Welcome to episode 4 of The Amazing Race 6, the show with the motto – let’s face it, it’s true – Hurry up and Wait!.

I'm sure that this week will be no different. Teams will make mistakes, but some of them will make them early and get a reprieve, where others will make them later and pay the ultimate price of eviction. I mean banishment. Elimination. You’re fired??? Well, something bad will happen, that’s for sure, as the last team eliminated will no longer be racing for a million dollars in stressful , unsanitary conditions with no sleep and no time to enjoy their surroundings. Instead they will be forced to enjoy a luxury vacation at some remote location until the race is over and they can be reunited at the finish line.

The teams will start from the pit stop, which is in Stockholm Sweden, called one of the most beautiful cities in Scandinavia. There are 8 teams left, they are: Kris and Jon, Hayden and Aaron, Freddy and Kendra, Gus and Hera, Jonathan and Victoria, Adam and Rebecca, Don and Mary Jean, Lori and Bolo.

Hayden and Aaron are the first to leave, having checked into the pit stop seconds before Kris and Jon, but for all practical purposes, both teams leave at 2:04 a.m. The teams must find the town hall tower and climb to the top for their next clue. They travel together in the dead of night and find a hotel doorman who tells them the tower is near city hall. As they near the tower, they ask some people hanging out in the street when the tower opens. The response is “Ten o’clock?” Yes, that’s ten o’clock with a question mark, not an exclamation point.

This sounds like a good time for a pop quiz.

Question One: You’re on a race around the world for million dollars. You need to know the opening time of an attraction that is close by so that you can proceed with the race. Your best option is:

a) look it up in a respected travel publication.
b) Ask the desk clerk at the nearby Sheraton hotel.
c) Go to the base of the tower and see if the opening time is listed there.
d) Unconditionally accept the unsure response of a stranger who’s hanging out on the streets at 3 or 4 in the morning.

If you’re Hayden, Aaron, Kris, or Jon, you choose D. If you’re anyone else with a brain on planet Earth, you choose all of the above except D. Alas, our front-runners thank the stranger and walk away. They’re bummed out that their lead will be evaporating and decide the logical next step is to hang out at the Sheraton and get some sleep until 9:30.

Gus and Hera leave an hour later, with Jon and Victoria not far behind. Jonathan tells us that all their problems have been with each other, not the race. Very perceptive, Jonathan. Does that tell you something maybe? Will you be taking some kind of positive action with this information? Victoria says they want to kill to each other. Don’t give Jonathan any ideas, he may decide he’ll get farther in the race without you. The two couples meet up and ask a group of streetwalkers – well, people who happen to be walking the streets at 4 a.m. - when the tower opens. They too are told 10:00. Maybe the kind of person who’s out at 4 a.m. never goes anywhere before ten and just assumes that’s when everything opens. At any rate Gus/Hera and Jonathan/Victoria also take the word of these night owls without checking for themselves and are also going to the Sheraton.

At 5:37, Adam and Rebecca leave. She tells us that Adam’s mom still cut his toenails when they first met. And it doesn’t sound like they were simply childhood friends. Adam admits he’s a baby and still lives with his mommy and daddy.

This team actually goes to the tower and learns the gate opens at 7 a.m. See – that was so easy even a baby could do it. Freddy and Kendra leave at 6:09, and head straight for the tower, arriving before 7am. Obviously, it didn’t take long to get there! They find Adam and Rebecca waiting at the gate and both teams are surprised they are the only ones waiting.

At 7 a.m. these two teams learn they must fly to Dakar, Senegal in Africa, where their next clue will be waiting just outside the airport. Freddy and Kendra take a cab to the airport. They learn that it’s more expensive than the train, but that’s okay because it also takes longer than the train. This is why I just would not be a good Amazing Racer. I just don’t understand these subtle nuances!

Gus and Hera have awakened a little early, as have Jonathan and Victoria. Both teams are walking separately near the tower and are shocked to see people at the top, given that doesn’t open for two more hours. At any rate, they make it to the top of the tower, still in 3rd and 4th places. The last two teams to leave the pit stop at 7:52 a.m. are Lori/Bolo and Don/Mary Jean. They arrive in 5th and 6th, not far behind the others. It looks like all four teams have decided to take cabs to the airport. In the meantime, the first teams are already at the airport lining up flights to Africa that depart at 11:20am.

Finally, we see Hayden and Aaron, who are thinking maybe they should go to the tower, even though it can’t be open yet since it’s not ten. Kris and Jon also find the tower about that time. Both teams apparently decide they can’t afford to waste money with a slow cab and decide to take the train. This decision allows them to catch up with the other teams at the airport, and in the end, all teams will arrive in Africa together, late that evening.

Dakar, Senegal in Africa

Upon arrival in Africa, the teams are given an interesting clue. It’s a poem. They must figure out who the author is, find where he’s buried, and retrieve the next clue at his grave. I don’t recognize the poem or author – Leopold Senghor, who was once a president of Senegal. They are going to have to rely on the locals for help, which is always a perilous venture. They all figure out they need to go to a cemetery, but which one? Kris and Jon tell the taxi driver to take them to the cemetery, but are no more specific than that. Can you say wild goose chase??

It appears the taxis will be a major source of adventure in Africa. They are rundown, smelly, and I don’t think they’re driven by union cabbies. Most of the teams quickly find locals who identify the poem’s author and confidently proclaim that he’s buried in Bel Air. Jonathan is looking for an English-speaker to escort Victoria and him around Senegal. He finds a willing young African man – good move! Adam and Rebecca have a cabbie, but they don’t trust his sense of direction. Hera agrees to pay their cabbie $20. Lori and Bolo‘s cabbie says he knows where to go - no problem. Freddy and Kendra finds someone who says the cemetery is downtown. They get angry when their driver stops to get air in the tires. Don and Mary Jean’s cab blows a tire. Fortunately, the cabbie has a jack, but, unfortunately, the jack breaks! The cabbie and Don lift the car while Mary Jean wedges something underneath, allowing them to change the tire. Don was hoping Lori/Bolo would stop and lift the car up for them. Afterward, Don tells us the fickle finger of fate has diddled them – ewwww, that sounds dirty!

Victoria tells their driver to hurry: “vite, vite”, she says. Jonathan tries to help by mimicking her command, but gets it wrong, saying ”beep, beep. Heh, it’s pretty funny. Freddy offers their cabby $5 for the ride. He had agreed to pay $10, but didn’t like that the driver stopped for air. The elderly cabbie looks like he may cry. Hey, Hera paid $20, you cheapskate!

Teams start to arrive, but find the cemetery doesn’t open until 7:30. After their grand cemetery tour, Kris and Jon are the last to arrive, but they are relieved to find it’s not open yet, and they’ve lucked out again. Kris tells us it’s been a humbling day.

Everyone arrives bright and early to the cemetery, and Jonathan forms a bond with his guide, who will apparently accompany them for their entire stay in Senegal. One by one, the teams find the grave clue. Their next stop is a fishing village named Kayar. Once there, they must find a small carpenter shop for their next clue. Lori and Bolo find a cab. Gus and Hera find a cab. Jonathan and Victoria find a cab. Victoria must ride on Jonathan’s lap because their guide is in the other seat. Freddy and Kendra find a cab, and ask the driver “how much”. The driver replies “$30”, and this looks like a foreshadowing moment. Are they are going to have more cab driver challenges? Hayden and Aaron are the last to go.

Lori and Bolo’s cabbie wants $60. They give him $40. Gus and Hera pay $40. Jonathan and Victoria are the first to arrive and find out that the next task is a detour. Teams must choose between stack ‘em up or pull ‘em up. In stack ‘em up, they must carry baskets of disgusting fish and stack them on a drying table. For pull ‘em up, they must take a boat out to sea and catch four fish. Wow, that sounds risky and unpredictable. Everyone but Gus and Hera and Don and Mary Jean choose to stack ‘em up . I think this spells trouble for these two teams. Jon passes a boatload of children hanging out on the beach and offers them candy. Their smiles are wide, as apparently the candy is not poisoned! Victoria tells us Jonathan wants kids bad, and Jonathan says they already have names picked out. Well what do you know; there may be a decent human side to this man. I must say they are moving well on this leg.

Adam and Rebecca arrive at the fish tables, as do Kris/Jon and Hayden/Aaron. It looks like each team pays their cab driver $40. Though their driver wants $40, Freddy and Kendra refuse to pay more than $30 because that’s what they agreed to at the start of the trip. The driver follows them out to the beach. Are we going to have a repeat of the Colin incident from last season, with Freddy ending up in jail? No. The driver finally leaves when a friend pulls him away. I wonder why? Maybe the friend saw TAR5. Meanwhile, the fishing teams are just getting out in the boats and aren’t getting any bites. Don decides they need to chum the waters, so he resourcefully vomits over the side. Hera thinks this is a good idea and follows suit. Apparently it works, as both teams are catching fish now. Gus and Vera are floundering – well, they catch a flounder.

Jonathan and Victoria is the first team done with the smelly fish. Their clue reveals they must travel to a pink lake called Lac Rose. The other team’s tables are filling up with gooey fish parts; they will all finish soon. Despite arriving last, Freddy/Kendra is the third team to finish stacking. The fishers are halfway done, with two fish each. Hera tells us she’s keeping her head in the game as much as possible. This is accurate, provided that ”the game” is what she calls the sea.

Roadblock time.

Jonathan and Victoria is also the first team to reach the roadblock. For this task, one team member must wade into the shallow lake, fill their straw basket with salt, then fill a much larger basket on shore. They may not take salt that’s already been harvested from the piles on the nearby boats. Jonathan will do this task, even though it doesn’t look too horribly physical.

Freddy/Kendra and Hayden/Aaron are next to arrive at the roadblock. The ladies will tackle the task for these teams. Kendra doesn’t like the pink water – it looks like blood. After a slow start, Hayden and Kendra develop a rhythm. It’s not a difficult task, but it looks time consuming. Two more teams arrive – Kris/Jon and Lori/Bolo. Again, the ladies will perform the task for their teams. Kris peels off her outer shirt – WOW, she is hot! She’s got a rockin’ body – I never noticed before. Jon agrees, telling the camera that ”Kris is doing great and she looks even better doing it!” I think I’ll need to replay this scene a few times – just to make sure I quote him correctly! Adam and Rebecca arrive. Again the girl, Adam, is chosen for the task. Adam is having a hard time figuring out the tasks and is acting like a baby. I think he’s hoping his mommy will harvest the salt for him.

The ladies are all doing great, plugging away, but Adam struggles – he’s getting his butt kicked. It looks like he has some muscles – but apparently they aren’t good for much. Maybe they’re implants! Rebecca is trying to cheer him on and coach him, but he complains that his back hurts and nothing she says is helping.

Back to the fishing boats.

It takes everything she has, but Hera is able to hurl one last time so that her father can catch their fourth and final fish. Don hurls again too, enabling Mary Jean to net their 4th fish. In case you were wondering whether this was simply an editing trick, Mary Jean explains to the camera that she caught fish every time he vomited.

Jonathan and Victoria get their final clue – the teams must take a ferry to the Ile de Goree, formerly an island for slaves, now a popular tourist destination. It’s the pit stop for this leg of the race, where the last team to arrive MAY be eliminated. Foreshadow alert! Is this a non-elimination leg?

Back to the salt mines where Rebecca points out that Adam is being beaten by a bunch of girls and tells the camera she should have done this. Kris finishes filling her basket and she and Jon receive their clue. Lori is the next one done – she flew through this task, and basically kicked all the ladies butts, including Adam. Hayden finishes, then Kendra. Adam is struggling and can’t go on. Fortunately, there’s a commercial so he’ll have some time to rest. After commercials, he gets what he thinks is his last bucket, but the salt supervisor tells them he needs one more. When he finishes, they discuss the level of his wussiness in the cab.

At this point every team except the two who chose fishing is on their way to the pit stop. Traffic is bad, so a resourceful cab driver may be able to make up for lost time. Kris and Jon’s driver proves this point by pulling out of the traffic lanes and driving through the pedestrian area instead. In America, we might refer to these as ”walkways”.

The driver’s resourcefulness is effective, and Kris and Jon reach the ferry docks at the same time as Jonathan and Victoria, despite getting a later start. Jonathan and Victoria finally run into some bad luck – their cab’s trunk is stuck and they can’t get their bags out. By the time it’s opened, they’ve missed the first ferry. Kris and Jon have the first ferry all to themselves.

Gus and Hera arrive at the salt lake before Don and Mary Jean. Gus will do the task. He starts raking salt from the already harvested piles off the dock, which we know is against the rules. Hera is yelling at Gus “you can’t rake salt off the boat”, but he can’t understand what she’s saying – he’s too busy raking salt off the boat. Finally, he figures it out and starts doing the task correctly. Don and Mary Jean arrive at the salt and Mary Jean performs this task because Don is sick. She’s up to the task and does it without complaint. Adam could learn a thing or two from her.

The next five teams are on ferry number 2. Adam whines to Rebecca some more, but Rebecca is tiring of his attitude. She finally tells him “Adam, I don’t have time to babysit my girlfriend anymore. He offers to throw himself overboard if it would please her, and she replies that, yes, that would be most appreciated. Technically she said “that would be awesome”. My guess is that he would then complain the water was too cold.

Kris and Jon arrive at the pit stop, and it’s no surprise that they’re first! Well done, especially after those two early missteps. They’re fast racers with hot bodies – what a combo. The second ferry arrives and Jonathan and Victoria find the pit stop in second place with a little more help from their African guide. This was a smart move, and they would have arrived first if not for the taxi misfortune beyond their control. They are followed by Lori and Bolo, Hayden and Aaron, Freddy and Kendra, and Adam and Rebecca in that order.

Gus has finished the salt, and they are comfortably ahead of Don and Mary Jean who are going to end up last unless something goes horribly wrong. Speaking of horribly wrong, we’re treated to a shot of a shirtless Gus in the cab ride to the ferry terminal. This is where I’d love to see a little product placement going on – for a “mansiere”.

Mary Jean finishes the salt task by dumping a nearly full basket of salt all at once – it’s a superhuman effort! Maybe they aren’t out of it yet. Gus and Hera are in traffic and for a while it looks like Don and Mary Jean have a chance to catch up while Gus and Hera are waiting for the ferry, but they arrive at the dock just as Gus and Hera’s ferry departs. They think it’s their last day in the race. Sure enough, Gus and Hera make it to the pit stop and Don and Mary Jean check in last. Phil is happy to tell them it’s the first of several pre-determined non-elimination legs; they are still in the race. However, just like last season, they must forfeit all their money and will get no more for the next leg. It doesn’t matter; they are elated to still be in the race! I can’t wait to see them begging for money next week.

Next Week

A tribute to the island’s slave history brings Gus to tears. Also, Lori and Bolo face off with Hayden and Aaron. Hayden calls him a short ‘roid freak. Sounds like fun!

Remember to read all about it here at Reality TV World!

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