Leg 3 of The Amazing Race might be the very dud of a leg for season 28. Sure, the previous two legs won’t ever qualify as the best in history but there was an entertaining back and forth between several teams. There was even some inner turmoil and arguments within a few teams (OK really it was just Dana and Matt) which always makes for good TV. Dana and Matt are still arguing in leg this but it wasn’t enough. The second Colombia leg was pretty uneventful. It’s unavoidable though, even in the best of The Amazing Race seasons, there has to be a down leg.
An Easy(ish) Start
Still in Colombia, the teams head quickly to their first stop on this leg. They have to go to nearby plaza and go down in the catacombs. This isn’t a big deal unless you’re Erin who loses her freaking mind being in an underground enclosed space again. Tears, panic attacks abound but her partner Josyln eventually manages to calm her enough to get out and find their desired marker.
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After the teams find the marker inside the catacombs, they receive their first clue that points to the Detour. The Detour is a choice between “Tickets” and “Tejo.” In Tickets, the teams must collect bus fare on a bus until they reach 2,000 pesos. The catch being that they have to get people onto the bus like some sweaty, nervous and desperate tour guides. In Tejo, the teams play a local game which is similar to your standard college tailgate game. They have to throw a stone underhand into a small target. You can guess which one the teams finish faster. (Hint: it doesn’t involve public transportation.
Nothing too remarkable happens with these Detours, other than the fact that the Tickets teams seeming fall very far behind. Erin and Joslyn also try my patience thinking they are far funnier than they actually are, but that’s not unique to this Detour. The one good thing about the discrepancy between the difficulties of the challenges is that Darius and Cameron catch up from the bottom of the pack. The brothers are given even more of a chance when Zach and Rachel completely miscount their money in Tickets and have to go back again to get more.
Extreme Hand Bag Shopping
No matter which Detour the teams complete though, when finished, they must head to the next Roadblock. Here, one team member must pick a Colombian handbag out of a collection and find two more bags from the same designer. The potential bags are spread through a shopping district, which means that the racer has to stop at many vendors along the way. There are so many vendors in the space that the teams often come out empty-handed.
Dana and Matt choose this opportunity to exhibit that they (or rather she) has learned nothing from the last leg. Dana continues to tell Matt that he is useless garbage and as a person he has nothing to offer. Matt offers nothing but help and assurance, but she continually barks at him to shut up as she runs around the city like a soaking wet freak from her combined tears and sweat.
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Dana also squashes another vendor’s merchandise looking for her bag. It is far more amusing than it should be, mainly because of the reaction of the vendor. The vendor stares daggers at Dana’s back and makes it clear she is no way connected with The Amazing Race. There might be a language barrier but the vendor’s look communicates that she wishes that this insane sticky harpy would move far away from her.
A Stupid Blunder Ends Another Race
From the Roadblock, the teams head to the Pit Stop. Brodie and Kurt finish in first and everyone follows behind until two teams are left at the Roadblock. It is Darius and Cameron and the counting-challenged Zach and Rachel. Zach and Rachel might not be able to count but Darius and Cameron are no better as the appear to be a bit challenged in the reading department. Darius has all the bags he needs but is completely clueless that he is supposed to hand them back where the challenge began in order to finish the leg. As a result, Darius wanders around like a buffon while Zach and Rachel (who arrived way after them) finish the Roadblock.
I used to really like Darius and Cameron but even I can’t excuse this level of incompetence. Darius and Cameron come in a close last but it is still last. The Vine brothers, still more likable The Fine Brothers, are eliminated from The Amazing Race.
The Amazing Race season 28 airs Fridays at 8pm on CBS.
(Images 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.
