'The Amazing Race' cuts William "Bopper" Minton and Mark Jackson

The Amazing Race's twentieth season eliminated William "Bopper" Minton and Mark Jackson during Sunday night's broadcast of the CBS reality competition.


The "Friends" team became the seventh team eliminated from the around-the-world competition after they arrived at the Race's tenth Pit Stop at Cheena Vala Fishing Nets in Cochin, India, in last place.

"The Amazing Race is called The Amazing Race for one reason -- everything about it is absolutely amazing," Mark said following his team's ouster.

"Me and Mark, we've known each other all our lives. We made one deal before we left home. I said, 'Mark, we're leaving as friends and we're coming back home as friends.' I am definitely Kentucky proud, and if Kentucky is not proud of their boy, then shame on them, because I put 175% percent on the table. We're Clay County and Kentucky proud," Bopper explained.

The tenth episode of The Amazing Race's twentieth season began where last week's broadcast left off, with the Race's five teams leaving the course's ninth Pit Stop at Bolgatty Palace, a heritage landmark, in Cochin after meeting with The Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan.


Since they had been the team to finish in first place at the Race's ninth Pit Stop, "Married Couple" Dave Brown Jr. and Rachel Brown were the first team to depart from Bolgatty Palace at 6:53AM.

They were then followed by "Engaged Couple" and former Big Brother houseguests Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly at 7:20AM, "Border Patrol Agents and Friends" Art Velez and J.J. Carrell at 7:28AM, "Dating Divorcees" Vanessa Macias and Ralph Kelley at 7:32AM, and finally Bopper and Mark hours later at 10:38AM.

Upon opening their departure clues, the teams were instructed to make their way to a temple and then receive a greeting from the head priest along with their next set of clues.

Bopper was worried about Mark still having heat stroke, as the last leg had exhausted him and made him sick. However, Mark was ready to continue racing and put everything he had into the next leg.

Rachel B. and Dave were the first team to arrive at the temple, and they were then followed by Brendon and Rachel R., Vanessa and Ralph, Art and J.J., and eventually Bopper and Mark.


The teams were then instructed to choose between taking on a Fast Forward task in which, upon completion, a team could skip a full task and go directly to Pit Stop or continue on with the leg normally. 

The Fast Forward task required the teams to make their way to another temple, find two priests and then participate in an undisclosed Indian ritual. If the teams selected to skip the Fast Forward and receive the Race's original clue instead, they were instructed to make their way to Pattanacaud Coir Mats And Matting.

Rachel B. and Dave and Art and J.J. wanted to do the Fast Forward task, but The Amazing Race rules stated if a team had already completed one Fast Forward during a season, they were ineligible to compete in a subsequent one during the same season. Vanessa and Ralph passed on the opportunity in order to play it safe, as they didn't mind not coming in first place for that particular leg.

However, Brendon and Rachel R. opted to do the Fast Forward task, and once at the temple, learned they'd both be required to shave their heads. Rachel R. didn't want to to shave her head because she admitted she had recently paid $500 for extensions.

Brendon said it was up to her, so she ultimately chose not to do it. The team then hoped they could catch up to the other teams as fast as possible and survive another leg.


Before Bopper and Mark could choose to take on the Fast Forward task or head to the mats and matting place, due to the fact they had finished the Race's ninth leg in last place, they had to complete an additional Speed Bump task. However, the pair were not shown arriving at the temple and attempting to complete the Speed Bump until later on in the episode because they were so far behind.

Vanessa and Ralph were the first team to arrive at the mats and matting location and were soon followed by Rachel B. and Dave -- who had to stop for gas along the way -- Art and J.J., and Brendon and Rachel R.

Once the teams arrived at Pattanacaud Coir Mats And Matting, they learned it was time to complete a Roadblock task. The Roadblock task required one member from each team to use husks of coconuts to spin 40 feet of rope. They then had to spool four large bundles of rope onto one spindle to receive their next clue.

Ralph opted to do the Roadblock task for his team. He was later joined by Dave, Art, and Brendon.

Art and J.J. were frustrated no one had completed the Roadblock because they knew it would give Bopper and Mark the chance to jump ahead and possible win the leg, leaving all the other teams -- who were pretty much neck and neck -- to vie for another spot other than last place.


Art and J.J. then gave Rachel R. a bit of a hard time for passing on the Fast Forward and tried to convince her she'd look good with a shaved head in the hopes she and Brendon would change their minds and go back to the Fast Forward task.

Vanessa and Ralph were the first team to complete the Roadblock task, and they were then followed by Rachel B. and Dave, Art and J.J., and Rachel R. and Brendon.

The next set of clues instructed the teams to make their way to Fort Kochi, and once there, search for a bartender working at a temple under an ancient tree.

On their way to Fort Kochi, Vanessa tripped and fell. She thought she heard a pop in her ankle, but after Ralph checked it out, she came to the conclusion she had just twisted it and could continue on with the leg.

Rachel B. and Dave were the first team to arrive at the fort. They were soon followed by Vanessa and Ralph, Brendon and Rachel R., and Art and J.J.


Once the teams retrieved their next set of clues at the fort, it then became time for them to complete one of two Detour tasks: "Pachyderm" or "Pack a Box."

"Pachyderm" required the teams to follow an example to properly dress an elephant with a golden headdress and decorative bells and ornaments. They had to then shovel and transport 15 wheelbarrows full of elephant manure to a nearby truck. Once the master of ceremonies was happy with their work, they'd earn their next clue.

"Pack a Box" required the teams to find a ginger-processing center, take out 10 empty wooden boxes, fill them with dry ginger, seal and stencil each box for shipping, and then deliver them all to a depot. Once the shipping manager felt the boxes were ready for export, they'd receive their next clue.

Rachel B. and Dave, Vanessa and Ralph and Brendon and Rachel R. opted to take on the "Pachyderm" task, while Art and J.J. tested their luck with the "Pack a Box" task.

While Art and J.J. were working hard to complete their physically taxing and tedious, they were letting out some of their frustration by discussing a couple of the opposing teams. They said they were racing against the "laziest people" and questioned why Rachel R. and Brendon were even competing in The Amazing Race if she wasn't willing to shave her head for a million dollars.

The pair also made fun of how Dave treated Rachel B. in the way that he harshly talked to her like a partner rather than a wife. J.J. ended up cutting his pinky open on one of the sharp edges of a box and the two guys bickered over how to efficiently transport the boxes, as they were clearly exhausted and irritable.


Meanwhile, The Amazing Race began to show the beginning of Bopper and Mark's journey in the tenth leg. They arrived at the leg's first task, but before receiving their next set of instructions, they were forced to complete their Speed Bump.

The Speed Bump task required the guys to properly paint a tiger on the belly of a Pulikali Tiger Dancer and prepare them for a dance. When the other Pulikali Tiger Dancers were satisfied with their work and then performed a dance for the Racers, they would receive their next clue and could continue racing.

Bopper and Mark seemed to finish their Speed Bump at the temple quickly. Afterwards, they learned of the possible Fast Forward opportunity and chose to take advantage of it. They knew how far behind the other teams they were and believed their only shot at surviving in the Race was to do the Fast Forward and skip the leg's remaining tasks.

Bopper and Mark then rushed to the Fast Forward task. Meanwhile, Rachel B. and Dave had finished their Detour task, and they were soon followed by Vanessa and Ralph, Brendon and Rachel R.

After the three teams completed their Detour tasks, they received a clue instructing them to make their way by ferry to Cheena Vala Fishing Nets, which would serve as the Race's tenth Pit Stop. Art and J.J.'s task was much more time consuming, so they were still working as the other three teams got to head to the Pit Stop.

Rachel B. and Dave got on the first ferry, much to Brendon and Rachel R. and Vanessa and Ralph's disappointment because they had just missed it by a matter of minutes. The two teams then waited for the next ferry to arrive and depart.


Still maintaining their lead, Rachel B. and Dave were the first team to arrive at the Pit Stop mat and meet Phil in first place. For finishing the tenth leg before any of the other teams, the pair won $10,000 each and learned they had six first-place victories. Rachel B. and Dave acknowledged the fact they needed just one more first-place win to tie The Amazing Race record.

Brendon and Rachel R. then finished the leg in second place, while Vanessa and Ralph subsequently secured third place immediately afterwards.

Once on the Pit Stop mat together, Vanessa claimed she was counting how many wheelbarrows Brendon and Rachel R. had filled and transported during the Detour task -- insisting they questionably skipped from three to seven.

Rachel R. argued that Vanessa didn't know what she was talking about, and after a little while of bickering, the two girls finally apologized to each other for all their nasty insults throughout the Race and buried the hatchet.

Vanessa and Rachel R. clearly weren't planning to become friends, but they were at least on decent terms and intended to remain civil.

Meanwhile, Bopper and Mark arrived at their Fast Forward task and learned they'd both have to shave their heads. The two men were ready and willing to do it. During that time, Art and J.J. finally finished their Detour task and headed to the Pit Stop.


Once Bopper and Mark completed the Fast Forward, it was a race to the finish for the two teams. Art and J.J. got stuck in traffic on their way to the Pit Stop, while Bopper and Mark seemed to sail smoothly to the finish.

Art and J.J. then met Phil and became team number four. Bopper and Mark then arrived at the Pit Stop and were told they had finished the leg in fifth -- and last -- place.

"Bopper and Mark, I'm sorry to tell you that you are the last team to arrive, and I'm very sorry to tell you that you have been eliminated from the Race," Phil told the team.

"There's nothing we can do," Mark said.

"We gave it everything we had my friend," Bopper added.

"Yes we did," Mark confirmed.


"Right down to taking off your hair," Phil said.

"Right down to taking off my hair," Bopper noted.

"You guys should be super proud of yourselves. You just ran 10 legs of The Amazing Race against some pretty tough teams -- going to places you've never been to before," Phil explained.

"I had an amazing time on The Amazing Race, Phil," Bopper told him. "Driving through Salta and driving through Africa, I have no words to describe it. I had no idea what I was missing out on."

"Yes we have," Mark said. "It was one of the most humbling experiences that I've ever been in in my life."






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski