'The Amazing Race' eliminates Margie Adams and Luke Adams

The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business eliminated returning fourteenth-season Racers Margie Adams and Luke Adams during Sunday night's broadcast of the CBS reality competition's all-stars edition.


The "Mother and Son" team became the fourth team eliminated from the around-the-world competition after they arrived last at the Race's sixth Pit Stop in Kolkata, India.

"It's been an emotional afternoon for both of us. I don't hold him responsible for us being eliminated," Margie said.

"Being on The Amazing Race was a big dream for me. I never thought I could be on The Amazing Race in a million years. I had a wonderful time racing with my mom," Luke added.

"I'm very proud of you," Margie told her son following their ouster.


The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business' sixth episode began where the fifth episode had left off -- with the competition's eight remaining teams leaving the Race's fifth Pit Stop in Kunming, China.

Since they had been the team to finish in first place at the Pit Stop in Kunming, China, sixteenth-season "Cowboys" team of Jet McCoy and his brother Cord McCoy were the first team to depart from Kunming at 2:14PM.

They were then followed by seventeenth-season "Father and Daughter" team of Gary Ervin and Mallory Ervin at 2:16PM, Margie and Luke at 2:48PM, fourteenth-season "Sisters" Jennifer Hoffman and LaKisha Hoffman at 3:43PM, twelfth-season "Dating Goths" Vyxsin Fiala and Kent Kaliber (who was known as Kynt Cothron during his initial Race edition) at 3:52PM, and fifteenth-season "Harlem Globetrotters" Nathaniel "The Big Easy" Lofton and Herbert "Flight Time" Lang at 3:59PM.

Following Big Easy and Flight Time were twelfth-season "Father and Daughter" team of Ronald Hsu and Christina Hsu at 4:09PM and fourteenth-season "Friends" Zev Glassenberg and Justin Kanew at 4:10PM.

Upon opening their departure clues, the teams were instructed to find the Jin Fu Yi Zhan Tea Shop in Kunming where they would have to take part in a traditional tea tasting. Once they completed the tea tasting, the teams would then receive a brick of tea along with their next clue. However, the teams were unaware that the papaya and mango infused tea they would be drinking would also appear at a later challenge during the leg.


Some of the teams paid closer attention to the tea's taste, flavors and smell like Gary and Mallory and Ron and Christina, while others -- such as Zev and Justin -- overlooked the task's importance and rushed to continue on with the Race. 

After finishing the tea tasting task, the teams received their next clue which instructed them to make their way to the airport and fly 900 miles to Kolkata, India. Then, once there, they would have to travel to Town Hall and search for their next clue.

Flight Time and Big Easy and Justin and Zev were the first teams to discover a sign at Town Hall that night, which displayed the news that it would not open until 10AM the next morning. They then waited for the six other teams to arrive, and once all the teams met up with each other at Town Hall, they realized they all had to wait out the time. As a result, the teams were put on an equal playing field, where anyone who had a head start lost their advantage.

The next morning when Town Hall opened, the teams opened their clue and learned they needed to complete a Roadblock task, which required one member of each team to gather one papaya and one mango, native fruits of India, and bring them along with their brick of tea from China to the tea auctioneer.

Once the auctioneer infused the flavors, the teams were required to find the same tea they had tasted earlier at the shop in China amongst hundreds of cups filled with vast arrays of flavors. After they found the correct tea, the teams would receive a bottle of iced tea from the tea auctioneer with a clue under the cap.


Ron, Zev, Luke, Mallory, Kent, Kisha, Flight Time, and Jet opted to do the task for their teams.

The teams all began the Roadblock task around the same time, but some struggled much more than others. While Ron flew through the task because he was best prepared, Jet followed not long after.

Ron and Christina were the first team to complete the Roadblock task, and they were followed by Jet and Cord, Kisha and Jen, Kent and Vyxsin, Gary and Mallory, and Zev and Justin.

Luke and Flight Time were the last team members attempting to finish the tea tasting challenge, and they both grew frustrated and impatient. Luke ended up anxiously smashing a cup because he could not manage to find the correct tea flavor, while Flight Time was sweating with panic as he also was not succeeding. 

Luke then started crying because he said he found the Roadblock task to be too difficult. However, Margie told him to finish it and that she believed he could do it.


"I know how you'll feel if you don't finish. Please just finish, okay?" Margie asked Luke.

As Luke attempted to finish the task, Margie watched in the hopes her son could manage to overcome his frustration and defeat the challenge.

"He feels like he let me down, but I'm so proud of him," Margie said.

Luke eventually tried to regain his composure and did not give up, as he continued to search through all the leftover cups and wanted so badly to finish the task. After Flight Time was able to complete the task, Luke finally finished it as well, and everyone cheered for him in excitement. It then became a race to the end for Flight Time and Big Easy and Margie and Luke, as they were very far behind the other teams upon leaving the tea tasting Roadblock.

After the teams opened their clue upon completion of the task, they learned they must make their way to the Jorashanko area and find the Tiwari Tea Stall.


Ron and Christina got lost on their way to the Tea Stall, losing their lead. Therefore, Kent and Vyxsin and Gary and Mallory beat them to the Tea Stall in first and second place respectively, and they were then followed by Ron and Christina, Kisha and Jen, Jet and Cord, Zev and Justin, Flight Time and Big Easy, and Margie and Luke.

After retrieving their next clues, the teams learned it was time for them to complete one of the leg's two Detour tasks: "Hindu Art" or "Bengali Literature."

"Hindu Art" required the teams to make their way to a statuary shop where they must paint, dress, and adorn a statue of a Hindu god called Ganesha. When their work matched the intricate designs of the example, the teams would then receive their next clue.

"Bengali Literature" required the teams to make their way to a bookstore where they would be given eight stacks of children's books. The teams then must squeeze themselves and their books into the back of a rickshaw school bus and direct their rickshaw driver through the congested streets of Kolkata to a nearby school.

Kent and Vyxsin, Ron and Christina, Kisha and Jen, Flight Time and Big Easy, and Margie and Luke opted to do "Hindu Art," while Gary and Mallory, Jet and Cord, and Zev and Justin selected "Bengali Literature."

Flight Time and Big Easy and Margie and Luke attempted to paint and dress their statue simultaneously, as the other teams had already completed their chosen Detour tasks. Although Flight Time and Big Easy had somewhat of a small lead on the "Mother and Son" team, Flight Time accidentally kicked over a bucket of brown paint all over their elephant and had to start over.


Both tasks seemed to be fairly easy, as Gary and Mallory, Kent and Vyxsin and Kisha and Jen were the first three teams to complete their Detour tasks. They were then followed by Ron and Christina, Zev and Justin, Jet and Cord, Flight Time and Big Easy, and finally Margie and Luke.

Once they completed the Detour tasks, the teams received new clues that instructed them to take taxis to the Fountain of Joy and Victoria Memorial, which would serve as the Race's sixth Pit Stop.

Gary and Mallory were the first team to make it to the Pit Stop mat and arrive at the Fountain of Joy, as they were greeted by The Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan.

As a reward for finishing first, Gary and Mallory won an Indian feast provided with entertainment by a Bollywood inspired dancer and one million rupees, which is more than $20,000 U.S. They also got to be the first to try two new limited edition Snapple teas inspired by the mango and papaya flavors that were infused in the tea.

Jet and Cord, Ron and Christina, and Zev and Justin all arrived within moments of each other, securing second, third and fourth place respectively. 

Kent and Vyxsin subsequently arrived at the Pit Stop ahead of Kisha and Jen in fifth place, as Kisha and Jen were told they had come in sixth place. 


Although Flight Time and Big Easy finished the Detour task before Margie and Luke, they couldn't manage to snag a taxi and allowed Margie and Luke to catch up to them as a result.

Both teams were set on the fact that they weren't going to give up and it was a race to the finish. However, Flight Time and Big Easy ended up making in to the Pit Stop before Margie and Luke in seventh place.

Margie and Luke finally arrived at the Pit Stop in eighth and last place, seemingly expecting their fate.

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






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski