The Amazing Race 17, Episode 1 Saw Jill & Thomas Get "The Express Pass"; Ron & Tony Eliminated

The Amazing Race 17, Episode 1 aired on CBS Sunday night, seeing Jill & Thomas get "The Express Pass", a much coveted prize, with Ron & Tony eliminated. 11 teams from all over competed to accomplish some very unique and difficult tasks for the million dollars. The contest began in Gloucester, Massachusetts. The Amazing Race 17, Episode 1, like previous races, has its share of shallow and immature brats, especially the shallow football jock Chad, who constantly bitched at his bellywarmer Stephanie. The sooner this team is eliminated, the better it'll be for the sake of viewers.

The Amazing Race 17, Episode 1 Sees the English Countryside Play Host to the First Pit Stop

The eleven teams were made up of the following: Andie & Jenna (mother/biological daughter); Brook & Claire (Home Shopping Network co-hosts); Chad & Stephanie ("entitled" football jock and his arm candy); Connor & Jonathan (two singing best friends); Gary & Mallory (father with a Kentucky beauty queen daughter); Jill & Thomas (couple); Katie & Rachel (beach volleyball partners); Michael & Kevin (father/son); Nat & Kat (best friends and doctors); Nick & Vicki (walking tattoo advertisement couple); Ron & Tony (best friends for decades).

The Amazing Race 17 teams gathered on the Atlantic Ocean coastline and were told immediately about a game changer on Episode 1. The first race's winning team gets "The Express Pass", which can be used to forego any task the team wants anytime hence. The teams had to race to Logan Airport en route to London, England and Stonehenge after getting their clues. They raced in Smart Cars to be one of three teams to be on the first flight out. Ron & Tony, Jill & Thomas, Chad & Stephanie made the first flight out on American Airlines. The rest of the teams had to fly out on Virgin Atlantic. Connor & Jonathan were the last to get to the airport.

Chad & Stephanie had trouble getting out of London Heathrow Airport because of the latter's driving, making the spoiled football player jock Chad (who fits that stereotype perfectly) yell at her. The mother-daughter team Andie and Jenna had car trouble on the highway, but managed to get the car going on Episode 1 of The Amazing Race 17. Nat (who has Type 1 diabetes) & Kat played it steady and got to Stonehenge first, and got the next clue to go to Eastnor Castle at about the same time as Jill & Thomas. The rest of the teams eventually got there and were on their way to the next venue. Gary & Mallory had to change a tire. Ron & Tony struggled to even find Stonehenge, never recovering, and were eliminated.

The Amazing Race 17, Episode 1 Saw Jill & Thomas Get "The Express Pass"

At Eastnor Castle, the teams had to climb a wall and had water thrown on them as they climbed by play-actors of "generations past." Brooke & Claire scaled the wall first and ran with a flag. They got in a tortoise shell-like mini boat, but the teams all had trouble initially navigating across the waterway with a rope, figuring out how not to sink. The duo of the childish jock Chad & his bellywarmer Stephanie fought as they struggled to get across on 12-plus attempts.

Jill & Thomas got across first and had to shoot and knock over a suit of armor with watermelons using a large slingshot-like apparatus. This was the hardest part of the first leg of The Amazing Race 17, Episode 1. The team of Brook & Claire saw an injury to Claire, getting whacked with a watermelon in the face, but Claire hit the armor finally.

Jill & Thomas got the next clue from the jester, and found the meadow where the Pit Stop was. Finishing first, they won the "The Express Pass" for use anytime during The Amazing Race 17. The runner up team was Nat & Kat. The next finishers were Connor & Jonathan; Brook & Claire; Katie & Rachel. The next teams took even longer to finish, but in order, were Gary & Mallory; Michael & Kevin; Chad & Stephanie; Andie & Jenna; Nick & Vicki; and Ron & Tony, who were good sports about it all.

Sources:

"Episode 1", The Amazing Race 17, September 26, 2010, CBS