The Amazing Race: Where’s Ghana?

I gotta say, this is one of my absolute favorite shows on television. It’s got the excitement, the drama and just the right amount of anxiety needed to keep you on the edge of your seat. I will say, however, that none of the episodes have yet to top the ‘watermelon incident’ of the first episode, and there has been a lack of inter-team drama in this installment. I don’t actually hate any of them, yet. I have had a few “Oh what a jerk” moments, but so far, they have made up for it.

Anyway, on with the update. If you haven’t watched the latest episode, and don’t want to be spoiled, now would be the time to stop reading, go to your sofa, and hit play.

This week found us in Ghana again. No flights, no airport drama. Just the typical cab drama we see in every episode since this show’s inception. This week, the bad cab “mojo” fell on the Doctors, Kat and Nat. The two started out in 7th place this week, and quickly fell with the cab driver not knowing where he was going, and an overheating cab.

The Roadblock, at a boxing training center, appeared to go smoothly for all teams. One member from each team had to wrap their hands properly with tape, punch a bag for 60 seconds, then jump rope for 60 seconds. Aside from a few of the guys messing up the jumprope exercise by trying to show off their jumprope ‘skillz’, everyone seemed to breeze through this task.

At the Detour, teams had to choose between ‘bicycle parts’ or Language Arts. In Bicycle Parts, teams had to roll a bicycle rim the length of a Soccer field, twice, using only a stick. In Language Arts, teams chose a proverb with eights words highlighted, then, using a decoder, find the symbols representing those words, then find the symbols (like in a word search) on a huge wall.

Most teams chose ‘Language Arts.’ The Ivy League A Cappella Singers, Jonathan and Connor, seemed to breeze through this one as well. However, all teams that followed never located the ‘Decoder’ to find the symbols. Over and over the camera would show teams walking to the other task, the ‘decoder’ on the wall over their shoulder. Not one team turned around to see it, so every team thereafter ended up at the Bicycle challenge.

After locating Ghana on a map at a local school, (which tripped up a few teams) Jonathan and Connor were the first team to arrive at the pitstop, each winning $5000.

Other teams didn’t have it as easy. Trouble with the decoder, trouble with the bicycle rims, trouble with locating where they were on a map… Michael and Kevin (Father/Son) ended up last at the pitstop. It was close to 100 degrees out there, and Michael ended up needing medical attention, almost passing out at the Bicycle challenge. He finished the task however, making his son very proud, and made it to the mat. Good news for them, this was a non-elimination leg, however they will have a ‘Speed Bump’ next leg, a task that only they will have to perform.

**A special note on this episode: The Amazing Race has decided to ‘give back’ to the communities they visit. All teams, during the pitstop, will be heading back to the school in the area, and do some construction and remodeling. I hope they continue to do this kind of thing from here on out, VERY nice gesture to the communities nice enough to host the teams and the production crew.

Thumbs up to this episode and the ‘giving back’ TAR! Next week, we find the teams heading off to Sweden, and switching from the heat of Africa, to freezing temps. Hopefully Michael does better in the cold.