Amazing Race
Amazing Race

Episode Report Card
M. Giant: B- | 359 USERS: B
YOU GRADE IT
Saw That Coming

The teams sleep on their respective buses (they got a very early start to their day, remember), the sun goes down, and over a black screen we hear the sound of crashing glass. Suddenly we see that the second bus is pulled over by the side of the road, and one of the seats is full of shattered safety glass, like someone dumped out several gallons of blue-green slushie. "Luckily no one was hurt," Cherie says from the shoulder. The New York guys are ready to drive on, but as Cherie says, the driver and whoever else are "playing with duct tape and cardboard trying to cover up the window." Vanessa says there could be other team members on board any of the buses passing them right now. Indeed, the last bus goes by, just as Nary and Jamie happen to be asking their conductor for directions to Liniers. At least I hope it's the conductor, because his eyes aren't on the road and his hands aren't on the wheel. That's a good way for a bus to end up back in last place in a hurry.

Luckily, a taped-down window curtain, a can-do attitude, a complete disregard for passenger safety and a commercial break are all it takes to get what is now the last-place bus back on the road, with the wind whistling fiercely through the shattered window. Ralph explains that something hit the side of the bus. "This may allow them to catch up," he says optimistically, not realizing that's already happened.

Early in the morning, the first bus arrives at the Buenos Aires terminal and disgorges the two Rachel teams, the Border Patrol agents and Team Kentucky. They all get cabs quickly. Meanwhile the last bus to leave Salta is the second bus to be approaching the city, while Kerri and Stacy put their faces on in the back. Jamie says they need to kick some ass. "Only thing we need to do today." Well, it sounds easy when you put it like that.

Up ahead, Other Rachel and Major Dave arrive at the next clue box, which is situated on some kind of public stage in a town square. It's a Roadblock and the introductory question is simply, "Where's the Beef?" Some of these racers may even be old enough to understand that reference. Suddenly we're at Liniers Cattle Market, which Phil says is the largest in the world, auctioning up to 13,000 head per day. The racer doing this Roadblock (which is called "Calculate Cattle") will need to join a group of buyers following an auctioneer past the pens. The auctioneer will call out the total weight in each pen. With that information, and by counting the number of cattle in that pen, racers will have to calculate the average weight of each bovine in that pen. Basically it's a live-action word problem, except that they have to do it before the auctioneer moves on to the next pen, so it's a race against time as well as rusty math skills. Major Dave nominates Other Rachel, who groans that calculators aren't allowed. They run a block or two, following the sound of the auction bell, and soon find themselves amid the noise, chaos, and poo-stink of the auction. Other Rachel runs up to the catwalk over the pens and hears the auctioneer declare the total weight of pen #58 as 5,990, in English. Rachel tries to do long division on the clue sheet while the auctioneer continues yelling numbers to the buyers, which can't help. Even if those other numbers are in Spanish.

Amazing Race

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