Amazing Race 15 Episode 7 Recap

Poker Players Tiffany and Maria Quit the Race in The Netherlands

Nov 2, 2009

The 15th season of The Amazing Race continues in The Netherlands as teams count bells, dress up, cycle, dance, and golf. One team makes a shocking decision to quit.

In Episode 7 of The Amazing Race 15, titled “This Is Not My Finest Hour,” teams traveled to The Netherlands where they participated in traditional Dutch activities. Though it looked like Brian and Ericka would be eliminated for much of the leg, another team shockingly quit the Race after struggling with the Detour. Here’s how it all went down:

Next Destination: The Netherlands

Departing from the sixth pit stop at Dolphin Bay Beach in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, teams received a clue instructing them to travel to Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Once there, they had to travel to Afsluitdijk, a 19-mile causeway that connects North Holland and Friesland, and find the Lely Monument to receive their next clue.

When teams arrived at the airport, they found that the earliest flight left at midnight so all teams caught up. While they waited, Sam and Dan decided to reveal to the rest of the teams that they are gay, which they had previously kept a secret.

When they arrived in The Netherlands, teams had to drive Mercedes luxury vehicles. Brian struggled to put the car into drive, as both he and Ericka became frantic. Eventually, they had to ask a local for help operating the vehicle. All of the other teams made it to their destination, the Lely Monument, with relative ease. Dating couple Meghan and Cheyne continued to lead the pack.

When they arrived, they received their next clue, instructing them to drive to the city of Groningen and find Martinitoren, the highest building in the city.

Roadblock: Bell Tower

The Roadblock clue asked “Who’s got strong legs and keen eyes?” One team member had to navigate their way up the narrow spiral staircases and through a maze of doors to count bells. If they came up with the right answer, they received their next clue. Otherwise, they had to recount the bells.

Sam and Meghan decided to work together to finish the task faster. When they reached the top of the structure, the bells started ringing, which distracted them and made it more difficult for the two to communicate their numbers. Matt, who was working by himself, was the first to correctly count 62 bells. Sam and Meghan then followed close behind. On their way down the stairs, Sam told Tiffany the correct number of bells, allowing the poker players to quickly finish the Roadblock. The Harlem Globe Trotters then found the correct number, while Ericka continually got in wrong and became more frustrated each time.

When teams completed the Roadblock, they received a clue instructing them to travel to Vierhuizen de Marne and find the Windmill. Sam and Dan and Meghan and Cheyne paid a taxi driver to take them to the Windmill, while father/son Gary and Matt struggled with directions.

Detour: Farmer’s Game or Farmer’s Dance

At the Windmill, teams had a choice between two ways the locals unwind after a hard day’s work: Farmer’s Game or Farmer’s Dance. For both tasks, they had to wear traditional Dutch costumes and ride bicycles.

In Farmer’s Game, teams had to swim across a ditch and play three holes of farmer’s golf. Taking turns, they had to finish each hole in eight or less strokes. In Farmer’s Dance, teams had to find a country festival, ring a high-striker bell, learn a Dutch folk dance and perform it for the crowd. If the crowd liked it, the team was rewarded with salty herring and onions, which they had to eat in order to receive their next clue.

Sam and Dan chose Farmer’s Game and quickly finished the round of golf. Meghan and Cheyne also chose Farmer’s Game, but Meghan was frustrated because she had never played golf before. Still, the couple was able to complete the task fairly easily, giving these two teams a lead going into the pit stop.

Gary and Matt initially chose Farmer’s Dance, but almost immediately switched tasks because they didn’t want to eat the herring. Tiffany and Maria also switched tasks because they couldn’t hit the high-striker bell, despite making over 30 attempts at it. But they also struggled at the Farmer’s Game task and were unable to finish a hole in under eight strokes.

Soon after Tiffany and Maria switched, the Globe Trotters arrived at the country festival and easily rang the high-striker bell. They completed the dance and ate the herring and onions, although “Flight Time” had a difficult time finishing it.

Last-place team Brian and Ericka incorrectly read their clue and didn’t ride bicycles to the location of their tasks. Although they realized their mistake, they completed the Detour anyway and then borrowed bicycles from a local to travel to the pit stop.

Meanwhile, Tiffany and Maria continued to struggle. They switched tasks back-and-forth again, and despite getting closer than ever to ringing the high-striker bell, they couldn’t quite measure up. They returned to the Farmer’s Game task, but were weaker than before and still couldn’t complete a hole in under eight strokes.

Seventh Pit Stop: Zoutkamp Harbor

When they completed the Roadblock, teams had to bike through town to Zoutkamp Harbor, the location of the next pit stop. Brothers Sam and Dan were the first to check in and won a sand buggie. The rest of the teams arrived in the following order:

Brian and Ericka incurred a 30-minute penalty for not riding a bicycle to the detour location, but they were not eliminated because of this. Tiffany and Maria were unable to complete either task, and as a result, decided to quit the Race.

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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