
So we have four teams, TK & Rachel, Ron & Christina, Nicolas & Don and my favorite fighting couple, Jen & Nate left.
TK & Rachel have been racing quite well in this race up to this point as have senior citizen, Don. Last week, we saw the bad Ron surface again in the Detour as he yelled at Christina. And Jen & Nate barely stayed in the race just beating out Kynt & Vyxsin.

Rachel says for her, confidence has been an issue, but with TK, she doesn’t have such fears. I do like this team. They have been on an even keel throughout with few blowouts. TK & Rachel head over to a hotel travel agent to look for flights and check the internet.
Nicolas & Donald are next and they note the $414 they receive for this leg of the race. Nic says it’s tough to be the leader of the race. Donald says he’s trying to keep up with Nic and he can’t run, but he’ll push himself as far as he can. Donald says going to Japan fulfills a dream he had when he was in the military service. I will say that Donald has been feisty and he’s been very entertaining in this race.
Ron & Christina are third to leave at the alleged time of 1:44 p.m. Christina’s happy to go to Osaka as she spent half a year in Japan learning the language so she’ll have a bit of a leg up on the other teams. Ron admits he shouldn’t be blowing a gasket and needs to continue on his journey of change and he can’t falter. They head to a travel agent to book a flight.
Almost an hour later (2:38 p.m.), Nathan & Jennifer rip open their clue and are pleased to be going to Japan. Jennifer is seen in a confessional saying the biggest obstacle for her and Nate is to do what they say, cut down on their arguing. Nate says he and Jen are pulling together as a team because they haven’t finished first yet and want desperately to be in first. He tells Jen in their taxi that he had a dream he was running for first and threw a bag at the person’s legs in front of them and Nate was able to sprint ahead of them. Funny, but a bit of some foreshadowing. I hope we don’t see Jen cry if she doesn’t get in first in this leg.
Over to TK & Rachel, they tell the travel agent they want to get to Osaka as fast as possible. They’re given a flight that leaves Mumbai at 6:55 p.m.
At the airport, Nic asks the ticket agent when he can leave for Osaka and he’s told the flight leaves at 8:30 p.m. He purchases the tickets.

At the travel agent, Christina finds an Air India flight leaving Mumbai at 8:25 p.m. and connects in Hong Kong, then heads for Osaka. She books the flight.
TK & Rachel get their tickets hand delivered and are happy to be getting out what appears to be first.
Nathan & Jennifer arrive at Bombay Airport and book the same flight as Nic & Don and Ronald & Christina.

TK & Rachel arrive at the airport in advance of their flight and check-in. TK asks if the check-in person has seen anyone else looking like him and Rachel and is told no. They get a bit worried, but get their tickets.

As Ron & Christina finally get to the Air India ticket counter, they notice Nic & Gramps, then Jen & Nate see the other two teams so Nathan assumes they all have the best flight. Christina wonders where TK & Rachel are, if they’re already at the airport or are resting. What they don’t know is that the dating couple are already boarding their flight. But Nate says, “Don’t always assume the be
st. You know, they could be doing something stupid right now.” Sometimes that Nate comes up with some gems and he’s right here, but we’ll get to that later.

The other three teams board their Air India flight and notice no sign of TKR. Nathan says he has no idea where they are, but he has to assume they’ll make it to Osaka around the same time as they and the others.

Landing at New Dehli, TK says, “Somethin’ just doesn’t feel right about this.” And he should feel that way. No teams are on their flight and Rachel notices an empty airport. TK says he has no idea where the other teams are. He and Rach could be in first, they could be dead last. So they sit in New Dehli waiting for their trip to Beijing and it’s going to be a long wait. And after a commercial break, TK & Rachel are seen boarding their flight from Beijing to Osaka. We won’t see them for a long time after this.
At Osaka, the other teams have arrived. According to the producers, the three teams have touched down at 2:30 p.m. local time. Nathan & Jennifer run out of customs in 1st place and they hope to remain there. Ron & Chris are next followed by Nicolas & Donald. Nicolas is carrying both his own bag and Donald’s. This makes our favorite senior citizen happy. Don says, “Nic is quite strong. He carries my bag, I mean, he’s like a bitch for me… I mean it’s perfect!” And the next scene is Nic laughing. Funny stuff.
Nathan & Jennifer get into a taxi first heading to Kishiwada Castle. Jen says she’s happy to be in first saying it’s about time they kick the old team’s asses. Be careful what you wish for, Jen.
Ron & Chris get into their cab and Christina tells the driver in Japanese, “This is important … fastest …” and the driver says he’ll take the highway. Christina says Jen thinks she can beat her & Ron and Gramps, but little does she know….
Nic & Don get into their cab in third. Don is impressed by Osaka noting how clean it is. Jen says Osaka is open and spacious and beautiful. And she manages to share a laugh with Nathan. So far, no death stares, but we’re always on the lookout for them.
Over to Ron & Chris, he wonders where TK & Rachel are. He says, “I presume that a worst case they are ahead of us, but I think practically, my gut feel is that they’re actually behind us.” Sometimes our elders are right.

Chris steers her team inside the castle to search for the clue. Over to Nic & Don who are still on their way to the castle, Nic wonders if Ron & Chris can speak Japanese. Don answers he wouldn’t be surprised as she went to “some big ‘falutin’ college and everything like that… yeah, Princeton, buddy.” Don’s so funny.

Nic & Don are searching the castle, but it’s here where old man Don is showing his age. He can’t keep up with Nicolas who is 48 years younger and is running all over the place. Don knows he can’t keep up with Nicolas, but he’s going to keep on running for as long as he’s in the race. You have to admire Donald’s fighting spirit.
Ron & Christina get into their cab and their driver knows where Noda Station is so they’re off to get their next clue.
Nicolas & Donald have gone upstairs like Ron & Chris have and Nic is the one who spots the clue box, so they have to climb down meaning more strenuous activity for the senior citizen in the hot Osaka sun. Remember, they filmed this edition of the race during July 2007 so it’s quite hot. They finally reach the clue box and after reading the clue, they push off to Noda Station as well.

Over to the lead team, Nathan & Jennifer, she notices none of the road signs contain any English. Nathan replies, “That’s why we’re not drivin’, babe.”

Nathan & Jennifer arrive at Noda Station first and find the Cleaning Man who’s cleaning the glass of a poster on the wall. He hands the couple their next clue and the question is: who’s the backseat driver? Jen says she’s the backseat driver and she discovers that this particular Roadblock is for one person to become a Japanese taxi driver.

Jen takes her clue, gets a kiss from Nathan and heads over to her cab to find out her destination.
Ron & Christina arrive at Noda Station and see Jen at a taxi. They run to the entrance to look for the Cleaning Man.


Nathan and Ron look at each other rather helplessly. Nate says, “Well, that’s it. It’s up to the ladies.” They stand together knowing this could take some time.

Jen can’t find anyone to help her. Christina just can’t find the keys to start the car. Finally, Jennifer finds a nice woman who speaks broken English, but tells her to go straight and the Post Office is about ten minutes away. Jen gets into her cab and is ready to go, but Christina can’t get the car started. She finally gets it going, but she explains to her photographer that she doesn’t have a car and takes public transportation. That’s admirable, but that’s not going to help you when you have to drive in the race. Chris says it’s ridiculous that she has to do this task. Well, you should have thought of that earlier, but what can you do? What’s done is done.
Jennifer is lost as the street signs are all in Japanese and she doesn’t know where to go. Her couple can be seen in the back seat pointing to the right direction, but Jen can’t use them to guide her as per the rules and she doesn’t see them anyway. Christina decides to stop, get out to ask for directions and takes the keys with her.

Nicolas gets to his cab, gets the destination and immediately looks to get directions. He goes inside a restaurant but the person inside doesn’t speak English, so Nic presses on.
We cut over to Jen and she’s stressing out. She’s beginning to whine that she’s lost and has no idea where to go. Christina is able to ask for directions in Japanese, but she finds herself going into a dead end and as she tries to go in reverse she says, “God, I hope this doesn’t become an Austin Powers.”
Nicolas finds a student who just points in the general direction of the Post Office. Jen thinks she spots where to go. Christina tries to veer left into a rotary and gets honked at. She says Japanese isn’t going to help her, driving skills will and those are skills she doesn’t have. Nicolas just decides to drive and get directions later on. He asks the couple in the backseat if they’re hot and they are so he turns on the air conditioning. Nic says it’s important to keep the customers happy. While I found Nic annoying earlier in the race, I’m liking him a bit more today.

Jennifer finds a policeman who points out the Post Office is right behin
d her. But she tries to back up and go to the street where she has to drop off her passengers. In the busy streets of Osaka, this isn’t a good idea, but she manages to do it.

Christina is second to arrive and gets her clue. Now her challenge is to find her way back. And Nicolas finally makes it to the Post Office and he’s able to get the next clue. So all three teams that were on the same flight to Osaka (have you noticed any mention of TK & Rachel lately?) have finished the first part of the Roadblock. Nicolas says the famous last words that he remembers how to get back to Noda Station so that will hopefully give him a leg up on the other teams. Oh yeah? Never say something like that because the racing gods will come back to get you.
Jennifer sees Noda Station, but she can’t over to drop off her taxi because she’s across the street and traffic is going back and forth. Christina is across the street and yells for her dad, but she can’t park yet. Nicolas is trying to navigate the streets, but again, it’s Jen who gets to Noda Station first and when she goes inside to get Nate, she’s surprised that she’s in first place.

Inside their taxi, Nathan is very proud of Jen and gives her a kiss. Jen wants to talk about her adventure, but he says it doesn’t matter. She tries to get the attention of her driver to tell him they’re in a race, but no success. Nathan is giddy. He thinks first place is in sight.
Christina is driving back to Noda Station and manages to park her cab. After giving her hat and gloves back, she runs to Noda Station where she calls for her father and they head out leaving Donald to wait all alone. Ron & Chris find a cab to take them to Kita-Mido Temple.
Nicolas is just plain lost. He said he remembered how to get back to Noda Station now he’s the last of the three teams to get back. Nic turned on the wrong street and now he’s clueless on how to get back. Don knows that the other two teams are getting a lead on him and Nic. And Nic is prevented from going into one street by a police officer and he’s now blocking traffic. It doesn’t look good. But he finally finds someone who points him the right way.

Back to Nic, he’s asking another person for directions. He seems to be finally on the right track.


Ron & Chris are concerned about their taxi driver who is gasping for air. He’s struggling to turn the steering wheel. Ron says, “I just hope he doesn’t croak on us,” and there’s the title of your episode.
Jen & Nate have arrived at Kita-Mido Temple. They climb one set of stairs to the clue box and find that they’ve reached the Detour, Sense of Touch or Sense of Smell.
As we know, a Detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. In this Detour, teams have to choose between two senses that they’ve had since the day they were born.
In Sense of Touch, teams make their way on foot to the Shimojima Building. Once there, they will miniature robots which are controlled by cell phones to play a game of soccer against two robotic defenders. Once each team member has scored a goal, the referee will give them their next clue. Playing with robots might seem like fun, but trying to control the robots could take a long time.

here only artificial flowers are sold. Team members must use only their noses to identify only one real flower among thousands of artificial flowers in the two story flower shop. When they find a real flower, the green haired shop owner will give them their next clue. The task of finding one real flower might seem impossible, but only a real flower has a scent and those teams with a good sense of smell might find themselves quickly finishing the task.
Jennifer & Nate decide to ask a local which place is closer and then will choose which task to undertake. As Jen & Nate ask a local businessman, Ron & Christina arrive at the temple and they quickly run up the stairs to get their clue. Jen & Nate find out that the flowers and robots are both ten minutes away, but they decide to do Sense of Smell because as Jen says, “I have the nose of a bloodhound.” Ron & Christina also go for Smell and they find a local to take them there.
Nic is driving around aimlessly, but he finally gets to Noda Station where Don is waiting for him. Gramps tells Nic that everyone left ten minutes ago. So they head off for Kita-Mido Temple.

Back at Kita-Mido Temple, Nic & Don decide to do Sense of Touch because Nicolas can’t identify real flowers so they’re off to do the robots.

Eventually, Ron & Christina decide to head up to the second floor to get away from Jen & Nate so as not to retrace their steps. This was a smart move on their part.
Nicolas & Don are running to the robots, but to help lighten his load, Nic decides to carry Don’s bag. And one thing Don says is that he doesn’t want to let Nic down. Nic says he doesn’t want to let himself down and one way of letting himself down is if he didn’t help his grandfather. I like that statement, but I do wish Nicolas had done some more Roadblocks while Donald was doing some strenuous work, but at least Nic did the driving Roadblock in this episode.


Ron & Christina continue to smell the flowers and he’s trying to give her more encouragement instead of yelling at her. Jen is trying to strategize, but Nathan asks her to be quiet.

Sorry, the Spanish soccer announcer is coming out in me. It’s late and I’m trying to finish this so I can start another episode recap. Anyway, Nic & Don are halfway to finishing their Detour.
Oh my goodness, it’s back to TK & Rachel who are still on their way to Kishiwada Castle. They don’t know if they’re in first or in last place. They haven’t seen the other teams since leaving the Pit Start back in 2006.
Back to the flower shop, Nathan & Jennifer decide the first floor isn’t working so they go upstairs to join Ron & Christina. And when they reach the second floor, Nathan gives another “Holy Schnikes!” for good measure. I might have been able to find that flower if it weren’t for you meddling kids! Oops. Never mind the Scooby Doo reference. We press on. Jen says this task was a mistake, but it’s too late now. Ron & Christina are also having trouble finding the one real flower. This is one of those needle-in-a-haystack tasks that could either take 2 seconds to do or an entire day. This falls in the latter category right now.
Over to Sense of Touch, Donald is trying to score his goal so his team can move on. He says he’s very low tech. Nic is helping him learn the controls by telling him how to stop and continue. But his robot falls so it has to go back to the beginning of the table.

on the first floor and she confirms that it is indeed, real. So they get their clue and can leave.
Once outside the flower shop, Jen & Nate rip open their clue and find that they can head to the next pit stop. Teams will make their way via taxi to Tempozan Park.

Jen makes the mistake of saying, “We’re gonna make first place.” Never say this out loud until you hear Phil say, “You’re team number one.” If you think you’ve won, the racing gods were make sure you don’t finish first. This goes back to TAR1 when Margarita actually thought she was going to win the whole race when Rob & Brennan were actually finishing first. Never declare yourselves as winners of a leg out loud. This never works. Jen & Nate want to finish first in a leg so badly, but the main thing is to finish first in the very last leg. But I digress.

Chris notes that she didn’t see Jen & Nate so she figures either they found the flower or changed detours. She adds they could be racing them to the Pit Stop as well. She doesn’t know.

Over to Ron & Christina, she praises him for not yelling at all in Osaka.


Donald is impressed with how Nicolas handled himself in this leg and says he would not have been able to finish the task without him.


Ron & Chris are told they are awarded electric vehicles, but this is obviously dubbed in and we see Ron’s head obscuring Phil so we never actually see him say this. Then the next edits are a bit sketchy as well but first, we mention that Christina is totally happy that her dad never yelled in Osaka and that she totally had fun on the leg.
Ok, onto Nathan & Jennifer.
This is Nathan & Jennifer arriving at the Pit Stop in daylight. Notice the amount of light left.



and all that stuff, then Nathan says something very strange, “The best team is going to finish last and that’s Jen and I,” And you see Death Stare #1,454.
“Finish last,” Jen asks.
Nathan says, “I mean, finish the last leg first.” I’m going to give Nate a mulligan and chalk that up to Killer Fatigue.
Nic & Don finish in third place and they’re happy.
So where’s TK & Rachel? At Kishiwada Castle, finally, and reality seeps in that they’re in last place. But during this leg, they don’t get a mercy clue to go to the Pit Stop. They have to finish the tasks and they do. Rachel does the taxi cab Roadblock. As we watch Rachel get her hat and gloves, TK is talking about how much Rachel means to him and Rachel is talking about how TK took her from a bad place and put in her in a happy place. So it appears like they’re talking like an eliminated team.
They go to the flower shop and quickly find the real flower as Rachel works in a flower shop herself. And they’re talking in the background about how happy they are.

So our Official Order of Finish:
1. Ron & Christina – winners of electric vehicles
2. Nathan & Jennifer – still fighting, but yet to finish first
3. Nicolas & Donald – still plodding along
4. TK & Rachel – will have to endure a speed bump next week.
That’s it. See you next week.
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