Ernie and Cindy got the Express Pass for arriving first at the pit stop in Taipei, Taiwan, while Kaylani and Lisa got a Hazard penalty in the first episode which had no elimination.
- Sep 26, 2011
AceShowbiz - "The Amazing Race" kicked off its 19th cycle on Sunday, September 25. From Los Angeles, eleven teams would depart for Taipei, Taiwan, but they first must solve a word puzzle that spelled their destination.
Andy and Tommy solved the puzzle first, so they could go to the airport with a car. They and seven other teams were on board China air earlier, while the rest of the teams took another flight that departed 20 minutes later.
Early on the race, Kaylani and Lisa had already got trouble after Kaylani dropped her passport at a gas station where they asked for directions. They returned to the gas station but did not find what they were looking for.
They headed off to the airport and became the last team finishing the first task, so they got a Hazard penalty that they would incur later in this leg. Luckily, someone found Kaylani's passport and brought it to the airport.
In Taipei, the teams must find a billboard that gave them a clue to their next destination. Most of them passed the billboard without noticing that the clue was on it until Amani and Marcus figured it out first. The clue led them to Taipei Confucius Temple.
At the temple, they had to listen to a Confucius proverb on a phone and repeat it to a monk to get their next clue. Jennifer and Justin got the clue first and headed to Riverside Park to ride a dragon boat, but it was Ernie and Cindy who finished riding the dragon boat the fastest and headed to the pit stop.
Ernie and Cindy arrived at the pit stop first and got an Express Pass that would benefit them in the next task. Meanwhile, Kaylani and Lisa had a little detour after finishing with the monk as the Hazzard Penalty they got and were placed ninth at the pit stop. Cathi and Bill were the last team to arrive, but they would still continue the adventure because there was no elimination in this first leg.
In the next episode, the eleven teams will head to Indonesia. The second leg will also feature a double elimination race.
