'The Amazing Race' Recap: 'I Feel Like a Monkey in a Circus Parade (Kolkata, India)'

[The Amazing Race - Season 18 Episode 6]

The Racers started the leg in Kunming, China at the Green Lake Park. Their first clue was to go to a tea tasting at Jin Fu Yi Zhan and receive a brick of tea and their next clue. Jet discussed how the cowboys' wives were taking care of the children and wanted to bring back something to their families.

Jet & Cord 2:14pm
Gary & Mallory 2:16
Margie & Luke 2:48
Kisha & Jen 3:43
Kent & Vyxsin 3:52
Flight Time & Big Easy 3:59
Ron & Christina 4:09
Zev & Justin 4:10

The teams made a run for the tea shops and Gary & Mallory were first. Mallory spent the time to sniff the tea and mentioned the peachy flavor. They received their clue before Jet & Cord started drinking their tea. Their clue told them to head to Kolkata, India.

Several teams complained about having to stay in China for another leg, so several must have been happy to realize they were leaving China. Ron & Christina asked in Chinese what the flavor was and were told "Papaya Mango." They noted that the flavor combination seemed exotic for China. Zev & Justin complained that the task seemed pointless.

All the teams must have made the same flight as they all were in a mad rush outside the airport. Mallory loved the change in scenery. The Globetrotters were the first out, followed by Gary & Mallory. They struggled just getting out past the sea of people even at 1:00 in the morning. The Globetrotters tried their best to stay in the front, but the Cowboys made a mad rush with a very aggressive taxi driver. Luke thought his taxi driver was on train tracks. Zev & Justin's driver ran a red light and Ron & Christina almost got slammed by a truck, that's a wake-up call. All the front cars arrived and realized that they opened at 10am. The Globetrotters decided to pull a joke and Margie & Luke, Ron & Christina, and Gary & Mallory were told to keep running past the gate. They all fell for the joke, but were all laughs realizing how silly they looked following each other like blind mice. Waking up in the morning, Gary & Mallory thought that the leg might be tough because of all the culture clashes. At 10am, there was a mad rush with all the teams running for the roadblock clue.

The roadblock warned the teams to "Drink in the scenery." The roadblock parallels the tea trade between China and India. The teams would have to undergo a tea tasting test. They would first give the judge a papaya and mango plus the brick of tea, and then find the correct tea. Contestants made a rush to grab their papaya and mango. Before she handed her items, Kisha tried her best to sniff the brick before. Kisha struggled with colors, but Ron decided to sniff the tea before eating it. Ron thought he got the mango and got the first clue. Underneath the Snapple bottle, the clue told them to head to the Tiwari Tea Stall.

Kisha remembered the color of the tea, but the flavors of the same colored tea were not the same so she just went for random selection. Zev decided to just drink and hope, while Kent and Luke struggled. Jet decided that scent was more important than just picking a random tea and drinking it; so he started to sniff instead. Almost immediately, he got the next clue. All the other teams struggled, but Kisha was the next to get the clue. Kisha & Jen struggled figuring out the clue was under the cap. They decide to go to the local Snapple factory.

The other teams struggled as Mallory started to pray and Luke started to cry. Kent got the bottle and had no clue what to do, but Vyxsin opened the bottle and they headed out. Mallory resorted to sniffing and she got the clue; they left in fifth. Zev wandered confused, Flight Time was upset, and Luke started to lose his bearings. After the commercial break, Zev finally got the tea correct. Luke tried another tea and was wrong. There were only a few teas left, but Luke was ready to quit.

Ron & Christina dodged another truck and decided to leave their taxi. Kisha & Jen continued to ask about the bottle, but still haven’t opened it. Jet & Cord were running around confused looking for the stall. Kent & Vyxsin were the first to get to the detour. Their choices were Hindu Art [Paint and dress Ganesha] or Bengali Literature [Bring eight stacks of children's textbooks in a rickshaw and hand the books to the headmistress of a local school]. They immediately thought that painting was more in their style. Gary & Mallory were second and decided to go for the books. Kisha & Jen finally realized that the clue was under the cap after one man tried to open their cap; they cursed for a few minutes and headed to the tea stall. Ron & Christina decided to decorate and they were followed by Kisha & Jen.

Back at the tea roadblock, both Flight Time and Luke still haven't completed the roadblock. All their guesses were wrong. Gary & Mallory finally got to the bookshop and headed for the rickshaws. Mallory got directions from a young man and headed out. Jet & Cord decided to do the books; they were followed by Zev & Justin. Kent & Vyxsin, Ron & Christina, and Kisha & Jen arrived to start painting. Ron decided to put his earplugs on, but it didn't help all of the noises that the musicians were playing.

Flight Time and Luke continued to choose teas. Flight Time knew that they weren't going to ever take a penalty after their Kafka fiasco. Flight Time finally got his clue and headed out. They luckily opened their bottle clue in the taxi. Luke was reduced to tears and Margie tried her best to comfort her son. Luke sucked it up and tried some more; Margie was reminded of how Luke was frustrated at the final puzzle during their season. Gary & Mallory were the first to finish the detour to head to the pit stop: The Fountain of Joy.

Christina and Kisha wondered if the god they were painting was pregnant or just chubby. Zev & Justin got to the bookstore before Jet & Cord. As they left the rickshaw, Zev got slammed in the head by the door but decided to keep his head out of the back to prevent claustrophobia. Jet & Cord got directions and headed out. Still at the roadblock, Luke was stuck and collapsed on the floor, Margie comforted him and all the locals were supporting him. He finally got the clue and Margie thanked all the locals for their support.

Flight Time & Big Easy got to the detour as Kent & Vyxsin finished up; they were followed by Kisha & Jen and Ron & Christina. Margie & Luke started painting as well and got a slight boost of energy seeing that their competitors were still there. Zev & Justin delivered their books and finished in fifth place; they were followed by Jet & Cord.

Gary & Mallory arrived in first place, much to Mallory's surprise. They received a feast, private Bollywood performance, and one million rupees; I'm under the assumption the feast and performance was during the downtime between legs. Ron & Christina, Kent & Vyxsin, Kisha & Jen, and The Cowboys were stuck in traffic. Flight Time & Big Easy were still painting and hammering accessories as Margie & Luke arrived. Flight Time & Big Easy tripped a paint bucket and got brown paint and had to paint over the stains. After the commercial break, Margie & Luke tried to catch up but Flight Time & Big Easy realized that they didn't have to start from scratch.

The Cowboys, Ron & Christina, Zev & Justin all arrived within a few minutes of each other. They were all drinking their Amazing Race Snapple beverage as Kent & Vyxsin arrived. Jet tried to tell the Goths that they were fourth, but they were fifth. Moral of the story: Never trust a cowboy with Phil's job.

Flight Time & Big Easy finished painting and got their clue, Flight Time hugged Luke and Margie and headed out, knowing how hard it was for the two not to quit and keep fighting. Flight Time & Big Easy struggled with finding a taxi as Margie & Luke finished. While there was a decent edit of taxi drama, Margie & Luke knew that they were last and were eliminated. Luke was in tears; Margie was proud of Luke for not giving up.

Leg Placement

1) Gary & Mallory
2) Jet & Cord
3) Ron & Christina
4) Zev & Justin
5) Kent & Vyxsin
6) Kisha & Jen
7) Flight Time & Big Easy
8) Margie & Luke Eliminated

Roadblock: Kent, Kisha, Zev, Luke, Jet, Mallory, Flight Time, Ron

Detour
Hindu Art
Kent & Vyxsin
Ron & Christina
Kisha & Jen
Flight Time & Big Easy
Margie & Luke

Bengali Literature
Gary & Mallory
Zev & Justin
Jet & Cord

Next Episode: Zev doesn't like noise. Kind of like Ron.