'The Amazing Race: All-Stars' eliminates Mark Jackson and replacement partner Mallory Ervin

The Amazing Race: All-Stars eliminated Mark Jackson and his replacement partner Mallory Ervin during Sunday night's second episode of the CBS reality competition's 24th overall season and third all-stars edition.


The Kentucky team, which started out as Mark and his best friend William "Bopper" Minton -- who became ill just before the Race began and therefore was forced to withdraw from the competition -- became the second team eliminated from the around-the-world competition after they arrived at the Race's second Pit Stop at the promenade on Shamian Island in Guangzhou, China in last place.

"I guess it wasn't meant for me to travel around the world without Bopper. That's the bottom line," Mark said following his team's ouster.

"I was very thankful to get to help Mark run the Race, and I did everything that I could do and more, because I wanted to do that," Mallory noted.

"There's no using putting blame on [anybody]. Everything happens for a reason and it wasn't meant for us to win this Race," Mark added.


The second broadcast of The Amazing Race: All-Stars began with "The Cowboy Brothers" Cord McCoy and Jet McCoy leaving the first Pit Stop at Guangzhou Opera House at 8:16AM.

Cord and Jet opened the first clue in first place, which instructed them to make their way to Chen Clan Academy and stand still in front of the master to receive their next clue.

"Newlyweds" Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly departed in second place at 8:23AM, and "Mother and Son" Margie O'Donnell and Luke Adams left the opera house on their heels at 8:39AM.

The departure times for the seven other teams are as follows: "Father and Son Cancer Survivors" David O'Leary and Connor O'Leary at 8:46AM, "The Afghanimals" Leo Temory and Jamal Zadran at 8:53AM, Mark and Mallory at 8:56AM, "The Globetrotters" Herbert "Flight Time" Lang and Nate "Big Easy" Lofton at 8:57AM, "Best Friends" Joseph "Joey" Graceffa and Meghan Caramena at 9:09AM, "Engaged Couple" John Erck and Jessica Hoel at 9:13AM, and finally "The Country Singers" Jennifer Wayne and Caroline Cutbirth at 9:19AM.

Most of the teams took the metro to get to the academy, but Jet and Cord tried to run it out because they thought a local man had told them it was only a 15-minute jog. However, the man was trying to tell them the location was about 50 minutes away. The cowboys' confusion set them back big time, and they ended up getting a taxi to take them the rest of the way.


Meanwhile, Leo and Jamal wanted to help Mark and Mallory on the Race because they respected both Bopper for his story and Mallory for selflessly filling in.

Brendon and Rachel were the first team to arrive at Chen Clan Academy and they were soon followed by Margie and Luke, Dave and Connor, Leo and Jamal, Mark and Mallory, Flight Time and Big Easy, Joey and Meghan, and Jessica and John, Caroline and Jennifer, and finally Jet and Cord.

Once at the academy, the master printed the teams' next set of clues on their foreheads via a big stamp. The phrase, in Chinese, directed them toward a big shopping mall which featured a children's play center.

Dave and Connor were the first team to arrive at the play center, and they were then followed by Margie and Luke, Leo and Jamal, Brendon and Rachel, Mark and Mallory, Flight Time and Big Easy, Joey and Meghan, and Jessica and John.

It then became time for one member of each team to complete a Roadblock task.


For the Roadblock, the participating Racers were required to build a kiddie toy car, and once it was road-ready, they'd receive their next clue. The trick was that the instructions were in Chinese and there were a ton of little parts.

All the teams caught up to one another at this point in the leg except for Jet and Cord as well as Caroline and Jennifer. Jet and Cord ended beating Caroline and Jennifer there. "The Cowboy Brothers" considered using the Express Pass they had won in the previous leg to get ahead but decided against it because they were convinced they could get the toy-car task done very quickly.

Dave opted to build the car for his team. He was soon joined by Margie, Jamal, Brendon, Mark, Flight Time, Meghan, John, Jet, and a reluctant Caroline.

Caroline complained she was bad at assembling things and feared it would take her awhile to complete the task. Already in last place, Jennifer began to scramble for help on behalf of her team. Jennifer attempted to talk Cord into giving them their extra Express Pass that had to be given out by the end of the fifth leg.

Jennifer argued Jet and Cord should give the advantage to the "worst team" rather than a good team who would end up being competition for them. Cord kept turning Jennifer down, worrying that if gave the pass to the girls, the cowboys might finish the leg in last place and get eliminated.


Mark finished the task fit for a mechanic in first place, surprising Mallory with his efficiency. Margie and Luke were next to complete their car, and they were then followed by Dave and Connor, Leo and Jamal, Brendon and Rachel, and Jet and Cord.

Because Jet and Cord finished the Roadblock task ahead of Caroline and Jennifer, Flight Time and Big Easy, and Jessica and John, "The Cowboy Brothers" determined it was a good time to give their Express Pass up and save Caroline and Jennifer. The move wouldn't really hurt Jet and Cord, because they were in better standings and believed they could beat "The Country Singers."

Flight Time and Big Easy completed the Roadblock next and then Joey and Meghan did. Before leaving, Meghan decided she wanted to help John with the task because he was really struggling. As a result, Jessica and John finished the Roadblock shortly after Joey and Meghan.

The teams' next set of clues instructed them to deliver the large toy car via taxi to the Guangzhou Children's Cultural Center.

Mark and Mallory, in first place now, struggled to fit their kiddie car into the trunk. A little bit frazzled and in a rush, the team accidentally left Mark's backpack on the ground by their feet outside of the taxi.


The pair realized on their way to the cultural center Mark's backpack was gone. Mallory assured Mark she had his passport, which is really all that mattered. However, Mark insisted he needed the belongings in his backpack.

Once at their next destination, after wasting time bickering, Mark decided he absolutely needed to go back and retrieve his backpack. Mallory was disappointed, saying if she had lost her backpack she wouldn't care and wouldn't risk getting eliminated in the Race because of it.

Mark claimed he needed medicine in the bag, but Mallory said she had that with her as well. Mark then said there were clothes in his bag, but Mallory argued any of the male Racers would let him borrow clothes. Mark told the cameras he didn't have much because he didn't have a lot of money, and therefore that bag meant more to him than it would ever mean to Mallory.

Meanwhile, Margie and Luke, Dave and Connor, Brendon and Rachel, Caroline and Jennifer, Jet and Cord, Leo and Jamal, and Flight Time and Big Easy arrived at the cultural center and discovered it was time to complete one of two Detour tasks.

"Featherball," which is the country's version of Hacky Sack, required the teams to join a group and make 10 passes of the shuttlecock.

"China Cup" required the teams to receive a traditional Chinese therapy treatment used to stimulate blood flow and remove toxins from the body.


All the teams wanted to try "Featherball" and no one ended up taking on "China Cup."

After going back to the mall and finding Mark's backpack on the sidewalk, Mark and Mallory headed back to the cultural center. Mark noted Mallory just didn't understand or respect his opinion. He also called Mallory out for sort of not representing Kentucky well due to the fact she was so angry and flustered, which really upset her.

Although Mark and Mallory lost some major ground, they still began the "Featherball" task before Joey and Meghan and Jessica and John arrived.

Dave and Connor finished the Detour task in first place. They were then followed by Caroline and Jennifer, Margie and Luke, Jet and Cord, Brendon and Rachel, Flight Time and Big Easy, Leo and Jamal, Joey and Meghan, Jessica and John, and finally Mark and Mallory.

The teams' next set of clues instructed them to make their way to the promenade on Shamian Island, which would serve as the Race's second Pit Stop.

Brendon and Rachel met The Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan in first place, and the couple was thrilled because they had never won a leg before. As their prize, Brendon and Rachel received $2,500 each.


Margie and Luke finished the leg in second place, and then Caroline and Jennifer -- thanks to their Express Pass -- finished in third. Dave and Connor claimed fourth place.

Flight Time and Big Easy then finished in fifth place, Jet and Cord in sixth and Leo and Jamal in seventh. Phil was amazed because all the teams stepped on the Pit Stop mat within a second or so of one another. 

Jessica and John then met Phil in eighth place, and they were soon followed by Joey and Meghan in ninth place. Meghan acknowledged to the cameras she didn't want to help out another team again unless she and Joey benefited from it in some way.

Finally, Mark and Mallory arrived at the Pit Stop in tenth -- and last -- place. Mallory immediately broke down into tears, and Phil, on behalf of everyone, said he felt for Mark because of the situation he was put in and for Mallory because things didn't work out.

"I appreciated the opportunity... and Bopper will understand. I aint going to have no hard feelings about nothing and I did all I could do," Mark told the host.

"Thank you for letting me try to fill [Bopper]'s shoes," Mallory said. "I'm sorry that I couldn't."


"You did a great job; You did a great job," Mark assured her. "That's all we can do. God's got a plan for us all. He's got another plan for me. It wasn't winning a million dollars. I wish my buddy would have been here though."






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski