Monique Pryor and Shawne Morgan ousted from 'The Amazing Race'

The "Moms/Attorneys" team of Monique Pryor and Shawne Morgan became the third team eliminated from The Amazing Race's sixteenth season during last night's broadcast of the CBS reality competition.


"We wanted to just be an example to our children, to other mothers actually.  Just pursue your dreams and don't give up.  As long as my children know that I didn't give up that's what's important to me," said Monique, a 39-year-old attorney from West Orange, NJ, following their elimination.  "We're very proud of how we represented the moms."

"I am so proud of Monique in so many ways," said Shawne, a 39-year-old attorney from Bowie, MD.  "I can't imagine anybody else that would have had the guts take on the task, to get us this far."

The Amazing Race's third sixteenth-season episode began with the nine remaining teams leaving Puerto Varas, Chile and departing Gruta De La Virgen, a church park that had served as the site of the Race's second Pit Stop.

Since they had been the first team to arrive, the "Brothers/Cowboys" team of Jet McCoy and Cord McCoy were the first team to depart at 11:20PM.


Upon opening their departure clues, the teams were instructed to take one of two buses on a six-hour ride to Bariloche, Argentina and then drive themselves to El Boliche Viejo, an old saloon the Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid had stayed at while hiding out in Argentina.  Once at the saloon, the teams would have to play hands of five-card stud poker against a Travelocity gnome until they won a hand.  After they won a hand, the dealer would give them their next clue.

Three teams would travel on the initial 8:30AM bus while the other six would travel on the second 8:50AM departure, obliterating nearly all of the four-hour difference between the nine teams' Pit Stop departure times.

Since they had been the first team to depart the Pit Stop, Jet and Cord ended up on the first bus -- as did "Married Couple" Joe Wang and Heidi Wang and "Dating Couple" Carol Rosenfeld and Brandy Snow, who both departed 35 minutes after the cowboys at 11:55PM.

But the cowboys didn't seem to be too upset about losing most of their lead over the Race's rear-running teams.

"We don't have to run like scalded dogs," Jet said.


"Wow, that's a first," Cord replied.

Things didn't go as well for "Dating Models" Caite Upton and Brent Horne, who had been scheduled to leave at 1:20AM.

"Caite woke up and started having some symptoms of possible food poisoning," Brent explained as the couple prepared to leave their hotel room and head to a local emergency room.  "Now my stomach's hurting like crap.  We should be leaving right now but we're just gonna try and get better."

"I really hope it doesn't stop us in this race," Caite said after she finished vomiting.

Instead, Monique and Shawne ended up being the next team to depart at 1:22AM.  They were then followed by newly dating former Big Brother houseguests Jeff Schroeder and Jordan Lloyd at 2:01AM, "Father/Daughter" Steve Smith and Allie Smith at 2:23AM, "Brothers" Dan Pious and Jordan Pious at 2:25AM, and "Detectives" Louis Stravato and Michael Naylor at 3:12AM.


Given neither of the buses left until morning, many of the teams used some of their waiting time to find directions from the Bariloche bus station to El Boliche Viejo.

After being treated with fluids, Caite and Brent returned to the Pit Stop and finally checked out at 4:25AM.

"We were on IV's for a few hours so we were delayed getting back to the Race," Brent explained.

"We didn't think we were going to be able to catch up given how sick we were," Caite added.

However the couple quickly discovered they didn't have much to worry about.


"The dads are right there!" Caite said as they returned to the hotel and saw Louis and Michael getting El Boliche Viejo directions in the lobby. 

"Oh my gosh, how lucky is that?" Brent replied.

Once the first bus arrived in Bariloche, Jet and Cord, Joe and Heidi and Carol and Brandy all quickly drove themselves to El Boliche Viego.

Joe and Heidi completed won their hand of poker first and were followed by Carol and Brandy and then Jet and Cord minutes later. 

After winning their hand, the teams grabbed their gnomes and were instructed to "hoof it to the Pena Gaucha."  Once at Pena Gaucha, the teams encountered a Roadblock task that required one member of each team to successfully rope a steer-headed bale of hay that had been placed 18 feet away.


Heidi and Carol were the first two racers to begin attempting the Roadblock however they were no match for Jet, who arrived third but roped his "steer" on his second throw..

"I can't believe I missed it on the first try.  I'm gonna hear about that," Jet joked to Cord afterward. 

Meanwhile, Brandy took issue with the advantage Jet's occupation had given him.

"I don't believe this," she vented.

"Brandy thought that it wasn't fair, that this Roadblock was too much like our way of life.  [But] we didn't throw a fit because they know Spanish and we don't," Cord said afterwards.

After completing the Roadblock, the teams received a clue that instructed them to drive to Puente Nirihuau and then search the cliffs overlooking a river for their next clue.
 
The second busload of racers then began arriving at El Boliche Viego and working their way over to the Roadblock.


Jeff and Jordan were the first second bus team to arrive at the Roadblock and Jeff joined Heidi and Carol in attempting to rope his practice steer.

"Get comfortable, you could be here a while!" Carol shouted.

However Carol and Heidi both subsequently roped their steers and received their teams' next clue, leaving Jeff and Jordan alone at the Roadblock.

Jeff eventually finished the task just as Steve and Allie were arriving, leaving them comfortably in fourth place.  Steve and Allie then followed in fifth place, with Steve appearing to complete the roping without too much difficulty.

Monique and Shawne and Louie and Michael then arrived at the Roadblock in sixth and seventh place respectively, with Dan and Jordan (who got delayed due to their problems driving a standard transmission), and Brent and Caite (who got lost on way to El Boliche Viego) following behind in the last two spots.

Despite being the first of the four rear-running teams to arrive at the Roadblock, Monique's roping struggles slowly resulted in all the other teams passing the women and dropping them to last place.


"Come on Monique, pray with me," Shawne said before she finally managed to successfully rope her practice steer and retrieve her team's next clue.

Once the teams drove to the cliffs, they learned it was time to complete one of two Detour tasks: "Horse Sense" or "Horse Power."

"Horse Sense" required the teams to visit "a gunslinger" and use a set of directional coordinates to count out the steps to a bag of stolen money.  Once they had found the bag with the directional coordinates they had been given written on it, they would have to take it to nearby train station and present it to "the lead bandit."  After completing the task, the bandit would give them a coin containing the location of the Race's third Pit Stop.

"Horse Power" required the teams to make their way to a polo field and then use a heavy wooden practice pony to alternate turns and attempt to score a goal in nine polo mallet swings or less.  Once they had successfully scored the goal, the teams would receive a trophy containing the location of the Race's third Pit Stop.

Jet and Cord were the first team to arrive at the cliffs.  They then chose "Horse Power" and completed it without significant issue, maintaining their first-place position.

Upon receiving their trophy, Jet and Cord quickly began driving to Estancia Fortin Chacabuco, an enormous ranch that would serve as the leg's Pit Stop.


Carol and Brandy, Jeff and Jordan, and Joe and Heidi were the next three teams to arrive at the cliffs and they all chose -- apparently worried that the polo task would require mounting a real horse -- to do "Horse Sense."

Steve and Allie then arrived at the cliff in fifth place but chose "Horse Power," after which Carol and Brandy as well as Joe and Heidi, frustrated by "Horse Sense," also switched to the polo task.

Despite some struggles while moving the horse across the field, Steve and Allie managed to finish the Detour in second place, with Carol and Brandy then following in third place and Joe and Heidi in fourth place.

Meanwhile, Jeff and Jordan stuck with "Horse Sense" but struggled with it. After initially bringing the wrong bag back to the gunslinger instead of the lead bandit, they then found the right bag but still proceeded to incorrectly bring it back to the gunslinger. 

"Come on man, what are we doing wrong?" Jeff asked the silent gunslinger.

After re-reading their clue, Jeff finally figured out they had been taking their bags to the wrong person.


"You're not the lead bandit!" he told the gunslinger.

"We're so stupid.  We definitely shouldn't reproduce," Jeff vented to Jordan as the pair finally took their bag to the correct bandit shortly after Louie and Michael and Dan and Jordan began attempting the "Horse Sense" task.

In the meantime, Jet and Cord managed to maintain their lead throughout the drive to the Pit Stop and were the first team to check-in with The Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan.

"Yes!" the brothers shouted after Phil revealed they had won a 10-day trip to Patagonia.

They were then followed on the check-in mat by Steve and Allie, Carol and Brandy, and Joe and Heidi.

After struggling with "Horse Sense" for a while, Dan and Jordan also eventually decided to switch to "Horse Power."  They were then joined by Caite and Brent, Monique and Shawne, and Louie and Michael -- who also ultimately gave up on the bag search -- in the polo area, setting up a four-way scramble for the Race's final spots.


Dan and Jordan were the first of the four to finish the polo task and arrived at the Pit Stop and sixth place -- one spot behind Jeff and Jordan, who checked-in fifth despite their "Horse Sense" struggles.

Caite and Brent and Louie and Michael then finished the "Horse Power" task and became the seventh and eighth teams to arrive at the Pit Stop, leaving Monique and Shawne alone at the Detour and in last place.

"I felt like if we kept doing it too long we were going to injure our backs so we switched our Detour," Shawne explained about her team's subsequent decision to switch to the "Horse Sense" task.

However although Monique and Shawne eventually finished the Detour and drove to the Pit Stop as the sun set, it was too late and Phil announced that they had been eliminated from the Race.

"We did our best," Shawne told Phil.

"And that's all we could do," Monique added.






About The Author: Steven Rogers