From the Cutting Room Floor - TAR 30.3

The Amazing Race Season 30 Episode 3: "It's Gonna Be A Fragrant Day" #TeamExtreme Recap

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Hope you had fun watching Amazing Race Episode 3 - and if you haven't yet had the chance to watch yet, you definitely should! This was my favorite leg so far. There were so many lead changes, the scenery was stunning, and the Roadblock was really well thought out. Once again, Kristi and I end up in country we've never been to (no skiing challenges yet) and got to cross another one off the list! Morocco was stunning and the architecture was so intricate. I'd love to go back and explore when I'm not running around with a gnome under my arm ;) ***Spoiler Alert*** Kristi and I are now 3 for 3 with top 3 finishes and are learning from our mistakes in every leg. We're the only F/F team left and are stoked to keep on running! Share your favorite moment from Leg 3 in the comments below!!

What was the deal with your cab driver?

Great question. He definitely didn't speak any of the languages that we speak, and I don't think he much enjoyed having the cameras in his cab. According to some Race experts, if you're in a bad cab, you should get out and find another one. While agree with this, it's not always that easy. We left from a hotel 10+ miles from the medina/fish port area of Tangier. It was mostly residential and cabs weren't aplenty, so hopping out to find another cab was a tall order. We tried communicating with him in French, Spanish, English & fish-face...to no avail.

Actions speak louder than words 🐟 #AmazingRace

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— The Amazing Race (@AmazingRaceCBS) January 18, 2018

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Once we got to the Petit Socco, we decided to jump ship and ask the locals. We obviously knew we weren't at the port, but needed to separate from our cabbie. Using sound reasoning, we decided that fish ports must be on the water, so our first goal was to run down the hill to the shoreline. Once there, we found a gentleman from Spain who spoke English and was able to point us to the fish port.

TeamExtreme cruised through that fish challenge - what was your strategy?

Well, arriving in last place readily adds fuel to the fire. There was literally no time to be squeamish about the smell or texture of the fish, we just needed to get in and out asap. Kristi saw other teams there, but I didn't, so I thought we were in last, last, last the whole time. We quickly fell into our roles at this challenge. Kristi just started scooping out masses of fish and I started arranging them. I noticed that the example was extremely precise. Not only were the heads facing up, but also their bellies, and the fish were formed into very neat layers and rows. We made a base layer with fish so that the angle of our presentation layer was a bit easier to form.

Fortunately, we got the task done before Indy (love you boys!) and Kristi's french proved to be very helpful for getting directions to the next location. We actually lucked out, in that the Souk was up near the Petit Socco where our cab driver wrongly let us out earlier in the day. Also, we got to run up some hills, which I think is one of our strengths compared to other teams. We were the 5th team to get the Roadblock clue.

What did you think about the situation with Jess, Brittany and the Gnome?

Listen, it's a race. Both Kristi and I bonded with Jess and Brittany on this race. They are fierce, strong, smart women. Things get crazy in this race. When you are out there, it's pure survival. This was the first leg in which there was a TON of interaction between the teams during a challenge. We were all collaborating at various points and somewhat leapfrogging off of each other.

For example, I started out at the back of the pack on the Roadblock and worked with Brittany to get to the first zip line. After that, I spotted a sign for the Kasbah, which allowed us to make up serious ground. Arriving to the Kasbah, we ended up with EVERY OTHER TEAM (except Cedric, who was still out front). When I saw everyone else, I had to split from Brittany and run my race. Then I linked up with Chris from Well-Strung to find the tele-boutique and after that, Conor from IndyCar to make our way back to the Souk.

In the case of Jessica and Brittany, I don't think that Jess took the gnome from Brittany's hands with the intention of having her forget her gnome. If they weren't at the back of the pack, maybe Jess would have said something to Brittany. But, you never know what's coming in this race. For example, your next clue might tell you to run to the Pit Stop or it will send you into a challenge that doesn't play to your strengths. Every second counts.

Simultaneously, I understand where Brittany is coming from. It's hard to not be suspicious of another's intentions when you're competing against complete strangers in a game with very vague "rules" for $1,000,000... This race certainly brought out paranoid thoughts in me. Only Jess knows her own intent.

What didn't we see during the Roadblock?

First of all, Kristi and I had no idea that we were in 5th when we got to the Roadblock. Since Brittany was right there with me, I asked her if she wanted to collaborate to find the American Ligation Museum. To which she responded, "as long as you don't run off on me once we find it." Fair enough, I thought. It took us forever to find the museum, but Brittany found someone who spoke Spanish and was willing to show us. Except that he was about 75 years old and just walked (walking might be generous) the whole way there. I was freaking out. I think we were the last two teams up to that first location, and I sent my Gnome off first and stood by my word and waited for Brittany to send hers off. Then we worked together to retrieve it and find the Kasbah.

When I split from Brittany after we got meshed in with the other teams I was so worried that she was going to be pissed that I ran off. But, then the whole gnome thing happened... After retrieving my gnome from the 4th rooftop, we had to find the tele-boutique. I worked with Chris to find the phones. What they don't show is that I used all my coins on the first call and then was trying to juggle the gnome and the coins and hold the phone to my ear with my shoulder... The recording played, then there was a dial tone, and I was like, "uhhhhh, I have no idea what that just said and I have no more coins."

Fortunately, Conor showed up right then and didn't know where to get the coins. So, I told him that I'd tell him where to find the coins if he told me what the phrase was. He agreed. Then we worked together to find our way out of that crazy maze and to find the detour.

Why did you choose "Shake It Off" and not "Drop It Off"?

Honestly, despite being tired from the Roadblock, our decision was more about the complexity of the tasks than physical exertion. Running around that town during the Roadblock, made me very aware of how difficult it was to navigate in the medina. However, Kristi does not dance (I mean, neither of us really does) and we weren't sure how stringent they would be with our dancing. But, I didn't feel like getting lost anymore, so we opted for "Shake It Off"... Fortunately, they weren't too strict with our dance moves! After seeing the show (and talking with teams that did the other detour) it's clear we made the right decision. But, as I said on the show "no one will ever cheer for my dancing like this again!"

Oh, side note. Funny story, Amazing Race production gets our measurements before we come on the show so that our costumes "fit." However, my hip to waist ratio is a bit insane because of my skier's booty. So, when pants don't have a zipper, it's really challenging to get them on. It was quite the process to get those pants on. Kristi was attempting to lend a hand, but I basically had to do hip circles for a few minutes to make it work...

Amazing Race Episode 3 #TeamExtreme Summary:

We got to the first task in last, left there in 8th (2nd to last) surpassing Indy. Then we arrived to the Roadblock in 5th, hopped around from 2nd to last to tied for first. We finished the roadblock in 2nd. Then we went to the detour where I had a bit of a wardrobe malfunction. Ultimately, we finished the leg in 3rd. Our third top-3 finish in a row.

Next week we head to St. Tropez, France! Kristi FINALLY gets to play in the water and I get to continue working on my cheering game.