Tonight the race continues in Guangzhou, China. Read on to find out how the all-star teams fared in constructing toy cars and playing feather-ball.
The starting point is the Guangzhou Opera House. Jet and Cord came in first in the last leg, and they’re the first to proceed to the Chen Clan Academy for their clue. Following behind them are Brendon and Rachel, Margie and Luke, Dave and Connor, Leo and Jamal, and Flight Time and Big Easy. Jet and Cord are misled into believing that the academy is a walking distance away, but it’s actually much farther than what they think it is. Teams can either take the metro or a taxi to the academy, which is what the other teams did.
Brendon and Rachel arrive at the Chen Clan Academy first and have the clue to their next location stamped on their foreheads. And following behind them are Dave and Connor and Margie and Luke.
The other teams begin the leg and make their way to the academy before Jet and Cord (the first team to start the leg) have even arrived there. In fact, they finally arrive at the academy at the same time as Caroline and Jennifer – the last team to begin the leg.
But before the cowboys and the country singers arrive at the academy, the other teams have figured out where to go based on the writing on their foreheads. They must go to a mall-like location and construct a toy car. Dave and Connor arrive there first, with Margie and Luke right behind them. Dave and Margie do the task for their respective teams. Arriving there in third is Leo and Jamal, with Jamal doing the task. And following behind them are Brendon and Rachel, Mark and Mallory, Flight Time and Big Easy, Joey and Meghan, and John and Jessica. Attempting the Roadblock are Brendon, Mark, Flight Time, Meghan, and John. All the teams are busy constructing the cars by the time Jet and Cord finally arrive.
Mark is the first person to finish constructing a toy car, putting him and Mallory in first place. They must deliver the toy car to Guangzhou Children’s Cultural Center. Mark and Mallory make their way outside for a taxi, but not before Margie completes constructing her car as well. She and Luke are now in second place, and they make their way outside for a taxi. And as Mark and Mallory get inside a taxi, Mark’s backpack is left forgotten on the ground and they leave without it.
Dave and Jamal finish completing the Roadblock third and fourth respectively, and they depart to Guangzhou Children’s Cultural Center with their teammates. Caroline and Jennifer finally arrive, and Caroline attempts to do the task. It is clear that they are in last place, and Caroline is struggling with the task. This is when Jennifer approaches Cord about the Express Pass. All the other teams are aware of Jennifer’s pleas for having the Express Pass, and none of them are too thrilled about it. After Jet completes constructing his car (right after Brendon), he and Cord agree to hand over the second Express Pass to Jennifer. Jennifer immediately uses it for Caroline, which puts the country singers in seventh place now. Flight Time finishes completing his car, and now he and Big Easy are in eighth place.
Meanwhile, Mark and Mallory have realized that Mark’s backpack is missing. Mallory wants to continue on without it since she has Mark’s passport and his medicine, but Mark is adamant about retrieving it. They deliver the toy car to the Guangzhou Children’s Cultural Center first, however. Mallory still wants to continue on to the Detour, but Mark really wants to retrieve his backpack. After hectic arguing, they drive back to get his backpack.
While Mark and Mallory go back to get Mark’s backpack, the other teams continue on to the Detour. They have a choice of Feather-Ball or China Cup. Feather-Ball requires teams to kick a feather-ball in a square of four people without the feather-ball hitting the ground before ten kicks. China Cup requires teams to have a massage with suction cups. Every team chooses to do Feather-Ball.
Margie and Luke and Dave and Connor are the first team to arrive at Liwanhu Park to play feather-ball. They are followed by Brendon and Rachel, Caroline and Jennifer, Jet and Cord, Leo and Jamal, and Flight Time and Big Easy. This means the last teams at the Roadblock are Joey and Meghan and John and Jessica. Meghan completes constructing her toy car first, but she assists John before she leaves, even though she knows they are the last two teams. She and Joey were allies with John and Jessica last year, so they still want to help each other out whenever possible. They now are making their way to Liwanhu Park to play feather-ball.
But before they arrive there, Mark and Mallory have finally arrived at the Detour after retrieving Mark’s backpack. They start to play feather-ball along with the other teams. After numerous failed attempts by all the teams, Dave and Connor are the first team to complete the task. They must now make their way to the Pit Stop: Shamian Island. But before they get too far, several teams finish the task right after another. Right behind Dave and Connor are Caroline and Jennifer, Margie and Luke, Jet and Cord, Brendon and Rachel, Flight Time and Big Easy, and Leo and Jamal. The only teams left playing feather-ball are Mark and Mallory, Joey and Meghan, and John and Jessica.
It is a footrace to the Pit Stop since the seven teams left at almost the same time. Brendon and Rachel and Margie and Luke are the first teams to spot Phil and the Pit Stop and they race toward him. At first, Rachel doesn’t think they need to race too hard since it’s not for survival, but Brendon reminds her it could be for first place. So after a mad dash, Brendon and Rachel land at the mat first and are Team #1! They exclaim and are beside themselves with joy since this is the first time they have finished first in a leg. Before they find out what they won, the other five teams arrive one after another on the mat. Coming in third place is Caroline and Jennifer, and behind them are Dave and Connor, Flight Time and Big Easy, Jet and Cord, and Leo and Jamal. As the seven teams crowd around the mat, Phil informs Brendon and Rachel that they have won $2,500 each.
Back at the Detour, the last three teams are fighting to avoid elimination. Joey and Meghan are the first of the three teams to finish it first, but John and Jessica complete it shortly afterwards. They race toward the mat, with John and Jessica coming in eighth place and Joey and Meghan in ninth place. Meghan realizes that helping John in the Roadblock could’ve cost them the race, so she and Joey assert that they’ll be more mindful next time they consider helping another team.
Mark and Mallory finally finish the Detour and they make their way to the Pit Stop. Phil informs Mark and Mallory that they have been eliminated, and Mallory breaks down in tears. It’s an emotional moment, especially since all the other teams are still crowded around the mat too. It’s too bad Mark and Mallory are eliminated, but I don’t understand why they couldn’t have tried to retrieve Mark’s backpack after they already have checked in at the Pit Stop. Mallory did already have Mark’s passport with her. Oh, well.
Overall, I thought tonight was a good episode. It’s always exciting when it’s a footrace to the Pit Stop, and so many teams were so close to one another. In addition, I think it was pretty smart how Jennifer was able to convince Cord to hand over the Express Pass. She knew she and Caroline were in last place, so she did what was needed to survive. But this now means Jet and Cord are the only team with an Express Pass on the race, and they probably won’t be using it until it’s absolutely needed.
Episode Summary:
1st place: Brendon and Rachel (Won $2,500 each)
2nd place: Margie and Luke
3rd place: Caroline and Jennifer
4th place: Dave and Connor
5th place: Flight Time and Big Easy
6th place: Jet and Cord
7th place: Leo and Jamal
8th place: John and Jessica
9th place: Joey and Meghan
10th place: Mark and Mallory (Eliminated)
So that wraps up this recap! Thanks for reading and join me next week for another recap of The Amazing Race: All Stars!
