Amazing Race update: Four teams, four continents, one winner

Season finale tonight and all teams started out from Shanghai, China by train to Xi’an, China, home of the Terra Cotta Warriors. It’s a 17-hour train ride so all the teams are bunched up again, including the cash-poor Adam & Rebecca who managed to beg more than enough money from tourists at the Peace Hotel. At Xi’an, the teams visit the Drum Temple and the first Detour: Spray or Scroll. Teams must either go to a nearby automobile factory and spray-paint a car body or head to a textile factory and search through bolts of cloth for the next clue. All teams choose Spray and arrive in order of most aggressive taxi driver. Adam & Rebecca, who were in last place with no money, finish this task first and head to the next clue at the Terra Cotta Warrior exhibit. There, in a rare moment of lucidity, Adam tells Rebecca that they should move far away from the clue box before they open the envelope to throw off the other teams. This tactic is wildly successful as the Kris & Jon waste valuable time searching for the clue box. Eventually K&J find the next clue, followed by Freddy & Kendra, and finally by Hayden & Aaron who (dumb luck again) ended up with a boneheaded cab driver who takes them miles away from their destination.

The next clue tells teams to head to Huan (sp?) Mountain and once again Hayden & Aaron have trouble with their cab – they’re just not having a good day. Meanwhile A&R and K&J are racing around the mountain looking for the next clue. Roadblock: one team member must take the key provided and search among thousands of padlocks on the top of the mountain (left by married couples as a sign of fidelity) to find the right lock. A&R, K&J and later F&K are all searching together while H&A are still trying to find the shuttle up the mountain. All the women take on the Roadblock and as soon as Kris started on the padlocks, I turned to the wife and said: “Kris will find it first.” Why? She (and Jon) are machines on challenges. Sure enough, Kris finds the right padlock and heads down the mountain. It’s off to the Pit Stop at the South Wall of Xi’an where K& J arrive as Team #1.

Meanwhile, Hayden & Aaron finally arrive but Hayden is flustered from the taxi run-around. She is stabbing away at padlocks along with Kendra and Rebecca and (whoops!) breaks off her key in one of the padlocks. The directions instruct them to go to the North Peak Hotel for a replacement key but you can already sense that H&A are cooked. Kendra finds her key and although Hayden returns with the replacement key she can’t catch up with Rebecca who has a long enough lead to find her lock. Hayden & Aaron give up and accept a four-hour penalty just to get off the mountain, even though they know it spells defeat. H&A and A&R both arrive at the Pit Stop together but Phil asks H&A to step aside so that he can name Aaron & Rebecca as team #3. Hayden & Aaron are philosophical but Aaron has one final task to perform. He gets down on one knee and proposes to Hayden, who tearfully accepts. Aaron, who was a bit of a jerk to Hayden during portions of the race (remember: “I’m good at moving asses”) tears up a little bit. They kiss. It’s great.

Halftime:
1 – Team Mellow – Kris & Jon
2 – Team Models – Freddy & Kendra
3 – Team Androgynous – Adam & Rebecca
4 – Team Actors – Hayden & Aaron (eliminated but engaged)

The final three are set. Now the race for a million dollars.

Teams start out from Xi’an and must head to Honolulu, Hawaii. Because of Chinese travel restrictions, teams must wait until a travel agent opens up in the morning, so K&J and F&K are close, while A&R are a couple hours behind. In Honolulu, the teams drive marked cars to a state park and pick the next clue. It’s a Detour: Outfits or Outriggers. Teams must either find matching Hawaiian outfits at a warehouse or paddle an outrigger canoe 2 miles down river. F&K and (later) A&R take the outrigger while K&J look among thousands of Hawaiian shirts for a matching pair. I thought this was a poor choice, but Kris & Jon found their outfits and finish up in first place. They head to a local airport slightly ahead of Freddy & Kendra.

Roadblock: One member of each team must skydive and all the men take on this final task. Jon and Freddy go up in the same plane although Jon jumps first and splashes down onto a sandbar where Kris is waiting. They take the clue: head to Chicago. Freddy is close behind and Adam follows up about an hour later; surprisingly, Adam doesn't cry out for his mother during this task.

At the airport, Kris & Jon ask for the quickest flight to Chicago but the American Airline agent says it’s a 9:45am flight on (surprise!) American Airlines. Freddy & Kendra find a faster flight on United so they end up arriving in Chicago somewhat quicker. Adam & Rebecca are about an hour-and-a-half behind and it becomes apparent at this point that they’re vying for third place while F&K and K&J are in the race for first.

Back in Chicago, Team Models and Team Mellow are on each other’s heels. First they must head to a Water Tower for the next clue, which tells them to head to Gino’s Pizza. It’s only 8am in the morning, but the teams must each a small deep-dish pizza before receiving the next clue. The pizzeria is open! Freddy & Kendra arrive first and stuff their faces with pizza. As they run out to catch a cab, Kris & Jon are literally arriving around the corner (but F&K don’t take their cab!). The clue tells them to go to Ping Tom Park in Chicago but their cabbie has no idea where it is. Neither does his dispatcher. Oh boy. Meanwhile, the cameras show Kris & Jon finishing and then finding a taxi driver who immediately knows where Ping Tom Park is. Serendipity, or creative editing? It’s a race to Pom Pom Park! (Oh yeah, Adam and Rebecca’s flight is landing just about now). It’s a race to the end. Who will it be? It’s……

Freddy and Kendra! They run to the finish line past the other teams and Phil announces they’re the winners of Amazing Race 6. Hooray! Kris and Jon arrive moments later, and they hug F&K, Phil, and each other. Adam & Rebecca arrive sometime later and we’re forced to endure Rebecca mouthing some vague platitudes like “Adam will always have a place in my heart.” Kris & Jon hint that they’re going to spend some more time together then Freddy and Kendra talk about how the Race has brought them closer. And that’s a wrap.

Final three
1 – Team Models – Freddy & Kendra – Winners of Amazing Race 6
2 – Team Mellow – Kris & Jon – Loved by America
3 – Team Androgynous – Adam & Rebecca – Whatever

Epilogue: Freddy & Kendra were not my favorite team, especially after Kendra’s “ghetto Africa” comments, but they won the same way Chip and Kim won Amazing Race 5, by getting the fastest flight to the final destination city. (Frankly, any team was preferable to Jonathan & Victoria - now let’s never mention them again.) No matter what, the perpetually upbeat Kris & Jon will be America’s sweethearts and always beloved by TAR fans. Now get ready for The Amazing Race 7, starting in only three weeks. Sweet!