Usual race

Amazing Race is at a new day and time, right before American Idol's results show. They start by recapping the season results to date. Was thinking it'd be cool if they tried to do shows that would be linked to current events/historical anniversaries, or even just better tied to the week that they air. So like next week's holy week for Catholics, they could be in Israel or something.

So, Sicily. They highlight the two couples likely to finish last today, the Southern hicks and the one non-white couple left. Hippies leave first, at like 2:11 a.m., gotta drive to nearby town. They say frat boys definitely dumb, can have a lot of good luck but will eventually run out. They take time to rub the tummy of a dog in the middle of the road. Frat boys are like 2 hours behind. Next, an hour later, Monica and Joseph. They don't have a map? Crazy. They take a map from a helpful passerby. They talked about how they can't believe people stop in the middle of the night for them.

Hmm, Fran and Berry, say when they first got married he had to go off the Vietnam. I'm beginning to like these guys more, they're just a few behind J/M. Hippies already in city, follow a cabbie to where the clue box is. Place doesn't open until 8:30 though. They create a 'team order' sign-in sheet, then go off to sleep. Stupid Southerners think they're shorted money, find it behind a flap. Idiots. And bigots. Stupid husband arrogantly just says he knows how to go; Dave/Lori a bit behind, off they go. Finally Ray/Yolanda, just a bit behind them. Funny, they both sit in front, usually the camera person does. They have to get directions too, not a great sign.

Catania--frat boys show up, hippies have been hanging out sleeping. Frat boys sign in too, they throw out the sign-up list after being fooled at first. Other teams start pulling into town, Italians seem happy to drive to site and have them follow. Old couple freak out a bit, frat boys and hippies are in, frat boys find clue box a bit earlier. Now they have to count stone heads along fence, find a guy and tell him how many there are. They all count 41, running around looking for guy, frat boys slightly in first.

Detour: Big Fish or Little Fish. Either pick up 32-pound swordfish from vendor, walk 1/3rd of a mile to a market, find a vendor and give him the fish. Or they go to the market, sell four kilos of a small fish. Both good teams decide to carry the fish. Old couple still lost, have to go out of town and come back in.

Southerners upset too, hitting rush hour traffic. Same with everyone else too. J/M get to maze third. Hippies following frat boys to swordfish guys, all four get their fish and off they go. Fratties run, hippies too. No shyness about shouting out destination, locals direct them. J/M differ, but they go with her count, which is right. They're gonna carry too.

Everyone looking for fish monger in marketplace, just yelling out his name, hippies find, frat boys second slightly. Now gotta drive to another city, find a place on the wharf. Back they go to the cars, as a group, run into J/M on the way out. Old people still lost, finally find it, in fourth. Hippies/frat boys work together to find location, off fratties go. They find groundskeeper, wife keeps calling out hellow, husband is like he's not gonna answer. They decide to sell fish.

Hmm, J/M carry fish in their hands, not on shoulders. Southerners crazy frustrated in traffic. D/L lost, D refuses to ask for directions. R/Y decide to park, go look for the place on foot. People won't help them, interesting, they comment on it. Old couple try to hustle fish, nobody's paying attention to them. Monica's complaining about fish all over her. They don't know who to give fish to, Monica gets mad. Old people finally find some people to buy from them. J/M get separated, he's mad at her, she throws fish down on ground, both of them are mad, meltdown and start yelling at each other, she says it's the worst thing she's ever done.

Some helpful Italian finally directs them, he says he wants to stab someone through the head, they're not at all gracious to get the clue, still swearing. Old couple still trying to hawk wares, and they do, off they go--a lot happier than J/M, say it was fun. Monica's jealous of cute/clean Italian women. Southerners show up, yelling at pedestrians and nearly running them down. They ask some guy if 41 is correct, he says yes, they slap five--but he's just some random guy, it's hilarious.

Old people on way out of town. Southerners carry fish, wifey says her kids weighs 40 pounds, can totally carry a 35-pound fish--they have no problem finding vendor, off they go in 5th. D/L lost, get directions finally, then some guy volunteers to lead them on his moped. Black couple find someone to talk to them, find the place too. Southern husband tells his wife to shut up, then doesn't admit she's the one who saw sign to lead them out. R/Y count 41, off to carrying fish--funny, fake sign-in sheet is still there, Ray glances at it. Hope R/Y remember where they park after all this.

Ray carries fish with one hand, D/L finish counting, off they go--to carry fish too. Meanwhile fratties into next city, apparently now in first. Roadblock--gotta play some kayak polo, score once for their team. Wow, that could be totally hard for some. R/Y drive outof town--oops, apparently the wrong way, they misunderstood directions. D/L buy a map, and off they go. Whoah, a map, what a concept.

Jeremy scores, pretty easily. Hippies show up, frat boys off to pit stop, spring somewhere in town. They score pretty quickly, it seems, off they go to pit stop. They're editing it to make it seem close, but I'm pretty sure frat boys will win easily, unless there's a screw-up. Old people and M/J next, the guys play--old man doesn't know how to paddle, young guy scores. Hippies take time to slap hands with people on the way to pit stop, frat boys get there first though. Hippies dance a jig past band to pit stop. Barry having troble throwing ball that high, but does eventually.

Southerners show up, in 5th. Wife does it, husband is just screaming at her, wonderful sight with his shirt off just livid on the sidelines. He's just yelling like a crazy man after they get the clue; J/M finish, then old people into fourth, then team white trash. Now race for last between R/Y and D/L. Ray gets there first, tries throwing it in from way off, then capsizes.... Makes it, off they go in 6th, so they should be okay--then D/L show up. He makes it, pretty quickly it seems like--now it's a footrace, but I think R/Y are far enough ahead they'll be fine, just gotta make sure they don't get lost.

And they make it first--I think this may be a non-elim leg, not a heck of a lot of tricky editing to psych people out. So they move up from last. D/L speculate it may be a non-elimination round--but they're wrong, out they go. They cry, proclaim their love for each other.

Next week should be great, team white trash vs. the only non-white couple.

Photo of Dave and Lori from Amazing Race website.