THE AMAZING RACE

Season 9 Episode 7: Herculean Effort for Some Herculean Dudes

Previously, there were counting of heads on fenceposts (the fake kinds, not real heads), carrying swordfish to markets (or selling fish if you're the FranBerries), and kayak polo as Teams invade poor Siracusa, with the BoHo Boys leading the way to new diplomatic heights between America and Italy with their bizarrely random shouting and screaming of "Pizza pie!". I've forgotten most of the episode through the haze of boredom that glazes my eyes whenever I turn in to this show, come to think of it. Oh yes, Cool As Geek managed to get lost early on in the Race and they could never keep up, so they were eliminated as a result. Six Teams remain, the finale is about a month away from now, so that means we'll be stuck with the same old faces screaming, shouting, spasming, and hollering for our attention until the bitter end game. Sigh. Let's just get this episode rolling, shall we?

Philo Koughie steps out to explain that he's in Siracusa, an island that was once "the most powerful Greek city in the Mediterranean". That was a long time ago, before the Romans, the Muslims, and much, much later, the BoHo Boys and their deadly pizza pies of mass destruction. The Pit Stop of the previous leg of the Race was the Fonte Aretusa, a natural spring, and this is where the Teams will begin this leg of the Race. Philo once again makes it seem like Lake and Michelle had been waging bitter warfare on each other since the first second by wondering whether those two's "emotions" will affect their Race. Philo also wonders whether the BoHo Boys' "carefree ways" will keep them going. Philo is so desperate to make this season more exciting than it is, I feel quite sorry for him. Have this show come to a point where a bickering couple has to be shoved down my throat to keep me rivetted? And since when do forced hyperkinetic and clumsy loud shoutings and camera-muggings become a sign of "carefree" ways? What is happening to this show?

10:33 pm. The Freaky Fratboys get to leave first since they came in first in the previous leg. Because we don't know these two's fragile brainpower to be damaged by excessive thinking - we women of the world don't want to lose two splendid examples of manliness to the wheelchairs now, do we? - the clue helpfully provides them with tickets for an 8:00 am train that will take them to Rome. At Rome, they must locate the Trevi Fountain, or the Fontana de Trevi if you want to sound posh and worldly. The Trevi Fountain is most famous fountain in Rome because it's beautiful as well as historical, since it was built back in 1735 by Nicola Salvi to honor Pope Clement XII. Instead of dangling the clues from the pee-pee of the statue standing at the center of the fountain, the show designers instead will have a poor guy on a yellow and red scooter to hand out the clues to the Teams when they show up. As those two leave for the train station in their vehicle, they talk about how they try to Race with humor. Their idea of humor is clearly different from mine.

10:38 pm. With a loud "Andiamo!" the BoHo Boys are out of their cages. As they leave, they of course insist that they are funny and adorable hippies, whee. Why are they so desperate to be loved by people like that? Do they ever get tired of shouting at the camera? If these two don't slow down, I can only hope that they don't become too bitter when they don't get the fifteen minutes they want so desperately. Maybe it will help them if they take some time to actually use their brains and come up with witty one-liners instead of randomly shouting "Pizza pie!" or "Banzai!" or other pointless words at the top of their voice. The Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles thing is so outdated, after all.

11:40 pm. The MoJos leave. Monica tells the camera that the Race has turned her into an irrational crybaby (although she puts it more delicately than me) that is always afraid that other Teams will beat the MoJos. What's there to be afraid about? The MoJos are always beaten by some Team to the finish mat so it's not like Monica doesn't have any practice in trying to confront her fear. As they get into their vehicle, Monica points out that the vehicle smells like dead fish. Oh dear, have they taken the FranBerries' vehicle by mistake?

11:53 pm. The FranBerries leave. In their confessional, Barry praises his wife for her "mental toughness". The only way Fran is "mentally tough" is if we're talking about "tough" as in "as tough as burned leather and therefore is just as impermeable". Otherwise, that's just... no.

The Freaky Fratboys are the first at the train station and predictably enough, Teams start showing up one by one. The ticket counter is closed until 4:00 am and a bored-looking staff informs them that the 8:00 am train is indeed the first train to Rome. So there is nothing for the Freaky Fratboys to do. The BoHo Boys show up with a "What's the story, ladies?" - I guess that answers the question as to which two freaks wear the pants in the gruesome relationship of theirs - and then it's off to waiting and fooling around with each other until 4:00 am arrives. They should have just stayed in bed until 7:00 am, I tell you. Memo to the Race people: something is seriously wrong when the first thing the Teams do on a leg is to stand there doing nothing. That is boring to watch.

12:17 am. The LaMichies get to leave at last. Michelle tells the camera that they are both still a Team no matter what happens. Talk about giving the editors enough rope to hang her and Lake, really, but the moment the LaMichies leave, they begin arguing. Apparently they have the directions to the train station written down on a piece of paper but Lake says that she has never handed the paper to him. She says simply that this time it's his fault. "This time", huh? They have probably lost important scraps of paper often in the past. Lake is not happy, that's for sure, and he accuses her of forgetting to pick up the paper and handing it to her while she keeps insisting that the missing paper is his fault. Everything he says, she responds by saying that it's his fault. It is exasperating when someone keeps saying the same thing again and again like she's stonewalling you, I suppose. I'm not saying that it's really not well done at all for Lake to tell her, "You never handed it to me, bitch, now shut up!" but I can also see why he's driven to calling her a bitch. As they get inside their vehicle, once more Michelle says that she didn't make a mistake this time, he did. She adds that she will take the blame this time like she always does. Since in the past she has certainly gave back as good as he gave, I'm sure it's just the early hours and the fact that it's better to just keep Lake quiet and moving that sees her so calmly letting Lake blame her for the missing paper.

The MoJos and the FranBerries join the Porno Alliance in finding ways to kill time until their train leaves at 8:00 am.

1:02 am. The Telcoms are allowed to leave. Their plan now is to make sure that they don't make any mistakes as they move up the rank one team at a time. That doesn't seem like a plan as much as it is an imperative, hmm.

The LaMichies show up at the train station where Lake asks Eric about the train schedule before saying that it doesn't matter because everyone's bunched. Eric tells Jeremy as Lake leaves them that Lake is "bipolar". Call it a feeling but I am sure that Eric doesn't really know what that word means. The Telcoms finally pull up at the station and even when the Freaky Fratboys' vehicle is right in front of them, they nearly fail to see those two freaks. Or maybe they are just pretending not to see those freaks? I can understand why they will do that, really. Ray tells Eric that the Telcoms haven't seen the Freaky Fratboys in a long time. Still not as funny as Linda Bates telling Colin and Christie that she hadn't seen them in two days back in season five, hmmph.

All the Teams linger around as the moon shines bright... and then it's bright, woosh, and look, that's the train chugging along to Rome! Philo steps out to explain the complicated concept of all five Teams in the same train on their way to Rome and then, hello, we're in Rome. The MoJos and the Freaky Fratboys opt to take a cab to the Trevi Fountain while the others opt to take the train instead. Alas, the Telcoms manage to miss the train that the LaMichies, the FranBerries, and the BoHo Boys manage to board. They have to wait for the next train. It looks like Operation One Step At A Time is taking small baby steps in getting started, alas.

The Freaky Fratboys are the first at the Trevi Fountain. Seriously, it looks like they have the whole package - the stars, the cabs, everything - all lined up to ensure that they will always be lucky, lucky, lucky, doesn't it? They locate Roman McDonald easily - I must say this, though, as dull as the season is becoming, the people they are hiring as VIPs and clue-givers are really easy on the eyes - and Roman McDonald hands them what Philo calls a "portfolio" along with a clue. The Freaky Fratboys discover that they must now head over to the Spanish Steps (or the Scalinata di Spagna if you want to impress party guests) where they will find a horse-drawn carriage waiting for them. In that carriage are more portfolios, all containing what seems like carbon papers with words and images on them. If you arrange the papers in the correct order one on top of the other, you'll get a picture fashioned after Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man as well as the clue. The first Team to bring a correctly assembled "puzzle" will mean a prize. If you are thinking this task is a way to pay tribute to da Vinci the way this show paid homage to Sherlock Holmes in the seventh season, ugh, no, it's a product placement task for the movie The Da Vinci Code. The show even helpfully shows snippets of the trailer to drive home that point. Still, at least this task is somewhat interesting although so much duller compared to the Sherlock Holmes tribute. The Freaky Fratboys run for the Spanish Steps.

The MoJos are the next to show up. They opt to take their cab to the Spanish Steps even if it's just a one-mile journey. The BoHo Boys are next and they as expected make a fuss about being familiar with the naked man on the fountain. They should know about naked men, I suppose. The FranBerries and the LaMichies are just seconds behind the BoHo Boys. As they leave, Fran tells Berry not to lose sight of the other Teams. They don't want to get lost while looking for an obscure place like the Spanish Steps, after all. Hey, don't laugh. Remember, this is the Team that is convinced that aliens kidnapped their clue stands. The Telcoms round up the pack by showing up last.

The Freaky Fratboys reach the Spanish Steps and their carriage, where they learn that, instead of having to ride on it or anything, they just have to retrieve the portfolio and now fly off to Athens some 665 miles away and then travel to Agora to locate their next clue. The Freaky Fratboys quickly realize that all they have to do to crack the "puzzle" is to superimpose their two sheets of carbon paper. Like I said in the previous recap, we should just bring in kindergarten kids to compete in the next season. The Freaky Fratboys now try to get a cab to take them to the airport.

In their cab to the Spanish Steps, Monica tries to show off her cultural enlightenment by saying that she is so happy to be walking in the same places that Caesar and... she pauses, clearly unable to think of any famous Roman other than Caesar, before saying, "... and all those people!" Snigger. They too reach the horse carriage and take off for the airport. The BoHo Boys are next and they make a show of solving the puzzle with all the limited comedic range they have. The LaMichies and the FranBerries are next in that order. As they leave in their cab, Lake is seen trying to steady his breathing - he's starting to hyperventilate, it seems. The poor man is obviously getting too caught up in the Race for his own good. The Telcoms are still in last place. As they too leave for the airport, Ray optimistically says that there are many shops in Rome and he'd like to come back here to spend his million dollars.

At the airport, one by one the Teams all get seats on the same flight that will leave for Athens at 7:25 am. It is times like this that I really appreciate someone like the Robfather who would at least try to create some amusing drama to throw off the other Teams, even if it sometimes backfired on himself. So far the only halfway interesting thing that happened in this episode, apart from the usual "run here, run there, go here, go there" routine, is the fact that this show wants me to go watch Tom Hanks play another pretentious role in a movie based on a pretentious book.

Hello, Athens. Goodbye, Athens, as the Teams quickly leave in cabs for Agora, the ancient city that was once the heart of political and social activities in ancient Greece. The FranBerries and the Telcoms leave first - maybe the Teams that reserved seats on that flight earlier were given seats farther from the exit, heh. The MoJos are next to get inside a cab. Monica announces without prompting, "This is where thinking began." I suspect that she's trying to say that Agora was where all those philosophers and thinkers like Socrates hailed from but heh, what she says come out so wrong indeed. Their cab overtakes the Telcoms', prompting Joseph to say that he doesn't understand the Telcoms and Monica to agree, saying that the Telcoms are so serious all the time. Until Yolanda starts crying because she has to carry a fish, Monica really shouldn't think so highly of herself. Meanwhile, in the Telcom cab, Yolanda says that she doesn't think that there is anything much going on inside the MoJos' heads. The LaMichies also board a cab, leaving the Porno Alliance trailing for once. That doesn't stop both Teams from acting like it's the first time they've been released from their cages in some zoo, however.

The FranBerries reach Agora where... surprise! It's closed until 8:00 am the next morning. Just what this show needs: more unstoppable moments of heartpounding excitement.

It's now 8:00 am and it's pouring heavily as Teams are allowed to run wild inside Agora. The MoJos locate the clue stand first where they also discover a Fast Forward. Philo explains that this is the first of two Fast Forwards on this Race and apparently Philo still believes that Teams should consider going for one only when it's "advantageous". Give me a break, really. For this Fast Forward, Teams must walk for less than a mile to an unnamed "popular restaurant" and break hundreds of plates as part of a "local tradition" to ward off mischief. Only one plate has a red and yellow marker baked into it, and the first Team to find this marker gets the Fast Forward. The MoJos decide to go for the Fast Foward.

The Telcoms opt to just go with the next clue, which tells them to take a train from the AG Anargini station to Corinth some seventy miles away and get off at the Isthmos station to get their next clue. The Freaky Fratboys and the FranBerries decide to go for the Fast Forward as well while the LaMichies and the BoHo Boys opt to stick with the clue. The BoHo Boys manage to find a bus to this station and when they meet the Telcoms, they let the Telcoms know about the bus as well, which is nice as they don't have to do that. The LaMichies decide to just take a cab to the station.

At the restaurant, the MoJos start smashing plates. The Freaky Fratboys show up next and ruin the MoJos' mood when they pretty much at once discovers the correct plate. The MoJos leave quickly with Joseph saying that they have wasted precious time with this Fast Forward. Since its a quick walk to this restaurant and they have barely started on the task, I don't think he should worry too much about lost time. But if somehow there's only one train a day to Corinth and the MoJos end up missing this train, that's when he should rightly start to cry along with Monica. Meanwhile, the Freaky Fratboys learn that they can hop into a marked vehicle located outside the restaurant and travel straight to the Pit Stop, the Fortress of Rion, a fortress that dates back to 1499. The Freaky Fratboys celebrate by making a big show of breaking all the plates in the restaurant. That display of bravado may be more effective if they have actually spent hours on the task and are now venting their frustration. As it is, they come off as total asses. As usual. Jeremy says that he thinks he's cut himself and that, ladies and gentlemen, concludes another spectacular comedic moment with Eric and Jeremy. How can we ever live without them, eh?

The FranBerries show up next at the restaurant and learn that the party is already over. Ahead at the AG Anargini train station, the LaMichies are buying tickets to a train. The bus that carries the Telcoms and the BoHo Boys drop off those two Teams shortly after. The train takes off with the three Teams onboard. BJ speculates to the camera that the other three Teams are either fighting it out for the Fast Forward or these Teams are lost in "ancient Athens". If he has stopped there and then, he could say that he's made a genuinely amusing one-liner. But being a BoHo Boy that doesn't have any comedic timing no matter how hard he tries to be funny, he has to add, "And may the gods help them!" It's as if he doesn't trust his audience to get his joke. He's like the guy that, after telling a joke, immediately howls in laughter first so that the others can "get" the fact that he's just told them a joke. Ugh.

The MoJos are trying to locate the AG Anargini train station but it seems that they can't get anything out of the locals. It's raining and I suppose it's understandable that nobody wants to stop and entertain two creepy-looking Americans in raincoats. Everyone just wants to go home, after all. Monica, unaware that the FranBerries are in the same boat as they, wails that they are done for and Joseph snaps that they're not. But they can't seem to find any cab to take them to the station either, oh dear. Monica is so blue as they finally manage to board a bus to take them to the station. The understanding Joseph berates Monica about her attitude and tells Monica, "Lift up your spirit before I get pissed!" Naturally, she bursts into tears. Where's Yolanda? I suddenly has this urge to look at her to remind myself that there is a pretty tough and kickass lady on the show. Meanwhile, the FranBerries manage to get a cab to take them to the station. Barry says to the camera that it sucks how they do everything slower than the other Teams and therefore they fall behind as a result. Maybe they should have thought about that before they came onto this show. Ahead, the MoJos reach the station and buy their tickets. As they wait for the train, Monica tells Joseph that crying is her way of coping with things and he should be strong for her instead of holding her tears against her. That's a tough one to ask from a lover, if you ask me. Why force the other person to be strong while allowing yourself the luxury to be weak? It seems to me like Monica expects Joseph to shoulder the burden of keeping everything together on this Race for the both of them. It's too much for Desiree to be the strong one always, it is too much for Chuckles the Werewolf to always maintain his patience with he's dealing with Millie the Mole, it is definitely too much for Aaron when he has to deal with an out-of-control Hayden. Maybe Joseph will be up for the job, maybe not, but I think Monica should at least try to keep her act together instead of thinking it's okay to cry and expect Joseph to pick up the pieces after her. Sure, Aaron married Hayden and Chuckles married Millie after the Race, but that's real life. In the Race, however, these two Teams don't find their happily ever after. Back to the MoJos, they perk up considerably when they are joined by the FranBerries. They are confident that they can outrace the FranBerries to the finishing mat. That is, if the FranBerries can somehow keep up with them.

Ahead, the BoHo Boys, the Telcoms, and the LaMichies manage to make a boo-boo by getting off at the wrong train station. They locate a bus to take them to the Isthmos station. Michelle is sure that they will be penalised somehow for doing this. Because the three Teams lose some time in this boo-boo, the MoJos and the FranBerries manage to catch up with the three Teams at the clue stand where they all learn that it's time for a Roadblock. The clue says, "Who wants to hear the sound of their own screams?" This is important because Fran agrees to take this Roadblock after reading the clue only to raise a holy fuss when she realizes that she's just committed herself to perform a bungee jump off a bridge some 240 feet down toward the Corinth Canal. Barry laughs as Fran goes ooh-wah-wah, as he should. The other Teams take numbers so that they will jump in the order they show up at the clue stand: first to go is Ray, then Tyler, then Michelle. Yes, Michelle has finally agreed to do something. Monica and then Fran will round up the party.

Ray finishes his jump and learns that it's now time for a Detour. Talk about fast, really. In "Herculean Effort", Teams must compete in events held in ancient Greek Olympics: discus throwing, javelin, and wrestling with a guy clad in diapers fashioned after old Greek loincloths. Unfortunately, Lake, Ray, and Joseph won't be wearing those loincloths so don't get too excited about potential wardrobe malfunctions, people. In "It's All Greek To Me", Teams must collect nine pieces of pottery and get the help of what seems like all the handsome men in Athens gathered around to watch to decipher the Greek alphabets. Teams will then unscramble the Greek alphabets correctly to get the name of a town in order to get their next clue. The Telcoms will take part in the Olympics.

Tyler jumps and makes a lot of noise in the process. The BoHo Boys will also participate in the Olympics. Michelle jumps next and the LaMichies will also take part in the Olympics. Monica is genuinely excited to be bungee-jumping and the MoJos also will take part in the Olympics. The show predictably tries to pull off a "She won't jump... will she?" suspense moment with Fran acting like she's about to meet her death at the end of a bungee cord, but of course Fran jumps in the end. I'll be more shocked if she doesn't. She and Barry will be hunting for pottery.

As the Teams leave, Lake and Michelle once more begin to argue when they both realize that they have no idea where to go in order to get to the impromptu Olympics site. Meanwhile, at the Fortress of Rion are the Freaky Fratboys who are not just first but also the lucky winners of a prize to attend the movie premiere and red-carpet event of The Da Vinci Code in Hollywood. The Freaky Fratboys obediently tell the camera that they are excited to see the movie. I hope this is the ringing endorsement that the movie studio is looking for when they paid big bucks for the movie to be featured so prominently in this episode. The publicity tagline can be: "Don't be worried that the movie will be too complicated for you - if those two can say that they love it, so will you!"

At the Olympics stadium (haw, haw), the Telcoms show up. Well, perhaps there are times when they can figure out road signs and all after all, heh. They choose which cute guy they want to wrestle with (lucky people) and then Yolanda tackles the discus event. She gets it done pretty quickly and now it's Ray's turn to tackle the javelins. He has problems getting the javelin to stick into the ground (his just lands flat on the ground), however. Meanwhile, the BoHo Boys join the LaMichies in the land of the very lost. The MoJos show up at the stadium in the meantime and Monica, like Yolanda, breezes through the discus throw event. Unfortunately, Joseph, like Ray, has problems with the javelin. Elsewhere, the FranBerries show up at their Detour site and start collecting their pieces to make what Fran says "an English word". Can Greek alphabets be used to make an English word? Interesting indeed are the things I learn from this show everyday.

The LaMichies reach the pottery Detour site first so they decide that they would do that Detour just as well instead of the Olympics thingie. Lake's mood improves as he and Michelle begin gathering the pieces. Meanwhile, the BoHo Boys are told by a helpful local that they have been traveling in the wrong direction. BJ laments that they have lost two hours this way and thinks that they are doomed. Oh, how I wish that they are, I tell you. How I wish. Tyler says that perhaps this will be a non-elimination round but BJ ignores him and sulks in silence. Finally, these two start to show that they aren't so happy after all, heh.

At the stadium, Joseph manages to get his javelin to stick while Ray still struggles with his javelin. Elsewhere, the FranBerries are starting to get help in deciphering the clues (remember, we don't want anyone to die from too much thinking, so it's better to have men standing by to spoonfeed the Teams instead of, say, giving them a book to check up or something - hey, at least the guys are hot to look at). The LaMichies, also trying to decipher their pieces, are not sure what to make of the fact that the FranBerries and they are neck-to-neck in this Detour. Lake says that they can beat the FranBerries because they are better than those two old coots. Michelle points out that the FranBerries have beaten them here so that means those two old coots are better than the LaMichies. Lake tells her to shut up. Heh. This is a pointless argument, true, but it's a funny one nonetheless. Elsewhere, BJ puts on a frog cap and says that it's for luck. What's next? A Miss Piggy mask? Good grief.

The MoJos are now wrestling their guy. They will win if they get the wrestler out of the circle. Two against one isn't exactly fair if you ask me but as usual, the wrestler doesn't make it too hard for the Teams. We don't want them to exert too much brainpower or anything, remember. Monica is pretty useless as she just stands by the side and giggles as Joseph tackles the wrestler. This event will be more interesting if it takes place in a tub of mud or jello, methinks. Joseph manages to get the other guy out of the circle so he gets the clue for the MoJos. All they have to do now is to drive 107 or so miles to the Pit Stop. As they leave, Monica points out the confusing route on the map. That's a foreshadowing of things to come, of course.

Ray finally gets the javelin to stick and now he and Yolanda both double-tag the wrestler. It's nice to see Yolanda actually working with Ray instead of just standing by the sidelines and letting the man do everything. They too get their clue and take off. The FranBerries are still at their puzzle, with Barry saying that this is harder than the crossword puzzles in the New York Times. Ah yes, everything is harder on this Race for the poor FranBerries. They finally get the answer right - Dimitsana - and they take off, leaving Lake and Michelle still enjoying their moments of discord as Lake argues for haste while Michelle prefers to be cautious when it comes to translating their Greek alphabets. But the light bulb shines pretty much seconds after the FranBerries arrive at their answer, so the LaMichies take off as well.

The LaMichies however learn quickly the price of shoving and pushing their map in their pointless arguments with each other when Michelle looks at her now torn map and realizes that she can't find the Fortress of Rion anyway on what's left of her map. Hilariously, she insists that the fortress is an "antique place" and is therefore not likely on the map. I don't know what to say. Meanwhile, Barry backs his vehicle into a tree. Fran says she's worried about the vehicle but Barry demeanor suggests otherwise. Remember? He's the speed demon of the Team. Maybe he and Fran will just say that the tree wasn't there earlier when they looked. Lake, in the meantime, actually succumbs to a panic attack after one argument too many with Michelle and Michelle ends up in the front seat calming him down by speaking soothingly to her while rubbing his chest. The BoHo Boys show up at the Olympics site and they just have to keep acting like escaped monkeys from the zoo as they play up to the camera. They're done after who knows how long and they too are then on the road to the Pit Stop.

The Telcoms show up at the Pit Stop. However, Philo tells them that they have incurred a fifteen-minute penalty for taking a bus instead of a train to the Isthmos train station. It used to be thirty-minutes to an hour as penalties for such violations. Seriously, at the rate the Race is dumbing itself down, I say, really, bring on the kindergardeners in the next season. The MoJos show up seconds after the Telcoms so they end being the second team to arrive. No Teams show up after fifteen minutes, so the Telcoms end up being the third team.

The LaMichies are very lost while the FranBerries show up in the Pit Stop in fifth place. Lo, the BoHo Boys are the next to arrive at the Pit Stop. They too incur the same fifteen-minute penalty as the Telcoms, so the question now is whether the LaMichies will arrive at the Pit Stop in time to beat the BoHo Boys. At least, the show tries to create its suspense around this possibility but we all know that the LaMachies will also incur the same penalty as the BoHo Boys so the Race is over for the LaMichies the moment the BoHo Boys land on the finish mat ahead of them. The LaMichies take longer than fifteen minutes to show up so the BoHo Boys are checked in as team number six. BJ and Tyler kiss Philo. Maybe they'll invite him to the Christmas party that they will be throwing with the Freaky Fratboys.

The LaMichies show up last and are therefore eliminated, awww. There goes the last of the Teams that I find entertaining to watch. The Telcoms are cool but they are pretty bland to watch. Lake says that Michelle "did great" and he is so proud of her. He also says that they do get along well most of the time. On her part, Michelle says that she is disappointed that she isn't of more help to Lake and despite everything, they've had a good relationship and they will keep having one in the future. Lake will then apologize to Michelle for calling her a bitch in post-show interviews and really, say what you will about those two, but I have always liked them. Even at their worst, they do come off as two people behaving badly under the stress of the Race rather than two codependent losers. Yes, I'll really miss them as the Race stretches on into a month of non-elimination rounds and Teams that are either bland or outright obnoxious.

Before YouTube, recapping music videos is totally a thing and not a waste of time. Really..

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