Taipei, Taiwan, was the tenth pit stop in this crazy race around the world. We will forever remember it as the place we finally ditched Jennifer and Nate in a pool of tears, but for the three remaining teams, it's their last departure city. Teams must fly over 4,500 miles to Anchorage, Alaska, and make their way to 6th Avenue Outfitters. Since there are only fifty minutes separating the teams, they all end up on the same flight out.
Once at 6th Avenue Outfitters, teams receive their next clue, which includes some gear they must take with them to the Ship Creek Boat Launch. The Detour is revealed there: Cut the Cod or Grab the Crab. In Cut the Cod, teams must fillet fifty pound cod until they find a tiny clue hidden within the fish. The task is gross, but can be done quickly. In Grab the Crab, teams must jump into the hold of a boat loaded with crabs and find one marked with Amazing Race colors.
Ron and Christina are first to arrive and decide to hack away at the cod. Incredibly, they find the clue in what seems like minutes. Don and Nick arrive at the boat launch only to realize that they left their gear back at the outfitters and have to go all the way back. This gives TK and Rachel time to jump into the hold with all those snappy crabs, pinching and clawing them the whole time. The challenge was looking tough...and delicious!
Finally, TK snags the specially marked crab, and they're outta there! Meanwhile, Grandpa Don takes a moment in the taxi to chew out Nick, who forgot to read the rest of the clue...you know, that part about taking the gear with them. Still, he's not that ferocious, but it was fun to see him take a swipe at Droopy.
Next, teams must travel sixty miles to a boat launch at Twentymile River, where they'll take a boat out to a glacier field. Ron and Christina arrive first and take a slick-looking jet boat. Once they arrive, they are told that they must climb the ice face of a glacier to get to their next clue. For all of Ron's issues with heights and his hernia, which hasn't been mentioned in weeks, he switches into ice monkey mode and practically runs straight up the glacier. Chris finds it more challenging, but manages to get to the top. TK and Rachel are close behind, with Gramps and Nick in third.
The next clue has the teams taking a helicopter to Merrill Field, and then a taxi to Goose Lake Park. At the park, teams run into the Road Block, which is one of the most intricate and tricky memory puzzles ever devised for the race. Follow closely: In this challenge, team members must place on a stage one item from each of the ten legs of the race. Three must be animals or animal by-products, one must be a U-Turn, two objects at or brought to the pit stops, two transportation items with wheels (one of which was used in a Detour) and one transportation item must resemble a stick. Once they get the right combination, they will receive their next clue.
This is way harder than Season Nine's "Put the flags of all the countries visited in order." WAY harder! All three teams end up neck and neck. Rachel manages to solve it first, putting her and TK out in front. Christina solves it next, with Nick still scratching his head. Teams must now find the Salmon Hooker, a small statue in downtown Anchorage. Once there, they receive their final clue: Take a taxi to Girdwood Airport and run like hell to the finish line.
THE PIT STOP
Sometimes, truly amazing things do happen to good people. In one of the most satisfying finishes in recent memory, TK and Rachel make it to the mat and win the million dollars, proving, as TK says, that nice guys can finish first. Ron and Christina come in second and seem elated anyway. Chris says her relationship with her dad is way better than winning a million dollars, which is good, because the check is already made out to TK and Rachel. Nick and Don come in third, and we gotta say kudos to both of them, but especially Don, who is the race's oldest person ever to get into the final three. Way to go, old dude!
OUSTED
Well, race fans, this time it's us. Our race ends here. No more weeping freak shows, no more lesbian ministers or fanciful pink Goths. It's been a blast having you along for the ride, and thanks for joining us every week. Be sure to join us when The Amazing Race returns! Until then, catch up on the rest of our TV Travel coverage or re-live races gone by.
NEXT WEEK
Uhhh... Big Brother?
