The Amazing Race 14 Bangkok, Thailand

Possessions are the big issue in this episode. After the Roadblock, a couple of teams leave their bags in waiting taxicabs. This turns out to be pivotal.
Starting out, the five remaining teams board the same flight to Bangkok, Thailand. Once there, teams taxi to a boatyard on the outskirts of town and search the grounds for their clue.
Kisha and Jen's cab goes the opposite way from Margie and Luke's. Kisha assumes that Margie told one cab driver to tell the other driver wrong directions. Jen says, "as the race goes on, the teams become a little paranoid. It's fun to watch."
Margie and Luke are the first team to reach the clue box.
Cara continues to show the ugly side of her personality, but not as dramatically as in the last leg.
"The language barrier really aggravates and frustrates me and I become a lunatic and there is nothing I can do about it." The self-admitted Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde has a real personality disorder.

Roadblock

One team member must figure out how to attach an unwieldy rod to a propeller on a longtail boat.
Margie called the Roadblock "easy" and she finishes quickly to prove it. Jaime and Cara reach the Roadblock second. After attaching the rod with only a little more difficulty than Margie, they remember to return to the cab for their bags.
Default winners of the last leg, Victor/Tammy, arrive at the boatyard at the same time as Mike/Mark. Victor sweats over the task that Margie made look easy. Tammy yells encouragement in a monotone voice, "great job, Victor, great job." She must be very tired to phone it in like that.
After the propeller is attached, teams must navigate their boats through the Bangkok canals and search through the maze of routes on their map to find a certain peninsula and their next clue.
Riding in the boat, Tammy and Victor wave buoyantly to unresponsive orange-clad monks. Victor remarks how glad he is they brought their packs.
Kisha and Jen take off in their boat, leaving their fanny pack with their passports at the boatyard. They also leave their backpacks in their waiting cab. Initially, Kisha wants to go back to get their things and Jen tells her they didn't have to, not thinking of the fanny pack. The close-up on Kisha's face is heartbreaking. This might be it for them.
When Mike and Mark see that Jaime/Cara have their backpacks, they worry. But they don't decide to retrieve their bags until after they finish their boat ride. The decision is not unanimous. Mark is arguing with Mike about their bags while they jog down the street.
"Do we need our bags to do the task?" one shouts at his brother. They agree to pay 200 in Thai money for a cab to take them to the previous cab, They argue all they way; one says we just can't abandon our bags. The other one says we should do the task, then worry about the bags. M & M pay 400 to the first cab for a total payout of 600. I don't know how much money that is in dollars, but it feels expensive.

Detour: Broken Teeth or Broken Record

In Broken Teeth, teams make their way to an area that locals call "The Street of Happy Smiles." Once there, teams must search through fifty sets of dentures to fit five of the waiting patients. Kind of a disgusting challenge, but easy.
In Broken Record, teams make their way to a parking lot and choose one of the waiting party taxis with an on-board Karaoke system. While riding a five-mile course with a group of party girls, teams sing along to a Thai pop video until they reach their destination. The potential pitfall is the snarling Bangkok traffic.
Margie and Luke tackle the denture task. Singing would not be a good choice for hearing-impaired Luke. Fitting dentures looks a little gross, but at least Margie and Luke have gloves and masks. Margie says her nursing background made it not squeamish for her. The fitted patients all give the camera a beautiful, white smile.
Victor/Tammy, again have the most fun of all the teams, choose Karaoke. Their Chinese heritage makes it an obvious choice, says one. "Mommy would be proud," says Tammy.
Teams wonder if the party girls are transvestites. Seeing them in close-up, I think they are right.
Kisha/Jen make the opposite decision from Mike/Mark. They forge ahead without their things, assuming they can pick them up at the end of the leg. Without any money, Kisha and Jen ask for a free ride to the Pit Stop and they find a willing driver on the first try. Cab drivers seem to be pretty agreeable in Bangkok.
Mike and Mark must bargain for the balance of their cab ride to the Karaoke task. In the party van, they sing mightily and talk about the pretty girls. That the girls might be boys does not occur to them.
"Hopefully, someone stumbled worse then we did," said Mike. They barter their possessions twice with accommodating drivers for partial taxi fare.

Phya Thai Palace

Teams must race through the city to their Pit Stop, the Phya Thai Palace. Margie and Luke run a flawless race and end the leg with an easy first place. They win a trip to Puerto Rico.
Jaime/Cara end the leg as team number two. Kisha/Jen and Victor/Tammy foot race to the mat for third place. The athletic sisters beat them.
But Phil sends Kisha/Jen back for their things, saying he can't check them in without their travel documents. They should have figured as much.
Tammy and Victor encourage them Kisha and Jen to go back quickly. For the second week in a row, Victor and Tammy place higher than their actual finish because of another team's mistakes. Kisha is resigned to her potential fate.
Mike and Mark beat Kisha/Jen back to the mat. But Phil imposes four hour of penalties on the stuntmen. Since when are teams not allowed to barter their personal possessions? Four hours of penalties seems harsh.
Kisha and Jen return, not noticing the stuntmen sitting a few yards away. Jen cries on the mat when she is told they are fourth.
Phil waves the stuntmen in, only an hour into their penalty. He informs them that it is an non-elimination round. Phil looks pissed as Mark explains why they did what they did.
Doesn't seem fair that they have to add three hours of their remaining penalty to their departure time. It may be impossible for them to escape elimination next week.