The Amazing Race 21 Episode 8: Russian Cab Drivers Rule!

I love Russian cab drivers and I loved this episode of The Amazing Race. These Moscow cabbies should have their own show. Trey and Lexie's guy was such a character: clashing pink shirt and checked tie and jacket, cigarette dangling from his mouth. And then the Chippendales' driver was a hoot, too, leisurely getting coffee and pastry--and a cigarette, of course--as James and Jaymes were pushing him, "We're in a race, let's go!" The Sri Lankans' driver was sort of cute too, admonishing them that he knew where they were going as the loud girls panicked behind him.

In addition to the most memorable Amazing Race cabbies ever, there was a lot of drama and action and heart in this week's episode. The Fabulous Beekman Boys have more lives than a roomful of cats. Last weeks they joined with Team World Domination as they were trailed several hours behind the other four teams because of a delayed flight. The boys were unable to complete the synchronized swimming task and had to take a four-hour penalty. But they were saved because James and Abba lost their possessions and Abba's passport. In yet another twist, leg 7 was a non-elimination round and they had the whole leg to retrieve the passport. The Long-Haired Guys were also lucky that this episode continued in the same city so they wouldn't need the document to get out of the country.

So not only did we have the usual tension of roadblocks and detours, but there was the tension between the Beekmans and the Rockers. Could the latter could find the passport before the Beekmans' four hour penalty ended. Oh yeah and the Rockers had a Speed Bump as well.

We also witnessed the reversion of Team World Domination to their old arrogant ways (at least on Ryan's part). Last week Ryan and Abby were all lovey-dovey and singing Kumbaya with the Beekmans as they cheered them on at the pool and then Josh helped Abby finished the lock and key challenge. There were hugs and kisses and everything was winning the Nobel Peace Prize. Then Ryan returned to his alpha male jerk mold at the Time Zone challenge. He thought he had the whole thing nailed and even got up with his backpack after he turned in his test the first time. It was so good to see him get shot down by the overacting professor ("Wrong! The next round!") and have to take the test 20 more times. I think the professor saw his big opportunity to become a star on American TV and exaggerated his sternness ("Ah, Team Vorld Domination, I vill cruch you like ant!"), but I didn't love him as much as I did the cab drivers.

Several hours later, the Beekmans breezed through the time zones. Brent figured it out right away, making up for his lack of swimming ability the night before. Then they had fun at the costume cocktail party while everyone else was sweating their guts out at the military dance doing seated kicks and coffee grinders. They managed to survive to take fifth place and James and Abba were eliminated. We never did find out what their speed bump was, except it involved driving around in a limo with a Russian Orthodox priest.

The previews for next week show Team World Domination stuck on a delayed flight--AGAIN!--and a double U-turn. Here's a cool prediction. What if Abby and Ryan get stuck several hours behind everybody else, nobody U-turns the Beekmans because they aren't seen as a threat, and they wind up being in the final four.