Christie Volkmer and Jodi Wincheski get cut from 'The Amazing Race'

The "Flight Attendants" team of Christie Volkmer and Jodi Wincheski were revealed to be the fifth team eliminated from The Amazing Race 14 during last night's broadcast on CBS.


"I don't think it was ever really about the money. When it comes down to it the experience is priceless. You couldn't pay a million dollars and have the same experience," Jodi said following her elimination. "It's just this weird thing that has a huge effect on your life and changes it. [Christie and I are] better friends having gone through this together."

The Amazing Race 14's sixth episode began with the seven remaining teams departing from the famed Novosibirsk Theater in Novosibirsk, Russia, the site of the Race's fifth Pit Stop.

Following the mandatory rest period, "Mother and Son" team of Margie Adams, a 51-year-old clinical research associate from Denver, CO, and Luke Adams, a 23-year-old college graduate from Denver, CO, were the first team to depart at 12:18AM. As they left the Pit Stop, they received their first clue instructing them to fly nearly 2,000 miles to Jaipur, India. Once there, they would race via taxi to the outskirts of the Dhula village to the Sacred Tree, or the Peepli Ka Pedh, for their next clue.

They were followed by the teams of "Sibling Lawyers" Tammy Jih, a 26-year-old lawyer from San Francisco, CA, and Victor Jih, a 35-year-old lawyer from Los Angeles, CA, at 12:24 AM; "Former NFL Cheerleaders" Cara Rosenthal, a 26-year-old law student from Boca Raton, FL, and Jaime Edmondson, a 29-year-old former police officer from Ft. Lauderdale, FL, at 12:30 AM; "Father and Son" Mike White, a 28-year-old writer, producer and actor from Santa Monica, CA, and Mel White, a 68-year-old writer/clergyman from Lynchberg, VA, at 1:01 AM; "Brothers/Stuntmen" Mark Munoz, a 48-year-old stuntman/jockey from Los Angeles, CA, and Michael Munoz, a 51-year-old stuntman/actor from Maui, HI, at 1:02AM; and "Sisters" Jennifer Hoffman, a 24-year-old marketing assistant from Louisville, KY, and LaKisha Hoffman, a 28-year-old program coordinator from Bronx, NY, at 1:28AM.


Christie and Jodi were the last team to depart at 3:09AM. In addition to beginning the leg a sizable distance behind the other teams, they also were aware that, due to their last-place finish in the prior non-elimination leg, they would also have to complete an extra Speed Bump task during the upcoming leg.

However, Christie and Jodi caught an early break when all of the teams ended up together at the airport waiting for flights to Moscow. Once in Moscow, the teams ended up boarding connecting flights to New Dehli, before taking a third and final 5:40AM flight to Jaipur.

"It doesn't really make a difference [what flights we take] because we're all going to catch up for the Jaipur flight," Cara said. "We're all going to get on the same flight in the end anyways." 

Once in India, Tammy and Victor were the first team to secure a taxi and head off to the Sacred Tree. They were followed by Christie and Jodi, Mark and Michael, Kisha and Jen, and Margie and Luke. After getting a cabbie who did not know the directions to the Sacred Tree, Mel and Mike suffered an additional set back when the cabbie left the car locked without unlocking the trunk for them to get their bags out.

Once on the road, Christie and Jodi were also set back when their cabbie had to stop and get gas.


Tammy and Victor were the first team to arrive at the tree to receive their next clue, which was told to them over a phone and required the help of their cabbie for them to understand completely. The clue instructed them to travel to Guara Parvati Parking at Amber Fort.

All of the other teams, except for Christie and Jodi, arrived as a group after Tammy and Victor had left and had trouble discovering where to find the clue. Eventually the teams found the phones and did their best to understand the directions, with Kisha and Jen leaving the tree in second place and followed by Cara and Jamie in third place.  They were followed by Margie and Luke, Mel and Mike, and Mark and Michael, with Christie and Jodi trailing in last place.

After arriving at Amber Fort first, Tammy and Victor were the first team to learn that it was time for the leg's Roadblock task.  The Roadblock task required one member of each team to choose a set of camels and use a set of traditional tools to load and carry enough food and water to satisfy each of the camels in the group.

Victor chose to tend to the camels, as did Kisha, Mark, Jaime, Mel, Margie and Jodi.

Victor finished the Roadblock first and received their next clue instructing them to travel to a local puppet store where they would receive their next clue. While many of the teams struggled somewhat with the Roadblock, Mel seemed to have a particularly hard time due to his older age.


However he was able to make up time by correctly using a large basket to move the camel feed in while most of the other teams used the smaller water buckets and was able to finish the challenge in second place. They were followed by Jaime and Cara, Margie and Luke, Kisha and Jen, Mark and Michael and Christie and Jodi.

Upon leaving in last place, and with their Speed Bump challenge looking, Jodi still refused to give up hope for a comeback.

"You can't lose hope because anything can happen," she said. "It only take someone, one other team to get bad luck and we're still in it."

Once Tammy and Victor arrived at the puppet store they received their next clue, a Detour forcing them to choose between two tasks: "Movers" or "Shakers."

"Movers" required the teams to travel to a location containing bicycle rickshaws that had been loaded with towering barrels of hay. Teams would have to transport the barrels by pedaling 1 1/2 miles through crowded streets of Jaipur before searching through the barrels for a small elephant statue that they could exchange for their next clue.


"Shakers" required the teams to travel to a nearby busy intersection, put on traditional costumes and makeup and join a local dance troupe before going into the streets to dance for tips until they received 100 Rupees, which they could then exchange for their next clue.

Victor and Tammy chose "Shakers" and got off to a such a good head start that they were able to complete the Detour before any of the other teams had even started it. They also were the first team to receive their next clue instructing them to travel to the Jaigar Fort, a 15th century fortress that would serve as the Pit Stop for the sixth leg of the race.

Mel and Mike were the second team to arrive at the puppet shop and also chose "Shakers," while Mark and Michael arrived in third and chose "Movers." The subsequent teams of Kisha and Jen, Margie and Luke and Jaime and Cara all chose "Shakers" as well.

Upon arriving at the puppet shop, Christie and Jodi received their Speed Bump challenge instructing them to travel to a temple and use colored paints to decorate a waiting elephant for an upcoming festival to the satisfaction of its owner before continuing in the race.

Well ahead of everyone else, Tammy and Victor arrived at the Pit Stop in first place and were told by The Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan that they had both won ocean kayaks.


"Tammy and I have recovered really well since our travesty in Romania. I think we understand each other a little better. I think it's hard to 'unprogram' who we are and how we're used to relating to each other, but I think we're doing a good job of it," said Victor following their first-place finish.

Mel and Mike were the second team to complete their Detour challenges and make their way to the Pit Stop. They were followed by Jaime and Cara, who finished in third despite losing some time when they were unable to find their cabbie.

Margie and Luke finished the Detour in fourth after leaving the Detour as Jaime and Cara finally found their cabbie and sped off to the Pit Stop as well. Kisha and Jen followed them in fifth place.

Christie and Jodi were the last to begin their Detour, choosing "Shakers" as well, but were able to finish it quickly and leave for the Pit Stop in sixth place barely ahead of Mark and Michael, who struggled with their "Movers" challenge before they left in last place.

Kisha and Jen were the fourth team to arrive at the Pit Stop, and were immediately followed by Margie and Luke in fourth place and Jaime and Cara in fifth place.

Mark and Michael were able to jump back into sixth place during the cab ride to the Pit Stop and finish in sixth place, barely edging out Christie and Jodi who finished right behind them. The girls were not as luck on their second consecutive leg finishing in last place, as Phil told them that they had been eliminated from the Race.


The next episode of The Amazing Race will air Sunday, March 29 at 8PM ET/PT on CBS.






About The Author: John Bracchitta