Let’s get to it! In the second leg of the race, teams must make their way to the Chen Clan Academy where their foreheads will be stamped with the location of their next clue. The Cowboys get to start first, they are undecided on how to use the second ExpressPass, by the way; a local tells them that the Academy is a long way and they decide to walk! We’ll see how that pans out because Brenchel is not far behind them, in the bushes – Rachel really likes to be in the bushes on these reality shows, doesn’t she? (That’s Eric’s joke, I really have to give him some credit for that one – you should follow him @RealityRecaps to read his live tweets during broadcasts). They also ask a local for directions; they decide to take the Metro.
Luke and Margie are next out of the gates, followed by Dave and Conner – and from now on, when these teams are together I’m calling them the Brady Bunch. It’s actually a really good alliance since both are parent/child teams, they are both in cozy spots in the middle and if they help each other, they stand a really good chance of making it into the finals. I haven’t seen as many races as I have seasons of Survivor and Big Brother, but at this point in the Amazing Race I think alliances are really important to finding locations and quick travel methods. Quick travel methods are something the Cowboys need some help with on this leg… The Afganimals and Mark and Mallory leave together with Flight Time and Big Easy on their tails; Joey and Meghan and John and Jessica are the last to leave nearly an hour after the Cowboys began their walk to the Academy. Finally, though, the Blondes! And finally, the Cowboys decide to find the Metro or a Taxi. Finally.
At the ChenClanAcademy, the teams must watch a demonstration before their heads are stamped. Brenchel arrives first, obvi! Everyone catches up to them though so the race continues in full force to the next destination, the Edaytown Mall. And it seems that Dave and Conner have arrived first at the Road Block! Each team must now build a motorized toy car and have the construction approved by the “Toy Soldier” to receive their next clue. This place is full of kids and the construction zone is located in an area where kids can race similar cars around a track and guess what! The instructions are in Chinese! Dave and Margie pick up tools for the Brady Bunch and struggling with the build when the Afganimals and Brenchel arrive, followed by Mark and Mallory. Soon enough, everyone is at the mall, except the Cowboys and the Blondes. They are still looking for the ChenClanAcademy; the Blondes find it first putting the Cowboys into last place!
In the mall, Flight Time is having some trouble with one of the little girls hanging out in the race track area, but Mark is breezing right through this Road Block, finishing before everyone else putting him and Mallory in first place – Just as the Cowboys have started working on their car, (the Blondes have yet to arrive, though). Clue in hand, Mark and Mallory must now load up their toy car in a taxi and head to the Guangzhou Children’s CulturalCenter and Mark even tells Mallory not to forget his backpack, but she DOES! Pretty soon the Cowboys have caught up and after they arrive, somehow the Blondes talk the boys into giving them the second ExpressPass! I thought they weren’t going to flirt with anyone this race! The girls use the ExpressPass immediately because they fear they will not be able to put the car together. Everyone still at the mall is super annoyed about it too. When Mark and Mallory finally arrive at the next location, they finally realize that they don’t have Mark’s bag and he immediately wants to go back to retrieve it, even though Mallory has all of his medication and his passport!
For the record, I get why Mark wanted to go back for his bag; I don’t have a lot of money, my things are my things and I want my things if I’m far away from home, but duuude! It’s a race for a million dollars! You can buy new things! No one in the game was going to let you go without clean clothes to wear and let’s just jump ahead to the consequences of Mark’s actions because I really would like to get this posted before the next episode. If Mark hadn’t been so adamant about getting his bag, he and Mallory would still be in the race! Nothing else that happens in this episode matters, but I’ll still give you the run down of who placed where in this leg.
For the first time ever, Brenchel has finished a leg first in the Amazing Race! Margie and Luke arrive with Brenchel, snagging spot number two and the Express Pass-using Blondes hit the mat in third place before either team have left the area. Dave and Conner join the party in fourth place followed by Flight Time and Big Easy in fifth. Phil was a little confused! First time I’ve ever seen Phil confused and look at the team running up to the mat now! It’s the Cowboys! Then the Afganimals – so many teams at the Pit Stop together. Jessica and John and Joe and Meghan arrive at Pit Stop after everyone else has gone away, they take the last two spots because Mallory left Mark’s bag behind at the first Road Block and Mark wouldn’t continue without out!!! The next morning is going to be very interesting, though, with so many teams arriving at the Pit Stop together…
The Amazing Race airs on CBS on Sundays at 8pm Easter, 7pm Central. Don’t forget to tune into the Your Reality Recaps live recap shows, (or watch both the edited and non-edited versions later), and be sure to visit the YouTube channel! Don’t forget to “Like” and Subscribe. And if you like what you see, help Eric bring you even more Reality TV awesomeness by supporting the Kickstarter! Is that good, Eric? ; )
