EP4: Craziness in Senegal

Episode 4 of 12
Another exciting yet strange episode of the Amazing Race. After receiving their clues on top of the Stockholm city hall (where they were once again equalized due the place being closed), the teams were given instructions to head to Senegal, Africa (a very dangerous place!). I thought it was quite strange of the producers sending the teams into such a historically dangerous place. Once they arrived, the teams had a lot of trouble with the taxis. They couldn't find people that spoke English and could not hardly communicate with the locals at all. When the teams first saw that they were going to Africa, they were all excited, but that all changed once they arrived. They were complaining heavily about the skanky taxis, the lack of communication, the awful smells, and the general nastiness of the city. One team referred to the country as "ghetto Africa," which I thought was hilarious! The teams let their tensions grow during the segment. It won't be long until the teams start arguing amongst each other. Once they arrived, the teams had to go find the grave of a famous Senegal president and author. Everyone took taxis to get there. Poor Don & Mary Jean (a very sentimental favorite) created some drama. Their taxi got a flat tire in the midst of the neck-to-neck racing. Everyone passed by them not caring. This is understandable since a million dollars is at stake. Mary Jean would wave to them though (go girl!). While the taxi driver was making the repairs, the jack broke! They finally get some help from some local people, who would hold the car up while the driver changed the tires. This held them back and helped them move to the back of the pack (once again). They do catch up at the cemetary. They are one of the first teams to find the clue there. This was the start of the craziness in Senegal. The teams that are dominant and usually end up leaving first actually found the clue last and left the graveyard last. Weaker teams, such as Lori & Bolo and Don & Mary Jean, actually found the clue first and got a huge head start over the other teams. Another thing that I found strange was the sign that was posted on the cemetary gate. The sign listed the hours of operation for the gravesite. It was obvious that the Amazing Race people made the sign. It looked brand new, had the same color scheme as TAR, did not look like anything that a old, elderly grave keeper would make, and looked like a professionally made sign amongst the rusting gates and weedy graves. I think the producers did this to prevent the racers from breaking into the graveyard. They could have at least, however, scratched something on a piece of cardboard to make it look more authentic. The teams then had to go to the Kayar Fishing Village to take part in this leg's detour, Stack 'Em Up or Pull 'Em Up. With stack, the teams had to carry baskets of fish and arrange them traditionally on a table. With pull, the teams were taken out on a boat and had to catch four fish. On the way to the detour, Lori, the wife/wrestler, told Bolo, "God, your an idiot!" Finally someone said it! Jonathan tried to make up for his evilness while running to the detour site. He was extremely nice and greeted the local children. He even gave the kids candy. Where did this come from? I think the producers added this in to give Jonathan a better character because the show abruptly cuts to Jonathan & Victoria back home talking about having kids. More strangeness! Well, the teams that picked stack proved to make a wise decision since the two teams that picked pull do poorly and got far behind. My fav team, Gus & Hera, and Don & MJ picked pull. Hera & Don both got sea sick while it took forever to catch the four fish. They got in the very last of the pack, which scared me! After the detour, the teams had to go to a salt collecting area and harvest salt out of the ocean for this leg's roadblock. The producers used this to make many obvious boob scenes (which is maybe the reason they chose many model teams for this season). You could tell the obvious sexing up they were trying to make. Adam proved his weakness in this roadblock. He could barely drag his baskets back to shore while the girls were picking those things up over their heads. Rebecca even called him a "wussy boy." He argued with Rebecca later saying that she didn't support him (no crap, remember Adam that you two are the "formerly dating" team) and didn't believe that he was having problems with his back. She responded by saying that she felt like a babysitter. How funny! Gus & Hera and Don & MJ arrive last since they made a bad decision with the pull detour. Gus & Hera ultimately leave before the old people, which made it certain who would arrive last at the pitstop. This roadblock gave us much emotion with the elderly couple. Don broke down in tears as MJ worked so hard to harvest the salt. He said that he loved her so much and that she was such a great woman. As she finished the group of locals that had gathered clapped as the two embraced. The two, sadly, did arrive at the pitstop last. Phil looked very depressed when they arrived. He then broke the news, this was a non-elimination course. Although they have no money for the next leg, at least they are still in the race.