The Amazing Race's nineteenth season eliminated its first two teams in a special double elimination leg during Sunday night's broadcast of the CBS reality competition.

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"Dating" Couple Ethan Zohn and Jenna Morasca and "Domestic Partners" Ron Zeitz and Bill Smith became the first two teams eliminated from the around-the-world competition after they arrived at the Race's second Pit Stop at Kraton Palace in tenth and eleventh place respectively -- the first time in The Amazing Race history two teams were ever ousted in the same leg.

"Ugh, that's sad news. Even though we're incredibly disappointed that it was such a short run, we can't fault ourselves for trying, you know? You gotta try! After I beat cancer, Jen and I made a promise to ourselves that we're going to take advantage of every single moment. After what we've been through in the past year and a half, just to be here traveling the world with Jenna by my side the whole time, is really what matters the most here. It's a blessing," Ethan said following his team's ouster.

"Running The Amazing Race truly was fun, exhilarating and amazing," Ron said following his team's elimination.

"This is just a chapter in our Race and it's been amazing, and it will continue to be. For us, the special moment was being together and even though the time we wanted to be there was cut short, it doesn't take away a moment of what it's meant to us because we've truly had such an incredible time," Bill added.

The second episode of The Amazing Race's nineteenth season began where last week's premiere left off, with the Race's 11 teams meeting with The Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan and leaving the course's first Pit Stop at the National Revolutionary Martyrs' Shrine in Taipei, Taiwan after learning the first leg of the Race was a non-elimination leg.

Since they had been the team to finish in first place at the Race's first Pit Stop, "Engaged Couple" Ernie Halvorsen and Cindy Chiang were the first team to depart from the shrine at 9:28PM.

They were then followed by "Dating Couple" Jeremy Cline and Sandy Draghi at 9:36PM, "Siblings" Justin Young and Jennifer Young at 9:39PM, Ethan and Jenna at 10:07PM, "Married Couple" Marcus Pollard and Amani Pollard at 10:15PM, "Father/Son Adventurers" Laurence Sunderland and Zac Sunderland at 10:22PM, "Friends and former Olympic Snowboarders" Andy Finch and Tommy Czeschin at 10:23PM, Ron and Bill at 10:48PM, "Friends and former Vegas Showgirls" Kaylani Paliotta and Lisa Tilley at 11:09PM, "Twins" Liz Canavan and Marie Canavan at 11:31PM, and finally "Grandparents" Bill Alden and Cathi Alden at 3:57AM.

Upon opening their departure clues, the teams were instructed to fly more than 2400 miles from Taipei, Taiwan to Yogyakarta, Indonesia where they would have to make their way by overnight train to the tropical city of Goa Jomblang. The teams also learned they would be facing a double elimination leg because all the teams had survived the prior leg.

Despite their scattered Pit Stop departure times in which Bill and Cathi were more than four hours behind Liz and Marie in last place, the teams had an opportunity to catch up with each other at the airport. They all ended up on an equal playing field when every team hopped on the first available flight to Yogyakarta at 8:45AM the next morning.

Upon landing, all the teams also caught the same 5:30AM train which arrived at their destination at 7:30AM. All 11 teams then rushed to secure a taxi and subsequently raced to the Goa Jomblang Cave, a remote vertical cave on the outskirts of Goa Jomblang, where they would receive their next clue. 

Bill and Cathi were the first team to arrive and retrieve their clue at the cave, which instructed them to complete a Roadblock. However, because Bill and Cathi had arrived at the first Pit Stop in last place, they were required to perform a Speed Bump task before being able to take on the Roadblock.

The Speed Bump task required Bill and Cathi to untangle an enormous knotted rope and once finished, they could continue on with the Race. Simple yet time-consuming, Bill labeled their task "Christmas tree lights gone crazy."

Following Bill and Cathi, Ernie and Cindy, Liz and Marie, Amani and Marcus, and Jeremy and Sandy then arrived at the cave and retrieved the teams' clues, which instructed one member of each team to complete a Roadblock task. They were then followed by Andy and Tommy, Justin and Jennifer, Ethan and Jenna, Kaylani and Lisa, Laurence and Zac, and Ron and Bill.

For the Roadblock task, one member of each team had to go spelunking, in which they had to descend 160 feet into the dark cave and search for a Japanese mask and a dagger. Once they collected the artifacts, they would be required to scale a towering bamboo ladder and deliver them to a man who would hand them their next clue. 

Cindy opted to do the Roadblock for her team, and she was later joined by Marie, Marcus, Jeremy, Tommy, Justin, Ethan, Kaylani, Zac, and Bill.

Many of the team members thoroughly enjoyed their spelunking experience and thought their surroundings were beautiful. They were also intrigued by the dark cave, and all the Racers finished the task fairly quickly and efficiently.

Bill and Cathi were the first team to complete the Roadblock task and they were then followed by Liz and Marie, Ernie and Cindy, Amani and Marcus, Jeremy and Sandy, Justin and Jennifer, Andy and Tommy, Ethan and Jenna, Laurence and Zac, Kaylani and Lisa, and Bill and Ron.

After finishing the Roadblock, the teams then learned it was time for them to complete one of two Detour tasks: "Shake Your Money Maker" or "Be a Ticket Taker."

"Money Maker" required the teams to make their way to a congested part of town and earn tips. One team member had to learn a traditional dance while the other accompanied them on a drum. They had to earn $30,000 rupiah, the official currency of Indonesia, to complete the task.

"Ticket Taker" required the teams to make their way to Mal Malioboro, a popular mall, and work as parking attendants. Once they parked enough motorbikes to earn $15,000 rupiah, they must hand over their ticket book to complete the task.

Both Detour tasks required the teams to travel to a local orphanage and donate their Detour earnings to the children to receive their next clue. In addition, the teams had to notice a sign on the special collection table at the orphanage which instructed them to hand over all the money in their possession to the orphans.

Liz and Marie, Jeremy and Sandy, Amani and Marcus, Ethan and Jenna, Kaylani and Lisa, and Ron and Bill all opted to do the "Money Maker" task, while Bill and Cathi, Ernie and Cindy, Justin and Jennifer, Andy and Tommy, and Laurence and Zac chose to attempt the "Ticket Taker" task.

Ernie and Cindy chose a prime parking location, getting to the motor bicyclists before Bill and Cathi could. As a result, Ernie and Cindy were the first team to complete the Detour task, and they were then followed by Bill and Cathi, Liz and Marie, Andy and Tommy, Justin and Jennifer, Jeremy and Sandy, Amani and Marcus, Ethan and Jenna, Laurence and Zac, Kaylani and Lisa, and Ron and Bill.

However, Ethan and Jenna realized they didn't have the clue with them and Jenna took responsibility for forgetting to take the clue with her when they had departed the Detour task. Ethan also wrote down the name of the orphanage and put it in his pocket, but he couldn't find it when it came time for the couple to tell their taxi driver where they needed to go next.

As a result, they lost some ground in the Race and had to backtrack to retrieve the clue so they would know what their next destination was.

All the teams arrived at the orphanage in the same order they had finished the Detour task except for Laurence and Zac, who had arrived in eighth place, Kaylani and Lisa in ninth, Ethan and Jenna in tenth, and Ron and Bill in last place.

After completing their Detour tasks, the teams were instructed to make their way to the Pit Stop at Kraton Palace. 

Ernie and Cindy were the first team to find Phil at Kraton Palace. They were then followed by Liz and Marie in second, Bill and Cathi in third, Andy and Tommy in fourth place, Jeremy and Sandy in fifth place, Justin and Jennifer in sixth, Amani and Marcus in seventh, Laurence and Zac in eighth, Ethan and Jenna in ninth, Kaylani and Lisa in tenth, and Ron and Bill in eleventh place.

However, as they arrived, Phil told Ernie and Cindy, Liz and Marie, Bill and Cathi, Jeremy and Sandy, Justin and Jennifer, Amani and Marcus, Ethan and Jenna, and Ron and Bill that they had failed to read the sign on the table at the orphanage that instructed them to give the children all the money they had in their possession.

As a result, they were forced to go back and hand the kids all their money, return to the Pit Stop and then discover what place they had finished the second leg in.

Andy and Tommy, Laurence and Zac, and Kaylani and Lisa were the only three teams who successfully read the sign and did as instructed.

While the rest of the teams scurried back to the orphanage to fix their mistake, Andy and Tommy officially claimed first place, Laurence and Zac came in second, and Kaylani and Lisa finished the second leg in third place.

Andy and Tommy won a trip for two to Ireland.

After all the teams gave all their money to the orphanage, Ernie and Cindy finished the leg in fourth place, while Liz and Marie arrived in fifth place.

Following Liz and Marie were Jeremy and Sandy, Bill and Cathi, Justin and Jennifer, Amani and Marcus, Ethan and Jenna, and finally Ron and Bill.

Phil then told Ethan and Jenna, followed by Ron and Bill, that they were the last two teams to arrive because of their fatal mistake and had been eliminated from The Amazing Race.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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