The Amazing Race 10: Episode 9

After fording Finnish swamps and bike riding through a mine, all the racers of The Amazing Race 10 wanted was a nice Pit Stop to rest at. But this week was only the first half of a two-part leg of the race.

Learning that teams would start this week's leg by leaving Madagascar for Finland, Beauty Queen Dustin asked, "Don't they wear wooden shoes there?"

Godwin Cho said he and his brother were running this leg "in memory of [David & Mary]," who were eliminated last week.

Erwin laughed at Godwin and said, "You make it sound like they're in the grave!"

Teams arrived in Helsinki on the same flight, and then made their way to an internet cafe, where they were surprised to receive videos from home. Viewers were surprised to learn that Erwin has a hot girlfriend.

The cafe owner gave teams their next clue, directing them to travel 125 miles by train and taxi to a school with a typically difficult-to-spell Finnish name. On the train, Kandice had to borrow beauty products from Tyler, settling the debate: male models are more vain than beauty queens.

The Beauty Queens and the Models grabbed the first cabs they saw when exiting the train. The other three teams noticed that there was a official queue of Finns waiting for taxis.

Rob & Kimberly begged their way to the front of the line, and Lyn & Karlyn just cut in front of everyone. As he and Erwin waited patiently at the end of the line, Godwin mused, "Being polite sucks sometimes."

Upon reaching the school, teams found their next clue in a box at the edge of a muddy field. They had their choice of Detours: "Swamp This or Swamp That."

In Swamp This, teams strapped on cross-country skis and followed a one-mile course across the swampy, snow-free field. They could finish the task quickly if they could master the technique.

In Swamp That, teams completed an obstacle course on foot through the mud. Though the Swamp That course was shorter, some the obstacles required brute strength, and teams were more likely to get stuck waist-deep in the mud.

Tyler & James opted for Swamp That, while Dustin & Kandice strapped on their skis for Swamp This. How anyone could turn down the chance to run a Finnish mud obstacle course is beyond me.

The Models had an easy enough time swinging on ropes and crawling through mud, until a steeplechase-style jump into a mud pit left James mired in sludge. Once Tyler helped James free, they continued on to the next phase, where one team member needed to carry the other.

Tyler started out carrying James, but they switched halfway through. Exhausted from their efforts, the final phase of the course -- a run to the clue box -- slowed to a leisurely walk.

The next clue instructed them to take a train 104 miles to the town of Turku, and then drive another 70 miles to the Tytyri limestone mine in Lohja.

Just to make sure the skiers didn't stay totally clean, their course included a similar steeplechase-style jump. Dustin landed on her rear, complaining, "It's gonna look like I pooed my pants."

The Beauty Queens reached the clue box shortly after the Models, but were able to make up ground when Tyler & James took the time to change clothes before getting into their cab to the train station.

Rob & Kimberly gained a lead on the two remaining teams when Rob carried Kimberly through part of the obstacle course at a brisk pace. In their cab, afterward, Rob said, "I didn't think I'd be able to carry you as easily as I did!"

I can only assume that, as soon as he said that, Rob wished he could take it back.

When Kimberly asked the inevitable follow-up question -- "Do you think I'm fat?" -- Rob wisely kept his mouth shut.

Rob & Kimberly just missed the first train to Turku, giving Dustin & Kandice and Tyler & James a one-hour head start on the other three teams.

At the mine in Lohja, teams encountered a Roadblock. One team member had to ride a bicycle one mile down into the mine, retrieve a limestone block, climb back up the mine, and break open the block to find a clue. The ride down the hill was easy, but everyone walked their bike back up the steep hill.

The clue inside the rock instructed teams to drive 39 miles to Olympic Stadium in Helsinki. Tyler & James arrived first, and the next clue told them to rappel face-first down a tall tower attached to the stadium.

Tyler went first, hoping to demonstrate the safety of the task to the fearful James. James worked up enough courage to go through with the rappel, but his technique suffered a bit.

Instead of walking his way down the building, James' legs hung free and he hung in his harness like an upside-down "V," bent at the waist. He was forced to lower his whole body weight using just his arms. The whole endeavor looked like a Coast Guard helicopter rescue in reverse.

As James reached the ground, Dustin & Kandice were about to start their descent, and the other teams were arriving at the stadium. Tyler & James received a clue informing them that this leg of the race wasn't over, and that they would need to keep racing.

Next week, teams get to drive tanks through another swamp. And Lyn & Karlyn break away from the Cho Brothers, ending the Six-Pack alliance for good.