Plot

Eleven teams leave Santa Monica Pier and make their way to Montevideo, Uruguay, where they must locate a statue known as the "hand in the sand." In Uruguay, teams must carry a side of beef one-half mile, and then face the detour of "zips or chips" (zip lining from a hotel roof or playing roulette) before arriving at the pit stop.—Missy

On the Santa Monica Pier in California, Phil Keoghan starts eleven teams on the adventure of a life time and warns them of a new twist in the race. Teams for the fifth installment of The Amazing Race are as follows: 1. Chip and Kim: married, 2. Colin and Christie: models, 3. Brandon and Nicole: models, 4. Linda and Karen: bowling Moms, 5. Kami and Karli: identical twins, 6. Charla and Mirna: cousins, 7. Marshal and Lance: brothers, 8. Bob and Joyce: dating via Internet, 9. Jim and Marsha: father and daughter, 10. Alison and Donny: the Big Brother 4 runner-up and her boyfriend, 11. Dennis and Erika: formerly engaged. As teams race off the pier, Marsha's father, Jim, falls and injures his knee which requires stitches and nearly causes his team to miss the flight. Teams make their way to Los Angeles International airport where they will fly to Montevideo, Uruguay, where they must locate the "hand in the sand"--a statue on the beach. Once they find the clue, teams travel by ferry to Gorriti Island. On the island, they must find times for ferries leaving the next morning--the timed tickets are hidden on eleven of one hundred trees. The next morning, teams travel by ferry to the suburb of Maldonado, where they carry a 55-pound side of beef for one-half mile from a warehouse to a local butcher. The new twist in the race is revealed: teams may use a Yield which can slow down any team for a predetermined amount of time. Upon completing the task of carrying the meat, teams go to the Conrad Hotel in Punte Del Este and complete a detour: zips or chips. In zips, teams ride a zip line 18 stories from the hotel's roof and drop into the hotel's swimming pool. In chips, teams play roulette with 20 chips in the hotel's casino--the number they bet on must be a winner. Karli, Kami, Chip and Kim all miss the important step of finding the route marker directing them to the detour, but luck into the detour on their own. Once teams finish the detour, they head for the pit stop at the Casa Del Pueblo. When Karli, Kami, Chip and Kim arrive at the pit stop, Phil sends them back to find the route marker--delaying their arrival at the pit stop. So due to the mistake, teams officially arrive in the following order: 1. Alison and Donny, 2. Marshall and Lance, 3. Linda and Karen, 4. Bob and Joyce, 5. Charla and Mirna, 6. Brandon and Nicole, 7. Colin and Christie, 8. Chip and Kim, 9. Kami and Karli, 10. Jim and Marsha, 11. Dennis and Erika. Since they were the last to arrive, Dennis and Erika are eliminated from the race.—Missy