Needle in a Haystack
Monday, November 09, 2009 at 11:15am by freakgirl
So, the dreaded Needle in a Haystack Roadblock appeared this week, called an Amazing Race Switchback. It was just an excuse to mentally and physically torture the teams, really.
Teams traveled from Amsterdam to Sweden (with a funny aside from the Globetrotters about wanting to visit the Red Light District). This leg was pretty easy, actually, as it was designed entirely around that damn haystack challenge. Teams simply had to catch a train to an amusement park, ride the free-fall, find a clue and then play ring toss for a product-placed Travelocity gnome. Seriously. Next up was a Detour, a choice between blowing shit up or decoding the Viking alphabet. Obviously everybody chose blowing shit up.
After that it was time for the haybales, which ended up being an equalizer. The brothers had a very difficult time with this one, fighting and screaming at each other in frustration. They eventually did find their clue after what felt like hours.
Gary and Matt ended up finding their clue last, with Gary never giving up and staying positive. His persistence paid off, as the leg ended up being non-elimination. Which was a relief to me. These tasks are dramatic to watch, but kind of crappy if they end up in a random elimination.
Flight Time & Big Easy took first place this week and were completely stoked about it.
Order of Finish
- Flight Time & Big Easy
- Meghan & Cheyne
- Brian & Ericka
- Sam & Dan
- Gary & Matt (NON-ELIM)
1. kyle said ( Monday, November 09, 2009 at 11:27 am )
Quite happy it was a non-elim, considering the hay bale challenge. I love that players still yell at their partners, despite being told (begged) not to. I think the one brother on the sideline, was probably right that his brother was spending a bit more time than necessary, but clearly the “advice” wasn’t helping or being listened to.
There have been a couple of surprising (sure, dramatic) endings on the race. Other than “Team Zebra” I’d be happy with any of the teams winning, at this point. Gary and Matt are probably the underdogs, so it’d be great to see them take it, though.
2. Yoko said ( Monday, November 09, 2009 at 1:54 pm )
Is it lame of me to feel sorry for the viking dressed up in the woods waiting to hand out clues? I wonder how long he has to wait out there. I kept thinking that the globetrotters were going to leave their gnome somewhere because they kept showing them with theirs, but they must have been the only ones that were funny with it.
3. freakgirl said ( Monday, November 09, 2009 at 2:12 pm )
I always feel sorry for the Roadblock that never gets chosen.
Someone on another board pointed out that the brothers’ gnome had a red X on the bottom; others did not. I wonder if they won a prize from Travelocity. Or, had they come in first, would they have won an extra prize?
4. Jack said ( Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at 12:12 pm )
I hope Phil went out to tell the Viking the leg finished. Or else he’s probably still standing there.
I’m trying to remember if the odds on the “needle in a haystack” were as bad the first time around (7 flags in 180+ haystacks?). I guess it’s no different than any of those challenges where you have to find one item (digging in a snowbank to find a toy), but physically it looks a lot more grueling.
Was I the only one who found it odd that the globetrotters are seen as the biggest threat when it seems like Megan and Cheyne have finished first more than anyone else? It’s not like there’s many eliminations that actually come down to a foot race.