Amazing Race update - Tattoo you, Leonardo

There's only five teams left in a relentless series of eliminations and everybody is heading to Split, Croatia on the way to a ferry heading to Italy. Once across the Adriatic, teams must drive 200 miles to Empoli, Italy and find a certain vineyard. The teams are given a Blackberry for incoming emails but they're told they cannot use the device for any additional information (foreshadowing?). TK & Rachel leave their clue on a table at a cafe while asking for directions and start blaming each other for losing it. They turn around and head back to find it, which is not good for them. Eventually they find the clue and head off to Empoli.

Back on the road, everybody's Blackberrys spring to life with email from friends and family. Teams are night-driving in a strange country, trying to figure out the best route to the next clue. Nathan & Jennifer arrive at the vineyard first but it doesn't open until 7am the next morning, so what difference does it make? Hard to believe, but TK & Rachel arrive second since they managed to drive around a (genuine) roadblock that closed the road for the other teams.

At the clue, it's either a Roadblock or a Fast Forward. For the Roadblock, one team member must take a 30-minute ultraflight ride to find the name of their next destination down on the ground. In the Fast Forward, one team must head off to "Fabio Studios" where - only once they're there - do they discover it's a tattoo parlor and both team members must get a small tattoo. Both Team Generic Couple and Team Birkenstock decline to take the Fast Forward for the ultraflight ride. Arriving fourth at this stop, Nicolas & Donald decide to try the Fast Forward and jump ahead. Maybe.

Back at the Roadblock, Nathan finds the letters "Vinci" on a wheatfield and tells his pilot to return; teams must now head to the birthplace of Leonardo Da Vinci. Kynt & Vyxsin haven't even arrived at the Roadblock yet, so they're bringing up the rear. But TK seems unable to find the huge letters "Vinci" down below after multiple flights.

Speaking of Vinci, Nathan & Jennifer find their way to the birthplace of Leonardo to find the Detour: Invention or Tradition. Teams may either lift up a stone with an elaborate crane or learn a flag routine. Meanwhile, Nicolas & Donald grab their first #1 finish (maybe their first next-to-last finish) by getting tattoos and heading to Boboli Gardens and the Pit Stop. Nathan & Jennifer, then Ronald & Christina choose "tradition" and learn the flag routine; Kynt & Vyxsin take one look at the "invention" and also head over to the flags. But their car is busted and they abandon it to run to the Detour. Meanwhile, TK & Rachel finish the crane and head off to the Pit Stop. But wait! They're also having car trouble as they blow a tire on the way to the Pit Stop.

While they're completing the Detour, Kynt & Vyxsin are provided with a replacement car according to the rules of the Race. But the time spent heading back and forth is more time than it takes for TK to change a flat tire, so Team Sexual Confusion arrives in last place. However, this is the first of only two non-elimination legs so they're spared the early trip home. But there's a brand-new twist for the NEL. In the past, teams had their money confiscated, or their backpacks, or were required to finish in first place on the next leg. Now Phil informs us that Kynt & Vyxsin will face the first "Speed Bump" - an undefined extra task that may appear at any time along the remainder of the Race. That's going to be good.

Final standings:

1 - Nicolas & Donald - Team Rude Boy and Gramps
2 - Nathan & Jennifer - Team Generic Couple
3 - Ronald & Christina - Team Miyagi and Grasshopper
4 - TK & Rachel - Team Birkenstock
5 - Kynt & Vyxsin - Team Sexual Confusion - NON-ELIMINATION LEG

Next week - Looks like India, maybe. Ronald is a jerk.