Amazing Race 15 Episode 2 Recap

Garrett and Jessica Eliminated in Second Half of Premiere

Sep 27, 2009

On Sunday, September 27, 2009, CBS's The Amazing Race 15 debuted with a special two-hour premiere. Here's a recap of what went down in the second half.

For a recap of the first half of the premiere, see Amazing Race 15 Episode 1 Recap: They Thought Godzilla Was Walking Down The Street.

In the second half of The Amazing Race 15's two-hour premiere, the teams traveled 2,600 miles to the nation of Vietnam and got down and dirty in the mud. One team member also engaged in a duck-herding Roadblock that left some teams frustrated and allowed others to make up valuable time. In the end, the second team was eliminated from the Race.

Next Destination: Vietnam

Departing from the first pit stop at Konno Hachimangu Shrine in Tokyo, Japan, teams received a clue instructing them to fly to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Before doing so, they had to book tickets on-line from Travelocity to secure flights.

Tiffany and Maria Cause Airport Drama

As teams were booking their flights at the airport, Tiffany and Maria used their manipulation skills to secure seats on a 10:30 a.m. Japan Air flight, upsetting other teams. The two women admitted that although they are professional poker players, it is part of their strategy to pretend that they work as counselors for a non-profit organization for homeless youths in Los Angeles because other teams will want to help them. However, a fan recognized them in the airport and Sam and Dan overheard that they are really poker players.

Teams Arrive at the Vietnamese Bus Station

When teams arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, they had to travel to the bus station and take a bus to Cai Be. The first bus, departing at 3:30 p.m., contained brothers Sam and Dan, friends Tiffany and Maria, “Flight Time” and “Big Easy,” and dating couples Mika and Canaan and Marcy and Ron. The second bus, originally scheduled to depart at 4:45 p.m., contained father-and-son Gary and Matt, married couple Brian and Ericka, dating couple Meghan and Cheyne, friends Zev and Justin, and dating couple Garrett and Jessica. In order to ensure that they would not fall behind, teams on the second bus banded together and bought up the extra seats on the bus so that it would leave sooner.

Route Info: Mekong Delta Mud Pits

Teams traveled to the mud pits at Mekong Delta where they had to collect nutrient mud and use it to fertilize a nearby fruit tree to the designated red line. Once this task was completed, they received their next clue.

Many teams struggled after getting stuck in knee-deep mud that they compared to concrete. Meghan and Cheyne were the first to finish the task, followed by Garrett and Jessica and Brian and Ericka.

Speed Bump: Serving Pho

Because they finished last place in the non-elimination leg, Maria and Tiffany were given the additional task of finding a soup stand, ordering ingredients to prepare a traditional Vietnamese soup called Pho and preparing that soup to the dock master’s liking. Maria had eaten and served the soup in the past so she knew how to prepare it already. They completed the task with minimal time interruption and joined the other teams at the mud pits.

Justin and Zev’s Lost Clue

After completing the task at the mud pits, Justin fell into the water and unknowingly lost the next clue, instructing them on the location of the Roadblock. When Justin and Zev noticed that their clue was missing, they had to go back to the mud pits to retrieve it. By the time they found their clue, last-place team Tiffany and Maria were just finishing up the task.

Roadblock: Duck Herding

Teams arrived at Cai Be Field for the Roadblock, in which one member of each team had to herd a flock of 150 ducks across a bridge and back into their pen. If they failed to do so in under 10 minutes, they had to wait until another course became available to reattempt the task.

Matt, Sam, “Flight Time,” and Zev easily finished the Roadblock by staying calm, while Meghan, Jessica, Mika, and Ericka became flustered and had to make multiple attempts. Maria and Tiffany also made up time because Tiffany had ducks growing up and knew how to work with them.

After completing the Roadblock, teams received a clue instructing them to race on foot to Cho Pai Bay and find the Bassic III Riverboat. Brothers Sam and Dan got lost along the way and bickered with each other about who should be the leader of the team.

Second Pit Stop

After overtaking Sam and Dan, father-and-son Gary and Matt were the first to arrive at the pit stop. The rest of the teams arrived in the following order:

In a footrace to the pit stop, married couple Brian and Ericka narrowly beat out dating couple Garrett and Jessica. They became the second team eliminated from the Race. A frustrated Garrett let out a loud yell, and the couple admitted that they were still unable to figure out their on-and-off relationship.

When to Watch

The Amazing Race 15 airs Sundays at 8 p.m. EST on CBS. For more information on the new season, see the show’s official Web site at CBS.com.

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