'The Amazing Race': A Kafkaesque evening in Prague

Rule No. 1 on "The Amazing Race": Don't ever give up.

This week's episode of "The Amazing Race," the season's penultimate, found the four remaining teams navigating the streets of Prague at night as the producers threw all manner of bizarre tasks at the contestants, forcing them to build golems, drink absinthe, answer ringing telephones, plunge into frigidly cold rooms and deliver beer, all while avoiding drunken Prague tourists and soccer hooligans.

If there was one leg that required 110% (save, obviously, the final leg), it was this one as it would determine which three teams would advance for the chance to race for $1 million and a congratulatory eyebrow-raise from host Phil Keoghan.

Was it a physically and mentally taxing portion of the race? Sure, but the best ones are. What it was at the end of the day (or, rather, at the end of the night) was a tricky and complex series of intricate challenges. Which Franz Kafka himself would have been proud of. If only the contestants had been able to spell his first name ...

I mentioned the point about not giving up because the Globetrotters failed to persevere when faced with this week's Roadblock, where the contestants had to answer dozens of ringing telephones to receive five letters, which unscrambled would spell Franz. As in Franz Kafka, author of "The Metamorphosis." Meghan completed the Roadblock way ahead of everyone else and managed to get Franz on the second try, after realizing that she'd have to unscramble the letters. The others weren't quite so lucky or, perhaps, clever.

It is, after all, Meghan and Cheyne's game to lose at this point, and they managed to breeze through this leg while leaving everyone else in their dust, speeding through Roadblocks, Detours and subzero challenges with aplomb and jaw-dropping speed. But the very intentionally Kafkaesque Roadblock (the contestants had to fill out meaningless forms every time they submitted their answers) tripped up the other teams. 

Poor Big Easy got stuck there trying to unscramble those letters for 2 1/2 hours ... and his luck didn't improve when Dan agreed to work with Big Easy to find the answer, only to turn around and tell him that it began with the letter F rather than provide him with the answer, as they had agreed. Poorly done, once again, Dan. (Not helping matters, Dan refused to let their taxi pick up Cheyne and Meghan, even though they stole Brian and Ericka's taxi last week.) 

Rather than attempt to work out the only possible and plausible solution to the puzzle, Big Easy chose to incur a four-hour penalty. Which made zero sense to me as it would have been less time-consuming to try to work out the answer, given that he now knew that it began with an F. So why sit around for four hours and likely be eliminated instead of continuing to fight? That's one riddle I just can't solve.

For their part, Brian and Ericka managed to squeak by the Globetrotters, despite having to perform a speed-bump task that required them to prepare a shot of absinthe and down it (that's one task I'd happily have taken on), and Brian had no problem unscrambling the letters at the Kafkaesque task. They did, however, run into some issues at the Detour, opting to deliver beers through the streets of Prague rather than build a clay golem and deliver it to a synagogue. To say that their path through the alleys and streets of nighttime Prague was difficult is an understatement; they were harassed and insulted, and one woman even went so far as to steal a beer right off of Brian's tray. But they managed to finish as the sun came up and walked away with the third spot in the final leg. (And Ericka only had one minor freak-out this week, as she dropped her entire tray of beers.)

Flight Time and Big Easy were, of course, eliminated. There was no way that they could stay in the race after incurring such a huge penalty. Though I would have liked to have seen them race in the final leg, I have to say that I'm disappointed they chose to sit out the Roadblock rather than struggle through it. Especially as the final three now includes Sam and Dan, easily the most annoying contestants on "The Amazing Race" in recent memory. Their squabbling, complaining and general whining while carrying the golem reminded me this week of just what I dislike most about them. In fact, I'd be quite happy if any of the other teams won the grand prize ... so long as the brothers go home empty-handed.

What did you think of this week's episode? Should Big Easy have continued to rearrange those letters instead of taking the penalty? Who are you rooting for to win? Who will fall by the wayside? And who do you think will take home the million dollars? Head to the comments section to discuss.

-- Jace Lacob (Follow my musings on television, food, and more television on Twitter at @televisionary)

Photo: Brothers Sam and Dan get along beautifully ... that is, when they're not attempting to do anything competitive on "The Amazing Race." Credit: Monty Brinton / CBS

Related:
'The Amazing Race': Playing dirty
'The Amazing Race': Slip and Slide
Complete 'Amazing Race' coverage on Showtracker 

Comments

[erica stephens]

I agree,Big Easy should have used the time to figure out the clue,I don,t agree that the brothers owed him the answer to the puzzle.The Globetrotters were not that nice early on in the race and displayed an over confidence that was bound to fail.As for the whiney and wimpy guys I know they will lose.

[RyanT]

Sam/Dan ARE annoying and coming from a fan of theirs early on, that's saying something. Now I'm not actively rooting against them but it would be great if the other two teams win the whole thing over them. Having said that, did I think Dan did the right thing to Big Easy? HELL NO. That was pretty damn low even by their standards BUT it did accomplish what they had intended which was to take out the competition. Wrong? Yes. Smart. YES.

And I would've been more mad at Dan if it weren't for the fact that Big Easy DID give up. Seriously? Knowing that "F" is the first letter would mean there were only 24 combinations (or is it 256?). I'm not so good with math so if it is 256 combinations then I would get why he quit, but I still didn't think it was worth it to take a 4-hr penalty. No way, no how.

I am curious to see how long Brian/Erica took in their Detour especially the time difference between them and the brothers. Either way, it doesn't matter since they'll all likely be equalized in the airport heading to Vegas. And even then I still think it's Meghan/Cheyne's race to lose.

[FRANZ]

I absolutely wanted to climb through my television and punch Dan in the mouth last night after he pulled that stunt. He was the one that suggested "working together" in the first place, so he ABSOLUTELY owed him the answer to the puzzle!!

The only person I'm more angry at is Big Easy, who actually trusted him in a leg that would determine the final three teams! Sam and Dan have exhibited all throughout the race that they will do ANYTHING to win, including get physical. Big Easy should have known that he would stiff him in the end!! Had Dan done the honorable thing, both teams would have left at the same time--and since the brothers are two childish, whiny little pansies, the Globetrotters would have surely prevailed in the next challenge.

I'm simply mortified that throughout all the challenges they completed, the Globetrotters lost a million dollars because he couldn't get "FRANZ", even after Mr. Scumbag gave him the first letter (oh how gracious of him). The Globetrotters were never arrogant and over confident. Just look at the retrospective that CBS did for them at the end of the episode; it usually never goes on that long for other eliminated teams! They will be missed.

Go "Anyone but Sam and Dan"!!!!!!

[Knorm]

Come on, what kind of Speed Bump was that!! Make a shot and then drink it, are you kidding me?? Was the difficult part supposed to be the flaming sugar cube? I have argued for quite some time that The Amazing Race was not fixed but it's hard to maintain that stand after last night's episode. Big Easy gave up? That is completely out of character. Sam and Dan are just tooo bitchy, whiney and of low moral character to be believed.

[Sue T.]

Besides being frustrated with the Globetrotters for giving up on the Roadblock and listening to Sam/Dan argue, the part that ticked me off the most was when Sam/Dan got an OK for their golem even though the ARM WAS FALLING OFF! How is that passable?????? Don't know why - but that just irritated me to no end.

Meghan/Cheyane are geling together nicely and have settled into the demands of the race. No real flare-ups in the last few legs. They are my top pick to win.

[RyanT]

Knorm, no offense, but I'm sure that if the producers wanted to fix the show, the Globetrotters would be in the final three and not Brian/Ericka. It wouldn't be too difficult to do with this one. A cameraman could whisper under his breath "Franz" and voila. But this is all moot because the race is NOT fixed.

Especially since routes and challenges were cleared and approved months before and probably even before they whittled it down to this season's teams. But people like to think there's a big ol' conspiracy. Damn Phil and his dastardly cocking eyebrows!

[Bob]

Here's a riddle: how can someone give "110%"? Please stop with the nonsense cliches.

[greebs]

Sitting out made NO sense. And even if you didn't know the name Franz Kafka, which apparently only Meghan did, you could have gotten there in less than four hours. The fact that Flight Time was so okay with it means we either didn't see something else or that he' s just a great guy. Quitting like that made no sense at ALL.

[Mule Slippers]

I can't believe the Globe Trotters took the 4 hour penalty. There were 5 letters, that means there are 120 different ways they could be organized. He could have easily tested 120 different words in less than 4 hours. Of course, he did have problems with the "look at the watch and enter the time as the suitcase code" clue. I was rooting for them. They were a fun team to watch, and it was nice for a change to watch a team that didn't yell at each other in stressful situations.

I can't stand Sam and Dan. They constantly bicker. So annoying.

Go Megan and Cheyne (however he spells it).

[Dave in Northridge]

I'll agree with Ryan. I was really happy the Steelers-Ravens game went to overtime because I actually changed channels during their Golem transport because I couldn't stand listening to Sam/Dan bitch at each other any more. If either of the other two teams win it will be fine with me.

[Jeanene]

I was mad at Big Easy for giving up. Apparently, scrambled words are not is strong suit. Anyway, hats off to them for running a good race. I, too, didn't understand Sam and Dave getting a pass with the golem. I thought for sure the arm would fall off when they got to the synagogue. I laughed at them throughout that task. I like Brian/Ericka to win, but I think Meghan and Cheyne will win.

[wayne]

Ryan, I am guessing you don't remember an episode in a past season in which the AR production crew managed to get American Airlines to open a closed flight (door had already been closed) to allow a team (Uchenna and Joyce) to board. It was the last leg of the race and the team on board , Rob and Amber, would have most definitely won in a very non-competitive run to the finish. Uchenna and Joyce ended up winning. I am not sure if you have been late for a flight in the last few years but they DON'T open the doors once they are closed. I still enjoy the show but hated that fix.

As for Big Easy, probably the most mind boggling events on reality tv. Made absolutely no sense!

[Jace Lacob]

@Mule Slippers,

Actually, since Dan told Big Easy that the first letter was "F," there were only 24 possible combinations remaining. After three hours, Big Easy chose to take a four-hour penalty rather than attempt to figure out any of the remaining possibilities, of which the only one that made any sense was Franz. Grr.

[Lisa]

I thought the Rabbi would not accept Sam and Dan's golem because of the broken arm. That would have been hilarious if they had to do it again.

Flight Time should have performed the roadblock. Big Easy spent hours tyring to figure out the code for the briefcase so it didn't surprise me he couldn't figure out FRANZ. Taking the 4 hour penalty ensured they were eliminated. Very disappointing.

[jtbwriter]

If not for the hoped for pleasure of seeing the whiny, lying jerks Dan and Sam, lose, I'd change the channel next week, awesome Phil or not! I loved rooting for the Globetrotters, and although I was disappointed that Big Easy trusted that dirtbag Dan, I still think that both Globetrotters were the best all-around travelers-considering how many times they helped others along the way!
It's a shame seeing how AR is decending to the obnoxious level of Survivor-which I do not watch for the reasons I don't root for Dan/Sam or Ericka/Brian-cheaters and whiners should not prosper! I only hope the least annoying team (Meghan/Cheyne) win.

[amazed]

I hope I don't have to listen to Sam/Dan scream "shut up" one more time! Annoying. Poor Big Easy, I was really rooting for him and Flight Time. They hardly complained and always had a nice demeanor, except when they spoke of the brothers. I knew that Dan couldn't be trusted, those boys have no morals. It's no wonder that Big Easy was going to struggle with the word scramble, he had trouble with the analog watch. I guess I'll root for Brian, even though his wife is a bee-awch, at times. Not a fan of Meghan and the wimpy Cheyne (sp?).

[PR]

Thanks for the great recap. The Globetrotters had the same problem with the breifcase in one episode. Guess they have a hard time with numbers and letters.

[Karen]

Anyone but the brothers. The constant whinning grates on the nerves.
No woman whine as much.

Loved the Globetrotters. They made it fun to watch. They enjoyed everything they did. They reminded me of the hippies that won a few years ago.

[josef]

Yeah, what's with the rabbi accepting the golem with the broken arm? I was waiting for them to get to the synagogue, have the golem rejected, and then have to go all the way back and do it again. That would have been awesome! When they had to put all those hookahs together correctly, all of the pieces had to be right, so I don't see why the brothers got a pass on the broken-armed golem. How is a one-armed golem going to defend the Prague ghetto?! Meh.

[JustJack]

I was stunned that the others couldn't get "FRANZ" out of the scrambled letters. Also given that this was the home of Kafka, it would seem anyone with a college degree (theoretically ALL the teams?!) should know that... good grief. I could only conclude we are now officially a nation of dolts and dullards.

Setting literary knowledge aside, when you have to unscramble a series of letters and you get ONE vowel, the answer is simple, stick it in the middle and arrange letters on the front end.. you'll get the answer within 5 minutes. Word scramble rule 1 or 2. Again, I guess no one teaches that anymore.... hence the nation of dolts.

Cheers to Meghan for nailing the simple task in about the time expected of an educated person. Now if she could dumb that whiny-butt Cheyne...