The Amazing Race Episode 13.09 That Is Studly

After nine tries, mother and son Toni & Dallas finally win a leg after teams flew 2,000 miles to Moscow, Russia. Taxi problems plagued Nick & Starr whose four-leg winning streak came to an end, and frat boys Andrew & Dan paid for their costly mistakes finishing in last place, only to be saved in the end by this non-elimination leg.

FRIENDLY RIVALS

Departing the Pit Stop in first place at 9:21pm, siblings Nick & Starr opened their clue instructing them to fly almost 2,000 miles to Moscow, Russia. When they landed, they had to travel by taxi to the Krutitske Podvorye Monastery and light a candle to receive their next clue.

With the only flight to Moscow being offered by Air Astana departing the next day at 6:05am, the four teams had time to hang out together at the airport. Dallas and Starr continued their blossoming relationship despite the competition that surrounds them. Dallas remarked, "Coming into this race, I never thought that I would have any kind of relationship. Things just happen in the world. I'm glad that I met Starr. She's a very cool girl, but one of us is going to win the million dollars and one of us isn't. And whoever wins it is going to love having it and the other person's going to be a little jealous." To Nick and Starr, Dallas joked, "You guys have won so many things I'm pissed. I'm actually pissed. I hate it."

SHOPPING SPREE

Frat boys Andrew & Dan left their shoes at the puppet theater in the last leg, so they started this one wearing hotel slippers that they took from the maid. As luck would have it, the shoe store in the Kazakhstan Airport was open in the middle of night, so the pair decided to do a little shopping. Most of the shoes were too expensive for their limited budget, but they were each able to purchase a pair of shoes for a grand total of 160 dollars. While they enjoyed having shoes again, Andrew & Dan hoped the purchase wouldn't come back to haunt them in Moscow.

LOST IN MOSCOW

Landing in Moscow, frat boys Andrew & Dan took an early lead out of the airport, but quickly discovered that communication with taxi drivers would be difficult in this city. The frat boys waited helplessly in the back seat while their driver left the cab to ask someone for directions to the monastery. Dan sighed, "This is one of those situations there's just nothing you can do. Winners get these breaks where they get the good cab drivers." Feeling just as frustrated, separated couple Ken & Tina also chose a cab driver who didn't know how to get to the monastery.

Mother and son Toni & Dallas and siblings Nick & Starr arrived at the monastery together and entered the ornate building where they lit a candle as a small choir sang behind them. Toni commented, "It's history so I think there's a certain reverence and respect you need to pay to that. It's not our faith. It's not our religion, but you offer it the respect that it deserves." After paying their respects, the two teams opened their clues instructing them to take a taxi to the outskirts of Moscow and find Kolosok Camp, a decommissioned military base.

As Andrew & Dan and Ken & Tina finally made it to the monastery, siblings Nick & Starr started having taxi problems of their own en route to the military base. The pair tried to communicate in vain by pointing on a map to where they wanted their driver to take them. Starr became increasingly frustrated when the driver stopped along the side of the road to ask other locals for help. Now in last place, Nick told his sister to calm down before the driver finally found a guard who could point him in the right direction.

ON THE MARCH

Arriving at Kolosok Camp in first place, mother and son Toni & Dallas found a Detour with the choice of Boots or Borscht. For both sides of the Detour, teams had to properly don a military uniform including traditional foot wraps. In Boots, teams needed to join a training squad and learn a traditional parade march. When they thought they were ready, teams had to fall in line with a troop and march one full lap of the parade grounds. If the drill sergeant was satisfied with their performance, they would receive their next clue. In Borscht, teams walked to the mess tent to serve borscht to a company of 75 Russian soldiers. Once each soldier received a bowl of borscht, the teams would receive their next clue.

The mother and son put the white cloth wraps on their feet before sliding them into the polished black military boots to complete their full camouflage attire. The pair decided to perform the march instead of feeding 75 hungry soldiers and quickly fell in line with their troop to learn the steps. Marching in line, the duo kept the rhythm perfectly as they walked around the parade grounds. Dallas remarked, "The marching really was just about focusing your feet with your hand placement." Returning back to the tents where they began the march, Toni & Dallas received their next clue instructing them to travel to the town of Zhukovsky and find the Zhukovsky Bakery. The duo excitedly left the military base, knowing that they had a lead, just as last place Nick & Starr arrived.

FALLING BEHIND

While Ken & Tina marched their way through the Detour in a steady second place, frat boys Andrew & Dan slowly squandered their lead over siblings Nick & Starr. First, Andrew couldn't get the foot wraps on properly so he and Dan, not reading their clue correctly, ditched the military garb, believing it was only required for the march. They walked over to the mess tent to serve up borscht instead. The pair eventually realized that they needed to don the uniform and boots for both sides of the task but Nick & Starr had already passed them by performing the march in perfect unison. Andrew quipped, "Dan and I have made more dumb mistakes. A compilation video needs to be made of all our mistakes throughout the race. It'd be the best thing ever." Dan added, "It would be very long. Braveheart."

After Andrew finally got his foot wraps on, he and Dan began to march, and Dan quickly added to their aforementioned list of mistakes. While Andrew's years of marching band experience paid off handsomely, Dan discovered he had no rhythm whatsoever. Soon, even the Russian soldiers began snickering and outright laughing at the strange contortions Dan made with his body, as he tried to march in rhythm with everyone else. On his lack of coordination, Dan commented, "I compared the marching to a performing art, to like maybe a ballet. It was very musically and art based and I'm not musically and art based. I'm sports and TV based. I'm a Jewish white kid. I have no rhythm." Eventually, after several attempts, the pair faced up to their inability to march and walked back to the mess tent. They served up 75 bowls of borscht, a task Dan excelled at and even enjoyed as he joked with the Russian soldiers.

FLOUR POWER

Arriving at the Zhukovsky Bakery in first place, mother and son Toni & Dallas encountered a Roadblock. In it, one team member had to unload fifty 55-pound bags of flour from the back of a truck and deliver them into the bakery. Dallas immediately set to work hauling two of the large, heavy bags at a time off of the truck and into the bakery. When Ken showed up shortly after, Dallas' competitive instinct took over because he wanted to win a leg of the race for his mother. Toni worried that her son may be overexerting himself, but Dallas continued to haul the sacks two at a time as Ken kept pace. Both Dallas and Ken were covered head to toe in flour as they duked it out but, in the end, Dallas beat out the former NFL star to earn the next clue, directing him and his mother to the Pit Stop at Neskuchny Sad Park, a popular park in Moscow's city center.

As Toni & Dallas hopped into their taxi with a first place win so close they could taste it, Ken dropped his last flour bag at the bakery in hopes of catching up to the mother and son. The notoriously bad traffic made it a tight race, but Toni & Dallas triumphantly stepped onto the mat in first place, where Phil rewarded the pair with a trip for two to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. On her son's efforts, Toni remarked, "I'm very proud of him. This is all him today."

MORE MISCUES

Nick & Starr still held a sizable lead on last place Andrew & Dan. However, as a result of Starr's growing frustration with their taxi driver, the siblings made a critical error by releasing their taxi when they arrived at the bakery. After Nick completed hauling the flour, at a significantly slower pace than either Dallas or Ken did, the pair could not find another taxi to flag on the streets of Neskuchny.

Meanwhile, as the siblings frantically searched for a cab, Dan found a task he could perform with flying colors. On toting the heavy bags of flour, he remarked, "I'm really good at the simple, Neanderthal, caveman tasks. I can do that all day long." After placing the last bag in the bakery, Dan got the clue and, with Andrew, hopped into the taxi they wisely had waiting for them while they completed the task. As the frat boys began heading to the Pit Stop, the frantic Nick & Starr found a taxi to take them, but they quickly realized the driver didn't know where to go. A stressed out Starr said, "What a pain in the ass. What is our frigging luck with these things? I don't want to be last."

The siblings quickly found a replacement driver who knew where Neskuchny Sad Park was located, but Andrew & Dan now had a legitimate chance to pass by Nick & Starr. Between the heavy traffic and lack of confidence in the driver's navigational prowess, the two teams nervously anticipated their arrival at the Pit Stop.

A HAUNTING PURCHASE

Nick & Starr pulled up to the gate at Neskuchny Sad Park ahead of Andrew & Dan, but the pair became lost on the sprawling grounds unable to find Phil. When the frat boys came to the gate, they might have beaten the siblings to the mat, except for one gigantic problem. Because of their shoe purchase at the Kazakhstan Airport, the duo didn't have enough money to pay their driver. Dan had to negotiate a price that the driver would accept for his services, while the siblings narrowly made it to the mat in third place. The driver declined Dan's offer of his new pair of shoes, but eventually he settled with taking the last of the frat boy's money.

Stepping onto the mat in last place, Andrew & Dan received good news for the first time since landing in Moscow. Phil told them that this was the second non-elimination leg, so they were still in the race. They had a Speed Bump task looming in front of them for the next leg, but the frat boys were thrilled nonetheless. Dan commented, "To all have these things against us we need a miracle to not be eliminated." Andrew added, "I'd rather be the underdogs going into it. Being the underdog is always more fun. People like seeing the underdogs win."

1309 ROUTE MARKERS

Roadblock: A Roadblock is a task that only one person can perform. In this Roadblock, that team member had to unload fifty 55-pound bags of flour from the back of a truck and deliver them into the bakery.

Performed Roadblock: NICK, DALLAS, KEN, DAN

Detour: A Detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its pros and cons. In this Detour, Teams had to choose between Boots or Borscht. For both sides of the Detour, teams had to properly don a military uniform including traditional foot wraps. In Boots, teams needed to join a training squad and learn a traditional parade march. When they thought they were ready, teams had to fall in line with a troop and march one full lap of the parade grounds. If the drill sergeant was satisfied with their performance they would receive their next clue. In Borscht, teams walked to the mess tent to serve borscht to a company of 75 Russian soldiers. Once each soldier received a bowl of borscht, the teams would receive their next clue.

Boots: TONI/DALLAS, NICK/STARR, KEN/TINA

Borscht: ANDREW/DAN

Order of Finish:

2. Ken & Tina

3. Nick & Starr

4. Andrew & Dan