The Amazing Race 13 Insider, Episode 9: March of the Dandrew

Sometimes there are just no words. Luckily for us, all the teams left have plenty of words to describe Dan & Andrew. Are Toni & Dallas worried about Dandrew being the dark horse in this Race? And what is Nick (right) going to pick up with some of his million dollar winnings? Read on to find out!

Happy Thanksgiving to you all – hopefully this article finds you well-fed and enjoying your holiday. As for me, I continue to re-watch Dan’s marching attempt over and over and over. CBS even provided that as one of the video clips on their site, so if you head to the CBS website to watch any of these Insider videos, do yourself a favor and watch Dan show his non-artistic side.

At The Pit Stop

The Ultimate Underdogs: In this video, ridiculously lucky Andrew & Dan are getting chastised by Phil for looking so dirty. Pulling no punches, Phil then compares Dan & Andrew to contestants on American Idol who think they can sing but can’t. He is incredulous at how bad their marching was, and I guess the cameramen must have sent over early footage to Phil. Dan doesn’t think it was that bad, but Phil reassures him it was that bad. Even more funny is that Andrew starts recreating it for Dan while Dan sheepishly hangs his head down.

Dan explains that, at this point in the race, he doesn’t want to just win The Amazing Race. Both he and Andrew want to come from behind and blow the others away. Phil is aghast. Now Phil is getting witty and calls them Dandrew, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, Neanderthal and Neuron Man (?). He just can’t believe they think they have a shot at winning. They ask for one reason they won’t be the winners, and Phil concedes that point. It is an unpredictable race.

The conversation turns to how lucky they know they are with being young and getting to travel all over the world. Phil points out their shoes, and Andrew explains why he has Birkenstock-ish shoes (his big feet) and not the shoes that Dan has. Dan believes that finding the Almaty airport shoe store was a good sign, yet Phil asks if it also meant they had to spend all their money.

Are Dan & Andrew surprised they are still in the race? They are and they aren’t. They aren’t thrilled with their performance, but Dan & Andrew have run a successfully unorthodox race. Ohhhhkay. Phil admits he’s been hard on them, and asks what they’ll say to him if they win the race. Dan reminds Phil he predicted their elimination four legs ago and they’re still here, so there!

Nick & Starr’s Rough Day: Phil can tell that it means a lot to Starr that they weren’t eliminated this leg. She admits it’s just been a tough day. Phil wonders why it means so much to her. Starr tells Phil that it’s a chance to race with her brother and to race for their family. Nick admits that today was hard because they’re both so competitive. They don’t like to lose. So, after doing so well for so long, Nick couldn’t believe that it all went so wrong today. Starr confesses she had quite a few breakdown moments today as well. Phil wonders if there were any tears from Starr and both Nick & Starr admit it was pretty close to happening.

Starr next discusses how the race can really take your emotions on a ride, as things can turn on a dime. Starr is very proud of Nick keeping his cool while she had her moments. Nick admits that Starr’s freakouts in the cabs are rough spots, but half of the time she has every justification to be panicking. There was a point earlier in the leg where Starr panicked that the cab needed to turn around and Nick didn’t believe her. Starr was right. So he’s learning to not completely discount her emotions.

Phil asks if they’ve spent the last 30 minutes wandering around the park looking for the Pit Stop. It seems they found some kids to give them some help, but even that help wasn’t that useful. Phil reminds Nick & Starr they’re team number three and then one of the Russian greeters walks over and serves them some local bread. They feast on the bread and Nick rips off what Phil states is the biggest chunk yet. Nick admits to have gotten goofy near the end of the leg and needs the energy.

Ken & Tina Break Bread: Phil asks Ken & Tina if there’s a time in the race for smooching. Not too much time, they say, and it’s mostly recuperation and sleep time when there’s a spare moment. Ken says they’re no longer in their 30s, and barely in their 40s. Tina quickly interjects that he needs to speak only for himself!

Phil wonders what Ken & Tina think of Moscow. Tina finds it’s a lot bigger than she expected, and Ken thinks it’s just a very hard place to communicate in. After this discussion, Phil then has the Russian greeter serve Ken & Tina some local bread. He tells them to dig in, but Tina is a little hesitant as it’s a very beautiful bread formation. They rip off a small piece and share it while Phil reminds them they’re now team number two.

Both Ken & Tina are thrilled with their position in the race now, and remind Phil they told him they’d make a comeback. Ken is also very happy with how well he and Tina are doing personally. She’s only tried to kill him once!

Finally In First: Toni is very proud of Dallas’ performance in the leg today. He busted his butt. They remind Phil that they told him they were going to win this leg, and everyone has a good laugh. Phil admits that Toni & Dallas have thrown down a gauntlet to the other teams that they are here to win it all. He respects that and asks if it was an intentional effort. They both agree that it was, and that they put their minds to it on the flight to Moscow.

Phil asks what they thought of getting around Moscow during the leg. Toni & Dallas high-five each other because they got Alexander, who is apparently “the man.” Phil comments that The Amazing Race frequently comes down to your cab driver. If they win it all, will they try to track Alexander down and give him a good tip? A quick “No” is the response.

Phil wonders what Toni & Dallas’ family must be thinking at home when watching them. Dallas knows that the family will be thinking, “it’s about damn time they got number one!” Toni also thinks that family won’t recognize them, as they’re not fighting nearly as much as everyone expects.

After The Race:

Her Own Worst Critic: Starr confesses that she is very hard on herself as she has high expectations. Starr realizes she didn’t handle the tough situations the way she should have during this leg. She would like to have Nick’s calmness, but she just doesn’t as she wants to get there now and get there first.

Nick tells us that Starr will unconsciously leave it up to him to take control of the situation sometimes. He doesn’t fight that though, and recognizes that is exactly what he is there for in their team. He’s there to pick up her slack while she is there to do the same for him. A leg like today is challenging, but Nick has no problem being a rock for Starr. Basically, what goes around comes around, and Starr will be there for him tomorrow. In regular life, they’ve never had that opportunity to be there for each other, so this is incredible. Nick can’t fault Starr for her stressing-out in one crazy leg.

Toni’s Bonding Time: Toni thinks the beauty of the race is that she gets to bond with others. With Ken & Tina, Toni can bond over being near the same age and feeling the same aches. Additionally, she can bond with the others as she can be a mom to them. Toni misses playing that role as Dallas is definitely past the age where he needs his mommy.

At the end of every leg of the race, Toni gives Ken & Tina a kiss on the cheek. She is happy for them when they do well, and she thinks it’s vice versa too. Toni is gratified to see that even while she is struggling during the race, so are Ken & Tina. Yet while they’re struggling, they’re still doing very well against twenty-somethings. So, there’s a bond there. Toni is pretty sure that she’ll stay in touch after the race with Ken & Tina, and would love to meet their kids.

A Long Way To Go: Dan is thrilled to be so close to the million dollars. It would be a waste to throw in the towel now, so they’re not even considering it. The next leg will be hard, but they have to find the energy to get into the final three no matter what. Andrew is certain it’s a possibility they can make it, and they can do it by at least making sure they keep up with the others. After that, it is all about catching a break and getting some luck in Detours.

Today was another typical day in The Amazing Race for Andrew & Dan. According to Dan, the other teams just need to mess up. But he knows that the other teams don’t mess up, which is a problem because Dan & Andrew always mess up (their words, not mine!!). Andrew recognizes that there is a mile-wide gap between him and Dan and the other teams in terms of racing skill and talent. Dan knows nothing is over until it’s over, but Andrew is going to believe in miracles and luck. He laughs, knowing that that’s quite a thing to be depending on.

The Worst Team Ever: Ken & Tina are talking in this clip and… do I sense a Dan & Andrew bashing coming on? Ken recalls when Dan & Andrew showed up at the airport wearing their goulashes… and Tina starts snickering, as that is definitely not the right word. Ken corrects himself and says galoshes. Back to Dan & Andrew, Ken is amused what a bumbling team they are, yet how sweet the two are. Tina agrees with that sentiment. Dan & Andrew have been telling others that they must be the worst team to have ever made the top four or five, yet Ken points out they keep going forward in spite of themselves.

Tina laughs because she hopes that Dan & Andrew get eliminated or else Phil’s joke at the Pit Stop that Dan & Andrew could still win would make all the others look like fools. Both Ken & Tina think it’s possible that Dan & Andrew are having to walk around Moscow because of the 200 dollars they spent at the shoe store. That much expense may have screwed them over with the expensive cabs.

Extra Scenes

A Long, But Good Day: While in a Moscow cab, Ken reflects that it has been a long leg so far, but that is mainly attributed to having spent a long time at the airport. With the waiting, all the adrenaline dissipates. Yet the worst part was the uncertainty of whether the cab driver knew where he was going on the approach to the first checkpoint. It was a long way from the airport to the first checkpoint in Moscow.

Ken remembers that the first three days on the race weren’t so good for them, but every day has gotten better. Tina remembers things being great when they were number one! Undeterred, Ken still thinks things have been getting better. Tina agrees, but knows they still have things to work on. But they’re both smiling, and both are positive about the rest of the race. Tina does plan to stop helping other teams from here on out. Sometimes they accidentally help because they feel sorry for other teams.

Split Decision: In this clip, Tina is wandering outside a closed airport bookstore, while Ken is telling us that Tina is exhausting every option. He is frustrated because he’s not feeling great, and just wants to rest like all the other teams are. Ken is certain there’s not much point to her relentless airport research, especially tonight, since all avenues have been explored already. Ken recognizes you have to balance your down time wisely, and not spin your wheels needlessly.

Cut to later in the airport, and Ken is laid out on some airport seats trying to sleep, while Tina is sitting up at a café table stirring coffee.

Nick & Starr Are Impressed: In a cab headed away from the Bags of Flour Roadblock, Nick is concerned that Dan & Andrew may have problems with it while wearing their new shoes. It could be slippery. Nick hopes he isn’t an idiot for having moved the bags one at a time. Starr discusses that Dan & Andrew have had good luck while other teams made bad mistakes or had bad luck. The result is that Dan & Andrew have slid into their current position. They’re fun people, but both recognize that Dandrew are stepping it up, or at least are trying to do so. Nick laughs to himself, and can’t understand what the problem was with Dandrew at the marching challenge. We’re all trying to figure that out, Nick.

Last On Their List: On the cab ride to the Kazakhstan airport, Nick is bragging that they’re heading to Moscow in first place. Neither can believe they’re heading into the final stretch. Nick laughs out loud as he recalls that both he and Starr put on their application that the country they’d least like to visit was Russia. She corrects him in that she put India on her application. Both admit to having enjoyed their experience in India, though – although they didn’t like the dust there. Nick explains that the motivation for putting Russia so low on his list was he has a very stereotypical view of Russia as a cold, angry place. Starr recognizes that stereotypes clouded their vision of Kazakhstan as well, and those were proven very wrong. Nick freely admits his stereotypes are based on nothing, and Starr encourages him to go in unbiased.

Some Friendly Competition: While killing time in the airport, Nick asks Toni & Dallas if they plan on coming in first this leg. Toni humorously states she’s going to slap Nick for asking her that. Dallas claims they already would have been first if they hadn’t helped Nick & Starr so much in the last two legs. Toni wants to win in order to take the million from them, as they seem to think they have it in the bag already. Nick points out if they win this leg they’ll have won over half the legs in the race. As this good-natured ribbing continues, the camera pans down to Dallas’ hand on Starr’s leg. Smooth operator.

Dallas admits that every time Nick & Starr win a leg, he gets so upset. This last victory of theirs wasn’t so annoying because that time Terence & Sarah were at least eliminated. All four of them agree that was a great thing. Nick was stoked to have had the Fast Forward that leg, but Toni tells him he’s going to be jealous when he sees them in the cow outfit. He retorts that part of the million dollars will go towards buying a cow suit. Dallas wonders how Nick thinks he can spend Dallas’ million dollars like that…

Dan, the Anchor: On the way to the airport, Dallas comments that Dan is the spokesman for his team, but is also the one who seems to hold them back. Dallas figures if Dan & Andrew can’t get their act together they’re going to be screwed. They’ve been able to make it so far because other racers have helped them. Toni thinks that Dandrew will have a rough leg, especially because of the shoe situation. Dallas gives them props because, while Dandrew may not win this leg, they’ll look funny as hell doing it.

Dan & Andrew’s personality differences seem to help them, as well as their willingness not to follow the pack. Dallas notes that the main problem Dandrew have is they just can’t figure things out or read clues correctly. Dallas points out that Andrew has done five Roadblocks already, and Dan needs to step it up. Dallas doesn’t hold out hope for them. Toni isn’t convinced that Dan’s tourism industry skills are an asset right now, especially as they’re in last place. Dan needs to just do more. Dallas isn’t worried either way, and is certain that it’ll be a good laugh regardless.

I’ve Got Rhythm: While Dan is schlepping the bags of flour, Andrew explains that Dan has told him that he wasn’t able to march because he is a white, Jewish kid, and as such, he doesn’t have rhythm. But Andrew is also a white Jewish kid and has rhythm, so Dan’s theory is immediately proven wrong. Andrew admits that perhaps his six years in the marching band helped him out, as he has great rhythm and timing from all that experience. What’s funny to Andrew is that Dan just can’t admit when he’s wrong or incapable of doing something.

Frat Boys In Moscow: Dan compares Moscow to Prague in that it has very similar-looking buildings with a similar European style. Andrew can’t easily compare it to an American city, although the closest would be NYC. The Moscow suburbs are so crowded, and nothing like the suburbs he’s from. Dan thinks it’s pretty clear that Moscow has come a long way from the way it was during the Cold War. Andrew is relieved they’re here during the summer months, and not during the brutal winter.

Elimination Station:

Still Hanging On: Aja & Ty are relaxing in their room, but Aja is on the couch while Ty is sitting in a chair away from her. Aja wonders if Ty is still mad at her. She threatens to come sit on him if he won’t come over and sit with her on the couch. She gets up and comes over to him, but he holds her off and asks her to go back to the couch. In a later interview, Ty confesses that this time at Acapulco has been the most they’ve spent alone like that. They’ve been able to see a whole lot more of each other’s personalities. Aja translates that as meaning Ty thinks she’s a brat. He agrees, and says that while Acapulco is great, they are ready to go back to their lives.

Marisa & Brooke are cooking toast for breakfast… or are they? Marisa realizes that the toaster oven has been unplugged, so nothing has been getting toasted. D’oh!

Anthony is outside with Anita & Arthur, and confesses he’s going stir-crazy. Time drags on so slowly at Elimination Station, while on the race it flies by. Everyone is just hanging out, whether it’s playing little sports games or lounging at the pool. Marisa can’t believe that she hasn’t spoken to her parents in nearly a month, which has been difficult.

It is now evening, and the entire group sits down at a very decorated dinner table where the napkins have been folded into what looks like button-down shirts. The discussion turns yet again to who they’d like to see win. Some are hoping for Toni & Dallas, while others hope for Ken & Tina.

Bill says that he’d like to see Ken & Tina win it all. But he points out that people are ready to go home now, and want to see their friends and family again. There’s mixed emotions as everyone has had good times at Elimination Station, but people are ready for it to be over so they can return to regular life.