Kate Lewis and Pat Hendrickson didn't seem as competitive as some of the other teams, causing the married lesbian Episcopal ministers to become the second team eliminated from The Amazing Race's twelfth season during last night's broadcast of the CBS reality series.

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"I think what came out of this for both of us is the realization that we can still have a lot of fun together," said Pat.  "We found ourselves several times just roaring in laughter."

The Amazing Race 12's second episode began with the 10 remaining teams leaving Ireland's Connemara Heritage Center, which served as the Pit Stop for the first leg of the competition.  Following a mandatory rest period, the "Brother/Sister" team of Azaria and Hendekea Azene -- the first team to reach the race's Pit Stop -- were the first to depart at 12AM.

Azaria and Hendekea opened their clue, which instructed them to fly almost 600 miles to Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Once there, they had to travel by train to Central Station and search the city's canals for the Melkmeisjesbrug bridge to find their next clue.

"Dating Goths" Kynt Cothron and Vyxsin Fiala left the Pit Stop next at 12:02AM, and they were followed by "Newly Dating Couple" Rachel Rosales and TK Erwin at 12:15AM; "Dating Couple" Lorena Segura and Jason Widener at 1:15AM; "Grandfather/Grandson" team Donald Jerousek and Nicolas Fulks at 1:35AM; and "Friends" Shana Hall and Jennifer McCall at 1:57AM.

Donald and Nicholas were the first to run into a problem on the second leg, as the vehicle they were taking to the airport got a flat tire with Donald behind the wheel.  While they were able to fix the flat, it wasn't until after Shana and Jennifer passed them.

"Father/Daughter" Ronald and Christina Hsu left the first Pit Stop at 2:45AM; Kate and Pat left at 2:47AM; "Sisters" Marianna and Julia Ruiz left at 2:59AM; and "Dating Couple" Jennifer Parker and Nathan Hagstrom were the last couple to leave the Pit Stop, departing at 3AM.

"This is a wake-up call for us," said Jennifer.

Azaria and Hendekea; Kynt and Vyxsin; Rachel and TK; Lorena and Jason; Shana and Jennifer; Nicholas and Donald; and Nathan and Jennifer were all waiting for the ticket counter at Shannon's airport to open at 6AM.  While all 10 teams would be able to book seats on the 7AM flight to Dublin, only six of the teams would be able to book seats on the connecting flight to Amsterdam leaving Dublin at 12:15AM. 

Nicholas and Donald had a slow-moving ticket agent at the Dublin counter, allowing Nathan and Jennifer to claim the final two seats on the first connecting flight to Amsterdam.

"The flat tire killed us," said Donald as Nathan and Jennifer were relieved.

All 10 teams then traveled to Dublin on the 7AM flight -- except for Marianna and Julia -- who took a terrible route to get to the Shannon airport and would have to settle for an 8:30AM flight to Dublin.

Once the first flight touched down in Dublin, Nicholas and Donald raced Ronald and Christina for positioning at the stand-by counter, with both hoping to get on the first connecting flight to Amsterdam at 12:15AM.  Nicholas decided he wouldn't let a slow ticket agent hurt his team again and barked "pushy" orders at the agent trying to get him on stand-by. 

When the agent characterized Nicholas as "rude," Ronald took offense and thought Nicholas was being "abrasive."  While Christina tried to explain to Nicholas that the agents will want to help him more if he's "cordial," Ronald continued to be a bit harsher.

"You got a mouth that basically starts with bad energy," said Ronald to Nicholas.  "Your grandfather is the good cop; you're the bad cop... I don't need to talk about it. I have my version. I have maybe some problems with interpretation, but the words that come through my ear is very clear, because I cleared all the wax yesterday."

"Ron, he kind of snapped," said Nicholas, who looked like he just wanted to put the incident behind him.  "At that point, there was nothing I could do except but just really stand back."

Nicholas and Donald were awarded the only stand-by tickets on the 12:15AM flight to Amsterdam, meaning Ronald and Christina had to take the second flight with Kate and Pat as well as Marianna and Julia, who had just arrived in Dublin.

The first flight to Amsterdam carrying seven of the teams touched down at 1:15PM.  Azaria and Hendekea grabbed an early lead when they hopped right on the 12:32AM train at Centraal Station.  While the six teams behind them stopped to purchase tickets before boarding, Azaria and Hendekea knew the tickets could be purchased on the train.  Trains left at 10 minute intervals.

Azaria and Hendekea were the first team to arrive at Melkmeisjesbrug bridge, where they opened their next clue to find The Amazing Race 12's first Detour and had to choose between "Hoist It" or "Hunt It."

In "Hoist It," teams had to use a traditional rope and pulley system to hoist five pieces of furniture up a typical Amsterdam residence. Host Phil Keoghan said the task required "brains and brawn," but no travel. In "Hunt It," teams had to make their way on foot several blocks to a parking lot to search through thousands of bicycles and find the two bikes tagged with a specific color designated in their clue. After finding their bikes, the teams had to ride them five miles to an attendant who would give them their next clue. Phil said the task was "not terribly physical," but required "tremendous attention to detail."

Azaria and Hendekea chose "Hunt It" and started searching through the bikes while Lorena and Jason; Nathan and Jennifer; Kynt and Vyxsin; TK and Rachel; and Shana and Jennifer all chose "Hoist It."

Vyxsin started by hoisting many of the lighter items, while Jason and TK struggled while trying to secure the awkwardly shaped television. Jason eventually got the hang of it and with Lorena was the first team to complete the Detour.  They opened their next clue, which instructed them to travel by bus to the rural village of Ransdorp.  However they just barely missed the first bus and found themselves waiting.

"This sucks," commented a downtrodden Jason.  "I can't believe we missed that."

Vyxsin and Kynt; Shana and Jennifer; and Nathan and Jennifer all subsequently finished the "Hoist It" challenge while TK still struggled with the knots.  Shana and Jennifer and Nathan and Jennifer were able to get the same bus to Ransdorp as Jason and Lorena, however Vyxsin and Kynt got a little lost at the bus station and just barely missed it.

Just as the 1:55PM flight to Amsterdam landed -- carrying Ronald and Christina; Kate and Pat; and Marianna and Julia -- Rachel realized it was time to take matters into her own hands and switch places with TK at the "Hoist It" challenge.

"It's a crappy feeling knowing that teams are passing you when you feel like you're trying so hard and then it just starts slowly slipping away," she said.

Rachel secured the television with a knot that was quite impressive and the team made their way to the bus station.  They were met there by Azaria and Hendekea, who had a hell of a time finding their bikes but eventually completed the "Hunt It" challenge.

Nathan and Jennifer; Shana and Jennifer; and Jason and Lorena all arrived in Ransdorp, where they were met by a Roadblock, the "Ditch Vault."  One team member had to complete a single vault over a muddy ditch and successfully touch both feet to the grass on the opposite side. Once across they could retrieve their next clue, then return to their partner in any way they liked.

Jason was the first to attempt the vault, cleared the ditch easily, retrieved the clue and returned to the other side.  The clue revealed teams had to ride a Dutch cargo bike -- known as a bakfiets -- through the countryside while searching for the marked drop-off point at the Durgerdam Yacht Club.  The waterfront at the edge of Europe's second largest lake would serve as The Amazing Race 12's second Pit Stop.

Jason and Lorena were the first team to reach the Pit Stop, followed closely by Nathan and Jennifer and Shana and Jennifer (with both Jennifers extremely muddy).

As Vyxsin and Kynt; Azaria and Hendekea; and Donald and Nicholas boarded the second bus to Ransdorp, the three teams bringing up the rear arrived at the Detour.  Ronald and Christina argued over which challenge to choose, and she eventually persuaded her dad to try "Hunt It."  Despite a difficult start to their second leg, Marianna and Julia easily found their bikes in the "Hunt It" challenge and were the first team to arrive at the bus station to wait for the third bus.

Aware that elimination was at stake, Ronald and Christina raced against Kate and Pat in a search to find their bikes.  While Ronald  persisted that his daughter "remain optimistic," he was seemingly putting a ton of pressure on her, which slowed their search.  Luckily for them, Kate and Pat also struggled as they looked through the thousands of bikes, however they were a lot less confrontational than the father/daughter team.

"The bad in me is coming out again," said Pat with a laugh as she overheard Ronald and Christina argue.  "Seeing somebody else all frustrated."

Both teams eventually found their bikes and set-off for the bus station.  However Ronald continued to criticize Christina's decision to do "Hunt It" instead of "Hoist It."

"Your vacillations rob us time.  So you've got to be more decisive," he said.  "I let you loose on this thing and you basically disappointed me."

"You're hard on me," she replied through tears.  "Do you know that? It's like punch after punch after punch. You really need to change that about yourself... Please."

As Ronald guaranteed he'd try to change while offering Christina a hug, they boarded the third bus to Ransdorp with Marianna and Julia.  Kate and Pat just barely missed the bus and were now in last place.

"Now we're super screwed," said Kate as the bus pulled away.

The second bus arrived in Ransdorp and the teams on it were met by the Roadblock.  Kynt, Hendekea and Rachel all completed the Roadblock for their respective teams and embarked for the Pit Stop.  Kynt and Vyxsin finished fourth; Azaria and Hendekea came in fifth; and TK and Rachel finished sixth.

For some strange reason, 68-year-old Donald tried the Dutch "Ditch Vault" instead of his young, spry grandson.  After several failed attempts at clearing the ditch -- which left him covered in mud -- Donald decided to strip down to his underwear to shed the excess weight just as Ronald and Christina and Marianna and Julia arrived at the Roadblock.  Donald finally cleared the ditch and completed the challenge.

"My grandfather made it across the river, showing frustration and anger pays off in the end," commented Nicholas.

Marianna boasted about her skill as a pole vaulter, and the talent allowed her to get across the ditch quickly. As a result, Marianna and Julia overcame quite a deficit and finished the second leg in seventh -- just ahead of Nicholas and Donald -- who came in eighth.

Because the bus to Ransdorp stops running at night, Kate and Pat had to take a minibus.  They weren't completely out of it, as Ronald continued to badger Christina with information he thought was helpful as she tried to make it across the ditch.

"Daddy, I just need to concentrate," said Christina, who had to make the statement again after Ronald wouldn't keep quiet.  She eventually nailed the landing and grabbed the clue, which apparently still wasn't good enough for dad.

"I think I could have done it better," commented Ronald.

Kate and Pat weren't even in sight when Ronald and Christina reached the Pit Stop in ninth place.

"It was really tough," Christina told Phil.  "We haven't worked together like this before.  We both want this so badly for each other, but we don't know each other's work styles yet and it's really hard.  But we're getting through it."

"The key is the communication skills," said Ronald.  "I'm a little bit crass in how I treat my daughter. I've become the Archie Bunker of the home."

Kate completed the Roadblock -- but it was too little too late -- as the married ministers were the last team to reach the Pit Stop and were eliminated.

"We just wish we could have lasted so much longer and more of a chance to show people who we are," said Kate once Phil revealed they were eliminated.

The Amazing Race 12's next episode will air Sunday, November 18 at 8PM ET/PT on CBS.
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio

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