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by Raul Burriel Published: April 21, 2006
Departures Having earned the Fast Forward last episode, consistent front runners Eric and Jeremy (heretofore known as the Fratboys) depart at 11:54 p.m. Their next destination is Muscat, Oman but first they have to drop by the nearby visitor's center where they're first to sign up for Bus #1 which doesn't leave until 9 a.m. There goes that lead. Couple Monica and Joseph (Team Mojo, departing at 4:31 a.m.), long-distance daters Ray and Yolanda (departing at 4:41 a.m.) and grandparents Fran and Barry (departing at 6:20 a.m.) all make it onto Bus #1. BJ and Tyler leave the Pit Stop at 8:51 a.m. There's enough space on the bus for the Hippies but they don't get to the visitor's center in time. They get to ride Bus #2 all alone, departing at 10 a.m. The Airport Fran and Barry are first to find a flight to Oman. They choose to keep their discovery quiet, but that rarely works on The Amazing Race. Soon, everyone's sniffing around the same flight. BJ and Tyler, who so far have been the model of casual composure, begin to show the stress of being in last place when they reach the airport. Although most other teams are still trying to book flights when the Hippies arrive at the airport, BJ and Tyler show their frustration by being short with them. In the end, Fran and Barry, Team Mojo, the Fratboys and Ray and Yolanda are all on the same flight to Oman. BJ and Tyler score a flight that arrives an hour after the others. Oman Once in Oman, the teams must find their cars in the airport parking lot and then drive into Muscat where they will find their next clue next to a giant insense burner in a local park. The fratboys comment on how clean Oman is. Ray observes that the writing is all squiggly. It's the middle of the night and the park doesn't open until six o'clock. This gives all the teams plenty of time to catch up to each other, including the Hippies. Come sunrise, the teams all race to get their next clue. Instructions tell them to make their way to the fishing town of Sur. The trip will take the teams through the desert and across a couple of swollen rivers. At the first crossing, a little man very much resembling Ben Kingsley in "Gandhi" leads the team across the river. The second crossing seems more treacherous but there's no guide this time. The Hippies dare the Fratboys to gun it into the water. Who are the Fratboys to refuse? Team Mojo, Fran and Barry and the Hippies follow close behind (having caught up seems to have agreed with the Hippies - they're having a great time!) Ray and Yolanda seem to have gotten lost. Detour Once in Sur, the teams must make their way to the waterfront at Baith Al Battha where they must choose between two tasks. Team Mojo arrives first, followed by Fran and Barry and the Hippies. Somehow, the Fratboys have fallen behind. In "Camel", the teams must load a camel into the back of a pick-up truck and then deliver it a short distance away. In "Watchtower", the teams must boat out to a number of watchtowers around the harbor in search of a a finite number of message boxes (not all watchtowers will have a message box.) Once they find one, they can return to their vehicle and drive into town to deliver the message to a local merchant. All three teams initially choose "Watchtower". Fran and Barry and the Hippies choose the same watchtower. The younger of the two teams, the Hippies make it up the hill into the watchtower quicker than Fran and Barry and immediately find a message box. Fran and Barry follow them inside and find a second message box. Team Mojo, though, are frustrated by their choice of watchtower. Unable to find a message box, they throw in the towel and decide to do "Camel" instead. But by this point, the Fratboys have already arrived and loaded their camel with the the pulley system provided. Now it's the turn of Team Mojo, who have just as easy a time with the camel. But the Hippies and Fran and Barry are well in the lead, having made their way into town to find a local silversmith. The Hippies even take an extra few minutes to converse with the silversmith who gives them their next clue. Despite their appearance and nonchalant demeanor, the Hippies are clearly the best travellers of the group, being polite to all persons they meet on the way and taking the time to at least learn how to say "thank you" in all the local languages. The next clue instructs the teams to make their way into the desert to the town of Al Hawiyah. Back in Sur, the Fratboys get lost trying to deliver their camel the short distance to its destination. This gives Team Mojo the opportunity to catch up and pass them. The Fratboys finally recover from their mistep and deliver their cranky camel. All four teams are now on their way to Al Hawiyah with Ray and Yolanda only now arriving in Sur. The last team chooses the deliver a camel, which proves to be the quicker of the two tasks (that is, assuming they don't get lost like the Fratboys did.) Roadblock At Al Hawiyah the teams encounter a roadblock, a task which only one person in each team can perform. Here, the teams are asked who is willing to dig for their food? The task requires a team member to dig through 117 sand mounds (with a small gardening spade) to find one of only six buried shuwas, a traditional Omani dish consisting of lamb steamed in an underground oven. Neck-and-neck, Fran and Barry and the Hippies arrive together. With no idea just how deep they have to dig, the teams get to work. Barry and BJ go out to dig. They are soon joined by Monica of Team Mojo and then the Fratboys. Barry is first to find his shuwa but he has trouble pulling it out from the pit. It's hard work digging in the midday Arabian sun. It's hot out there. Hot enough to cook lamb! Monica is next to find a pit. Having less trouble, she pulls out the shuwa and Team Mojo is first to leave, having received their next clue. Barry finally pulls out his shuwa and Fran and Barry are on their way. The clue instructs teams to drive to the Pit Stop 150 miles away at Jabreen Castle. Under the oppressive sun and heat, BJ begins to slow down. Tyler does his best to shout encouragement but it only seems to be aggravating BJ. In the meantime, Eric finds his shuwa and the Fratboys join the two other teams on their way to the Pit Stop. Jeremy shouts optimistically that they could still make it to second or first if they hurry. No such luck for BJ and Tyler. Ray and Yolanda arrive at the Roadblock and in no time at all, Yolanda finds her shuwa. BJ continues to stagger from mound to mound then we learn from Tyler that his partner has been digging out in the sun for an hour and a quarter (man, BJ looks like he's been out there six or seven hours!) BJ finally finds a shuwa and the race to the Pit Stop is on. Pit Stop The Fratboys are determined to finish in the lead and decide to take a short cut. Fran and Barry, Team Mojo, and Ray and Yolanda, on the other hand, stay on the main road to their destination. Needless to say, the short cut is a mistake. As the sun sets, the Fratboys get lost. How lost, though, is another question. To everyone's shock, Fran and Barry are first to reach the Pit Stop. First place in this leg of the race earns them a free trip to Rome courtesy of Travelocity. Next to arrive are Team Mojo, then Ray and Yolanda. It comes down to the Fratboys and the Hippies, both teams early front runners in this race. The Fratboys give up on their short cut and return to the main road. But have they lost enough time to put the Hippies ahead of them? No, apparently not. The Fratboys arrive in fourth place. The Hippies are last to arrive. Fortunately, this is the first non-elimination round in the race. The Hippies must give up all their possessions except for the clothes on their backs and their passports. They must also surrender all their money and will not receive any money at the beginning of the next leg. Judging from their limited wardrobe, the Hippies won't be missing anything by giving up their possessions. And, judging from this leg of the race, a lack of money won't hurt them. There was not a point this entire leg when the teams were required to pay anyone anything (not even any taxis.) So long as they're in Oman, I doubt the Hippies will need cash, and by the time they reach their next destination, I'm sure they'll have been able to convince some people to part with a few dollars. With only five teams remaining, and one non-elimination round gone, our former front runners are now picking up the rear. Can we expect a reversal next round, or will the underdogs continue to persevere? |
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