Jaunted

Kiwi sensation Phil Koeghan kicked off another season of The Amazing Race, this time in Seattle. Twelve teams came flying in on seaplanes as Phil narrated, well coifed, with what looked like a new spikey hairdo, we might add, from the deck of a ferry in Puget Sound. Not much happening in the mocha metropolis, though, because as soon as Phil introduced the teams, they're off to the airport.

Since the show's casting is so scrutinized, it was great to finally meet the racers. Let's take a quick look. There's the brawny--yet brainy--Korean brothers Erwin and Godwin, Muslims--but Browns fans--Bilal and Sa'eed, beauty queens--but friends--Dustin and Kandice and, oh yeah, David and Mary our loveable southern couple. Obviously our new team-to-watch is Tyler and James. Two models and former drug addicts, they're now clean and best friends. Right. Best friends. Uh-huh. Sounds like another team from a previous race--na, we kid, we kid.

The teams are quickly out of Seattle on the way to Beijing. On the way to the airport, Karlyn reminds us "You know what they say about people from Alabama in China? They like us because of the movie Forrest Gump." The teams have trouble with an accident that's slowing traffic and serpentine airport roads. At the airport, they must choose between a United and a Korean Air flight--a clever new twist by the producers to keep the race tight. Edwin and Godwin yuck it up with some water guns until, natch, an airport cop busts them.

At the Gold House restaurant in Beijing, a gross out food challenge awaits. One teammate gets to eat the eyeballs out of a bowl of fish heads. No one gets too tripped up by it, but Bilal gets to deliver this gem: "I'm from Cleveland, Ohio, what do I know about chopsticks?" So multicultural! After finishing off the fish eyes, Bilal and Sa'eed head to the Forbidden City to meet up with the rest of the teams. All of a sudden--snap!--it's double elimination! Phil tells Bilal and Sa'eed that they've been eliminated and everyone feigns disappointment.

There's a little bit of sympathy for our recently departed friends, but most everyone is just thinking about the next leg, which has teams choosing between "labor or leisure." All but two teams--the cheerleaders and the gay couple from New York--choose labor. They end up building little stone patios, and like always happens, it takes a lot longer than it seems like it should. After finishing the work, teams jet out of town to the pit stop where--gasp!--another team will be sent home.

In a ploy to keep the sexyhot teams in the race, a rope climb up the side of the Great Wall is waiting. Mary has her share of trouble, but Karlyn really freaks out. After what felt like hours, she makes it to the top. Sarah also panics and eventually scales the wall with the encouragement of her boyfriend--who is either saintly or creepy, we haven't decided yet. It's Vipul and Arti who get shown the door, despite skills on the rope.

Best Bit of American Diplomacy:
Vipul, from the back of a motorcycle in Beijing to a group of Chinese bystanders: "America?! U-S-A?! You speak English?!"

The Scoreboard:
Tyler and James win $20k for coming in first this week. Ok, so Bilal openly shakes hand with Vipul, but minutes later when one of the blonde girls (we will get their names eventually) offers her hand Bilal claims he can't for religious reasons? Huh? Ah? Now we get it. Strict muslims can't shake hands with the opposite sex, right? CBS's not so subtle attempt to educate us.

Coming Next Week:
The teams go to Mongolia. People get knocked off horses. Peter and Sarah cry a lot. And Rob and Kimberly fight.