The Amazing Race Episode 15.03 It's Like Being Dropped on Planet Mars (Vietnam)

Harlem Globetrotters Flight Time & Big Easy scored their first victory of the race as teams traveled to Ho Chi Minh City. Bickering between engaged couple Lance & Keri didn't help their performance as they finished in ninth place just ahead of dating couple Marcy & Ron who were eliminated from the race.

ANCHORS AWAY

During the Pit Stop, teams rested on the Bassac III, a local riverboat, which picked up anchor and traveled from Cai Be to My Tho, Vietnam, a destination unknown to them. Gary noted, "Hard to believe that our Pit Stop is moving. Where it's going to we don't know."

Departing from the docks of My Tho in first place at 5:45am, father and son Gary & Matt ripped open their clue instructing them to travel by taxi to Ho Chi Minh City and search for the Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theater, where their next clue awaited in the mouth of a water dragon.

DOING IT FOR DAD

As the teams headed to Ho Chi Minh City, two racers had thoughts of their fathers weighing on their minds. Big Easy discussed having lost his father two days before the beginning of the race, saying, "He was a great inspiration to me." He added, "I'm going to represent my dad… and I'm going to do it for him." Being in Vietnam reminded Marcy about her father, a pilot, whose plane was shot down during the Vietnam war in1968. He was then rescued. On how her father survived this harrowing ordeal, Marcy said, "Sheer adrenaline, will, and determination. I've always thought that's what I am made of." She also commented on the people of Vietnam, saying, "The people are beautiful. It really does make one stop and feel emotional about all the people who died here."

PUPPET MASTER

With Gary & Matt stuck in traffic, Harlem Globetrotters Flight Time & Big Easy arrived at the Golden Dragon puppet theater in first place. As a traditional band played to the side of them, the duo took turns leaning over the edge of a giant pool where colorful water dragon puppets danced, flitting back and forth on the surface of the water. Even with his long wingspan, Big Easy couldn't reach out to grab the clue from the crafty dragon that would pull away at the last second. Flight Time later remarked, "Those dragons were quick. You had to have the perfect timing in order to reach out and grab them." Soon, Flight Time hit the mark and grabbed the "tongue" from the dragon's mouth. Within the tongue was a small bullet that the Globetrotters opened to reveal a postage stamp. They had to figure out that their next clue could be found at the building shown on the stamp, the Ho Chi Minh City Main Post Office.

With a flurry of teams arriving at the puppet theater and grabbing their clues, engaged couple Lance & Keri struggled to make sense of what they took from the dragon's mouth. The befuddled couple expected to receive a yellow envelope and didn't even open the bullet that Keri took from the puppet. As other teams tore off in their taxis, Lance tried giving the bullet to a confused worker at the theater who had nothing to offer in return. Eventually, Lance & Keri thought to open the bullet, revealing the stamp inside just as newly dating Mika & Canaan showed up at the theater in ninth place, ahead of only married couple Brian & Ericka.

ANIMAL ANTICS

Arriving at the Ho Chi Minh City Main Post Office in first place, Harlem Globetrotters Flight Time and Big Easy ripped open their clue to find a Detour, having to choose between Child's Play and Word Play. In Child's Play, teams traveled to a local park and chose a concrete animal from a kiosk. Then, they had to transport the heavy and unwieldy animal along the bumpy pathways of the park, picking up five different-colored balloons from vendors along the way. After delivering the animals and the balloons to the children's playground, they would receive their next clue. In Word Play, teams traveled to a hotel and located the observation deck. Then, scanning the crowded intersection below, they had to identify six Vietnamese letters moving with the congested traffic. Once they checked with the security guard that they had the correct six letters, they had to leave the hotel and get assistance from the locals to unscramble them to spell DOCLAP, the well-known Vietnamese word for independence.

Deciding to flex their muscles, Flight Time and Big Easy went to the park for some Child's Play. Wisely choosing a concrete sheep because it was low to the ground, the Globetrotters hoisted the animal onto a dolly and began slowly pulling it through the park. Flight Time chastised Big Easy for wanting to walk faster, saying, "If it breaks and stuff is everywhere, it's going to take us forever to pick it up."

After picking up a red balloon, the duo faced the daunting task of crossing traffic with their animal. Seeing the sea of cars and mopeds, Flight Time said, "We ain't goin' out there in front of that." A confident Big Easy replied, "Go ahead. Nobody's gonna hit you." With the wail of car horns around them, the Globetrotters crossed the street and picked up their blue balloon. After collecting their last balloon and delivering their sheep, the Globetrotters ripped open their next clue instructing them to travel to Dien Co 008 at the busy intersection of Durong Vinh Vien and Durong Ly Thurong Kiet.

The heavy, unwieldy animals proved difficult to lug through the park for two teams. Best friends Zev & Justin opted to take the incredibly tall giraffe and paid the price when it toppled over, hitting the ground and causing pieces of its head and neck to break off. After picking up the scattered pieces, the pair continued on with their injured animal and collected their remaining balloons. Meanwhile, professional poker players Maria & Tiffany broke their dolly in crossing the street and had to lift their animal onto another one to continue the arduous trek through the park. After completing the grueling task, an exhausted Tiffany, who did the majority of heaving lifting, told partner Maria that she felt like passing out. Tiffany later remarked, "Every other team has a man to lean on and we don't. It's just us. Stinking hard."

WORD PLAY

Dating couple Ron & Marcy, the only team to choose Word Play, arrived at the hotel and began scanning the busy street below for letters. The pair spotted the first five letters with few problems, but couldn't properly identify the Vietnamese D, mistaking it for an O. Once they corrected their mistake, Ron & Marcy took to the streets of Ho Chi Minh City looking for someone to help them unscramble the letters. After looking around at billboards and signs that offered no assistance, the dating couple, now in last place, found a man who told them that the letters spelled the word DOCLAP.

WIRED UP

Arriving at Dien Co 008 in first place, Harlem Globetrotters Flight Time and Big Easy opened their clue to find a Roadblock. In it, one team member had to break down two VCRs using a set of provided tools and toss the parts into separate piles.

Flight Time donned a pair of safety goggles, grabbed a power tool, and began unscrewing the outer casing of a VCR. With Cheyne and Matt now beside him dismantling their VCRs, Flight Time did his best to keep the lead that he and Big Easy had maintained throughout the leg. On the task, Matt remarked, "I've taken apart VCRs before just by curiosity of what was inside of them." After pounding, unscrewing, and ripping apart the wires and components of the VCRs, Flight Time still stayed ahead of his competitors and completed the task. Ripping open the next clue, the Globetrotters learned that they had to take a taxi to the Pit Stop at the Reunification Palace.

RACE FOR FIRST

Because the Globetrotters had difficulties finding a taxi, dating couple Meghan & Cheyne took the lead to the Reunification Palace. In the taxi directly behind them, Big Easy said, "My dad just passed away and that's who I'm playing for so I gotta run hard." Pulling up at the gates of the palace together, the two teams engaged in a full out sprint to the mat that the Globetrotters won. For their effort, Flight Time & Big Easy won a trip for two from Travelocity to Aruba. On the fierce competitiveness between the teams, Cheyne commented, "I gotta feeling we're gonna see some more sprints to the finish with these guys coming up."

FROM BAD TO WORSE

Engaged couple Lance & Keri's day continued its decline when the pair couldn't find Dien Co 008. After Lance's yelling at the puppet theater and during the Detour, Keri decided that she'd had enough, telling her fiancé, "Lead the way, wherever you want. I just don't want to be responsible…I'm doing the best I can and getting yelled at." Lance shot back, "Okay, Keri, thank you. I'm done with you." When they finally got directions and returned to their taxi, the pair tried to resolve their differences. Keri said, "It's so frustrating running with you because you act like I know…why are you blaming me? I'm like, what? The direction queen?" When Lance insisted that he wasn't blaming Keri for their navigational woes, she asked for an apology and received it.

When Lance & Keri arrived at the Roadblock at Dien Co 008, Justin and Canaan were still dismantling their VCRs. With Keri cheering at Lance to smash his VCRs, Lance used his bare hands to rip apart the cover instead of wasting time using the power drill to unscrew the bolts. Lance's hands proved to be his most useful tool as he caught up to and ultimately passed the significantly slower Justin.

LAST CHANCE

After Lance & Keri and Zev & Justin left the Roadblock in eighth and ninth place, last place Marcy & Ron arrived. With elimination on the line, a very handy Ron used the power tools expertly and dismantled his two VCRs with lightening speed. The dating couple still hoped for the best as their taxi driver wove through the congested city traffic. Ron said, "My heart's pounding now. I really want to make it."

Pulling up to the Reunification Palace together, Lance & Keri and Zev & Justin ran straight to the palace doors unable to spot Phil on the mat across the grounds. Once they spotted Phil, the two teams tore off in a foot race that best friends Zev & Justin won. Lance & Keri settled for ninth place, but remained in the race. Phil joked to Lance about his earlier boasting calling the other teams the gazelles and himself the lion. Lance retorted, "They can run fast, but they're gonna wear out soon."

Stepping onto the mat in last place, Marcy & Ron received the bad news from Phil that they had been eliminated from the race. Ron said, "I'm disappointed, deeply disappointed." An emotional Marcy told Phil about her father who was shot down and later rescued. She later added, "My dad always used to say, ‘You can't hit a homerun unless you step up to the plate.' And I think going on THE AMAZING RACE was stepping up to the plate."

1503 Route Markers

Roadblock: A Roadblock is a task that only one person can perform. In this Roadblock, that team member had to break down two VCRs using a set of provided tools and toss the parts into separate piles.

Performed Roadblock: CHEYNE, FLIGHT TIME, MATT, SAM, BRIAN, TIFFANY, CANAAN, JUSTIN, LANCE, RON

Detour: A Detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its pros and cons. In this Detour, teams had to choose between Child's Play and Word Play. In Child's Play, teams traveled to a local park and chose a concrete animal from a kiosk. Then, they had to transport the heavy and unwieldy animal along the bumpy pathways of the park picking up five balloons from vendors. After delivering the animals and the balloons to the children's playground, they would receive their next clue. In Word Play, teams traveled to a hotel and located the observation deck. Then, scanning the crowded intersection below, they had to identify six Vietnamese letters moving with the congested traffic. Once they checked with the security guard that they had the correct six letters, they had to leave the hotel and get assistance from the locals to unscramble them to spell DOCLAP, the well-known Vietnamese word for independence.

Child's Play: FLIGHT TIME/BIG EASY, SAM/DAN, GARY/MATT, LANCE/KERI, ZEV/JUSTIN, MIKA/CANAAN, MARIA/TIFFANY, MEGHAN/CHEYNE, BRIAN/ERICKA

Word's Play: MARCY/RON

Order of Finish

1. Flight Time & Big Easy

2. Meghan & Cheyne

3. Gary & Matt

4. Brian & Ericka

5. Sam & Dan

6. Maria & Tiffany

7. Mika & Canaan

8. Zev & Justin

9. Lance & Keri

10. Marcy & Ron