Amazing Race 9: Hippie Pride
5/18/2006 at 8:28 AM
Tags: Amazing-Race, Google Maps, Television Travel (all tags)
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Since the Amazing Race returned to its "Classic Coke" format, we figured we would give the show a proper mashup. his map will update every week in the days after the show. Send along tips, rumors, gossip, locations and spoilers to our map editors, become a member and comment on the stories below, and add to the Jaunted-Flickr photo pool to get in on the fray. Enjoy.
Episode 12
From elephants with T-Mobile sidekicks, to Japanese grab-ass and hippies frolicking in the snow, last night's AR9 finale was literally all over the map. We went into the episode with an ABTH (anybody but the hippies) attitude, but like Lake and Monica, even we were clapping for the hippies in the end.
The final three teams started the leg for a million bucks traveling 75 km north of Bangkok to the Ayutthaya Elephant Palace and Royal Kraal, where we witnessed what had to be one of the most disturbing product placements of all time--T-Mobile sidekicks tucked away in an elephant's trunk. Paris Hilton would have been so proud.
Next, teams flew out of Bangkok and north to Japan. Along the way, we heard over and over again that Tyler could speak Japanese, that he knew the streets of Japan like the back of his hand, and that, yes, according to Tyler, he dates a Japanese girl. She must be very understanding. On the ground in Tokyo, teams headed to Shibuya, Japan's version of Times Square. RaYo was extremely late to the Shibuya party, which was the beginning of a trend that led to their downfall. Meanwhile, the Hippies and the Frat Boys/College Dropouts/Masters of Guidology were neck and neck--the Hippies playing the part of bike messengers, and the FB/CD/MG giddily carrying a geisha in a box.
After a night in Tokyo's Capsule Land Hotel, the teams headed to Fujikyu Highland amusement park. While the Hips and Dips were riding roller coasters, Ray was finding out what Japanese grab-ass was all about. After the grope, RaYo recovered, but ended up making it to the Swan Boat a full three hours behind the two leading teams. In a nice bit of foreshadowing, we got to see the Hips beat out the dips in a paddle boat race.
In the middle of the night, the teams left Lake Yamanka for Alaska. Once on American soil, they quickly picked up their waiting cars in Anchor town and headed out to Mirror Lake. While the Hips and the Dips fought it out drilling ice holes, pushing shacks, and snowshoeing, the directionally challenged RaYo just couldn't keep up.
Although the teams were virtually equalized when they arrived at their final destination, (Denver Colorado) the Hips and Dips quickly separated themselves. In the end it all came down to a complex game of memory at Red Rocks, and the Hips pulled it off.
So what happens now? Do these quasi-reality stars fade into Bolivia? Will the hippies cut their hair and become arrogant rich pricks? Lucky for us, we already know at least some of the answers--the teams did see each other again post-race, at least for one unforgetable night.
America's Moment of Shame:
Tyler: "If anyone asks pretend you don't understand English."
Final Thoughts:
That brings our Amazing Race 9 Chasing Racers map to a close. We hope you enjoyed our weekly summaries and ongoing map. Now, we will leave the map to your busy clicking fingers so you can trace the racer's journey around the globe from beginning to end, mash-up style. We, on the other hand, are looking for a way to hermitically seal this page and put it in a time capsule so anthropologists can dig it up in fifty years to get an idea of what 2006 was like. Enjoy.
Related Stories:
· Amazing Race 9 Episode Guide [Jaunted]
· Episode 12 Screen Captures Galore [Jaunted/Flickr]
· Amazing Race 9 Hotel Report Episode 12 [HotelChatter]
· Chasing Racers: AR Mashup [Jaunted]
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