Episode 10 Summary:
Rob and Brennan and Frank and Margarita dominated the first
half of the show as they raced to complete all of the tasks in a single
day. The episode started at Tiger Cave Temple in Krabi, Thailand.
The first route marker was at the King's Climbing School on Rai Leh Beach
(aka Railay Beach and Raile Beach). This beach was accessible only
by boat by way of Ao Nang Beach.
Once there, the teams had to gear up and hike
up a trail to the base of a rock climbing wall. There, they got the
Detour. The Hike option required teams to hike up a long, but easy
trail. The Climb option required teams to climb a short distance
up the rock wall to a cave above. After recieving the route info,
they had to repel back down the wall to a boat below.
Once there, teams were told to go to Sea, Land, and Trek,
in Bor Tor, Ao Luk. When they arrived there, they were presented
with a Road Block for someone with upper body strength. The Road
Block required one team member to paddle a kayak with their teammate and
gear in it to a nearby cave. In the cave, they found snokeling gear
and were told to hire a boat to take them to a route marker offshore of
Chicken Island. The route marker there was underwater, requiring
teams to dive down and retrieve it. Finally, the teams were to go
to Pai Plong Beach, the pit stop for this non-elimination leg.
At Pai Plong Beach in Thailand, Rob and Brennan,
and Frank and Margarita are in a virtual tie for first place. Due
to the operating hours of the route markers on leg 10, they were both able
to complete the entire leg in one day, having finished before Team Guido
even left the Tiger Cave Temple.
Drew and Kevin and Team Guido both got caught by the 5:00
PM closing time of 2 of the route markers, and had to spend the night waiting
to complete the leg while the leading teams were waiting out their 12 hours
at the Pit Stop. Consequently, Drew and Kevin and Team Guido are,
by my estimates, 16-18 hours behind the leading teams.
Commentary on Episode 10:
On this episode, several of the route markers
had operating hours of 8-5. In previous legs, these have served as
"equalizing points," never allowing one team to sustain a substantial lead.
Frank and Margarita's 11+ hour lead at the Taj Khema Hotel quickly became
only a 45 minute lead when they had to spend the night waiting for the
Taj Mahal to open.
Eventually, one of these points was bound to
have the opposite effect, exaggerating a lead. It finally happened
this week. Due to a luck in timing, Rob and Brennan and Frank and
Margarita were able to complete the entire leg in one day. While
Team Guido and Drew and Kevin spend 12 hours waiting for route markers
to open, the two leading teams were waiting out their 12 hour pit stop.
On the next episode, we should see that the
two leading teams were able to leave the Pit Stop and continue onto leg
11 several hours before Drew and Kevin and Team Guido even arrived at Pai
Plong Beach. Not only that, but the leading teams will be leaving
at around 6:00 AM, whereas the trailing teams will be leaving in the middle
of the night.
Next week: Rob and Brennan and Frank and Maragrita
might be able to pad their lead even more in this crucial time before the
race to the end. Team Guido and Drew and Kevin will be battling to
stay in the game.
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