Remaining teams: Bella and Douglas (Chicago Cats) Fancy Feast and Chef's Blend (Friskies Spokesperson Cats) Mei Xiang and Tian Tian (Panda Bears)

A break for this leg
As the rising sun greets the Amanxing Racers in the Land of the Rising Sun, Phil Kiwi calls a meeting. "Congratulations, Bella and Douglas, Fancy Feast and Chef's Blend, and Mei Xiang and Tian Tian. You have all made the finals of the Amanxing Race. Hedley and McClurg were the last pair to be eliminated. You will all complete the final two legs of the Race. And here's a surprise: All three of you pairs are automatically guaranteed a spot in the Amanxing Race II - Going to the Dogs should you be so interested."

"We want to give you a break for today's leg of the Race. You may complete this leg at your leisure, but you must finish all the tasks. You will leave Tokyo in the order in which you arrived, but all three pairs will leave the next Pet Stop at the same time. Judge your own level of tiredness and preparedness for the final leg." With that, he hands Bella and Douglas their clue: Fly to San Francisco, California; take the ferry to Alcatraz and find the Birdman's old cell.

The PET STOP is the end destination for each leg of a race, at which point a Team must "clock in." The last Team to arrive at most PET STOPs is eliminated from the race. A Team will leave the PET STOP at the same time they clock in, only at the opposite time of day; for instance, a Team that clocks in at 9 am will leave at 9 pm.

Wharf cats:
As it turns out, all three pairs end up on the same flight to San Francisco International Airport. Bella and Douglas share a cab with the pandas, with the Friskies cats trailing behind, Fancy Feast hissing alternately at Chef's Blend and the cab driver. They all arrive at Fisherman's Wharf at the same time, but Bella and Douglas and the pandas get the last four tickets on the 1:00 Alcatraz ferry. They watch Chef's Blend wave goodbye from the dock as Fancy Feast hisses.

Rock of the bay:
What's this? As the boat docks on The Rock, the cats are riding on the back of the pandas! They've decided to work together on this leg. They leave the tour group behind and start to look for the Birdman's cell. And there, waiting in the cell, is none other than their old friend, and the star of "The Rock," Sean Connery! "Dooglas, wherrr'es your scarrrf?" he asks, giving each racer a pat on the head and their next clue - to go to the wooden steps on Macondray Lane, at the top of Russian Hill.

The pairs pass the Gruesome Twosome on the way back to the mainland, where they catch the Powell and Hyde cable car. The pandas hang off the edge, Rice-a-Roni style, riding up the steep hill and finding their way to Macondray Lane, where they meet "Tales of the City" author Armistead Maupin. "I guess you would prefer No-Tails of the City," he says to Bella, giving the pairs their next clues: go to the Cliff House, on Ocean Beach near Golden Gate Park.

MSG & MUNI:
At this point, the pandas decide to take it easy for a bit, and stop in Chinatown for their first Chinese food in ages. Bella and Douglas take the MUNI out to the Cliff House, and Chef's Blend sits on Sean's lap while Fancy Feast hisses. "Haven't ye learnt anythin' on this race, Fancy Feast?" he says, rolling his eyes. "Bad taste is easy to recognize, I guess. Good luck, you two!"

The former presidential candidate cats are riding through Golden Gate Park, watching groups of people play frisbee, when they arrive at the Cliff House to find their next clue: "What a long strange trip it's been! Now truck on over to 710 - Ashbury, that is, and you better watch your speed, China Cats." Douglas, of course, knows exactly what's up.

Lunch is over for the pandas, who find themselves mobbed in Chinatown by people wanting to have their pictures taken with them. They pass an already tired Fancy Feast and Chef's Blend climbing the hill - Fancy Feast refused to take the cable car.

Sleep like the Dead:
Bella and Douglas arrive at the corner of Haight and Ashbury and stop to get their pictures with the famous sign. They run up the hill to 710 to find Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, and Mickey Hart, all former members of the Grateful Dead standing on the steps of their former home, each holding an American Shorthair cat. "Welcome to San Francisco!" says Phil, who takes the pair to their Pet Stop for the night, the Red Victorian Bed and Breakfast on Haight Street. Bella and Douglas select the Summer of Love Room, and end up with quite a few local visitors.

The pandas arrive next, and Mickey takes them to the Playground Room at the Red Vic. Finally, Bob, who drew the short straw, greets Chef's Blend and Fancy Feast, who demands the most expensive Peacock Suite.

Written by Becky Banfield

Next time, on the conclusion of THE AMANXING RACE: The winner is decided, as Mei Xiang and Tian Tian run into some trouble, Bella and Douglas ponder what might have been, and Fancy Feast gets to do a little too much "reflecting".

On to the final episode ->

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