How the Amazing Race was Won!

The Amazing Race ended with an exciting finale as brothers Dan and Jordan angered the usually placid cowboys, Brent and Caite endured confused cabbies, and Carol returned to chastise Caite at the finish line. In the end, brothers Dan and Jordan won the million dollars on Season 16 of The Amazing Race.

Dan and Jordan made the cowboys mad right out of the gate when they they got to the airport 6 hours later but cut in line to get tickets first. This didn't change the outcome of The Amazing Race since all three teams were on the same plane, but the cowboys were obviously angry. While they did grumble a bit, they refrained from saying nasty things and hardly even mentioned the situation again. Once on the plane, Dan and Jordan noticed that the plane was half empty and asked a flight attendant if they could sit in first class; she moved them, so they were first off the plane and the other two teams got trapped in the crowd. The cowboy brothers, Jet and Cord, were soon breathing down their necks, but Dan and Jordan had good luck with cabs, played smart, and didn't really make any mistakes.

Jet and Cord caught up with Dan and Jordan at Industrial Light and Magic, leading to a humorous bit of revenge on Cord's side. One team member had to put on a special suit with sensors that made them a character in a virtual reality world, and stand in an empty room. The partner sat at a computer where he directed his teammate step by step through a virtual world that only he could see. Dan and Jordan were mid-way through when the cowboys arrived. Cord, with his familiar grin, pretended to direct Jet, who wasn't even on the mat yet. He was saying things like, "Sashay to the left; do a ballet turn; sway and dance, then hop in a circle." This stressed out Dan on the adjoining computer and freaked out Jet a little too, since he thought he'd really have to do these things. But in the end, Jordan and Dan completed the task first.

Brent and Caite, meanwhile, had horrible luck with cabs. Caite got very frustrated and was incredibly rude to the cabbie. The cabbie was getting flustered. Ironically, even though they were in San Francisco, the cabbie barely spoke English. They performed their tasks well but were just too far behind to catch up.

In the end Dan and Jordan ran through the football helmet at Candlestick Park to the finish line. They didn't get a penalty for sitting in first class; probably because they didn't actually buy first class tickets. Everyone from the season 16 race cheered them on, and they talked to Phil about being there for each other and making Jordan's dream come true. Soon the cowboys came, second, and gracious as always, with no recriminations whatsoever to Dan and Jordan. Jet and Cord said money wasn't the only thing in life; they had seen the world and won trips with their best friend.

Finally Brent and Caite came running out and everyone clapped except Carol. Brandy clapped desultorily. Caite said she'd proved that she wasn't stupid and said that she was proud of herself. Phil said something about her being the only woman in the final three, but mentioned that two other women were disgruntled at the U-turn. Caite looked toward Carol and Brandy and said, "I'm-" but Carol interrupted angrily, with "I don't want to hear sorry!" Caite stopped, surprised, and Carol went on a tirade about how stupid they played and how they shouldn't have U- turned she and Brandy, that instead they should have U-turned one of the strong teams like the cowboys. Carol said Caite would just have to deal with it and Caite shot back, "Well obviously I'm dealing with it; after all, I'm up here and you aren't." That shut the classless Carol up and the festivities continued, while everyone looked at each other with surprise at Carol's actions. Since the U-turn is a legitimate part of the race, and since everyone assumes that Carol would have U-turned Caite in a New York minute if she had the chance, this sounded like sour grapes and bad sportsmanship.

The Amazing Race, Season 16, was exciting and entertaining from start to finish, and I can't wait for Season 17!

Resources: personal experience