Last time we bid farewell to racers Ashley Gordon and Matt Cucolo, who were eliminated from The Amazing Race after they came in last on the second leg in a row. They were fighting an uphill battle between having to perform the additional Speed Bump, and being brought to the wrong Detour by their driver.
There are four teams left in the race, and three of them are blind date couples. That still surprises me. So who will take the lead in this leg of The Amazing Race? Let’s find out!
Mosaic Madness
“In it to Win It (Peru)” starts off with Hayley and Blair, who bickered their way to a first place finish on the previous leg, receiving the first clue. Teams are headed to Trujillo to find the famous mosaic wall, which is almost two miles long. Once there, they will use a magnifying glass to locate the clue on the mural. What is much more important is the fact that racers must obtain the magnifying glasses from a creepy clown with a rainbow wig. (In case you are wondering, I am not a huge fan of clowns.) Hayley and Blair find the clue quickly and peel it off the wall, but must present it to the silent clown who takes his time handing over the clue, forcing Hayley to grab for it several times.
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It is a Detour: Make Some Bricks or Shake Your Hips. In Shake Your Hips, teams must learn the steps of the traditional Peruvian courtship dance the Marinera. When they have performed the steps correctly, they will be rewarded with the next clue.
For the Brick Detour, teams must help archaeologists who are fighting to preserve ancient brick walls by making 12 bricks. Once they have completed the bricks, teams must bring 12 dry bricks to the archaeologist to receive the next clue.
Nightmare in a Taxi
Poor Rochelle and Mike are once again facing transportation issues. Their car is smoking and Mike suspects that there is a problem with the brakes based on the way they are flying down the road, almost into oncoming traffic. The driver eventually pulls over, and Laura and Tyler ride past. Laura is thrilled as she had just been praying that someone would get a flat tire. Of course, Tyler and Laura would prefer that it was Hayley and Blair in that predicament, or as Laura calls them, “Nimrod and nimrod.” How sweet!
Bricks Challenge
Hayley and Blair watch the demonstration then get right to work. Their first brick is, well, let’s just say it is more like a clumpy square than a smooth rectangle. After the duo has completed 12 bricks, the foreman steps on nine of them with his boot. Blair and Hayley figure out the trick to making smoother edges and are even working together without sniping at each other. When it is time to deliver the dried bricks, Blair accidentally turns the wheel barrel over on its side because it was too overloaded. The blind date couple will need to make two trips. They finally complete the back-breaking task and get the next clue. Teams must head to Huanchaco to locate the next clue.
Tyler and Laura also tackle the brick challenge. They seem to think that their handiwork is pretty good, but it looks rather lopsided. Rochelle and Mike also try the brick task, but begin to squabble. They change their minds and head over to the dance challenge to shake their groove things, hoping it will be faster than making the bricks.
Laura and Tyler finally win the foreman’s approval and head off with the wheel barrel and finished bricks. It is a very long path, and Tyler is struggling to propel the wheel barrel with its heavy load. Laura carries a brick or two in her arms, but when she puts them down, she breaks a corner off of one brick. The foreman notices and they have to go back and get another brick. What’s that they say about karma?
Dance Challenge
Jenny and Jelani get dressed in traditional Peruvian clothing so they can bust a move Peruvian-style. The dance is actually very pretty. The instructors urge Jelani and Jenny to be flirtatious, which causes the team mates to giggle. Their first attempt is a failure because they haven’t mastered the correct posture and are not making enough eye contact. They finally succeed on their third try.
Mike and Rochelle don their Peruvian clothes and try to learn the dance. It is tough for the dating couple because they are not used to performing without other dancers in front of a crowd. They start to wonder if they made the right decision to switch Detours.
Rough Seas Ahead
In Huanchaco, teams encounter a Roadblock which poses the question, “Who wants to ride a sea horse?” Teams must carry a traditional reed boat, called a caballito, down to the ocean. One member of the team must then paddle the boat straight into the wild waves and out to a buoy to retrieve the next clue. Blair steps up to paddle the boat. He does a lot of paddle boarding, so he is pretty confident that he will do well. The boat tips very easily and spins in the rough surf. Blair eventually gets the hang of it and grabs the clue. It is the location of the Pit Stop: Virgen del Socorro.
Jelani is having a terrible time trying to fight the waves, and Jenny finds it particularly amusing. Jelani comes up with the unconventional technique of leaning back instead of sitting upright on the caballito, and it definitely works for him.
Laura has to do the Roadblock because Tyler has already performed five. Laura seems to have a relatively easy time of it. Rochelle has to paddle the boat because Mike has also done five Roadblocks. She becomes overwhelmed at first, but then remembers that she is doing this to make a better life for her son.
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The First to Arrive
Blair and Hayley are the first team to find Phil, and they also win a trip to India. Bravo, guys! Jelani and Jenny take second place, and Laura and Tyler nab third place.
The Last to Arrive
Rochelle and Mike are the final team to reach the mat. Phil has some amazing news to share – not only are they still in the competition, but they are still racing! The host warns the couple that sometime before the finish line, he will be eliminating one team from The Amazing Race. So Rochelle and Mike head off to begin their trip to Dallas, Texas as they continue the race to win the million dollar prize.
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.
