As beautiful as Cartagena appears to be it's time to move on. Brodie & Kurt realize that they haven't seen some of the other teams since the first leg and at the back of the pack Blair is looking forward to seeing Brodie because some of the other teams have mentioned that he may have a little crush on her. She looks happy about that but it almost feels like the rest of the teams are just trying to set them up as a distraction for the race. Maybe. With Brodie & Kurt coming in first to the Pit Stop they're also the first to discover at 10:22am that all the teams are now on their way out of Columbia and heading for Geneva, Switzerland.
When teams arrive in Geneva on the banks of Lake Geneva they'll need to find the 460 foot high jet stream to locate their next clue. All of the teams seem to be looking forward to the cooler temperatures of Switzerland and it's no surprise that all teams will be on the same flight out of Cartagena, Columbia. Sheri & Cole are the sixth to depart at 12:44pm, almost two and a half hours behind the lead and it must really suck to have everyone who was behind you all caught up again because production wants everyone on the same flight. I mean, I get it from a production point of view, but from a racer's point of view it seriously bites.
At the airport everyone decides its a perfect time to for Brodie and Blair to get together and when Blair & Scott finally arrive there's a hush amongst the crowd and Brodie goes all shy. When Scott wonders where Blair wandered off to Burnie points out that she's off with Brodie who's trying to work his magic. Not sure how dad feels about that but Blair seems to be enjoying the attention. Apparently all the young crowd at the airport recognizes a lot of these YouTubers so there's a fair amount of meet & greet and selfies being taken before everyone boards the plane.
I can't believe that Brittany & Jessica have to ask what country Switzerland is in. I'm going to chalk that up to a "race pressure" moment and hope she wasn't serious. Burnie & Ashley looked just as surprised and a little worried.
It's dark when everyone arrives in Geneva and it's a mad race along the shore of Lake Geneva to find the clue box, with one sgroup on one side of the street and another group across from them. On the upside everyone appears to be in sight of each other, even Scott & Blair at the back of the pack, as Tyler & Korey grab the first clue. All teams must now make their way on foot to Chocolates Rohr, which is obviously going to be closed, and it doesn't help that it has appears to have two entrances as the group that got there first found nothing.
Which wasn't the case for Burnie & Ashley who found the correct entrance and the clue board saying to take a number so they grab the first one. They wave down the other teams as they're running past and tell them to run to the board. Everybody grabs a number and they all have to wait until the next morning at 10:00am before they can get their next clue which allows for some more mingling amongst the teams.
All teams are led down into a subterranean candlelit room where they find their sleeping bags, mattresses and whatever in nice little row. They start setting up their sleeping arrangements and lo and behold, Blair and Brodie finally get a little one on one cuddle-time. As Blair says, "there's not non interest" with her little smile. The rest of the teams are all going on and teasing them a little about not being able to wait for the wedding and, of course, because they're mostly of that generation, they all need to "ship" it into Blair + Brodie = Blodie. Blech!
The next morning it's a line up at the chocolate shop and for some reason there's no actual chocolate involved. How can you go to Switzerland and not have a task that involves Swiss chocolate? Blasphemy. That'd be like going to Edmonton and not involving Fort Edmonton Park. But enough about me.
Time for the Detour: WorkBench or BenchWork. In WorkBench teams will get a chance to build the classic Swiss Army Knife of Victorianox (but there are only three spots available), while in BenchWork teams will need to determine how many butts can fit on a 240 year old park bench that the people of Geneva claim is the longest wooden bench in the world. It's probably the oldest too, built in 1767.
Assembling 27 pieces of a Swiss Army Knife in a precise order would be a blast and since Wayne and I are both pretty good with puzzles and assembling things (we have kids) I'm pretty sure we'd choose this side the Detour. It seems like a lot less time consuming that having to move your butt up and down along a bench, avoiding the chess players and other locals, to determine how many people reading an open newspaper could sit at once. The range is 190-197 and apparently you can't use anything other than a counter to figure it out. Fortunately, Burnie & Ashley brought along a counter so they choose BenchWork.
Erin & Joslyn, and Sheri & Cole also choose BenchWork, while Zach & Rachel are the first to choose WorkBench, as do Tyler & Korey. Matt & Dana decide to count butts and Brittany & Jessica choose to build the knife but for some reason they can't find the Victorianox store despite the sign right in front of them. Kurt & Brodie also decide to do WorkBench and, in last place, Scott & Blair decide to do WorkBench and hope that there's a spot left for them.
At the bench, Burnie & Ashley start by talking to the chess players about moving them along when they get to them and the chess players look pretty ticked about having to interrupt their game. We also discover that one of the team members butts has to be on the bench at all times from one end to the other so there's a lot of butt alterations. That sounds weird but you understand it when you watch. Erin & Joslyn run by a long park bench and think maybe that's it but they're in for a much bigger surprise.
Zach & Rachel are the first to find the Victorianox shop and receive their kit, which comes with some easy to follow instructions, a lot easier than your usual Ikea bookcase. Close behind are Tyler & Korey who get their kit and choose the next work bench as Brittany & Jessica wander past the shop and follow Sheri & Cole, deciding to switch Detours. Good thing too, because along come Scott & Blair to build a knife.
Some of the teams are having just as much trouble finding the bench as the girls did finding the Victorianox shop, and they're now just as lost by following Sheri & Cole. Here's another rule that teams seem to forget, "Run Your Own Race" rather than following another team that looks just as lost as you. Time and again, season after season, somebody decides that they should just follow the pack even though the pack is lost. Speaking of which, I'm lost as to how they're not finding anyone in Geneva who speaks English.
While they keep searching, Burnie & Ashley have finished their count coming up with 217 butts written on the top of the paper. They're wrong and they have to do it again, which will put them behind Kurt & Brodie who are at 56 and Dana & Matt at 52. Joining a with two groups that are already at different numbers at the same point on the bench is not their best idea so they start over.
Erin & Joslyn have figured out they may be sitting too close and give themselves a little space but whether or not it's enough remains to be seen. Sheri & Cole and Brittany & Jessica finally arrive at the bench and start moving along. Meanwhile Zach is having a few issues at the WorkBench getting things to fit together while Tyler exaggerates that there are a million little pieces to fit together. If that were really the case they'd all switch to counting butts, but there are really only 27 pieces . . . it's not surgery. Speaking of which, Scott's surgeon hands went at it like clockwork with Blair handing him each piece when he asked for it. That's teamwork.
Back at the bench, Dana is getting snappy with Matt, no surprise there, and when Brodie asks what number they're at the numbers don't match. Dana & Matt are at 146 while Kurt & Brodie are at 177. To add to the confusion Erin & Joslyn are at 190something. Brittany & Jessica are flipping spots alongside Sheri & Cole and at one point Brittany flips right on to Cole's lap. I'm not sure if he was enjoying that or not.
Zach hands his knife in for inspection but it's a little too wobbly. At least the guy inspecting the knife pointed out that he had missed a blade which gives Zach a chance to fix the problem so he goes back to do so. Blair asks Tyler & Korey if the size of the washers mattered and they said it did. In Tyler's defence the 27 pieces doesn't seem to include those washers, pins, screws and bolts that are used in the assembly of the knife but I'm still pretty sure they're way under a million pieces.
Kurt & Brodie are now the first team to make their way to the Broken Chair and off they run without sharing any information with the other teams at the table. Burnie & Ashley have come up with 201 and are still wrong. When Kurt & Brodie grab their bags Matt asks what number they had and Brodie tells him it was under 203,which is what Matt had, and to use 190. Brodie's reasoning for that was that they like all the teams that are currently at the front of the pack so he didn't see a problem with it, he even tells Burnie & Ashley as he moves past them in search of the Broken Chair.
Burnie & Ashley are the second team to get the clue and team up with Kurt & Brodie to find their next location while the other teams hurry through their count, even though they already know the answer. Obviously something in the rules about that which the audience is not privy to.
Meanwhile, Tyler & Korey hand in a nice, tight and clickable army knife and even get to keep their knife as they grab the next clue and head out in search of the Broken Chair. As they leave the Victorianox shop they encounter a local who speaks english and when they ask her if they should walk or take a bus she suggests they should run. Apparently she's seen the show.
Brittany & Jessica seem to be on the outside looking in when it comes to team camaraderie as they were outside of the group that was told the number and obviously their choice of 163 was wrong. They decide to start at the other end, while Matt points out to Dana that Brodie told him 190 and she's still snapping at him. This girl needs to chill. With 194, Sheri & Cole hit dead center on the range and join Kurt & Brodie and Burnie & Ashley at the bus stop to search for the Broken Chair.
Dana decides that their count of 190 matches what Matt already told her and they're off, followed closely by Erin & Joslyn with 197. Whew, that was close. Leaving Brittany & Jessica at the bench we join Zach & Rachel who have now completed their army knife, wishing good luck to Blair & Dad as they run past. They're not far behind as they hand their's in and join Erin & Joslyn at the bus stop. Despite being sure that they've counted correctly with 212, Jessica & Brittany are still wrong and the depression of being in last place is starting to show. They go back and do it again and this time they get 191. Finally.
Tyler & Korey are the first to find the Broken Chair, a really large statue of a wooden chair with a broken leg, at the base of which they find the clue box and the next clue . . . Roadblock. They are directly across from the United Nations building so it's no surprise that the Roadblock will involve the United Nations. One team member must identify the 10 flags of the founding members out of the 193 member flags, remove those postcards from their postcard book and hand them in to the official to receive their next clue.
This has to be one of the easiest Roadblocks I've ever seen and yet nobody seems to clue in. The flags are all labelled directly in front of them and the ten flags they need to locate are coloured differently so there's no guesswork involved. They're standing right in front of the map of flags and yet not a single one of them sees it. They're all relying on their knowledge of flags which isn't necessary. Korey is the first to get his book of flags, followed by Kurt, Burnie and Cole.
While the other guys are busy trying to match flags based on their memories, Korey figures out that there has to be a key to this somewhere and begins wandering about the grounds looking at the flagpoles. Burnie thinks he sees a map and races across to it but he's wrong . . . since he just left the map to the flags. Korey finally figures out that the order of the flags on the map matched the order on the property. Duh! Now it's just a matter of counting spots and pulling the appropriate flags.
Korey immediately shares that info with Matt who has joined the others at the map and then the two of them each choose a side and head off to count poles while Burnie looks on wondering what's happening. Rachel joins the crowd and is as lost as the others standing around the map, but she realizes that the others have partnered up and left her alone. Finally, Burnie comes to the same realization that Korey did and he tells Kurt. Meanwhile Rachel came up with that on her own, a lot faster than any of the guys did, and heads out to count poles.
Despite having figured out the key, Korey and Matt guessed at their first few flags and have to start over, which allowed Burnie to be the first one to get the next clue. He runs back to help Kurt before running off to grab Ashley. Burnie & Ashley are the first team to realize they are now on their way by train to find Phil at the Pit Stop in the center of the town of Chamonix, France., the home of the very first winter olympics.
Kurt gets it, then Cole, while Blair and Joslyn decide to work together. Rachel joins them as they compare flags and it's at that point that someone wonders where the models are. Speak of the devil, here they come now . . . a little late to the party. Jessica realizes that everyone else is all in a group and nobody was helping her and she was feeling a little ticked about it. It's like being the last kid picked for a team, but in this case the last kid picked could be going home. Despite all the other girls running around and counting poles Jessica doesn't clue in to the map in front of her.
At the front of the pack, Burnie & Ashley are already on the first train heading to Martigny where they need to find a connection. That's a connection that Jessica isn't getting even when she asks one of the other girls for help. Matt gets it, and Korey gets it and then they're off. Jessica's "poor me" chat isn't helping her much but I guess it makes for entertaining television. Personally I'd rather not see it because it does feel like every kid in the playground who gets shut out of the game for one reason or another. That said, there's still a train or two to catch.
Jessica is left all alone at the Roadblock while Tyler & Korey, Dana & Matt, Erin & Joslyn, and Scott & Brodie's girlfriend get on the second train to Martigny. Tyler & Korey seem to think that the name Blodie is really funny but Blair just gives them the "why so juvenile" look. I like Blair, despite her high pitched voice that everyone else seems to dislike. Bringing up the rear Jessica finally gets it right and she and Brittany now need to play catch-up to stay in the race while the second train arrives at Martigny.
Burnie has enough sense to make sure they're on the correct train and finds out that they have another stop after Martigny and have to change trains again in Vallorcine. That stop includes a one hour layover which may be enough for all the other teams to catch up. Jessica & Brittany certainly hope so as they board the last train to Martigny.
As that last train pulls up in Martigny, Joslyn notices Jessica & Brittany on the last train and Blair thinks they need to hide. Come on, now we're just being childish. Jessica & Brittany know they need the train across the platform from them but they need to get off this one, down a flight of stairs, through a concourse, and up another flight of stairs in a minute to catch it.
Unfortunately, as they're running up the stairs, the train pulls away . . . leaving Jessica & Brittany alone on the platform in Martigny. Later, on the platform in Vallorcine, the second train pulls in and all the other teams cross over to join the first group. Everyone except the models.
Arriving in Chamonix, France it's a mad foot race through the ice and snow to the center of town for first place at the Pit Stop. Kurt & Brodie are Team Number 1 and also win $3,000 each, Tyler & Korey are Team Number 2, and all the other teams pretty much pile in on top of each other with Scott & Blair bringing up the rear. They're gonna need to step that up if they want to keep racing.
This is only the second time that eight teams have hit the mat at the same time, the last being an all-star season. Erin figures that makes sense since she says they're all all-stars. The next leg is going to be pretty busy right off the start. The last team to arrive is obviously Brittany & Jessica and they have been eliminated from the race.
I will say that this has been the friendliest group of racers I've seen in a long time and I can't remember another season where everyone was usually so helpful. That is not likely to happen when Wayne and I are on the race. Next week the teams will be taking on the alps, losing clues and paragliding to the Pit Stop and I'll be right here in the comfort of my recliner blogging about it. Until that time.