Season 25 of The Amazing Race has been amazingly entertaining. Last time we watched duos attempt to herd an angry group of sheep into pens while running them through a maze of fences (who needs a staff, or a real shepherd, anyway!) to make some authentic Viking torches. Guilty as charged – I love it when the show has Vikings on it.
After Scott suffered a severe ankle injury in the very beginning of the leg, firemen Scott Strazzullo and Michael Ward, unable to make up enough time, were eliminated from The Amazing Race. So who will take the lead on this leg of the race? Let’s find out!
Off to Copenhagen
This episode, titled “Thinly Sliced Anchovies,” starts off on St. Ninian’s Isle where the teams camped for the night on a beach. The married dentists with the blinding white smiles, Misti and Jim, get the next clue. Teams are headed to Copenhagen, Denmark. First, they will endure a 13 hour ride on a ferry to return to Aberdeen, Scotland, where they will board a flight to Copenhagen and find their next clue on their vehicle. Jim is pretty confident that although they possess The Save, they won’t need to use it. That was quite a statement, and no one should tempt fate like that.
Although they get their ferry tickets first, they decide to find some place to do some online research for the plane tickets, and it pays off when they book their flight. When the other teams learn there is no travel agent, they decide to wait and locate one in Scotland, or else drive directly to the airport.
A New Leader Emerges
Amy and Maya, Bethany and Adam, Brooke and Robbie, and Keith and Whitney all book the same flight, and it leaves a bit earlier than the one that Nici and Shelley booked at the travel agent. Misti and Jim were upset to learn that Kym and Alli actually departed on an earlier flight than they did.
Kym and Alli run over to their vehicle, and see Phil standing there. They have a fairly comfortable lead on the other teams as they prepare to drive to Malmo, Sweden. They will be using a plug-in Ford energy hybrid, and if they drive efficiently, will only use one tenth of a gallon of gas, and will receive their next clue. If teams do not do this, they must correctly answer a local geography student’s question. Kym and Alli are jazzed that this is an environmentally-conscious challenge.
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Cakes and Parking Spaces
They meet the gas-level challenge and get the next clue, and it is a Detour. In “Parking Space,” teams must re-purpose a parking space, called a parklet, with either a garden theme or living room setting. They must set-up the parklet identically to the pictures in the brochure before their 30 minute time limit runs out. If their time runs out, they have to set up their parklet in a new space. It is definitely interesting to see people sitting and hanging out in these parklets in a busy city.
In “Wedding Cake,” teams must assemble and decorate a traditional Danish wedding cake, then drive it on a bike, called a Bullet, across town to a restaurant. If their cake arrives in one piece, teams will head back to the bakery to grab their next clue. What, no snacking allowed?
Bakery Bound
Kym and Alli, as professional urban bike racers, are thrilled to do the wedding cake challenge. Once their cake is all set, they see how difficult the challenge will be. They grab some icing on the way out to help “triage” their cake. They arrive at the restaurant but can’t find their bakery slip. They head back out and find it on the ground. They secure the next clue, and some delicious sugary snacks, from the bakery. Teams must now drive themselves to the Ida Davidsen Restaurant, where the next clue awaits.
Over-Limit on Gas
Meanwhile, Misti and Jim sacrifice the gas limit for speed and are forced to answer the geography question, which is to name the capitols of the Scandinavian countries. Jim corrals some people with cell phones to assist in the challenge. Bethany and Adam and Brooke and Robbie also have to answer the student’s question. Shelley and Nici are in last place right now, and are unable to find their car.
Parking Space Confusion
Keith and Whitney, Robbie and Brooke, and newlyweds Bethany and Adam choose the wedding cake challenge, while Misty and Jim and Maya and Amy opt for the parking space challenge. They are soon joined by Tim and Te Jay and Shelley and Nici. Jim and Misti don’t pass inspection on the first try, and Jim becomes frustrated. Maya and Amy complete their parklet on the first try and head off for the Roadblock.
Back at the bakery, Keith and Whitney don’t even make it off the curb before part of their cake falls off, while Bethany and Adam lose their cake when it splatters onto the sidewalk. Bethany isn’t sure that she can do this challenge, and the couple decide to switch challenges, and Whitney and Keith follow suit.
Taunting the Universe Is Very Bad
Bethany and Adam have to repeat the parklet challenge, but Whitney and Keith move on to the Roadblock. Jim and Misti fail again. Like I said, never, ever taunt the universe like that, Jim. Jim and Misti give up and head off for the wedding cake challenge. They have The Save, so they can’t be eliminated, but still. As they set off on the bikes with their cake, they lose a flag on the ground. Yikes! When they reach the restaurant, they are told to return it to the bakery because it is not right. On their next try, it is accepted.
Finding the Mistake
The final two teams, Te Jay and Tim and Shelley and Nici, arrive for the parking space challenge, and are thrilled that another team is still there. Bethany and Adam and Tim and Te Jay finish the task next, leaving a bickering Shelley and Nici behind.
May I Take Your Order?
Alli and Kym reach the Ida Davidsen Restaurant first, and encounter a Roadblock, which one team member must complete. Participants must take an order of sandwiches from two customers. They must memorize the ingredient for four sandwiches, and then give the ingredients to the chef. So what is the hitch? The menu has over 280 sandwiches on it. These challenges are making me hungry! Kym takes on the Roadblock, but she has a history of being a terrible waitress. She finally gets it right, and kisses the chef on the cheek before departing with the clue.
The VM Houses, which are residential and sustainable buildings, are the Pit Stop for this leg of the race.
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Brooke Doesn’t Cry
Robbie and Brooke are having a trying time on the bikes, and at least during this leg, Brooke is not crying. Instead, she is moaning about the pain in her legs and back. Her pain is rewarded when they complete the task on the first try.
At the restaurant, Maya, Robbie and Whitney try to memorize the sandwiches. When Maya succeeds, she flings herself on the floor in victory. Robbie’s approach is a bit more entertaining, as he flirts with the elderly female chef. Hilarious! Adam completes the Roadblock next, leaving Misti and Shelley.
Shelley completes the challenge, while Jim sullenly waits outside. Unfortunately, both Adam and Bethany and Shelley and Nici get lost while driving at night. Misti stays positive and still gives it her all, even on her ninth try. She finally realizes that she was omitting the sandwich numbers.
The Pit Stop
Alli and Kym cross the mat first, and they also each win one of the Ford Energy Hybrid cars. Bravo, ladies! Brooke and Robbie are the second team to arrive, with Keith and Whitney arriving in third place. Shelley and Nici finally arrive, after Nici stumbles and falls on her way to the mat. Nici has a full-blown melt-down when her mother tells Phil that Nici wanted to be in charge, so she let her.
The Last to Arrive
Misti and Jim are the last team to arrive, and present The Save to Phil. He hands it back because it is a non-elimination leg. I am speechless, and exhausted.
Watch all eight teams compete again next time on The Amazing Race.
The Amazing Race airs Friday at 8pm on CBS.
(Image courtesy of CBS)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Kim has been covering television entertainment since 2013. She is addicted to Real Housewives, Pump Rules, Dancing with the Stars, and many more shows.
