and drove off across the sandy plain in search of race flags guiding them to a paved road. As they drove through the dusty desert, Tara checked the flight schedules and informed her teammate Wil, "The second one leaves two hours later, so we need to get on the first plane!"

Chris & Alex were among the first to spot the flags, followed closely by siblings Blake & Paige. "Let the games begin!" Blake noted as they made their way onto an unfamiliar two-lane highway.

"Excuse me, do you know how to get to Vegas?" Alex asked at a gas station. While he was getting directions, mother and daughter Deidre & Hillary and Peggy & Claire, the "Gutsy Grannies," observed them from their vehicles, and eventually followed them onto the road into Las Vegas.


Kissing the Fat Tree
There are two types of boats that take passengers from the mainland to Paqueta Island: a speedy hydrofoil and a slower moving ferry. Cyndi & Russell, who had found the faster boat, were the first to arrive on the quaint island. They began to ask if anyone knew who Fat Maria was. "I think it's a tree," a local girl offered. She then agreed to be their guide. They walked down the path until Russell noted, "Oh, there's a fat tree!" "This better be right," he quipped as he bent over to kiss the tree.

A group of local musicians handed Cyndi & Russell their next clue envelope, which directed them to make a boat reservation at Ilha Tours. The reservations were first come, first serve, and the boats would depart the following morning, leaving every 45 minutes. The first-place Team headed off to find Ilha Tour's office just as the next set of Teams arrived on the slower ferry. Several of the Teams hired horse-drawn carriages to guide them to the tree. "Hurry, hurry! It's a race!" Peach shouted to the driver, just before they raced down the path to kiss the tree. ( Mary & Peach eating at Paqueta) ( Mary & Peach discuss spending the night on the island )

Cyndi & Russell were the first to sign in at Ilha Tours. Tara soon found her way to the counter, but left to find Wil, who had strayed off in the wrong direction. Blake and Paige and Shola and Doyin arrived just before Tara found Wil and led him back to the ticket counter. Wil demanded that the other Teams recognize his and Tara's priority in line, but they were refused. A bitter argument ensued between Wil and Blake, who claimed that Wil and Tara had been absent at the counter when he and Paige arrived.

Sulking off, Wil remarked about Blake, "I was ready to whack the guy." Tara noted about the two competitors, "There's gonna be competition between Blake and Wil, mano-a-mano."

Eventually, all the Teams arrived at Paqueta Island and signed in at Isla Tours. Then, they settled in for the night. Some Teams booked cheap hotel rooms; others camped out on the beach.

"Where is Everybody?"
The next morning, the Teams rose and prepared to board the boats back to Rio. The first charter carried Cyndi & Russell, Shola & Doyin, and Blake & Paige.

The first challenge of the day involved locating the clue box at the second level of Sugar Loaf Mountain. The three lead Teams arrived at the base of the mountain and took the same gondola up. They searched around until they found the clue box. Inside their envelopes they discovered a Detour. A Detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. Teams had to complete one of the Detour options before continuing on. In this instance, the Detour involved choosing between "Mountain" and "Beach." "Mountain" involved a quick but frightening 590-foot rappel down the sheer face of Sugar Loaf. "Beach" involved going back down the mountain in the gondola and finding transportation to Ipanema Beach. Once there, Teams would have to find the woman who inspired the song "Girl from Ipanema," with only a photograph to help them.

The entire first group decided to take the "Mountain" Detour choice. "Oh, my holy God," Doyin groaned as he strained to avert his eyes from the view below. The competitors each worked their way down. Doyin later reflected on the experience, "My strategy was not to look down. If I looked down, I'd be finished. Absolutely finished. So I just rappelled, staring right at the rock in front of me, just kept talking to myself. Psyching myself up."

Blake & Paige made it down first and cracked open the next clue envelope. This clue inside directed them to the first Pit Stop, located at a yacht named "Tocorime." The Teams were to find their way to nearby Urca Beach, then get a boat to take them to the yacht. The last Team to check in on the yacht would be eliminated.

Meanwhile, on Sugar Loaf, the next set of Teams was arriving at the Detour clue box. ( Chris & Alex talk strategy) One by one, they all chose the rappel option. The last Team to arrive, Peggy & Claire, decided to look for the "Girl from Ipanema." Peggy explained that they took one look at the mountain and quickly decided to perform the second option, whatever it was. They returned to the base of the mountain, hopped in a taxi, and headed on to Ipanema Beach.

Teams began making their way down the rappel, then began their search for boats to transport them across the bay to the yacht. Blake & Paige were having difficulty finding transportation. Tara & Wil, however, quickly found a boat that would escort them. Cyndi & Russell and Shola & Doyin pooled their money and shared a boat ride. Other Teams began bartering for lifts.

"Where is everybody?" Wil wanted to know as their tiny boat pulled up to the yacht. He and Tara hopped aboard and walked across the deck to the check-in mat. Once there, host Phil Keoghan informed the separated couple that they were the first to arrive. Stunned and happy, they couldn't believe they were in first. One by one, Teams began to check in behind them.

The First Elimination
As Deidre struggled to make it down Sugar Loaf mountain, the Gutsy Grannies arrived at Ipanema Beach. They hopped out of their taxi and strode onto the sand. "It's the Girl from Ipanema!" they shouted when they finally spotted her, reclining on a beach chair. She handed over the race envelope and Peggy & Claire headed toward the Pit Stop.

Once Deidre & Hillary made it down the rappel, they rushed off to find a boat to take them to the Tocorime Pit Stop. It would be a tight race to the finish. Both Teams found boats and headed across the bay. Peggy & Claire arrived first. They climbed aboard the dock, and walked toward the check-in mat, certain they were about to be eliminated. A few seconds later, they were shouting and jumping for joy after being informed they were still in the race.

Several moments later, Deidre & Hillary arrived and were told they were the last Team to check in. The mother-and-daughter Team hugged each other. Upbeat, Hillary consoled her mom, "Thanks so much. Mom, you did a great job. You did a great job."

Reflecting on the experience, Deidre said, "It may not be so apparent now, but we definitely will both learn from this experience. We were tested; she cheered me on a lot of the way. You know, I cheered her on. We definitely shared something that is so positive."

Hillary added, "I didn't grow up with my Mom. In fact, me and my Mom are just reuniting after a really, really long time. So, I think this trip is definitely going to change me and my Mom's relationship, just in the fact that we came this far. And we're each other's biggest fan, and I'm going to be more of her biggest fan and, hopefully, she'll do the same with me. So, it was great, it was amazing."

On the next leg of THE AMAZING RACE:
When a bus breaks down in the middle of nowhere, Teams will have to roll up their sleeves to save themselves from elimination.
A Team has to overcome a huge fear to leap off a cliff.
An alliance is formed, but what happens when both nerves and car engines get frayed?