- Eleven teams of two people travel from downtown Los Angeles, California to Valparaiso, Chile, where they battle exhaustion, and have to face their fear of heights in one of the most daunting Road Blocks ever.
- Phil welcomes us to a new season, atop a roof in Los Angeles. He lays out the stakes: a race around the world for $1 million. The 11 teams are:
The dating models: Caite Upton; Age: 20; Hometown: Lexington, S.C.; Occupation: Model/Actress and Brent Horne; Age: 28; Hometown: Columbia, S.C.; Occupation: Model/Advertising. You may remember her as the beauty pageant contestant who botched a question about maps.
Louie Stravato; Age: 47; Hometown: Providence, R.I.; Occupation: Undercover Detective and Michael Naylor; Age: 45; Hometown: Providence, R.I.; Occupation: Undercover Detective. One of them (it's going to be a few episodes before you can tell them apart) says that he sees them winning every leg.
Steve Smith; Age: 57; Hometown: Encinitas, Calif.; Occupation: Professional Baseball Coach; World Series Champion Coach and his daughter Allie Smith; Age: 23; Hometown: Encinitas, Calif.; Occupation: Marketing.
Jeff Schroeder; Age: 31; Hometown: Norridge, Ill; Occupation: Salesman and Jordan Lloyd; Age: 22; Hometown: Charlotte, N.C.; Occupation: Receptionist. They just started dating after meeting in the Big Brother house (she won). Jordan was the one who confessed she didn't know how to tell time with clocks.
Monique Pryor; Age: 39; Hometown: West Orange, N.J.; Occupation: Attorney and Shawne Morgan, 39; Hometown: Bowie, Md.; Occupation: Attorney. Both moms and attorneys.
The cowboy brothers: Jet McCoy; Age: 30; Hometown: Ada, Okla.; Occupation: Cowboy and Cord McCoy; Age: 29; Hometown: Tupelo, Okla.; Occupation: Pro Bull Rider.
Married high school sweethearts: Adrian Davis; Age: 40; Hometown: Arlington, Texas; Occupation: Medical Sales and Dana Davis; Age: 39; Hometown: Arlington, Texas; Occupation: Market Manager. Adrian explains that he took their entire savings and poured it into a business that failed miserably. So he's got that going for him, which is nice.
Jody Kelly; Age: 71; Hometown: Round Rock, Texas; Occupation: Personal Trainer and her granddaughter Shannon Foster; Age: 22; Hometown: Georgetown, Texas; Occupation: Healthcare Outreach Contract Analyst. They're both triathletes.
Carol Rosenfeld; Age: 47; Hometown: Los Angeles, Calif.; Occupation: Consultant and Brandy Snow; Age: 40; Hometown: Los Angeles, Calif.; Occupation: Actress and Voice Over Artist. They're dating.
Brothers Dan Pious; Age: 24; Hometown: Barrington, R.I.; Occupation: Financial Advisor and Jordan Pious; Age: 22; Hometown: Barrington, R.I.; Occupation: Strategic Consultant. Jordan introduces himself as "gay all the way."
Joe Wang; Age: 42; Hometown: El Segundo, Calif.; Occupation: Software Salesman and Heidi Wang; Age: 37 Hometown: El Segundo, Calif.; Occupation: Stay-at-Home Mom. Joe announces he's "the man in charge" and will be leading the team.
Phil says howdy to the assembled teams and sends them to their backpacks to read the clue. They have to get to the airport using public transportation. The models look stumped. There are two flights available, but only the first three teams will end up on the first flight. The second flight is an hour later.
The clue is about Santiago, Chile.
Jordan and Jeff ask a passing bus driver the fastest way there. Nearby Union Station. Brent and Caite stand at a bus stop while everybody runs around. Someone recognizes her as Miss Teen South Carolina. Jordan admits "when I saw her, I almost pooped myself." Then he recreates her answer almost verbatim: "Many Americans don't have maps and I think that countries like South Africa and the Iraq, everywhere and such as...."
Louie and Michael stroll down the street and one tells the other: "C'mon man, Nanna is kickin' your butt."
Joe is excited to hop on the Metro because he knows downtown so well. There are several other teams on the train but some miss it and have to wait 20 minutes.
Looking at the itinerary, Jordan says she hasn't even heard of some of the countries.
On a bus to the airport, the teams prepare to run. The moms reach the counter first, followed by Jordan and Jeff and Dana and Adrian. The lesbians, Carol and Brandy, are the first team on the second flight. They're going through Dallas.
The people who took the Metro get the second flight. Caite listens as Jordan does his impression of her for the lesbians (as their team is quickly known). The cowboys change their money for Brazilian money (never mind that they're going to Chile).
The lesbians actively root for the first flight to be delayed. And, lo and behold, the first flight is delayed by a maintenance problem. Dana and Adrian rebook. Jordan and Jeff follow suit, followed by the moms. Everyone's on the same flight.
They fly through Miami to Santiago, where they have to take buses 60 miles to Valparaiso and take a funicular at some point for their next clue.
The moms, models and high school sweethearts make the first bus.
The cowboys discover their money issue when the driver doesn't take it. They're on the third bus.
In Valparaiso everyone grabs cabs. Jeff and Jordan are in first and hang on for dear life as their cabbie does Speed Racer. The models pass them on the way and get the road block first. They have to walk across a cable, while holding onto another one and cross a valley. Caite volunteers, followed by Jordan.
The moms and high school sweethearts are delayed by lost cabbies.
Dan starts catching up to the girls on the wire, followed by Joe and Allie. It's windy so they're swaying pretty good up there.
Caite finishes first. They have to take a funicular down the hill to the next clue. Somehow, the models miss this part and walk instead.
The detectives and grandma and the cowboys finally get into their cabs.
Dan gets off balance at one point and ends up hanging by his harness and pulling himself across in a sling instead of walking. Brandy starts to get panicky and thinks she's going to throw up.
Shawne crosses, saying "God is with me" the whole way across. Adrian signs on before knowing heights are involved. He's afraid of heights.
Jordan finishes second followed by the brothers.
Caite and Brent reach a clue which says it's time to "paint the town."
Phil explains that the city pays to repaint houses so they have to carry four cans up a hill with a ladder until they find the house matching their color. There, they paint an unfinished outside section and get the next clue from a painter.
They have to wander around until they find their house.
Brandy finally finishes, looking like she's about to pass out. They're in 6th.
Louie gets on the wire and quickly catches up to Adrian mid-wire.
The cowboys are still in last.
The Big Brothers find their house first and get to painting. They finish in first and have to reach Palacio Baburizza, a 90 year old chalet and the first pit stop.
Adrian is still on the wire as the final three teams approach. At one point he falls off completely and just hangs there. A safety person comes to help him and takes him all the way back to the other side. The detectives cheer him as they head on.
The Big Brothers are first and win a trip to Vancouver. Brent and Caite are next, but they're busted for not taking the funicular down the hill and walking instead. They get a 30 minute penalty.
Jordan and Dan have a problem when Dan realizes he dropped a brush.
Meanwhile, Steve and Allie wander into someone's house and start painting a random wall as the locals wonder what the heck they're doing.
Cord leaves Shannon in the dust as Adrian tries to get his courage up.
The moms come in 2nd.
Adrian finally gets back on the wire when Steve and Allie finally finish painting and realize they were supposed to be outside when the confused painter literally doesn't have a clue.
The cowboys finish in 3rd, followed by Dan and Jordan, who get a 15 minute penalty for losing a paintbrush. After their penalty, the models are in 7th, with the brothers in 8th.
Dana appreciates her husband continuing to try out on the wire. Then he falls again.
Grandma comes in 10th.
Phil comes to find Dana and Adrian and tells them they've been eliminated. Dana says they've had life challenges that can't compare to the wire. "Ultimately, we've got each other," says Adrian.
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