'The Amazing Race' eliminates Ronald Hsu and Christina Hsu

The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business eliminated returning twelfth-season Racers Ronald Hsu and Christina Hsu during Sunday night's broadcast of the CBS reality competition's all-stars edition.


The "Father and Daughter" team became the fifth team eliminated from the around-the-world competition after they arrived last at the Race's seventh Pit Stop at Ramnagar Fort in Varanasi, India.

"My Dad and I are much closer than before after this experience. Winning isn't everything. I'll never forget these memories my dad and I have made here on The Amazing Race, and that's what's important," Christina said following her team's ouster.  

The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business' seventh episode began where the sixth episode had left off -- with the competition's seven remaining teams leaving the Race's sixth Pit Stop in Kolkata, India.

Since they had been the team to finish in first place at the Pit Stop in Kolkata, India, seventeenth-season "Father and Daughter" team of Gary Ervin and Mallory Ervin were the first team to depart from Kolkata at 1:18PM.
 
They were then followed by sixteenth-season "Cowboys" team of Jet McCoy and his brother Cord McCoy at 1:52PM, Ron and Christina at 1:53PM, fourteenth-season "Friends" Zev Glassenberg and Justin Kanew at 1:54PM, and twelfth-season "Dating Goths" Vyxsin Fiala and Kent Kaliber (who was known as Kynt Cothron during his initial Race edition) at 1:55PM.


Following Kent and Vyxsin were fourteenth-season "Sisters" Jennifer Hoffman and LaKisha Hoffman at 2:03PM and fifteenth-season "Harlem Globetrotters" Nathaniel "The Big Easy" Lofton and Herbert "Flight Time" Lang at 3:45PM.

Upon opening their departure clues, the teams were instructed to fly to the city of Varanasi, which is known as the religious heart of India, and make their way to a tonga stand where they would receive their next clue.

After arriving at the airport, Gary and Mallory, Ron and Christina, Zev and Justin, Kent and Vyxsin, Kisha and Jen, and Flight Time and Big Easy all found the earliest available flight was a Kingfisher airline flight, which would connect through Delhi and arrive in Varanasi at 10:45AM.

All the teams booked the Kingfisher flight except for Jet and Cord -- who were told the earliest flight they could take would connect through Delhi and land at 11:45AM -- had no doubts they had discovered the best available flight and booked it immediately.

"The way I was raised is if somebody looks me straight in the eye and tells me something, I'm gonna take their word for it," Cord said.


Jet and Cord later realized all the other teams had most likely got on the other available flight, which landed in Varanasi at 10:45AM, putting them an hour behind the group. A little distressed over their hasty decision, Jet and Cord knew they were going to be in for a long day.

Once the teams landed in Varanasi, they rushed to take taxis to the tonga stand from the airport. Zev and Justin were quick to leave the airport, but then their taxi driver had to stop for gas. Meanwhile, Flight Time and Big Easy had an aggressive driver, giving them a small lead over Kisha and Jen.

Kent and Vyxsin were the first team to arrive at the tonga stand and they were followed by Flight Time and Big Easy, Kisha and Jen, Gary and Mallory, Ron and Christina, Zev and Justin, and Jet and Cord.

The teams opened their clue and learned they needed to complete a Roadblock task, which required one member from each team to use only pictures as their reference and search for six sadhus -- who are holy men who dedicate their lives to prayer and meditation -- who would each hand them a clue. Once the team members could properly arrange all six of their clues, the meaning of life would be revealed. They would then have to find a seventh and final sadhu and tell him the meaning of life they had discovered to receive their next clue.

Kent, Big Easy, Jen, Ron, Justin, Gary, and Cord opted to do the task for their teams.


Jet and Cord knew they had a lot of ground to make up but felt they had the training and experience to work their way through the task efficiently.

"The profession Jet and I grew up doing, competing in rodeos and riding bulls and bucking horses, you don't get paid unless you win, so you gotta leave all your cards on the table while you're here," Cord explained.

All the team members seemed to get through the Roadblock task without much difficulty except for Ron. While Gary struggled a little bit, Ron had the most trouble seeking out the holy men. Ron wandered off near the Ganges River, straying from his desired course, and took the most time to finish the task. As a result, his inability to find the men in a timely fashion enabled Jet and Cord to catch up to them in the Race's seventh leg.

"I knew the cowboys would catch up. I was just hoping it wasn't catching up to us. I just hope my dad is keeping calm right now," Christina anxiously said as she awaited her Dad to finish the task.

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


After the teams opened their clue upon completion of the task, they learned they must make their way to the Tulsi Ghat area and find the local Swaminath Akhara, a wrestling and strength conditioning club.

Zev and Justin were the first team to arrive at the Swaminath Akhara. They were then followed by Flight Time and Big Easy, Kisha and Jen, Kent and Vyxsin, Gary and Mallory, Jet and Cord, and Ron and Christina.

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

"Feed the Fire" required the teams to travel the Ganges River and then follow the path to the home of a local milkman.  Once they found the location, the teams had to make 50 traditional fuel patties out of buffalo manure and then slap them on the wall to dry in the sun. They then would have to load a stove with fuel patties and light a fire to boil milk for the local children.

"Feed the Buffalo" instructed the teams to cross the Ganges River and pick up a large load of hay. They would then be required to cross the Ganges again and carry their hay through the narrow streets to the address attached to their bundles.


Zev and Justin, Flight Time and Big Easy, Jet and Cord, and Ron and Christina opted to do "Feed the Buffalo," while Kisha and Jen, Kent and Vyxsin, and Gary and Mallory selected "Feed the Fire."

Although the "Feed the Fire" task seemed to be the more disgusting of the two tasks -- especially for Kisha and Jen, who were gagging at the smell of the manure -- both Detour tasks turned out to be fairly easy for all the teams, as they had finished in the same order they had arrived at the Swaminath Akhara in.

Once they completed the Detour tasks, the teams received new clues that instructed them to find the Ramnagar Fort, which would serve as the Race's seventh Pit Stop.

While many of the teams took normal taxis to the fort, Kent and Vyxsin were told by locals to take a water taxi instead. Convinced it would be the quickest way, the couple decided to take the locals' advice and hopped into a water taxi. However, they didn't make any progress, as they just sat in the small boat at the dock.

Vyxsin got extremely frustrated and attempted to urge their driver to hurry, but the man would not budge.

"Our water taxi [driver] is a psycho!" Vyxsin yelled.


Kent and Vyxsin pleaded afterwards for the man to return their boat to shore so they could leave and find alternate transportation. However, they received no response and sat aimlessly in the boat. Vyxsin then decided to take matters into her own hands by jumping in the Ganges River and dragging their boat back to shore. 

"Don't go in the water! Are you insane?" Kent screamed in disbelief.

After the incident, Kent and Vyxsin had a little trouble getting a taxi on land, which lost them time. Ron and Christina, however, had discovered the water taxis and believed it would be the fastest way to arrive at the fort. They hoped no one else had found the mode of transportation, and it was then a race to the finish between Ron and Christina and Kent and Vyxsin.

Flight Time and Big Easy were the first team to make it to the Pit Stop mat and arrive at the Ramnagar Fort, as they were greeted by The Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan.

As a reward for finishing first, Flight Time and Big Easy won a trip to Hawaii, where they would go snorkeling, take a helicopter ride over the volcanic scenery, and enjoy a hotel on the ocean.

Zev and Justin were the next team to arrive, securing second place.


Kisha and Jen subsequently arrived at the Pit Stop ahead of Gary and Mallory in third place, as Gary and Mallory were told they had come in fourth place.

Jet and Cord then found Phil, who revealed they had managed to make it to the Pit Stop in fifth place.

Kent and Vyxsin and Ron and Christina fought until the finish, but Kent and Vyxsin ended up making it to the Pit Stop just before Ron and Christina in sixth place.

Ron and Christina then finished the Race's seventh leg in seventh and last place, hoping for the chance they would receive good news despite the odds.

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

"We had a grand ride and it was a gift to come back -- a second chance -- especially with Christina before she gets married next year. So, we have no regrets and enjoyed a lot of good memories," Ron said following his team's ouster.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski