The Amazing Race 19 Secret Scenes, Episode 4:  “We’re the Lame Horses of the Race”

Who admits this?  Is it Liz & Marie (pictured), who run out of money and beg a cab driver not to leave them stranded?  Is it Jeremy & Sandy, who have an epic passive-aggressive argument at the airport?  Maybe Laurence, who explains why it wasn’t his fault he & Zac got lost at sea?  None of the above actually, and the answer may surprise you.  Read on to find out this and more!

Extra Race Footage

Featured Team:  Ernie & Cindy

Blowing in the Wind:  Buff Ernie is hanging on to the beach umbrellas while fighting against a ridiculous wind.  Cindy notes that the wind is out of control as another umbrella breaks its earthly chains and goes flying off.  She directs him to take that fleeing umbrella to another set of chairs and as he takes it, the wind pushes the umbrella closed on his face.  As he struggles, Cindy rushes to dig a deep hole for him to plunge the umbrella into.  I think I can hear a helicopter (probably the producer’s) above, which I wager adds even more chaos to the affair.

We see Liz & Marie briefly in their never-ending quest to set up beach chairs.  What’s funny is that the Twins look like they’re nearly done.  What the heck happened?  Ernie & Cindy don’t look anywhere near done.  Oh wait, that perfect arrangement was the example!  As they struggle to get this recent umbrella in, Ernie has Cindy tell us just how hard it is.  Not only do you have to dig a hole two feet deep, but when one umbrella flies out, it usually knocks over its friends too.  

Featured Team:  Liz & Marie

Twins’ Money Troubles:  Liz tells us that they started this leg out with $116.  There were two fees that had to be paid, so they got change in Indonesian rupas.  When they landed in Thailand, they had six U.S. dollars and the rest in rupas.  In the airports they traveled through, they didn’t get a chance to exchange the currencies for Thai money.  They showed their taxi driver what they had and he didn’t throw them out so they’re figuring it is probably going to be okay.  Marie is hoping on a wing and a prayer that they’ll have enough to pay for their cab.

Flash forward and the cab is pulled over on the side of the road.  Liz & the cab driver are talking while Marie explains that it seems the cab driver is deciding if he will continue on as he finally realized what money they had.  The cab driver looks skeptical and Liz explains again that all they have is rupas.  The amount they have isn’t enough for him as it looks like he’s more  of a black car taxi, so he’s expecting a higher fee.  Liz pleads with him and he looks at the camera momentarily, probably weighing his options.  

He decides not to take their money and Liz tells him that they have nowhere else to go if he leaves.  Flash forward again and they’re in the cab heading to the marina as the driver has agreed to take them.  Marie is doing her best not to panic as this money mismanagement is the worst thing they could have done.  She doesn’t understand how they messed up so bad.  They start squabbling about the situation and about why they are or are not freaking out.  Marie can’t understand why Liz isn’t freaking out as she speculates that they will need money at the marina too.  Then what?  Liz can’t dwell on that situation right now.  

Featured Team:  Jeremy & Sandy

Jeremy & Sandy’s Rough Start:  At the Starting Line, Sandy says that she’s super competitive and when she loses it, she’ll take it out on Jeremy.  When it’s all said and done, she’ll apologize, but Jeremy constantly tells her that she shouldn’t be like that at all.  Sandy isn’t going to change and Jeremy will have to deal with it.  She doesn’t mean anything she says personally but Jeremy takes it personally regardless, because he’s so sensitive.  Something Sandy’s noticed about Jeremy is that he definitely has a negative side.  She expected him to be Mr. Positive but that hasn’t been the case and he’s been yelling at her rather than supporting and praising her.  Oh boy.

Later at the airport, Jeremy is pissed off at what Sandy said during the Starting Line interview.  They’re sitting apart in the waiting lounge and she is demanding to know some examples of what made him mad.  He notes that her whole diatribe about him being negative wasn’t appreciated.  She asks what was bad about saying that, and he passive-aggressively tells her she can say anything she wants.  Sandy thinks Jeremy’s trying to start a fight for no reason and he mocks what she said about him being so sensitive.  If she’s only interested in starting drama, Jeremy’s not cool with that especially for the remainder of the race.  

Jeremy continues on what is upsetting him as he tells Sandy that talking s**t about each other on camera is really harmful to the team.  She looks at him blankly (now that we have a shot of their faces and not the backs of their heads), probably wishing that he’d stop talking.  She snorts a laugh out and is still adamant that nothing she said was bad.  She looks away and the tension between this couple becomes chewable.  He calls her out and says it’s weak what she said and the fact that she’s unapologetic about everything.  Sandy thinks he’s overreacting and Jeremy can’t believe she doesn’t understand his feelings.  Wow.  

Featured Teams:  Amani & Marcus, Bill & Cathi

Marcus Confesses:  At the airport, Marcus is leaning against a pole along with Bill.  Marcus leans over and asks if Bill can guess what he does for a living.  Bill guesses that he was a boxer, but Marcus reveals that he played in the NFL.  Bill laughs as that was actually Cathi’s first guess.  Apparently Sandy had told Marcus that he looked like a tight end, which is actually right since that’s what Marcus was.  Marcus is shocked that Sandy was so accurate.  He tells Bill that he’s trying to keep it secret and wonders if that’s a smart move.

Bill assures Marcus that it is right to keep it a secret.  Marcus reasons that if he told everyone, it would put an unnecessary target on his back.  Marcus thought Bill would have a good unbiased opinion and that’s why he’s asking just him for advice.  Marcus had told Amani about his plans to reveal and thinks she may tell Cathi.  He explains that after the reaction Ethan & Jenna got from the other teams, he definitely kept his occupation secret from everyone else.  He doesn’t want to get U-Turned.  

Featured Team:  Liz & Marie

All Cried Out:  The video starts with Marie exclaiming “Waa Waa Waa” as they had just finished having a good cry but now they’re over it.  They got out all those emotions and now they’re just focusing on doing the umbrella Detour as well as they can.  Marie tells us that they were ocean lifeguards for two summers but they never set up beach chairs and umbrellas.  They may have set up an umbrella during a vacation though.  Liz remembers that the crew who did it had a tool to help with umbrella stabilization.  But now they know how those guys felt.

Featured Team:  Justin & Jennifer

A Doctor in the House:  Jennifer tells us that she busted her knee in the rice field in the previous leg but didn’t feel any problems until getting transported to the hotel for their rest period.  Since then, it kept feeling worse.  She used an ice pack and also has a brace on her leg now.  While she worries about messing her knee up again, all she can do is continue racing hard and hope not to hear the telltale pop.  Justin pipes in that it doesn’t hurt that she has a brother (him) who is a doctor.  As soon as she mentioned she had knee problems, he opened up his bag of tricks, including the brace, and fixed her up as best he could.  He’s got a stock of Aleve and ibuprofen as well as a first aid kit, so they’re prepared.

Featured Team:  Ernie & Cindy

Different Country, Different Drivers:  As Ernie & Cindy ride in their taxi to the marina, he notes how slow all the drivers seem to be going.  Cindy remarks that the people here aren’t very aggressive, especially compared to the people of Indonesia.  She attributes it to it being a beachy, laid-back culture here in the islands.  Ernie has noticed that here the roads seem to be well-marked with real lane lines and actual helpful street signs.  He then laments that everyone is bunched up in a caravan of taxis and there’s no sign of that changing for the time being.

At the Pit Stop

Featured Team:  Andy & Tommy (first place)

A Clean Victory:  Phil can’t believe it’s their third first-place finish but Andy is very happy because it’s their first clean first-place finish.  He gives them credit for really smoking the course.  Tommy is proud of Andy handily climbing the rock wall but Andy attributes it to a lifelong nature of climbing things.  Since three, he’s climbed trees which eventually led to his career as a snowboarder.  Both Andy & Tommy can’t believe where they are as it’s sensory overload.  They’re glad they got a chance to take in the beauty on the final boat ride in as it’s unbelievable.

Phil explains to them that the reason the villagers built this floating village was so that they can be closer to the fish.  Phil wonders if they are “stoked” to be here and they happily agree that they are indeed stoked.  He knew they’d be stoked as more likely than not, a snowboarder will tell you he’s stoked.  

Featured Team: Justin & Jennifer (second place)

Justin & Jennifer’s Positive Outlook:   Phil wants to know if the siblings are getting along better.  Justin assures Phil that while yesterday was a good leg for them, this leg was even better.  If they communicate well, everything works out better as evidenced by their second-place finish.  Phil can’t believe it as he remembers how their body language used to be hostile towards the other.  What changed?

Jennifer explains that they’re handling their conflicts better by not taking statements personally and making sure the other understands where he or she is coming from.  That clarity is paying off as they don’t dwell on the negatives and can actually support each other.  She’s still shocked how supportive Justin was when she did the rock climbing, as that’s normally his thing.

Justin tells Phil that this leg was fantastic but as the race progresses, it’s going to get harder to see teams leave as everyone is getting closer.  While he hopes that their friends manage to stick around, if they don’t, “see ya later.”  Phil wants to know who he considers friends.  Ernie & Cindy are friends and Justin tells him that they think Marcus could be a distant cousin, as he’s from the same small town as their family.  Concerning the scenery of the race, Jennifer is blown away by how beautiful Thailand is.  This island scenery isn’t something you see every day.  

Featured Teams:  Ernie & Cindy, Amani & Marcus (fifth & sixth place, respectively)

Sizing Up the Competition:  Phil asks the two teams what they think of the other teams.  Amani isn’t fooling herself and knows that these other teams aren’t lightweight competitors.  Marcus is blown away by Andy & Tommy as nothing fazes them.  He’s also impressed by Laurence & Zac as they continually find a way to stay in the front of the pack.

Phil points out that Marcus is a coach (and you can just see Marcus start to panic as he thinks Phil might reveal he was an NFL player) and asks what he thinks of the others using that perspective.  Besides the Lumberjacks, who are Andy & Tommy, and Laurence & Zac, Marcus thinks that Ernie & Cindy are also a great team.  He’s glad to see them back with he & Amani, as they’re usually so far up ahead in the rankings.  Those three teams are the ones to watch.  

Phil asks Cindy her thoughts on just being in the race and she acknowledges how lucky they all are to get to do something so special and rare.  Amani is humbled by the experience as it can showcase just how hard people in the rest of the world have to work to get by.  The intense manual labor they had to do in some of these challenges is stuff that the locals have to do every day.  This experience helps you to remember not to take American life for granted.  

For Ernie, he tells Phil that he & Cindy are doing the race in order to gain perspective.  They’re looking for non-profit organizations that help out globally as he & Cindy enjoy financially helping out those in the third world countries.  Cindy tells Phil that instead of giving gifts to each other, they’ve agreed to financially help out people around the globe, like a Cambodian grocer and Argentinian shopkeeper.  They want to learn what they can do to help the world.

Featured Team: Bill & Cathi (seventh place)

Senior Power:   So is The Amazing Race everything they had hoped it to be?  Bill admits that the show is aptly named as everything about it is amazing.  Not only does the race challenge you but you’re surrounded by amazingly beautiful scenery.  He only hopes that they can keep going, but he admits that they are probably the lame horses of the race.  Phil is surprised they would see themselves like that.  Cathi laughs because when they look around at the other teams, they see “better legs” and leaves it at that.

Phil is still surprised as the race really comes down to brains, smarts, and luck.  Cathi admits that their navigational skills played a large role today as they aren’t sure why they saw Ernie & Cindy at the Roadblock as that team had left the Detour long before they did.  Her guess is they had navigational problems.  Phil smiles and notices that they both seem pretty fit, especially for being in their early 60s.  

Featured Team: Liz & Marie (eighth/last place)

Twins Commiserate With Phil:   Phil asks Liz & Marie if they are glad to be on the race.  Both exclaim how beautiful Thailand is and that this experience has been one of the best of their lives.  Phil asks what it would mean if they left the race now.  Marie thinks it would be devastating and Liz agrees that it would be sad.  Phil notices that Marie doesn’t look devastated but at that, she starts to tear up.  She mentions that they were so sure that these Detours were going to be a breeze but they just couldn’t get it together.  Liz wonders if maybe they should have just done the coral Detour instead.

Phil asks the now-teary Twins if they feel like they got a second chance.  Both tearfully agree and pledge with smiles that to avoid being last again, they’re going to read every clue down to the last detail.  Liz realizes that you have to pay attention to both the big picture and the little details.  Phil reminds them that they still have a chance to stay in the race and could still win it all.  They reassure him that they’re totally able to win it.

After the Race

Featured Team:  Liz & Marie

Twins Regroup:  Marie is sure that they can bounce back from their last-place finish but they have to pay attention to detail.  Liz agrees that if they don’t they won’t be able to succeed.  Marie isn’t sure what happened with those umbrellas as they woke up in an optimistic, energetic mood and everything went to <bleep>.    Liz remarks that on the boat ride to the Pit Stop, they were sure they were eliminated and both were pretty quiet.  When Phil told them they had a second chance, they couldn’t believe it.  Now they just have to bring it in order to win it.

 Featured Team:  Amani & Marcus

Going for Gold:  Amani figures that most of the teams’ attention is focused on Andy & Tommy at the moment since they’re in the lead.   It’s also come out recently that they are Olympians, which Amani thinks explains a lot.  Marcus had been chatting Andy & Tommy up last night and asked what they did now for a living.  The topic veered towards what top snowboarders make for a living, which then led to finding out they were in the Olympics.  Marcus is proud to be around Andy & Tommy as they’ve had the honor to represent their country at the Olympics.  Even though he’s a professional athlete himself, he’s still in awe of their experience.

Featured Team:  Laurence & Zac

Laurence Defends Himself:  Laurence explains that the map they were given wasn’t a marine map and that the stylized map didn’t have all the islets on it.  Sure, Laurence, sure.  He goes on to say that if you’re dead reckoning, you can typically just pick two landmarks and figure it out from there.  Basically they were working with a bunch of nonsense.  Zac tries to help his dad out and wrap the topic up by saying that eventually they got to where they needed to.  Zac found it frustrating to not steer the boat himself as he and his dad typically have that role.  Laurence blames it ultimately on not having the right tools to do the job.

Featured Team:  Bill & Cathi

No Alliances for Bill & Cathi:  Bill thinks that while there are immediate benefits to teams working together, eventually they’re going to have to turn on each other and implode.  They’d rather not get into a situation where they’ll be forced to lie so to avoid that, they’re just not making alliances.  Bill reasons the other teams aren’t allying with them as they’re perceived as dead weight.  He’s okay with that as he expects that if you begin to rely on another team too much, you’ll believe them without a second thought and that’s the time when they lie to you.  So there are no plans to ally now or in the future.

Hobie Barnes lives in Santa Monica, California after enjoying the hectic Manhattan life for 3 or so years.  He just got back from traveling in Turkey, Italy & Greece and can’t wait to see if the places he visited end up on this season of the race.  When not busy fighting the 405 and 101 freeways on the commute to Burbank, he is patiently waiting for an Amazing Race or Survivor scout to cast him!  He can be reached at <a href=”mailto:hobiewan76@gmail.com”>hobiewan76@gmail.com</a>.