The Amazing Race

The second group of the Amazing Race contestants are off on the first leg of a journey across the world. The first place they must travel to is Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where the teams rappel down the face of a 590 foot mountain and others search for the woman that inspired the song ""The Girl from Ipaneema"". Problems arise between two of the teams when Tara & Wil claim to have been at the Hotel (where they were to get reservations) before the rest of the teams arrived. Blake and Wil have it out about this, even to the point of Wil bragging up his travelling skills. Peggy and Claire, the oldest contestants in the race are sure they will get eliminated but in a mad rush to the finish, they get to the pit stop minutes before mother and daughter pair, Deidre and Hillary, while separated couple Tara and Wil place first. After being eliminated, the team feels the race has definitely improved their relationship and has brought them closer together after Hillary had spent most of her life living « read less

The teams leave Brazil and South America all together to head to South Africa. There some teams dance for money, haul fish and are forced to drink blended sheep's head in the road block. Peach gets emotional when giving sunglasses to kids on the street. Shola and Doyin feel at home, as that's where their father was born. Tara and Wil's alliance with Chris and Alex comes to a halt, as they realize this game is every man for themselves. Peggy and Claire sleep through their departure time and Blake and Paige, in last place, decide not to wake them up. Problems at the airport, including missing their flight, case Peggy and Claire to fall a day behind and are the third team eliminated from the race. « read less

The teams travel from their pit stop at Anani Lodge to Bangkok. They all fight for planes, but the airport ends up being the usual great equalizer. In Bangkok, they take part in a Detour in which they must choose between Confusion Now and Confusion Later. Confusion Now involves finding the correct taxi at a water taxidock, while Confusion Later involves burning a paper car as a spiritual offering. The teams split the choices, some encountering difficulties. One team loses valuable time after going to the wrong shrine. Later, the teams take part in a Roadblock that requires a journey into a deep, dark cave. The fear of this obstacle could cost one team the race. « read less

The teams drive from their Pit Stop in Northern Thailand to Chiang Mai. After receiving a clue, they find themselves facing another long drive, this time to Hong Kong. There they must find the Central Plaza and then the Star Ferry. There, they reach the Detour, which is a choice between Wishing Tree or Herbal Tea. Most teams choose the Herbal Tea option, but one decides to go a separate way by doing the Wishing Tree. Yet another skips it all together, by taking the Fast Forward. The remaining teams then do a Roadblock that involves operating a crane. One team falls hopelessly behind and is eliminated from the race. « read less

It's the Australian outback, the 9th pitstop in a race around the world. As usual, the contestants have absolutely no idea where they're going to have to go and they have to figure it out by looking for yellow and red route markers. Chris and Alex leave at 3:35 A.M. The clue tells them to take a flight to New Zealand, which is over 200 miles away. First, they have to take transportation to a local airstrip. Blake and Paige leave at 5:01 A.M., Tara and Wil at 5:06 and Oswald and Danny at 5:09. Wil says that with four teams left, every second counts. They load their vehicles onto an eighteen wheeler to go to Glendamboe. Chris and Alex stop at a convenience store to make flight arrangements. It's a choice between a 10:30 or an 11:15 A.M. flight. Chris and Alex seem unconcerned about getting the 10:30. Wil is interested in getting it. Tara and Wil head the wrong way to the airstrip. Wil says that he's quitting, that he's feeling ""run down."" Chris and Alex say that they've already got their « read less

The three remaining teams compete for the $1 million first-place prize as the second edition of the race around the world concludes. ""It is a truly sensational finish,"" reports host Phil Keoghan. ""I was standing at the finish line waiting for the teams to come in and thinking 'This is what reality television is all about. To be here right now and not know which team is going to run up first and collect the money.' "" At press time, the pairs still in the hunt are lifelong friends Chris and Alex, brother-sister combo Blake and Paige, separated couple Tara and Wil, and best friends Oswald and Danny. The final dash includes stops in Hawaii and Alaska before ending near Las Vegas. « read less