While Season 27 of The Amazing Race has been entertaining for some of the personalities, it hasn’t actually been much of a race. At least not in an exciting “who is going to be eliminated and coming in first place” sense. The legs have been pretty straightforward in terms of team placement. However, that all changed in leg 7, “Full Speed Ahead, Captain”. There was actually some flip-flopping of positions and the last team to arrive was quite a nail-biter. This all made for this episode to be the most exciting The Amazing Race episode yet in Season 27.
Advantages Going Up in Smoke
In the beginning of this episode all the teams have reserved tickets on a train to Rotterdam for 7:30 at night. Most of the teams (except for a few late and lazy ones) manage to get earlier train tickets. Team Tanner and Josh are one of the lazy ones who don’t even try to get early tickets and end up going sightseeing in France instead. This is not as big of a mistake as Rick and Cindy who inexplicably think that Rotterdam and Amsterdam are the same place. They stay on a train heading to Amsterdam before they realize their mistake.
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All these fumbles though are basically meaningless because the teams have to wait till the next morning to really begin the next leg. They all spend the night on a boat taking tags with their exit time. The times are staggered based on arrival but there is only an hour difference between the first and last team.
The time difference is even more meaningless because the first place team, Justin and Diana, blow their lead by arguing with one another. Justin insists that he doesn’t want to argue but consistently brings up Diana’s mistakes. Then he acts shocked and disgusted when Diana gets angry at him. It’s not as if we needed this episode to confirm for us that Justin is the worst but Justin is totally and completely the worst.
Anything You Can Do, Justin Can Do Better
In his commitment to douchebaggery, Justin continues to be problematic at the Roadblock. The one team member who is designated to complete the task has to find a specific painting in a collection. This is not just a simple memorization test; the teams must run back and forth in field of windmills to find the correct painting. Justin doesn’t compete in the Roadblock but from his snide comments, you can tell that he clearly thinks he’d be amazing at it. Diana, feeling the lack of support, struggles to find the correct painting.
Justin and Diana eventually make it but not before several teams pass them by. A fact that none of the other teams want us to forget as they all gleefully praise themselves for passing the dreaded Green Team.
From the Roadblock the teams make it to the Detour. They have to choose between virtually piloting a ship and performing a double-dutch routine. In other words they have to choose between “Skip” and “Ship.” The connections between The Amazing Race Detour options is always tenuous but this is really pushing it.
Justin and Diana as well as Kelsey and Joey are the first two teams to make it to “Ship.” Justin is determined to overtake Kelsey and Joey, so he does his typical “Justin” thing. He’s super obnoxious, loud and blames everything wrong on Diana. The world is cruel and unfair place though, so that means Justin and Diana beat Kelsey and Joey.
While all this disappoint is happening, Krista and Tiffany are doing “Skip” and kill it on their second attempt. (Though if Justin had chosen “Skip” he probably would’ve done on his first attempt. Just ask him, he’ll tell you.)
Double Disappointments
During all this drama, most of the other teams are making their way to the Detour by tram. I say most because Rick makes an executive decision that Cindy and he should wait for a bus. So, as the other teams move (because it is a race) Cindy and Rick sit waiting for a bus. Cindy rightfully sulks and Rick tries to justify it by growing up in a traditional Asian home. (Apparently antiquated gender roles make it OK to make stupid transportation decisions.) Cindy and Rick eventually make it to “Ship,” but by that point, Teams Kelsey/Joey and Justin/Diana have already left.
From the Detour, the teams head to the Pit Stop. Again, because life is cruel and bad things happen to good TV viewers, Justin and Diana come in first. If that’s not bad enough FitBit the ever-present sponsor of The Amazing Race this year, decides to award Justin and Diana for walking. FitBit gives them a dollar for every step they took this leg which roughly equals $31,000 dollars. Kelsey, Joey, Tiffany and Krista follow and get no money.
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Never Let Rick be your Navigator
Anyway, back the Detour, the final four teams have arrived. It’s an exercise in incompetence though because all of these teams have no idea what they are supposed to be doing, let alone how to do it. They eventually figure it out but not without many attempts. Tanner and Josh as well as Logan and Chris finish first and head to the Pit Stop. This leaves bus riders Cindy and Rick and the mother and son, Denise and James Earl, in a race for last.
Denise and James Earl finish the Detour first but the next train to the Pit Stop has a wait. So the last place team will be determined by who makes the best transportation decisions. So Cindy and Rick clearly don’t have a chance here. Cindy and Rick get on the wrong transport (again) so Denise and James Earl narrowly beat them. Cindy and Rick are eliminated. #Chacattack is no more.
The Amazing Race airs Fridays at 8pm on CBS
(Image courtesy of CBS)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Derek is a Philadelphia based writer and unabashed TV and comic book junkie. The time he doesn’t spend over analyzing all things nerdy he is working on his resume to be the liaison to the Justice League.
