Adam & Brandon have already left the Viking Longhouse in search of a boat. They're not entirely sure where it is but they figure they have plenty of time since it's only 4:00 in the morning. Jason & Amy are the second team to the Longhouse and Amy already knows they're still racing "because the sun's still out." So now we know that the teams must travel by boat to get to the airport then by plane to make their way 1500 miles south to Gdansk, Poland. Once in Gdansk they need to find Solidarity Square at the entrance to the Gdansk Shipyard in order to find their next clue. Teams also learn of the dreaded U-Turn ahead.
Nicole & Travis are 3rd, Leo & Jamal 4th, Pinky & Brain 5th, Tim & Danny 6th, Ally & Ashley 7th, and that leaves Nicky & Kim as the last team. Not really a big deal though because when they Beardos find the boat they also find that it won't be leaving until later at 8:30pm. That's almost 16 hours from when they arrived and if all teams haven't caught up by then there's something fishy in Norway.
When Phil tells Nicky and Kim they're the last team to arrive they look pretty beaten until he says there's no need for tears and informs them they're still racing. That's two happy girls racing out of that Longhouse. They're about to be even happier because they catch up to everyone else for the 34 hour boat trip from Svolvaer to Trondheim where they can catch the plane to Gdansk. This is nearly a 40 hour break in the middle of the race and should allow teams lots of time to reenergize, but the downside is that too long of a break could ruin the pace they've all set for themselves.
While on the boat Marie quietly gives Nicole the second Express Pass, hoping to keep it a secret. She figures if everyone thinks she still has it she can use that to her advantage. Meanwhile Travis & Nicole have no intention of letting anyone know they have the second one, especially heading in to a U-Turn.
Obviously it was a pretty uneventful turn of events getting from the boat to the airport as there was none of it shown during the episode, but once the teams all land in Gdansk it's every team for itself again as they race out to find the dreaded foreign taxi driver. We all know how this can turn out and there are certain teams that you just hope pull the short straw. None of the teams speak Polish so that's definitely going to work against somebody. In this case it works against three teams as the Afghanimals, IceQueens, and Pinky & Brain all picked location impaired drivers.
Tim & Danny are the first to the clue box to find that they must now travel by taxi to the Golden Gate, the historic entrance to old town Gdansk where they will find their next clue. Jason & Amy are hot on their trail, followed directly by the ERDocs. Nicky & Kim have managed to remove themselves from the back of the pack and are 4th to the shipyard. Meanwhile, somewhere in Gdansk, there are three lost cabs looking for the correct shipyard. When Pinky's driver gets out of the cab she's not sure if he's actually helping or going for coffee so she tries to get directions from a local.
I love Tim's comment as they start off again, . . . "would you rather be in this taxi right now with this guy who's not sure where he's going or . . . be shoving sharp objects into your eye?" According to my wife that's exactly what I'd be saying around that time. She's probably right.
Tim & Danny find the clue box for this episode's Detour, Pose or Polka. In Pose, teams must dress up and recreate the stance of a historic statue of Neptune with his trident to earn 75 zloty (the local currency, about $25US) from passing tourists before getting their next clue. In Polka, teams must learn a choreographed routine in full costume as a couple to the satisfaction of their instructor before getting their next clue. It's just a personal thought here but teams that choose to dance had either be really good at it in the first place or had better choose the other side of the Detour because it never ends well. It does however always create humour and tension which is good for television. For some reason Tim & Danny decide to dance.
Having found the shipyard and getting the next clue the Beardos discover that their driver has no clue where the Golden Gate is so he calls another cabbie and hands the phone to one of the boys. He explains what they're looking for but the other driver tells them he has no idea where there's a golden gate. Unfortunately they have no idea that the guy they're talking to is currently driving Jason & Amy directly to the Golden Gate. The cabbie's having a blast, but Adam can tell the guy's having him on and figures he's with another team. Sorry guys.
Nicole & Travis manage to find the clue box before Jason & Amy but not by much. The ERDocs decide to Polka while the Daters decide to Pose. Nicky & Kim also decide to Pose. Our three lost cabs have made another wrong turn and still haven't found the shipyard. Pinky starts ranting that nobody speaks English and nobody knows where they are and all three teams are out of their cabs looking completely confused. On the upside, they're not alone.
The Beardos' cabbie finally figures out where they're supposed to be and it's back in the cab boys. While they head for the Golden Gate, Tim and Danny squabble about who gets to wear the dress. Wayne and I wouldn't have this problem because we'd have chosen to Pose. At the dressing room Danny finally decides he'll be the girl, but when Tim starts teasing him about going out for a drink Danny's ready to smack him. It soon becomes apparent that Tim has three left feet as he keeps stepping on Danny's toes.
Nicky & Kim change into their Neptune costume while Travis & Nicole get ready to Polka. The girls are off to a great start as statues, even though the supervisor has to adjust their arm once in awhile, but then again those tridents look heavy. Brandon & Adam decide to Pose rather than Polka.
Remember those three little lost cabs? They managed to find a shipyard, just not the right one. At this point in the game I'm surprised that none of these guys have called for a different cab driver. Leo & Jamal finally find a local who speaks a little English and everyone follows them in the hopes that they might finally be going in the right direction.
Back at the dance hall Tim & Danny try their routine but about halfway through they forget the rest of the routine and pretty much blow it. Nicole & Travis are waiting in the wings with Jason & Amy, while over in the square Nicky & Kim have managed to collect their 75 zloty as the Beardos arrive. The girls have now managed to move into first place as they receive their next clue . . . search for the Medieval Harbor Crane along the waterfront and get your next clue from the harbourmaster. The clue also informs them that they need to stay in costume for the rest of the leg, and that there's a U-Turn ahead.
The lost tribes of Gdansk finally find the clue box at the correct shipyard and now they're all off for the Golden Gate. Good luck with that. Tim & Marie have managed to drop into last place by this point but at least they don't have to watch the debacle that is Tim & Danny dancing. Jason & Amy had no problem with the Polka task, thanks largely in part to the fact that Amy took control and just moved Jason wherever she needed him to be. Good thing he's pliable.
Travis & Nicole's first attempt was as bad as Tim & Danny, which made the boys feel better . . . but not much. Meanwhile it's a race to see who can get to the Medieval Harbor Crane first between Nicky & Kim or Jason & Amy, but since Nicky & Kim appear to be on the wrong side of the river it's the Daters to the Double U-Turn first. They decide not to U-Turn anyone and receive their next clue, . . . make your way to the Falowiec Building, the longest apartment building in Poland, almost half a mile long with 6000 residents. That's one heck of a block party.
The Beardos decide to switch because it's taking too long to collect the 75 zloty so as they race to the dance hall Nicole & Travis apparently wore down their judge and receive their next clue. Danny's pretty sure by this point that they're done but Tim reassures him they can do it so they try it again. Their instructor looked pretty happy to find that Oklahomans can dance.
When Pinky & Brain get to the statues they realize that there's no one around and decide to use their Express Pass. Probably a good idea at this point and it gets it out of their hands. When they get to the U-Turn they're all ready to use it on the ERDocs but Tim's pretty sure they're already ahead of them so they decide not to use it and get their next clue. When the Bunnies arrive they also decide not to use the U-Turn, but the Oklahomans aren't quite as nice as they seem. They know that the Afghanimals are behind them so they decide to U-Turn them and keep them behind, just as Travis & Nicole arrive and decide not to U-Turn anyone else.
As teams arrive at the Falowiec Building they discover this week's Roadblock . . . somewhere in these 6000 units they must search through the 12 addresses provided to Find Rose Paczki, a red jam filled doughnut . . . as opposed to the other 11 yellow jam filled doughnuts. When Tim reads the clue to Marie he points out "Warning, may be penalized for bad manners" I don't know if that was really on the clue or not but it was funny. Amy decides to do it for their team and Jason realizes that Tim is not in a costume so now they know that they've used the Express Pass.
Marie and Amy team up and hit the addresses together, not so much to save time but to make sure the other team doesn't get to far ahead. It's an interesting strategy if you're in the middle of the pack but not so much if you're at the front of it. Ally & Ashley complete their Polka and then Leo & Jamal finish theirs. I'm pretty sure the judges are just handing these out now. If that's the case then the Beardos should only have one more run.
Speaking of runs, Nicky & Kim have arrived at the apartment building alongside Travis & Nicole and Travis follows her up to the first unit to find it's not the right doughnut. When they leave Kim decides to use the elevator but Travis runs down the stairs . . . stopping at every floor to press the elevator button and slow down Kim. It's a neat trick and something Wayne and I would probably do. Kim figured it out after the second stop.
When Leo & Jamal arrive at the U-Turn and realize they've been U-Turned by Tim & Danny they have no choice but to U-Turn someone else. Rather than U-Turn the IceQueens who are standing right beside them they decide to U-Turn Brandon & Adam. The Beardos should never have switched sides to start with because now they have no choice but to do both.
Travis has figured out that the girls ahead of him aren't going to go to the same place twice so he can skip a few doughnuts. Meanwhile Kim is still off on her own with her trident. Travis finds the magic doughnut and tells Marie and Amy as he runs down the stairs. The three teams are now in a footrace to find Phil on the longest wooden pair in Europe, Sopot Pier, extending over 1600 feet into the Baltic to be the first to arrive at this leg's Pit Stop.
When Danny finds the right doughnut he asks to take it with him, and why not they look damn yummy. I'd have taken two. As he hits the bottom of the stairs he lets Kim know it's the right one and she's glad to be done as well. Unfortunately, when Adam & Brandon make it to the U-Turn they realize they may also be done. They make their way back to the Pose side as the Afghanimals are leaving and wonder how they managed to get it done so fast.
Speaking of fast, that's a lot of dock to be running down. Unencumbered by an ill-fitting costume, Tim & Marie manage to be Team Number 1, with Jason & Amy Team 2, and Nicole & Travis Team 3. Along with winning this leg, Tim & Marie also win a trip from Travelocity for 5 nights in Hawaii. Had they not used that Express Pass they'd probably still be trying to dance.
The Beardos are finally finished with their Pose task but they know they're behind the other teams and need to really hustle. Nicky & Kim are Team 4, and Tim & Danny are Team 5, while Leo and Ashley (I think) are still chomping through doughnuts. Adam & Brandon know they're in last place but they keep going because they refuse to surrender. Good attitude, but when the others find the correct Paczki it's pretty much a done deal. Leo & Jamal are Team 6, and Ally & Ashley are Team 7.
They'd gone from first to last but Adam & Brandon still had a good attitude when Phil told them they had been eliminated from the race. They had fun and got to spend some quality time together but as they said, they've been doing crazy stuff long before the race and they're not going to stop just because their race is over. So long boys.
Next week teams get to join the Vienna Boy's Choir but apparently Pinky has other plans and steals the Daters taxi. This is not likely to end well. See you there.