Amazing Race, Episode 1

"The Kindness of Strangers"

The teams:

Andy & Tommy - Olympic Snowboarders "Boarders"

Ethan & Jenna - Former winners of Survivor "Survivors"

Lawrence and Zach - Father and son.  Son set a world record for youngest kid to sail around the world. "Sailors"

Ernie & Cindy - Recently engaged from Chicago.  "Engaged"

Justin & Jennifer - Brother and sister.  "Sibs"

Bill & Kathy - Married 40 years and grandparents.  "Grandparents"

Liz & Marie - Twins.  That nickname wrote itself. "Twins"

Jeremy & Sandy - Dating from San Francisco.  "Team SF"

Ron & Bill - Domestic partners and flight attendants. "Gays"

Amani & Marcus - Married for 10 years.  He's a retired footballer (Colts). "Colts"

Kaylani & Lisa - Former showgirls from Las Vegas. "Lolas"

Ok, I think we're good on the nicknames.   They may change as the game progresses, but for now...this is it.

The first challenge is a word challenge.  Basically they need to unscramble the letters they find on umbrellas and combine them with 6 letters above the umbrellas (WANPEI) to determine where they are headed for their first destination.

The Boarders and Colts get the letters first and receive keys to Ford Explorers. Once in their cars, a video message from Phil tells them they are heading to Taipei Taiwan.  WOOT! Wow.  Amazing Race is so high tech this season.

Twins and Survivors are the next two teams headed to the airport.  Team SF and Engaged follow.  The Gays and Grandparents are next.  Sailors and Sibs are the last two teams.  The Showgirls are the very last team and they receive the "Hazard Penalty" which is an added task they will need to complete.  Oops.  One of them drops a passport out of the car and they drive off.  Yikes.

Everyone gets tickets.  The Showgirls are fighting because Kaylani can't find her passport.  They went back to the gas station but no one turned in a passport.  So, they're screwed and Lisa is PISSED.

Two random guys who were at the gas station found the passport and brought it to LAX!!! Rad.

Everyone lands in Taipei, Taiwan.  The Colts, Boarders, Survivor and the Engaged team are on the 1st bus.   They arrive at the square and the clue says to "look up" for your next clue.  I'm not sure they realize that it will be in Chinese.  It's up on a huge screen in Chinese characters and no one is getting it. The Showgirls, Twins, Sibs and Sailors make it and can't find it either.

The Sibs and Colts figure it out and ask someone who tells them that it's the Confucious Temple.  They are off.  The Engaged team  and Team SF figure it out next followed by the Boarders and Survivors.  The Boarders aren't buying that that's the clue. The Grandparents show up and can't figure it out.

The first group arrives at the Confucious Temple and there's a roadblock:

ROADBLOCK:  One of the team members will have to go to a telephone and dial a number.  They'll hear a Confucious proverb which they will have to memorize without any notes.  If they can recite it correctly back at the Temple, they will receive their next clue.

No one is getting the proverb!! AHAHA. Cindy, of Engaged, gets it first and they get the next clue.  Jennifer, of Sibs, is next to get it.  Sandy of Team SF follows.

The Twins and Showgirls FINALLY get the first clue and see the video billboard.  They head to the Confucious Temple.  The Grandparents, however, are still "clueless" and way off the path.

Ethan of Survivor gets the Confucious one and they're off to the Dragon Races.

NEXT CLUE:  Travel by Taxi to the Dragon Races.  The teams will join professional Dragon Racers. One team member will paddle and the other will beat the drum. If they can successfully complete the course, the boat captain will give them their next clue.

The Engaged team arrives to race.

Amani of the Colts, Zac of Sailors, Ron of the Gays and Tommy of Boarders all head to the Dragon Races.

PITSTOP:  The next leg is the pitstop.  For this leg of the race it is the Martyrs' Shrine.

The Engaged team, Team SF, and Sibs head to the Pitstop.  Twins and Showgirls are trying to solve the Confucious puzzle.  Showgirls get it and now must go to the Pacific Mall, search the 11th floor and look for their next clue as their Hazard Challenge.  They find it and the challenge is to bungee jump in the middle of the mall.  Kaylani will do the challenge.  Done and done.

The Grandparents are still looking for that first clue.  

The Engaged Team, Ernie and Cindy, are TEAM #1!! They have won the Express Pass.
Team SF is Team #2.
The Sibs are Team #3.

The Colts, Boarders and Sailors are finishing the Dragon Races.  They head to the next Pitstop.

The Grandparents FINALLY get the clue and head to the Confucious Temple.  Liz of the Twins is still having trouble memorizing the phrase.

Liz FINALLY gets it and heads to the Dragon Races.

The Gays and Showgirls are doing the Dragon Races.  The Grandparents are trying to do the Confucious challenge and NAIL IT!

Survivors are Team #4.
Colts are Team #5.
Sailors are Team #6.
Boarders are Team #7.
The Gays are Team #8.
Showgirls are Team #9.
Twins are Team #10.

AND...The Grandparents are ... NOT ELIMINATED.  Wow.  For the first time ever, there will be a DOUBLE ELIMINATION leg at the end of the next race!!!

'Til next time...