Big Brother 13′s resident metalhead and reality show addict Adam Poch is recapping The Amazing Race for Metal Insider – specifically Team Headbangers, consisting of former White Lion/Megadeth/Black Label Society bassist James LoMenzo and entertainment lawyer Mark “Abba” Abbattista. You can follow Adam on Twitter at @heavymetalteddy.
Welcome to the latest edition of the Amazing Race 21 recap – focusing on TEAM HEADBANGERS – James LoMenzo & Mark ‘Abba’ Abbatista. Our longhair buddies finished in 6th place after leg 1, but all the teams caught up to each other as they all took the same flight from China to Indonesia. But at the layover – James & Abba were able to get on standby for an earlier flight than everyone else, giving them a head start looking for the first clue. This was important because the team that won this leg would get an Express Pass (which they could use at anytime to skip a challenge). They arrived a bull racing stadium first – and took their #1 whip and were told to return at 8 am.
The next morning the teams lined up in order & rode on motorcycles alongside a pair of racing bulls before getting the next clue. This led them to a Roadblock where the clue was “Who likes to party” – so of course James the Rockstar took this task. This was unlike any party that James has probably been at. No it was not fueled by booze and chicks, it was a children’s party – and James had to make 4 balloon animals & 4 balloon hats for 4 small children while operating a pedal-powered amusement ride. This proved to give him a lot of difficulty and other teams started to catch up and pass them. I highly doubt on the long bus rides between tour stops that James ever made a balloon animal. After finishing 4th – our metalheads had to find a a Motorcycle shop to get the clue to the next Detour. Not being familiar with the streets of Indonesia – they had to rely on their cabbie to know where this place was. Instead of taking them to Wijaya Motors, he took them to Wijaya Tires. You can see how frustrated they were getting as the cabbie continued to look for the place.
They finally arrived at the correct Wijaya and were the 6th team to get their task. They had to choose between Ice-by-the-Pound and Fish-by-the-Barrel. Either load ten 65lb blocks of ice on a truck and deliver it to a market, or transport 2 barrels of fish and replicate a stall at the same market. Four of the five teams in front of them took the ice challenge – but the one team to do the Fish challenge Natalie & Nadiya (twin sisters) completed the task first and checked in to win the leg & the highly coveted Express Pass. James & Abba did the Ice challenge and used their brute strength – but they were unable to catch up to the other teams and ended up finishing in 6th place. They actually lucked out – because as bad as their cab driver was, dating couple Amy & Daniel were the 2nd to finish the Roadblock but last team to find the Detour stop – causing them to finish in last place & be eliminated from the Race.
This was the 2nd week in a row that James & Abba had the lead and let it slip away – but as long as you do not finish last each leg – you get to move on. Let’s hope this pattern doesn’t continue & hopefully they can win one of the legs on their way to winning the entire Amazing Race!
