Last night, The Amazing Race spent most of its episode in Finland. Yes, Finland. Is there a more non-threatening country in the world? Finland, the third, boring brother of Sweden and Norway, has the least sex appeal of any country The Amazing Race has ever visited. Saying this, Finland actually seemed kind of cool. I wouldn’t be opposed to visiting there, possibly in tandem with a Norwegian fjord trip. But, let’s get to the episode. We’re down to five teams, the six-pack is down to four, and the Cho brothers continue to display a modicum of misguided politeness. Them looking out for Team Alabama is foolish and I don’t get it. Aren’t the Chos supposed to be smart?
The teams fly from Madagascar to Finland via Frankfurt. Team ‘Bama comes close to missing the flight, but it looks as if the Amazing Race producers pulled some behind-the-scenes strings and got the pair on the same flight as the rest. The racing in Finland was straightforward, with nothing too difficult to find or accomplish. The main road block involved trolling through about a mile of mud, either with cross-country skis or without. Team Zoolander and the Beauty Queens led the entire way. Rob and Kim were in third until Kim screwed up some directions and they fell behind the Chos and ‘Bama. Rob made it up at the detour, which took place deep in a Finland mine (is Finland famous for its mines?) and involved riding a bicycle, picking up a slab of limestone, and using a pick ax to excavate their next clue from within the limestone. The teams were next taken to Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, where they must repel, face down, over two hundred feet to the ground from the top of a tower. Which is insane. So, Olympic Stadium was billed as the pit stop, but once the models got their final clue, it simply said “Keep Racing” and the episode ended. No one was eliminated. Do I feel used? Maybe a little. I understand the need to extend the season and I’d much rather have a two-part episode than a non-elimination episode. You better not disappoint me next week, Amazing Race. For some inexplicable reason, I find myself rooting for Rob and Kim. Next week, look for Team ‘Bama to head home. It just feels like the right time. -Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer Thanks to RealityTV Magazine for the picture.